Laurella and Calum managed to get through the next few days with barely a crossed word. They compromised on the raspberry-gin deal. He conceded the exclusivity with Haltons, and they came up with a six-month transitional pricing deal, which the client had agreed to. They found time to grab coffee, but nothing more intimate.

It was a crazy week, and even though peace had been declared, by the time Friday afternoon arrived, she was ready to drop. She was terribly excited about the upcoming weekend, though. Her youngest sister was arriving on Sunday for a few days before she started college. The downside to Alessia’s visit was that Laurella wouldn’t be able to see Calum. Still, she couldn’t wait to catch up with her sister.

She had her head buried in a client proposal when her concentration was broken by a knock at her door. Laurella looked up with a frown, but that soon turned into a smile when she saw who’d knocked. So much had changed in such a short space of time that it made her head spin and her belly do weird flips.

“What are you doing tonight?” Calum asked, stepping into her office.

“I was planning a quiet night curled up with a good book. I won’t get much free time when Alessia arrives on Sunday.”

A flash of disappointment crossed his face. “Oh yeah. I’d forgotten she was coming. Even more reason to spend the next couple of evenings with me. My brother, Nate, is visiting from California, but it’s a short trip. We’re having a family dinner tonight, and I want you to come with me.”

She widened her eyes. “Me? Why?”

He shrugged. “Why not? I warn you, though, things are a bit touchy between Jax and Nate. My younger brother has been a little difficult of late, and Jax is getting pissed off with his attitude. I can’t promise there won’t be fireworks.”

“More hotheaded brothers. That’s quite a family you have there.”

He grinned. “We’re all quite different, and if it weren’t for Jax, we’d probably only get together for holidays and the occasional birthday. But when our parents died, Jax was insistent we stick together. That’s the whole reason he bought the hotel with our inheritance. It’s a family business—a place for us all to gather and work toward a common goal.”

“He sounds like an amazing guy.”

Calum stared off into the distance, a slight curve to his lips. “Yeah. He is. Not sure what would have happened to us if he hadn’t stepped up to the plate.” He looked back at her. “You’ll come?”

“I’d love to.”

“Great. Shall we say seven? I’ll pick you up on my way back from the gym.”

She shivered with pleasure at the thought of Calum lifting weights, all hot and sweaty. She passed it off as a chill, rubbing her arms as if cold. “It’s okay. I’ll make my own way there.”

Calum didn’t argue. “If you’re sure,” was his only comment.

He turned to leave, and she dropped her gaze to his ass. He sure filled those pants well. A soft sigh fell from her lips, barely audible, but Calum must have heard. He glanced over his shoulder and caught her checking him out.

He laughed. “Now, that’s made my day.”

Laurella picked up a paperclip and threw it at him. It bounced harmlessly off his jacket. “Get out of here.”

Calum’s continued laughter still reached her ears long after he’d left her office. Goddamn irritating male. Even with that thought, she couldn’t seem to wipe the smile from her face.

Laurella didn’t see Calum for the rest of the day, but as she made her way home, her excitement began to build. She’d met Jax and Cole, of course, but that had been under very different circumstances. Calum inviting her for dinner signaled a shift in their relationship. Not that she’d go so far as to admit they were dating, but since their dinner a few nights before, and their subsequent compromise on how to manage the exclusivity deal, peace and harmony had reigned.

The way he’d kissed her on Monday evening had set a fire within her, the flames burning out of control. Yet Calum exhibited remarkable self-restraint and hadn’t touched her after that. She’d expected him to want to move things along much quicker. In one way, she was glad. Since Vorino, she’d barely let a man come anywhere near her. In another way, the ease with which Calum was able to wait was driving her insane. She was ready to eat the whole pie. Calum wasn’t even offering a sniff of the pastry crust.

You really need to stop thinking in food analogies.

Later that evening, after sorting through her entire closet—most of which ended up in a heap on her bed—Laurella finally settled on a mulberry-colored pleated crossover dress that didn’t show too much cleavage and finished just at the knee. With the addition of black high-heeled sandals and a rhinestone clutch by an up-and-coming Italian designer, the whole ensemble fit nicely into the smart-but-casual bracket.

After a short subway ride, she found herself outside the Miller-Brook hotel, nervous tension nibbling at her insides. Stupid really. Dinner with Calum’s family was hardly anything to get worked up over. The younger brother intrigued her. From what Calum said, he didn’t buy into the whole close-family thing Jax had going on. Laurella had instantly taken to Jax the one time she’d met him, as well as Cole. Calum was a different prospect altogether. He wasn’t someone who gave out a warm-and-fuzzy feeling, but the two of them seemed to be working out the kinks.

She stepped onto the sidewalk, dodged around a throng of people spilling from the bar next door, and entered the hotel. Inside, the atmosphere buzzed, just as it had the last time. She glanced around for Calum but couldn’t spot him. Heading into his living quarters seemed an invasion of privacy. She’d begun to walk toward the bar when an arm curved around her waist. She jumped.

“So skittish, Laurella,” Calum’s deep-baritone voice murmured in her ear. Before she could respond, he twisted her in his arms and slanted his mouth over hers. “You taste as good as you look.” His hot gaze traveled from her toes to the top of her head.

Her skin flushed at his appraisal. “Am I suitably dressed?” She smoothed her hands over her hips.

“No,” he replied bluntly. Her eyes widened until he went on to say, “You’re wearing far too many clothes for my liking.”

“Calum.” She lightly tapped his arm in reprimand. “I thought you were being serious when you said no.”

His scorching gaze left burn marks on her skin. “I was.”

She swallowed hard. Something had changed between them. The dynamic was definitely more sexual, as if both were waiting for a… release.

He captured her hand. “Come on.”

They walked into the living area, and Laurella instantly recognized three of the people: Jax, Cole, and Indie, Jax’s girlfriend. The fourth, she guessed, had to be Nate, a beautiful if rather sullen man who gave her a quick once-over before he returned to tapping on his cell.

Jax, though, was as welcoming as he had been the first time they’d met. He beamed when his gaze fell on her hand inside Calum’s. “Laurella,” he said, walking toward them. He kissed her cheek. “So glad you could make it.”

“Thank you for having me.”

Calum eased her coat off her shoulders and hung it inside a closet on their left.

“This is Indie,” Jax said, sliding an arm around his girlfriend’s shoulders.

Laurella couldn’t miss the darkening of Calum’s expression as he glowered at Jax’s girlfriend. Laurella glanced at him, puzzled, but he answered with a brief shake of his head.

“Lovely to meet you,” Indie said, hugging Laurella warmly. “Any friend of Calum’s is welcome here.”

“Unlike you,” Calum muttered. Either Jax and Indie didn’t hear him, or his obvious contempt for her was normal behavior and they had stopped paying attention.

Laurella made a mental note to ask him about it when she got the chance.

“You’ve already met Cole,” Calum said. “And that sour-faced dick over there is Nate. The youngest.”

“Welcome, Laurella,” Cole said while Nate raised his hand in greeting and gave a glimmer of a smile, which faded when he went back to his cell phone.

They settled down to dinner, and Laurella immersed herself in the warmth around the table. The banter that was usual in large families began. Coming from a big family herself, she missed the noise, the arguments, and the love. Usually, her evenings consisted of a meal for one and her laptop. She didn’t regret the move to New York, and at least she and Calum were no longer at each other’s throats, but she missed her family terribly. Even though Alessia’s visit would detract from moving her relationship with Calum along, she couldn’t wait to spend time with her sister.

“You’re quiet,” Calum murmured in her ear, his hand sliding up her leg beneath the heavy tablecloth.

“A little homesick,” she said. “This reminds me of family dinners back home.”

His hand moved farther up. He slid it between her thighs and applied pressure, daring her to open her legs. She clamped them shut, trapping his hand, and hoped her eyes gave him a clear message.

“Stop it,” she whispered.

His breath caressed the shell of her ear. “Make me.”

Laurella glanced around the table. Cole was chatting to Indie, his expression holding none of the hatred of Calum’s, so whatever his problem was with Jax’s girlfriend, his twin didn’t feel the same. Jax was busy uncorking another bottle of wine, and Nate was still staring at his cell as if it held the answer to world peace. Did the man ever talk?

“No one is watching,” Calum said, correctly guessing why she’d been checking out the others around the table. With his palm flat against her inner thigh, he applied enough pressure that her legs opened a couple of inches. That was enough for Calum to go exploring. Laurella caught her breath. She couldn’t deny that the game excited her. He curved his free hand around her neck, the other one feathering at the very top of her thigh, so close to her sex that she had to clench her inner muscles to control the need that grew by the second.

“Tonight, you’re mine, Laurella.” His tone held a command that dared her to deny him. “Mine. No more pretending I don’t ache for you every second of every day. No more games that push us apart instead of bringing us closer. I know it’s happening quickly, but I don’t want to wait any longer. If you feel the same, nod.”

She dampened her lips and swallowed then nodded. Calum hissed. He slipped a finger inside her panties and swept it over her sex. Only once, but it was enough to drive her crazy. Her eyes briefly closed. She almost moaned. Almost. But as quickly as he’d started the game, he withdrew.

Mourning the loss of intimacy, Laurella lifted her eyes to his. He winked then inserted his middle finger into his mouth and sucked, mirroring her actions when she’d flirted with him in the restaurant the other night. Except it wasn’t the taste of wine on his fingers. It was the taste of her.

“Merde,” she muttered.

“Only the beginning, sweetheart,” Calum said.

“The beginning of what?” Indie asked.

Laurella and Calum both looked across at her at the same time, but before Laurella could make up a lie, Calum answered for her. “None of your fucking business.”

Laurella flinched at the hatred in his tone. A furious expression crossed Jax’s face, whereas Indie simply painted on a polite smile.

“Apologize,” Jax snapped.

“To her?” Calum almost spat. “Not a fucking chance.”

“It’s fine, Jax,” Indie said, putting her hand on his arm.

Jax pounded his fist on the table. “It is not fine.” He poked his finger in Calum’s direction. “Stop grinding this axe. Indie is my girlfriend, and she’s going nowhere. This vendetta stops now.” He snorted. “You just love acting as though you were the wronged party, don’t you, Calum? Well, you weren’t. And Indie was as much of a victim as I was. We’ve moved on. You’d better find a way to do the same. Otherwise, we’re going to have a serious problem.”

Laurella held her breath as the atmosphere switched from light to very dark in a split second.

“Here we go,” Nate drawled.

Jax’s head swiveled around so fast that he surely must have cricked his neck. “I’ll deal with you in a minute.”

“What the fuck have I done?”

“Absolutely nothing, Nate. That’s the problem. Ever since Mom and Dad passed away, I’ve tried to do everything to keep us together, to put this family first, yet you’d rather live on the other side of the country than spend time with us. You don’t answer your phone. You don’t visit unless one of us uses emotional blackmail. You won’t reply to emails. Well, you know what? You can all fuck off.”

He shoved a hand through his hair, his face blotched with fury. Calum had warned her it could all kick off. He’d been right.

“Take a fucking chill pill,” Calum said in his usual completely unsympathetic manner.

“Jax.” Indie touched his hand. “Your brothers appreciate you, as do I.”

“Really?” he said, his voice full of bitterness.

“Yes.” Indie glared across the table at Calum then flashed a hard look in Nate’s direction. “Isn’t that right?”

After a few seconds of silence, Nate was the first to speak. “I’m busy, that’s all. I’m trying to build a career. I can’t be flying across the country every five minutes.”

Jax turned to his younger brother, his face softening. “I know. I’ll try not to nag.”

A brief smile brought a couple of dimples to Nate’s face. They disappeared all too quickly. That was a shame. They’d made him appear much less moody.

When Calum remained silent, Laurella squeezed his knee—not in a sensual way but in a way that said if he didn’t apologize, she would break his kneecap.

He sighed. “Of course I appreciate you, dickhead.”

Laurella squeezed harder. Calum winced.

“And as my girlfriend seems to be giving me a clear message she’s going to break my fucking leg if I don’t apologize to you, India, I guess I’d better. I’m sorry.”

Shock rolled through her at the speed of a bullet, and she loosened her grip. Girlfriend. She was having enough trouble managing the transition from hating him to flirting with him. And now he’d basically announced to his family on their very first dinner together that they were in a relationship.

Calum seemed oblivious to her stupefied state as he held his hand out to Indie. “I can’t say I completely forgive you for what you did, but give me time.”

She shook his hand. “I can do that,” she said, her voice muted.

“Thank Christ for that,” Cole piped up. “At least I can take a break from the role of peacemaker.”

“And on that bombshell, let’s call it a night,” Calum said. “Laurella and I have an early meeting on Monday morning that we need to prep for.”

Laurella frowned. She didn’t have an early meeting, because she was taking a few vacation days to spend with Alessia. Maybe he wanted out of the heavy atmosphere, which had only receded a little after the tentative truce. She couldn’t say she was sorry he’d called time, although until his dig at Indie, they’d been having a lovely evening. The dinner-table drama reaffirmed her determination to ask him about Indie at an appropriate time.

While Calum said goodnight to his brothers, Indie sidled up next to Laurella. “I don’t know how you’ve managed to tame him, but well done,” she said with a grin.

Laurella chuckled. “I wouldn’t say I’ve done that, but I have a mean grip. I simply put it to good use. Sometimes physical discomfort is the only thing a blunt instrument like Calum understands.”

Indie didn’t get to respond because Calum appeared at Laurella’s side. “Ready to go?”

She nodded. “Thank you for having me over,” she said to Jax.

“Anytime,” Jax replied. “And who knows—next time, the evening might even be argument free.”

“Don’t count on it,” Calum said, groaning when Laurella gave him a dig in the ribs.

When they reached the top of the stairs, out of earshot of the rest of his family, Laurella frowned at him. “We don’t have an early meeting to prepare for.”

“Correct,” Calum said. “But I definitely have a blunt instrument that you’ll be getting very well acquainted with.”