The Billionaire's Kisses (Tycoon Billionaires 1)

He looked up again as he realised that Dylan was now climbing up on his desk. He reached up to the ceiling, as if he was about to change a lightbulb, but actually he started to tamper with the smoke detector – disabling it to prevent it from revealing what they were up to in here.

Adam’s compulsion to make a joke overrode his ‘serious’ filter. “Don’t try that at home, huh?”

Dylan snorted politely as he always did at Adam’s stupid jokes. Dylan was so practical – and Ivan, too. If you needed any home improvements doing, Ivan and Dylan were the ones to ask. They’d spent hours as kids dismantling and repairing an old Buick of their dad’s. They were good with their hands. Women all over the city would testify to that…

Dylan spoke coolly as he dismantled the detector. “Did you say you were gonna fake your suicide, Tariq? In case the Saudis come after you?”

“I guess I should. I mean, even though we’re destroying all this today, the knowledge of the project is still stored in mine and Ivan’s heads. We could be tortured to give it up.”

“We’ll help if we can,” Adam said. “Where will you go?”

“I guess California. My young cousin lives there, and I know she’ll put me up.” He raised an eyebrow at Ivan. “But Ivan won’t be invited again.”

Ivan chuckled. “Yep, the only time we’ve ever fallen out was when I got the hots for Tariq’s little cousin.”

“You got a cousin in America, Tariq?” Dylan asked, hopping down off the desk.

“He has,” Ivan said. “Samira. She moved here from Iran last year, thanks to Tariq’s citizenship. Remember me and Tariq went to California to get outta New York a couple of months ago?”

“Yeah, sure,” Dylan said. “I met Samira, remember? But you didn’t mention she was Tariq’s cousin.”

“No. I couldn’t talk about it – I was pretty heartbroken to be honest.”

Dylan scoffed. “Heartbroken? What the hell’s got into my brothers?”

Adam grinned. “We’re falling in love around your ears, Dylan.”

Ivan chuckled affectionately. “Yep. Well, for me and Samira it was lust at first sight, but Tariq was like ‘stay away’.”

Tariq’s expression remained severe. “It was too dangerous for you two to be together. I didn’t want her getting hurt. Besides, I know how you Quinlan boys can be.”

Adam draped his arm around Amy and pulled her close. “Not all of us.”

Amy grinned into his eyes and they kissed.

Ivan gazed into the red and yellow flames that were hungrily devouring his and Tariq’s precious work. “Samira sure is a fine woman. I know you don’t approve, Tariq, but I hope one day… when she’s finished college.”

Adam’s jaw dropped. “College? Ivan, how old is this woman?”

He winced. “About ten years younger than me. At Tariq’s request we severed all contact. But I love her, Tariq. You know that, right? I respect that you want to protect her from the Saudis. But I won’t just let her go. I can’t.”

“I told her you were dead,” Tariq said bluntly.

Ivan glared at his friend. Then he coolly replied, “Well, after all this crazy stuff is over, I’ll find her. I’ll tell her I love her. We will be together.”

“This sounds like a romantic story I’d love to hear,” Amy said, cringing.

Tariq shook his head despairingly. “Let’s get back to the task in hand for now. Perhaps Ivan will tell you the details another time. Preferably when I’m not around.”

“I can’t help it that I fell in love,” Ivan said.

“I’m never falling in love,” Dylan said. “I’ll be a bachelor forever. I’d put money on that.”

Adam raised a playful eyebrow. “Oh yeah? How much?”

Dylan balked. “What?”

“How much to say you won’t fall in love in the next year.”