Definitely in for a penny now. The desire to actually erase the small distance left between them and press her body to his swept through her.
His chest rose and fell under her hand, and he winked back.
“Whirlwind?” Nora repeated, her focus bouncing back and forth between him and Elisa.
“Whirlwind,” Elisa confirmed. “I took one look at him and fell hard.”
“Ditto.” Angus smiled, his eyes warm and playful. “I asked for her number within minutes of first seeing her.”
“Ain’t that the truth,” Zeta chuckled. “I was there. I saw it happen.”
“I do not know what’s going on,” Bria muttered. She frowned at Owen. “Do you?”
Owen laughed. It dawned on Elisa he’d left his Santa hat in his car.
Bria gave her an askew smile. “Have you been keeping secrets from me, Lis?”
Elisa bit at the inside of her cheek. What did she say? They never lied to each other. Ever. It was an unspoken rule they had as triplets and they stuck to it.
Angus coughed. “Err…surprise.” He gave Bria a sheepish smile. “Elisa,Lis, thought it would be best to tell you in person.”
Elisa’s throat thickened. No one but Bria and Zeta called her Lis. It wastheirname for her. She corrected anyone else who tried, and yet, it sounded good from Angus.
Dio, this is getting out of hand.
Owen burst out laughing again. “So you’re about to become my brother-in-law? I know who’s cooking Christmas dinner this year, then.”
Angus snorted. “Me. I’ve eaten your food, mate. As a cook, you make a fantastic maths teacher.”
“Oi,” Owen protested with a mock frown.
“Fiancée,” Nora said again. It was no doubt meant to be a question, but to Elisa’s ears, it sounded like a skeptical denunciation.
“Fiancée,” she echoed, straightening her shoulders and meeting Nora’s gaze. The TV producer was beginning to irritate her. It took a long time for her to anger, but Nora was pushing her buttons. “I’m sorry, but do you have a problem with your hearing? Do you need me to speak up?”
Zeta laughed, and then muffled the sound with her palm.
Kara didn’t bother trying to stop her own laugh. “I like her, boss. I approve of this engagement.”
“Why thank you, Kara.” Angus grinned, tugging Elisa closer to him. Her heartbeat doubled as he brushed his knuckle over her cheek, smiling down at her. His gaze held hers, and her heart beat faster still. “Me too,” he murmured.
Elisa drew in a slow breath, her stomach fluttering in a wholly lovely way. Okay, shehadto remember this was all a…a… Whatever it was. A sham? Subterfuge? She’d impulsively started it out of a deluded, dismayed reaction to Angus being with someone else, and surprisingly he’d gone along with it, no doubt eager to get the TV producer off his back, but itwasall just a sham. Unfortunately, it was all too easy to lose herself in his blue eyes and his warm smile and santa merda, she was in trouble here.
“No sex on the restaurant floor though, okay?” Kara said.
Angus almost choked. Elisa’s cheeks filled with heat.
“I’d watch,” Bria declared with a grin. “Just so you know.”
Owen burst out laughing. “I’ve seen Daniels’s naked arse already. It’s not pretty.”
“Oi,” Angus retorted, sliding his fingers down the outside of Elisa’s arm and took her hand in his again. “It’s a better-looking arse than yours, Blackthorne.”
“Blackthorne?” Nora’s attention snapped to Owen. “As in—”
“Not the famous ones,” Owen cut her short.
Elisa bit at the inside of her cheek. It was verymuchthe famous ones, but Owen never cashed in on his very famous cousins’ famous name.