Page 266 of The Maxwell Brothers
"I know exactly how to get your buzz back," he said in that deliciously rugged voice.
Excitement skittered across my skin.
“And you're still not trying to get in my pants?" I asked, double-checking. I wasn't sure what I would actually do if he said he was.
"That's where your mind went first thing, huh? Interesting."
I cleared my throat, laughing nervously, looking to my right and then to my left. There were a few others strolling around, but no one was close enough to listen.
"You still haven't answered," I pointed out.
"Liz, that wasn't theonlything I meant."
Now it wasn’t just excitement skittering along my skin but also heat.
“Ha!” Quickly changing the direction of this conversation, I confirmed, “So my earbuds are here.”
“I won’t be home this evening, so you can blast the music all you want.”
“Hmm… but half the fun was having you beat down my door.”
He burst out laughing wholeheartedly. The sound mademegrin.
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’m going with Luke to see a property he bought and now wants to rent out. It’s about two hours outside of Chicago.”
"You consult on properties?"
"No, but he wants someone he can trust to go over the legal aspect. The travel time is a pain in the ass, but it can’t be helped. And I always make time for my family.”
My face now sported an ear-to-ear smile. I loved that about him—about his family.
"It’s great that you trust each other implicitly. I mean, my sister and I are close as well, but with so many of you, I kind of thought it would be more complicated.”
“I didn’t know you had a sister. Just the one, then?”
“Yes. Rose. She gave birth to my niece two months ago, and I swear we’re closer than ever. Any of your siblings have kids?”
I suddenly wanted to know everything about him. I couldn’t believe that just a few days ago, we were still at each other’s throats. I huddled my knees to my chest, not liking the wind one bit. The sky was even grayer now than when I came out for my break.
“Tate.”
“He’s the one who runs the wine business, right?”
“Exactly. Paisley’s ten, and I think she’s starting to realize how much power she has over all of us.”
Awww, that was endearing. And I never thought I’d call my broody neighbor with a temper from hell endearing.My, my, things could change fast.
Checking the time on the screen of my phone, I swore.
“Damn. My break is ending in five minutes.” I rose from the bench, walking back to work with quick steps, still holding the phone to my ear.
"By the way, Luke is an architect. He deals with a lot of real estate. I'm sure he knows realtors. Do you want me to ask him ifthere's one he recommends for you? You mentioned the one you have isn't sending you anything useful."
Wow, that was thoughtful. I couldn't believe he offered that. I stopped walking, sitting down on another bench. It was getting a bit too windy for my taste.
"Declan, that's very nice of you, but the one I've got is highly recommended. His name is Andreas Reading. But maybe you can ask Luke if he's heard of him or if his reputation is really as good as I think. If not, we'll go from there."
