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I chuckled and shrugged. “Yeah, you do that.”

They moved on and for the next hour they discussed surface level shit that could have waited for the annual meeting but that also didn’t mean they table a damn thing. The subject of investors kept working its way into the conversation. They pushed, we deflected. They hinted about new business ventures and we shut that shit down. Eventually they got frustrated and ended the meeting.

"We'll revisit this conversation," McCantas said, looking like he was ready to square up.

"Do what the fuck you want, but again, our positions aren’t changing," Ezekiel replied, not bothering to hide his own irritation.

The rest of them got up and were on their way to the door but Parker hung back while Ezekiel spoke with everyone else about the next meeting time.

"If you won't entertain our casino proposal then maybe I’ll look into that waterfront property instead. I hear it's quite promising."

My eyes narrowed on him, and in two steps, I had him backed against the wall but kept my voice low enough that only he could hear me.

"You fuck with her, you fuck with me. There are only a few people who you will not cross lines with. My family is at the top of that list, which you know, but you can now add Scotlyn. Unless you want to see a side of me my father never had, I suggest you forget her name and anything else you think you know about her."

Parker’s eyes narrowed. "Are you threatening me, Devereaux?"

I didn't respond. Instead, I stepped back, straightened my jacket, and gave him an arrogant but deadly smile.

"Give my regards to your wife, Parker. How is she these days?"

His face dropped.Fuck with mine, I’ll fuck with yours.

Message received.

Without another word I headed for the exit, tossing acknowledgment to Ezekiel when I passed. The look he gave me said he would follow up later.

The Collective was a gotdamn problem, but they had always been one. I damn sure wasn’t feeling their mention of Scotlyn. There was no way they should know about her, which meant someone was talking, or they were watching me more than I gave them credit for and neither was good.

The house felt different as I walked in. Everything looked the same but knowing she was here shifted something in me. I hadn’t decided if that was good or bad. Even before Cress married Elias, she traveled constantly with dance and had her apartment in the city, so she was never here. Jona spent more time with her friends than she did at the house and now she was on a gotdamn world tour; so it had been years since anyone other than staff spent time here. My wife hadn’t given a fuck about me; so it had been a long time since I came home expecting to find someone waiting for me.

But I knew she was…

I pushed the thought to the back of my mind because this wasn't permanent. Thirty days and no attachments.

After dropping my keys on the entryway table, I headed toward my wing of the house, curious to know if she'd settled in. No matter how many times I told myself it didn’t matter, I liked the idea of Scotlyn comfortable in my space. When I approached her room, Scotlyn’s voice was the first thing I noticed. Her door was partially open so I nudged it and paused in the doorway.

The bags Miles dropped off last night were on the bed and she was dancing around the room with AirPods in, completely unaware that I was watching. She lifted armfuls of clothes from a garment bag and disappeared into the closet, coming back out empty handed to repeat the process. Her moves on the way back to the bed were a little more defined and highly fucking amusing.

She sang some of the words while she worked her hips, hitting notes with confidence but the shit was terrible. I leaned against the doorframe, enjoying the performance with no urgency to disrupt her vibe.

When she grabbed one of the bedposts and threw her leg up, dropping a foot on the edge of the mattress, my dick joined the conversation. I was not mad at the way she rocked her hips with her head thrown back, completely unguarded.

Fuck.

Something about the way she moved was more arousing than seeing the women at Chapter House in less doing more and maybe that had to do with this not being for show or attention. She was just in her own zone, and as much as I was enjoying the moment, I wanted her attention on me. I crossed the room and placed my hands on her hips from behind.

She screamed and reacted quickly as hell. Her fist connected with my jaw before I could get out of the way.

"Shit!" I stumbled back and smiled, grabbing my face.

Scotlyn yanked out an AirPod and her eyes went wide. "Christian! What the hell?"

I rubbed my jaw, too damn impressed by the precision and power behind the punch to be upset. "Nice right hook."

"You can't just sneak up on people like that!" She glared at me, still breathing hard.

"Noted. I didn’t know you moonlighted as a boxer." I worked my jaw back and forth.