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You are a professional. You know why you can’t sleep with a guest.
Fuck.
I can’t afford any mistakes here, nor can I afford to get distracted.
Still, I find myself struggling to move away from her.
With a great deal of difficulty, I sit down in one of the comfortable armchairs underneath the AC and pretend to scroll through my phone.
Danielle has one hand in her pocket. With the other she tugs on the shirt now plastered to her glistening, ivory skin.
Her tongue darts out to lick her lips, and my mind goes absolutely blank.
Shit.
No. You are not a teenager. Get it together, Adrian. Brian needs you, remember? This is about him, not you.
And it’s definitely not about the dark-haired goddess who offers me a smile on her way out. I remain rooted to the spot for a while longer until I’m sure I’m not going to go after her.
Slowly, I rise to my feet and go back to Maureen. She takes out a covered tray and wordlessly hands it over to me, offering her a distracted smile.
I duck out the adjoining door, pause in a carpeted hallway, and take a deep breath.
Once I make it out through the other door, I have my back straight, and my rehearsed smile in place.
Brian is on the bed when I come in, his hands linked together over his head. The TV is on mute in the background. Carefully, I set the tray down and clear my throat.
“You good?”
Brian sits up and exhales. “I appreciate you doing this, man. I know you’ve got shit to do…”
I hold a hand up. “It’s what brothers do. I am going to need you to put in the work, B.”
Brian stands up and removes the cover from the tray. He sniffs the sandwich and frowns. “I don’t like what you’re implying.”
“I’m not implying anything. I’m telling you. You’re not just here to learn. You’re also here so that I don’t have to keep cleaning up your messes.”
Especially because he always ends up right back where he started.
Every single goddamn time.
I don’t want my brother to drown in a sea of his own mess, but I also can’t save him from himself if he won’t help.
The cover drops to the floor with a clatter, and he twists to face me. “I never asked you to clean up my messes.”
“Not in so many words, but you’re still my brother. And you know as well as I do that if you don’t put in the work, you’re just going to end up going back to that life.”
Brian advances on me. “Oh, perfect little Adrian is pissed that I’m here ruining his precious ranch.”
He takes a swing at me, and I move to the side. Before his fist can connect with the wall, I twist it behind his back and push him against it. “Calm the hell down. This isn’t going to solve anything. I’m on your side. But I can only help you if you help yourself.”
Brian is breathing erratically and squirming against my grip. “Get the fuck off of me. I don’t need your help.”
I maintain my grip. “Yes, you do. You’re worth helping, Brian. I need you to know that.”
Without waiting for a response, I release him and take a step back.
His eyes are blazing, and his entire body is coiled and ready to pounce.
