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Derek pushes past me, almost knocking me over, and stomps up to Avery. She now stands behind the sofa with her arms lashed around her.
I shut the door and join them. "Well, Derek, it's lovely to meet you at last."
"At last?" He snorts. "Yeah, I bet you were dying to meet me."
"Why not? I enjoy making new friends."
He laughs in a way that I'm sure he thinks is menacing, though it doesn't bother me. "Friends? I don't get chummy with British jackasses who seduce my baby sister."
"You said virtually the same thing a moment ago. Perhaps you should buy a thesaurus and expand your vocabulary."
Derek narrows his gaze and flexes those biceps. "It's more likely I'll use an unabridged dictionary to beat you senseless."
I scoff. "I've been kidnapped by a clan of angry Scots. You don't scare me."
He cracks his knuckles. "Maybe not. But I'll get a warm, fuzzy feeling from whupping your ass."
"Enough!" Avery shouts. She sets her mouth in a hard line and flicks her flinty gaze between me and her brother. "I am not a child, and I certainly don't need you two to fight over who makes decisions about my life. The answer is me. I'm the only one who runs my life. Got it?"
I want to drag her into the bedroom and fuck her. Nothing else gets me as randy as a strong woman asserting herself. Especially when that woman is Avery Hahn.
Derek and I turn our attention to her at the same time.
"No arguing," she says. "Got it? Derek, if you can't act like a normal human being, you can fly right back to New York. And Hugh, stop acting like an arrogant aristocrat."
Arrogant? Her brother deserves to be called that too, but I won't say so.
Derek relaxes all those bulging muscles and sighs. "Okay, okay. I'll put up with your new boyfriend for now."
"Thank you," Avery says. Then she turns to me. "Derek isn't actually an asshole. He's being overprotective."
"Yes, I gathered as much." I cast a sideways glance at her brother. "Threatening to beat me up was a slight clue."
Derek lifts his chin and sniffs the air. "Something smells good. Did you guys eat already? The meal on the plane tasted like warmed-over garbage."
I clap a hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry. I've made a proper breakfast for the three of us."
"What kind of breakfast?"
"Eggy bread."
Derek's lip curls again, and he draws his head back. "That sounds like something a chicken would barf up."
"He means French toast," Avery explains. "I've been to England often enough to know what they call things. Most of the time."
I wink at her. "I'm sure I could stump you if I tried."
"Mm-hm. I'm sure you could."
"Hey!" Derek snaps. "No flirting with my sister in front of me."
I raise my brows at him. "So, you don't mind if I flirt with her in private."
When he opens his mouth to speak, Avery raises one finger and gives him that flinty look again.
Derek throws his hands up in surrender.
"Mind eating at the bar?" I ask. "Or would you prefer the official dining table?"
