My cock twitched, and my skin prickled with heat at the effort it took to hold back.
Her lips parted, and her eyes grew hungry again as her fingers traced my tattoo, then skimmed down the line of my chest. “Your turn—”
The door to her office opened. “Go figure you’re working late on—What the actual fuck? And to think, I came all the way to New York just to make sure my little sister wasn’t lonely.”
My head snapped toward the doorway. “You have to be fucking kidding me.”
“Cross! Get out!” Bristol snapped.
Crossland McClaren—Bristol’s older brother—stood in the doorway with a bottle of champagne and a perplexed expression that would have been comical if my fingers hadn’t been inside Bristol about a minute ago. Then again, I hadn’t found the asshole funny since he’d traded me.
After all, this wasn’t the first time he’d walked in on us.
At least this time he couldn’t fuck my career over.
8
Bristol
“For a second,” Cormac whispered after Cross had shut the door behind him. “For a second, I forgot why this didn’t work out in the first place.” He shook his head, disappointment, pain, and hurt all churning in his eyes.
“Cormac—”
“Don’t,” he cut me off, shifting his hands on my hips and gently hauling me to my feet as he stood from the couch.
“Please,” I tried again as he yanked his shirt over his head and grabbed his bag. “I didn’t mean—”
“You never do,” he said, his voice gravely as he headed to my office door. He swung it open and paused. “Crossland,” Cormac said, never breaking my brother’s stare as he lingered just outside the door.
“Briggs,” Cross said, his tone light. He parted his lips like he’d say more but…
Cormac shook his head, and Cross stepped out of his way. He stalked out of the door, and angry tears welled in my eyes—I was so sick and tired of the view of his back, no matter how defined and delicious it was.
Cross’s crystal blue eyes dropped to the bottle of champagne in his hand, then to the empty doorway, then to me. “Happy Valentine’s Day?”
I blew out a tight breath, a strained laugh rushing from my lips.
He motioned to where Cormac had just exited. “Seems like I’m always interrupting you two,” he said, striding across the room to lean against the couch I hadn’t been able to move away from.
I was frozen to the spot, my mind replaying the look of betrayal in Cormac’s eyes over and over again. Like I’d planned for my brother to show up. Like I’d tried to force Cormac into the same damn situation for some twisted reason.
“That’s my favorite,” I said, my voice cracking as I took the champagne bottle Cross handed me. “Thank you.”
He smoothed out his immaculate royal blue suit jacket and shrugged. “I thought you were alone for Valentine’s Day,” he said, flashing me an apologetic look. “If you would’ve texted me you had…plans, I wouldn’t have come.”
I studied the bottle in my hand a little too hard before crossing the room to set it on my desk. “It wasn’t planned.”
But holy hell, it was hot.
Cormac’s mouth on mine, his hands, his fingers.
“Is it ever with you two?” Cross laughed as he came to lean against my desk next to me. I nudged him with my elbow.
“Not. Funny.” But I did laugh because seriously, what were the odds Cross shows up at the exact wrong time.
Cross cleared his throat, absentmindedly rubbing at the neatly trimmed beard framing his strong jaw. “I’m sorry, Bristol,” he said. “About what happened all those years ago,” he said. “You know that, right?”
I nodded. “Of course, I do,” I said. “You’ve apologized a dozen times.”
His shoulders loosened next to me.
“But Cormac doesn’t,” I added, the pain in my chest tight. Hot and cold, cold and hot. Fight, kiss, fight, leave. I wasn’t sure how much more of the painful back and forth I could take. I was trying. Really, truly trying to show Cormac that I wasn’t a spoiled, conniving rich girl with an agenda, but he was too stubborn to see the truth.
“Do you want me to speak with him?” Cross asked, and I gaped at him. He shrugged. “I can bury my pride if it makes my baby sister happy.”
I chuckled, shaking my head. “While I appreciate that, I don’t think he’d give you the time of day. Besides, he’s more upset with me than anyone.”
Cross furrowed his brow, looking so much like our father at that moment, another wave of