by Carrie Elks
For a moment none of them moved. Daniel pulled his eyes from hers, dropping his gaze to her cream diaphanous blouse, the neck low enough to give him a glimpse of the swell of her breasts as they pressed against his brother’s shirt. She was wearing jeans, the denim clinging to the curve of her behind like a damn limpet. Her dark hair flowed over her shoulders, shining beneath the strip light in Nathan’s office.
And he wanted to laugh, because his brother had somehow landed himself a scorching girlfriend.
The woman pulled away from Nathan’s arms, and he looked across the room to the door, Nathan’s lips lifting into a grin when he saw Daniel standing there.
“You’re early,” Nathan said, striding across the room, holding his hand out for Daniel to shake. Daniel slid his palm against his brothers, and then pulled him in for a hug, because even if his brother was a damn dirty dog, he was still so happy to see him.
Even if he was leaving tomorrow.
“My flight landed early,” Daniel told him. “I thought I’d come straight here and join the party.” He looked over Nathan’s shoulder at the pretty woman. She’d turned so her denim-clad behind was resting against Nathan’s desk, her hands clasped together as she stared at them both. “I didn’t realize you had company. I’ll catch up with you later.”
He went to back out of the doorway, holding his hands up in a mea culpa sign.
“What do you mean, company?” Nathan asked. The woman hadn’t moved an inch. She had a smear of mascara across her cheek, which somehow added to her attractiveness.
She’s your brother’s girl. Some of us don’t go there.
“I interrupted something private. I should leave.” Daniel’s voice was terse.
The woman smiled at him, her lips trembling. He didn’t return it. His unmoving face made her brows pinch together.
“Wait, you think…” Nathan looked back at the woman. “No, you’ve got it all wrong. There’s nothing going on. This is Becca Hartson. One of our distillers. You’ve seen her before on our video conferences.”
Daniel frowned, looking again at the crying woman. She looked nothing like the Becca Hartson he’d seen on his computer screen. That Becca always had her hair in a tight ponytail, and wore the usual G. Scott Carter green polo and loose chinos.
But this Becca? She was damn gorgeous. The kind of woman that would catch his eye no matter where he was.
Yeah, and she’s an employee. We don’t go there, either.
He looked at Nathan and shook his head. “You’re messing with the staff now?” he asked, his voice a low accusing drawl. “Jesus, man, what kind of idiot are you?”
Chapter Two
Three things struck Becca as Daniel Carter stared over his brother’s shoulder at her.
The first was that he was a bit of an asshole.
The second? He had a strange Scottish twang to his American accent.
And the final was that he was incredibly good looking, if you liked assholes with weird accents. Which she didn’t. Especially when they were staring at her as though she was a piece of chewed up gum they’d scraped off their shoe.
Standing to her full height, a fourth thought struck her. One that made her skin want to shrink back off her bones.
He was her new boss. Dear god, could this get any worse? On the plus side, the tears had dried up from her cheeks. On the minus, she was now being accused of sleeping with the management. And everybody knew that’s how rumors started.
“I should go,” she muttered, walking across Nathan’s office. “People will be wondering where I am.”
Her arm brushed against Daniel’s as she walked past him, and he practically jumped to get away from her. “I’ll see you back at the party?” she asked Nathan. He grinned and nodded, completely unperturbed by his brother’s accusation.
Her cheeks flamed as she walked down the corridor. Reaching for the door, she heard Nathan’s voice echo in a low murmur.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. Seriously.”
“I hope not. Because she’s a lawsuit waiting to happen. You know better than to mess with staff. No matter how hot they are.”
Yep, definitely an asshole. She gritted her teeth and walked away, not wanting to hear any more. Nathan wasn’t lying. It had been completely innocent on both of their parts. He’d found her sobbing outside the staff bathroom and led her to his office to give her a chance to get control of herself. And sure, he’d given her a hug. Everybody knew Nathan gave the best hugs. He was like a teddy bear, but bigger and with a better smell.
But she also knew how it looked. And she should have thought about that before it happened. Anybody could have walked in on them. She’d worked way too hard to get a negative reputation in the distillery.
On the plus side, she wasn’t crying anymore. And as she walked into the function room, she heard dance music pumping out of the speakers on the wall, and saw that her co-workers had moved the tables out of the way and were dancing in the center, shaking their booties like there was no tomorrow.
Painting a smile on her face, she walked over to join them, letting the music fill her mind and chase away the stupid thoughts.
She’d worry about the beautifully angry Daniel Carter on Monday morning. Right now? She just wanted to dance.
Nathan took two cut glass whiskey tumblers from the cabinet in his office and poured a fingerful of G. Scott Carter twenty-one year old malt into each, passing a glass to Daniel.
“Cheers.” He held up his glass, and Daniel touched his own against it. “And welcome back.”
Daniel’s smile was wry. “And bon voyage to you. Do you think we’ll ever be in the same country for more than a few days?”
Nathan laughed. “Don’t take it personally. Anyway, you were the one that left first.” He took a slow sip of the aged whiskey. “And I’m grateful that you’ve come back. I wouldn’t be able to leave if you hadn’t.”
It was the truth. Nathan was the only reason Daniel had made himself get on that airplane and leave his quiet, easy life in Scotland behind. The reality of being back was just starting to hit him.
“I figure it’s your turn. I appreciate you holding the fort down while I was in Scotland.” Daniel lifted his glass to his mouth, closing his eyes as the deep, earthy liquor slid down his throat. “Damn, this is good. So what did I miss, apart from your inappropriate relationships with the staff?”
Nathan grinned. He was impossible to rile. “There’s nothing going on with me and Becca. I already told you that.”
“I notice that you don’t call her Miss Hartson.”
“That’s because she’s not sixty years old. And we’ve been working closely together on the International Blend. Her brother’s the face of it, after all.”
“I’d forgotten that,” Daniel murmured, taking another sip of whiskey. The truth was, he hadn’t paid much attention to the International Blend, or anything going on at the US distillery. Partly by choice – the distillery was well established and his mom and brother were easily able to run it – and partly because Scotland wasn’t only two thousand miles away, but a whole different time zone. He knew about the big changes – the new blend, any major investments – from their biannual shareholder meetings. But the minutiae of running the distillery had passed him by. And he let it.
Until now. Because this building and everything that happened in it was all his again.
“So why isn’t there anything going on between you?” Daniel asked him. “She’s a good looking woman, you’re a single guy, and you obviously get along well.” He blinked, remembering her moss green eyes. The way they’d shone as she’d stared at him.
The way his body had reacted.
Damn, he needed to get some sleep. Jet lag was messing with his mind.
“Because she’s our employee.” Nathan shrugged. “And anyway, it isn’t like that between us. We’re friends. Colleagues. She’s good at what she does and I appreciate that. She’s the little sister I never had.”
“Well at least one
of us has managed not to mess up the family business by falling for the wrong person.” Daniel ran his finger around the rim of his glass.
“Nina hasn’t either,” Nathan pointed out, referring to their half-sister. “It’s just you and Lawrence that like to complicate things.” He tried not to show his distaste as they talked about their older half-brother. Like Nina, he was their late father’s child from his first marriage.
“How is Lawrence anyway? You heard from him recently?” Daniel kept his voice steady.
Nathan looked at him carefully. “You really want to know about Lawrence?”
“I want to know if he’s going to be a problem now that I’m back and running GSC.”
Nathan poured them both another splash of whiskey. “The last time I spoke to Lawrence was when we were finalizing the marketing spend for the International Blend. He’s settled in Charleston. He’s not interested in coming to Hartsons Creek or interfering with the business. As long as he gets his profit sharing, he’s happy.” Nathan lifted his eyebrows. “Or he was. I can’t guarantee what he’ll do now that you’re back. You two seem to enjoy driving each other crazy.”
“He’s always been jealous of me. Wanted what I have.” Daniel lifted an eyebrow. “It’s not my fault.”
“So you’re not the one who pushed yourself until Dad had no choice but to promote you ahead of Lawrence? Or the one who played every sport that Lawrence played, but better?” Nathan shook his head. “You guys have always been deadly rivals. And I know it was encouraged by Dad, but he’s gone now. Isn’t it time you two made up?”
“There’s nothing to make up. We’ve got nothing in common except half our blood. I’ll be civil to him, I always am, but there won’t be any picture perfect reunions or Sunday barbecues for us. And I know that disappoints you because you’re a romantic at heart, and you wish life was a Hallmark movie.” Daniel smiled at his brother, ruffling his hair affectionately. “Sorry, bro. But at least if there are any major explosions, you’ll be safely shielded from them in Tokyo.”
“Why do you think I’m going?” Nathan muttered, though he couldn’t help but grin back at his older brother. “Seriously, just try to get along. For Nina’s sake. You know how she hates us bickering.”
Daniel lifted his glass. “To complicated families. And spending time with those that don’t make you want to carve your balls off with a rusty spoon.”
“To us.” Nathan raised his own glass. “And to having my big brother home, even if we’re only together for a few hours.” His eyes crinkled as he smiled. “It’s good to see you, man.”
Daniel clinked his glass against Nathan’s. “Right back at you.”
“Okay, it would be really good if you stopped laughing now,” Becca said, as Mia spluttered out her coffee, putting her mug on the kitchen island so she didn’t spill any more.
“I’m sorry.” Mia’s eyes were watering, both from choking on her coffee and from the subsequent laughing fit she suffered after Becca told her about meeting Daniel the previous evening. “It’s just that I can picture it perfectly. Only you could meet our new boss when you’re canoodling with his brother.”
“I wasn’t canoodling. I was crying and Nathan was giving me a hug.”
Mia lifted her eyebrows.
“A completely platonic, non-sexual, friendship hug,” Becca added, giving her almost-sister-in-law what she hoped was a withering glare. But it only made Mia laugh harder.
Okay, so maybe it was a bit funny. Or it would be, when Becca got over the embarrassment some time in the next thirty years. She sighed loudly, leaning on the counter as she stared out of the huge glass doors leading to the backyard.
Her brother, Cam, was throwing a football out there with Mia’s two boys. The three of them were laughing as Mia’s youngest son, Josh, threw the ball as hard as he could at Cam, trying to knock him over.
“Is there no pee wee training today?” Becca asked.
“They just finished. Then came straight back here to play some more football.” Mia smiled softly as she watched her boys play. “If I ever get pregnant, I’m praying for a girl. There’s way too much testosterone in this house.”
“If you need any pointers on being the only girl in a houseful of boys, I’m your woman.” Becca shot her a sympathetic look.
“I don’t know how you did it. Four older brothers.” Mia’s eyes widened. “And all of them so…”
“Alpha?” Becca grimaced.
Mia laughed. “I was going to say forceful. But alpha works. Anyway, enough about our families, I want to know all about our new boss. What’s he like?”
Mia and her two sons – Michael and Josh – had moved to Hartson’s Creek the previous year. She was the marketing manager at the G. Scott Carter distillery, and had quickly become one of Becca’s closest friends.
“It’s hard to say,” Becca said honestly. “He kept to himself all night.” And she had to admit, she wasn’t in any hurry to talk to him while the music was pumping and he was leaning on the bar next to Nathan. “He’s kind of aloof. Not like Nathan at all. You know how Nathan’s always laughing and cracking jokes? I’m not sure I saw Daniel smile once.”
Not that she was looking.
Okay, so maybe she looked a little. It wasn’t her fault he was a handsome son-of-a-bitch.
“Ah, you’ll charm him around to your way of thinking,” Mia told her. “The same way you do with everybody.”
“You think?” Becca’s stomach was still twisting at the thought of having to go into work on Monday and face her new boss. Even if Nathan had emailed her this morning to tell her that he’d explained the situation to his brother and that everything was fine, it had been a terrible first impression to make.
The truth was, she wanted Daniel Carter to like her. Not just because he was her boss and it was important for her career. But because she liked being liked. It made life so much easier.
“Yep.” Mia nodded. “I predict you’ll have him eating out of your hand by Monday afternoon. By Friday he’ll probably be your new BFF. So stop frowning and tell me about last night’s party. I’m still bummed I couldn’t go. Damn football fundraisers. They spoil everything.”
“What spoils everything?” Cam asked, walking through the glass doors. “Hey, Becca.” He leaned down to kiss her cheek, then grabbed Mia and pressed his lips against hers. Grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator, he half-emptied it with one glug.
“Football does.” Mia smiled at him.
“Not true. Football makes everything better.” He raised an eyebrow. “Everything okay? You two look deep in conversation.”
“Becca was caught in a tryst last night,” Mia said, ignoring Becca’s annoyed stare. “With her boss. In his office.”
Cam’s smile melted from his face. “What?” He turned to Becca, his expression full of concern. “Is something going on with you and your boss? Has he been harassing you? Should I go have a word with him?”
“Thanks.” Becca rolled her eyes at Mia, before turning back to Cam. “No, there’s nothing going on between me and my boss. Or my ex-boss now, if we’re being specific. There’s no romance, no harassment, and I definitely don’t want you knocking on his door to beat him up, okay?”
Cam shrugged. “You’re my sister. It’s my job to look after you.”
“And Gray’s job and Logan’s job. Not to mention Tanner’s,” Mia said, still smirking.
Becca rolled her eyes. “And this is why I don’t talk to any of you about my love life. I swear when we were younger I only had to mention a boy’s name and one of you would scare him off. Do you know how hard it is to date when you have four overprotective older brothers? I’m going to end up an old maid. How do you feel about that?”
“Pretty damn good,” Cam said, leaning his elbows on the counter as he finished his water. “I think I’m speaking for all four of us when I say we’d be very happy if you never look at a guy again.”
“Stop teasing,” Mia said, swatting his arm playfully. “Of cour
se you want Becca to find somebody. You want her to be happy, don’t you?”
“Would she be happy if one of us was in jail for beating up a guy who’d hurt her?” Cam asked. Becca and Mia stared at him, their mouths gaping. “I thought so,” he said smugly. “So it’s better all around if you stay single forever.”
Mia shook her head. “Are you being serious right now?”
Cam shrugged nonchalantly. “Kinda.”
“Then go back outside and play football. Leave us to our girl talk. The last thing Becca needs is you cramping her style any more.”
Cam grinned and crushed the bottle, throwing it into the recycling can. “Whatever,” he said, lifting Mia’s hand to kiss her palm. “I’ll make us some lunch in an hour.” He glanced at Becca. “You staying?”
She shook her head. “I gotta babysit for Logan and Courtney this afternoon.” And she’d already delivered Van’s carrot cake on her way over here for crisis talks with Mia. Just another busy family Saturday.
“Okay, sis.” He kissed the top of her head. “You sure you don’t want me to have a chat with this guy?”
“I’m sure. Anyway, he’ll be on a plane to Tokyo in approximately…” she glanced at her watch, “two hours. So there goes your opportunity to ruin my life.”
“I wouldn’t bank on it,” Mia muttered. “Cam has a lot of frequent flyer miles.”
He laughed and headed back out of the door, shouting to Josh for the ball.
Becca let out a sigh, resting her chin in her hands. “Sometimes I hate having big brothers.”
Chapter Three
Becca arrived at work on Monday morning all bright and breezy. She’d even made an apple and pecan cake to cheer everybody’s day up. And then she’d spotted her new boss walking across the still room floor and she’d smiled and waved at him.
And he’d ignored her. Completely
Giving him the benefit of the doubt – because maybe he was short sighted or something – she’d walked out from behind the spirit still and tried again, calling out his name.