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“You’re a big lump of overprotective grumpy,” she said, waving her hand in my direction. “I love that you’re my own personal bouncer on rough nights at the pub. You just want to keep me and Jamie safe.”

“Need to.” The words came out kicking and screaming, clawing their way out of my chest.

“I get it. You’re the big, bad Rottweiler but that means Jamie is inventing boyfriends to appease her mother, all the while going out with idiots that don’t deserve her because they’re brave enough to ignore you,” Millie continued.

“What?”

“You keep saying that, Big Guy, but you need to catch on.” She clicked her fingers in front of my face until I was forced to knock her hand away. “Jamie’s mum is a ball-tearer, you know that, and she’s got our girl too scared to be upfront with her. Pretend to be her boyfriend for a week and…”

What enticement did Millie think she could offer me, when everything I’d ever wanted was already on the table? I waited her out to see what she would say.

“After that, it’s up to you.” She stepped back literally and figuratively. “You take my best friend out for a few dates and keep her mother, and Jamie happy, well… What happens after that is none of my business.” Her brows drew down and I had to fight the urge to smile. Millie thought she looked tough? I’d pulled her pigtails not that long ago. “Unless you hurt her. Never hurt Jamie.”

“What makes you think I can?” My voice broke on the words, but I forged on. “She’s worked under me for ten years now…” And I wanted, needed more than that. My employee was like a sore tooth, my tongue coming back over and over, desperate for another taste. “And I’ve been wanting her under me in other ways for at least half that time.”

“Ew…” Millie’s nose scrunched up.

“You’re right, I have been warning blokes off her. If I cared enough, I wouldn’t have, but I did anyway. I couldn’t have her, I knew that, so she needed to find happiness with someone else.” I shook my head involuntarily. “But every time one of them would approach her, I’d see all the moments I’d seen the same bloke chase barmaids down, make shitty comments about an ex, or that they weren’t even separated from their existing partners. Not worthy is what I saw.”

“But you are?” she asked.

“Not saying that.”

“I am.” She crossed her arms, mimicking my pose perfectly. “You go near my bestie, brother dear, and you will be. Show me what kind of boyfriend you can be, and I’ll consider rescinding my ban on you boys dating Jamie.”

I made a rude noise, shaking my head, but when she grinned, so did I. Fucking Millie. She might be the youngest, but growing up with three brothers, she had to have the balls to stand up to each one of us.

“And just to make things interesting, the twins will be fake dating her too.”

“What?”

God, I needed to think of some other response.

“Jamie said she had three guys dating her to try and throw her mother’s wedding plans off.” I straightened up, every muscle tensing. “So I asked the twins to step in as the other two. You know what Hayden thinks about Jamie.” My head snapped around, eyes narrowing as I took in my kid brother. “Pretty sure Hunter is just as gone for her, just hiding it real well behind his beach bum bullshit. So you’ll have competition, big brother.” She rubbed her hands together. “Three guys working hard to prove themselves to my best friend, just like she’s always deserved.”

She nodded sharply.

“Should’ve happened long before now, but better late than never. Impress her mother, Brock, but most of all, impress Jamie. She’s the one that matters.”

The only one that mattered.

I came back to the lounge room abruptly, shooting Hunter a dark look as he whispered intently something that made Jamie flush. I wanted to be the one who stained her cheeks red, that had her lips parting, then sucking in a breath; and while I’d always got on fine with my brothers, I made clear with one long stare how this would go. He could flash his million dollar smile, try all the tricks he used when he was picking up female models from his gigs, but me? I knew Jamie. We’d shared a workshop for over ten years, drank, ate, and sat in each other’s presence. I’d use every single scrap of information I’d gleaned from my observations to fake date the shit out of her, then reveal just how real it could be.

Both the twins stiffened as I smiled.

Game on, boys, game on.

Chapter 9

Jamie

Was there anything dumber than hanging around my place, even though I was all ready for work, delaying the inevitable? I didn’t want to be in the workshop early, I reasoned. Me and Brock together in the same space… My whole body shivered, but was that from anticipation or fear? I didn’t know and I didn’t want to. Finally, the clock ticked past the point I needed to leave if I was going to beat peak hour traffic, so I grabbed my stuff.

And a bag of nice clothes I’d packed last night.

Would I put them on after work? Would I go and have pizza with Brock and then go walk along the beach? All of that sounded relatively low key, so it was no big deal, right? Right? I’d packed the bag, unpacked it, then repacked it, reasoning that I’d leave it in the back of my car, ready to use if I wanted it and not if I didn’t.

And now I needed to get my arse to work.