Page 69 of The Rogue

My younger brother glares back at me. “There’s nothing wrong with having a nice rosé, and no.” He looks at Chase. “How old is this?”

Chase rolls his eyes, takes a swig, and steps out into the backyard.

“It’s fucking beer,” I tell him. “It doesn’t go bad.”

“Does too go bad. Sure, not as fast as say, milk, but it can still go stale from storage, even in cold temperatures.”

“Why are we out here again? I’ve been sweating my balls off all day,” I growl.

Chase glances inside. “Pepper just got all this outdoor furniture and she wants people using it. She’s apparently big onentertaining.”

“Isn’t that a deal breaker?” I laugh. “You’re not exactly a people person.”

Noah grins and takes a swig of his stale beer. “No, but he’s a Pepper person.”

Chase lowers himself onto a patio chair. “Just sit and act like you’re comfortable, alright?”

“She’s not going to come out here with lemonade, is she?” I joke, thinking of Tessa’s easy smile and refreshing iced tea she makes for my staff.

“Fuck you,” the brunette from inside calls.

I flash her a wide grin. “Oh hey, Pepper. Patio looks great.”

“Jackass. No wonder you’re single.” She turns back inside the house with a smirk.

“Oh yeah, how’s your new nanny?” Noah asks. And I don't touch on why he thinks of Tessa at the mention of my being single.

“Just fine,” I lie.

My brothers stare at me. Fuck, Dad’s trained them. “She’s fine. Jackson adores her.”

“And you tolerate her,” Chase continues for me.

The implication pisses me off because Tessa is a heck of a lot more thantolerable.

She’s confusing.

Maddening.

Beautiful.

I don’t confirm or deny his assumption.

“Heard you’re asking Dad questions about her.”

My gaze snaps to Noah. “What?”

“Like where she’s from, what he knows about her.”

I glare at him until he breaks. “He asked me to look into her.”

I sit up. “What do you meanlook into her?”

“You know, like a background check.”

“You can’t do that without someone’s permission,” I growl.

Noah’s brows shoot to the sky. “Like…yours?”

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