Loud knocking woke me. The kind of knocking that had been going on a while. Mateo opened his eyes every morning like he’d been electrocuted.
I was different. I wasslow. Rubi was already looming over my bed by the time I realised Mateo was gone.
“Morning.” Rubi grinned and took a seat, uninvited, in the cold space Mateo had left behind. “Cam called church. Half an hour.”
I rubbed my eyes, accepting Rubi’s outstretched arm to haul myself up, my gaze sliding to the door on instinct.
Where did you go?
The pull in my chest was painful.
And obvious.
Rubi read me so easily it was comical. “Mats rode out. Don’t know where or why, just that he’ll be back soon enough.”
“You don’t have to tell me what he’s doing. I’m not his mother.”
“Nah, because that would make this weirder.”
“Make what weirder?”
Rubi studied me as I stood, pulled a ripped T-shirt over my head, and searched around for socks.
Grinning, he produced a pair from behind his back.
I rolled my eyes. “Thanks,Dad. Any reason you’re babysitting me when there’s a thousand other things you could be doing?”
“Heard you took guard duty last night. Don’t kill me for giving a shit that you might be whacked out by the early start.”
“What makes you think I’d kill anyone, brother?”
A loaded question if ever I heard one, but Rubi was a boss man at making light of the worst things. Also, he didn’t know the answer. Only Mateo knew my motivation for murder.
You shouldn’t have told him.
Like a plug had come loose, disquiet flooded my gut. I rubbed my stomach and took a deep breath, but the cramp stayed, battling for dominance with the same bullshit thoughts I’d gone to sleep with while I’d waited for Mateo to come home from thetwo dayshe’d spent boning that girl in Porth Luck. The stunner with blond hair, great tits, and a perfect soft abdomen that didn’t have holes in.
Ouch.
It wasn’t an image I needed any day of the week, let alone while Rubi was still eyeing me.
I forced myself into motion and yanked on my socks, ignoring the instinct to shove Rubi away. He was hovering because someone—probably Cam—had asked him to. And I didn’t even mind that much. Rubi was easy to be around, as comforting to me as Mateo, but without the blurred lines. “Did Cam say why he wants us at the table so early?”
“Nash wasn’t specific. Just grouched at me not to let you be late.”
“I’m never late.” I found my toothbrush and pointed it at Rubi. “You’re the one obsessed with schedules.”
“You think anything would get done around here if I wasn’t?”
“I think organising the entire world distracts you from introspection.”
“Cheers, dude. I think it’stoo earlyto deal with you pulling your wordy professor act, so I’m out.”
Rubi rose, flashed me agood journeysalute fromMasters of the Universe, and left. A few minutes later, I saw him cross the yard to meet Alexei as he appeared from nowhere, as out of place among the beefy Harleys as my Triumph Tiger.
They talked. Rubi sent a pointed glance to my window and more agitation swept me. As much as I loved my president, he could fuck all the way off with getting RubiandAlexei to mind me. It wasmyjob to take care of people. Without it, what was I? An average bricklayer with the wrong kind of bike? A bisexual man who hadn’t let a bloke fuck him infiveyears?
The low simmer I could never seem to squash flared hot in my belly. Damn. I needed out of this room before my temper caught up with me in the worst way.
