The pair are like night and day, but there’s no doubt they’re brothers. And now that Duke’s hair has grown, the familial connection between all three is obvious. Duke’s brothers wear half-hidden smiles similar to the one Duke had been fighting moments ago. Not that he’s smiling now.
Chapter 11
Duke
Icast a lethal glare at my brothers, hoping to vaporize them on the spot. Grace had been so close to taking my hand. Damn it. Was that too much to ask?
I’d wanted to take her in my arms from the moment she stepped into the office. I wanted to pull her into me when I’d seen Oliver Chambers with his arm around her. I’d also wanted to punch him.
It brought back memories of the night Grace and I met. It was no coincidence that I’d stood next to her at the bar, staking my claim on her before she’d even given me a second glance. I’d arrived at the Exemplar prepared to do the bare minimum to fulfill my family duties before sneaking off. I didn’t want to talk to anyone, and I certainly hadn’t been seeking out female company until I’d stumbled upon Grace.
Accusing her of being an escort had been the perfect way to find out more about her. People tend to overshare when you give them a label they feel obliged to disprove. And after hearing how her ex-husband had treated her, I’d been furious on her behalf. I told myself not to get involved,but I wasn’t going to stand by and let someone else treat her just as badly.
I’d scared off most of the men who attempted to hit on her with little more than a snarl, but it had taken all my self-control not to rip off the arms of that one guy who put his hand on her knee. Grace was mine. Sheismine. And I fucking hate the way my brothers are looking at her.
Those two fuckwits have already picked up on the charged energy they’d walked into. Their matching expressions guarantee I’m going to be even more pissed once they open their mouths.
“Sorry for the interruption,” says Rory, his grin widening as if he hasn’t registered my scowl. He doesn’t take his eyes from Grace. “I don’t think we’ve met. I’m Rory, and you must be the reason my brother’s become so invested in renovation.”
“I’m Grace Hamel,” she replies far more politely than Rory deserves.
I can’t see her expression while she’s turned away, but the skin around her neck and jaw deepen to scarlet. She was already too hot in her oversized sweater that hides too many of her curves, but now she’s scorching with embarrassment.
She can’t read Rory, but I can. He’s fishing for information, or a reaction. From me. “Rory, can we–”
“And this is Calder,” Rory continues, cutting me off. He tilts his head to our brother. “Unless you’ve already met?”
Fuck. My big brother is too sharp for his own good. I’d slipped up mentioning to Noah that I’d met Grace in Philadelphia as part of my sales pitch to get her here. He must have told Rory, and now Rory’s making connections I wish he wouldn’t.
But that’s the least of my concern as I watch Calder step forward. If he fucking dares…
He takes Grace’s hand and presses her fingers to his lips as he bows. “I’m sure I would remember someone as beautiful as you,” he drawls.
When Calder keeps hold of Grace’s hand, I prepare to launch myself at him. I don’t notice Rory circling towards me until he puts a hand on my shoulder, forcing me back into my seat.
I want to punch Rory too, but it’s been bred into me to show my older brother a certain level of respect, whether he deserves it or not. Calder is closer to my age, still older but not enough to require the same kind of deference. The bastard lets go of Grace’s hand and it’s his gaze that crawls over her next.
“But you do look familiar, Grace,” he says.
Calder’s putting Grace in an awkward position. She knows what he’s getting at and she won’t want to lie…
“I’m sure you see lots of people in your line of business,” she says with more confidence than I’ve given her credit for. “You run a nightclub, don’t you?”
“Judging by the state of him,” I add, “I’d say he’s been there all night.” My gaze swivels back to Calder. “Shouldn’t you be in bed?”
He scratches his head, making his hair stick up at alarming angles. “Rory wanted me here.”
Because Calder’s the only one to have seen the woman who breathed new life into me back in Philadelphia. I’m excluding Max because Rory’s already tried and failed to get information out of my bodyguard.
“But to answer your question, Grace,” Calder continues, dropping into the chair next to her while Rory settles into the seat next to me. “I own several clubs, including Heatrush. It’s my newest baby.”
“Olly’s told me all about it,” she says and my jawclenches harder. “It sounds like the launch went really well.”
“We still have queues outside every night.” He sits back and does what he does best. Peacocking in front of a beautiful woman. “It’s invitation only, but you’ve just put yourself at the top of the VIP list.”
No. Fucking. Way. “She’s not going.”
Rory and Calder keep silent, avoiding the daggers Grace aims at me with one look. “Noah’s already mentioned I should visit some of our completed projects. The work I’m doing might be different to what the team did with Heatrush, but I presume you want some consistency across the Moncrief brand.”
