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Brand surprised her with a gentle kiss before resting his forehead on hers.
“Stay?”
“No.” She kissed him and stepped away from him. “Good night, Brand.”
He said nothing, merely watched her moodily as she got into her car and drove away. He was still standing on the porch watching as she took the turn toward town.
CHAPTER TEN
To Daff’s extreme irritation and Lia’s discomfort, the rest of the family started inviting Brand to absolutely every family gathering. Sunday lunch, a potluck dinner on Monday. Tuesday was another holiday—International Workers’ Day—which meant yet another family cookout. Their mother and Daisy fawned over him and fussed over his injuries, and Lia suspected Charlie had a bad case of hero worship. The teen had so many questions about Laura Prentiss and a few of his other well-known high-profile clients. Mason, of course, had a long-standing friendship with him, and Spencer was in the honeymoon phase of a budding bromance with the guy.
Even their father enjoyed discussing football with him, the older man being a fan of the English Premier League. Brand, of course, knew a few of the players personally—information their father found ridiculously impressive. When Mason pointed out that he knew some of the same people, their father had dismissed him by saying his information wasn’t as current.
Lia knew it annoyed Daff no end that everybody liked him so much—she never had anything to say to Brand, and when she did speak to him it was short and to the point. Lia also avoided speaking to him in front of her family, but only because she was terrified she’d seem too familiar with him, which would raise questions about the nature of their relationship.
She could tell that Brand disliked her polite indifference, but he never attempted to breach the distance she maintained, thankfully respecting her boundaries. When he got her alone, though, he couldn’t keep his hands off her. And whenever they finished and she prepared to leave, he’d invite her to stay. It was getting harder for Lia to deny that one-word request, which made it all the more important for her to maintain her resolve.
Wednesday afternoon, after their visit to the animal shelter and the retirement home, Lia drove him to Knysna for his doctor’s appointment. He was becoming increasingly popular with the seniors. He’d been a graceful loser at Sunday night poker and every lady’s favorite dance partner at the Monday and Wednesday seniors’ dance.
He was . . . nice. Against her better judgment, and despite her careful observance of the rules, Lia was starting to like him more with each passing day.
“This is an exceptionally beautiful part of the world,” Brand was saying as he watched the passing scenery. “So verdant, but with all these stunning ocean views. I think, once we get the South African division up and running, I’ll get a holiday home here.”
“It’s a sound investment—this is a great place to live or vacation,” Lia agreed, keeping her voice neutral and her eyes on the road. But her heart was racing at the thought of Brand being a regular in the area and possibly in her life.
“You can come stay with me whenever I’m in town,” he suggested with a sidelong smile, and she shook her head, refusing to meet his eyes.
“No. I won’t do that.” She sensed his scrutiny, and her fingers clenched around the steering wheel. “You know there’s an expiration date on this thing between us. Once you leave, it’s over. I’m not going to be your woman in this particular port.”
“What the fuck does that even mean?” he asked, the frustration and anger in his voice surprising her.
“It was a play on words,” she explained. “You know? That whole woman-in-every-port thing?”
“And you think I have a woman in every port?”
“Don’t you?”
“No, Lia. I’m not quite the man whore you seem to think I am. I don’t have an international harem of willing ladies on standby for sex every time I happen to wander into their part of the world. Any man who does is an arsehole.” His vehemence surprised her, and she sent him a quick, confused look before refocusing on the road. He intercepted her look and heaved a huge, gusty sigh. The sound was filled with annoyance.
“Why does that surprise you?” he asked, and she shook her head.
“I can’t figure you out, that’s all.”
“Here’s a little tidbit for your consideration: the last person I fucked before coming back to Riversend was you.”
She resisted the urge to full-on stare at him as she navigated past a couple of long-haul trucks and then shook her head in disbelief.
“That’s a blatant lie,” she denied, giving him a venomous look. “I don’t care if you’re a player, Brand. This whole thing between us works because of the type of man you are. You don’t have to fabricate BS stories to make me think more of you.”
