Page 48 of Enemies with Benefits (Finding the Right Brother #1)

He glanced down at the book and shrugged, shoving a bookmark into it before setting it aside. "Even the chronically not romantic can appreciate some romance. Even if it's just from a book."

I searched and found I didn't have much to say to that.

It was obvious he wasn't the romantic type, but it wasn't like I could fault him for that, as I knew I didn't have a romantic bone in my body.

Not even enough to seek out a romance book.

It was a little weird to think of him seeking out that small bit of romance, even if it was just in the fictional sense, but it wasn't like I hadn't learned there was more to him than I expected or bothered to consider.

Probably because considering him in a broader scope, thinking of him with more depth and nuance than just a jackass who lived solely for himself.

..and to piss off other people, was dangerous.

People always liked to say familiarity bred contempt, which I had obviously experienced firsthand with my parents, but it bred other things too.

The kind of things that made it difficult to look at him with annoyance or dislike, the sort of things that made me peer around the room with open curiosity.

I had been to Moira's room years ago, and it hadn't occurred to me then that all the siblings probably still had their childhood rooms from when they'd grown up in the hotel.

The living quarters for the family had been sectioned off from the rest of the hotel, with only the family having the keys to access it.

They'd been the original hotel suites before being renovated.

So that meant every room in this part of the building had its own living space, a small kitchenette, a bedroom, and a bathroom as well.

I remembered Moira telling me once that she and Mason had once shared a two-bedroom suite, as had Milo and Dominic, but unlike the other two, she and Mason had eventually wanted one-bedroom suites of their own.

It had to be Mason's old space, though it didn't look untouched.

If asked, I would have envisioned something flashy and probably tacky for Mason, and from the looks of it, I would have been completely off base.

The couch I was on, the loveseat, and the armchair Mason sat in were all comfortable leather.

There were a couple of small pillows, comfortable rather than showy.

There were pictures on the wall around the entertainment system, which appeared to be musicians, DJs, and other performers.

There were paintings too, and while it was totally on brand for him to have a few nudes, they were still.

..tasteful. One near the bedroom showed a dark-haired, very naked man sitting on a balcony overlooking a city whose lights resembled stars, the expression on his face made something in my chest squeeze, and I looked away before I thought too hard about it.

"You brought me to your room," I said after a few minutes, realizing he was watching me carefully. Not wary or worried, just...careful.

"I did."

"Why?"

"I—"

His pause made me look at him and snort softly at the confusion on his face. “You don't know."

Annoyance flashed over his face, though I didn't know whether that was because he really didn't know or because I’d figured it out.

"I guess I don't. Seemed like the place to go.

Anywhere else in the building, and someone else could come in.

Housekeepers can walk into occupied rooms by accident, it happens.

But no one comes into our private rooms, especially staff.

And everyone in the family knows where we are, and they're not going to bother us. "

"Moira?" I wondered, remembering the way I'd practically flung her off when she'd tried to get me away from the bar.

He smiled a little at that. “She's madder than hell that you made her break one of her heels, but she's not hurt if that's what you mean."

She'd tried to lead me away from the bar, I remembered now. Probably to keep me from making more of a scene, but also because under all her attitude, she still cared about people. No one had been able to get me to calm down, at least until?—

"Micah?" I wondered.

"At school, so he didn't see anything, and I don't see the point in telling an eight-year-old."

"Right. Good call...thanks."

"I'd say that it's not about you. A kid doesn't need to know about that shit, which is accurate but...it might be because I know that the fewer people who know about that, the better."

"No point in trying to save my dignity. I think that's dead and gone."

"Dignity is overrated anyway."

"You've got an answer for everything, don't you?"

"Well, that's giving me more credit than I deserve."

I rolled my eyes, patting my pockets. "Where's my phone?"

"Charging. After it kept ringing for half an hour, I took it out of your pocket and answered it before plugging it in."

"Fuck. Kayden, I need to?—"

Mason raised a hand and shook his head. “It wasn't Kayden.

He called Moira to see if you'd come to the hotel.

I guess he figured there were only a few places you'd go.

She told him where you were, and he calmed down.

Moira texted me earlier to say he was here, but he wanted me to tell you you don't have to go 'tend to him' as he put it.

I guess he thought you'd be more worried about him than yourself. "

"I know I freaked him out," I said, wiping my face. "I wasn't supposed to take off on him, and that's exactly what I did."

"I don't think there's anyone who's going to pretend like you were in your right mind," Mason said with a shrug.

I looked at him. “What did he tell you guys?"

"All I know is that you were on a call, and that something involving a kid happened. That's the only details I was given, and honestly, considering what cops see on the daily, that's enough for me."

"Oh."

"And I'm not going to ask either, don't worry."

"Okay," I said, and found that against all logic and sense, I wanted to tell him. Not right now, but at some point. "Wait, who called then?"

"Ugh," he said, wincing. "Your captain."

My eyes widened. “What? What the fuck did you say to him?"

He scowled. “Oh, I don't know, that you were currently working on a week-long bender of booze, drugs, and hookers. I told him you were sleeping and that blowing up your phone wasn't going to get you up anytime soon...clearly."

"Ugh, there's no way he accepted that."

"He didn't."

"So?"

He sighed. “Do you really want to know what I said? It's just going to piss you off."

Great, what fucked up thing had he said? "Well, now I have to know."

"I told him that if he was any sort of decent captain, then he should be more worried about your well-being than whether or not you were awake to answer his phone call.

A call, probably meant to bitch you out more than anything else.

You were safe, in one piece, and you weren't going anywhere to do anything stupid, and that's all that should matter to him right now, he could deal with the paperwork and whatever issues arose on his own for now, since he was the one who signed up for the job he has.

I told him to treat it like one of his officers was down, and if he kept calling, I was going to shut your phone off.

He did this weird growling thing at me, and I told him that when you were up and ready to function, Kayden or you would contact him, and you could come in and deal with the fallout of whatever happened.

He called me a few names that I've been called before, and wanted me to tell you that if you're going to do something stupid today, do it where someone can keep an eye on you, then threatened me and hung up. "

"Threatened you?"

"Yeah. Said that if I let or made you do something stupid, he would make my life a shitshow.

I would have told him my life has been that way since I was a kid, but he hung up before I could.

Interesting guy. Kind of a prick, but I can respect that when he has to deal with people like you all the time. "

Well, I'd be pissed, but it was kind of hard to deny when I knew full well I'd given my captain plenty of trouble over the years.

Now I'd gone and added another layer to his already growing pile.

I'd always had a hard time keeping control when people endangered others, but now I'd really gone off the deep end.

It would be a miracle if the guy survived long enough to make it to trial, and that was if it didn't get thrown out because of what I'd done.

And that wasn't counting the fact that I'd assaulted that woman while she'd been handcuffed and not a threat.

"Quit," Mason muttered, pushing himself to the edge of his seat and staring at me. "Don't do that."

"Don't do what?" I asked, rubbing my face again with my aching hand, blinking when I realized it was wrapped in gauze. I didn't remember that happening, but I remembered more pain while I was at the bar. I must have hurt my hand, probably glass, from what I could remember.

"You wear your emotions on your face," he snorted, gesturing vaguely toward me. "And you're beating yourself up for whatever happened."

"I beat the shit out of two people who weren't threats," I muttered.

"Really?"

"Really."

"Because of whatever with the kid?"

Hate boiled through me again, clearing my head a little more as I remembered the blood. "Yes."

"Wow...okay."

I looked up. “Why do you sound surprised?"

He laughed. “Well, I'm not surprised you were acting out of defense or whatever for a kid, that’s right in line with what I've seen from you. I'm surprised because hearing you so pissed is weirdly a turn on."

I stared at him. “Seriously, right now?"