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Laith walked into his brother’s home office and eyed his twin. Rafi was staring out the window, looking…odd.

“What’s going on?” Laith demanded. Grimacing, then sighing with resignation when Aida jumped up from the floor by Rafi’s feet, Laith reached down and scratched behind the fluffy non-guard dog’s ears.

“You’re an idiot. You know that, don’t you?

” he asked the dog. Aida merely grinned his doggy smile, happy that someone was petting him. He had simple needs, that one.

At the sound of his brother’s voice, Rafi swung around, offering his brother a smile as Laith brushed the fur from his hands.

“Not much,” Rafi replied, referring to his twin’s first question while ignoring the others.

He walked back to his desk, shifting some papers around while Laith threw himself down in the leather chair in front of Rafi’s desk.

“You look lovelorn.” Aidi’s big head rested on Laith’s thigh, his tail thumping cheerfully against the carpet.

Rafi rolled his eyes and gave up trying to find the contract that he didn’t really care about. He stared at his brother, contemplating telling him about Carys. He and Laith hadn’t ever kept secrets from each other. They had kept many secrets from the rest of the family, but never from each other.

And yet, for some reason, Rafi was hesitant to tell Laith about the woman who had rocked his world.

“I’m fine,” he finally replied.

“Yeah, that’s a lie.” Laith crossed his legs, his ankle resting on his knee while he continued to scratch the dog’s ears. “Are there problems in Rome?”

Rafi sighed, leaning back in his chair. “No, I was able to sort everything out there, although I think that we should close the factory in Cambodia. If we move operations to Vietnam, we’d have better shipping options. Plus, the–”

“Stop it,” Laith ordered firmly, then leaned forward, ignoring the attention-hound’s whine.

“I have a team working through the financial details. The company was in worse shape than we realized, but with our combined efforts, the sales have already started to turn around. I love the ad campaign ideas you sent me. They are brilliant.” He paused, looking at Rafi’s features.

“But you’re not worried about business issues.

” He tilted his head slightly. “What’s really going on? ”

Rafi stared at his brother, noticing he wore a blue dress shirt and charcoal slacks.

Rafi had donned a blue shirt in a slightly darker shade and similar charcoal slacks.

No, they hadn’t coordinated their outfits.

They were so alike, it was spooky sometimes.

And that’s why he recognized the signs of frustration in his brother’s eyes.

He understood and, oddly, was relieved that his twin was experiencing romantic challenges too.

He blurted, “You’ve met someone and you’re struggling to convince her that things can work out.”

There was a long silence while both brothers silently appreciated their deep connection. The silence was broken by Aida who sighed dramatically and wandered out of the room in search of more productive hands.

Slowly, Laith nodded, a frown forming. “Yeah,” he replied, leaning back again. “So what? Andi’s beautiful, intelligent, and absolutely amazing. She’ll eventually allow our relationship to go public. Only, I’m her boss and she has…concerns.”

Rafi grinned, happy for his brother. “Andi, huh?”

“Andrea, actually,” he replied with a frustrated tone. Then he perked up, leaning forward. “She’s…gorgeous!” Laith replied, smiling softly. “And funny and sexy and…everything. She’s the whole package.”

Rafi’s grin slowly faded to a thoughtful frown as he thought about Carys. She was all of that and so much more. The way she touched him, her smile, and…just every damn thing about her.

He rubbed a hand over his face, then sighed heavily. “I’ve met someone too.” He leaned back, resting his head on the back of his chair as he looked up at the ceiling. “She’s amazing. So creative and hot and…just a good person.”

“Congratulations!” Laith replied and Rafi didn’t hear even a hint of jealousy in his brother’s tone. “What’s the problem?”

Rafi shrugged. “I don’t know, exactly.”

“That sounds mysterious.”

Rafi thought about the situation for a moment, then nodded. “Yeah. It’s mysterious. Something happened in Carys’s past and she’s…wary. But she’s sweet and kind and…just so amazing that I can’t fathom who could have hurt her so deeply.”

“Everyone has a past,” his brother pointed out.

“Yeah, but some people are more hurt by their past than others.”

Laith’s eyes narrowed. “This is more than just a fling?”

After a pause, Rafi nodded. “Yeah,” he replied, nodding his head for emphasis. “I like her. She’s just…!” He tried to think of a single word to describe Carys. “Special,” came to mind.

“I get that,” Laith replied. “So, what are you going to do about it? We’re neck deep in this company’s mess right now. The financials are a catastrophe, the marketing…well, you’ve got that under control. Employee morale is in the dumps and the executive staff are fighting us every step of the way.”

Rafi’s frown lightened into a grin. “So, we have a few problems. The products are exceptionally good. You and your lady are rooting out the embezzlers, finding the corrupt vendors, and fixing the factory issues. I’ve been working with the legal team to renegotiate the most egregious contracts.

” It was a relief to think about business instead of wondering what to do about Carys.

Laith agreed. “It’s still going to take at least a year to get things back on track. Two years to see a profit.”

“When have we ever turned away from a challenge?” he teased.

Laith laughed. “Never. So, what are you going to do about your lady?”

There was a pause, then Rafi grinned. “Figure her out,” he replied with a shrug. “It’s the only thing I can do. Because I can’t give her up.”

Laith poured himself a scotch, then filled his brother’s glass. “I guess we’re in the same boat.”

The brothers clinked glasses, laughed at the absurdity of their lives mirroring each other’s yet again, then got back to work.