Bargaining with the Boss (Honeybrook Love, Inc. 2)

Right now, Franco was the least of her worries. When Brooks got up, she had to figure out how to act. Were they friends now? Were they going to pretend like it had never happened?

And what if he brought up the bargain?

Worse, what if he wanted to leave?

She sucked in a breath and tried to run through her options, but the sudden movement of her stomach jolted Brooks awake.

Trial by fire, then. Perfect.

"Good morning." His voice was even grumblier in his semi-sleep and her traitorous heart flipped over in her chest.

"Morning." She was all too aware that her shoulders were somewhere near her earlobes, but there was no controlling it. Maybe if she just let him set the pace...

"So, how did you sleep?" he asked.

"Pretty okay." She stretched slightly only to find that every muscle in her body had been wacked out of joint. Apparently, her face betrayed the feeling, because Brooks laughed.

"Yeah, you need a new couch." He shifted to sitting and she chewed on her cheek as she could the sight of his impressive morning erection. Not that she was looking on purpose or anything.

"I'll ask for a raise."

"I'd be interested to see how that works out for you." He stood and circled his arms, then let out a long yawn. With him standing over her, she was reminded yet again of his imposing height. He could have been a basketball player in another life.

Yeah, he'd probably look good in one of those uniforms, too. With his biceps bulging and--

"So, since dinner was a bust, it looks like I still owe you a meal. Breakfast?" He raised his eyebrows.

"And here I'd heard that you never stay for breakfast."

"I guess you're just lucky." He walked toward the kitchen without another word and she watched him go, trying to remember what she'd been so nervous about.

She followed him and then sat at the counter, watched as he fried two eggs in one of her big copper skillets.

"So, what are your plans for today?" she asked.

"I have a charity auction to attend this afternoon. Lots of stodgy stuffed shirts and old women who sniff when they learn my name. I was thinking I'd probably get a civil war cannon or something cool." He shrugged. "I tried to pawn it off on Garret, but since he and Rachael got together I can barely get him to leave him house."

"Same thing with Rachael. I swear, the two of them must..." She cut herself off. She

wasn't about to mention sex in front of Brooks. Not until she knew her next move, anyway.

"They must spend all their time playing Parcheesi and enjoying each other's company? Yeah, I think so too. It's irritating." He offered her a knowing smile and then slid a plate of eggs toward her. "You have plans for the day?"

"Not really. The benefits of leaving the stodgy life behind. I don't have to spend half of every Saturday stuffing myself into a dress."

"I doubt you'd be stuffing yourself into anything." He surveyed her up and down, and she put down her fork for a minute, suddenly aware of the dryness in her throat.

"Anyway, I think I might grab a magazine and head to the beach. Catch some rays."

"That sounds nice." He slid onto a chair beside her, and she couldn't bring herself to take another bite. Not while he was staring at her like a cheetah on the prowl.

"So, I'll probably take a shower and get ready to go."

"Good deal. And speaking of deals--"

"You never made good on yours. What's your big sob story?"

He laughed, then took a bite of his eggs and shrugged. "Typical. Cheating dad. Angry mom. You've heard it a million times before. You need more detail?"