But I don’t think divulging that little nugget will make me look too intelligent or sane at this point in our conversation.

“No. I meant I didn’t have any questions. It all seemed pretty straight—”

“Did you bring me cookies?” Jase asks as his eyes grow wide to match the same enthusiasm in his expression. Before I can answer, he’s opening the box and grabbing one. His eyes lift to mine. “You did these? The design? The decorating?”

“I did.” I nod as I glance down at the various cookies I designed around things I read were important to him—music notes, drum sets, album covers, and the band’s name. “Just to prove that you do, in fact, want my cookies.” I quirk a brow as Jase laughs.

A glance at Nathaniel has him angling his head to the side studying me, but I can’t quite figure out what he’s thinking. I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.

“When I can’t sleep, I bake.” I shrug.

“Why couldn’t you sleep?”

“Because I was busy googling everything there is to google about you.”

“Well . . . that’s sobering.” He laughs, and I love that he’s like this. Unaffected and carefree.

“I already confessed that I wasn’t a serial killer so—”

“So you were making sure I wasn’t,” Jase says.

“Can you blame a girl? I mean, it’s the Wild West out there these days.”

“It sure is,” Jase murmurs as the moment stretches. Smiles play at the corners of our mouths.

“So, we want you to marry him,” Nathaniel says without warning.

“What?” I bark out but then realize they’re serious. Dead serious.

No.

No again.

And what the hell. One more time—no.

I decorated cookies for hours last night. I may have played BENT’s music to get more familiar with their songs. I may have stopped and listened to a particularly difficult drumbeat and thought of Jase and his irrefutable talent. I may have also wondered why Jase wanted to see me—and why I might possibly have to sign an NDA. But this? This was most definitely not it.

Nerves have me sputtering to give a better response and then when I do, something absolutely ridiculous comes out. “Whew, and here I was worried the two of you were into some kind of brother kink where you planned to share me.”

I couldn’t get two more different responses. Nathaniel’s eyes bug out of his head with shock and discomfort. Jase runs a hand through his hair as he chuckles, his eyes suggesting he’s game for anything.

Paul’s reaction would most resemble Nathaniel’s reaction so there’s something . . . refreshing about the way Jase reacts.