Now, the two of us sat alone in Quinn’s office, the smell of food lingering in the air between us along with the tension. As we waited for Quinn, I wondered if Gavin would finally break.

“Where the fuck is he?” Gavin barked.

“Chill out. He’ll be here.”

“Don’t tell me to chill. Ever. I’m starting without him.” Gavin grabbed a container of noodles and filled his plate.

“I’m here, boys. Now play nice,” Quinn said as he came in and shut the door. I filled my own plate as he slid into the seat across from Gavin. “What’s your problem today?” Quinn asked him.

“Cooper’s smug,” Gavin said before helping himself to a forkful of pad thai.

“No, I asked what your problem was. Cooper being smug is Cooper’s problem,” Quinn said.

“I don’t have a problem then.”

“So, this is about Emma,” Quinn said.

“Yes,” I answered as Gavin gave a resounding, “No.”

When Quinn and I said “liar” in unison, a deeper scowl formed on Gavin’s face. He looked down at his plate, digging in once again.

“Gavin’s been flying solo a long time,” Quinn said. “Seems to me he really likes Emma and doesn’t want to admit it to us.”

At that, Gavin rolled his eyes, then glared at me. “What happened with Emma last weekend?”

Quinn and I looked at each other, both in shock at the very revealing question. Gavin did like her. More than he was letting on.

Shit.

It was what I wanted. Or, part of me did, at least. But I couldn’t deny I was getting attached to little Emma Bell myself.

“We went out, I brought her back to my place, she got undressed and enjoyed my spa tub . . .”

Gavin was hanging on my every word as Quinn shot me a stern look of warning.

Suddenly, Gavin let out a muttered snarl and pushed his unfinished plate across the table, then stood and left the room.

Quinn shook his head at me. “Why’d you have to do that, Coop? You know he has a harder time with this stuff than you. You win women over all the time, and you know he’s been alone for a long time now. Maybe this is the one for him.”

I hated when Quinn was right. And, damn it, I knew Emma wanted Gavin too, even though he wasn’t treating her the way she deserved.

But I loved my brother. At the end of the day, what I wanted most was to see him happy.

I released a heavy sigh and stood to follow Gavin, who’d retreated to his office. Alyssa eyed me as I passed her desk and knocked on his door.

“Go the fuck away, please,” Gavin called back.

I opened the door and closed us inside his office. “Do you like her or not? Tell me now, last chance.”

“Nope. She’s all yours. You’ve already had her, anyway.”

“So if I didn’t have her already, do you like her?” I demanded, clenching my fists at my sides. If only he knew what this was costing me, maybe he’d show one ounce of appreciation.

“No.” Gavin looked into my eyes without blinking.

“All right, then.”

Gavin creased his brow at me. “But I like how she handles herself as an escort, so I may still take her out sometime.”

Liar. As if we didn’t have a host of professionals who would suit him just fine.

If I didn’t know it before, I was starting to understand that Gavin was even more damaged that I’d ever assumed. After growing up without a mother’s love, all I desired was love, intimacy, and affection at the end of a long day.

But Gavin craved control—plain and simple. Because if he was calling the shots, he could never get hurt.

We were totally different, but there was no question we were headed for a collision course—and soon—when it came to Emma Bell.

And something told me that one of us was going to find ourselves in a world of pain.

Chapter Twenty

Gavin

It had been five days since I’d last seen Emma, and every second seemed to tick on for an eternity.

In all the time we’d been apart, I’d tried to focus on my work, tried to look for new marketing opportunities and ensure the girls and clients were happy. But I couldn’t.

Instead, I spent my time brainstorming lists of all the reasons these five days were a good thing, a cleansing experience. There was no doubt I was getting in over my head, and if I sank any deeper, I knew where it would lead—to the one place I wouldn’t, couldn’t go.

But knowing that didn’t make life any easier.

I would close my eyes at night and see her sapphire gaze looking back at me in my dreams. I would climb into the shower, then imagine her . . . writhing beneath my touch.

Damn, I was losing it.

Gritting my teeth, I closed out the document I’d been working on and pinched the bridge of my nose.

If Cooper wanted her so bad, then why had he practically wheedled me into agreeing to see Emma in the first place? No, if anyone deserved to be with her, even if it was only for a brief while, it was me.

It was my fingers she’d ridden to the brink of ecstasy in the back of my limo. My name on her lips when she’d begged for more.

It wasn’t just that I wanted to see her. It was that my palms itched whenever I merely thought about touching her smooth skin. My heart pounded when I thought about her smile. I breathed deeply just thinking about that light, sweet scent on the air around her. It was a craving that needed to be satisfied.

And there was only one way I’d be able to fulfill the need.

“Fuck it.” I shoved out of my desk chair and pulled my phone from my pocket. Shooting off a few quick texts, I prepared myself for the date I’d always wanted with Emma—no business, no awkward small talk. Just the two of us, someplace private.

When the arrangements were in place, I took a deep breath and dialed her number. The phone only rang twice before she picked up.

“Gavin,” she said, slightly breathless.

“What are you doing today?”

The long pause on the other end of the line told me she was more than a little surprised I was calling.

Welcome to the club.

“I was going to do a little more work on my house today.”

“Can you hold off for another day?”

“I . . .” She hummed and then cleared her throat. “I might be able to—”

“Good. I’ll be at your place in forty minutes.”

I hung up, and already, I could feel my pulse throbbing in my neck and my wrists, just at the thought of seeing Emma again. I quickly I made my way to my limo, instructing Ben about our plans for the day before speeding off on our first errand.

By the time I got to Emma’s place, I was still ten minutes early, but I didn’t care. I walked up her newly repaired stoop, noticing the new planters at the sides of the top step, then rapped on the door with quick, decisive knocks.

It only took a second for the door to open, and I forced myself to swallow hard.

Emma was stunning. Not just in the way she always was, but in a way that was simpler, more herself, no gown or high heels in sight. She had left her hair loose and wavy around her shoulders, and was wearing a casual off-the-shoulder top paired with cut-off jean shorts so enticing, I had to force myself not to stare at those curvy hips.

“Am I dressed okay?” she asked. “I wasn’t really sure what to—”

I held up a hand to stop her. “You look perfect. Now, come on. We have people waiting on us.”

“We do?” She furrowed her brow, but only paused for a moment before locking the door behind her and following me down the steps to the car. “Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise. But hopefully a good one.”

I opened the door for her and she slid inside, giving me a peek of that heart-shaped ass as she ducked into the car. Quickly, I slid after her and closed the door behind us before Ben pulled out into traffic.

“Where are we going?” Emma asked once we were settled.

“You’re going to love it.” I grinned, though I didn’t reveal anything else until Ben finally arrived at the helipad.

“A helicopter?”

I barely caught her words as we stepped from the car onto the wide space, the air around us gusty. The whirring blades left no question about why they called it a chopper.