“You two behave,” Dacian jabbed a finger at them both. “We have Starling representatives due…” he checked his wristwatch, “in ten minutes.”
Ledger nodded. “Yes, that’s why I’m here. I wanted to know which room you would normally use for the tasting. I’ve picked several bottles from varying price ranges. I’ve left them out on the counter at the main reception.” The all-business voice just made Thorn’s arousal increase.
Dacian stepped between Thorn and Ledger, hooking a hand under Ledger’s elbow and guiding him to the door before Thorn could act on his impulses.
“I’ll show you,” said Dacian, not sparing Thorn a look.
“Hey, get your hands off my dhampir,” Thorn growled, but before he could give chase, Calvert took hold of him in a bear hug.
It’s fine, he’s your brother, so behave. I have work to do.
Ledger’s reassurance did squat. Calvert used all his strength to hold Thorn while he struggled, glaring at Calvert. He felt a twinge of discomfort from Ledger at how badly he was behaving, but chose not to respond to him.
“Get off me!” he shouted in frustration at seeing his brother and Ledger disappear into the winery.
“No. Think for fuck’s sake! He’s yours.You do not need to go all cave manevery time someone gets close to him. Ledger wants to work. We employed him to do a job. One he’s qualified to do and, from what I’ve seen, doing well. He’s going to get real pissy if you keep acting this way. You’re being too controlling—clingy.”
Thorn stopped fighting as the words sank past the anger at not getting what he wanted. “I’m not clingy or controlling!”
Was he?
You are. Please let me do my job.Ledger didn’t sound too annoyed, which helped—a little.
“You are. And I get it. We only experience the feelings you have for him secondhand, but they still explain this erratic behavior. It’s hard on all of us, especially Ledger, so can you just cool it… for all our sakes?” He gave Thorn’s arms a squeeze before letting go, when he gave a stilted nod. “Now, do you have the order information for River’s? They rang earlier, asking to add several more cases of our special blend.”
It took a few seconds for Thorn to feel certain he wouldn’t run after Dacian. Once he was sure, he returned to his desk. “I do. Hang on.”
He switched on his computer and went into his files, frowning as he scanned the information. “They’ve already ordered ten cases.” He glanced up at Calvert. “Seems a bit odd that they’ve doubled their order. Have they got company staying with them?”
Calvert shrugged. His suit jacket was missing, so the movement showed off the broadness of his back. He was much wider in the chest and back than Dacian. It was the one noticeable difference between them. “No clue. River was insistent that it came in this order.”
Made to order, the special blood wine they created needed careful handling to ensure it remained as fresh as possible on delivery. That meant they couldn’t bottle it until the day the courier came to collect it. It wasn’t an inconvenience to add to an order; it was just unusual for their regular customers to increase their order by such a large amount.
Thorn made a note on his file to monitor the situation. His senses suggested something was amiss, but he’d need to see River to know for sure.
“What are you picking up?”
Calvert’s question brought his gaze from the computer screen as he typed the note on the file. “Not sure, but something feels off about this.”
The sound of cars drawing to a halt outside the building had him close the file, lock the computer and rise to come around the desk.
Calvert’s sigh was all frustration. “Please behave.”
He would try. “Let’s see how much Ledger can fleece from the Starling representatives.”
Chapter Five
Ledger
Conflicted. It was the only way to describe how he felt when he wanted Thorn to chase after him but at the same time, wanted to be left to get on with his job.
An impossible situation that seemed to be worsening daily. The heightened senses that came from mating with a vampire left Ledger feeling things at an intensity he wasn’t used to. Giving how new everything still was, it was something he continued to grapple with.
He hadn’t gotten his way about starting work on the expected date, and if he was truthful, it hadn’t all been Thorn. They’d spent two weeks fucking and biting each other before Ledger had felt guilt creep in when they’d taken a break and left Thorn’s side of the house.
Thorn had wanted to show him around and they’d encountered Dacian and Calvert, though it was Dacian who bitched about dealing with clients. Ledger had understood Dacian’s frustration. They’d employed him to do a job, but he wasn’t doing it, so he put his foot down. Three weeks in, it remained a challenge to motivate himself to leave their bed. But Ledger was determined to show Thorn’s brothers he could do what they were paying him to do. The fact they were already paying him weekly for work when he hadn’t started was yet another bone of contention.
He chose to block out the confrontation he’d just had with Thorn and focused on collecting the bottles of wine and champagne he’d brought out of the cellar. He’d gone through past Starling orders to figure out what they might like. Dacian had let go of his arm when they were out of sight of Thorn. The brothers, it appeared, loved to wind each other up, and Dacian knew Thorn hated anyone touching him.
