Page 9 of Barbed Wire and Burglary
“So soon?” Aurora clapped her hands to cover her misgivings about how quickly things were moving. “Are you serious?” He was making some real sacrifices to date her.
He waggled his eyebrows at her. “Serious about you, darling.”
Wow!She hadn’t expected him to be so open about his feelings in front of her brother. Before Aaron could blow a fuse, she dug the diamond ring out of her pocket that Bandit had hidden under his cat bed.
Moving across the room, she waved it beneath his nose. “While we’re beingserious, Romeo,” she declared in the most teasing voice she could muster. “I have to ask where this ring came from.”
Since A.J. had been present when she found the ring, it wasn’t as if they could avoid the topic. He would be expecting her to confront her brother about it, so she might as well do it in front of him to make it look real.
Aaron’s gaze swept over the diamond and darkened. “What in the world?” He made a swipe for it. “It looks real!” To her relief, he followed her lead and played along with the story she’d concocted. Not that she’d given him much of a choice.
“Because it is.” She danced out of his reach, sending a merry glance in Bandit’s direction. “I think the better question is how Bandit got his paws on it.” The ring should’ve been inside the built-in safe in his closet. It belonged to the small, private collection she used to bait thieves while testing client security systems.
“Here in the house?” Her brother made another swipe for the ring, refusing to meet her gaze squarely.
“Yes. Who’s the special lady?” After a lively round of wrestling, she let him have the ring.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He pretended to examine the ring more closely. Like her, he wasn’t half bad at acting.
He was an all-around incredible brother, which she intended to tell him sometime. “I didn’t know you were even dating anyone.” If only it were true! More than anything, she wanted proof that he was over his ex, a duplicitous woman who currently served as their uncle’s personal assistant.
“I’m not.” His voice was clipped as he stuffed the ring into his pocket.
“The diamond solitaire my clever cat found says otherwise.” She pointed at his pocket. “If you’re truly still single, you’re going to have to come up with a more convincing story.”
“Okay. How’s this?” The look in his eyes told her she’d taken things far enough. She was going to get an earful about it the next time he got her alone. “I’ll contact the landlords and tell them we found a ring. I’m sure whoever lost it will be happy to hear it.”
Nice one.She wrinkled her nose at him. “My story about a clandestine relationship was more exciting.”
“And complete fiction.” His voice was dry.
“Too bad,” she mourned, wishing he’d loosen up a little. He was a workaholic who didn’t smile much. She wished for A.J.’s sake that he would at least try to be friendly.
To nudge him forward in that department, she silently begged him to continue playing along with what she said next. “Hey! Since A.J. is here and you’re home early, how does a game night sound to you? We can order pizza.” Back when their parents had been alive, they’d often ended their evenings with a board game or cards. Their mom hadn’t been much of a cook, so they’d ordered a lot of takeout.
Interest flickered in her brother’s eyes. For a moment, she was sure he was going to say yes. Then he turned away from her. “Can’t. I agreed to trade shifts with the guy who was originally scheduled to work this evening.”
So,thatwas why he was home early. She made a face at his shoulder blades. “Are you sure it’s a good idea to work late while you’re supposed to be resting and recovering?”
“I’m fine.” He angled his head toward the kitchen. “Hey, can I talk to you for a second?” It was obvious he was asking to speak with her alone.
“Sure.” She sent an apologetic look at A.J. “Do you mindkeeping Bandit company while I have a quick powwow with my cranky brother?”
A.J. sent her a thumbs up, while her brother cut across the kitchen to the adjoining office. She followed, and he shut the door behind them.
“What are you doing?” He faced her with his hands on his hips.
She gave him her most innocent look. “Following you into your office.”
“You know what I mean.” He jammed a finger in A.J.’s direction. “You do realize that having a boyfriend hanging around all the time could easily become a problem for us?”
She lifted her chin. “He’s a retired policeman and soldier. If that doesn’t put him in the trustworthy category, nothing will.”
Aaron reached up to pinch his nose. “I’m not arguing about his trustworthiness. I’m reminding you about the confidentiality of your work at Diamondback.”
She rolled her eyes. “As if you or Uncle Cary would let me forget!” She’d about had it with their collective obsession with her personal safety. Uncle Cary was far worse, though. Ever since losing his brother and sister-in-law, he’d been acting afraid of his own shadow. She couldn’t keep up with all the new rules and regulations he kept coming up with.
“He’s only trying to protect you,” her brother said mildly. “We both are.”
