Carefully, she leaned in. “I’m good, Bean.”
But she wasn’t, and he knew the truth.
She forced her hands to her sides. His trigger was her touch—a demon controlled but not yet conquered.
“Come.” He released the few strands of her hair with a jerk, as if suddenly realizing how close he’d come. He swung her backpack onto his broad shoulder. “The jet is waiting.”
“How did you get here?” She was dying to find out how he’d managed a pickup off a yacht in the middle of the Pacific.
“I knew you needed me. As soon as we sailed within range, I had a helicopter fly out.”
“What about your great white whale?”
He huffed a laugh. “I gave him the best six weeks of his life. He has no complaints.”
“That’s a record. I’m sorry I ruined it for you.”
In addition to his many quirks, Forest’s hypersexual escapades were legendary.
“Ah, well, he might be worth keeping. We’ll see…”
He gestured down the terminal, and she fell into step beside him.
Leaning close, he whispered, “And he sucks like a Hoover.”
“Ugh.” She scrunched her face and clasped her hands over her ears. She knew from personal experience exactly how hard that was to do. “I don’t need the gory details.”
“I’ve got pictures.” His eyebrows lifted suggestively. The man loved to tease.
“Stop it.”
“Maybe you could meet him?”
Meet one of his toys?She craned her neck upward. Maybe this wasn’t a casual fling. “If you want me to.”
“I left him a test. If he wants me, he’ll figure it out.” Her brother almost sounded hopeful.
She arched a brow, not sure what that meant.
While he never lacked for sexual partners—he was built like a house and hung like a horse—Forest lacked the most basic social skills that glued people together.
She had never been sure if it was the sexual trauma, if he was a high-functioning Asperger’s individual, or if it was a combination ofboth. What she did understand was he orbited in a different sphere than the rest of humanity. For him, connecting on a personal level with anyone generally resulted in catastrophe for both parties and explained why his longest-lasting intimate relationship numbered in weeks.
They walked down the busy concourse, the crowds parting before them, people moving away from the force that was Forest Summers.
“How’d you get security to let you meet me at the gate?”
He wrinkled his nose. “You do remember, we recently acquired an airline?”
She shook her head. “No.” She never kept up with his mergers and acquisitions. “When did that happen?”
He gave an exasperated moan. “I sent you a memo.”
“You know I don’t read half the crap you send me.”
He flooded her inbox all day with their business affairs.
“Skye, you really need to pay attention. How long are you going to pretend?—”
