Page 51 of Kiss and Tell

Joey nodded. “I’m sure it was. Grief is a bitch. Takes a long time to shake her off.”

“Yeah.” Lucy was quiet for a moment, but she bounced back quick, a smile crossing her face. “You know…I looked up your bio online after that first season ofManPower. Both of your bios, actually. I was curious about the two of you. When I saw that you were offered the hosting gig after Moretti Brothers was featured on a couple episodes of another cable show, I watched them. Seeing you with your brothers reminded me so much of how my cousins are together. By the way, how bad was the Levi and Sam speech?”

Miles looked confused. “Speech?”

Joey chuckled. “Levi and Sam were elected representatives for the Storm men, sent to make sure I minded my manners.”

Miles blinked a few times, and Joey could almost read his thoughts, could see him wondering why he hadn’t gotten the same warning.

“Were they mean?” Lucy asked, concerned.

Joey shook his head. “I’ve had worse. Hell, I’vegivenworse. They just wanted to make sure their sweet, innocent, impressionable baby cousin was safe.”

Lucy’s eyes narrowed. “Please tell me they didn’t use those words.”

Joey considered drawing out the joke, adding a few more words that would get under her skin, but Lucy looked annoyed enough to fire off a text to both men if he didn’t let them off the hook. “I might have inferred those words.”

Lucy slapped his arm playfully. “You’re in for a rude awakening if that’s how you see me. Like I said, when I watched those shows with you and your brothers, I saw shades of my cousins. You guys are all birds of a feather. Oh, and FYI, I think Aunt Claire might have a crush on your brother Tony. She watched the shows with me, and she fanned herself every time he came on the screen.”

Joey laughed loudly. “It’s the hair, isn’t it? Fucker always gets all the attention because of that hair.”

Lucy smirked. “Right. It’s just the hair. It has nothing to do with his firm, muscular body or his?—”

“You can stop there.” Joey reached out, wrapping his arm around her shoulders to hold her in place so he could tickle her, when she tried to continue listing his big brother’s attractive attributes. Then he cast a glance in Miles’s direction. “Our girl is thinking about other guys, Miles. Seems like we should do something about that.”

“Not other guys,” she argued. “Just Tooonnny.” She drew out his older brother’s name, working overtime to make it sound dreamy.

To Joey’s surprise, Miles stood from the table with a grin. “I think you’re right. We’d better take care of that.”

Lucy’s gaze traveled from Joey to Miles, though there wasn’t a trace of nervousness there. If anything, she looked turned on.

Joey just hoped it was him and Miles pushing those buttons and not thoughts of his brother.

“I’m a free agent,” she taunted, shaking off Joey’s arm and rising from the table. “I can look at Tony if I want. After all, he has that chiseled jaw and?—”

“Hmm,” Joey interrupted, shaking his head. “Thinking about my brother. Yeah, that’s not gonna work for us, honey.”

“And those dreamy eyes,” she added, ignoring him.

Miles chuckled darkly as he crossed his arms. “You’re poking the bear, Luce.”

“Oh yeah?” Lucy tilted her head. “And which one of you is the bear?”

“Tread carefully, little girl,” Miles warned.

There was no missing the way Lucy’s nipples made an appearance, the tight nubs poking through her T-shirt or the way her eyelids slipped lower at his words.

Joey wiggled his eyebrows, enjoying the game. “We might need to teach her a lesson about teasing us.”

Miles snorted.

When Lucy offered him a fearless, wicked grin, Joey knew he was in trouble.

“Have you ever considered letting your hair grow longer?” she asked.

Miles barked out a laugh, clearly amused by her jab.

“Lucy.” Joey laced his tone with a sensual threat.