Breaking Bro Code (The Line Up #4) - Misti Murphy Page 0,37

girl.” I climb off the couch. “Just a stupid article on Facebook. I better finish packing.”

“You’re on the early flight?” he shuts down the gaming console. Takes his feet off my coffee table and cracks his neck.

“Yeah. I’m going to take the day to get settled in then meet the team at the bar in the evening.” That should leave my afternoon wide open to hunt down Lily and do whatever it takes to get her to forgive me. Hud never needs to know that anything happened between us. We can all go back to normal. I just need to talk to her. Face to face.

“You should check in on Lily too,” he says.

I almost jump out of my skin. For a second I think he can read my damn mind. That he knows the real reason I’m going to L.A. is to see her. “I don’t know if I’ll have time.”

He picks up his phone and starts tapping on the screen. “I’m sure she’d be happy to meet you for a drink at the bar tomorrow night. Or you could take her out to dinner. I’ll give her a call.”

“No.” My muscles bunch, coiled and ready to leap across the couch and snatch the device out of his hand if he speed dials her number. I don’t want him to clue onto the fact that Lily is icing me out. He’ll want all the details. What if he can read between the lines and tell I’m obsessed with his sister?

The lines in his forehead deepen as he squints at me through narrowed slits. “What is going on with you? Did something happen between you and Lily?”

“Are you ever going to stop with this whole idea that I’m after your sister?”

“It’d be perfectly natural,” he says. “She’s beautiful. And she’s always had a bit of a crush on you.”

“Do you want this?” I ask. “Is that why you keep bringing up the idea of me and Lily?”

“Fuck no,” he says. “I love you, man, but you don’t have a committed bone in your body. And especially not in your pants. You’re the last person I’d want getting close to my sister. Well, except other guys like you. There you might actually have an advantage, because I like you. But that doesn’t change the fact my sister deserves someone who will give her a hundred and fifty percent of himself.”

“Just like she does,” I say. Which is why a drunken kiss ended with racy photos. And our argument ended with silence.

“Exactly.”

“Which is why I don’t want to bother her. Getting this hotel contract was a huge deal. And no doubt she’s so deeply focused on creating her vision that she doesn’t need you trying to foist me onto her so you can stick your nose into her business.”

“Fine. No dinner. No drinks. Just pop by the house or the hotel and say hello while you’re there,” he insists. “Find out how she’s doing and if she needs anything.”

I scrub my fingertips against my skull. I have no choice here. Well, I could tell him that he’s being an overbearing ass of a brother, but he doesn’t mean to be. And I was planning on seeing her anyway. Hell, I can pretend that’s the only reason I tracked her down. “Fine. I’ll make time to see her.”

“That wasn’t so hard, was it?” He grins as he gets to his feet and pockets his phone.

“Everything with you is hard.” I huff.

“Only the important stuff.” He smirks. “According to Jane.”

I shake my head. “Are you seriously talking about your dick right now?”

“Well.” He shrugs as he walks out the door. “I have to leave you with my best material so you’ll miss me while you’re gone.”

“I’m not going to miss you, you big oaf.”

“No?” He blows me a kiss and laughs.

“Try not to do anything stupid while I’m gone,” I retort.

He waggles his eyebrows. Winks. “I’m going to go online and order you a mail order Russian bride.”

I slam the door in his face.

His annoying laugh comes from the other side of the wood panel. “See you later, lover.”

My phone whistles as I head to my bedroom to pack my suitcase.

Violet Queen: Can I just point out to you that this is a dating app.

I grab my case from the closet and toss it on the bed. What do I tell her? This girl who understands me.

Cap’N Crunch: I’ll let you in on a secret. I’m here to fix glitches. Like your suggestion about