I narrowed my eyes at him. “If you’re about to tell me that I’m chunkier than I was back then, I’ll send you through this window.”
He pulled his chair closer and shook his head. “You know you’re just as beautiful now as you were then. Maybe even prettier. You just look different. There’s a softness to you that wasn’t there before.”
“So, itisabout my weight?”
He laughed and scooted away again. “Not even a little bit.”
I looked over at Hannah and Hank and then back to Julian. “I’m sorry if this is awkward for you.”
He gave me a panty-melting smile that packed enough of a punch that I felt it in the eggs forming in my uterus. “Not awkward at all.”
Flustered, I turned back to my computer and bit back a groan when it took me multiple times to get logged in. My brain short-circuited and I was caught in a moment of panic, wondering if I should just open a game of Hearts.
“What made you move here?”
I glanced back at Julian and bit my lip. “Not you, if that’s what you’re getting at.”
He laughed. “It’s just a question, Red.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “I came to be closer to my sister.”
“How’d you end up here? In this office?”
“Kara, my sister, told me about it.” I turned to face him completely and watched as he looked away from my legs. “Is this my second job interview?”
He stared at me for a while before sighing and shifting back to his corner. “Nope. Just making small talk.”
“You suck at small talk.”
He chuckled and shrugged. “Don’t like it much, to tell you the truth. Don’t do it a lot, either.”
“Julie lives in a cabin on the mountain, all alone.” Hannah made a face like she hadn’t meant to reveal she’d been listening in.
I couldn’t help the giggle that escaped. “Julie?”
Scowl firmly back in place, Julian stood up and pointed at Hannah. “You’re a traitor. That’s a secret name.”
“Aw, Julie, don’t be like that.” I caught his wrist the same way he had mine the night before. “No need to run from a sweet little name.”
His forefinger lightly stroked my hand as he looked down at me. “I’m not running, Red. Just grabbing a coffee. Want something?”
It felt like a trap, but coffee sounded good. “A coffee would be amazing.”
“Say please.”
Instantly, I was taken back to his truck and having to beg him to fuck me. My face heated and I bit my tongue hard to stop from just giving into him. What was wrong with me? I met his gaze and saw the hunger there, so clear and strong. Was he thinking about the same thing? Did he remember?
I bit my lip and retreated. I couldn’t afford to get involved with him. It was dangerous enough that I was around him with Hank at all. “I’ll just get it myself.”
He braced his hand in front of me on my desk and leaned down until he could whisper into my ear. “That’s too bad. I really liked the way you beg.”
I shoved away from my desk, the wheels on my chair sending me sliding into the desk behind me. I popped out of my chair and retreated even farther from Julian. He was dangerous. Just like with his brothers, there was an animal magnetism that drew me in, but I couldn’t afford to take the chance with him. I couldn’t afford to take the chance with any of them.
“Suit yourself.” He backed away and looked down at Hannah. “Coffee, Han?”
“Sure, I’ll—”
“Get it yourself, traitor.” With the teasing laugh only a cousin could hit another cousin with, he walked off to the kitchen and left the air in the room a little cooler.