Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 106150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106150 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 531(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
I turned from the window and gave him a speaking look. “Pardon me? You haven’t attended a board meeting in a year. Since when do you take an interest in the running of Sterling Chase?”
“Since our head of development became a criminal, our CEO is out of the country, and the guy on the board who usually handles this shit is currently suffering from a debilitating case of Heart-Eyes Syndrome.” He held up a hand before I could protest. “To be clear, I’m not worried you’ll be biased, Bash. I’m worried that you’ll know you’re biased, and once all this panic is over and you actually sit and think about it, you’ll wonder if you handled everything in a way that was fair to the brotherhood.”
I stared at Landry long enough for him to huff and roll his eyes. “What?” he demanded. “I have depths, fucker. You should know this.”
Kenji patted his hand soothingly. “Don’t worry. Half the gay population of Manhattan knows about your depths, Landry.”
Dev threw back his head and laughed, Zane snickered, and even Silas cracked a smile. But Silas quickly sobered. “Landry’s thinking smart. I say we make Rowe a solid offer that allows him to retain the patent, like the one we made on the Hegel Project back in the day. Remember? It was lucrative for everyone. This project might be a harder sell since it involves local government budgets, but…”
And like that, we were off, discussing business the way we used to when Sterling Chase was brand-new, weighing pros and cons and the legal organization of IP ownership. I was impressed and relieved that they handled Rowe’s project the same way they would have discussed any other project proposal at one of our board meetings. I hadn’t realized how badly I needed that connection, that support, until my friends had provided it without my having to ask.
When we adjourned, Landry, Zane, and Kenji moved to the kitchen to make lunch, Dev wandered off to check in with someone at the stables, Silas made some business calls, and I watched Rowe trek back from the beach with a dopey smile on my face. We had a plan to handle Austin and Sterling Chase, the brotherhood had opened their ranks to Rowe, and it felt like puzzle pieces I hadn’t realized were misaligned had begun clicking into place. But there was one more thing I had to do.
As soon as Rowe stepped in the door, all sun-warmed and disheveled, I immediately pulled him into our bedroom, shut the door, and lavished his face and neck with the hours’ worth of kisses I’d been storing up.
“Bash! Mmmpfh. Your friends are right th—shit… right there! And I… oh! Oh god.” He tilted his head to the side, panting slightly. “I… you… what was I saying?”
“You were worrying about my friends’ delicate sensibilities.” I bit his earlobe lightly. “Don’t.”
“But I get so loud.”
Yes, he really did… and I really fucking loved it.
But tempting as it was to take him right there against the bedroom door—Rowe would require almost no convincing, and I’d make sure he loved every noisy second—I knew he wasn’t secure enough around my friends to appreciate the teasing that would ensue. Besides, he and I had other things to discuss first.
Reluctantly, I stepped away. “Sorry. I really did have a reason for hauling you in here.” I ran my hands down my shorts nervously.
Rowe remained standing against the door. He ghosted his fingers over his lips dreamily. “I thought kissing was a solid reason, just so you know. I would not be averse to more kissing.”
I laughed, but it came out short and tense, and Rowe straightened up right away. “What’s going on?”
“Nothing bad,” I said quickly. “I promise.”
But of course, Rowe wouldn’t be pawned off so easily. “Is it about Daisy Chain? About your meeting with your friends? Because as much as I’d love to work with Sterling Chase, I knew it wasn’t a given, Bash. You don’t need to let me down easy. You guys have processes, and the legal ramifications are probably a nightmare. I get it. I don’t expect—”
“We founded Sterling Chase,” I blurted.
“What?” Rowe whispered.
Jesus. I could have handled this so much better. I wondered for a second where polished, urbane Sebastian Dayne who had no fucks to give had wandered off to.
And then I remembered. This was scary because I gave a fuck.
“Those guys—not Kenji; he came on board after—but my other friends and I, we developed ETC our final year at Yale.” It felt weird to say it out loud. Like a dark confession and a vow to Rowe all at once. “We own Sterling Chase together, through various pass-through companies. We’ve kept that knowledge away from the public for a lot of reasons, some of which you can probably guess and others that aren’t my story to share. No one outside this house knows the whole truth, though.”