brother swung past him and dumped two trays of fruit on the wide counter of the bar. “Hi, Tony!” he tossed over his shoulder, the barest acknowledgment before concentrating the full blast of his big personality on Hannah. “You must be the new chef. I’m Matt King. I supply the exotic fruit you ran out of yesterday. And from what Chris said, if you want a job change...”
“Stop right there, Matt!” Tony cut in. “Hannah is mine!”
“Hannah...” Matt rolled her name off his tongue with obvious pleasure and completely ignoring Tony, thrust his arm over the bar, hand extended. “Glad to meet you!”
She took his hand, looking at him somewhat dazedly. Matt was almost as big as Alex and always a hit with women, an uninhibited talker with the gift of the gab, not to mention his good looks, curly hair, and dark chocolate eyes that apparently had the power to induce swooning.
Tony unclenched his jaw and bit out, “If you think you can come in here and poach on my territory...” He stepped right up to the bar in belligerent challenge, which served to unhook Matt’s hand from Hannah’s so he could hold it up to Tony in a gesture of peace.
“I know you need her right now with Chris leaving,” he said reasonably. “But...”
“No buts. You’ve delivered your fruit. Now beat it, Matt!”
Both hands up now, warding off the fire-power Tony was in no mood to tone down. “Okay, okay,” Matt soothed. “Didn’t mean to make waves. Just letting Hannah know I appreciate her talent for getting people to try something new. Not many people have that kind of entrepreneurial skill, Tony. It takes...”
“What does it take to get you moving out of here, Matt?”
He huffed. “You’re not listening to me.”
“You’re out of line.”
Lowered brows, eyes shooting some private meaning. “Alex said...”
“I don’t care what Alex said,” Tony snapped, wishing he hadn’t implied to his older brother that Hannah was more Nonna’s choice than his and he didn’t like being boxed into a corner.
“I thought...”
“Think again.” And Alex should have kept his mouth shut!
“Fine!” Matt slanted an appealing smile at Hannah. “Just keep up the good push on my exotic fruit. Could tap into new markets with the kind of people who go out on Duchess.” He clapped Tony on the shoulder. “Got the word. No poaching!”
He swaggered off in such apparent good humour, Tony knew he’d just been baited. His younger brother was too damned clever, and he enjoyed nothing better than getting a rise out of Tony or Alex. It probably came from having been bossed around by them when he was little, but Matt really needed being taken down a peg or two. In the meantime, he’d better stay clear of Hannah if he didn’t want to get thumped.
With a sense of having settled something important, Tony swung his gaze back to the woman who’d triggered this territorial battle. In his mind she now belonged to him. It had been a swift transition in his thinking about her but Tony didn’t pause to ponder reasons or gather doubts. How they were going to get over the employer/employee hump was still a complicated issue. Nevertheless, there had to be a way.
The green eyes were opened wide, staring at him as though she didn’t know what to make of his sharp exchange with Matt. Hot colour in her cheeks indicated a fast pumping of blood. Had she picked up the inference that he’d complained to Alex about their grandmother’s arbitrary choices?
“First day without Chris,” he rolled out, using business to remove the personal element from her thoughts. “Let me know if you run into any problems and I’ll do what I can to ease them for you. Don’t try to go it alone. Teamwork is always better. Okay?”
She nodded, still wide-eyed and looking totally confused.
He moved off to greet the passengers now streaming onto Duchess, a new zest for life leaping happily through his veins. His confusion had smoothed out into an understanding he
“Stop right there, Matt!” Tony cut in. “Hannah is mine!”
“Hannah...” Matt rolled her name off his tongue with obvious pleasure and completely ignoring Tony, thrust his arm over the bar, hand extended. “Glad to meet you!”
She took his hand, looking at him somewhat dazedly. Matt was almost as big as Alex and always a hit with women, an uninhibited talker with the gift of the gab, not to mention his good looks, curly hair, and dark chocolate eyes that apparently had the power to induce swooning.
Tony unclenched his jaw and bit out, “If you think you can come in here and poach on my territory...” He stepped right up to the bar in belligerent challenge, which served to unhook Matt’s hand from Hannah’s so he could hold it up to Tony in a gesture of peace.
“I know you need her right now with Chris leaving,” he said reasonably. “But...”
“No buts. You’ve delivered your fruit. Now beat it, Matt!”
Both hands up now, warding off the fire-power Tony was in no mood to tone down. “Okay, okay,” Matt soothed. “Didn’t mean to make waves. Just letting Hannah know I appreciate her talent for getting people to try something new. Not many people have that kind of entrepreneurial skill, Tony. It takes...”
“What does it take to get you moving out of here, Matt?”
He huffed. “You’re not listening to me.”
“You’re out of line.”
Lowered brows, eyes shooting some private meaning. “Alex said...”
“I don’t care what Alex said,” Tony snapped, wishing he hadn’t implied to his older brother that Hannah was more Nonna’s choice than his and he didn’t like being boxed into a corner.
“I thought...”
“Think again.” And Alex should have kept his mouth shut!
“Fine!” Matt slanted an appealing smile at Hannah. “Just keep up the good push on my exotic fruit. Could tap into new markets with the kind of people who go out on Duchess.” He clapped Tony on the shoulder. “Got the word. No poaching!”
He swaggered off in such apparent good humour, Tony knew he’d just been baited. His younger brother was too damned clever, and he enjoyed nothing better than getting a rise out of Tony or Alex. It probably came from having been bossed around by them when he was little, but Matt really needed being taken down a peg or two. In the meantime, he’d better stay clear of Hannah if he didn’t want to get thumped.
With a sense of having settled something important, Tony swung his gaze back to the woman who’d triggered this territorial battle. In his mind she now belonged to him. It had been a swift transition in his thinking about her but Tony didn’t pause to ponder reasons or gather doubts. How they were going to get over the employer/employee hump was still a complicated issue. Nevertheless, there had to be a way.
The green eyes were opened wide, staring at him as though she didn’t know what to make of his sharp exchange with Matt. Hot colour in her cheeks indicated a fast pumping of blood. Had she picked up the inference that he’d complained to Alex about their grandmother’s arbitrary choices?
“First day without Chris,” he rolled out, using business to remove the personal element from her thoughts. “Let me know if you run into any problems and I’ll do what I can to ease them for you. Don’t try to go it alone. Teamwork is always better. Okay?”
She nodded, still wide-eyed and looking totally confused.
He moved off to greet the passengers now streaming onto Duchess, a new zest for life leaping happily through his veins. His confusion had smoothed out into an understanding he
Similar Books
