Page 152 of Finance Bros

“It was like—a reflex or whatever.”

Bailey snorts a laugh, and I smile. “That’s the move, huh?”

“Shut the fuck up,” he says, and then to Bailey, “You’re not posting that.”

“The kiss—right. Cutting room floor. Swear to God.”

“No,Iswear to God,” he says. “If that kiss makes it anywhere near the internet, I don’t care how much you’ve done for this project—I’ll fire you.”

Her eyes widen. “Mal, you might need to take your cat home. His claws are out again.”

I stand, ready to follow her instructions, but Ryan is still looking at her. “Can I have a minute please?”

“Sure,” she says, then, “Oh! You mean with me?”

“Yes,” he growls in that slightly feral way that makes my balls get tight.

He and Bailey leave the office together, and I ask Miguel if he needs any help.

He eyes my cast. “Not sure how much help you’ll be, but I appreciate the offer.”

“Do you think it’s funny when people fall?” I ask.

“Depends on the person. Depends on the fall. Since you fell in my house, I didn’t find it particularly funny, no.”

“It was the dog’s fault,” I assure him. That’s why we left her at Ryan’s tonight.

Miguel nods over his shoulder in the direction Ryan and Bailey went. “He’s protective of you.”

“Yeah?” I ask, unable to help the small smile, and helpless against the blush.

“I hope you don’t mind, or you can forgive her, but Bailey told me you used to be stepbrothers. He didn’t mention that.”

I could fucking heat a room with my face. “We were more like best friends,” I say.

“I have stepbrothers,” Miguel says. “Three. I hateallof them.”

“Younger? Older?”

“Older. Assholes. And not a one of them is remotely attractive, which probably explains why they’re such dicks.”

I huff. “Maybe.”

“Anyway, they’re very much in a different category than my actual brother, who I don’t care for much, either, but there’s a difference.”

“So, you don’t think it’s like—sick or wrong or whatever?”

“No,” he says emphatically. “It’s actually really romantic.”

“I wish our history was romantic.”

“Was it not?”

“We had a rough patch.” Or as I like to think of it now: a decade long mistake, althoughmistakedoesn’t really do it justice.

“All better?” Miguel asks.

“I hope so. I think so.”

---