“What can I say, I’m a traditionalist.”
She snorted. “I doubt it.”
She was really cute in a girl-next-door way. The kind of woman a man settled down and had a boatload of kids with. The kind of woman he normally avoided like the plague—he wasn’t the type to leave a trail of broken hearts behind him, and women like this didn’t have sex without complications. Brock wasn’t a settling-down type. Maybe in the future, but right now it wasn’t in the cards. He had too much to accomplish before he went down that road.
Still, he gave her his most charming smile. It would be smarter to focus on Christine than to spend his time in this borderline obsession with a certain high-strung brunette. “Maybe you should give me a chance to prove it.”
Christine’s eyes went wide and a laugh erupted from her lips. She slapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, Regan was right. You really are incorrigible.”
He sighed. “You Tri Delts are bad for a man’s ego.”
“Sorry.” She glanced sideways, her mouth tightening at whatever it was she saw. Before he could follow her gaze, she’d turned those blue eyes back on him. “If it helps, you’re really good-looking. But I’ll bet you’ve had plenty of women tell you that, haven’t you?”
“A gentleman never tells.” A flash of movement caught his attention. Regan stood next to Kady, glaring daggers. She snatched a piece of paper out of her friend’s hands, and she stalked over to him. It wasn’t every day he saw a woman who walked in six-inch heels like they were flats, but Regan made it look effortless.
And he really needed to stop obsessing over her fucking shoes.
She shoved a paper at his chest. “Howdy, partner.” Then she turned a genuinely sweet smile at Christine. “Sorry, honey, but I’m doing you a favor. You don’t want to spend any more time with this asshat than strictly necessary.”
Christine’s gaze jumped between them and then away. “Better than the alternative,” she muttered. With a pained sigh, she walked away, leaving him to Regan’s tender mercies.
She barely waited for her friend to get out of earshot before she spun on him. “You stay away from her.”
“Why? I think she’s a sweetheart.”
She glared. “She’s a nice girl, and you’d eat her alive. Then I’d take a truly scary amount of pleasure in killing you and throwing your body in a Dumpster.”
Even though it was aimed at him, her protectiveness of her friend chipped away at some of the anger he felt over how last night had ended. Some of it. “Aw, you’re adorable. I reckon you’ve never seen woods before right now.”
She flipped her hair over her shoulder, but there was a twinkle in her eyes. “Scarlett, please. I was a Girl Scout.”
That startled a laugh out of him. “And pray tell, why did you drop out?”
“Do you know what’s in the woods? Bugs. Things that make freaky noises. Squirrels who are only too happy to go for your throat.” She shuddered. “I’m more cut out for the concrete jungle.” Then she seemed to realize they were having an actual conversation without animosity, because her eyes narrowed. “But that changes nothing. Stay away from Christine. She’s not like us. You’d hurt her.”
The unspoken comment being that he couldn’t hurt Regan. Since he didn’t want to hurt her, that was great news. Or it would be if it didn’t signify the fact that she’d never care enough about him for him to be able to hurt her. He shouldn’t care. She was just some chick at one of his friends’ weddings.
Damn it, he did care.
“You should let me take you out sometime.” The words were out before he realized he was going to say it.
The shocked look on her face was almost funny. Almost. “Hitting the moonshine a little early today, don’t you think?”
“Enough with the country boy references.” He’d bet she’d never touched moonshine.
“I just call it like I see it.” She crossed her arms under her chest, and he did his damnedest not to stare at her breasts. “Look, I had a great time last night and all, but this just isn’t going to work out like you want it to.”
She thought she had him all figured out. It shouldn’t surprise him. Everyone else did, too. “Why not, Regan? How the hell do you know what I want from this? I don’t remember you sticking around long enough to talk last night. ”
“There is no ‘this.’” She motioned between them. “You aren’t the kind of guy who settles down. There’s nothing wrong with that, but I’m not looking to waste my time. To be frank, Logan is more my speed.”
He stared. Was she for real? “Logan.”
“Yeah. He’s cultured, has excellent taste, and owns his own business. He’s not the type to flit from woman to woman.”
“Have you exchanged more than two words with the guy?” Brock had. When they’d all gone out for drinks the first night here, he’d had a chance to talk to Logan for a little while. He was a decent guy. A little work-obsessed for Brock’s taste—and a whole lot too much like his brother Caine.
Right now he kind of wished Logan was an ass so he could hate the man.
She shrugged one shoulder. “We’ve talked.”
Of course they had. How could Logan not lose his head over Regan? She was all glitter and fireworks that drew the gaze—though he’d bet she hadn’t shown Logan her claws.
She glanced sideways and her eyes widened. “Quick, say something funny.”
The change in subject almost gave him whiplash. “What?”
Regan gritted her teeth. “A joke. Tell a joke, or something.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“Good Lord, you’re hopeless.” She leaned in, so close he got a whiff of her perfume, and laid her hand on his arm. Then she threw her head back and let loose the most carefree and intoxicating laugh he’d ever heard in his life. It hit him like a lightning bolt, a shock that he wasn’t prepared for.
The shock turned sour as soon as he realized what she’d caught sight of. A man had just walked past their group, shooting an interested look in her direction. Brock shook his head, realizing she’d mistaken the stranger for Logan. “Stand down, Mrs. McCade. That is not the man you’re looking for.”
“Shit.” Her smile looked a little strained around the edges. “Nice Star Wars reference, even if you butchered the delivery.”
He never would have pegged her for a Star Wars fan, but he refused to pursue that curiosity because there were bigger issues at hand. “You were going to use me to get his attention.”
“Was I?”
Yes, damn it. That’s exactly what she’d been doing. “What’s the pretty boy have that I don’t?”
“Don’t you think that’s the pot calling the kettle black?” She waved her hand at his face. “And, like I said before, he’s charming, successful, and has a fantastic career.”
“Darlin’, I’m VP of McNeill Enterprises.”
She laughed. “Oh please. You’re a figurehead. What kind of skill set do you bring to the table? The ability to charm women out of their panties?”
He didn’t let himself react, but only because he’d heard the same argument more times than he wanted to count. Why can’t you just settle down like Caine? Caine never would have let that client walk away. Caine brings more to this company than you ever will. Caine is the future.
It made it really hard for him not to hate his brother when he was constantly being measured against him—and coming up short. “I have skills.”
“I’m sure you do, but I’m equally sure that I wouldn’t hire you.”
Brock looked around, taking in the fact that they were now alone. “That’s a damn shame, because it looks like you’re stuck with me.”
Chapter Five
Regan fought back a curse. She’d planned on making her way over to Logan once she’d gotten his attention by showing him just how good a time she was having with Brock. It was a good plan…but Logan was apparently a no-show, and she hadn’t been in the right mind since she’d seen Brock aiming that goddamn p
anty-dropper smile of his at Christine. Her friend was smart and normally she’d have no trouble telling him where to stuff it, but with all the new changes in her life, Regan was afraid she was too vulnerable to handle a man like Brock.
That was the only reason she’d practically run over there. Because she was a good friend. Not because the thought of Brock and Christine sneaking off together made her physically sick to her stomach.
Now she was stuck with him. Shit.