On Dublin Street by Samantha Young

eyes were probably my best feature — at least that ’ s what people told me. I had my dad ’ s eyes. They were light grey with streaks of gun-metal in them, but they weren ’ t huge and adorable like Holly ’ s and Ellie ’ s — they were tip-tilted and feline, and they were extremely good at glaring.
    No. I wasn ’ t beautiful, or cute, or glamorous. I also didn ’ t think I was ugly, but worrying about being extraordinary had never crossed my mind before. Braden making me care… kind of pissed me off.
    “Seriously, don ’ t you work?”
    He stood up from the doorframe and casually sauntered towards me. He was in another fantastic three-piece suit. Someone as tall and as broad-shouldered as him should have probably looked more at home in jeans and flannel, especially with the messy hair and stubble, but God he worked that suit. As he approached, I found my mind wandering into fantasy land — Braden kissing me, lifting me up onto the worktops, pushing my legs apart, pressing into me, his tongue in my mouth, his hand on my breast, his other hand slipping between my legs…
    Unbelievably turned on, I whirled around, willing the kettle to boil faster.
    “I have a meeting in half an hour,” he replied, coming to a stop beside me and reaching for the kettle before I could. “Thought I ’ d stop by and see if everything was okay. Things seemed tense last night before Ellie and I left.”
    I watched him pour the water into our mugs, trying to decide whether or not to tell him about James and Rhian.
    “Morning,” Ellie chirped, as she strolled into the kitchen, fresh awake and already washed and dressed. Her cardigan was inside out. I reached out and tugged at the label so she could see. Smiling sheepishly, she shrugged out of it and put it back on the right way around. “So I came home and James wasn ’ t on the couch. Did he sleep in your room?”
    Braden stiffened at my side and I glanced up to find him frowning. He obviously hadn ’ t considered that. I smirked, feeling smug. “No.” I studied Ellie a moment and as my reservations disappeared over sharing the news, I realized I almost, maybe, sort of, kind of trusted her. “James is Rhian ’ s boyfriend.”
    “Rhian, your best friend, Rhian?” she asked, pouring herself some fresh orange juice. She settled with her glass at the table and I thought being near her as opposed to being near her brother was a good idea. I slipped into the chair across from her.
    “He proposed, she freaked out, she dumped him.”
    Ellie ’ s mouth dropped open in horror. “You ’ re kidding me. Poor guy.”
    I grinned, thinking about his note. “They ’ re going to be okay.”
    “They made up?” God, she looked so hopeful and she didn ’ t even know them.
    “You ’ re a sweetheart,” I told her quietly and Ellie ’ s expression melted.
    “You got them back together, didn ’ t you?” she announced with the utmost confidence in me.
    Only Ellie would have that kind of assurance in someone like me. She was damnably determined I wasn ’ t as detached as I made out. That she happened to be right on this occasion was a little annoying and a lot misleading.
    “He was pissed off at you,” Braden interjected before I could respond.
    I glanced over at him, still leaning against the worktop, sipping his coffee as if he had all the time in the world. “He thought I talked her into it — breaking up with him.”
    Braden didn ’ t seem surprised by this. In fact, he quirked an eyebrow and replied, “Why am I not surprised?”
    Ellie clicked her tongue at him. “Braden, Joss wouldn ’ t do that.”
    “I know she wouldn ’ t do that. But I don ’ t think she didn ’ t do that for the reasons you think she didn ’ t, Els.”
    Crap . So he thought he knew me better than Ellie did. I grimaced inwardly. Maybe he did. Perceptive asshat. Unnerved, I looked away from him, sipping my own coffee and trying to ignore his gaze boring into me.
    “Cryptic much?” Ellie