Page 32 of Sexy Bad Valentine

“You’ve had way too much free time on your hands.”

“I hear you haven’t even tried to in weeks. That’s unheard of.”

“It’s a dangerous time of year for guys like me. And now it’s Valentine’s Day. Women everywhere have declared it man hunting season, and you know they all want to tie a fellow down and mount his head on a wall.”

“I don’t think so.” She pushes my feet off her desk. “We’ve been playing on each other’s nerves since I got home, waiting for the other one to crack, but your heart’s not in it. You’ve barely put in any effort.”

“Sorry, I’m just not myself.” I sit up, stick my feet back into my shoes and get out of her seat. She walks around to sit down. I hesitate, tap my fingers on the edge of her desk with a grimace. “Is everyone happy with the campaign?”

“Almost.”

“At least that’s something.”

“I’ve started watching the tapes. The unedited parts as well. So I am guessing at least one person isn’t particularly happy. You kept her in the dark about who you are?”

“I couldn’t keep away from her, Dee.” I turn around to face my sister. “But you talked about suing her for breach of contract if I kept seeing her. You threatened to get her in trouble with her employer. I get it. You’re protecting our interests, but they don’t mean much to me when Evie’s involved. Instead, I was protecting hers.”

“They don’t mean much?” She sits back and the leather rasps as it settles around her.

“Or anything,” I say. “Not a damn thing. I can do without any of this.” I wave an arm to indicate the room around us, the floor we’re on, the whole building. “I can’t say the same about her.”

“Well,” she says.

“I’m going to fix it,” I tell her, walking backward to the door and shrugging because there’s nothing that will change what is going to happen. “I’m going to explain why I didn’t just tell her that I was the guy running the show. I’m going to tell her how I feel. I will grovel if I have to. Whatever it takes for her to realize that I am the guy she needs, and she can trust me.”

“My little brother.” Deanna shakes her head, a watery smile breaking across her face, her eyes suspiciously bright. The pride in her voice is unmistakable. “I didn’t know you had it in you.”

“Me neither.” I grin. “Not until I met Evie.”

“When are you going to put this plan in motion?” she asks.

“Now.” I check my watch. She’ll be arriving at Novo Greco any minute to meet Holden and the film crew. They’ll be already in the middle of their date when I show up.

Deanna grabs her purse and pulls on her cashmere coat as she follows me out of the office and into the elevator. “They’re already shooting.”

“I know.” I punch the lobby button. “I wasn’t going to leave you hanging. You’ll have the footage you need. But that’s all. Not a minute more. You’ll lose a segment. The one about what she thinks of the guy she picked, but you’ll—”

“We’ll make it work,” she says.

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