“You, Carlos.What the hell?”
I flick my friend an angry glance as I hook my fingers around Brennan’s nape and pull him down to me.He bends without resistance.I pinch his chin and tilt his face to and fro, searching for bruises.
“If I’d known you’d abandon our friendship so quickly, I’d have taken that shot to end his lineage,” Carlos huffs.
My panic recedes as I convince myself Brennan isn’t hiding some terrible injury.
The ridiculousness of the situation slams into me.I try to pull away as mortification shrivels my soul, but Brennan gently closes his fists around my forearms and holds me in place.
“We were sparring, love.Two level-headed individuals wearing protective gear on mats in the gym.But I’m hurt you think so little of me.”
“Level-headed?Yeah right.You challenged someone who gets paid to be ready to fight at all times,” I scowl.
“Actually, I challenged him,” Carlos says.
I turn my glare to my friend and hiss, “You’re not helping your case.”
“You’re worrying about the wrong guy, Audrey.He held his own,” he says with a shrug.
“I bet you didn’t know he could when you challenged him.”
“He did,” Brennan interjects.
I swing my eyes back to his.My heart squeezes at how close his face is to mine.Part of me demands I yank free while the other longs to kiss him.
Words refuse to form, so I make a skeptical note in the back of my throat.
“He watched me pound on the punching bag for a while before he approached me.”
The elevator slows its descent.I pull away and ignore the quiet lamenting of my soul as the distance grows between us.
He’s my boss.My ex-stepbrother.No matter what he says or does, he can never be anything other than my CEO.Not after he abandoned me to his abusive father thirteen years ago.Not after he failed to protect me ten years ago.
Not now that I’m a broken, unlovable mess.
I clear my throat and fix my blouse.
“And what were the stakes?”I ask in the chilliest tone I can manage with my heart trying to pound out of my chest.
“Paying for lunch tomorrow,” he says.
I cross my arms over my chest and glance between them.
“Uh-huh, yeah, sure.And how did that go for you, Mr.Diamond?”I scoff.
He grins.Carlos chuckles.
“It was an even match,” my friend says.
I lift a brow and open my mouth to tell him to stop stroking his boss’s ego, but he continues.
“I told him I’m gay and in a relationship.He admitted he’s pursuing you.We’re on the same page now.”
I bite my tongue on my initial response and wait until after the elevator pings to speak, but my words still emerge caustic.
“Well then, that’s a relief.I hope you have a blast at lunch tomorrow.This is your floor, Mr.Lopez.”
I don’t realize the implications of stopping at the lobby until the doors part and Mr.Collin’s smile morphs to a dumbfounded expression.His gaze drops to my empty hands, roams over Brennan’s loaded arms, and lands on Carlos’s face.
