Recluse (Wolfes of Manhattan 2)

“Oh. Yeah. What time is it?”

“Five o’clock.”

“Five? Why did your alarm go off at— Oh, shit! That’s right. I have to go to Montana with Rock. I have to get home. Pack. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.”

“Relax. We can buy whatever you need once we get there.”

“But I should look professional.” She bit her bottom lip. “I still have the suit I wore yesterday in the car. I changed at work before I— Wait. What do you mean we?”

“New plan. I’m going with you instead of Rock.”

“But you don’t work for the company.”

“I do today.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Nothing to understand,” I said. “I’m helping out.”

Did she look disappointed? Did she want me to admit I was going because I didn’t want her traveling alone with my brother? Didn’t want to have her out of town where I wouldn’t see her? I couldn’t tell.

Finally, she said, “But I don’t have any of my sundries.”

“Which you can find at any drugstore.”

“But I use a special cleanser. I have really sensitive skin—”

I placed two fingers over her beautiful lips. “We’ll find it. We’ll find everything you need, and I personally will make sure nothing harms your beautiful skin.”

“But—”

“Everything will be fine. Trust me.”

“Lacey was supposed to give me the details.”

“Check your email. She probably did.”

“Of course. What did I do with my purse?” She hopped out of bed, her breasts swaying gently against her chest.

Yeah, I was rock hard.

But we didn’t have a lot of time.

Then again, I didn’t need a lot of time.

“Come back to bed for a minute,” I said.

“No way. We need to get out of here.”

“I’m not sure you heard me,” I said. “Get the fuck back in bed.”15CharlieHad I heard him right?

It was the same voice with the same deep timbre.

But his words weren’t kind. They were demanding. A little bit of a turn-on, but very unlike Roy Wolfe.

I walked backward until I hit a chest of drawers, the handle of one of the drawers clawing into my back.

“I’m sorry,” he said immediately. “I didn’t mean that to sound—”

“Okay… But we have to get moving.”

“So we don’t take off on time. It’s a private jet. No big deal.”

“But it’s my job!”

He didn’t get it. Roy had been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. But I wanted to keep this job.

“Your job is safe. Lacey loves you.”

“I want her to continue to love me for me. Not keep me around because I’m sleeping with the CEO’s brother.”

“The CEO who happens to be her husband.”

This wasn’t the Roy I thought I knew. Then I laughed aloud. I didn’t know him. We’d met exactly forty-eight hours ago. This was crazy.

For a minute, I’d allowed myself to think this could be a fantasy love-at-first-sight story like Rock and Lacey’s.

I was wrong.

Rock was who he was. He didn’t hide himself from anyone. He came in like a bull in a china closet, made all the waves he could, and didn’t apologize for any of it. From what I’d heard in the old office that first day, he was that way in the bedroom as well.

Roy?

Roy was a puzzle.

The soul of an artist and the beauty of a Renaissance sculpture…but something wasn’t adding up.

Did I want to know what it was?

Did I?

I exhaled slowly. Last night I’d been fancying myself in love with him. Oh, I hadn’t allowed myself to think the words, but that was where I was headed. I’d known it at the time, just hadn’t wanted to form the words in my head.

I had to slow down.

Way down.

Of course, getting on a private jet with him and flying to Montana wasn’t exactly the way to do that.

But I didn’t have a choice.

It was my job.

“Silver…”

“What?”

“You just haven’t said anything in a few minutes.”

I nodded. Time to get serious. “You might not take this seriously, but I do. This is my job, and I want to do the best I can. I plan to be at the private terminal on time, preferably a little early. What you do is up to you.”

“They won’t take off without me.”

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll be on time no matter what. I want a good report to go back to Lacey and Rock.”

He smiled. “You’re something.”

“Is that a compliment?”

“Your work ethic. It’s wonderful. I actually share it—when it comes to my real work. My art.”

“This is just as important as your art right now,” I said adamantly. “If we don’t solve this case, one of you is going to go down for your father’s murder.”

“None of us offed the bastard.”

“I know that. I believe you. But the cops want someone to pay for this, and if we don’t find out who did it—or at least prove you and your siblings didn’t—it could happen.”

Chills rushed through me at the thought. Roy was big and strong, but he wouldn’t fare well in prison. Rock and Reid would do okay, but Roy? There was a vulnerability about him, something I didn’t want to see tainted.