AUSTIN

I’m sitting at my desk when Stefanie buzzes through the intercom.

“Yes, honey bunch?” I drawl into the speaker.

“Bryce is here to see you.”

I knock my head back against my chair. “What the hell does he want?”

“Good to see you, too, brother,” Bryce says as he opens my office door.

Before he closes it, I see Stefanie’s sorry shrug. I give her a salute to let her know it’s okay.

I’m about to make a sarcastic comment about his unwanted visit when I notice his attire—jeans and a navy-blue Lacoste T-shirt. “Are you wearing sneakers?”

He scowls. “If I have to answer that, then I’m going to seriously reconsider your placement behind that desk.”

“How are your forearms tan? I haven’t seen you show elbow since Oprah was on air.”

He looks down at his arms. “What the fuck are you talking about?”

“Oprah Winfrey. She had a talk show that was one of the most influential—”

“I meant, about my arms, Austin.”

I grin at his annoyance. “While I like seeing this laid-back and casual version of Bryce Sexton, I have to say, I’m surprised. You’ve worn a suit and tie every day since …” I stall, my mind wandering back to the last time I saw my brother looking casual. I know he works out, but other than that, I can’t recall any other time I’ve seen Bryce looking relaxed. “Since Mom died.”

His brows curve in contemplation as his hand fists tight around the canvas duffel bag he’s carrying. The coal black of his eyes widen slightly, as if he’s realizing something for the first time, and for a moment, he looks almost remorseful.

I give Bryce a lot of shit because that’s the relationship we’ve developed over the years. Before we became kings, we were brothers, sons, and friends. It might seem crazy, but the look he has right now is reminiscent of the Bryce I once knew, the one he left behind.

He clears his throat and looks up at me. “I’m going to Tahoe.”

“Tahoe?”

“For a few days.”

I have to look at my calendar to see if I have the date correct. “You’re going to Tahoe during the workweek?”

He seems annoyed. “You’re the last person who should be giving me shit on where I’m going and when.”

My hand rises up in defense. “Not gonna hear a peep from me. Just surprised you’re actually going to play hooky. So, who’s the girl?”

“There’s no girl.” His jaw hardens.

“My apologies,” I say sincerely. Then, I add, “Who’s the guy?”

“Jesus Christ, do you ever stop?” he spits.

I laugh. “No judgments, man. Love is love.”

With a stern look on his face, he opens the door but stops, as if he’s just remembered what he needed to say to me. “The reception is pretty shitty at the house, so email if you need me. And don’t forget, dinner’s at eight.”

I’m still laughing at his obvious displeasure when those last words resonate in my head. “Dinner?”

“Yes, Missy’s dinner party. It’s at Saison.”

My seat swerves faster than a Mustang on a dirt road. “If you’re not going, why do I have to?”

His shoulders fall as his gaze rolls back to mine. “I’ve spent the past eight years going to every event that every other member of the Sexton family has been too busy to attend. For once, I just want my brother to pick up the slack and take one for the team.”

My blood immediately starts to boil at the notion that I do nothing for this company. It’s the same battle cry I’ve been hearing about from him since I was eighteen years old.

Yet there is a foreign look in his eyes and a drop in the tone of his voice that makes that boil simmer down.

I pause before going on my diatribe and listen to what he’s asking. I don’t know whom Bryce is going away with, but she must be pretty special because this is the first time he’s ever done this. He’s never skipped work, he’s never bailed on our father, and he certainly has never referenced me as his teammate.

“I’ll be there,” I respond with a nod.

His brows flinch in surprise. “Thank you.”

“Bryce,” I call as he starts to make his way out the door.

He stops and turns.

“She must be pretty special.”

“Fuck off,” he says as he walks out of the office.

“I love you, too, brother,” I shout as he storms through the reception area and down the hall toward his office.

A few employees stop and stare at me, some in amusement.

Stefanie doesn’t seem to be surprised by my declaration, as she’s typing away at her computer, like usual.

“Call Saison and tell them there’s a reservation for Sexton. Make sure they know to use extra garlic in my father’s meal and have them add some cloves in whatever Missy orders.”

She holds the phone up to her ear as she dials and asks me, “Cloves?”

“Yeah, they make her break out in a horrible rash.”

“How the hell do you know that?”

“That’s what happens when your father marries someone you’ve known since high school,” I answer matter-of-factly.

Stefanie holds the phone away from her ear as she asks emphatically, “I don’t really want to know the answer to this, but I feel like I’m waist deep in Sexton drama, so …” She pauses for a second before getting the balls to ask, “Didn’t you lose your virginity to her?”

I sway my head from side to side. “Yeah. I try to forget that fact, but this happens to be the second time in a week it’s been brought up.”

She holds the phone over the receiver as she whispers to me, “Probably because it’s fascinating that a grown man has slept with his father’s wife.” The person on the other end must have picked up because she goes right into assistant mode as she cheerily says, “Hi, I’m calling about a reservation for tonight under the name Sexton.”

Knowing dinner is taken care of, I walk down the hallway to get myself a date. I’m whistling as I stroll with my hands in my pockets. When I round the corner, I stop and peek at the most beautiful girl to ever grace a reception desk. Her brown hair is tossed up into a messy bun that’s sticking out in various directions. She’s chewing on her pen cap as she reads through a stack of papers on her desk. A tiny crease forms on the bridge of her nose when she concentrates like that.

She looks like she can use a little break, so I whip out my cell phone and send her a text.

Have you had your coffee yet, Pyle?

I sit and wait as her phone vibrates on her desk. She blindly reaches over for it and pulls it to her. When she looks down at the screen, a sweet smile graces her lips. Her pen falls to the desk as she types back.

When I can replace it with a term of endearment, maybe.

She bites her bottom lip as that crinkle returns to her forehead.

Yes, actually, I can, very easily. Meet me in the break room, I’ll buy you a cup of coffee.

She leans forward and laughs out loud before covering her mouth to hide her grin. Her toe dances on the ground as she leans back and sways in her seat.

Too late for that, don’t you think?

She’s biting her lip, and it’s the death of me. I have to run a hand over my jaw to calm myself before I jump from behind this wall and take her right there on the desk. I try to bring it back down and remember that I’m at work and I’m her boss. But it’s so freaking hard, especially when the glass-top table shows those beautiful legs crossing and uncrossing as she fidgets, trying to decide what to type next.

I watch the bubbles appear and disappear without another message for a minute.

So … coffee?

She looks at her desk and the papers that she was working on. Her head falls to the back of her chair as she looks up and lets out a deep sigh. When she turns back to her phone, she types.

If I didn’t see with my own eyes what she was working on, I’d think she was blowing me off. There’s something sexy about a woman who isn’t willing to rush to a man’s beck and call. It’s been a long time since I’ve had a woman turn me down, and it’s a goddamn turn-on.

I turn around and head back into my office to grab a gift I ordered. It’s been sitting under my desk in a brown box for a few days. I take the mug out and then walk it into the break room where I clean it in the sink. Then, I make Jalynn a cup of coffee the way I’ve seen her make it before.

When I get to her desk, her bright eyes widen as I walk over to her with the mug in my hands. Her eyes follow mine as I walk around her desk and take a seat on the edge, making her scoot back a bit in her chair.

“You know, there are chairs you can sit on.” She tilts her head to the two that sit against he wall.

“Yeah, but I like this spot better.” I grin as I hold the mug out to her. “Since you’re too busy to join me for coffee, I thought I’d join you.”

She raises a brow as she looks at the black mug and the large writing in big white font on the ceramic. “Gomer Pyle? Where does one find a mug that says Gomer Pyle?”

“Amazon. You’d be surprised at the things you can buy online these days,” I answer sarcastically.

She shakes her head as she accepts the proffered mug and takes a sip. “Does this mean, you’re finally going to tell me why you call me Pyle? And what’s with the Gomer part?”

“That’s classified information.”

“You know how I take my coffee, and you felt me up last night, so I’d say we’re ready to declassify that one.”

She winks, and I have to adjust my seated position for a brief moment.

“It’s a Marine’s thing. That’s what they call the person who keeps messing up or causes problems.”

Her smile falls. “How do I cause problems?”

“Do you remember how I met you in the first place?”

She puts the mug down on the desk as she narrows her eyes at me, and the little vein pops out in her forehead. “You’re never going to let me live that down, are you? Fine. I’m a Pyle. I cross racetracks and create false starts.”

“You do.”

She lets out a groan. “That’s the worst nickname ever. Are you going to tell me more about the Marines now?”

“Nope. This isn’t our third date yet.”

I pull her chair in closer and watch as she sucks in a breath. I weave a hand through her hair and pull her face in, close to mine. She pants lightly as I place my mouth on hers, gently sucking on her bottom lip. Her kiss is as sweet as biting into a summer peach. I release my hold just as fast and then push her back in case anyone decides to walk down this way.

Her eyes flutter as her hands grab hold of the sides of her chair, bracing for support. “I’ve heard I should watch out for you.”

“By who?”

“My roommate.”

“Oh, yeah?” I drum my fingers on the glass, spreading my legs to accommodate how heavy my cock feels in my pants after that kiss. “What did she have to say?”

“She figured out it was you by your hat last night. She’s been to your races, and she knows who you are—as Falcon and”—she licks her lips—“Austin.”

“Hmm … so my little secret might be out now?”

“She won’t say anything, but she warned me that you could be a little crazy.”

“I think you like crazy.”

“I’m not sure about that yet,” she whispers.

“Stop harassing my employee.” Bryce’s voice jolts us both to look up in his direction.

I don’t move but act as if my sitting on his assistant’s desk is the most natural thing in the world. “Technically, she’s our employee.”

He looks at me and then at Jalynn. His duffel bag is now gone, but he’s still wearing his jeans.

“Back from Tahoe so soon?” I kid.

Disregarding the fact that I’m sitting on his assistant’s desk, he walks into his office. “I forgot something,” he says as he closes the door behind him.

“Forgive him. He needs to get laid,” I say to Jalynn.

She giggles. “I think that’s the whole point of his trip.”

I nearly bolt up in surprise. “You know who he’s going away with?”

She profusely shakes her head. “I’m not telling you anything. Bryce is my boss, and I respect his privacy. Seriously, Austin, you need to stop giving him so much shit. The man is a machine. He’s here all hours of the night, post-edits every paper before it goes to print, scours financials, marketing, advertising—”

“Some call that obsessive.”

“It’s called dedicated. He doesn’t tell people how to do their jobs. He just makes sure they’re doing it to their best ability. Your mother raised two amazing men. You should be proud to be his brother.”

Her words cause me to take a breath. I raise a hand to my chest and softly rub it.

“Well, you haven’t met Tanner yet,” I joke.

“I’d love to someday,” she says seriously.

I can’t respond because Bryce comes walking out. His hands are empty, and his gaze is back to assessing Jalynn and me still sitting here.

I hold my hands up and step away from her desk. “I know; I know. Back to work.” I give him a nod toward the hallway leading outside. “Go have fun in Tahoe. I’ll hold down the fort.”

Bryce nods his head as he walks to exit the building.

I turn back to Jalynn. “Come to dinner with me tonight. It’s just my dad and Missy, so I can’t promise it will be fun, but I’d like for you to be there.”

“Dinner with Missy?” She says the name like it’s poison on her tongue.

“I promise we’ll go for a drive after.”

Her interest is piqued. “Does that mean, you’ll let me take the wheel?”

Let Jalynn drive my car? I’ve never let anyone drive my car, let alone a girl I’m dating. But I shrug, thinking it might be fun. “Only if you’re good.”

I’m dressed for tonight’s dinner in a slim-fit black suit and no tie. It makes me feel like I’m George Clooney, preparing to rob a casino. I pull my Corvette ZR1 up to Jalynn’s building and adjust my cuff links as I walk up to the entrance. It’s a cool night with the sky slightly overcast, yet the moon begs to make its appearance despite the cover.

Before I get to the intercom, my phone vibrates. I answer Jalynn’s call and look up toward her window.

“I was just about to buzz you.”

“I know. I see you. I can’t come down right now,” she spits out.

I look up to see her standing in the window.

“You know, I’ve never been stood up before. This is a first for me.”

She runs a hand over her forehead as she looks down at me. “I’m not standing you up. I just can’t come down right now. Go sit in your car and stay there until I’m ready. And keep your headlights off.”

She hangs up, and I feel like I need to pick my jaw up off the floor. No girl has ever been so blunt with me before. But you know what? I also don’t take orders so easily, so Miss Jalynn has met her match. If she doesn’t want to come down, it’s because she doesn’t want me to come up. And I’m about to find out why.

Not even bothering to go back to my car, I head up to the door and hit every other button on the intercom until someone lets me in. Thankfully, the tenant in 4A doesn’t seem to care who they let into the building. That also reminds me to talk to Jalynn about getting a new apartment with better neighbors, pronto.

I take the elevator up to her apartment and knock on the door.

When it flies open, I step back, taking in her skintight black dress that falls just above the knee. The dress is modest enough to take her out to meet my father, but it leaves all kinds of things up to the imagination. Like how her full breasts will look while heaving out the top of her dress or what those spaghetti straps will look like when draped down her arms as I slowly pull the whole thing off her.

I open my arms to her with a welcoming smile on my face that dies as soon as Beckett steps out behind her.

“Who the fuck are you?” he growls.

Jalynn is giving me the What the fuck is wrong with you, Austin? glare that I’ve come to know and love. The crease on her head is extra deep tonight.

Considering Beckett doesn’t seem to recognize me as my alter ego, I go for honesty when answering his question, “I’m Austin Sexton, Jalynn’s date tonight.”

He crosses his arm and stands tall, sizing me up, which is a game he will lose quickly. “Sexton? As in her boss?”

“That’s right. You got a problem with that?”

He laughs in the base of his throat. “Aren’t there laws against that shit?”

If I were an eye roller, this would definitely be the time to let one loose. “If you held down a decent job, you’d know the answer to that.”

His fist rises in the air in response, but I don’t flinch.

“Beckett!” Jalynn leaps forward and grabs his arm midair. “Control yourself!”

His mouth is practically foaming with fury as his nostrils flare. From the reddening of his cheeks and the way he’s vibrating with anger, you’d think he just hit me already.

But he didn’t.

Instead, he lets his little thing of a sister hold him back.

As angry as Beckett might be in this moment, it’s not his true nature. It’s learned from the hands of his father. Beckett’s mad all right, but he’s no fighter. He’s just been bred to think he’s one. I can see the difference in his eyes. They don’t match the fury of his fist.

“Listen to your sister, man. She knows what’s good for you.”

Beckett grinds his teeth as his steely gaze narrows in on me. “You look familiar. Do I know you from somewhere, pretty boy?”

I roll my head from side to side with a shrug. “I am pretty famous.”

The line makes Jalynn look at me with admonishment. I raise my hands and make air quotes in her direction. She doesn’t think that’s funny either.

Beckett is still staring at me with a sideways tilt.

“Sexton Media. San Francisco Standard, Los Angeles Post, Chicago Times …” I tick off the subsidiaries that the company owns. “Newsworthy-dot-com. Avenue Intel Sharing. Ring a bell?” I ask Beckett.

“So, you’re a rich pretty boy,” he seethes as he searches my face, trying to put his memory to work on recalling where he knows me.

“What’s the problem?” I invade his space and show him I’m not intimidated in the least.

Jalynn flies in between us, holding out her hands to each of our chests like she’s trying to part the Red Sea between us. “Guys, stop it right now. Beckett, go back inside. Austin, I told you to leave.”

I give her a shit-eating grin. “No, you told me you couldn’t come downstairs. You didn’t say to leave.”

She rolls her eyes and lightly pushes me away, but I know she’s fighting back a laugh. I don’t care if it is because she’s annoyed with me. At least I got a reaction out of her.

“Just go,” she tries to say without a smile as she pulls Beckett away from me.

“Nope. I told you. No can do. I need you tonight.” I put my hands in my pockets, standing my ground and acting like I’m not going anywhere until she gets in my car.

“And she told you, she’s not going anywhere with you. Leave her alone,” Beckett grunts.

“That’s not what she was saying last night,” I taunt. I know it’s an asshole move, but the look on his face is so worth it.

Jalynn forcefully turns him while glaring at me. “Really, Austin?”

“Hey, I’m just a man, trying to get my girl to go out with me. Is that too much to ask?” My voice is flippant.

“Your girl?” Beckett charges at me again, but Jalynn holds him back.

“Yep. You heard me. My. Girl.” I step up to him, begging for him to push me, hit more, do something!

“You’d really date this douche bag?” He turns to her instead.

“Yes, Beckett. I kinda like the douche bag.” She’s holding her shoulders back and her chin high.

Beckett throws his hands in the air. “Fine, just do what you want.” He storms off, out the front door, finally leaving me alone with Jalynn.

I smile brightly, holding my hand out to her. “So, you ready?” I ask as nonchalantly as possible, like none of that just went down.

She shakes her head, rubbing her hands down her face, letting out a tiny scream. “You can be so infuriating sometimes, you know that?”

“Yep, sure do. But, as you said, you like this douche bag.” I step to the side to avoid her kick to my shin. “Now that we’ve got that covered, let’s go.”

“I need my purse,” she says as a way to stall.

“No, you don’t. I have all the cash or things you’ll ever need. And I hope you’re not on your period anymore”—I raise my eyebrows to her—“so you don’t need to bring anything. Now, let’s go.”

I head toward the door and chuckle at her sigh and tiny stomp in frustration. When I stop at the top of the stairwell door, I wait, knowing she’s right behind me. She doesn’t say anything as she struts past me, so I grab her ass—hard—making sure she knows shit is going down and that I’m ready to play.