“Oh.” Her shoulders slumped in clear defeat. “I’m sorry I’ve caused problems for you.”
“I’m not.” He gave in to the demand pulsing inside him like a cattle prod and closed the distance between them in two swift strides. He breathed in her scent—flowers with a hint of the Orient—pressed his face against her blonde hair. “Besides, I’m as much to blame as you. Look, I need to go back to the meeting, otherwise my brothers will ask questions. Can I meet you later? Your apartment?”
She wrinkled her nose, and he got it. Meeting there would prove difficult. “I wanted to know if you still needed an admin person. I figured I’d wear a disguise if necessary.”
“Damn it, Dallas.” The masculine voice snapped from the doorway. “We don’t have time for you to conduct your romantic affairs.” Irritation rippled through Quinn’s voice. “Patrick needs to meet the supplier at noon.”
Dallas cursed under his breath and kept her pressed against his chest so Quinn wouldn’t glimpse her face. “I’ll be there in two minutes.”
“Make it one,” Quinn snapped.
“That would have to be an older brother,” Laura whispered, “because that’s how my older sisters speak to me.”
“You’d be right,” Dallas said. “Can you wait for me? The meeting will be done by midday.”
“I’ll watch TV,” she said. “Maybe make myself another cup of coffee.”
“Thanks.” He dipped his head to steal a quick, unsatisfactory kiss. “Don’t go through my bedroom drawers. I want to keep some surprises.”
“You know the temptation might prove too much.”
“Remember the spanking I gave you at the cabin?”
“Yes.”
“I’ll give you twice the number of strokes if I learn you’ve snooped in my bedroom. In fact, stay out of my bedroom.”
“Wow, that many strokes. That’s gonna make me think twice.”
“Excellent. See you soon.” Dallas left before he acted on the temptation to kiss her pretty mouth.
Patrick slid him a glare when Dallas strode into the office. “Jeez, Dallas. Can’t you keep it in your pants for the length of a business meeting?”
“Sorry. I’m here now.” Dallas dropped onto a chair and tried to focus on the papers in front of him—the spreadsheets and cash flows. “So you guys still think we should take on this Clare pub? I’m having trouble keeping up with the admin work now.”
“Hire someone, Dallas,” Quinn ordered.
“I have someone interested in the job. I’ll contact her later this afternoon.”
“Good,” Patrick said. “An extra set of hands will make a difference. I can take charge of the new pub and train the staff while Quinn sorts out the stock. All you’ll need to do is take care of the paperwork.”
“Why do we need this pub again?” Dallas asked.
“It’s a good business opportunity,” Quinn said, a trifle defensively now that Dallas had focused on the why of the reasons.
“Who pointed you in the direction of this good business opportunity?” Dallas asked.
“I don’t think—”
“Male or female?” Patrick asked.
“Why does it matter?”
Dallas narrowed his eyes, scanned his brother’s face. No doubting the trace of guilt in his older brother. “It matters if you’re trying to pull one over on Heather. She wants to buy the pub.”
“I…what if she does? This is business, and the truth is I discovered this pub before Heather. She saw the real estate papers on my desk,” Quinn said.
Dallas glanced at his watch. Not long until he could hustle his brothers out of here. “I think it’s a good opportunity, and we’ll get to see the family more, once they get back from holiday. I vote yes.”
