
A fine blush crossed Carly’s cheeks. “Maybe we should say you’re my cousin or something.”
Little coward. “No. No one is going to believe I’m your cousin. And why would you take your cousin with you to LA?”
“Because we’re family?”
“That won’t work. I have to be your boyfriend. We have to be intimate. Your husband used to travel with you.”
“He worked for Cain Corp, too.” She frowned and Bran could tell there was some serious debating going on in her head. “There’s a clause in my contract that states if I have to be gone for more than a month, I can bring a spouse or significant other with me as long as my work continues to be exemplary.”
“I’m surprised she would allow that.”
“A couple of years back she had an assistant who threatened to quit because she couldn’t bring her girlfriend along. Patricia was all about the LGBT community at that point so she rewrote the contract. Let’s just say after she put that clause in and was photographed with her assistant and the girlfriend, she suddenly had some of the world’s best designers willing to design kitchen and barware for her lifestyle line. She made a hundred million dollars off that choice.”
Luckily that choice now worked for him in more ways than one. “So she’s narcissistic and savvy. Another reason why she’ll never buy that I’m your cousin.”
Carly frowned, obviously not convinced. “I don’t know about that. I could say you recently got into town and you want to see what I do. She might buy that.”
“Not for a second. A—she’s probably got a fat file on you, including all of your relatives. B—it would be difficult for me to look at you like a cousin. I’m afraid we’ve got some chemistry between us that doesn’t scream familial connection.”
“We don’t have chemistry,” she replied quickly as though she couldn’t get the words out of her mouth fast enough. “I don’t have chemistry with anyone. Actually, I don’t believe that chemistry thing exists.”
So prim and so wrong. “Really? You’re telling me you’ve never felt the pull of real sexual attraction? I’m not talking about being hard up and wanting to get laid. I’m talking about wanting one person so badly you think you might not be able to breathe unless you get to put a hand on her, have her touch you back. You think you might not want to live another second without kissing her.”
The pink was back in her cheeks, but her eyes were steady on his. “This isn’t going to work. Look, we should talk about this because I’m not that girl. You can’t control me with sex because I’m not that into it. I did the marriage thing. I went into it a virgin and everything. According to him, he’d had a whole lot of lovers before me and while the sex was all right, it certainly wasn’t worth what it cost me.”
“You’ve had one lover your whole life?” That was a bit shocking. She was almost thirty years old. She should have had a couple of relationships, maybe a casual fling or two.
“I’m picky, I guess.”
“Or you haven’t met the right man.”
✰✰✰✰✰
The sizzling second novel in a sexy new contemporary romance series featuring the Lawless siblings—from New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake.
Brandon Lawless is a man on a mission: obtain the information that will clear his father’s name. He’s willing to do whatever it takes—even seduce his enemy’s personal assistant, the beautiful and innocent Carly Hendricks. But with her beguiling smile and captivating intelligence, Brandon soon realizes he doesn’t want to deceive Carly, he wants to win her over—both in the boardroom and the bedroom.
Then a twisted crime leaves Carly vulnerable and Brandon finds himself reeling. The stakes of his mission are now life or death—Carly’s life. And Brandon realizes he’s lost his heart to an amazing woman and his plan must succeed, because the stakes are no longer just revenge, but a once in a lifetime love.

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