Brother to the Boss (Managing the Bosses 8)

Erica’s eyebrow lifted, and she gave them both a look that Mark knew meant she wasn’t interested in the least. “What is this? Compliment Erica from every side time?”

“That's exactly what it is,” Richard said. “You’re thoroughly deserving of it.”

And that was really it. Enough was enough. Mark stepped forward.

“And also thoroughly not interested,” Erica said just as he reached her side. “Sorry, boys.”

She turned toward Mark, offering him a smile, then looked back at the men who’d been trying to hit on her and were now obviously aware that they’d been moving in on something that they weren’t welcome to, because they’d both taken several steps back.

“Arthur, Richard,” Erica said, as though she hadn’t noticed their sudden change in attitude. “This is my boss, and the owner of Little Lake Country Club. Mark Reid.”

He could have pointed out that he was also her boyfriend, but they hadn’t really discussed labels yet, and Mark wasn’t going to risk being shot down in front of them and giving them the idea that they were welcome to flirt with Erica after all. Because they weren’t.

“Nice to meet you,” he said instead. “I hope that you’re enjoying your time with us.”

“Oh, absolutely,” Arthur said, reaching out to take the hand that Mark had offered in a firm grip and giving it a friendly shake. Obviously he’d decided that he wasn’t going to take offense at Mark’s sudden appearance or the fact that Erica was clearly off limits. “You’ve got a really nice place here, Mr. Reid. It definitely lives up to the hype.”

His quiet friend nodded, taking Mark’s hand and shaking it as well. “A good place to spend a few hours, for sure.”

“It was nice to meet you, Erica. And you, Mr. Reid,” Arthur said. He turned then, and wandered away, Richard following, and Mark watched them go.

“Nice guys,” Erica said.

Mark didn’t comment. He wasn’t going to start a fight over something that hadn’t even happened, especially when that was what their last argument had been over. He smiled at her and brushed a hand against her hip, a brief touch that someone else might take for an accident if they caught the gesture at all. “They were,” he said. He sighed. “Unfortunately, I’ve got to go mingle with the rest of the room again.”

“Poor you,” Erica laughed. “It’s such a trial to be the famous owner of a famous country club.”

“Ha, ha,” Mark answered, shaking his head at her before he moved away, meandering his way through the little clusters of people on the edges of the dance floor.

It wasn’t easy, actually, being the famous owner of a famous country club, but he could handle it. It would all be worth it in the end.

Chapter 7

Jamie was in the kitchen when Alex wandered down the next morning, cooking pancakes in the soft golden light that flooded in through the windows. She was also wearing nothing but one of his button-down business shirts.

Alex stopped dead in the doorway.

After the beach, she’d been happy, although he hadn’t missed the thread of tension running through her, probably to do with the phone call he’d had to take and Lilli running for the water. He didn’t ask her about it, not wanting to disturb the nice night they were having curled together on the couch with the twins in bed and a movie on. They hadn’t had sex, though, and suddenly he was strongly reminded of that. And even more strongly reminded of how much he wanted her.

“The twins are still asleep,” Jamie said without looking up from the pan. “So I thought we could have breakfast.”

He wasn’t surprised. They’d been fussy in the early morning hours. With any luck they would sleep for another hour or two. Maybe three. But he didn’t say so. He was still staring.

“Alex?” Jamie turned around and caught the look on his face. She smiled. It was an expression that Alex thought of as particularly dangerous, and he knew she knew exactly what it did to him. Just like she knew what she was doing when she’d decided not to put on anything more than one of his too-large shirts that morning. Apparently, she wanted it as bad as he did.

Jamie looked down at her bare feet and bare legs, then back up at him. “What?” she asked, as though she didn’t know, that same wicked smile still on her mouth, and he wanted to kiss it off her.

When he didn’t answer, she turned back to the pancakes still bubbling in the pan, humming some little song to herself with studied nonchalance that was probably just meant to drive him even more crazy.

The shirt skimmed too close to the middle of her thighs, closer to her hips. Alex wanted to run his hands up the length of her thighs and he wanted to get his fingers in her and he wanted a whole lot that he fully intended on getting. With a growl of approval, he closed the gap between them and settled his hands on the curve of her waist, dragging them upward to run his thumbs across the flat of her ribcage. As far as he could tell, she hadn’t even bothered to put on a bra, and he was half hard in his boxers already. Lately he’d been worried about them as a couple, about the effect that work was having, but maybe this was a sign that they were going to figure it out.

Or just a sign that Jamie was as hungry for sex as he was. She always had been. It was one of the many, many things that Alex loved about her.

He felt her breathing catch. His hands moved up to cup the weight of her breasts through her shirt, heavier since she’d had the twins, and he stroked his thumbs over her hard nipples.

She gasped.

Whatever else was going on with work, in that moment Jamie was all h