How to Resist Prince Charming(26)

“Jesus.” Ty stumbled along after him. “It’s not even—”

“It’s lunchtime,” Braxton barked. “I am allowed to take a God damn lunch break.”

“Fine, fine. Whatever you want, Brax. As long as you’re paying, since you’re Mr. Moneybags these days.”

“Right now, I’d buy you a car to get me an hour of reprieve from this place.”

“Sold!” Suddenly very chipper, Tyler jauntily fell into step with him. “I’ll take a mustang. Newest model, of course. Black and—”

“Oh, my God. Shut up.”

Tyler stopped talking, but he started whistling instead, because he knew how much that annoyed Braxton. Braxton rolled his eyes, actually glad to have his infuriating brother around to distract him.

Forgetting his command to stay silent, Ty suddenly stopped whistling. “You know, you clean up nice. I like the suit. Makes you look all high and mighty and shit. Except, oh yeah, you got a little lint…right there.” He squinted and brushed an imaginary piece of fluff off Braxton’s sleeve. “Got it. Oh, there’s another.”

He went for another spot, so Braxton slapped his hand down. “Cut it out.”

But Tyler Farris ruled in the exasperating department. He was not easily discouraged. “And another.” When he tried to groom Braxton again, Braxton snaked out his arm, catching Tyler around the head. Then he bent Ty forward and gave him the mandatory older-brother noogie.

“I said to stop touching me, asswipe.”

As Ty flailed and struggled to get free, cursing Braxton up one wall and down another, Brax grinned, his tense muscles finally relaxing for the first time today…until he turned a corner and spotted Tom, and Charlie, and Pat gathered around the outside of the break room with their heads bent together as they spoke in hushed tones.

Bitching about the boss at the water cooler, no doubt.

When they glanced up and caught Braxton grinding his knuckles hard against Tyler’s scalp, they paused. Clenching his teeth for being caught acting childish, Braxton immediately let up his hold and a red-faced Tyler straightened to punch him in the shoulder, retaliating.

“Bastard,” he muttered before he too caught sight of the men. A charming smile lit his face. “Oh, hey, Mr. Foley. Mr. Fairbanks. Mr. Davenport.”

“Tyler,” they all greeted with warm familiarity as they stepped forward to shake hands with Braxton’s brother, clasping his shoulder and teasing him about how tall he’d gotten since they’d last seen him.

Braxton didn’t want to stew in envy, but damn, he remembered back when these very men had treated him with the same affection. It’d only been a couple months ago, about thirty seconds before his dad had announced, “Braxton is going to take my place.”

“You get better looking every time I see you, boy.” Tom set his hand with a fatherly kind of pride on Ty’s shoulder. “I may have to introduce you to my daughter, Lenna.”

Braxton stopped breathing as he stared a hole through Davenport’s hand on Tyler. He told himself hadn’t heard what he’d just heard. No freaking way.

But then Tom went and added, “Do you have a girlfriend these days?”

What the hell?

Acid ate through his stomach. Tom had snarled at him when he’d merely looked at her at the damn Christmas party, and here, he was foisting her off on his annoying kid brother?

No f*cking way.

Tyler flushed, looking utterly uncomfortable. “Uh…no, sir.”

Tom chuckled and ruffled his hair. “Ah, get that look off your face. She’s beautiful. Trust me.” Then he went and crossed the line. He hitched his chin Braxton’s way. “Just ask your brother. He met her at the Christmas party last month.”

When everyone turned to him, Braxton pulled in a sharp breath. Tyler lifted an eyebrow in query, and Braxton had to pause to keep from committing murder. But in that second, he hated—absolutely hated—Thomas Davenport.

Just what made Tyler, the asswipe, acceptable for her while Braxton was so very unacceptable? Jealousy seized him, which pissed him off even more. He didn’t want Tom’s fatherly affection. He hated Tom. But damn it, he still wanted the man’s freaking fatherly affection.

When Tom scowled, reminding him he hadn’t responded, he clenched his teeth and cleared his throat. “She’s…breathtaking,” he quietly told his brother with all seriousness.

“There you have it.” Tom grinned and slugged Ty on the back. “I’ll have you two married off within five years.”

Braxton couldn’t keep his bitterness to himself if he sewed his lips together. “I think Tyler may be too young for her.”

Tom flashed him a killer glare. “And I think I can figure out for myself what a person is too young for.” Turning back to Ty, his lifted his chin. “How old are you now?”

“Nineteen,” Ty was quick to answer. He looked relieved, as if his age might get him out of this seemingly arranged marriage.

“Meh, that’s nothing. I’m five years older than my wife, so three is a blink of an eye.”

But two years is even better, Braxton wanted to snarl back. I’m more compatible for her than Tyler.

He had to bite the inside of his lip to keep silent.

His jaw was still clamped shut five minutes later as he marched down the sidewalk away from Farris Industries with a panting Tyler nearly jogging at his side to keep up.