Drake gives me the kind of smile that says he lives for drama. “I’ll tell you what I can, but the rest will have to come from the big man.”
I stare at him deadpan. “You mean the big man-child?”
Drake chuckles. “You're right. I like that one better.”
I laugh, shake my head, and run back to the guest wing to make myself presentable—tank top under the flannel, leggings,sneakers. Less ‘oops I nearly mounted your lumberjack best friend’ and more ‘plausible deniability.’
When I return, the front of the house is suspiciously quiet.
“Drake?”
“In the kitchen!”
When I get to the kitchen, I catch him red-handed—mouth full, my precious pancakes halfway demolished.
“What the hell? Those were mine!”
“And left unattended,” he says, completely unbothered. “Me and Eli live by a finders-keepers rule.”
He pauses mid-chew to give me a once-over. “And all I'm sayin' is, he’s lucky he found you first.”
Eww!
“Ugh. Please don’t ever refer to me like I’m a piece of property. Or food.”
I smirk despite myself, heat crawling up my neck at the memory of Eli’s mouth on me. The man licked me like he was starving and I was the only thing on the menu.
“Whatever. These pancakes are fire,” Drake says around another bite.
“Thank you,” I say, blushing.
I plate a small stack for myself, making sure to leave the last five pancakes for Eli. Because I’m a generous goddess—and maybe, just maybe, because I’m hoping he’ll come back, eat them, and thank me by finishing what he started on this counter.
“So, Vanessa,” I say, stabbing a pancake. “What's the deal with her?”
Drake’s face shifts faster than a TikTok filter. “I don’t say this lightly, and I genuinely respect women. But Vanessa Stanton is a first-class, Grade-A bitch.”
“I gathered,” I say. “Why does she get under Eli's skin so much? You mentioned something about his brother?”
Drake exhales like he’s tired of holding it in. “Vanessa and Eli used to be business partners. But she had visions of building an empire based on greed, and Eli stopped trusting her motives. When he started shutting her out, she found a way to undercut him.”
“His brother,” I guess.
Drake nods grimly. “Eli and Elliot were inseparable once upon a time. Ride or die. Vanessa knew that and exploited it. She used Elliot to get to Eli’s trade secrets and eventually built a rival company using everything she stole from him.”
“And his brother is still with her? Even after seeing what she is?”
“The man thinks he’s in love,” Drake says with a weary sigh.
“Love is a hell of a drug.”
Drake’s expression tightens, his voice dropping an octave. “Eli’s a solid guy. One of the best men I’ve ever known. If his own brother won’t protect him, I will. That’s where you come in.”
I lean back in my chair and cross my arms. “Okay. And how exactly is this supposed to work?”
He leans in as if he’s about to spill classified intel. “It’s about weaponizing curiosity. Once the speculation starts, people won't stop talking. They’ll start researching the company, learning about the mission, and driving up the kind of interest money can't buy.”
“Okay. I think I’m following.”
