Your Alluring Love (The Bennett Family 6)

compliments? Now that you’re freely handing them out even to Blake, I feel like a second-class citizen.”

Half the table bursts out laughing, including me. Logan shakes his head, running his thumb and forefinger over his jaw, a look of fake concentration on his face.

“Don’t get on my bad side, Daniel,” Logan warns, but his tone is playful. Daniel and Blake used to spend most of their time partying until a few years ago, and Logan was always riding their asses because of it, edging them on to become more responsible. Now that Blake and Daniel both own businesses, Logan backed off, but the twins still love to pick on our older brother for fun.

“Well, I have an invitation for all of you. It’s short notice, but I hope you’ll be able to make it. I want to add some of the more interesting climbing routes at Joshua Tree to my company’s offerings. Would anyone like to help me test them? I’m heading out there in two weeks.”

My brother Daniel owns an outdoor sports and extreme adventure business. His question is met with an awkward silence, and I can practically hear everyone’s mind spinning, searching for an excuse. Yep, that’s where the Bennett clan draws the line at family loyalty: extreme adventures. I’m brave, but when Daniel says interesting, he actually means dangerous. After all, they’re meant to offer an adrenaline spike. Several of us, myself included, have been on such climbing trips before, which is why I understand the silence. I have a few gray hairs, and I swear they sprung up after every trip.

“Daniel,” Logan says, “I hate to break it to you, but we’re not exactly your target market.”

“We all know your idea of wild means an outfit that doesn’t require you to wear cuff links,” Daniel deadpans. “I was referring to the younger crowd.” His eyes travel over to Max, Christopher, Blake, and rest on me. Damn, damn, damn.

Christopher and Max immediately say they already have plans.

Even though I’ll regret it, and quite possibly end up with more gray hairs from the experience, I say, “Sure, why not? I’ll do it.”

Under the table, I stomp on Blake’s foot lightly. He winces, setting his jaw.

“Can you guarantee I won’t die?” Blake asks. A pit forms in my stomach. That even Blake has such fears gives me heartburn.

“Don’t be so dramatic,” Daniel volleys back. “Where’s your spirit of adventure?”

“There’s a difference between adventure and danger,” Mom comments. She and Dad have tried to be supportive about Daniel’s venture, but every now and then their worry for him comes through. I don’t blame them. I get heartburn every time he tells us what he’s up to.

“Who’s ready for dessert?” I ask loudly, wanting to switch topics. After a unanimous “me,” I let the kitchen know we’re ready for the sugar overload. After the last bite of dessert is gone, we all return to the bar area where Blake and I prepare some much-needed digestives. Drink in hand, everyone scatters to the seats in the room, except for Sebastian, who is still waiting for his.

“Great job, you two,” Sebastian says. “We’re really proud of you—”

“Hold it,” Blake cuts in, finishing our oldest brother’s drink. “When it comes to praise, I don’t want to miss one word.”

Seconds later Blake places Sebastian’s mojito in front of him, watching with rapt attention.

“I’m listening now, and wouldn’t mind if you lay it on thick,” Blake says. “At the very least I’m expecting praise for investing the income from my dividends so well.” Back when Sebastian started Bennett Enterprises, he made everyone in the family a shareholder. I don’t think it’s fair because it’s his work, and Logan’s and Pippa’s. Christopher and Max also work there but the rest of us don’t. Changing my brother’s mind is like trying to move a mountain though, so I’ve given up.

“You both have,” Sebastian says.

Blake frowns, holding up one finger. “Correction. Alice hasn’t. Her share of the investment came from profits of her two other locations and a loan.”

Damn Blake and his big mouth. Granted, I never specifically told him not to share this piece of information with our oldest brother, but….

“Why aren’t you using the shares money for expansion?” Sebastian asks.

“Because I didn’t need it. I’ve been donating that money for years.”

“All of it?”

“Yeah.”

Sebastian seems too stunned to speak for a moment. Blake correctly weighs the situation and moves a few steps away, giving us privacy.

“It’s not that I don’t appreciate what you did for all of us,” I say quickly. “What you’re still doing, as a matter of fact. But you never wanted to accept the shares back—”

“I didn’t give them to you expecting you to return them,” he says gently.

“So you’re not upset?”

Sebastian has known for years that I’m donating a big chunk of the money I receive as a shareholder of Bennett Enterprises, but I never owned up to giving away all of it.