While I might be using her for my gain, I’ll keep her safe while we’re wed. That is a promise.
The elevator opens and I step in, pressing the button for my brother’s floor. The penthouse I’m moving into tomorrow has a private elevator that opens directly into the apartment, but Killian chose the floor below, wanting a hallway and a front door.
Which means that after I step out of the elevator, I had to walk past two other doors to knock on his.
But my knock is met with silence.
Are they sleeping? Killian is usually up all night, so it would surprise me if he were already in bed. Is he out?
I knock again.
“Who the fuck is at my door?” Killian barks, the sound of his voice carrying through the thick wood.
“It’s me,” I call back. “Open the door.”
It opens up a few second later, my brother in nothing but a small pair of briefs, his erection on full display. “This had better be a fucking emergency.”
Behind him, Chloe, his wife, appears, wrapped in nothing but a sheet. Her blonde hair is tousled, and her eyes shine bright with a slightly dazed expression like she was in the middle of very happy experience. “Is everything all right?” she asks, her breath still coming in short little gasps.
Jesus. No wonder Killian hardly leaves his apartment. I can smell the sex, feel the steam. For a moment, I’m actually jealous.
Not of Chloe. She’s cute and all, but not my type. But I do feel a twinge at what my brother has found. A woman that he loves so much, he’s completely devoted, and in return, she must be making him feel like the most virile man.
“I don’t know yet,” Killian growls, shifting to block Chloe from my view. Like I might be interested in his wife. Please. “But if Ryker doesn’t get to the point, what’s about to be wrong is the way I kick his ass all the way back to the elevator.”
I give him a half grin for that. “Go ahead and try.”
Killian is feared by most men. He’s got this dead stare that sets people on edge, and then there’s the fact that he’s a remorseless killing machine.
But in hand-to-hand combat, I kick his ass every time because I taught him most everything he knows.
“Go back to bed, Chloe. I’ll be right there,” he tosses the words over his shoulder before he turns back to me. “Why are you here, Ryker?”
I wait for Chloe to disappear and then I give my brother a level stare. “I need,” I pause, just so he feels the weight of the next words, “Katarina’s phone number.”
Killian’s eyes bug out. It takes a lot to catch my brother by surprise, but I have. “Are you fucking serious?”
“Trust me on this one, it’s better.” My brothers all agreed, since there was no backing out, it would be in everyone’s best interest for me and Katarina to get to know one another after the wedding. But plans have changed.
Killian cocks his head, giving me the side eye. “You’re planning something.”
No one knows me better than Killian. I’m a year and a few days older than him, which means we really grew up together. Coupled with both being our father’s least favorite sons…
Instead of addressing his accusation, I shift. “You ever get tired of being on the fringe of our family?”
“I like the fringe.” He shrugs. “And it’s gotten even better since I met Chloe.”
Can’t fault that. “This marriage is my move to raise my status.” I’m picking my words very carefully. “I’m not ruining my chances now. Promise.”
Killian stares at me, several seconds going by. For anyone who doesn’t know him, those silences are painful, and part of his power. But I’m used to them, know how to work them to my advantage, and even use his tactic on occasion. Which is why I wait.
Finally, he nods. “All right. Fine. Hang on.”
Internally, I crow with the victory.
But I don’t move, don’t make a sound as he goes back inside, and returns a minute later with a slip of paper.
I take it from his hand, giving him a wink as I turn to leave.
