Free Trevor (A MacLaughlin Family Novella) by Krystal Shannan Page B

no way she was still single. No need to get worked up over a woman he couldn’t have anyway. She was still his little sister’s best friend.
    Lorelei Ward was off limits.
     

 
     
     
    2
     
    An electronic bell sounded. The lobby of MacLaughlin Corp. was empty of people. A desk sat across the room from the entrance with a computer monitor on one end and a phone at the other. Several four-drawer file cabinets stood behind the desk.
    The rest of the space was sparsely decorated. Light hardwood flowed through the entire office. A few landscape prints hung on the walls. One lonely ficus tree stood in the far left corner. Two plain wooden chairs were to her left, sitting next to the window.
    “Gosh, this place needs some color,” she muttered under her breath.
    A door opened to her right and she held her breath.
    It was him— Trevor MacLaughlin. Even more gorgeous than she remembered. It’d been at least four years since she’d seen him last. The tall, lanky, twenty-something guy with a compassionate heart who loved his family had matured into a drop-dead handsome man. Muscles bulged beneath the sleeves of his fitted dress shirt. His shoulders were much wider than she remembered. And his eyes. They were as blue as a summer sky in Texas.
    His eyes hadn’t changed.
    Except, they were staring at her in a way she didn’t remember. A way she’d wished he would’ve stared at her years ago. Like she was a delicious treat he couldn’t wait to unwrap and eat.
    Crap! Heat rose in her cheeks. She knew they must be as red as a ripe tomato. So much for keeping her emotions under control. Her heart was racing. The unnerving silence had to be broken before the unruly organ jumped completely out of her chest and flopped about embarrassingly on the floor in front of him.
    “Good morning,” she croaked, willing her voice to form words.
    He unfroze and a smile spread across his face, showing off the adorable dimples she remembered. “Lorelei, it’s so good to see you.”
    In mere moments he was in front of her with his hand outstretched.
    A handshake? That was it. All I’m getting is a handshake! She’d hoped for so much more.
    When Lizzy called and told her Trevor needed help in the office because Karen had gone into labor early, she’d been thrilled with Lizzy’s plan of having her fill in. Maybe things had changed. Maybe she had a chance with him now. Maybe now that she wasn’t just his kid sister’s best friend, he’d pay attention to her.
    She slipped her hand into his and shivered as his fingers closed.
    “It’s good to see you, too. I’m so glad Lizzy called me.”
    “It’s so nice of you to come help, Lorelei. But, I feel terrible. It’s the holidays. We aren’t that busy and you should be spending time with your parents.”
    Her heart sank. He was already trying to get rid of her. In high school she thought he was always just busy, but even then she’d noticed he made an effort to avoid being near her, unlike his brothers who were normally glued to her side.
    Why?
    Why was the one man she desperately wanted to please so offended by her presence? Why had he looked at her like he did when she walked in and now was telling her she didn’t need to be here?
    “So you don’t want me to stay?” She kept her voice low and steady, trying to keep the tremble of disappointment from sneaking in.
    “It’s not that. I told Lizzy I could handle the office. But she never listens. She’ll be here in a few hours, so until then please make yourself at home at Karen’s desk.” He gestured toward the desk in the lobby. “There’s just not much for you to do right now. Karen was filing contracts for me as I closed them out for the year. She handles field calls too, but you won’t really be able to do that…”
    “I can figure it out. I’m a quick learner.” She pulled her hand from his, regretting the loss of his touch. For a moment she thought she saw hint of disappointment in his, but it was probably just her