“Observing what?”
I gesture vaguely at all of him. “Your… construction technique.”
His brow lifts, amused. “Is that right?”
I nod very seriously. “Very technical. Very advanced.”
“Is that so?” He’s close now. Too close.
“Mm-hm.” My voice softens. “And maybe I was… appreciating the view a little.”
He hums, low and pleased. “Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
His hand slides around my waist, pulling me just a little closer. “Come here.”
And before I can think, or pretend I’m not already lightheaded from the way he’s looking at me, he kisses me. Not soft, polite, or morning-sweet. This kiss is heat, sweat, tension and want. The “I’ve been thinking about you all morning” kind. His hand gripsmy hip, grounding and demanding all at once. I melt into him because resisting Cole is like trying to stop gravity.
I’m kissing him back when I hear it. A throat clearing. Then another.
Then—“Are you kidding me?!”
Cole pulls back slowly. I don’t even have to turn to know.
Zane.
Jace.
Beck.
Standing ten feet away, looking like they just caught their baby sister making out with the devil himself.
“Oh, for the love of—“ I mutter under my breath.
Zane’s voice hits first, sharp, older-brother authority that was fine when I was twelve but grates like sandpaper now.
“Are you kidding me?” he snaps, looking between me and Cole like he’s witnessing a crime scene instead of a kiss.
Jace folds his arms, jaw tight enough to crack teeth. “This is what’s been going on? Behind our backs?”
Beck just stares at Cole like he’s measuring which part of his face he’ll punch first.
Cole steps slightly in front of me—a small thing, barely noticeable to most people, but I feel it down my spine. He’s protective, but he’s wary too, like he knows three Morgan brothers equal nuclear tension.
“When did this start?” Jace demands.
“That’s not—“
“Ella.” His voice sharpens. “When?”
I inhale slowly. “A while back.”
“How long?” Zane presses.
I hesitate, and Jace’s eyes flash. “Why didn’t you tell us?”
Beck’s voice breaks next, rough and loud. “Did he trick you? Huh? Manipulate you into giving him the damn contract? Because that’s what it looks like, Ella.”
