Page 62 of Decidedly Off Limits

And while I should’ve felt guilty, I didn’t. But it didn’t mean I was ready to send him a text, telling him how I felt about his sister. The guy had contacts back home. Contacts who were equally skilled at killing with the snap of a finger.

I wasn’t sure who was scarier. Them or my sister—if she found out the truth.

“Need any help?”

At the sound of Holly’s voice, my head jerked up. I hadn’t seen much of her this morning—and now she was smiling like she had a secret she was excited about.

“No, I’m fine. What’s up?” I returned my phone to the desk.

She stepped into my office and closed the door behind her. “You mean other than it’s confirmed, I got the job?” Before I had a chance to congratulate her, she pressed her finger against her lips. “Shhh. You can’t say anything until Ted makes the official announcement.”

“When will that be?”

“Next week. Right before Richard’s retirement party.”

“Well, congratulations ahead of time.”

“Thanks. I thought maybe you, me, Josh, and Kelsey can go out for drinks tonight to celebrate.”

“Sure. Let me check with Josh.”

“Sounds great. I’ll ask Kelsey.” She left my office and I sent Josh a text, asking him if he wanted to join us for drinks. He responded forty minutes later with a “hell yes”.

* * *

Isqueezedmy way through the surprisingly crowded space and spotted the girls at the bar. Josh wasn’t here yet. Kelsey was wearing slim jeans and a thin light pink knit top that hugged her curves. She looked both innocent and hot, and I knew from experience both adjectives fit her well.

As I approached them, a guy a few inches shorter than me, with way less muscle mass, and who looked vaguely familiar sidled up to them. Unlike most guys, he didn’t notice Holly standing there. He just smiled at Kelsey.

The smile on her face was best described as awkward, and I stalked over to them, ready to tell him that she wasn’t interested.

“Holly, this is Owen. My ex-fiancé.”

His gaze was eating her up, as it slid over her gorgeous face and fuckable body, questioning why he’d let her go to begin with. But it hadn’t been his choice to make. She had dumped him.

“I made partner,” he said, beaming.

“Congratulations.” Kelsey hugged him, then she spotted me and a bright smile slipped onto her face. “And Owen, you remember Trent, right?” We might have met once or twice at an occasional family gathering. But usually Kelsey had come to them alone because the dumbass was busy at work.

He nodded at me and went back to talking to Kelsey as if Holly and I didn’t exist. “I’m meeting someone, but maybe we can meet up for coffee soon.”

“Sounds good,” she said.

As he walked away, Josh made his way over to us. “Who’s the jackass?” He jerked his chin in Owen’s direction.

“I used to be engaged to him,” Kelsey explained.

“Used to? So why was he feeling you up like that?” Josh asked.

“Dude, if you call that feeling her up,” I said, chuckling, “then you’re more hard up for sex than I realized.”

Laughing, Josh slapped me on the back. “Never gonna happen.” His gaze jumped to Kelsey. “If you’re still in love with that dude, then you should get Trent to make him jealous.”

Every guy has that one friend—you know who he is—the one who some days just won’t shut the fuck up. Josh was that friend and this was one of those days. Not that I had the right to be pissed at him. He had no idea about my feelings for Kelsey.

“Not necessary,” she said without a hint of uncertainty. “What Owen and I had has been over for a long time. I’ve moved on and so has he.”

Relieved to hear that, I rested my hand on Kelsey’s lower back. Until now, I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed her.