Page 30 of Not As Advertised

She looked back at me on the screen, missing the feline mastermind beside her plotting her painful doom.

“I don’t know, babe. We’re both only children. I have no idea how this sibling thing works. Emery gets it.”

She was right. Emery was one of four kids in her family. She was the youngest and the only girl. And even though she always said her house had been insane (and stunk like boys) growing up, I’d been 100 percent jealous of her family life.

I would have given a kidney and half my liver for even one sibling growing up. Someone who could have shared and understood what it was like to grow up the way I did. Another person who could have reassured me that all the things that happened to me really did happen the way I experienced them.

“Good point. Em, is this a sibling thing?” I asked. “You have the most functional family out of the three of us.”

“Not that the bar is very high!” Indie called from her new position behind the couch.

Emery had centered herself in front of the camera, her sketchbook now closed beside her.

“Brothers are the worst. All they do is think of pranks to play on me when I go home. The twins are twenty-eight and still act like preteens. Especially since I’m the youngest. With Theo awayplaying in the NHL, I’m the only one left to annoy. I am the picture of innocence while they torture me with their existence.”

I wasn’t sure if that really answered my question. But I could see how brothers and sisters could really get on each other’s nerves. Maybe it was more personality dependent. Indie would have loved the shit-stirrer role in a family if she’d been dealt different cards. I would probably be the unsuspecting victim of all the pranks, too stuck in my own head all the time to notice.

I shrugged. “Thanks, Em. I kind of get it. Maybe you have to experience it first-hand to really understand.”

“They drive me crazy, but I do love them. Most of the time, anyway.” Despite her prior words, Emery’s smile always warmed when talking about her three brothers. It was the same smile Claire and Aiden gave each other after the teasing portion of the conversation had calmed down. There was a “knowing” there.

“I gotta go, okay? Make sure Mew is still in one piece. The dinner meeting starts in an hour.”

Indie’s head appeared from behind the couch, her hair slightly mussed. “No worries. I brought him a bag of obscenely expensive treats to make up for my antics. He’ll be fine. Text us tomorrow to let us know his reaction to seeing you all dressed up. DA’s going to melt into a puddle at your feet. I only wish I was there to see my fairy godmother magic at work.” Indie sighed.

“I’m sure he’ll be nothing but professional, like always. There’ll be nothing to tell.”

“Whatever you say, babe. Ciao ciao!” Indie called while Emery waved and ended the call.

That evening, as Abbie opened the door, I had to grab the doorframe to keep my hands from reaching for her.

My gaze involuntarily ran over her delectable body. Her dress was simply incredible. The black satin hugged her curves in an obscene way. It was deceptively simple, nothing flashy about it. It didn’t hold a candle to the stunning woman beneath.

I overlooked one important point in telling Abbie to book an upscale restaurant for this dinner. Seeing her in a cocktail dress might just kill me.

Trying to pull myself together, I realized I’d been staring for too long. She worried her bottom lip between her teeth, seemingly apprehensive about my reaction.

I had no idea how a woman could be so sexy to bring me to my knees while simultaneously being so adorable that I wanted to gather her up in my arms and never let her go.

“Abbie, you look beautiful.”Let’s forget dinner, and I’ll devour that gorgeous body of yours instead.

My voice sounded rough with the effort of masking the desire I was trying to keep hidden. I cleared my throat and stepped back, allowing her into the hall.

“Thank you. You look beautiful as well. Uhh, I mean, it’s a beautiful suit, and you wear it well.”

She blushed, and I decided to put her out of her misery, even though I wanted to tease her. That was not the kind of relationship we had.

But you could, that fucking devil on my shoulder whispered. Where was the damn angel telling me to smarten up?

“The car is waiting downstairs. Do you have a wrap or something in case you get cold?”

Translation: Was there something we could use to cover up all that gorgeous skin and those incredible curves? I wanted to whisk her away to a dark cave and never let anyone lay eyes on her again.

Would it be too much to insist she wear my suit jacket so that no other man could see her like this?

Probably.

She looked at me curiously. “It’s, um, July in LA. I think I’ll be okay.”

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