“Sure fucking does,” he chuckles.
I guess it’s never too early for a glass of whiskey—not with all the happiness surrounding us. It’s almost like we’re fucking normal, instead of overrun with crime and drugs.
“Candy, bring me two glasses of whiskey, please,” I yell over my shoulder.
Hero’s eyes go wide. “When did you start saying please?”
I grit my teeth. Fuck, he noticed.
“Recently. I’m trying to be fucking nicer to people. Not everyone deserves my dick tendencies—or at least that’s what Keira says.”
I can tell Hero thinks it’s funny as hell, but he’s just as whipped and in love with his woman as I am.
Candy appears with two glasses of whiskey. I grab one and hand the other to Hero. He eyes me for a moment, waiting until Candy is out of earshot, then he lifts his glass for a toast.
“To being pussy whipped.” The shit eating grin is a permanent fixture on his face, and I can’t fucking believe I’m toasting to this.
I shake my head and raise my glass to his, and we clank them together. “To being pussy whipped.”
The whiskey burns my esophagus, blanketing my belly in warmth.
“Are you excited to be married?” Hero asks after downing his drink in one gulp. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. He’s still working for me, but not as much as before—and I understand why now.
I shrug. “It’s marriage. I doubt anything between me and Keira will change.”
“Do you love her?’
His question hits me right in the chest. I've never confessed to anyone but Keira how much she means to me. I don't plan on hiding it from anyone, but I don’t want to make it known either.
If hiding my feelings from everyone but her protects her, then that's what I'll do.
“Yes. At first, I wanted to hate her because she got under my skin and refused to listen to me.” I think back to how big of a pain in the ass she was.
God, she was a thorn in my side.
“Yeah, I can relate. Our women fight tooth and nail even when we’re trying to do the right thing by them.”
“That's what we should've toasted.”
Hero laughs. Then the ringing of my cell interrupts our conversation. My mood sours as soon as I see Xander’s name flash across the screen.
“What?” I growl, trying to sound as annoyed as possible.
Of course Xander completely ignores my attitude—which pisses me off even more.
“Damon, I need you to come to the mansion. We have some important matters to discuss, and you should bring Keira as well.”
It’s enough that he’s commandingme. Now he wants to tell Keira what to do as well.
My annoyance turns into anger. I hate that he has such a hold over me. I need to find a way out of this mess. But for now, it will be best to keep him happy.
“We’ll be there tomorrow night.”
“I would prefer you come today.”
He's not asking, he’s telling.
But I have something with Keira planned—something far more important than meeting my brother’s needs.
