For The Love Of Sir (Doms of Decadence 3)

“What did you do then?” Alex was horrified by her father’s behavior. How could he do that to his daughter?

“Got a job and saved money for college. When I had enough saved I enrolled and still worked part-time. Once I graduated I found a job I loved. Didn’t pay great but it was enough. I had this cute little apartment and things were going well. Then the bastard did the same thing to my brother.”

“He kicked him out?”

“My brother is gay. My father found him with his boyfriend. He was just seventeen. My father threw him out and my brother came to live with me. For a while we survived, then Ben got a scholarship for med school and well…”

“You gave up a job you loved for one that paid better and moved to that awful apartment.”

“Yeah.”

“What did your brother say about you moving into that apartment?” Alex couldn’t believe her brother would let her sacrifice so much for him.

“Oh, Ben doesn’t know why I moved or changed jobs and I never intend to tell him. It was my choice. He’s my brother.”

And she’d promised her dying mother she’d take care of him. How had he ever compared her to Simone? They were nothing alike.

“Well, you know you don’t have to work yourself to the bone anymore. I’m going to support Ben.”

She sat up and turned to look at him. Her face was fierce. “Oh no, you’re not.”

“Excuse me?”

“It’s bad enough that you already pay for everything else, I am responsible for my brother, not you.”

“And when we get married he’ll be my brother as well,” he told her with a frown.

Tara’s throat went dry. “When we what?”

“When we get married. Don’t get any ideas, this isn’t a proposal. When I propose it will not be in the bathroom of a hotel. But I am going to propose.” He tapped her nose. “And you’re going to accept, aren’t you?”

After a moment to recover from the shock, Tara smiled up at him. “You’re ordering me to say yes?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want you to think I’m with you for your money, like your ex.”

“Tara, I have to fight with you just to pick up the tab at a restaurant. You insist on going to work for Reagan, who will probably be more of a slave driver than Tim, instead of letting me support you. I have never thought that you were after my money.”

“I just feel like you already pay for everything.”

“I like looking after you and it’s about time you let someone else take care of you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re always the first to volunteer to help someone else. Even though you don’t have much money you always manage to give a sandwich to the homeless guy who hangs out down from the club.”

“You know about Tony?”

He nodded. “You ran yourself ragged working for Tim. He took advantage of you. You’re perfectly capable of supporting yourself and I know that. But you do need me. You need me to make sure that you’re looked after, that you’re a bit selfish and do things for yourself.”

Alex needed to be needed. Was that why he’d married his wife? Because she’d acted like she needed him. Then he’d realized all she needed was his cash.

“You’re right. I do. I need you. No one has ever worried about me or taken care of me when I was sick since my Mom died.”

“She sounds like she was a great person.”

“She w