Take Me Down (The Knight Brothers 2)

Chapter One

“Hey, handsome.” The pretty barista with green eyes and light brown hair leaned over the counter, giving Parker Knight a good glimpse of her ample breasts, peeking out from the deep vee of her black shirt.

Pity his dick wasn’t interested.

“What can I get for you today?” she asked, wriggling her eyebrows, obviously offering more than coffee.

Behind him, his brother Sebastian snickered.

“I’ll take a medium dark roast,” Parker said, ignoring his sibling.

As he ordered coffee only, silently declining her proposition, she flashed him a disappointed smile and turned around to make his drink.

“Come on, she’s cute,” Sebastian said as they walked to the counter where they would pick up their cups. “She looks about your age, she’s obviously into you. Would it kill you to give her the time of day?”

Parker shook his head. “I’m not interested and it wouldn’t be fair to her to make her think otherwise.”

Sebastian groaned. “Then who are you interested in? Because in the last couple of years, I can count on one hand the number of women you’ve been with.”

“Says the one-time player,” he muttered under his breath. “I didn’t know you were keeping track of my sex life.” With a roll of his eyes, Parker turned his attention to his phone, checking email until his name was called.

When he picked up his coffee, he noticed the phone number handwritten onto the cup and groaned.

Still laughing as they exited the shop, Sebastian turned to him. “Ready to meet with Ethan?”

Parker paused. “Not really.” Considering his oldest sibling, the one who ran their company, had been a raging asshole lately, why would Parker want to deal with him?

Granted, Ethan had his reasons. It had only been eight months since Ethan’s wife, Mandy, had passed away from an accidental overdose, and since then they’d discovered that not only had she been abusing drugs and cheating on Ethan, she’d also been stealing from the company to finance her habit. Ethan had taken the news hard and he was no longer the same person he’d once been. True, he’d never been Mr. Happy-Go-Lucky, but he’d never been quite the pain in the ass he was now.

“I hear you,” Sebastian said. “But it’s not like we have a choice, so let’s go. He called the meeting for nine a.m.”

A short while later, Parker and Sebastian had joined Ethan and their sister, Sierra, the company’s social media coordinator, in Ethan’s office.

Ethan sat behind his large mahogany desk, glaring at them as they entered. “You’re late.”

Sebastian glanced at his watch. “It’s a minute after. Calm your shit,” he muttered.

Parker glanced at his oldest sibling. As usual these days, Ethan’s appearance was a shock. He looked nothing like the man who used to come to the office, hair cut short and maintained monthly, expensive suits and ties befitting the executive he was. Now? His hair was long, overgrown … much like Parker’s had been in his skiing days, and he didn’t always wear a suit to work. Hell, sometimes he looked like he’d pulled out the first thing he’d laid eyes on in his closet and dressed.

“Come on, man, can’t you at least get a haircut?” The words were out before Parker could censor them.

Sebastian chuckled.

Sierra hid a grin behind her hand, which had a big-ass diamond on it along with her wedding band, having gotten married a few months ago to Sebastian’s best friend, Ryder Hammond.

“Bite me,” Ethan muttered with a scowl. Parker couldn’t tell if the look was due to his haircut comment or the fact that this had become his permanent resting dick face.

In another lifetime, Ethan would have laughed at the comment. For Parker, it was easier to joke than face the truth. Ethan looked exhausted and Parker’s heart squeezed in his chest, feeling bad for his brother.

“Sierra and I already went over a few social media concerns that I had. Sebastian, you have Keystone under control?”

“No issues,” Sebastian said.

Knight Time Technology supplied high-tech security for smart buildings and state-of-the-art corporate parks, and Keystone was a multimillion-dollar defense contractor establishing a new, secure headquarters in northern California. The same project Ethan’s now deceased wife had nearly lost for them because she’d been working with the supplier, using substandard material and pocketing the difference so she could support her drug habit.

The owner, Stephan Romano, had given them a chance to fix the problems, and when they’d come through, thanks to Sebastian, he’d given Knight Time Technology the contract on other corporate headquarters he was building, as well.

“Good. Parker.” Ethan met his gaze. “I need you to go to Denver to scope out a place for our annual corporate retreat. We’re going to the mountains this year. Jenna had an appointment to tour the lodge and see its amenities but she was rushed into emergency gall bladder surgery so she can’t make it. I know it’s not your normal job but we could use someone with the knowledge of ski resorts to make a decision. That’s you.”