Playing For Her Heart - Megan Erickson Page 0,16

little wet, her thick, dark lashes blinking rapidly.

He didn’t know if she was doing this for herself or for him, but he was taking the life preserver she was throwing him. He’d clutch it to his chest until this fucking storm of a dinner was over.

He realized he was still sitting, staring at her like she was a circus freak. He discretely rubbed his sweaty palms on his pants and stood up. “Grant Osprey.”

“Nice to meet you.” Her voice was firmer now, and she sat down in the chair that Ethan had pulled out for her. Ever the vigilant brother, his gaze was ping-ponging back and forth between them.

Grant settled into his seat. “Nice to meet you, too. Ethan is happy to have you in town where he can practice his stalking tendencies.”

She blushed prettily and ducked her head, the ends of her hair brushing her chin. She kind of looked like a Russian Bond Girl or something with that haircut. Fuck, this was bad. So bad. Why couldn’t she be ugly? A bad lay? Something?

“It’s nice to be back near family,” she said. And Grant’s heart pulsed in sympathy. The family had been through a lot with the death of their sister. Chloe didn’t look any less broken up about it now.

Great, so not only did Grant want to fuck Ethan’s sister, but he wanted to console her, too.

They were snug at a round table, the three of them. Chloe was so close the heat of her body warmed his side. The fabric of her skirt swished when she crossed and uncrossed her legs. The bracelets on her wrists jangled as she picked up the menu and looked over it.

When the waiter arrived again, he took Chloe’s drink, as well as their food orders. She was quiet, sipping her merlot while Ethan talked about Gamers. Grant contributed to the conversation as best as he could, but half of his mind was on Chloe. She was quiet, almost too quiet. Where was his brazen princess? The one who was bold enough to approach him, who flirted shamelessly in a tavern, and who undressed in front of him with barely a hesitation?

The woman beside him now was soft-spoken and nervous. The waves of anxiety rolling off her were making him anxious. And Grant didn’t get anxious.

There was a lull in the conversations as their food arrived. Grant knew he was playing with fire, but he couldn’t stop poking it to see if it’d flare up. God, he was like a little kid with fireworks.

“So Ethan says you’re one of the best at what you do?” he asked.

Chloe cut a small piece of chicken from the breast. “I-I have no trouble finding work.”

Grant frowned, wondering why she had to hedge it like that.

“She’s just being Chloe. Modest as always. She’s extremely talented,” Ethan said. “She recently performed penetrative testing for a large bank in…where was that, Chloe?”

“Germany,” she said.

“Germany,” Ethan repeated. “She found a security breach that could have been very damaging.”

Grant never pretended to be mature. Never ever. No matter how old he was. Ethan had just used penetrative testing in a sentence like that wasn’t the funniest term in the world. Grant wanted to laugh, but instead, he decided to see how far he could push Chloe. Which was mean, but fuck it. She was acting so unlike the woman he’d met back at the convention, and it was driving him crazy. He placed an elbow on the table and his chin in his hands, rubbing his lips with his fingers. “Penetrative testing, huh?”

“I believe that’s her specialty,” Ethan said, completely clueless.

If looks could kill, Chloe would now be spitting on Grant’s dead body.

But Grant had never been one to back off. “I might have to hire you for some penetrative testing.” He lowered his voice, the innuendo unmistakable.

Ethan slammed a fist on the table. “Grant,” he growled.

Grant immediately dropped his hands into his lap and faced Ethan. “Come on, you practically spoon-fed that to me.”

“But this is my sister.”

“I apologize, but you know better than to use words like that around me.”

Ethan rolled his eyes. “Chloe, can you talk more about what you do? Use small words. Grant’s operating on a twelve-year-old maturity level.”

Chloe giggled, an honest to God giggle, and it was like music to Grant’s ears. When he smiled at her, she cut off her laughter abruptly.

When she composed herself, she explained some of the jobs she’d recently completed, what companies she was contracted with, and what