Bradford didn’t voice his gut response to Ian’s words. He was far from being “one of them.” Sophie and Dale Barrington were good people, which meant Bradford didn’t mind going out of his way for them, but that was as far as it went. Over the past decade, Ian and Bradford had had each other’s backs. They had an unspoken loyalty to watch out for each other and, because of that, Ian was the closest thing Bradford had to family. That feeling didn’t extend, however, to the rest of the Barringtons.
Asher was a pompous ass. If his wife was around, he was tolerable, but Bradford could stomach him for about a heartbeat before he wanted to smash his face in.
Grant was a financial genius but required frequent reminding as far as what was and was not his business. Ian claimed Grant asked questions because he wanted to help, but Bradford didn’t need anyone’s help in the financial department. He was already set for life. Grant’s wife, Viviana, was definitely his better half—especially since she brought with her the comic relief of Connor and Dylan Sutton, two meatheads who marched to their own tune even as they tried to fit in with the Barringtons.
Lance—okay, there was nothing to not like about Lance. He’d married a soft-spoken woman and seemed to spend most of his days chasing their twin daughters around and looking happy to do it. Was it possible for someone to be too nice?
Kenzi was sweet, but she’d married Dax Marshall who was another arrogant prick with the added negative bonus of being close friends with Clay Landon—a royal pain in the ass on his best day. The first time they’d met, Dax had taken Bradford aside and thanked him for watching out for Ian.
As if I’d done it for him.
Sure—you’re welcome. Now back the fuck up.
Perhaps because Kade had been raised away from the family, he was the most likeable of the bunch. He and his wife went back and forth between Boston and Australia, straddling the lives they had in each country. He didn’t ask questions, didn’t look for trouble. To Bradford, he was a man who was just grateful to have survived the fallout of discovering the woman who’d raised him was not his real mother.
All things considered, it wasn’t a surprise that the Barringtons were all fucked in the head. Still, Bradford didn’t consider any of that his business. He boxed up any feelings he had about Ian’s family, stuffed them deep in his gut and kept his interactions with them superficial. They didn’t matter. They were part of his life, but would they always be? Probably not.
“How long are you in town?” Ian asked.
Bradford shrugged. He had a few things in the works, but nothing urgent.
“The family is gathering at my parents’ tomorrow night. You’re welcome to join us.”
“Hard no.”
Ian sighed. “The invitation is always there. I didn’t see the lure of game night at first, but I have to admit it’s nice to see everyone in that atmosphere. The games let us gather and have something to talk about that isn’t serious. It’s also amazing to see how fast my nephews and nieces are growing up.”
Bradford shot Ian a look and hoped it expressed how he felt.
Ian laughed. “Okay, so none of that tempts you yet. Someday it might. Who knows, you might find someone who makes you consider a desk job as well.”
“Never. Going. To. Happen.”
Ian checked his phone after it beeped. “Claire will be here, but she’s also working the event. One of her clients is terrified of crowds so Claire had my mother invite her.”
“Sounds like my cue to leave.”
“You can’t, everyone is looking forward to seeing you. Sneak out before my mother sees you, and you know she will hunt you down.”
Sophie would too. Bradford growled deep in his chest.
“Don’t worry, Mom put you at the fun table: Dylan, Connor, Angelina, Aly, Joanna, Clay, and Lexi. You might end up with Claire’s client as well. Two single men, two, maybe three, single women. How bad could it be? Aly’s a doctor, she might be able to help you with whatever has been stuck up your ass lately.”
When Bradford didn’t say anything, Ian added, “Unless you think Dylan is too much competition for you. Movie star. Pretty-boy face. I get why you’d be intimidated.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
“Keep an open mind. You’re not bad-looking when you smile.”
Bradford was about to say something cutting when Joanna entered the room in an off-the-shoulder, floor-length emerald gown. Her hair was swept up in a loose knot, revealing a long and oh-so-tempting neck. The front of her gown was tight, pushing the swell of her breasts above it. It was enough to leave Bradford temporarily unable to speak.
Ian followed his gaze. “Oh, good, Joanna’s here. Claire asked her to come early so her client wouldn’t feel alone when she arrives.”
Joanna looked around the still mostly empty room then smiled when she spotted Bradford and Ian. She waved.
Bradford raised his hand ever so slightly in response before tensing as he realized she was walking over to greet them. He’d had a month to tell himself she was nothing special, a month to forget how just a look from her set his heart racing.
She greeted Ian with a hug and a smile, then turned to Bradford. “I’m a hugger, but you can tell me no.”
“No,” he said in a guttural tone.
Her smile widened and she held out her hand. “Then, Mr. Wilson, it’s a pleasure to see you again.”
He closed his hand around hers, realizing only after he’d done it what a mistake even that was. Her grip was strong, her skin rough from working on her small farm. Despite the innocence of their connection, his mind flooded with images of her running her hands all over his body. Never had he felt so close to kissing a woman he had absolutely no intention of doing anything with. He dropped her hand. “Joanna.”
She leaned in. “The Mr. Wilson thing was a joke. You were supposed to laugh.”
He gave her the same cold look that tended to shut most people down. In his experience silence was a formidable defense. Assholes looked for easier targets, nice people felt awkward and moved on as well.
She didn’t do either. Instead she gave his arm a pat. “Don’t worry, I know you missed me.”
Ian gave them both a long look then excused himself and walked away.
As soon as they were alone again, Joanna said, “Bradford, you have no idea how glad I am you’re here. When Claire told me I’d be sitting at the same table as Dylan tonight, I started to way overthink this. On one hand, sure it’ll give me a chance to talk to him, but on the other hand what if he thinks I arranged to be seated with him? I haven’t seen him since Oklahoma and I played it cool there. Maybe too cool—he hooked up with a local woman. Angelina said he hasn’t mentioned her since so—I don’t know.”
I always knew I was destined for hell. I earned my time there, but I had no idea my sentence would begin while I was still breathing.
She looked around the room. “Oh, good, the bar is open. I need a boost of confidence. I can’t drink alone. Join me?”
“Sure,” he said. Maybe a stiff drink would help his hardening cock realize she was not interested in him.
She slid her arm through his, a move that caused his forearm to graze across the side of her breast. He sucked in a breath then told himself to calm the fuck down. If she noticed at all, she gave no indication of it. “So, what have you been up to since I last saw you?”