Page 24 of Nothing to This (Nothing to… #8)

Standing in JD’s office, six easels angled before her, three higher, three lower, they displayed six color schemes for the new branding package JD picked.

Admiring them, she tried to discern, objectively, which she liked and why.

The task got considerably more difficult when JD left his desk and came over to stand behind her.

All she could think about was his height and the solid column of his supportive body.

The thump of his heart against her shoulder blades, the angle of his chin on her crown, betrayed just how close he was to her.

Not that she needed evidence. His warmth warned her he was there.

Her instinctive reaction whenever he approached was so acute, it went into overdrive at just the suggestion of him these days.

“The blue and white is, uh… typical,” she said, breathy, losing her concentration when his hand crept onto her hip. “But the… the red, it’s… powerful…”

“You smell amazing,” he said.

“I smell like whatever Kye was spraying all over the place this morning.”

He hummed his approval. “My cologne. No wonder you’ve been driving me crazy all day. You’re wearing my scent.”

“Can you concentrate, please? I need you to pick something.”

Concentrate. They were supposed to be concentrating, but he massaged the front of her hip, urging her ass against him.

The other hand snaked around to undo the button on her jacket.

Splaying his fingers on her abdomen, the thin cotton of her blouse was no defense for the heat of his entitled hand rising higher, pressing her body against his.

Two weeks had gone by since she’d broken up with Baxter. Now last thing on a Friday, they’d made it through two full working weeks and had nothing to think about except their family weekend ahead.

Entitled hands weren’t alien these days, not that she could complain. Her own hands had grown more and more brazen by the day.

Familiarity bred between them. Living together, working together, parenting together, the strands of their lives were weaving and twining, tightening and growing stronger with each progression. They got through each trial and over each bump, together as a family.

“What do you want, JD?”

With a firm grip, he rocked her against him. “That’s a loaded question, Siren,” he said into her hair. “God, I could hold you all day.”

“I meant color scheme,” she said, sliding her hands over the top of his.

To take his hands off her body? Maybe that had been the idea, it didn’t work out.

Pushing against him, his fingers parted to accept the counterpart of hers.

She urged the hand on her belly higher until he was almost cupping the underside of her breast. At the same time, his other hand slithered from her hip across to a more central position, tantalizingly close to the growing thrum of her pussy.

Kissing the top of her head, he buried his mouth in her hair. “I had a dream about you last night.”

“JD, the color scheme,” she said and laughed.

Frequently, it was getting hard to keep him on topic while his mood favored this more salacious direction.

“Whatever you want, babe. Anything you pick is fine with me.”

“It’s your company.”

“It’s our children’s company. Everything we build here is for them.”

Groaning, she unlocked her knees, forcing JD to take some of her weight. “Oh, why do you have to say things like that?”

“It’s a turn on?” he murmured, a smile curling his lips. “I like making you weak at the knees.”

That wasn’t the only weak spot. So far she’d refrained from being explicit about that. How long would their restraint last before it snapped? Though anyone looking at them now certainly wouldn’t pick “restraint” to describe their position.

Greg came in. While he did pause, he didn’t look overly surprised by their entwined stance.

“You still here?” Greg asked her. “It’s after six.”

“Oh shit,” she said, pushing out of JD’s arms. “I said I’d get the kids at six.”

“I have a few things for you to sign,” Greg said to JD, holding up a folder.

Dashing for the door, she called over her shoulder. “They’re cooking for you tonight. Your mom’s coming over. Please don’t be more than an hour.”

“I’m right behind you, babe, I swear,” he said just before she ran out.

***

He returned to the desk and sat down.

“What?” JD asked his number two still standing by the door holding up the folder. “You expect me to sign them in midair?”

“Are you going to marry her?”

“Am I going to…? What?”

“We’re not blind, you know, none of us. You two are hooking up.”

“We live together.”

Greg came to the desk, opening the folder to sort out whatever was inside.

“Is that a yes? Marry her and get her pregnant. It’s what you both want.

I’ve never seen two people more content to just be a family.

Your two sprouts are up here every single day.

You’re blocking out time just to entertain the three of them. ”

“The business isn’t suffering.”

“No, it’s booming. Who knew you being so happy would make you so productive?” Greg sat down and pushed the folder toward him. “Rylee was okay when you told her about the California trip?”

He raised his eyes to his friend for a brief second, then went back to reading. “I’m not sure I really have to—”

“You have to go. You cannot snub our suppliers. This is important and will dictate our rates for years. They don’t give a damn about your kids or your fiancée, they just want some face time.”

“She’s not my fiancée.”

Another visitor interrupted. Unlikely as it may be, he found himself hoping that Rylee had come back and brought the kids with her. He’d see them at home and have them all weekend, that didn’t mean he wasn’t eager to see them as soon as possible.

Except it wasn’t Rylee or the kids, it was Brenna.

“What are you doing here?” he asked.

She flashed Greg a fake smile. “Would you excuse us… please?”

Brenna meant business, she wasn’t there to mess around.

Greg drew his eyes away with a silent signal of good luck. He’d need it. The second his friend departed, Brenna slapped a hand to the center of his desk to bend over it, getting into his face with her frown.

“She needs you to take control. She’s more vulnerable than she lets on. She’s swearing off men, swearing to focus only on the kids. It’s not healthy. It’s time to get off the bench, brother. Step up to the plate. Take a swing.”

“Okay, enough with the sports metaphors,” he said, closing his eyes for a moment. “What are you talking about?”

Standing straight, she balled a fist on her hip. “Wow, if you’re really asking that, you are in more trouble than I thought. Rylee, idiot brother, you’re in love with her.”

He laid a hand on the desk, fighting to remain calm.

“Okay,” he started. “I know Mom’s been grooming you for this role all your life, but you don’t have to bust my balls when she’s still around to do it.

I’m seeing Mom tonight, I’m sure she’ll find plenty of opportunities to snark at me when Rylee is distracted. ”

She blew out a breath. “Do you know I had to pick my jaw off the floor when Rylee told me you two aren’t sharing a bed yet? I mean, seriously, what are you waiting for?”

Yanking the folder toward him, he started to sign. He didn’t know what exactly, but it served as a distraction.

“You know, she just got out of a relationship, and she has two children to—”

“Your children, idiot. She’s never introduced the kids to any man she’s been involved with. You are perfect. She already knows they can tolerate you.”

He sneered, but she matched it. “Doesn’t change the fact that she just broke up with—”

“She didn’t love Baxter, he was casual. The fact that he tried to make it more than that freaked her out. She didn’t want to be married to him. She wants to be married to you.”

He stopped. “She said that?”

Brenna’s shoulders dropped as she lamented his question. “Of course she didn’t say that. Rylee would never say that. But I know her. I know it’s what she wants.”

“Like you know I love her? You want to get your facts straight, Nana.”

Holding up a hand, she counted off each of her fingers. “You live together. You work together. You have two children together. You spend every waking moment together. You spend more time with her than you do with the kids!”

“I won’t be living in her apartment forever.”

“Have you even looked for another place?” He slapped the folder shut and stood up. “Has she asked you to leave?”

Rounding the desk, he marched across the room with Brenna in his wake. “Leave it alone, Bren.”

“Both of you are doing this crazy dance around each other.”

“It’s sexual,” he said, grabbing his jacket from the closet. “It’s an attraction, that’s all.”

She scoffed. “Yeah, right, okay. So fuck her and get it over with.”

“She’s the mother of my children, Brenna. I have more respect for her than that.”

“First it’s sex and now it’s respect, how many more steps until you admit… You. Love. Her.”

He held up a finger. “Stop it. Enough. I mean it, Bren, don’t say any of this crap to Rylee, she’s been through enough. Our business is our business. Not yours. I don’t get all up in your relationship, do I?”

He started for the door and she followed. “Because I’m in a loving relationship. I can admit my feelings to the woman I love. You do the same and I’ll back off.”

Ignoring her, he left the office. Greg was at Rylee’s desk writing something.

“Good. I was coming to find you. The folder is on my desk. Everything is signed. I’m going home. If you need anything else, Rylee and I will be at the apartment or on our cells all weekend.”

Greg stood. “No worries. Have a good weekend.”

“You too,” he said and walked away.

“Think about what I said,” Greg called after him.

He just waved over his shoulder, unwilling to stop and debate his love life anymore. He got to the elevator call button, and, pressing it, was startled when Brenna pounced up beside him.

“What are you doing?” he asked.

She was watching the numbers above the door, doing a good job of looking pleased with herself. “Oh, didn’t I say? My niece called and asked me to dinner.” The elevator came and she stepped inside, flashing a proud grin. “I don’t tell you enough just how much I love your children, Jame.”

Suddenly his feet were heavier; he had to force himself to join his sister.

He loved his kids too, oh so much, but sometimes he wanted to wring their necks.

God hope Brenna hadn’t included the twins in her and their mother’s conspiracy regarding his relationship with Rylee. He’d have to set some rules about that.

For now, he had a night of torment ahead. Man, his daughter knew how to set him up good.