“Nah. All good things, I promise.”
The handsome sniper winked, and Brynnon’s lips curved even higher. Grant pushed back the urge to punch the fucker for being able to make her smile like that.
“Let me take your coats,” Coop offered.
“Thank you.” Brynnon began unbuttoning her coat.
When she came downstairs this morning with it already on, Grant had taken notice of the way its dark green color matched perfectly with her eyes. Since when did he notice shit like that?
Since her.
Coop helped her slide the thick wool from her shoulders, and Grant wanted to kick himself for not thinking to do that. Again, the question of why he gave a damn about something like that struck.
He didn’t ponder the thought for long, however. Mainly because—though he didn’t want to admit it—he already knew the answer.
“You’re pretty good at that.” Brynnon smiled up at Coop. “Has my dad been using you as a bodyguard or a butler?”
The younger man smirked. “A little of both, actually.”
What the actual fuck?She was flirting. WithCoop. Right in fucking front of him.
“Well, don’t let him try to push you around.” Brynnon’s voice went all smooth and creamy. “He may act serious and tough, but the guy’s a complete softy.”
“I was about to say the same thing about this guy.” Coop used his thumb to point toward Grant.
Brynnon laughed a little too loudly at the joke, adding to Grant’s frustration. He’d barely gotten two words out of her this morning—way out of character for her—but now she was practically falling all over his teammate? What the hell?
Grant tried to tell himself the distance she was putting between them was a good thing. He hadn’t missed the interest behind her smoldering gaze last night when she’d bumped into him upstairs. Hell, for a second there, he’d actually thought about kissing her.
If she hadn’t pulled away first, he honestly wasn’t so sure he wouldn’t have leaned down for a taste. Afterward, when he’d seen her up on that goddamn scaffolding and completely lost his cool. Not because he was a controlling bastard—like she probably thought—but because the idea of something happening to her scared the fuck out of him.
When he realized she was going to fall, his heart had come back to life for the first time in over a decade. Somehow, Brynnon Cantrell was starting to slither between his carefully placed defenses. That terrified him even more.
Coop laughed at something she said, snapping Grant out of his jumbled thoughts. He blinked, his eyes connecting with hers. The light in her eyes dimmed slightly before skittering away.
What the fuck?
He wasn’t sure what happened between last night and today, but her demeanor with him was definitely different. The silence on the ride here had given him time to wrack his brain for what he’d done to piss her off, but he couldn’t pinpoint anything out of the norm.
Now, she was flirting it up with Sniper Boy, which made no goddamn sense to him whatsoever. Something was definitely bothering her, and he had full intentions of calling her out on it the first chance he got.
“There’s my girl!”
All heads turned to see William Cantrell walking across the tiled floor toward them. “Hi, sweetheart.” With his hands on Brynnon’s shoulders, the prestigious man kissed his daughter on the cheek. “Good to see you.”
Grant watched, envious of the embrace Brynnon gave to her father.
“You too, Daddy. Is Billy here?”
The senator’s smile faltered at the mention of his son’s name.Interesting.
“Not yet, but he promised he’d come.”
“I’m sure he will.”
Brynnon smiled again, but Grant had been around her long enough now to recognize the uncertainty behind her eyes. She hadn’t talked about her brother much, and he had a feeling there was some tension there.
Her father held his hand out for Grant. “Grant, my boy. Good to see you again. I take it you and my daughter are no longer butting heads?”
