Page 22 of Kisses and Paperclips

I already wanted more.

“Serena?” My voice cut through the silence of the suite, echoing softly against the walls, but there was no response. The quiet that followed felt heavy, more telling than words ever could be.

Damn.

I rubbed my face, frustration simmering beneath my skin. Women didn’t just leave me; I was the one who slipped away before dawn, leaving them with memories and no regrets. But Serena flipped the script without even trying, sliding out of my bed like our night together had just been another casual detour she could forget by breakfast.

And speaking of Breakfast, the only thing I love more is morning sex, and she robbed me of that, too.

Before I could finish the thought, a low murmur drifted from the living room. A feminine voice moved around the suite.

I hear stuff shuffling in the living room and the smell of coffee.

I don’t even bother getting dressed. I walk to the other room, and to my surprise, it’s not Serena. I’m standing there naked with my brother Marquis and his wife, Alicia.

Alicia’s moved quickly while my brother sucked his teeth.

“Man, what are you trying to do, man? Take my lady?”

“How’d you get into my room?”

“You used the company account to book the room. It automatically adds all our names to the reservation.”

I had forgotten entirely about setting up our rewards accounts with all our names on the reservation after that incident with our kid brother getting locked out of his room naked in Vegas. He had to make the embarrassing trip to the front desk, only to be told he couldn’t be let back in.

“I just grabbed a key at the front desk, came up here, and saw some female trying to run track out here.”

“How long ago was that?” I interrupted him by peeking out the hotel door, hoped she’s not gone already.

“Man, put some clothes on! You bout to have people calling the police.” Remembering I was naked, I immediately cup myself. With an apologetic smile to Alicia, who was now halfway turned around and peeking through her fingers.

“Did she say anything?” I asked, rushing back to the bedroom to grab my briefs from the floor. “Leave a phone number?”

“Nah, we didn’t even get to open the door. She was flying out of here like her ass was on fire. We almost thought we had the wrong room.”

Marquis exchanged a look with Alicia, her eyes silently urging him to get to the point. He cleared his throat, his tone shifting from casual to serious.

“We need you back home, Jules.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and unyielding, and the room seemed to shrink under the weight of them.

“That’s not my home anymore,” I said, my voice low but firm.

“Of course it is, man. Adrian needs you.” Marquis’s words cut through the tension, his plea sharp and unrelenting.

I gritted my teeth, my fists clenched at my sides, fighting the urge to lash out. “Big man Adrian got it.”

“He’s in over his head but has too much pride to admit it,” Marquis pressed, his voice heavy with concern.

I paced the room, trying to contain the rage building inside me. “And whose fault is that, Marquis?” I snapped, my words dripping with bitterness. “After Dad died, who did he pass the torch to? Adrian, the golden child who knows nothing about running a company.”

Marquis sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Look, I get it, Jules.”

“Don’t call me that.” The words came out sharper than I intended, and I immediately regretted how Alicia flinched. Only my pops called me that, and I wanted it buried with him.

Marquis raised his hands in surrender, his expression softening. “You feel betrayed and overlooked. I get it, but Adrian needs you. We need you.”

“You get it? And what do you get?” I shouted back, my voice rising. “While you were chasing your lady on the other side of the world, I was in New York, studying business under our dad, with no pay and no access to my trust fund. I worked as a busboy and rented a room from the people I worked for on the side. So what exactly do you or Adrian get?”

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