What Are You Afraid Of? (The Agency #2)(9)

His face was average, with the usual nose and mouth. He’d always considered his eyes his best feature. Like his mother’s, they were a dark brown and framed by thick lashes. Still, more than one woman had complained that they always looked distracted. As if he was thinking about something besides them.

They were right.

Oh, he liked women. A lot. But when he was working on a project, he found it difficult to think about anything else.

This morning he was wearing his running shorts and a loose sweatshirt. But even when he tried to dress up, he never could pull off Rylan’s sleek sophistication.

And the truth of the matter was that he didn’t care.

There was a reason Rylan was in charge of sales, while Griff concentrated on creating the actual product.

Thankfully unaware of Griff ’s inane thoughts, Rylan glanced at his wrist.

“I think that’s all,” he said. “I want to get to the airport early. This time a year it’s always a pain in the ass to travel.”

Griff set aside his orange juice. The two men had spent the past few weeks working on a new program that might very well revolutionize how countries around the world could track money that ended up in the hands of terrorists. Which meant Rylan had racked up enough frequent flyer miles to buy an airline.

“I want to schedule another round of tests before we start to install it.”

Rylan rolled his eyes. Griff knew his friend and partner thought he was being obsessive. They’d run hundreds of simulations and the program had performed flawlessly.

“Homeland Security wants to have the program installed and ready to go by the first of March,” Rylan said, as if Griff might have forgotten the looming deadline.

“They’ll have to wait until I’m satisfied every bug is worked out,” Griff said, his tone stubborn. “You know my philosophy.”

“Yeah, yeah. Perfection is always possible.” With a sigh, Rylan rose to his feet. He knew when Griff wasn’t going to budge. “I’ll give my contact a call.” Planting his hands on his hips, Rylan glanced down at Griff. “At least tell me you aren’t planning to work during the holidays?”

A lie hovered on his lips.

Rylan was his best friend. Hell, he was Griff ’s only truly close friend. But there were times when he nagged like he was Griff ’s grandmother, not his partner.

He wasn’t really in the mood for a lecture.

But meeting his friend’s steady gaze, he heaved a resigned sigh. Rylan could smell bullshit a mile away.

“I plan to catch up on some side projects that I put on the back burner over the past few months,” Griff admitted.

Rylan narrowed his gaze. He was gearing up for a sermon. Probably one he’d already rehearsed in his head. Then, catching a glimpse of Griff ’s long-suffering expression, he threw his hands up in resignation.

“Jaci is never going to forgive you if you miss Christmas dinner,” he instead warned.

“I’m not an expert on women,” Griff said, ignoring Rylan’s choked laugh. “But I suspect that your beautiful new bride would prefer to spend her first Christmas alone with her husband. Especially after she’s had to share you for the past six weeks.”

“That’s what you would think, right?” Rylan demanded. “What woman in her right mind wouldn’t want to serve me a romantic dinner in bed and then unwrap me like a Christmas present?”

Griff blasted his friend with an appalled glare. “Christ, Rylan, that’s not a visual I want stuck in my head.”

The younger man sniffed, conjuring up a wounded expression. “Instead, my wife has spent the past week cooking enough food to feed an army and complaining that I haven’t tried hard enough to strong-arm you into traveling to Missouri.” He paused, clearly hoping to instill maximum guilt. “She insists the holidays won’t be the same without our family together.”

“Family?”

Rylan smiled. The two men had met in college, and later moved to California.

“That’s how she sees you,” he assured his companion. “You got a problem with that?”

Griff ’s heart swelled with warmth. He hadn’t been acquainted with Jaci until his friend had married her. But in the months since the wedding, he’d had the chance to get to know the sweet, levelheaded woman who’d instantly claimed him as an honorary brother.

He’d never openly admit that deep inside he’d been worried that once Rylan was married he’d turn his back on the business and his old friend. That’s what usually happened when men fell in love.

Instead, he’d gained a little sister.

“No,” he said. “No problem.”

“Then you’ll be there for dinner?” Rylan smoothly pounced.

Griff released a short laugh. There was a reason his friend was such a successful businessman.

“You just don’t give up.”

Rylan shrugged. “It’s part of my charm.”

About to inform Rylan that his charm was a figment of his imagination, Griff was distracted by the buzz of his phone.

His lips tightened, his fingers twitching as he resisted the urge to knock it off the table.

The calls had started yesterday. One glance at the name flashing on his screen and he’d sent them straight to voice mail. He’d hoped that after a dozen tries the woman would get the hint.