Page 56 of Love By Design

I needed something stronger than water to get through the rest of this meal, the rest of my day.

“We tell them both on Friday,” I suggested. “I’ll just be available for Smith after. And you can talk to Finn if he needs anything.”

“Less than ideal, but it works.”

“There is no ideal here, Hunt.” I shifted my weight to get my wallet, and Hunter was protesting before I’d managed to even get fingers around my cash. I wasn’t like our dad in a lot of ways, but only some of them. “No arguing,” I told him, throwing two twenties down onto the counter between our bowls.

“Sorry to drop this on you.” He stood up, rolling his head around his neck until he got the crack he was after. “But thank you for lunch.”

“Thank you for being the point of contact.”

I slid my wallet back into my pocket and walked with my brother to the door. Back outside, the sun was bright, the sky was clear, and everything was as it had been before I’d walked inside and had my world turned upside down.

Another brother.

Fuck.

“Before you go, though,” Hunter said, mouth pulling into a smirk. “Do you want to tell me about your boyfriend?”

“I don’t have a—” The protest died in my mouth, and his smirk turned into a very knowing smile.

“Finn told me all about it.”

“It’s new,” I muttered.

“He’s young.”

I exhaled, threading my fingers together at the back of my head. I arched my back, inches away from staring up into the sun and blinding myself completely. Maybe things would be easier that way.

“Does Smith know?” Hunter asked.

“It’s too new for any of you to know, but Finn is Finn.”

Hunter pulled his car keys out of his pocket, pressing the fob and unlocking his black BMW. “You can’t tell him both things at the same time, you know.”

“I know.”

I didn’t like the idea of lying to Smith, but Hunter wasright. Smith could maybe handle the addition of a new brother, if it was a good day, or he could handle finding out that I was finally in a relationship with someone—closer to his age than mine. There didn’t seem to be a way where both could be delivered at the same time without feelings getting hurt or wires getting crossed.

“Drew first.”

I nodded my agreement.

“See you Friday.” He gave me a two-finger salute, and I stayed on the sidewalk, watching the taillights on his car until he turned a corner and was out of sight.

With a reluctant groan, I started the short walk back to the office, cursing my father and cursing myself. I’d spent the whole morning practically begging for a distraction from Silas, and the universe had delivered in the most dramatic fashion possible.

Back at the office, I flipped open my laptop and stared at the calendar. I didn’t have much time left to finalize and return the proposal for the Cahuenga Pass project. There was no question I’d win it, especially if Silas wasn’t going to redo the work his father had insisted on butchering out of the gate. There wasn’t anything else for me to do with the numbers or the design.

It could wait until tomorrow. I’d give it one final review and then send it off.

I’d celebrate with my brothers on Friday about it, a counter to the news Hunter was going to drop on the rest of them. That would be a fair enough balance, I hoped. And then if all went well, I would see Silas on Saturday. I would get to kiss him again, get to tie him to something uncomfortable, and fuck him again.

But it was so much more than that now. For both of us. I would be able to feed him again, serve him dessert again, wash thefolds of his thighs with soapy fingers, and maybe make him come in the shower. The list of things I wanted to explore with him was never-ending, and daydreaming about them was the only thing that would get me through the monotony of my workdays.

Dropping my cell phone onto my desk, I opened up my messages app and fired one off to Silas, not sure if he would have time to reply immediately or if it would have to wait. I didn’t imagine Stanley was a fun boss to have, and I was relatively sure he made Silas work through lunch most days.

You distracted me last night with that tight, wet throat of yours. We need to talk more about the non-sexual things. I can’t stop thinking about you. About all of it.