Sleeping with the Boss (Anderson Brothers, #1)(23)

“Two and a half,” she corrected, “and it is indeed.”

He took a sip of wine and watched her disappear through two metal swinging doors.

“Two and a half years?”

“Since I’ve been on board. The last time I was here was with my brothers before my last deployment. Like T.J., Nancy’s been with us a long time. I think she must have told the three of us to stay away from the edge of the boat and the engine room a million times growing up.”

She tried to picture him as a small boy playing on the deck of a yacht. What an odd life for a child. “What was that like for you?”

His brow furrowed.

“Growing up like this.” She gestured with open palms to the sleek cabin.

“You mean growing up with money? Being rich is fantastic, as you know yourself.”

Nancy returned and slipped a fish course in front of each of them and then disappeared again.

“I didn’t grow up rich. Not at all,” she said.

He cut off a bite of fish. “You live in one of the most expensive parts of the city.”

“Grandpa made a ton of money in oil. They lived the high life for a while. Traveled, bought beautiful things—all before I was born. When the oil crisis happened in the eighties, they were hit hard. Then he got sick. They owned the apartment outright by then and had invested enough to make fees and taxes. We didn’t struggle, but we didn’t ride around in limousines. In fact, the ride here was the first time I’ve ever been in one.”

His face was unreadable as he chewed, with the exception of the slight lift of one eyebrow. She was pretty sure she had surprised him.

“Besides, if I were rich, I wouldn’t be working a temp job at your company.”

He set his fork down, but said nothing.

“But I’m glad,” she continued. “Because that’s why I’m sitting here with you right now.” She worried that she may have gotten overly mushy, but his features softened and she relaxed a bit.

“I’m glad, too,” he said, reaching across the table to take her hand.

What would it be like if things were different? If they had met at another time when she wasn’t leaving in two weeks? He ran his thumb over her knuckles and her body grew warm. God, only last week it seemed like forever before she could shake off her old life. Now two weeks seemed like the blink of an eye.

She marveled again at her good luck. Who’d have ever thought a Claire-ism would result in a date with the hottest man she’d ever laid eyes on? Again, the situation struck her as odd. Why would a man like Will Anderson, who could have everything and anyone, be interested in her?

She pulled her hand from his and cut off a bit of fish with her fork. “So, you know the basics of my family. What about yours? I’ve met your brothers, but have never seen your parents.”

He took a bite of asparagus, followed by a sip of wine. “Mom and Dad retired almost three years ago, turning the business over to Michael, Chance, and me. They made it official right before my second deployment. I came back to find everything running smoothly at the office. Michael said we needed someone to up our security, and I was the perfect man for the job because of my recon experience in Afghanistan.”

“What exactly did you do over there?”

“My team analyzed insurgent strongholds and cities to determine the best strategies to take out targets.”

“Remotely?”

“Yes. By satellite and computer. And also on the ground.”

God. Did he infiltrate the bad guys’ lairs and stuff? “Like a spy, sort of.”

“Loosely.”

He turned his attention to his food. Subject closed. Okay. Well, at least she had a timeline now. He’d inherited his part of the company, only to leave for Afghanistan for the second time. When he returned, he put his soldier/spy training to use by setting up security for Anderson Auctions. That made sense.

“You said you work from your home, usually?”

He nodded. “There’s a lot of data to analyze for all the different properties and interests. Security managers send me information when necessary. I do background checks on businesses we deal with on large-scale transactions, in addition to monitoring on all sights. Dad had invested and dabbled in lots of different things, so I’ve been catching up on all of that. The auction house is simply the most lucrative and visible single endeavor of Anderson Enterprises. Since Michael has taken over, it has almost doubled its profits. Dad did it for fun. Michael does it to win.”

She’d only seen Michael Anderson a few times. She’d never actually met him, but he was almost as handsome as Will. Though slightly shorter, and not as broad in the shoulders, his eyes were more intense. Everything about him was intense. A kind of frenetic energy seemed to flow in his wake, and it was unnerving. “He strikes me as the kind of guy who does everything to win.”

He cut off another bite of his fish. “Everything but cheat. Michael has a rigid set of principles and rules. He never deviates.”

“Is he married?”

Will choked back a laugh, swallowed hard, and took a chug of his wine. He wiped his mouth with the linen napkin, still chuckling. “God, no. He probably never will. He dates a lot. I mean, a lot, but nothing serious. Nobody on earth will ever be able to live up to his expectations. Michael is a man whose life is calculated and organized to the minute detail. Even his sock drawer is organized in color order.”