ONE WEEK 1 Read Online Free Page B

stork who put you there. Tell them, Brand.”
    “I’m leaving.”
    “Me too.”
    “Pardon me kindly.” (Devon)
    “Gross, Mama!”
    We hear the old coots laughing as we all break for the stairs, and I feel a chuckle escape when I beat Devon to the top in time to miss whatever she hollers up the stairs.
    His wince makes me grateful I’d shoved him to get here first, and I’m laughing by the time I get to my room. The last time Mama got a bee in her bonnet I got an A to Z recap of childbirth; I think this is why the thought of having a kid makes me physically ill.
    “Bloody cheat,” I hear from down the hall, and turn to see Devon shaking a fist at me with a scowl.
    “And don’t you forget it. Losers finish last!”
     
     

Chapter Five
    Dev
    I want her.
    How, why, when, the answer doesn’t matter. All I know is that with that one look as she’d sashayed up the stairs, after bloody rugby-tackling me out of her way, she’s caught my interest, and now I just…want.
    How I’m even supposed to justify that to myself after Grey’s little talk four years ago is beyond me, but I’ll find a way. I always do when it comes to getting what I want.
    I’m a self-made billionaire, one of the hottest bachelors of the yea r — and still more to come if I have my way. I know how to handle women and give them what they need while taking what I want.
    The only problem that needs resolving now is how to get it and keep Grey a friend, because that is one man I really never want as an enemy. He’s a self-made man himself, just like me, and I’m smart enough to know that those men are never to be tangled with.
    I know because I’ve had my share of obstacles and gotten over them one way. Sheer grit and a bloody bulldozer of a personality.
    I’ve lain awake half the night. Thinking, plotting, trying to figure a way to get imp without seeming as if I’d purposefully set out to get her, and the only thing I can come up with is that she has to seek me out.
    Hard to imagine what with the way she scuttles around and away every time I enter a room, but I think I can accomplish it and stay in the clear.
    I just have to seduce her into seducing me. Seems simple enough, but with a woman like imp it’s likely that I’ll have my fair share of problems. She’s green, as these Yanks like to say, and likely doesn’t know flirtation from a bleeding set-down, so I’ll need to do this in a way that will be as subtle as it is obvious.
    If I can even get anywhere near her without her big bad brothers swooping up and taking her away. That’s a major problem. How to get time alone with her before they see anything.
    “You gonna eat that bacon, or just keep glaring at the poor defenseless pig all morning?”
    I snap out of my musings and flip Grey the bird, chomping on the bacon as he leans forward and ducks his head. We’re alone in the kitchen since the only people up at five in the morning are the two of us and the housekeeper.
    “So, you spent two hours in the car with Becks yesterday. Did she talk to you about work or anything?” he whispers, glancing at the door to ensure we’re still alone. “She’s been really down lately, and no matter how hard I try she won’t talk to me. Lila knows, but she’s not talking, and—”
    “Sorry, mate, the imp drove like a bat out of hell the whole way and rebuffed every attempt at conversation. I should have taken the hint because she played the Spice Girls all the way here just to shut me up.”
    I’ll get her back for that. Somehow.
    “Dammit! I hate not knowing what’s going on with her. She’s so…”
    “Vulnerable?”
    “Yeah. And I can’t stand knowing she’s unhappy and alone with it. I got Matt to call her last week, and she told him to fuck off and find a friend if he wanted to share his feelings.”
    That makes me laugh, harder than it should, because imp has always been one of those rare, kind souls, the girl who gives her last ten bucks to a homeless person because she