Page 32 of Landry
"I don't know what you mean," she told him breezily, wrapping the cashmere around her. "You don't look too shabby yourself."
In fact, her brother looked sharp and very handsome in tan trousers and a navy blazer over a baby-pink shirt, opened to reveal his strong throat. His hair was brushed, the natural waves lying close to his scalp.
"Ready?"
He was still staring at her with a tiny frown pleating his brow. "I should send you back upstairs to put some clothes on."
Her brows lifted. "You're forgetting that I'm a grown-ass woman."
"Ass being the operative word," he muttered. "Yours is all but bared to the public. And I happen to be your big brother."
"All of five minutes," she reminded him.
"Still..."
He seemed to be deciding whether to exercise his five minutes of seniority, but when he just stood there, she simply sailed ahead of him and unlocked the door.
"Coming?"
Hissing out a breath, he walked toward her. "If you have men pawing you in that dress, don't expect me to come to your rescue."
"You'll always come to my rescue," she reminded him sweetly.
***
He was bored out of his mind and wishing he were anywhere else. In contrast, his sister was having the time of her life, flirting with some associates from New York. She was late. Where the hell could she be? He was about to take a drink from the glass of champagne when he heard a commotion at the entrance.
His mouth went dry as soon as she stepped into the crowded ballroom of the elegantly renovated hotel. What the hell was she wearing? He wondered furiously as he took in the outfit. He barely spared a glance at her brother before coming back to her.
His breath was strangled inside his chest as he continued to stare at her. If her intention had been to create a sensation, she had succeeded. Jealousy and anger vied for supremacy when he noticed the men practically licking their lips as she made her way further into the room.
Forcing himself to stay where he was, he lifted the glass to his lips and took a gulp, almost choking when she turned her back to speak to someone.
Christ Jesus! What the hell was she wearing? Damn her! How dare she leave her place wearing next to nothing. His fingers tightened on the delicate stem of the glass. He was about to march over to her and drag her from the room when he felt a hand sliding through the crook of his arm.
"Not a good idea, darling."
His head jerked toward his sister, who had a breezy smile on her lips. She was exerting enough pressure to give him pause. "Reporters and such, as well as our parents."
"You think I care?"
"I think you do not want to cause an ugly scene. You do not own her, and from the scowl on your handsome face, a scene iswhat you're going to cause. Besides, knowing Kady, I doubt she'd allow you to get away with it."
Hissing out a breath, he took another gulp of the champagne and tried very hard to calm down.
"She's almost naked," he muttered.
Kathy laughed softly, green eyes twinkling. "I happen to think the dress is classy and she wears it very well indeed." Her eyes skimmed over the woman's curves, and she could not prevent the envy she felt. "Why don't you calm down enough to have a normal conversation with the men from Texas? There's definite interest from Jack Hardy, with the big laugh and ugly scar at the side of his left cheek. Too much money and not enough sense. He wants to own 'a little ole piece of the airline.'"
Her perfect imitation of the man's Texas drawl had him grinning. He felt the tension draining.
"Why don't we let him?"
Feeling the relief coursing through her at his altered mood, she went on her toes and kissed his cheek. "That's the spirit."
Across the room, Kyle had been watching the scenario playing out and had read the expression on the man's face. He also knew his sister was deliberately not looking in Crenshaw's direction, which made it very obvious that she was trying hard not to.
Shaking his head, Kyle nodded to several women who were eyeing him. He wasn't interested. That is, not in them. Kathy Crenshaw caught his attention. He liked the look of her.
