Chaos & the Geek (Grace Grayson Security #1) - Elizabeth Stevens Page 0,37

than anyone. Patrick was always regaling me with the boys’ adventures and I often wondered if he forgot I was his sister rather than just another one of them.

Petra giggled. “I’ve seen him in here with his clients, love. And nothing but security passes his mind. You’re obviously someone very dear to him.”

I looked at her and scoffed. “No. I’m just Hawk’s little sister.”

Her eyes widened. “That’s why it feels like I know you.”

I looked at her in question and she chuckled.

“You have this familiarity about you. The same smile as Hawk, the same twinkle in your eyes even if they are a far more stunning shade than his.” She threw a look back to the still gob-smacked Kit. “I see his dilemma now.”

“What dilemma?” I asked, panicked.

Petra looked into my eyes knowingly. “Love, you don’t think it’s security on his mind now, do you?”

I looked back at him for a moment, then shook my head. “No,” I scoffed. “No. Kit just likes a woman with some skin showing.”

Petra leant to my ear. “Then why was he already looking at you like that when you walked in?”

I caught her eye for a moment, not at all believing a thing she said.

Maybe those fleeting moments I’d been feeling weren’t all just me. Maybe I didn’t have to convince him I was more than just his best friend’s geeky little sister. Maybe he already knew.

But before I could say anything, Kit cleared his throat.

“Right, we should get a move on and let you pack up. Petra, we okay to–?”

“I’ll send you everything tomorrow,” she finished for him.

He nodded as he cleared his throat. “Thanks.”

“Let’s get you changed,” Petra said with a knowing smile as she led me back to the dressing room. She was laughing by the time I stepped into it.

“What?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Nothing. I’ve just never seen Chaos speechless before.”

I snorted. “He likes to think he’s the strong silent type.”

“You disagree?”

I looked at her knowingly. “Let’s just say that fourteen-year-old Kit Grayson never shut up. In that squeaky little, breaking voice of his? It was like he thought the more he talked the quicker it would hurry up and fully break.”

“You and I are getting drinks sometime so I can hear more about this,” she warned me, and I nodded.

“Done.”

She left me to get changed, reminding me to be careful about the pins. I don’t know what she said to Kit but, when I walked out, he was both glaring at me and trying not to laugh.

“What?” I asked, pulling my hair back into a messy bun.

“Less than a week and you’re already spilling my secrets,” he chastised, a sexy half-smirk on his face.

I shrugged, aiming for cute and at least nailing coy. “It’s my duty.”

He laughed. “I’ll allow it. For now.” He raised his hand to Petra. “Thanks, again.”

Petra smiled. “No problem. Send me a picture of the two of you all dolled up, yeah?”

Kit shook his head as he pulled the door open for me. “Yeah, yeah.”

As Kit put his hand to my back, Petra called, “Tank in a tux! And for luck, shirtless!”

Kit huffed a smirk and waved back to her as he walked us out. “Tank won’t know what hit him if she gets any ballsier,” he muttered.

“She likes him?”

“She certainly likes looking at him.”

As we headed towards the Mayhew, I noticed Kit was looking around. I didn’t know if he was checking to see if Dannie and Brent were still hanging around of if it was just habit.

“What did you want to do tonight?” he asked eventually.

His tone was nonchalant, like it was something we asked each other all the time. He sounded completely normal asking me that. It wasn’t the only thing about the sentence that caught me off-guard.

“Oh. You don’t have plans?”

Kit’s step faltered as he looked at me. “Do you?”

Something about his manner made me smile. It was almost like he was put out at the idea I’d be doing something not involving him. “Nothing that requires leaving the penthouse,” I assured him.

He nodded then paused again at the bottom of the Mayhew’s front steps. When he gave me the double-take, I realised what that might have sounded like.

“Study!” I said quickly. “I assumed you’d be busy and I’d study.”

He nodded. “Oh. No. Sure.” He coughed. “So…I’m not busy. Did you…uh…?”

“Want to hang out?” I finished for him hesitantly.

He nodded again. “That.”

“Sure,” I said with a smile. “If you can put up with me for a whole night just