Page 44 of Miles & Mistletoe

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Ian

“You’re an ass.”

I turned from the floor-to-ceiling window of my office to the door where my jackass brother was standing.

“What the hell do you want, Bruce?” I grunted as I pushed away from the window.

“To know what the hell you’re doing. It’s been two days since Christmas and we still haven’t seen you. I only know you were here at the office because Jamie requested I drop off the Collins file for you. It seems she’s been hanging around here a lot lately.”

I scowled at my brother’s implication. “We’ve been working.”

“I bet.”

“We’ve needed to sure up the Collins deal before it went any further south.”

“If you say so, little brother. But it seems to me like you’ve been here at the office hiding out.”

“Hiding from what?”

“You tell me,” he responded, moving fully into my office and shutting the door behind him.

“Don’t get comfortable,” I growled as he perched his ass on the corner of my glass desk.

“Too late.” He shrugged. “Anyway, the kids missed Uncle Ian at Christmas. Kelly and I told them you may show up the day after since Uncle Ian was so busy with work. Two days later you’re still a no show, so I’m here.”

I averted my gaze, not wanting to look my brother in the eye after he mentioned the kids. Try as I might, I actually enjoyed my niece and nephew … well, more than I enjoyed most other people. But even the notion of seeing their four- and three-year-old faces couldn’t pull me out of my stupor long enough to leave the office. I’d actually been at my office since Christmas Eve. Having my own bathroom and clothes to change in the office made it easy for me to not bother with having to leave and face the real world.

“So when are you going to call her to apologize?”

I looked over at my brother with a raised eyebrow. Surely, he hadn’t just said what I thought he had.

“Excuse me?”

“There is no excuse for you, but I’m pretty sure you heard me correctly.”

“Fuck you,” I snapped.

Bruce simply nodded as if he’d been expecting my response.

“What are you going to do about Stacia?”

“I’m not going to do anything. As long as she doesn’t interfere in my business dealings any longer she’ll be fine.” My hands twisted in the pockets of my pants.

“You know as well as I do that girl had nothing to do with those reporters finding out about your deals.”

I narrowed my gaze. “I know she has a history hating powerful men and it’s no coincidence that an ex of hers lost everything not long after she broke up with him.”

“Is that right?”

“It is,” I growled, my anger growing at my brother’s questioning me. For the past three days I’d gone over and over in my mind the level of betrayal. I questioned every word I’d said to Stacia. Every word she’d said to me. Every look she’d given me that even still felt genuine. I was a man who always trusted my instincts, but to know they had failed me so miserably where Stacia was concerned, shook me to my core.

“And what if you’re wrong?”

I looked back at Bruce. “I’m not.”

“How do you know?”

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