“I don’t…”
“Her name is Gianna and she’s an Italian spitfire that pisses him off every time he walks down the hallway,” Reid filled in.
Mack chuckled while Brant glared.
“Really, big bro? We’re going there? Should we bring up the lovely Selena?” He turned to Mack. “He flew this woman out from Washington, D.C. to start a new marketing campaign. It’s brilliant, but she had trouble finding a place to live. So, guess where she’s staying?” he said.
Mack chuckled. “I’ve already swung by the house. Apparently, there’s a woman who loves shoes sleeping in my bed.”
That got Reid’s attention. “You didn’t…!”
“Relax, big brother,” Mack replied. “I’m an intelligent fellow and figured out what was going on. My stuff is in the room down the hall from yours. And I fed your cat too. What’s up with that? I thought you hated animals.”
Reid relaxed now that his brother had assured him that Selena’s privacy was intact. “The cat sort of…well, he showed up last winter and looked starving and pathetic. I fed him.”
Mack threw back his head laughing. “And he never left, did he?”
Reid shrugged, trying to brush off his brother’s amusement. “He and I coexist. And besides, Selena likes him.”
“Who is this Selena I keep hearing about and how did you mess things up?”
Reid shook his head, taking a long swallow of his beer. “I didn’t mess anything up. I’m going to marry her.”
There was a long silence after that announcement as both brothers stared at their oldest.
“You’re kidding!” Mack finally said, breaking the silence.
“Not even a little,” Reid told both of them. Six months ago, the mere mention of marriage or love would have had Reid ending the relationship. But with Selena, he couldn’t wait to get his ring on her finger. “I love her. She’s…” he thought about last night and all of the nights he’d spent with her snuggled in his arms. Their early morning runs. The way she made him smile. Or the way she could walk into a room and make the world seem…right. Brighter. More interesting. “Amazing,” he finally finished.
Mack and Brant continued to stare, but their attitude didn’t bother him at all.
“Well, I’ll be damned!” Mack said, then shook his head. “Congratulations! When do I get to meet her?”
“Not for a while. You’re going to have to stay with Brant this visit.”
“Too noisy at your place?” Mack teased.
“Don’t go there. Not…”
Mack lifted his hands in defense. “Sorry, Reid. I understand.”
After that, the brothers decided to change the subject, talking about their sister and what she might be up to, the number of times she’d been in the news lately for a project she was sponsoring in Altair. The women married to the men of Altair were vocal proponents of many worthy causes, their sister included.
Chapter 16
Selena stretched happily and slipped out of bed. They’d come back from the office last night and he’d immediately taken her into his arms. That had been the end of any discussion. But they’d gotten the most urgent lust out of their systems and he’d already gone downstairs to start making something for breakfast. She wanted to exercise before they ate, needing to stretch her muscles a bit. A swim sounded like the perfect solution, especially since Reid was throwing a big party for the media blitz this afternoon.
Selena pulled on her bathing suit, then grabbed a towel.
Padding barefoot towards the stairs, she smiled, thinking about that time he’d made love to her on the counter.
“You ready for this?” a deep voice asked. Brant!
“I can’t believe that she did this!” Reid growled, his voice a furious hiss.
Selena sighed as she stalled on the top step of the staircase, listening to the two brothers and wondering if she should just head back to Reid’s bedroom. Brant intimidated her. Selena knew that there was tension between Brant and Gianna, but Selena had no idea why!
Reid was nothing like what she’d thought of him originally. He wasn’t like the other men in her past. He was warm and wonderful, passionate and fabulous! She loved him so much, it almost made her heart ache.