Dirty Little Secret (Forbidden Desires #1)

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Ever since I’d answered Emma’s phone, Gavin had been acting like a complete cockhead, snapping at me, Quinn, Sonja, and anyone else in his path. But through it all, he still hadn’t asked me the question. The one I knew was burning a hole in his gut.

Now, the two of us sat alone in Quinn’s office, the smell of food lingering in the air between us along with the tension. As we waited for Quinn, I wondered if Gavin would finally break.

“Where the fuck is he?” Gavin barked.

“Chill out. He’ll be here.”

“Don’t tell me to chill. Ever. I’m starting without him.” Gavin grabbed a container of noodles and filled his plate.

“I’m here, boys. Now play nice,” Quinn said as he came in and shut the door. I filled my own plate as he slid into the seat across from Gavin. “What’s your problem today?” Quinn asked him.

“Cooper’s smug,” Gavin said before helping himself to a forkful of pad thai.

“No, I asked what your problem was. Cooper being smug is Cooper’s problem,” Quinn said.

“I don’t have a problem then.”

“So, this is about Emma,” Quinn said.

“Yes,” I answered as Gavin gave a resounding, “No.”

When Quinn and I said “liar” in unison, a deeper scowl formed on Gavin’s face. He looked down at his plate, digging in once again.

“Gavin’s been flying solo a long time,” Quinn said. “Seems to me he really likes Emma and doesn’t want to admit it to us.”

At that, Gavin rolled his eyes, then glared at me. “What happened with Emma last weekend?”

Quinn and I looked at each other, both in shock at the very revealing question. Gavin did like her. More than he was letting on.

Shit.

It was what I wanted. Or, part of me did, at least. But I couldn’t deny I was getting attached to little Emma Bell myself.

“We went out, I brought her back to my place, she got undressed and enjoyed my spa tub . . .”

Gavin was hanging on my every word as Quinn shot me a stern look of warning.

Suddenly, Gavin let out a muttered snarl and pushed his unfinished plate across the table, then stood and left the room.

Quinn shook his head at me. “Why’d you have to do that, Coop? You know he has a harder time with this stuff than you. You win women over all the time, and you know he’s been alone for a long time now. Maybe this is the one for him.”

I hated when Quinn was right. And, damn it, I knew Emma wanted Gavin too, even though he wasn’t treating her the way she deserved.

But I loved my brother. At the end of the day, what I wanted most was to see him happy.

I released a heavy sigh and stood to follow Gavin, who’d retreated to his office. Alyssa eyed me as I passed her desk and knocked on his door.

“Go the fuck away, please,” Gavin called back.

I opened the door and closed us inside his office. “Do you like her or not? Tell me now, last chance.”

“Nope. She’s all yours. You’ve already had her, anyway.”

“So if I didn’t have her already, do you like her?” I demanded, clenching my fists at my sides. If only he knew what this was costing me, maybe he’d show one ounce of appreciation.

“No.” Gavin looked into my eyes without blinking.

“All right, then.”

Gavin creased his brow at me. “But I like how she handles herself as an escort, so I may still take her out sometime.”

Liar. As if we didn’t have a host of professionals who would suit him just fine.

If I didn’t know it before, I was starting to understand that Gavin was even more damaged that I’d ever assumed. After growing up without a mother’s love, all I desired was love, intimacy, and affection at the end of a long day.

But Gavin craved control—plain and simple. Because if he was calling the shots, he could never get hurt.

We were totally different, but there was no question we were headed for a collision course—and soon—when it came to Emma Bell.

And something told me that one of us was going to find ourselves in a world of pain.