Page 25 of The Exception

If he was shocked by my words, his expression didn’t show it. In fact, he looked downright predatory.

“Is this you trying to negotiate that into the deal?” There was a teasing lilt to his voice.

I rolled my eyes. “This is me trying to point out the flaws in your plan.”

He crossed his arms over his chest, and I tried to ignore the bulge of his biceps. If his schedule was the same as it had been two years ago—and knowing Graham, it was—he started every day with a workout, and it showed.

“If you’re not interested, just say so.”

“That’s not—” I sighed and dropped my hand. “That’s not what this is. I just…” I didn’t even know what to say at this point.

I’d never known Graham to be impulsive. Decisive—yes. Once he made a decision, he was rarely swayed from it. But this was so out of the ordinary that I didn’t know what to think.

“Do you honestly think we could be believable as a couple?” I asked. “Because we might know it’s fake, but to our friends and family and everyone else, it would have to seem real.”

“People will believe what they want to. Besides, it’s not like we just met. We have history.”

“Even so, we haven’t seen each other in nearly two years. I used to work for you. That’s sure to raise some eyebrows.” I knew how careful Graham was about his reputation and that of the brand. He might think this was a good idea now, but there was no way he’d actually see this through.

“Marrying aformerassistant would be nothing compared to what my siblings have done.”

I frowned. “You mean Nate getting engaged to his daughter’s nanny?” I’d definitely seen their pictures splashed across the magazines at the grocery store checkout.

“Nate. Knox. Sloan. They’re all engaged or married to former employees. And they all had a relationship while they were still in their employ.”

“Now, Jasper I could imagine breaking the rules. But Knox and Sloan?”

A rare smile teased the corner of his lips, and I reveled in it. It was fleeting, but I could tell that despite his ire, he was happy for them.

I sipped my whiskey, tucking my feet beneath me. “This I’ve gotta hear.”

“Knox’s wife, Kendall, used to be his house sitter. And before that—” he leaned in “—she was his son’s ex.”

My eyes widened. “Really? Knox?” I couldn’t believe it. I also couldn’t believe Graham was telling me all this.

Graham nodded.

“Are he and Jude still on speaking terms?” I asked, imagining it would be difficult to move past something like that, despite how close they’d always seemed.

“It was rough for a bit. But now, they’re better than ever.”

“Wow.” I shook my head. “And Sloan?”

“Married her former bodyguard. Thoughtechnically,he resigned before anything ‘improper’ happened.”

Okay. So his family might not bat an eye at our previous relationship. But still, this was Graham we were talking about.

“Yeah, but they’re not…you.”

He furrowed his brow. “What does that mean?”

He was… I wasn’t even sure how to describe Graham, other than to say that he’d always held himself to a higher standard than everyone else. Even though he wasn’t the eldest of the five of them, he often acted as if he were.

“Just—” I huffed. “Nothing.”

His frown deepened, and I wished I’d kept my mouth shut. I got the sense that I’d offended him.

“Are you concerned you won’t be convincing?” he asked.

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