Page 124 of Boyfriend of the Hour

I didn’t dare think that maybe he’d wanted to shut out the world as much as I did.

“Who is that, the IRS?” I joked as Nathan went to open the door.

“No.” He turned to me with apology in his eyes. “It’s my brother.”

TWENTY-TWO

WHY CARRICK HUNT SUCKS BALLS

#5 he calls me sweethart. ewww

“What in theactualfuck? It’s a goddamn blizzard out there, and only half the streets are plowed. Fucking New York. This is why I never come here.”

Peeking around the corner from the living room, I watched a man who could have been Nathan’s body double march into the foyer with the grace of a tank, shake snow off an ankle-length wool coat, and turn around with a face that looked almost exactly like Nathan’s, but for the missing glasses and lack of underlying kindness.

Those eyes might have also been brown, but everything about them was glacial.

“Well, well, well. What do we have here?” The man stripped off his coat and tossed it to Nathan, who hung it on one of the hooks near the door. “This the dancer that’s giving Mom conniption fits?”

“Carrick, this is Joni, my girlfriend. Joni, this is my brother, Carrick Hunt.” Nathan sounded less than excited to make the introduction.

“Nice to meet you,” I said with a little wave.

Carrick’s smile lacked any warmth whatsoever. “You too, sweetheart.” He turned to his brother. “Nate, seriously. I need a drink, and I need it yesterday. My toes are about to fall off.”

Nathan rolled his eyes. “There’s a bottle of Macallan in the kitchen.”

With a grunt, Carrick turned in that direction.

I looked down at his shoes, which were tracking water and ice down the hall. “Do you mind leaving your shoes at the door? We try to keep the floors clean.”

Was it me, or did Nathan’s eyes sparkle when I said that?

“As it happens, yes, I do mind,” said Carrick before he bared a set of bright white teeth in a wolfish grin. “I’m a grown man, so I don’t pad around in my socks like a fucking toddler.”

“Then you must be ready to mop up after yourself since I’m not going to fucking do it,” I retorted before I even considered speaking to Nathan’s brother with a little more respect.

Everyone in the hall froze. Carrick stopped halfway to the kitchen as if he saw me for the first time. That icy gaze pulled down my body, pausing on my bared leg.

“You sure about that, sweetheart?” he asked. “I bet my brother wouldn’t mind watching you bent over, doing a little scrubbing in that dress.”

“That’s enough.” Nathan shoved a hand on Carrick’s chest and pushed him back toward the door. “There are slippers for guests in the hall closet. And if you talk to Joni like that again, you’ll need to leave.”

“Not before I slap him in his smug face,” I muttered, though they both clearly heard me.

To my surprise, Carrick’s grin only widened. “I like this one,” he said as he shook a finger toward me and retreated to the closet to find Nathan’s spare slippers. “Mom’s gonna love her.”

I frowned. What wasthatsupposed to mean?

“Joni.”

I looked up to find Nathan making a small gesture toward my dress.

“Do you maybe want to change?” His ears turned a little pink, right on the lobes. “Not that I don’t like the dress, but, um…”

My eyes popped open. “Right! Yes. I’ll be back.”

“I’ll make you a drink too,” Nathan said as his brother lumbered toward the kitchen, likely in search of something similar.