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Work is closed and we don’t have to answer to you.

We?

Goddammit. Little shits are ganging up on me.

Deciding to give it a rest for the night, I flop onto my back in bed and seethe at the ceiling, visions of Shilo and whoever this Carpenter guy is flitting through my head. I know I deserve this, but it still pisses me off. Every night for the last week, I’ve thought of nothing else but having him again, and my cock is aching for it.

Maybe that’s the problem. You want to fuck him, not keep him.

With a frustrated growl, I roll over and press my face into the pillow, willing my mind to shut the fuck up so I can sleep.

Tomorrow. I’ll make it up to him tomorrow. For now, let him be angry. My little doll can’t avoid me forever.

Ryann

It turns out that Shilo can avoid me forever. And is hellbent on doing it, too.

Not once in four days has he texted me back. With work being closed until Monday, I haven’t been able to see him, either, and it’s pissing me off. It pisses me off that I’m pissed off.

Standing in front of the mirror in my closet, I scowl at my reflection as I adjust the silver cuff-links on my sleeves, ensuring my sleek black suit is pressed and wrinkle-free. There’s no hair out of place, my green silk tie shimmering, and my dress shoes are shined to perfection. Just the way my father expects it. We have appearances to keep up, after all, and God forbid my fucking pocket square be one inch too far to the right.

Heaving a sigh, I dial up Declan as I fasten a Rolex from my collection onto my wrist. He answers on the third ring.

“Happy Turkey Day, brother,” he snickers, sounding muffled, but I’m not in the mood for jokes today.

“When will you be at the Manor?”

A beat of silence follows. “The Manor?”

“Yes. Thanksgiving dinner at Dad’s, remember?”

There’s a harsh swear on the other end, and my brows shoot up as I flick off the closet light and stride back into my room.

“Shit, Ry. I forgot to tell you. Paige decided it’s time for me to meet her parents, so I’m having dinner with them instead.”

I freeze in the hallway, hand hovering over my office door handle as my chest tightens. “Does Dad know?”

“I sent him an email,” Dec says quickly. “He wasn’t happy about it, but gave me his blessing.”

Of course, he fucking did.

Instantly deflating, I slump against the wall as I reach up to rub my forehead furiously. As if tonight wasn’t bad enough, now I’ll have to endure the entire charade alone—surrounded by people I barely know, nodding through pointless small talk, and pretending to care about Ronin’s wife, who’s somehow younger than both of us.

“You’re mad, aren’t you?” My brother’s voice cuts through the spiraling thoughts, and I grit my teeth, letting my head fall back against the wall with a dull thud.

I don’t answer. I don’t need to. He can probably hear me silently pleading through the phone, begging him not to leave me to deal with this shit alone.

“Look,” he says after a moment, “why don’t you come with me?”

Straightening away from the wall, I frown at the phone as if Declan can see me. “To Paige’s house?” Shilo’s house.

“Yeah, why not? I’m sure they won’t mind. You’re my twin. We’re a package deal.”

An unfamiliar yearning stirs in the pit of my stomach, and suddenly, there’s nothing I want more than see Shilo in his natural environment, surrounded by his family. He won’t expect to see me, either, which makes the idea more appealing.

Clearing my throat, I pretend to deliberate, even though I’ve already decided. “Dad will flip if I cancel this close to dinner.”

My brother scoffs. “So what? He’ll get over it.”