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He would be a hit among the bridesmaids. Hell, he might win her aunts over with his good looks. But her mother and Aunt Vickie would see right through him. Just as she did…
She pulled herself out of her wool gathering to realize he waited for her response. “What do you want me to say?”
“That we can be friends when this is over.”
“Friends? Have you ever been friends with a woman in your life?”
He glanced at her with a scowl. “I have women who are friends.”
“Only because they fell for your teammates before you had a chance to make a move on them. The rest of the time you’re dating them or bedding them or both.”
“You don’t think very much of me, do you?”
She sighed. “No offense, BB. You’re a nice enough guy, and Lord knows, you’re someone I want covering my six on an op. But I don’t have time in my personal life for games. And when you’re not working and not hanging out with the guys, all I see you do is play games.”
“That particular skill should serve me well this weekend then,” he drawled, and Gennessey thought she saw some of the light fade from his eyes.
She didn’t like that idea of disappointing him somehow, and she instinctively went on the defensive. “Why do you want to be friends? Why do you care?”
He shrugged as if his reason was really not a big deal. “I admire you. You don’t let anyone dictate who you are or what you do. You live your life on your own terms. You’re a damn good investigator. You’re fun to hang out with. You’re friends with everyone else at work. Why not be friends with me? Why do you dislike me so much?”
“I never said I dislike you,” she denied, and she earned a smirk in return.
“I have a theory about it. I think it’s pretty spot on, too.”
“Well, please, feel free to share it then.” Sarcasm dripped from her tone, and it earned her a grin which showed off the damn dimple.
“You’re afraid of me.”
Gennessey’s eyes bugged, and she choked out a laugh. “Oh my God! You’re more arrogant than I gave you credit for. There’s no way in hell I’m afraid of you.”
“Sure, you are. I’ve seen women try this before. When they see a guy who’s hot and charming and hard to resist, they pretend they don’t like him to protect themselves. You know, if they like the guy, he’ll break their heart, but if they automatically dislike the guy, he can’t get close enough to hurt them. You’re afraid if you get close to me, you’ll fall for me, and I’ll break your heart.”
Her mouth opened and closed like a fish under water, but her words stuck in her throat. Her hand itched to slap the smug look from his face. When her shock finally subsided enough for her to form a coherent thought, she glared at him.
“Of all the egotistical, sexist things to say. Not only am I not afraid of you, but I’m also not even attracted to you. If there is going to be anyone falling for anybody, it’s you falling for me, you arrogant jackass. What any woman sees in you is beyond me. You are so full of yourself, it’s a wonder you have space in your life for anyone else. You’re delusional if you think for one minute—”
“We’re here.”
BB pushed the gear shift into park, cut the engine and turned to face her with a shit-eating grin. She opened her mouth to demand an apology for interrupting her when she realized what he meant. He’d managed to distract her on the last leg of their trip, so she hadn’t noticed they had arrived at her family’s hotel. In fact, her anger at him replaced her anxiousness about seeing her family again.
He opened the door and slipped out before she could say a word. Only she wasn’t ready to let this go. She slipped out of the truck, nodded to the concierge waiting nearby and stalked around the vehicle as BB opened the back covering over the bed.
“You played me,” she hissed.
He turned his whole body to face her, his smile hovering over the fine line between a leer and a lover’s look. He leaned forward until his lips brushed against the shell of her ear, his breath stirring the hair at her temple.
“If you had showed up here anxious and nervous, your family would have suspected something more was going on besides you bringing your boyfriend home. Now they’ll think I’ve whispered something sexy and inappropriate in your ear because your eyes have a spark, and your cheeks are flushed. And I’m guessing the people who stepped out to watch us intently are your family. If not, then they’re guests we should stay away from.”
BB stepped back and started removing their luggage. The concierge stepped forward to assist, and Gennessey moved to give them room to work. Bracing herself for what she would face, she turned to see her aunt and cousin staring curiously at them. Aunt Barbara practically glowed at witnessing the interaction between her and her “boyfriend.” James Jr., or Jimmy as they all called him, watched her as if he’d just uncovered something he could blackmail her with later.
Welcome home, Gen. Your time in hell begins now.
Masking her harsh thoughts with a fake smile, she stepped closer to accept her aunt’s embrace.
“Gennessey, we expected you to arrive a half hour ago. I hope you didn’t run into problems on the trip.”
“It’s good to see you, Aunt Barbara. No, we—”
