There was a chance he really was.
He glanced at me self-consciously, oblivious to the reason behind my expression, and shifted on the couch, so we were facing each other. “Do you stare at all of your house guests with such unnerving attention?” he teased.
I blushed and looked down at my knees. “Only the encyclopedic ones who can write mergers from memory. At this rate, I’ll have enough time to go to the gym tomorrow.”
“If you’d like a hand there as well...I’d love to help you finish.”
My head jerked up as he flashed me a mischievous grin, but before I could say anything back, the door pushed open, and Rose breezed inside.
“What an unending day!” she called as she shed her jacket in the hallway. “Jen, break out the vodka, because I swear, if I hear the word Larchwood again I’m just going to—”
She stopped dead when she entered the living room. Tom looked up with a bemused smile as I paled behind him and made the ‘you’re dead’ gesture behind his head.
“Mr. Larchwood,” she said pleasantly, “it’s a pleasure to officially meet you.”
He jumped to his feet, and she swept her long hair behind her as they shook hands. For whatever reason, the sight of it tightened my stomach. I realized I didn’t want Tom and Rose to be in the same room together. Everyone who laid eyes on Rose had the unfortunate tendency to fall in love...
Tom, however, seemed totally nonplussed. “You must be the coffee drinker,” he said in a surprisingly friendly tone. She faltered for a moment and glanced back at me for an explanation.
“He owns our Starbucks,” I explained.
She cocked her head with an ironic grin. “Of course you do.” The coffee in the kitchen dinged right on cue, and she gestured down the hall. “Jen, can I speak to you for a moment?”
He continued typing as I got up from the couch and followed her into the kitchen. The second we were alone, she grabbed my arms in gleeful surprise.
“Oh my gosh—what the hell is he doing here? Are you two sleeping together?!”
I closed my eyes with a painful grimace. “Rose, please remember how thin these walls are and lower your voice!” I cast a nervous glance to the living room. “And no—we’re not sleeping together. Although...I kind of accidently asked him to before we headed over.”
“What?!”
“It’s a long story.”
She cocked her hips impatiently. “I thought you were working with Michael today.”
“I was—I just left in a hurry after he kissed me.”
“WHAT?!”
“It’s a long story. For goodness sake—lower your voice!”
She leaned back, looking impressed. “You work fast. Both brothers in only a week of working there. That has to be some sort of record.”
“Okay, you’ve had your fun.” I steered her—giggling away—down the hall and deposited her in her room. Once the sound of her laughing had died down, I headed nervously back down the hall and re-settled on the couch.
Tom didn’t look up as I joined him, but the hint of a smile was playing about his lips.
“Is everything okay?”
I blushed, wondering how much he’d been able to hear. “Oh...yes, um, she just...she just had a very long day. Sleep deprivation, and all that...”
“I see,” he said with mock seriousness. “Well on that note, we should really get cracking or we’ll be up all night ourselves.” He tilted the screen to me. “Now what do you think of the Kensington proposition...?”
Hours flew past at a speed that seemed impossible. We laughed and talked and typed, and before I knew it, it was three in the morning. The merger, however, was complete.
“I can’t believe this got finished in a day,” I said in sheer amazement, as my printer fired out page after page.
Tom stood up and stretched out his stiff arms. “Looks like you have time to go to the gym after all.”
My heart sped up as I remembered his teasing offer. “Listen, Tom, earlier on—when I invited you to come over here—I didn’t mean to—”
My voice trailed off, as all of a sudden, he was standing right behind me.
“You didn’t mean to...what?”