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  “Ryan?” she asked, sitting up straighter. “You don’t mean Ryan Spencer, one of the owners of Clint’s label?”

  “Yes, that’s him.” Brianna reached for her coffee cup and took a sip. “He and his brother, Evan, took over for their father, Luc, when he retired. My father and Luc go way back. In fact, my father worked for Titan for years.”

  “Clint has so many wonderful things to say about those boys. Ryan, especially. He says he admires him for being so fearless. He speaks his mind, no matter who he might offend.”

  Brianna laughed. “That’s Ryan, all right. Diplomacy is not in his vocabulary.” She set her cup down and thought about how she would describe her best friend to a stranger. “It’s not that he’s not respectful; he is. His mama raised him right, but he just doesn’t believe in sugar-coating things, if you know what I mean.”

  “I sure do.” Eleanor smiled at her. “It sounds like you two are quite close.”

  Brianna dipped her head when she felt her cheeks grow warm. People had questioned her relationship with Ryan for as long as she could remember. It seemed implausible to most that they could share such a strong connection without being intimate. Well, there was that one time… But she refused to let herself go there. She’d wasted too much time thinking about that kiss, comparing every other man she’d kissed since to Ryan. The way he smelled, tasted, the way he held her…

  Clearing her throat, Eleanor stole a glance at her son. “Are you sure y’all are just friends?”

  “Oh, yes,” Brianna said, wincing when she moved abruptly and her spoon clattered against her saucer.

  “Everything okay?” Clint asked, leaning in to whisper in her ear.

  “Fine,” she said, smiling for his mother’s benefit. “Just fine.” She glanced at her watch. “I hate to cut the evening short, but I really should be getting home. Even though tomorrow’s Sunday, I have a few things to take care of at the office in the morning.”

  “Say no more,” Clint said, getting to his feet. He made his rounds, saying good-bye to his parents as Brianna did the same.

  She walked out and felt the blast of cold air hit her in the face. Thank God that’s over.

  Chapter Six

  Sunday dinner had been a tradition at the Spencer house for as long as Ryan could remember, but this was one dinner Ryan knew his brother wasn’t looking forward to. When people saw him show up alone, he would have to admit to their friends and family that his relationship with Erika was over.

  Ryan offered to drive Evan to their parents’ house when he admitted he was planning to bow out of dinner, just this once. Ryan convinced him that since he would have to tell them eventually, it was best to get it over with.

  The silence in the car was deafening, even with the demo Ryan was using to try and take his brother’s mind off his problems. “I think this guy has potential, don’t you?” When Evan didn’t respond, Ryan continued. “It’s not often you hear that raspiness with that kind of range.” He sighed when the comment still didn’t earn him a response from his passenger. “I’m told he’s been writin’ songs for eleven years now, just waitin’ for his big break. He’s written songs for-”

  Evan held his hand up. “I appreciate what you’re tryin’ to do, but I can’t think about that right now, okay?”

  Ryan considered pointing out that if Evan had spent more time thinking about his girlfriend and less time focusing on work while they were together, he wouldn’t be in this mess. But he knew if the situation were reversed and he lost Brianna, he wouldn’t want to be reminded of all the mistakes he’d made. “She’s still not taking your calls?”

  It had been several days since their break-up and Ryan knew each day of silence made it harder for Evan to hold on to hope.

  “Nope. I went in to the boutique to talk to Lena yesterday. I was hopin’ she could talk some sense into her.”

  “How’d that go?”

  Evan sighed. “She told me I need to give her some space. She said if I’m serious about makin’ some changes in my life, I need to prove it. Otherwise, I just need to let her go.” He clenched his fists. “How the hell am I supposed to do that?”

  Ryan turned down the street leading to their childhood home. “What? Change or let her go?”

  “I can’t let her go, but I don’t see how I can cut back at work either. One bad year and everything our father’s worked his whole life to build could fall apart. I can’t do that to him. He trusted me to look after things. I don’t wanna let him down.”

  Evan’s relationship with their father was different than Ryan’s, and he’d accepted that a long time ago. Luc expected more from Evan because he was so much like him. Ryan was the free spirit who lived for a good time. He didn’t live to impress his father like Evan did, and Ryan wouldn’t trade places with his brother for anything.

  “He wouldn’t want you to sacrifice your happiness for Titan, Ev. That’s not why he left you in charge.”

  Evan propped his elbow on the door, closed his eyes, and dropped his head into his hand. “I just can’t believe this happened. I can’t believe she really left me.”

  Ryan drove through the iron gates at the end of the driveway. The circular drive was filled with familiar cars. It didn’t look like his brother was going to get the reprieve he’d hoped for tonight. “What did you expect? You said yourself she’s been complainin’ about your relationship for a long time now. Did you really think she was just blowin’ smoke?”

  “Six years,” Evan said, staring at him in the darkness. “We were together almost six years. You don’t just throw that away on a whim, man.”

  “I don’t think she did it on a whim. I think she did everything she could to let you know that things had to change or she was gone. You chose not to listen.” Ryan had been dancing around the truth all week. It was time for brutal honesty. “If you wanna blame someone for this, bro, ya need to take a look in the mirror. You can’t expect your woman to be satisfied bein’ last on your list forever.”

  Evan scowled. “What the hell would you know about it? You’ve never been in a serious relationship in your life. I’d be surprised if you even remembered the names of any of the women you’ve banged in the last three months.”

  Ryan didn’t tell Evan that he hadn’t slept with anyone since Brianna started working at Titan. Just seeing her everyday gave him more satisfaction than meaningless sex with a random stranger ever had. “This isn’t about me, and you know it. You can tell me to go to hell. You can tell me that I don’t know what I’m talkin’ about, but we both know I’m right about this.” He reached for the door handle. “Nothin’s gonna change until you change, man.”

  Ryan let his brother lead the way up to the front door in silence and watched him take a deep breath before turning the doorknob and pasting a fake smile on his face for the benefit of their family and friends.

  “You’re not foolin’ anybody,” Ryan muttered.

  “Shut the hell up.”

  Their mother, Marisa, rounded the corner from the kitchen, her arms outstretched. Her arms fell and a frown marred her face when she looked past Evan. “Where’s Erika? She couldn’t come tonight?”

  Ryan put his hand on Evan’s shoulder, propelling him further into the room. “Why don’t you let him explain to everyone at once, Ma?”

  She looked from one son to the other. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like this?”

  “’Cause you’re not,” Ryan said. He shrugged when Evan scowled at him. “It’s time someone starts tellin’ it like it is, man.”

  Marisa slipped her arm around Evan’s waist and led him into the family room, where a dozen of their closest friends were enjoying drinks and appetizers.

  Ryan’s eyes locked with Brianna and she smiled before stealing a quick glance at Evan. It was obvious her heart went out to him, but Ryan couldn’t help feeling resentful he hadn’t held her attention a little longer.

  Lena sat beside Brianna. She raised a hand in greeting. At least Brianna hadn’t invit
ed Clint to their family dinner. That had to mean their relationship hadn’t progressed as quickly as Ryan feared.

  “Hey,” Luc said, glancing at his sons. “Where’s Erika?”

  She had been a part of their family gatherings almost since the day she’d met Evan. Ryan knew her absence would leave a void everyone felt, especially Lena, who was one of her closest friends.

  “Uh, I kinda wanted to talk to y’all about that.” Evan glanced at Lena, who offered him a small smile of encouragement.

  “Is there a problem, son?” Trey Turner asked, looking up from the baby he was holding.

  “Yeah, you could say that.”

  He glanced at his brother, and Ryan wished he could step in and make this easier for him, but he knew Evan had to acknowledge the truth before he could start to move on with his life, with or without Erika.

  “Erika and I are takin’ a little break.” He stole a glance at Lena, who was holding her fiancé, Dominic’s, hand. Evan and Dom had been friends for years, and aside from Ryan, he was probably the only other person who knew what this separation was doing to him. “Actually, she said it’s over… for good.”

  Ryan put a hand on his brother’s shoulder when a collective gasp moved their group. Only those closest to the couple would have known they were having serious problems. When they were at a social event, they always made an effort to hide the tension so they wouldn’t make the other guests uncomfortable.

  “I can’t believe it,” Alisa said quietly. “You two were perfect for each other.”

  Evan stuck his hands in the pockets of his leather bomber jacket as his eyes zeroed in on the baby, Alisa and Liam’s newborn son. “Yeah, well, I guess she didn’t think so anymore.”

  “I’m so sorry, honey,” Marisa said, reaching up to hug him. “I know how much you loved her.”

  “I still love her,” Evan said quietly. “I probably always will.”

  Ryan knew how hard it was for his brother to be so vulnerable, but sharing the truth with the people who cared about him the most must bring some small measure of comfort.

  “Things may still work out,” Nick McCall, Avery and Ty’s son, said. “Maybe she just needs a little time to sort things out.”

  Evan offered his friend a small smile of acknowledgment. “I wish I could say I believed that, buddy. But with every day that passes, it becomes more and more obvious that she doesn’t intend to come back to me.”

  Luc looked his son in the eye. “This was because of your commitment to Titan, wasn’t it?” When Evan didn’t respond, Luc swore softly. “I never meant for this company to cost you so much, Evan.”

  “I made the choice,” he said with the quiet conviction they’d all come to expect from him. “No one forced me to make the choices I have. This one’s all on me.”

  “I’m drivin’ tonight,” Ryan said, inclining his head toward his brother. “What’s say we set this guy up with a drink… or ten?”

  Evan shook his head as a few chuckles moved through the group. At least they could always count on Ryan to lighten a somber mood.

  ***

  Brianna sat on the couch watching sports highlights with Dominic and Lena when Ryan made his way down the stairs. She hadn’t seen him much this week, and she was surprised how much she’d missed his daily visits to her office.

  “Did Aiden and the boys win tonight?” Ryan asked, claiming the empty spot beside Brianna on the couch.

  She felt the heat of his leg through her jeans, and it seemed like the most natural thing in the world when he grabbed her leg and squeezed. He grinned when she looked up and smiled at him, and her breath caught in her throat.

  Women had chased the Spencer brothers for as long as Brianna could remember, and it was little wonder. Both men were gorgeous and successful in their own right, but Ryan’s playful personality made him a hit with the ladies.

  “Hello?” he said, chuckling. “Are you suddenly spellbound by my sex appeal?” He looked at Dominic and winked. “Poor girl can’t even string two words together. See, man, that’s the effect I have on women.”

  Lena rolled her eyes and threw a pillow at him, hitting him in the face. “In your dreams, Spencer.”

  “Hey,” Dom said, winking at Brianna. “I heard he’s not the only one makin’ an impression on the opposite sex. Evan tells me all the boys at the office are talkin’ about the sexy new lawyer with the killer smile.”

  Ryan’s hand tightened on her leg. “Did he tell you who’s after her?”

  Brianna elbowed him in the ribs. “What’s it to you?”

  “How will I know who to threaten if I don’t know who it is?”

  “It’s no wonder I couldn’t get a date in high school or college,” she said, rolling her eyes at Lena. “Between this guy,” she said, hooking a thumb at Ryan, “Evan, and Aiden, all the guys were afraid to ask me out.”

  Ryan put his arm around her, drawing her closer. “Hey, it’s my job to look out for you.”

  “I know you think so,” she said, patting his leg affectionately. “But you need to know when to back off. At this rate, I’m gonna turn in to the crazy cat lady ‘cause I can’t get a date.”

  “That’ll never happen,” Ryan said, running his finger up her arm.

  “How can you be so sure?” she asked, looking up at him.

  “Trust me, I know.”

  “Well,” Dominic said, stretching his arm across the back of the sofa, “I guess we better head out, baby. I’ve gotta work tomorrow.”

  “Yeah, so do I,” Lena said, standing up.

  Lena leaned over to give Ryan and Brianna a kiss on the cheek and he pulled her down on his lap, folding his arms around her when she tried to get up.

  “Let me go,” she said, laughing when he started to tickle her ribs. “I’ll get you back for this,” she said, gasping for breath. “I swear I will.”

  Dominic chuckled as he offered a hand to help his fiancé escape her captor. “I didn’t even know she was ticklish there. I’ll have to remember that.”

  “I know all of her secrets,” Ryan said, tugging on a lock of Lena’s hair as she got up. “If you wanna take me out for a beer this week, I might be willin’ to tell them to ya.”

  Lena stuck her tongue out at him. “Don’t forget I know all of your secrets, too.”

  “Hey, a beer sounds good,” Dom said. “It may help lift Evan’s spirits.”

  “That’s what I was thinkin’. Jimmy’s on Friday night?”

  “Sounds like a plan. I think Nick’s still here. Why don’t I ask him if he wants to join us?”

  “Yeah, do that. I’ve been meanin’ to get together with him. I wanna hear all about how life on the ranch is treatin’ him.” He chuckled. “Can’t say I understand it. I mean, why would he waste his degree mendin’ fences and shovelin’ shit?”

  “No one would expect you to understand,” Brianna said, reaching for his hand and holding it up for their friends’ inspection. “Look at that. That’s why he hasn’t been in to work this week. He’s been too busy gettin’ his nails done.”

  “Is that so? “Ryan said, grabbing her wrists and flipping her onto her back with her arms pinned above her head. “You wanna try sayin’ that again?”

  “I’m not afraid of you.”

  “Oh yeah?” He looked up at Lena. “Maybe you better tell her how dangerous I can be.”

  Lena laughed as she reached for Dom’s hand to lead him up the stairs. “Stay strong, Bri.”

  When it was just the two of them, the energy in the room seemed to shift. Their breathing became labored as Ryan’s growing arousal pressed into the V of her open legs.

  “What’re you doing?” she whispered.

  He released her hands, but didn’t move.

  “Ry…”

  “Sssh,” he said, lowering his body on top of her. He brushed the hair off her face and stared into her eyes. “Have I told you how beautiful you are?”

  She couldn’t breathe when he looked at her like that. Ever since the first time
he’d kissed her, the kiss she spent years trying to forget, she always wondered whether he would try again and whether it would be as explosive as the first time.

  “I love that perfume,” he said, positioning his face in the crook of her neck.

  “You should; you bought it for me.” The words sounded breathy when he started skimming his lips over the delicate skin at the base of her neck. Almost of their own volition, her arms circled his neck, holding him prisoner. “This is a bad idea,” she whispered, tipping her head back and suppressing a moan when his tongue found its target. “We’re in your parents’ house.”

  Ryan chuckled as his hand moved beneath her thin cotton shirt to cup her breast. “You think this is the first time I’ve made out in my parents’ basement?”

  She couldn’t suppress her smile. He was so outrageous, and she loved everything about him, from his sense of humour to the way he stood by his brother when he was going through a tough time. If only they didn’t stand to lose so much by exploring their obvious attraction for one another. Ryan was the best friend she’d ever had, and she wouldn’t risk losing that relationship for anything.

  His mouth hovered just above hers and she knew he was giving her a chance to stop him from taking this further. She wanted to, she knew she should, but she told herself she just wanted to satisfy her curiosity. She needed to know if that first kiss had been so explosive simply because he’d been drunk and horny, so she could put it out of her mind, once and for all.

  “Kiss me,” she whispered.

  Ryan growled as he threaded his hands through her hair and stole her breath in a kiss so intense she never wanted it to end. Their tongues mingled as he deepened the kiss, mapping her mouth, taking her further into the abyss of desire than a kiss ever had before. She reached for the hem of his shirt to pull it over his head when she heard Evan’s voice like a splash of ice water, dousing her excitement.

  “Shit,” Ryan muttered, reluctantly getting off of her. “Yeah, we’re down here. What do you want?”

  Evan paused on the bottom step, looking at both of them before glaring at his brother. “I wanna go. Now!”