Page 24

She draws in an unsteady breath. “I don’t have on the proper…” her voice has dropped to a whisper, “bra.”

The idea of Honeyeh in underwear has my brain fritzing. Which makes me curse under my breath.

I’ve never had trouble finding women to share my bed. I’ve seen ladies in every shape and size, in every state of undress.

And yet, simple white cotton underwear on Honeyeh got my engine revving like it hasn’t in years. “There are undergarments in the bag as well.”

“You bought me underwear?” she gasps, but I smell it then. The light scent of her arousal. Fuck me.

“You can’t wear the dress without them.” I’m going to hell. It takes every ounce of my control to step back.

Slowly she picks up the bag and starts for the bathroom. She glances at me over her shoulder. “What if it doesn’t fit?”

“We’ll go dress shopping tomorrow.”

Her gaze is still filled with hesitation. “This is part of being your assistant? I’m not…not…”

Is she asking if I expect a happy ending? I have this vision of her on her knees before me, mouth open, nibbling at my cock. I nearly cum in my pants. I have to blink several times to speak. “You’re my assistant.”

She nods then turns and scurries toward the bathroom. Run little mouse, run. You’re about to be devoured by the cat.

But I catch myself. Even if she weren’t connected to Mason, the woman is toiling away to save the life of her brother. Underneath her soft and sweet, mild-mannered exterior, is the kind of woman who’s got real grit and loves with her whole heart.

Jesus. Listen to me…I’m like a ping pong ball, bouncing from one extreme to the next.

But I can’t deny that the words are true. The bathroom door softly closes and that’s when my phone rings.

I frown, pulling it from my pocket. I don’t want an interruption now, I just want to picture Honeyeh stripping off her work dress and pulling on the corseted strapless bra I’ve purchased for her.

But as I glance down, my brother Gris’s number flashes across the screen. Gris is my twin and of all my brothers, he’s the one I can least ignore. He has a sixth sense of when I’m out of sorts…

“What?” I bark into the phone. I’ve been surly with everyone this week. Maybe that’s why he’s calling.

“Hello, sunshine,” he rumbles back. “Nice to talk to you too.”

“Sunshine?” I spit into the phone. Since he got engaged to Arabella, he’s been annoyingly chipper. Or maybe I’m just that grumpy.

He laughs again. “How are plans for tomorrow night?”

“Peachy.”

“And Veronica?” he asks, keeping his voice neutral. I know he already knows we broke up. My brothers somehow manage to gossip, despite being the toughest men I know. “Don’t give me that.”

He full out laughs. “Was it ugly? Is that what’s wrong with you? Veronica seems like the type that would not go quietly into the night. She made a big scene, didn’t she?”

I don’t introduce a lot of the women I date to my family. But a few weeks ago, Gris and Arabella had a massive engagement party. A man can’t go to those things single, but I think it made the breakup with Veronica worse. She got ideas… “She did. It was ugly.”

“Have you considered extending the dating window?”

“Longer always makes things worse,” I answer, looking at the bathroom door. I shift my weight, hardly able to wait for Honeyeh to appear. I need to get my brother off the phone.

“Are you going to the benefit without a date? It’ll be like bees swarming to honey if you do.”

I pull the phone from my ear, looking down at the screen. Did he just mentionhoney? “Killian mentioned Honeyeh, didn’t he?”

“Honey what?”

My frown deepens. “Never mind. I’ve got a plan. There won’t be any bees, just business.”