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“So, why don’t you bring them up here, then?” I raise my eyebrow at him.
He shakes his head. “I don’t really do that kind of thing.”
“Why not?” I purr, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction and happiness that he doesn’t bring randoms home from the club every night.
He presses his lips lightly against my cheek. “It’s complicated.”
“Isn’t everything?” I groan as he drops one of his hands to my hip. His fingers press into my flesh and I lean into him. My breathing grows faster as my heart pounds in my ears. He moves his head slightly, lightly dusting his lips across my skin and my insides turn to molten lava.
“Jessie,” he growls.
“Conor!” Shane’s voice slices through the air. “Chester is looking for you.”
The moment broken, Conor straightens up and I take a step back. “I’m on my way back downstairs now,” he says and then, without even a glance in my direction, he walks down the hallway toward the elevator.
Shane disappears back into his office and I lean against the wall, letting out a long slow breath as I try to calm my racing heart and the throbbing between my thighs. Living with the Ryan brothers is going to be more of a challenge than I expected.
Chapter
Eleven
SHANE
Eighteen days. That’s how long it’s been since Jessie came into our lives. Somehow, she has slipped into our world and our daily routine seamlessly and effortlessly, as though she’s always been here. It’s a skill to both blend into the background while also making yourself indispensable.
My brothers are calmer and more content with her around. Mikey and Liam’s usually boundless energy and their constant trawling for trouble whenever and wherever they can find it, is lessened, dampened by their late-night talks with her, and her laughter. She loves to listen to their stories and they love to embellish them for her entertainment. I see the biggest change in Conor. That haunted look in his eyes disappears when she’s near him. I’ve been worried about him since his ordeal last year. I was even coming around to Lisa’s idea about getting him some sort of therapy. Who knew all he needed was a curvy red-head with a smart mouth?
My brothers watch her. No matter what she’s doing, they’re looking at her. And I watch them watching. There’s a sexual energy that’s growing with each passing day, and something soon is going to have to give. It seems to vibrate through any room that she’s in. I wish my brothers would go out and get laid just to defuse the tension. Maybe then I could stop watching her as well.
I watch for other reasons too. I’m waiting for her to put a foot out of line. Although she hasn’t yet. Her two-week trial period passed without acknowledgement from any of us. I suspect that neither her nor my brothers wanted to bring my attention to the fact, and they’ve done their best to avoid any mention of how long our intruder will be staying with us.
The truth is, Jessie has proven herself repeatedly. She’s skilled and efficient, leaving me with no doubt that she is one of the best at what she does. Since that first assignment I gave her when I asked her to look into my cousin’s fiancé back in Ireland, she’s asked no questions about anything else I’ve given her to do.
If I were to bring her in to my office and review her two-week trial, I’d have nothing but good things to say about her. I’d have to tell her that she’s made our lives easier, and has proven herself an asset to our business. I would tell her that she seems to be the perfect addition to our team. She brings something to our close-knit unit that I didn’t even know was missing. She appears to be the perfect fit.
Except that she’s not. Because Jessie is a liar.
Jax has been looking into her for two weeks, and all he’s discovered so far is that she's a ghost. She's definitely not Jessie Heaton from Minnesota, although she covered those tracks well. The fact that Jax is still following the trail of dead ends and false leads tells me we’re dealing with someone who has worked damn hard to cover up who she really is. I have no idea who I’ve allowed into our home. I don’t know who she’s really working for, or who or what she’s running from.
And that makes her the most dangerous person I know.
Chapter
Twelve
JESSIE
Isit at the kitchen table opposite Liam— me working on my laptop and him scrolling through his phone—and it’s nice not being alone in a room. He and I seem to spend a lot of time together and we’ve developed an uncomplicated relationship where we can sit in comfortable silence. I’ve probably spent more time with the twins than anyone else since I got here, and they’re both such enjoyable company that I often forget I’m practically a prisoner here. If I asked to go somewhere, I doubt the brothers would stop me, but they’d damn sure escort me there. Entry to this apartment and the garage downstairs is via an electronic fingerprint system. I could hack it and override it if I really wanted out, and I guess they know that. But the truth is, I’m happy here.
When I’ve finished what I’m working on, I close my laptop with a snap, making Liam look up from his phone.
“You fancy some lunch?” I ask him.
He tilts his head and looks at me. “What you making?”
“Me? Nothing. I was thinking we could ask Mikey to rustle us up a grilled cheese.”
Liam grins at me and nods. “He does make the best grilled cheese.”
