Has he been thinking of me too? Is there any way around the company’s fraternization policy, because I think we’re about to violate it? Not likely they’ll grant a waiver just because my virginity’s involved.
“What the fuck!” My boss’s voice booms through the room a split second before the front door slams.
I may have just felt an earthquake, but there’s a whirlwind in my brain as I glance from the sexy, relaxed version of my boss who’s standing beside me to the uptight, angry version in the entry. If his shoes and the bottoms of his pants weren’t covered in mud, I’d easily determine that the one in the entry is real.
Did my mind conjure the one beside me? I extend a finger from the arm of the chair to check. The heat of his body, the firmness of his thigh, and the jerk of his head downward in response to my touch indicate that he’s far more than a figment of my imagination.
Three
Lincoln
“Whatthefuck!”Mywords come out louder and harsher than I’d intended, but they’re accurate.
Jefferson said he’d changed his ways. He had a solid start on building a security company as part of his effort to settle down, yet
here he is with his hand on my girl. The problem is that nobody, including her, knows that she’s my girl.
I let the mud on my shoes cement me to the floor in the entry because if I go near my brother, I’ll be tempted to pummel him. The thought sends a shiver down my spine. I’m driven and competitive, but not violent.
He glances down at Natalie long enough that I’m left out of whatever’s going on between them. I ball my fists then force my fingers to straighten. Back-to-back meetings in the city had been exhausting, not to mention my white-knuckle drive through the horrendous storm, but that was nothing compared to my car getting caught in a mudslide on the way home and having to walk the last bit, but that has nothing on seeing Jefferson touch Natalie. I don’t even allow myself that luxury.
“Explain,” I demand.
Natalie jumps up, smooths her skirt, and clasps her hands. “I can’t.”
It’s the first time she’s been stumped. No matter the situation that arises, she handles it with grace. She’s the best damned administrative assistant I’ve had, and it just about kills me to leave it that way. I want her as so much more. I’d been breaking lately, my thoughts wandering to her more and more, even in the middle of the night. I shove all of that aside.
Jefferson steps between Natalie and me, holding his hands up. “Calm down, we were just talking.”
“Get away from her.”
He side-steps, and even though it’s not as far as I’d like, I let it go.
“Miss Moore, I see you met my twin brother, Jefferson.” I pause to gauge the look on her face—confusion that quickly shifts to surprise. That tempers how I continue. “Apparently he’s not above our childish games of switching places.”
“Calm the fuck down,” Jefferson says.
Natalie shrinks and guilt washes over me that we’re upsetting her, or worse, scaring her, as is reflected in her voice. “I should go. Your contract is on the table.” She motions to the envelope and looks past me at the door.
With the skill I’ve practiced too many times with my brother, I bury my anger. “I overreacted. You deserve an explanation, but I need to clean up first. And you can’t go…” I look uselessly out the window. “A mudslide took out the road just before Eggplant Canyon. I got caught in the edge of it. My car’s a loss. I had to walk home.”
“What?” they say in unison.
“There’s no way out. You can stay here until they get the road cleared. We’ll figure it out, I just need to get cleaned up first. Just don’t touch her again, Jefferson.” I take a step then decide against slogging mud through my immaculate house.
“Gotcha, I won’t even stay in the same room as her unless you’re here to chaperone,” Jefferson says, presumably hearing the threat of castration in my voice.
I motion to my pants. “I’m going to have to strip down right here.”
The number of times I’ve dreamed of stripping down with Natalie is so high I sometimes think she’s really mine. And every damn time, I chastise myself for the naughty things I do to her. She’s far too young and innocent.
Presuming they’ll turn away if they want to, I slide my belt through the buckle and yank it from around my waist.
The weight of her gaze calls to me. I lift my eyes. She’s staring. The softness of her features is highlighted by her hair falling in waves around her face. In the office, her bun keeps a professional, no-nonsense edge to her look.
My heart beats faster. My cock thickens. The financial institution we work for has stringent rules about fraternizing. Not a single one of those rules matters to me right now.
My brother disappears while Natalie remains in place, the only part of her that’s moved is her jaw, which has fallen open ever so slightly.