He smirked. “Exactly. That works for me.”
“You’re such a pervert,” I accused jokingly as I went to snatch my clothes from the floor.
“You’re the one who stripped without hesitation,” he answered. “Not that I had a single problem with you doing it. In fact, you could do it more often.”
I snorted. “Maybe I’m learning to throw off my inhibitions.”
“Please feel free to toss every one of them aside. That whole take-charge attitude is pretty hot.”
I laughed as I pulled on my panties and my jeans. “Maybe I’ll throw caution to the wind later,” I teased.
Seth stood and righted himself and zipped up his pants. “God, I hope so,” he said enthusiastically.
My heart swelled, and I knew that from the minute I’d entered his office until this very moment, I’d fallen just a little bit more in love with Seth Sinclair.
CHAPTER 25
SETH
“I want to ask Riley to marry me,” I told Noah as we sat down to coffee at his house a week later.
Aiden hadn’t been able to come drop in on my eldest brother today, but I’d really felt the need to talk.
As usual, I’d turned to Noah when I was considering something monumental in my life. We were too close in age for me to see him as a parental figure, but he’d always been the head of our household. Workaholic tendencies aside, my eldest sibling had always been there for all of us when we really needed him.
He shot me a dubious look. “Seth, think about it before you do something that you might regret later. You’ve known Riley for a month or two. I don’t think that’s long enough to decide whether you want to spend the rest of your life with her.”
I shook my head. “I know I want that. Hell, I think I’ve known almost from the first time we met. There isn’t a woman in the world like her, Noah. We just . . . fit. I can’t really explain it, but I can’t imagine my life without her anymore.”
“Why the rush? Riley is still going to be around in another year or two.”
I shrugged. “I can’t explain that, either. All I know is that I need her to be mine.”
Generally, I wasn’t all that impulsive, especially when it came to huge decisions like marriage. However, my need to make Riley mine was pretty fucking relentless.
Noah leaned back in his chair and just stared at me. “I like Riley. She’s gutsy. Definitely protective of the people she loves, judging by what happened at the barbecue, and she’s highly intelligent. I just don’t think you need to rush into anything.”
“I’m not saying I’m rushing things, exactly. I just know what I want, and it fucking eats at me not to go after it.”
Noah shook his head. “You’ve always been like this, I suppose. I still remember when you were so damn determined to get secondhand bikes for Brooke and Jade when they were younger. But we just couldn’t afford it. So in addition to your construction work, you decided you’d work in the bicycle store putting together bikes at Christmas in exchange for those two used ones that Jade and Brooke really wanted. You’re stubborn as hell when you set your mind on something.”
“The girls were over the moon that Christmas,” I explained. “It was worth it just to see them smile. They didn’t get much as kids.”
“None of us did,” Noah reminded me. “But you busted your ass to make up for that. So the last thing I want to see right now is for you to destroy your life. You have it good now, Seth. Everything you’ve ever wanted.”
“Except her,” I told him. “Maybe you don’t quite get it, but Riley is the woman I always wanted but could never manage to find. She doesn’t give a damn about my money. She wants to be with me. I know she wouldn’t have treated me any differently when I was poor, Noah.”
My brother released a deep breath. “I agree. She’s fiercely loyal when she commits herself to somebody. That’s not the point. I’d just like to see you wait a little longer before you jump in over your head.”
I smirked at him. “When have I ever done that?”
“Unfortunately, never . . . until you met Riley.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Someday, you’ll meet a woman who knocks you on your ass. And you’ll know exactly how I feel. I think Sinclairs fall hard and fast. Look at the rest of the family.”
He grimaced. “Not going to happen. I don’t, never have, and never will lose my shit over a woman. I don’t have the time or inclination to have my head up my ass.”
I didn’t speak as I watched his grim expression. Noah had always been the one to sacrifice everything for his family. He worked too hard, and all of his focus and dogged determination had been on seeing every one of us get what we needed. Sure, Aiden and I had helped, but Noah had taken the responsibility for all of us on his own shoulders. “You know you don’t have to work this hard anymore, right? In case you missed it, we’re billionaires, Noah. All of us are grown up.”
He looked at me, puzzled. “What else would I do?”
“Relax?” I suggested.
“I’m not sure I know how, and I’m positive I wouldn’t like it.”
It suddenly dawned on me that even though our circumstances had changed, Noah was still doing what he did best. He worked until he was ready to drop.
Maybe being head of our family wasn’t exactly a good thing. My big brother was conditioned to work and look after all of us. He’d been doing it since he was eighteen. He had no idea what else to do with his adult life.
“You’re just not used to taking a damn breath,” I told him. “You’ve always been there for us. Let us be there for you now.”
I couldn’t change the fact that he was the oldest, but I could try to make him realize that everything had shifted. We could finally be like normal siblings. He didn’t have to be a father figure anymore.
“I’m good,” he grumbled. “I like what I’m doing. There’s a lot of satisfaction in developing new programs.”
“Not when you’re completely obsessed with doing it,” I pointed out. “We fucking miss you, Noah.”
“I’m right here. Does one of you need something? Is it Brooke or Jade? What do we need to do?”
I got Noah’s complete attention just because he mistakenly believed that one of us needed him. I hadn’t meant to do that at all. “We’re all fine. We just want you to join the family now. Not that you haven’t always been ultraresponsible. But we just miss you being there when we’re all having a good time.”
That would be a change, since all he knew were the bad times.
“Unlike the rest of you, I’m not about to meet some kind of life partner or soulmate,” he said gruffly. “It’s not part of my personality. You aren’t the only one who had women treat you like you were invisible when we were dirt-poor. What female wants a guy who has the responsibilities I had? Not that I’m complaining, because I’m not. I’d give up women all over again to have all of you happy. I don’t want a female now that I’m rich beyond my wildest imagination. I’d rather keep working on my projects.”