If I Only Knew(38)

“We can’t,” I whisper.

“Oh, but we can, and you want to, don’t you?”

Yes. I want him to kiss me again.

He tilts his head a little more and right before our lips touch, a noise breaks the moment.

“Am I . . . interrupting something?” Callum’s voice fills the room. “I can come back if you two were busy.”

Please let this not be happening. I close my eyes and feel the burn on my cheeks.

“Perfect timing as always, brother,” Milo laughs as he releases my chair.

“I was checking if we were still on for lunch? Hello, Danielle,” Callum smirks at me.

Now I’ve been caught in a compromising position with Milo by both my kid and my boss.

“Callum, I was . . .”

“Yes?”

“I was just . . .”

“She was about to kiss me, but you ruined it,” Milo finishes.

Seriously, I want to crawl under my desk and never come out. I don’t know that I’ve ever been this mortified in my life.

“I was not!” I declare. Maybe I was, but there’s no way I’m admitting it.

Milo shakes his head. “Right, we were checking each other’s breathing in case I needed CPR. Better?”

I drop my face in my hands. “Yeah, great.”

Callum laughs. “I’m not touching this with a ten-foot pole. I’ll be in my office when you’re ready, Milo.”

I slowly lift my face, praying Callum left.

“Well, that was rather embarrassing.” Milo grins.

My stomach roils as I let the mortification take me under. This man makes me crazy and drives me to do stupid things. I need to keep my distance.

“Did you know he was going to show up?”

Milo looks at me with a confusion. “How would I know when Callum is going to magically appear?”

“I don’t know, but . . . ugh! This couldn’t be any worse.”

He walks toward the door, looks back at me with a grin, and says, “Don’t worry, I won’t tell him about our little kiss the other night. I wouldn’t want you to have any issues with human resources.”

Fuck my life.





Chapter Seventeen





Milo





My brother bores me. There’s no other way to describe it. He’s always been a bit stuffy, but now he’s truly . . . drab.

Every rule he follows.

Every part of his life has been analyzed and combed through to find the right choice that will yield him the proper results. The only impulsive decision he’s ever made was marrying Nicole.

I have to give him credit, she’s definitely the best choice he’s made. The fact he had to move across the Atlantic, however, is what brought our relationship to this point. Had he stayed in London, this luncheon wouldn’t be necessary.

“You wanted to talk?” Callum asks as he cuts his steak.

“Not exactly, but you asked if we could have this little conversation, so I’m assuming it’s about my position in the company.” I grab the glass of scotch and take a sip while I wait.

“Are you leaving?” he finally asks.

“To go . . .?”

Callum places the fork and knife down, pats his mouth with the napkin, and then shrugs.

I don’t know what that means, so I stay quiet and wait. Does he think I’m quitting? Does he want to go to another restaurant? Really the options are endless.

“You’re going to make me say it?” Callum finally asks.

“Clearly I don’t have the faintest idea what you’re talking about, so yes.”

“To London, Milo. Are you leaving to go back home? Because we both know this little charade isn’t going to last much longer. In fact, I’m rather surprised you’ve endured it for this amount of time. We both know you’re unhappy.”

This is again where I find my brother to be dim. He thinks he knows everything about me, but never bothers to actually ask.

I lean back in my chair. “How wonderful that you’re a mind reader now, Cal. I didn’t know you had so many talents.”

“You can’t tell me being her assistant is what you want.”

“Piss off. You don’t know what I want. Or you don’t care because you’re a bastard who doesn’t give a toss about anyone else.”

Callum laughs. “You think I enjoy the calls from Mum about her little baby not having his job back?”

“Maybe she thinks you’re a prat.”

I’m sure that’s not true. Not her perfect Callum who does everything right. She loves to point out all my faults and remind me of how I continue to disappoint her. I’m tired of trying to find the sun in Callum’s shadow. It’s exhausting and humiliating.

“Maybe she thinks you’re never going to change.”

“Then she’s right. I’m the same irresponsible man I was all those years ago, right? Same old Milo, different country.”

He shakes his head. “I thought you had changed these last few weeks. Seeing you with Danielle, being a team player and all. I guess I was wrong.”

“Again, you make assumptions. Have I caused a single problem since I’ve been back?”