He rolled his eyes. “Do you honestly believe they think we haven’t slept together yet?”
“It doesn’t matter what they think. I will not upset them by sharing a bed with you while we’re at the lodge.”
“I didn’t know I would be marrying into such an archaic family.”
“You really don’t have to, you know,” she said, about to remove her ring.
“Hey, wait, Tiffany. I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“Then please stop acting like an ass,” she snapped.
Gary didn’t say anything as he stared at her for a long moment. He realized he’d better let up because she was losing her temper with him. That was the last thing he wanted—it could ruin all the carefully laid plans. “You’re right. My only excuse is that I’m not used to big families. It’s just been me and the folks. No cousins, aunts, or uncles. And once I finished college, my parents seemed to forget I existed. Especially now that they are traveling the world.”
“Well, I do hope to meet them at some pointbeforethe wedding.”
“And I told you how much they like to travel, so don’t be surprised if they only show up for the wedding.” He glanced at his watch. “I’ll let you rest now since I have a few business calls to make.”
“Alright, and Gary?”
“Yes?”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “My family will love you as much as I do. You’ll see.”
“I hope so, baby, because I don’t plan to give you up.”
“I don’t know why you think you would.”
“Because it seems that what they think matters a great deal to you. I hope there doesn’t come a time when you have to choose between me and them.”
Then he pulled her into his arms and kissed her.
**
When Gary returned to his room, he placed a call.
“You got good news to tell me already?” the deep, husky voice asked.
For an entire year, he and his team had tried to hack into the Steele Corporation’s computers remotely, but had failed. That meant they had to come up with another plan that involved direct access to the computers—one that meant using the CEO’s daughter as a patsy.
They figured she would be going home for the holidays and made sure Gary’s relationship with Tiffany Steele would be at a level where she would take him home to meet her parents. He hadn’t counted on her family’s plans to spend Christmas elsewhere. His team considered breaking into Chance Steele’s house while they were away, but an advanced security system that protected the home made it a bad idea.
“No. Just giving you an update. We arrived a few hours ago, but I didn’t expect that many family members to be here,” Gary said.
“How many are you talking about?” the person on the call asked. “There shouldn’t be more than fifty adults.”
“Well, there are well over a hundred people here now, and others are still arriving. The majority are friends they consider to be extended family members,” Gary responded.
“Damn. That’s going to make what you need to do hard, but not impossible. Are you sure Chance Steele has his laptop with him?”
“According to Tiffany, he never leaves home without it.”
“Did she wonder why you asked?”
“I didn’t have to ask. When I mentioned bringing mine with me, she said that she understood because her father always travels with his.”
“How are things going with you and Tiffany?”
“So far, so good, although I pissed her off today.”
