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“All right, Damon,” she repeated.
He smiled at her. “That’s my good girl. My baby is being so good, isn’t she, Grady?”
“She’s being a very good girl. She might need a reward.” Grady stared down at her intently.
“I think you’re right. Perhaps later, when we’re alone.”
“I . . . I . . .” Shit. She had to say something before things got along any further. “There might be things about me that you don’t know and that maybe won’t like.”
She didn’t want them to stop. But she didn’t want to keep anything from them, either.
“That’s why we’re going to get to know each other better,” Grady told her. “Starting with lunch.”
“And moving on to more,” Steele said. “After lunch, we want you to come home to our place.”
“I . . . I can’t.” Disappointment filled her. “Sunday afternoons are mine and Brooks. He’ll be home at four. We’ll watch a movie and get take-out. I . . . I’m sorry.” They had to know that Brooks would always be her priority.
“That’s fine,” Steele said, surprising her. “Tomorrow. After Brooks has gone to school, we’ll pick you up and you can spend the day at our place. Bring your bathing suit. Or not.”
“You have a pool?”
“Yes,” Grady replied. “But it’s too cold for the pool.”
“Not too cold for the hot tub, though,” Steele told her.
Wow. A hot tub with these two? That might just kill her.
“Back to the rules,” Grady said. “Are they agreeable? Is there anything you want to add?”
“I just . . . um, no gossiping about the two of you?”
Steele gave her a serious look, nodding at the server as he delivered their coffees. “Give us a few more moments?”
The server gave them all a curious look, but nodded and left.
“Gossip isn’t just silly fun. In my line of work, it can be dangerous,” Steele explained, removing his arm from around her. She immediately felt the lack of warmth. But then his hand landed on her thigh. “You’ve heard things about what I do. And that’s as much as I want you involved, understand me? There are things I cannot and will discuss with you to protect you. And I don’t want you talking about us to your friends. Even anything innocent, all right?”
“All right. I don’t have many friends anyway.”
“Really?” Grady drawled. “I’m pretty sure all the dancers and servers at Pinkies have adopted you. They spend enough time in your office.”
“I . . . it doesn’t stop me from getting my work done!”
He raised his eyebrows. “Did I say it did?”
She tugged at her earring. “Sorry.”
Steele removed her hand from her earring. “Stop that.”
“I do it when I’m nervous,” she explained.
“We’ve noticed,” Grady told her. “But you will stop. You could harm yourself and that’s unacceptable.”
Jeez. They were so bossy and intense.
“Let’s order lunch,” Steele suggested, picking up a couple of menus and handing them over to them both. “I’m starving.”
Effie took a quick glance around the diner. This wasn’t the sort of place she expected them to eat. But they looked as at home here as they had in the restaurant they took her to for dinner.
