Fighting For You (Danvers #4)(28)
Curling his lip, Brant spat, “I might have noticed had I not been stuck on a very persistent telemarketing call that she put through to my office. While she was killing me with cream, I was trying to convince some idiot that I was happy with my long distance carrier!”
Declan flopped back on the beach towel laughing at his irate brother. He could only imagine how someone as anal as Brant was dealing with this unusual office chaos. He had always been the planner and organizer in the family, even when they were children. Ava was the free spirit—or had been until that bastard ruined her life, while Brant was born wearing a business suit and Declan was the wild child. His grandfather had always called him a hell-raiser. If you were looking for variety, they had a little of everything in their family.
The ride down memory lane was abruptly cut short as his brother caught his breath and whispered, “Wow.”
As Ella walked toward them, Declan was dismayed to see that her small bikini now seemed to cover even less of her curves. She looked a bit surprised as he jumped quickly to his feet and wrapped a long towel around her effectively blocking Brant’s view of her lush body. She smiled at his brother, who was obviously waiting for him to make the introductions. “Ella, this is my brother Brant. It was his house we parked in front of. Brant, this is Ella.” Declan gritted his teeth when Brant remained seated, forcing Ella to bend over him to shake his hand. If his shit-eating grin was anything to go by, the bastard knew what he was doing. Declan took a seat beside his brother, intentionally placing himself between Ella and Brant’s prying gaze.
Ella smiled and said, “The water is great. You should both come in. Brant, would you like to change and join us for the afternoon?”
Waiting just a beat longer than necessary, probably to make him squirm, Brant said, “Thanks, Ella, but I’m not much for the water. I think I’ll stay here and enjoy the sun for a few more minutes though before I head back. So how do you like working for Danvers?”
“I love it,” Ella enthused. “I was terrified when I first started there, but now it’s like home.”
“I believe I’ve seen you around with Beth and Suzy.”
“Yep,” Ella smiled, “I just love them both. Suzy took longer for me to bond with and she still freaks me out half the time, but I really enjoy spending time with her now.”
“Suzy freaks everyone out,” Declan added.
Brant nodded his head in agreement. “That she does. Actually, she scared the shit out of me when I first met her. I like Claire, but I can’t figure out why she and Jason are always handing me their baby whenever I’m at their home.” Declan grimaced while Ella laughed.
“I think it’s a test or something. If you don’t break the baby or make her cry, then you move up a couple of levels in their estimation. Beth told me that she and Nick babysat for them one evening and it almost killed them. She said they ended up changing clothes like five times before they got out of there. I had to remind her that she wouldn’t be able to run from that before long.”
Declan sat back and listened to his unusually talkative brother joke with Ella over Nick’s impending fatherhood and he wondered where his plans for the day had gotten derailed. He had wanted nothing more than to ogle Ella in a bikini for a few hours and instead things had gotten rather domestic. He figured the blame landed squarely on his brother’s shoulders. What was up with him and this bit of socializing that he was doing? Apparently, he wasn’t the only one attempting to turn over a new leaf. Could his tight-ass brother finally be starting to loosen up a little? He had always known that Brant would explode one day from the pressure that was surely building up inside of him. He was relieved to see that he appeared to be more of a slow burn instead of an inferno.
A few moments later, he felt the urge to beat the hell out of Brant when he directed his nosiness at Ella. “So, Dec, are you two dating now?”
When two sets of eyes focused on him, he found himself fumbling for words. “We . . . um, have been out on dates, yes.” He wanted to murder his brother when he saw hurt start to flood Ella’s eyes. What the hell did she want him to say? That they had slept together? It was none of anyone’s goddamn business and the way he saw it, too many people already knew.
“You’re exclusive then? Not dating other people?” Brant asked.
Declan felt the hair on the nape of his neck start to stand up. Surely Brant wasn’t asking if Ella was available. “Just what the f**k are you getting at, Brant?” Declan demanded.
Ella looked at him in surprise and Brant had a look of supreme satisfaction on his face. He had a feeling he had just stepped neatly into a trap. After the initial shock at his tone, even Ella seemed pleased by his angry outburst. Maybe both of them needed some professional help.
Brant got to his feet and smiled down on them. “I was just making small talk, Dec, no harm intended. I’ll let you two get back to your . . . date.” He spent entirely too much time in Declan’s opinion telling Ella good-bye, but finally he was gone. Instantly he felt himself starting to relax without the stress of wondering what would come out of Brant’s mouth next.
“Your brother is really friendly,” Ella began.
He couldn’t contain the laugh that erupted from his chest. “You seem to bring that out in everyone, Ellie.” At her confused look, he continued, “Neither my brother nor I are known for being talkative people. Around you though, we can’t seem to stop talking. You have a way of drawing people out.”