“Marcus,” I growled in the general direction of my phone, stalking through the luxurious front room of the suite and flinging open the double doors leading into the bedroom and adjoining bath to check for any unexpected surprises.
Empty, thank fuck.
“I can’t hear you,” Marcus lied, the singsong cadence of his voice coming through loud and clear from my phone’s speaker… making it a sure bet that he absolutelycouldhear me.
I glared at him—well, in the direction of my phone—with my hands on my hips. “What did you do?”
“I’ve left you a party favor!” Marcus answered gleefully, the club beat in the background kicking up another notch. “All the guys are getting one tonight, but I knew you’d want to stay in, so I arranged to have it delivered. Are you up in your room yet?”
He snickered.
I frowned.
“I’m here,” I said, my eyes narrowing as I turned to scan the luxuriously appointed suite again. Nothing looked out of order. Plush furniture, a large gift basket on the table by the door, a small kitchenette area off to the side, and what appeared to be a balcony outside a set of sliding glass doors. Standard fare.
“Perfect,” Marcus said as drunken laughter sounded behind him, then suddenly quieted along with the music as if he’d stepped out of the club for a moment. “You know I love you, Damien,” he added.
My brow crinkled, and I walked back to the table I’d tossed the phone on, staring down at it. I did know he loved me. We were family. But he’d sounded sober and serious when he said it, which wasn’t at all like the reckless baby brother I’d looked out for all my life. Something was up.
“You deserve to have good things,” he went on, “To be happy, you know? Especially after what that bitch put you through.”
“Thank you,” I said, feeling a flash of guilt at his sincere words. I cleared my throat, suddenly glad I’d come. Marcus was the one person who knew my marriage had been a sham from the start, and he also knew all the ways Kiera had guilted me into not ending it sooner.
I really shouldn’t be so suspicious of him. If he wanted to send me up some outrageous trinket to commemorate my newfound freedom, that was fine. Sweet, even.
“You’re welcome,” he said, right back to sounding far too cheerful and more than a little bit smug. “But I also know you, Damien. Even now that you’re free, you’re not going to admit what you really want, are you? Much less go out and get it? At least, not without a little... push.” He snickered again. “But don’t worry, big brother. I’ve got you.”
I pinched the bridge of my nose. Okay, I should definitely be suspicious. This was, after all, Marcus. “Please tell me you haven’t done something ridiculous.”
He gasped in mock outrage. “Moi?”
I sighed, then smiled in spite of myself. Of course he’d done something ridiculous. And since I knew he meant well, it wasn’t like I could actually be upset… even if whatever he had plannedwasvirtually guaranteed to disrupt my first night of rest and relaxation.
Actually, I reserved the right to be alittleupset. It remained to be seen. Although honestly, I had no idea what disaster-in-the-making he might have convinced himself constituted giving me something I’d want. I was wealthier than sin and could buy anything I was lacking for myself.
Maybe that wasn’t the point, though. Marcus had said this was something Iwouldn’tgo out and get for myself.
He prattled on for a few minutes about the plans he’d made for the upcoming week, but I frowned, too distracted by the question of what he might think I wanted to pay close attention.
I was at a loss. The only thing I’d actually wanted recently was to finally be free of my biggest mistake, and while divorcing Kiera had made a hefty dent in my portfolio—we’d had a miserable marriage from the start, but she’d still fought tooth and nail to keep the luxuries of our lifestyle—I’d never regret the cost. It was just money, after all, and what was that saying? Some things were simply priceless.
Now that it was finally done, though, and Kiera was out of my life for good, I…
Well, hell. The truth was, she may have been out, but I’d been so focused on making that happen that I’d never given any thought to what I wantedinmy life now.
But apparently Marcus had, which was both flattering and, with his track record, slightly frightening.
Have I mentioned his recklessness? Lack of impulse control? History of poor decision-making?
I sighed, the exhaustion suddenly hitting me hard. “I really need to get some rest, Marcus,” I said, cutting into his excited description of something involving bungee jumping that I definitely planned on missing later this week. “I appreciate the thought of… whatever it is you have planned for me, but I’mhonestly too tired for anything other than crawling into bed tonight.”
“That works,” Marcus said as the music behind him suddenly swelled in volume. He must have reentered whatever club he was kicking off his bachelor party with. “But while you’re there? Just remember, rest is totally overrated. For once in your life, just let yourself have a little fun, Damien. After all, I spent good money on your ‘party favor’—”
I rolled my eyes again, since the “good money” he’d spent was all thanks to me and the investments I’d forced him to make once he’d come into the trust fund our grandfather had left him. He had plenty, and I’d given strict instructions to the financial planner to offset his impulsiveness and make sure he always would.
“—and I picked it out special, just for you. So come on, big brother. Let loose for once and just enjoy it, you know?”
No, I didn’t know. Neither letting loose nor enjoying guilt-free pleasures were in my nature, and since I was pretty sure I heard Marcus snicker again—although it was hard to tell for sure over the club music—I wasn’t convinced that whatever this party favor of his involvedshouldbe guilt free.
