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Dane waitedfor her to answer. He could see it was a difficult one to answer.
Interesting.
The array of emotions that flashed through her eyes told him it was a very complicated answer.
So strange. Why was it so complicated?
And why did he want to pull her into his arms and smooth her erratic emotions away?
“I just can’t. She didn’t realize your brother stole your secretary and that you were the one needing a new secretary. She didn’t even tell me that Champ had a brother. She didn’t know that. She simply said his name was Champ Holloway. I never heard anyone call you anything other than Mr. Holloway. I just assumed you were him. Doesn’t show very good detective skills on my part, does it?”
Her version wasn’t much different from Champ’s. He couldn’t figure out why he had come here. He told himself he would forget her with ease.
Except he hadn’t.
He dreamt about her all night. The entire day crawled at a pace with nothing but her on his mind. Suddenly, he found himself at her doorstep.
The minute she opened the door, he wanted to yell his rage at her for lying.
The other part of him wanted to grab her into his arms and kiss the daylights out of her, like now.
“So, what did you tell her? You worked an entire week with me. I imagine you came home every night and gave her updates. What did you tell her?”
Why was he torturing himself? What did he expect her to say? That she thought of him in sexual ways she shouldn’t—like he stupidly had all week.
“I told her that you work too much. That I didn’t think you were cheating on her. That if you were cheating on her, it was with your work, not a woman.” She took a step toward him. “You do work too much, you know. We saw the Statue of Liberty today. I thought of you. You don’t even appreciate the view from your office. You need to get out more, Dane. You look tired.”
“I would never cheat on a woman. I’m not my brother.”
He didn’t want to focus on the “we” part of that conversation. She had to have been talking about her partner Jaxson. Jealousy, an emotion he had never felt before regrading a woman, flooded his system. Hit him straight in the heart like an arrow hit a bullseye. She shouldn’t be doing anything other than working with that man.
“That’s what I told her. But it doesn’t matter because I was working for the wrong brother. I’m sorry for deceiving you. I couldn’t care less about Champ’s feelings, but you, I never meant to hurt you. I’m sorry, Dane.”
Before Dane could respond, not even sure how he should—because damn it, he still wanted to kiss her breathless despite the fact she lied—the front door opened. Small clicking sounds reverberated through the hallway. A beautiful redhead stuck her head into the kitchen, faltering in her steps when she saw him leaning against the counter.
“Hey, Gabby. I didn’t know you had company."
“Yeah, lots of company right now. My life’s never this busy, and suddenly, it is.” Gabby blew out a breath, pointing at Dane. “This is Dane. Cha—”
“Champ’s brother,” the woman finished for her. “It’s all my fault. I made her do it. Don’t hate her.”
So, this was Mia. His brother was a complete idiot for cheating on such a gorgeous woman. Beautiful red hair that cascaded around her shoulders in simple, yet perfect waves. Her deep brown eyes shined with glory as the makeup surrounding her eyes grabbed your attention. She wore bright red lipstick that screamed to a man, “kiss me!” She had on a tight black dress that showcased her every curve, giving her an elegant yet trendy feeling. Her high heels reminded him of Gabby and how they’d probably hurt Gabby’s feet if she were wearing them.
His eyes glided to Gabby for a brief second.
Long brown hair with a tint of red. It looked a bit messy. Windblown, most likely. She said she had taken a ferry ride. Yet, on her, it looked sexy instead of making her look like she had a rat’s nest. No makeup, except for a light shade of pink lipstick. Loose lounging pants and a ratty old t-shirt that looked like she wore all the time, indicating it was a favorite.
Gabby looked ready to relax for the night and veg out in front of the TV.
Her friend Mia looked ready for a night out on the town.
Dane wanted Gabby more and more with every breath he took, with every short glance her way.
But she lied to him.
“I’m sorry what my brother did to you,” Dane said. He wasn’t even sure why he apologized. He hadn’t done anything wrong. He never apologized for his brother, either. That was a first.
