Raising the Bar Read Free Page B

to work at her practice until she had grandchildren to play with.
    And then James, the man she’d worked side by side with for years, had forced her to look at him in a new light. As a man, not just a friend. A special person to spend evenings with. To kiss. To make love with.
    She sighed and gripped his hand tighter. “I don’t want this to end.”
    “It won’t.” He sounded so confident. “I’ve loved you for far too long to let your little boy get in our way.”
    She snorted with laughter. “My little boy looked like he wanted to knock you on your ass, James Kincaid.”
    “And don’t I know it.” James grimaced. “Don’t worry. I’ll talk to him later. Man to man. He loves you and wants you happy, Barb.”
    “You make me happy.” She sighed. “I just wish all my sons could feel this. Gage has Hailey. Derrick has Sydney. But I worry about Dylan. He’s too much like me. It’s hard for us stubborn Warrens to open ourselves to love, sometimes. The risk of getting hurt can be overwhelming.”
    “Don’t I know it.” James refused to let go of her hand. “You have no idea how hard it’s been to stop comparing myself to Andrew. Hell, even I loved the guy. He was larger than life and had such a big heart.”
    “And he’d love the fact that you and I are together.” Barbara smiled through tears. “I do love you, James.”
    “Oh, honey. I love you too.” He kissed her, and she was so full of affection she didn’t know what to do with it. “Don’t worry about Dylan. I’m sure once he’s had time to adjust to us, as well as coming to the practice, he’ll love the idea as much as we do. Besides, he is your son. Giving him the majority of the business should appeal to his need to control.”
    She laughed. “Are you saying I’m bossy?”
    “Hell yeah.” He smiled, satisfaction clear in his sky-blue eyes. “But I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

Chapter Two
    Harper sat in his truck, wondering if the sexy doctor would stand him up. He didn’t think he’d ever forget that look Dylan had first shot him. That same speculative glance Harper had once wasted on Derrick, before he’d understood the man to be unavailable. Unfortunate, because everything about Derrick appealed to Harper.
    The guy liked sports, had a great sense of humor and the greenest eyes that Harper had ever seen. Harper didn’t go for muscle-bound jocks, though he liked manly men. Derrick had looks, personality and a good head on his shoulders. The guy was a gifted architect.
    And he liked women.
    Harper did too, on occasion. But he had a feeling Derrick would never swing his way. Dylan, on the other hand… He’d known Derrick had two brothers. Harper had met Gage a while ago. Gage and Derrick owned WCC—Warren Construction Company. They’d all worked on a few of the same projects before coming together to design the new city buildings under Natalie’s supervision. But Dylan had remained a stranger, a name on paper. The other brother who wore Derrick’s face. Who would have guessed the Warren twins could look so alike but be so different?
    Dylan had a calm confidence about him that attracted attention. Handsome and refined, he made Harper want to tie him up, to plumb his depths and see what really made a man that fine tick.
    To see Dylan regarding him with mutual attraction had floored him. So hell yeah he’d blackmailed the guy into dinner.
    A glance at the large plantation house on the outskirts of town made him smile. Harper couldn’t wait to introduce Dylan to the club, a fine dining experience that promised so much more than good food and drink.
    A familiar green SUV pulled up alongside him, and then the real Dylan Warren exited the truck and shut the door. Dylan wore tan pants, a white button-down shirt and a navy blue sports coat. For this Dr. Warren, Harper would gladly lie down on a couch and confess his deepest secrets. Truth be told, he didn’t have a lot of drama. No skeletons, and he’d happily come out