The Billionaire Next Door (Billionaire Bad Boys #2)(55)

Well, not right away.

He watched her drying a stemmed glass and reaching to hang it overhead, her tiny T-shirt lifting to bare a slice of skin at the waistband of her shorts. She pushed the back of her hand to move hair that’d fallen over her eye and caught him looking. He only smiled.

She cared about his bar issues like they were her own, and he couldn’t get over the idea of a woman sleeping with him and working with him seamlessly.

Tag’s phone vibrated on the seat of the lounger where he sat, laptop open on his legs.

His brother Reese. It was the middle of the night in Chicago.

“Hey, bro,” Tag answered. “You’re up late.”

“Sleeping is overrated. How’s Oahu?”

“Tropical.”

Reese blew out a brief laugh. Since he’d attained his life goal of CEO and met Merina, he was in the process of becoming the man Tag had always known he could be.

It felt odd to say he was proud of his older brother, since Reese had always been the one to push him, but that’s what Tag felt: proud.

“When are you coming home?” Reese asked.

“Few days.”

“Thanks for pinpointing that for me.”

“Hey, you know me.” Tag was distracted by Rachel again, this time because she’d started viciously scrubbing the bar top. Her ponytail was coming down, her arms damp, her breasts swaying as she worked a particularly stubborn spot…

“…over dinner when you get back.” There was an unnaturally long pause in the conversation before Reese said, “Hello?”

“Here.” Tag blinked and looked away from Rachel, rubbing his eyes with his fingers. “Sorry, I’m here.”

“How’s your advisor?” Reese let his tone dip to show he knew exactly what had Tag so distracted.

“She’s a terrible surfer,” he offered.

Reese let out a hearty laugh.

“I have a question for you, actually.” Tag had thought of calling sooner, but he’d been so mired in work and Rachel, he hadn’t taken the time.

“What’s that?”

“Did Mom ever give you advice? Like on women?”

“Women.”

“You were older than me. I wondered if she ever brought up girls.”

There was silence as Reese thought it through, and in that silence, Tag could feel the heaviness. Since Reese was the oldest, he had the most memories of her. “She told me to be respectful. Honest.”

Sounded like Mom.

“Why, did she ever say anything to you?” His brother’s voice had softened. They all missed her so damn much. It didn’t matter how many years had passed. She was gone and it hurt whenever they remembered her smiling face.

“She said the right one would challenge me.”

“No shit,” Reese said in agreement.

Tag had to grin. “Merina a challenge, is she?”

“If there is a button for it, she pushes it.” Reese didn’t sound upset about it, though. “Buttons no other woman bothered to locate.”

Tag was beginning to understand what that was like. Someone taking time to get to know him, to figure him out. To have new and different experiences with him.

“So being out of your element…” Tag fished even though he was giving his oldest brother a lifetime of ammo to use against him. “Not knowing what comes next…”

“Completely normal.”

When silence stretched again, Tag opted not to say more. He didn’t know what he was dealing with when it came to Rachel, not really. No sense in trying to work it out on the phone with his brother, who was thousands of miles away. Tag didn’t have the words for what was between him and the blonde currently tightening her ponytail.

“I’ll let you go. Enjoy the tropics,” Reese said.

“Will do. Thanks.”

“Oh, and, Tag?”

“Yeah.” Tag smiled at Rachel, who was heading his way, ponytail swishing behind her, short shorts showcasing legs he’d had wrapped around him on more than one occasion. Damn. He was lucky.

“We’re due for a drink. The four of us,” Reese said.

“Four?” His eyebrows closed in.

“Yeah. Bring your girl.”

“Bring…Rachel?”

“The challenger.” Reese’s laugh was low. “This I gotta see.”

Tag hung up on his brother. He really shouldn’t have brought up Mom or girls or feelings. Reese would never let it go. Of course, Tag didn’t let up when Reese went doughy around Merina, so turnabout was fair play.

“Did I hear my name?” Rachel cocked her head as she stood in front of him.

“Hey, how’d it go?” He placed the laptop on the table next to him and set his phone on top of it, hoping his question would distract her from the other question.

“Where are you ‘bringing’ me?” She sat on the lounger next to his, facing him, her elbows on her knees.

Challenging, indeed.

“Oh, uh. My brother invited us to cocktails when we get home.”

“Cocktails.” She pressed her splayed fingers to her collarbone. “With the CEO of Crane Hotels.”

“What, the guy who runs Guest and Restaurant Services doesn’t impress you any longer?”