Roman-2(Lane Brothers, Book 5)(42)

I almost crow with pride at that and spend the next two minutes torturing Frank by asking a few rather uncomfortable questions just to get a rise out of him.

“They’re done looking, and now they’re going into some sorta huddle. I can’t hear what they’re saying, but from the looks of things those girls are going intense about something.”

“I’ll bet. They’re friends of Cammy’s, so the whole lot of them are probably barmy loons.”

“Yeah, well, these ‘barmy loons’ are the hottest bunch of gals I’ve ever laid eyes on, that’s for sure. At least they seem to be having a good time. Want me to stay on Mrs Jasper?”

“No. Let her have her fun. You can collect Benjamin from school and take him on to his football practice.”

“Soccer.”

“Football,” I say before hanging up to dial my love’s number.

“Good afternoon, love. What are you up to?” I purr, letting her hear the smile in my voice.

“Uh, I’m having lunch?”

I want to laugh at the way she phrases things when she’s trying not to lie. That’s how I’ve always known she’s telling the truth. If Ash tells you straight you know it’s the honest answer; if she phrases her answers as questions, she’s trying to fudge or lie by omission.

She’d once told me that that way she’s not lying, just planting a suggestion and letting people believe what they want.

“Oh yes? And what have you been talking about?”

She splutters something, and I hear a round of high-pitched, feminine laughter before she wheezes and throws a few choice curses at her friends.

“Uh, we were looking at these, um, sex toys that Brit is writing web content for,” she admits, making my eyes narrow and my smile fade.

I know my love, and if she’s willingly telling me about something I know mortifies her, I’d willingly bet one of my companies that whatever they’ve been discussing is not something she wants me to know.

That just makes me all the more curious, desperately curious, to weed out all her secrets. I sigh instead and drop it for now, forming my strategy even as we speak.

“I just called to let you know Frank will collect Benjamin from school, so you don’t have to rush away just yet.”

“Thanks, Lucian, I was actually just about to leave, but now I can stay for dessert. We’re trying to give Cam a pep talk, so….”

“Tell Cammy that unless she wants to be attending Brody’s wedding soon, she should make her move and get rid of that model he’s been screwing. Bye, love.”

I hear her squeal something just as I put the phone down, and grin when the man himself comes storming into my office and throws himself into a seat, his hands scrubbing harshly at his messy hair.

“You gotta tell her to stop, man. Ariana broke up with me last night because she thinks I’m in a committed relationship with that lunatic.”

“That lunatic happens to be my little sister, I’ll thank you to remember.”

I don’t tell him that Cammy had nothing to do with Ariana’s defection or that all it had taken for her to drop him that fast had been a quarter of a million and a good word to a designer I’ve known since uni.

Yes, I’ve done my brotherly best to ensure that my spoilt little miss gets her heart’s desire. I may not believe in love, but I know what it’s like to be obsessed with something you don’t think you’ll ever have.

So I’ve provided some assistance.

“Luc, man, you’ve gotta tell her to stop.”

“You gave her false hope by having dinner at her place.”

Brody blanches and looks away, blowing out a frustrated breath.

“You want her, Brody. Anyone with eyes can bloody well see it. Why not take the plunge and try?” I ask, willing him to choose his words carefully.

He’s my best friend, but that certainly won’t stop me from employing the fighting skills I’d picked up from a friend’s brother who’d lived in a rather dodgy part of London.

“Luc, she wants marriage and babies and the whole shebang. Like, now. I don’t think I’m ready for all that yet.”

“Well, bloody get ready then, you sod. You’re twenty-five, not a bleeding puppy anymore. There are worse things than having a wife and children at your age, mate. You could be alone.”

Shit, I can’t even believe I’ve gone and said something so completely honest that not even I can escape it.

The words make Brody smile, one of those shit-eating grins that make me want to get back to settling my problems with my fists instead of my intellect.

“Take some of that sterling advice and put it to good use, will ya, and maybe I’ll consider giving in with Cam.”