But he’d hazarded a guess that, knowing his brother, something illicit had taken place in the hot tub. Without a doubt. He’d bet his last dollar on the fact they’d gotten busy there.
He brought his attention back to the pair.
His sister-in-law’s eyes opened wide and her head jerked, looking up at Key. Key leaned down, allowing his mouth to hover near her ear.
She blushed even harder at whatever his brother whispered in her ear, halfheartedly slapping away the hand that rested on her butt.
“Key!” she admonished, voice low, yet Nick clearly heard the sensuality in it. “Stop it, we can’t... I have work to do,” she stammered, but when he leaned down to whisper something else in her ear, her eyes widened and she bit the lower rim of her lip.
“Really? We can try that?” She gnawed on her lip, as though considering whatever it was his brother had proposed. “Okay...I’m game if you are. I can do edits later today,” she said, the blush growing. “Or tomorrow,” she finished and, giggling, allowed his brother to lead her away.
Leaving Nick to stare after them, shaking his head.
Freaks.
The grin returned to his face, but soon thoughts of Sinclair filtered back into his brain and how he’d deal with her.
And from the look of things, he’d not be getting any help from his family in “handling” the situation.
Which was perfectly okay with him, considering how...deviant he knew he could sometimes be.
He chuckled at the thought.
Good. He was flying solo. That had always worked best for him. It was best for others, even family, who probably didn’t know just how wicked he could be.
It was time to work on his plan.
Chapter 3
Nick pinched the high bridge of his nose and pulled his glasses away from his face, frowning deeply.
“What’s the problem, old man? Sight not as good as it used to be?”
Startled, believing himself alone, his thoughts still on Sinclair, Nick glanced up and away from the computer screen to see his foreman standing in his office doorway, arms folded over her breasts, eyebrow raised.
“Hmm... Last time I checked, you weren’t that far behind me in age, Alli-oop,” he replied sardonically, a small grin threatening to break free. “What’s up? Come on in,” he said, waving Ailani Mowry inside his office.
“Don’t want to interrupt,” she drawled, yet pushed away from the doorway and ambled inside his office nonetheless.
“Hell, it’s not like I’m getting any work done, anyway,” he growled. Although he wasn’t about to disclose the true reason for his malcontent, he couldn’t keep the irritation away from his voice.
He glanced at the monitor and realized Sinclair’s picture filled the entire screen. He could only imagine Ailani’s reaction if she saw that image as his screen saver. Like he needed that.
Swiftly, casually, he minimized the screen and maximized the previous screen he’d been viewing: a PDF showing the projected budget revenues for the upcoming quarter.
No sooner had the spreadsheet appeared on the screen than Ailani was standing beside the desk, peering over his shoulder.
“Looks like we’re going to be up in revenue significantly for the upcoming quarter,” she commented and, without asking, grabbed for the small chair near the desk. She dragged it over closer to his chair, her eyes never leaving contact with the monitor.
He glanced over at her as she peered at the screen, completely ignoring him and the chair. Ailani and he shared history. No two ways about it, she was a beautiful woman, even as she “hid” her beauty.
More often than not she was seen wearing her long thick hair in a tight French braid tucked beneath the battered pink cowboy hat she’d worn since the beginning of time.
Many had thought the two of them would end up together. But despite growing up together from the time they were children, and the short stint where they’d shared a romance, the two had maintained a platonic relationship.
He continued to watch her as her eyes darted over the graph. When she turned to face him, although her eyes were hidden behind the tinted glasses she typically wore to shield her sensitive eyes, he caught the scrutiny.
“So, tell me. What were you really looking at with such intensity when I walked in, Pika?” she asked, a smirk creasing the corner of her small mouth. “And don’t tell me it was this projection. It’s not even the one from this quarter,” she noted, crossing her arms over her ample breasts and waiting.
His eyes flew to the screen. Sure enough, instead of the PDF showing the budget for the upcoming quarter, it was the one from the last quarter.
Damn. His head was most definitely not in the game.
Just as he had with his brother, he feigned a nonchalance he was far from feeling and tried to play it off.
“Comparing last month’s feed budget projection with the actual cost, cross-comparing it with the upcoming fiscal year’s budget to determine if we need to reevaluate the project. And if so, do we need to make cuts in other areas to make up the difference.”
His response was quick and sounded knowledgeable.
He hoped she actually bought his bullshit.
There was silence for longer than Nick liked, yet he kept his eyes glued to the screen.
Ailani leaned forward and brought her body closer to his. A hint of patchouli and hibiscus wafted across his nose; a scent she’d been wearing for as long as he could remember.
She jabbed a short but manicured nail at the screen, pointing to one of the columns.
“Who came up with this projection? No way is this budget anywhere near what we’re looking at for the upcoming quarter, nor does it make any sense for the new fiscal year!” she huffed, her eyes scanning the document on the screen. “Between the hike in prices in grain and feed, as well as the new shipment of steers we purchased last year, we’re looking at a number substantially higher than this,” she proclaimed.
Nick breathed a sigh of relief.
An irritated Ailani was much more preferable to a discerning one.
Of everyone he was acquainted with, besides his twin, Ailani was one of the most astute individuals he knew. If she caught even a sniff, a whiff, that something wasn’t quite right, she’d hunt it down. The woman could teach his father’s best hounds the true art of the hunt.
Lucky for him, her hound-dog nose was holstered for the present.
She wasn’t paying much attention to him; her attention was purely on the ranch’s budget.
Despite himself, he bit back a grin. Good thing he now thought of Ailani like a sister, or her lack of attention would have been insulting.
