Bad Boys Do (Donovan Brothers Brewery 2)

“Nothing’s wrong. It’s just… Do you think it’ll be okay? Her living with Luke?”

“I don’t know, man. You’re the one who gave the go-ahead. I thought you were good with it.”

“I’m not good with it. But she’s twenty-seven and the house is hers. She can do what she wants.”

“And she will anyway,” Jamie grumbled. “No matter what we think.”

“Exactly.” The one thing they’d always been able to agree on was their little sister. And up until this year, they’d agreed that she was sweet and innocent and likely to stay that way for a long while. Boy, had they been wrong about that.

Jamie shrugged. “I guess. Anyway, you seem to have warmed up to Luke.”

Eric didn’t miss the accusation in Jamie’s tone. Eric scowled and his hands fisted. “We were wrong about him. You were wrong about him.”

“I’m telling you, he was a player in college—”

“Yeah, well, he grew up. And he makes her happy. Even you said that.”

“Right. I guess.”

Eric sighed. “She’s with him, so we have to give him a real chance. Assuming, of course, that he treats her perfectly.”

“Of course,” Jamie agreed. “Did she say anything to you about when he would move in?”

“His lease is up in a month, so sometime before then, I’d guess. She was…a little vague.”

“So next week?”

“Ha!” Even without being there, Tessa was the one happy link that joined them together.

Jamie left his brother laughing—a rare occurrence—and walked to his own office, pondering his resistance to his sister’s new relationship. He and Luke had been friends in college. He liked the guy well enough. And while Luke had partied damn hard, he hadn’t exactly been a dog. He’d hooked up with lots of girls, but he’d never been that asshole feeding women shots to loosen them up. He hadn’t talked about them behind their backs.

And Eric was right. All indications were that Luke had left his days of drinking and dating behind. He’d grown up.

Maybe that was what pissed Jamie off. Luke’s youthful indiscretions were accepted as just that, while Jamie was stuck with the label of slacker playboy for all eternity. But, hell, that was as much his fault as anyone else’s. For a few years there, he’d thrown himself into that life with everything he’d had. Because…he’d believed that was all he was. A fuckup. A slacker. Way more of a disappointment than anyone else could even know.

So maybe that was what bugged him about his old friend Luke. Luke had long ago moved on from his youth, though he’d made other mistakes throughout the years. This was a possibility that Jamie needed to learn to accept: that he could put himself out there and fall flat on his face. And if that happened, it would be all right.

So he took a deep breath and fired up his computer. It was time to do a little homework. And then later…the fun.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

OLIVIA GAVE JAMIE A KISS at the door and tried to pretend that the deepening dusk behind him wasn’t distracting. But it was distracting. It was nine o’clock. If they went out now, they wouldn’t get back here until after eleven. Assuming there were no post-dinner activities—and she didn’t assume that at all—she wouldn’t be asleep until midnight.

And if you’re lucky, you won’t get to sleep until two or three.

Olivia tamped down her anxiety. She could do this. If missing a few days of running was the price for a night with Jamie, she’d pay it. She’d pay the hell out of it.

He certainly looked worth it tonight. He wore jeans and a T-shirt, as usual, but he’d dressed it up with a green plaid button-down. The sleeves were rolled up, exposing his forearms, and the sight of them made her mouth water. They just looked so incredibly masculine, wide with muscle, rough with hair.

“Are you ready?” he asked, stepping back onto the porch to let her past.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a beautiful night. I thought we’d walk to a restaurant a few blocks over.” He glanced down at her heels. “Are you up for that?”

“Sure.” She paused to slip off her heels. “I can do that.”

“Wow. That’s extra credit, Ms. Bishop. Very impressive.”