Chapter 5
ROWAN
Without a word, Reggie slides the paper across the table to Lyla, and I cringe.
My robot of a brother is giving a top performance.
“W-what’s this?” she whispers, picking it up with shaky fingers.
“The end of our agreement,” Reggie says without any emotion.
Jesus fucking Christ.
“We’re sorry, Lyla,” I tell her, trying to soften the blow.
She blinks back her tears, looking straight at Reg. Oh, boy. Here we go. Reggie hates tears.
She sniffles. “Did I do something wrong?”
“No. No. It’s not you. It’s a change of circumstances with us,” I reassure her, nudging Reggie discreetly in the side.
“Change?” she asks, wiping her tears with the back of her hand.
“I’m engaged.” Reggie drops the bomb like it’s nothing.
I sit back and wait for the fuse to light.
Lyla is many things. A great sub for us is one of those things. But she is a fuse. There’s a nasty, possessive streak in her. I’ve seen it in the club if any other woman dares to step near us.
I personally hated that. I’d feel differently if I was in love and it wasn’t just an agreement for sex. She never hid she wanted more and tried many tactics to try and trick us into it over the last six months.
“Engaged? To who?” She slams her fist down on the table.
“Lyla. Enough,” Reggie warns.
And instantly, her face softens, and her head is bowed.
“I’m sorry, sir.”
Reggie wipes his palms on his pants.
“This doesn’t need to be dramatic. Our agreement was coming to an end next month anyway. The non-disclosure agreement is in place, but we wanted to tell you in person before Reggie’s new wife arrives,” I tell her.
Her eyes flash to mine, her nostrils flaring.
“Are you engaged too?” she asks.
“Me?” I laugh. “No.”
Her gaze flicks between us.
“So you can keep me?” she asks.
I shake my head.
“Not how this works, doll. Your job is safe here. Don’t worry about that,” I reassure her.
“You’re going to regret this, Reg. If you need a wife, I can do it.”
I keep my facial expressions neutral, but I know my brother wants to explode. Begging in the bedroom he’s all for. This? Totally not his scene. I bet his skin is itching to leave.
“No,” Reggie grunts.
“I’m sorry if you’re upset, Lyla. But this marriage is important to me.”
I hold back from rolling my eyes. My brother is clever. He’s brutal. But sometimes the two don’t mix very well.
Lyla stands, smoothing out her black dress, plastering on a smile as she grabs the termination.
“I guess I’ll see you around. Will I get an invite to the wedding?” The venom on her tongue is clear.
“No. You won’t.” With that, Reggie stands and offers her a half smile. Then he’s gone.
“Uh. Sorry about this,” I say awkwardly.
She licks her plump red lips and saunters over to me, running her hand across my chest.
She leans in and whispers in my ear, “What about us? One last time?”
I tip my head back, and slide my hand up to her throat.
“You know the rules, Lyla. No agreement in place. No fun.”
She lets out a sigh and stands up straight.
“It was never me you wanted anyway,” I say, raising a brow.
One day, we’ll find a magical sub that will also allow me to switch. Fuck, it’s been too long since I’ve been able to turn off my own head and let a woman take the reins.
We might be identical twins, but our personalities are wildly different. I’ve always been the risk taker, the wild one. Reggie is the level-headed, calculating, grumpy one. And the women fucking love it.
“Cya around.” I give her a wink as I leave, finding Reggie in the doorway.
“That went awfully,” I say to him.
He frowns.
“What? I thought it went well.”
I can’t help but chuckle.
“Yeah. That’s why you need me, brother. Someone has to read the room correctly.”
He scoffs as we head to the Range Rover.
“When’s your flight?” I ask.
“An hour. I’ll drop you home and head straight to the strip. Drago is coming with me. Can you make sure my place is clean? Maybe make her room presentable?”
I nod. I’m sure he’s a little nervous. I’ve never seen him like this.
“You know what she looks like yet?” I ask.
“Long dark hair. Green eyes.”
He’s holding something back.
“Please tell me you’ve got more to go off than that?”
“Yeah. Her phone tracker.”