Page 77 of Connected

“Nah… he’s all loved up chasin’ butt right now.”

“Really? You mean he’s back in the market for wolf-dick? Cos if he is, could y’all put a word in for me? Only I’ve always thought he was damn hot—for a brunette.”

“I told ya, he’s loved up. But I’m sure he’ll snap out of it pretty soon—a few days, and the novelty will wear off. Can’t keep a hot wolf down, right?”

Digby gulps down his drink and Hudson immediately pushes another across the bar in front of him. Taking a deep breath, Zak’s words on a repeat loop in his head, he smiles looking at the girls stood on either side of him. Brushing their wandering hands from his body he regretfully sighs, “You know what ladies… you’re really nice an’ all but I’m sorry… I can’t do this with you. Please, I need you to leave me alone.”

“Oh c’mon, Digby honey… we’ve heard such good things about you. Can’t you handle two horny shifters? Well then, maybe you have another friend who can come play with us? How about Hudson? We could all get together when he finishes up.”

“I said no. Now, just go, I wanna be left alone.”

“Okay. Well fine, suit yourself. But you certainly won’t get a better offer tonight.”

“Maybe I won’t, but I don’t really care. Now just go away.”

“You know you can be a real asshole,” one twin’ sneers.

“Yeah… I know, I get that a lot. Now… goodbye.” He sniffs, “Hudson, stick me another large one in there.”

“Well, well… and what the hell was that all about? Was my baby brother really turning down two pieces of primeshifter meat like that? What the hell is wrong with you tonight?”

“Go away, Rhys. It’s got nothin’ to do with you.”

“No, I know, but I’m curious to know whyyouare turning fine ladies like those two away? Hell, we have a family reputation to protect and God knows what they’ll say to people. Do you know how long it took me to prove I didn’t have a small dick after you upset Alyssa? Just remember, people, don’t always know the difference between us.” Rhys snorts a dismissive laugh and places his hand against Digby’s forehead. “So, are you sick? You must be coming down with something to turn pussy like that away, or is there another reason? Oh… is Kat not lettin’ you play away from the pack these days—not now you’ve gotten yourself bonded?”

“Will you go the fuck away and leave me alone?” Digby snarls, as his brother’s continual mocking becomes annoying.

“Whoa… well, aren’t we touchy tonight—What, did I hit a nerve?” he laughs. “So, are they identical—the twins? Because if they are, then I’ll make an exception to my no-shifters-policy. I mean, I could be in the mood for some twin-on-twin action; Mmm… yeah actually, that thought is making me quite hard. C’mon Ryan, you can’t have done that before, cos I would have remembered if you had unless I was stoned,” he laughs. “So, how about we try out the fantasy?”

“I said fuck-the-hell-off. Hudson… give me another damn vodka—straight up. Hopefully, I’ll be so drunk soon, that I can blot my idiot brother out.”

“All right, so what the fuck is wrong with you? And where the hell is Kat? Is she ever gonna grace us with her presence again? I mean, we had a deal, right? And I do need her to turn up more than occasionally.”

“I don’t wanna talk about Kat right now,” Digby slumps on his stool, his head rested in his hands on the counter. His earlier enthusiasm for sex and partying has all but gone, and all he feels now is numb and drunk.

“Fuck this…” Rhys shakes his head. “Hudson, give me two bottles of top-shelf vodka—the expensive one. Right, come on, get up. Ryan, I said get the fuck up… Now!”

“What? Why? Where the hell’re we goin’? Oh, what… you’re throwin’ me out? Yeah, yeah, that’s great—perfect. Thanks for nothin’, brother.”

“No, I’m not throwing you out. I am, however, taking your maudlin ass to my office where no one can see you. I don’t want you in my club in this sorry, sad state.”

“What not good for the club’s image?”

“No, it’s not good formyimage. People might think you’re me. Now get your damn ass up.”

He grabs tight around the top of Digby’s arm and directs him towards the small elevator at the end of the bar; then they take it one floor up to Rhys’s office.

***

Pushing open the heavy black gloss door, Rhys shoves Digby inside, and taking two cut-crystal glasses from the tray on the dresser, he drops two cubes of ice from the bucket into each one, then fills them with vodka.

“Drink!” Rhys grins, watching his brother as he slumps into the large brown-leather chair behind the desk. He then spins it—like a small child on a merry-go-round.

“Cheers,” Digby raises his glass and smiles. Scanning around the plush of the large office, he notices the many books that fill the floor-to-ceiling shelves behind him, and the bank of security monitors that cover the opposite wall.

“Hm… you know I could kinda get used to a place like this. But what I wanna know, is why you have all these books? I can’t ever remember you readin’onebook as a kid, least of all this many.”

“Hey, what can I say… They make me look intelligent, right?” Rhys smiles, sipping his drink.

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