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She smiled, but before she could answer, Calum took the lead. “We grew up with three brothers and three sisters.” And before Jacob could ask, Calum answered, “And yes, my sisters are all beautiful, but none of them are for you.”
The guys laughed, and Donovan said, “I would’ve said so too, if I had any sisters.”
“Would it be okay if I go on an early lunch break to spend some time with Calum?”
“Sure, Kayla. Please, take your time. We’ll see you back tomorrow. You can take the rest of the day off.”
She tried to refuse, but Calum thanked Donovan instead. “That’s real nice of you. I’ll be sure to have her back at her desk tomorrow morning.”
Donovan seemed to appreciate the dauntless way her brother operated. He stuck out his hand toward Calum. “You do that. We can’t miss Kayla for too long.”
In the elevator as they went down to the ground floor, she started to cry again when she thought of how she was supposed to tell Calum all that had happened. Calum was trying to comfort her when suddenly they were interrupted.
“Step away from my girl. Now,” Duncan roared.
The entire hall went quiet at his words, and Kayla stared up at him with teary eyes. Duncan stepped inside the elevator when Calum didn’t make a move to let Kayla go and yanked him away from her in one brisk move.
The moment he pulled his arm back to throw a mean punch at Calum’s face, Kayla shouted, “No! No, Duncan. Please, stop!” She yanked at his arm, and he froze.
Oh no, this can’t be happening. “Please, Duncan, stop. He’s my brother. Stop.”
Duncan’s face shifted from angry to confused as he looked from Calum to Kayla and back to Calum again.
“Your brother? He made you cry, wildflower?” Duncan was still in his protective mode and was assessing Calum through narrowed eyes. The doors of the elevator closed, and they went on their way up, who knew to which floor.
“Yes, I mean, no. Yes, he is my brother, but he didn’t make me cry. I’m happy to see him is all.” Kayla was all flustered and stuttering.
Duncan had called her “my girl,” and she realized that she wanted to be his, but she knew they weren’t together. Certainly not now that she’d seen her brother Calum again and was reminded of her life back in New Jersey.
“You don’t look so happy to me, Kayla,” Duncan said while looking her over.
“That’s because she’s missed her family, and she was letting it all out. Now what I want to know is who the hell you are, coming in here and shouting that my Kay-Kay is yours.” Calum was being his old self, and Kayla smiled. Calum was a textbook alpha male, never backing down, not from a seething Duncan who was surely intimidating, even for Calum with his strong physique and fighting skills.
“Kay-Kay?” Duncan looked at Kayla with a raised brow.
She smiled softly at Duncan but didn’t elaborate on her nickname.
“Are we still on for lunch?” Duncan asked Kayla.
She looked at Calum, but he didn’t let her in on his thoughts. He was so good at keeping a straight face without showing his emotions or thoughts. She knew her brother was waiting on her to make up her mind and decide if she would let the two worlds collide or if she would keep them apart.
“You can join us, if Calum doesn’t mind?” she finally answered.
Calum smiled at her choice to bring them together. “No, I don’t mind. It would be good to meet the fucker who’s been looking out for our Kay-Kay.”
Duncan stepped forward and offered Calum his hand. “The name is Duncan, not fucker.”
Calum bellowed a laugh, and Kayla released the breath she was holding because she’d worried how her brother would react to Duncan’s forwardness.
She had always sought Calum’s approval, and when she looked at them standing there grinning and shaking hands, she knew it would be okay—well, for the time being, at least.
After getting out of the office building, she gave Duncan her address and stepped into the rental car with Calum. Her brother took advantage of their time alone to pry and find out about her feelings for Duncan. She knew she was falling for Duncan, but she couldn’t admit it just yet.
“It’s too early to be sure about anything, Calum. Anyway, we’ll have to see where it goes, because I have no idea what to do next, especially now that you’re here.” Calum’s only response was to hum at her words, which irritated her, as it always did when he wouldn’t let on to what he was thinking.
Calum parked the car at Kayla’s instructions, and they waited a minute or two for Duncan to arrive. They went up in the elevator, and when they walked out on her floor and Kayla halted before her door to open it, Duncan said, “So, you live right in between Maureen and Caitlin, eh?”
“Yes. I could rent this apartment last minute through an old coworker. She told me that her grandmother took a fall and needed to move to a nursing home. I could move in straight away, so that was a bonus for me. Come, let me make us some coffee so we can talk more.”
