“The last six months, you’ve proven yourself over and over again. I have no problem with you getting promoted. Just keep up the good work like you have been.”

He clenched his jaw and turned his gaze forward, hiding his emotions. We were both quiet for a moment before he spoke again. “You think my sister would like it if I built a house beside hers?” he asked out of the blue. “We could put a small guesthouse between the two of them for our parents.”

I relaxed into my chair. “I think she would like that a lot, actually.”

His lips twitched. “Maybe if Lis is busy decorating a house, she won’t have time to work at that fucking club.”

“I haven’t met her yet, but from what little you’ve told me about her, I can already tell she’s too independent.” I considered it a moment then sighed. “Maybe we could find her a different job. Perhaps at the office. But you can’t offer it to her. She will most likely turn it down flat. I will speak to Nova about it and get her to bring up the subject after their first meeting.”

Garret held out his hand to me. “Thanks, man. I appreciate that.”

“Don’t thank me yet. Your Lis might be too stubborn for even your sister’s gentle persuasion.”

He barked out a laugh. “That’s one of the things I love about my girl. Her stubbornness is sexy as fuck.”

I had to admit that Nova’s stubbornness could be a turn-on, but nothing got me harder than when she submitted to me. Needing to see her, I picked up my phone again and looked through each CCTV feed. When each camera came up empty once again, I muttered a curse and pinched the bridge of my nose.

Just a few more hours, I tried to remind myself. A few more hours, and then she was all mine forever.

32

Nova

Ciana: He’s about to jump out of this plane if it means getting to you faster.

Samara: We just landed, and I think he’s going to steal a car if we don’t hurry up and get to your house. It’s kind of funny, but kind of scary. Geesh.

Garret: I seriously hope you are home and waiting for Ryan. Everyone but Anya is ready to get away from him right now. He’s grumpy AF. Where have you been? He couldn’t see you on any of the camera feeds. Did graduation practice really take that long?

I was grinning at the many texts from my family members about Ryan’s behavior, but the grin died a quick death when I read the last two sentences from my brother’s latest text.

Camera feed?

What camera feed?

Was there a camera in my house somewhere?

Wait, he’d said “feeds,” as in plural. How many were there?

I was standing on the front porch waiting impatiently for the limos to pull up outside the house, angrily tapping my foot as I read and reread that final text. The back door of the first limo opened, and my heart gave a happy lurch at the sight of Ryan.