She’s got a lovely voice when I’m not the one she’s yelling at. I can totally get behind this sister gig.
Chapter Nine
Holden
Leaving Harlow to talk to Jacinta, I escape the disaster that is the Wardrobe, still chuckling when I get to the elevator. Thomas is directly behind me, but I can’t get a read on what he’s feeling.
“Should we be leaving Harlow alone?” I ask him.
“I had both the new designers checked out, and they were cleared. Lindy hasn’t been checked yet, but she’d have to be a fucking stealth assassin to get at Harlow with the rest of them in that room, so I think it’s okay. Plus, Lindy has been with Jacinta for what, two years now? There really is no reason to suspect her.”
I shrug, leaving it to the expert, and the elevator doors open to Oliver already standing inside. My skin prickles at the sight of my old—hopefully not for long— lover. He’s reading some paperwork and doesn’t look up as Thomas steps in. When the doors begin to close, I stop them with my good arm which has him looking up in annoyance. With just a wink, the frown disappears, his face lighting up with a grin.
“Hey! I didn't know you were coming in today.” Before I can answer, approaching footsteps broadcast Harlow's arrival, and his grin grows even bigger when she gives me a kiss on the cheek as she steps in. “Oh, another surprise, my two favorite people together. How did I get so lucky?” Harlow gives him a quick kiss, so I follow her example. His mouth curves under mine before I pull away, and I’ve got to admit that it’s hard to put distance between us. He looks a little dazed at our surprise kiss attack, and he’s not the only one. As the doors finally close, I see the receptionist’s eyes widen while her mouth drops open in surprise. Whoops, I guess rumors will be flying around the office in no time. We may need to discuss that with the family before game night begins.
“Did you get that sorted then?” Thomas asks Harlow, nodding back in the direction she came from.
“Yup, Jacinta and Jace are both joining me for lunch, and as I walked away, Jacinta was yelling at Rowena and Lindy to clean the mess up. Fun times.” The sarcasm isn't hard to miss, but she’s smiling.
Oliver widens his eyes and starts to open his mouth, but Tom stops him. “Don't ask. It’s not worth it,” he mutters.
“I’ll tell you later,” I assure him. “I’ve got that meeting with Ninja Starfish today. I’ve put it off as long as I could, but things are about to implode, so I couldn't delay it any longer. Gotta worry about that first. Harlow is going to join me in the meeting. She’s been going crazy, and we were worried she was going to do something silly.”
Harlow's eyes widen at my words.Whoops, didn't mean to say that out loud.Tom and I had been talking about it in the kitchen this morning before she’d arrived. He had been watching for signs of cabin fever and knew she was coming to her limit yesterday, hence the outing today and him offering to take her to Alex and Jace’s. Contrary to popular belief, we’re not stupid men. We weren’t willing to risk her getting hurt again if she took matters into her own hands. Jaxon has also made plans with Emma for Harlow, Thomas, and him to tour the house across the road tomorrow, but he wants to be the one to tell her.
The elevator stops again, and when the door opens, our oldest brother is waiting. His eyebrows raise as he takes in the four of us, but we shuffle over and make room for him. He steps in, facing Harlow, but instead of turning around like the rest of us, he stops there.
“Well, isn't this a nice surprise,” he purrs, and while Harlow’s focused on my fool of a brother, I roll my eyes. When Declan turns on the charm, he’s practically a heat-seeking weapon, and no matter what he might say, I think he’s had Harlow’s coordinates pinned since she helped with his beloved Princess. He reaches up and pushes a lock of Harlow's hair behind her ear. “It’s been so long since I’ve seen you, beautiful. First, those assholes drag you off to Hawaii with them, and now work is kicking my ass. I miss you. Say you’ll have dinner with me tomorrow night?” He’s backed her up against the wall so that his body is pressed against hers. I can see her breathing increase, and her arms come up to his hips so automatically, it just feels like sheneedsthe contact with him. He’s overwhelming her in the hope she won’t say no. Well, coming on strong is certainly one way to try to make this happen.
“Nope, not unless I get to tag along as well,” Thomas butts in, and the look that Declan shoots him would shrivel a lesser man’s balls. Oliver and I snicker like schoolboys, both of us gleeful at the showdown of wills between our two most serious brothers.
“I've got ten on Tom,” Oliver whispers in my ear, his teeth dragging on the lobe after. A shiver shudders down my spine.
“I say Declan will win, and then you need to blow me.”
“Done!” he shouts, and the other three look at us in surprise. “Sorry, carry on.” He waves his hand at them, and they go back to arguing once they realize we’re both fine.
“Come on, man. I’ll book a private room at Capo, and we’ll drive there in the armored tank you bought, then come straight home afterward,” Declan cajoles, but Thomas stands firm.
“No, it’s not happening. Set something up at home. Why don't you have a picnic in the conservatory? You can order in, and then you can both have a drink without having to worry about getting home. I won’t have to chaperone, which is whatwillhappen if you take her anywhere else.” Declan starts to argue, but Tom holds up his hand as the doors open to my floor. Harlow steps around Declan, who stops her and kisses her gently before going back to his argument with Tom. She looks a little overwhelmed as she joins my side, and as the door closes, with Tom, Dec, and Oli still inside, the fucker mouthsI win.
“Damn it,” I growl, startling Harlow out of her daze.
“You two weren’t making bets, were you?”
“Who? Us? No, of course not! We learned our lesson when Oli had to get a tattoo of your choice.” Her hand goes up to where I know the merman that looks like Oli is, and a small smile twitches her lips before she raises an eyebrow in suspicion.
“Somehow I very much doubt that.” I push her up against the closed elevator doors and nuzzle into her neck, my back to the reception area.
“I’m sure you can show us the errors of our ways, Mistress,” I whisper quietly into her ear. I can feel her nipples pebble into hard rocks as I slide my leg between her thighs, but just as I’m about to kiss her, a throat clears behind us, making us both freeze. Fuck! I forgot we were at work. Maybe I should be embarrassed, but I’m not. It’s been so long since I’ve felt so excited and lost in someone else, not since Oliver and I first got together, and I won’t be embarrassed about wanting to grab that feeling every chance I get. Stepping away from her, I turn around and face Hope, a sly smile on her lips, instead of my very frosty-looking receptionist standing behind her desk.
“I just got word that Ninja Starfish are on their way up, so you may want to move away from the doors. Though I doubt Harlow will complain if she winds up falling into one of those very delicious boy’s arms,” Hope says dryly.
“Welcome back, Holden. Thank god you’re okay. I was so worried when I heard you had been hurt in a horse riding accident,” Missy coos from behind Hope.
“Thank you, Missy,” I tell her politely. Her comment proves that Dad’s story, minus the gunshot, of course, has made the rounds of the building, which is good, but I’ve always felt uncomfortable around her. Never have I made any inappropriate remarks or showed any interest other than professional, but she still flirts with me. I probably shouldn't have insisted she call me Holden, but Mr. Summers is Dad or Poppy.
“Come on, no time for pleasantries! Let’s get to the conference room, and Missy can bring them there when they get here. The lawyers and publicity people won’t be joining us until after we’ve had a private chat with them. I thought it would be better to get to the bottom of the problem first without too many people around.”
