Page 24 of Fergus

“I’m only five minutes younger than you, you old bastard.”

“Which makes you my little brother.” Magnus stated the obvious. “What was Thea’s reaction when you told her you want to bite her arse?”

“She—”

“She was a little disconcerted at first,” Thea said as she entered what proved to be a study, from the presence of the large mahogany desk against one wall, several files cluttering its surface, and the other three book-lined walls.

She had become increasingly uncomfortable about listening in on the brothers’ conversation—especially when so much of it was about her—without their knowledge.

“But now I’m more curious than concerned,” she added huskily.

CHAPTEREIGHT

Fergus could only stareat Thea as she stood in the open doorway, too shocked by her sudden appearance to be able to respond to what she’d said.

“Is that my cue to end the call?” Magnus drawled through the speakerphone.

“Yes, you can fuck right off,” Fergus dismissed distractedly as he continued to stare at Thea.

She was wearing a deep gold-colored silk camisole and matching shorts she had obviously changed into earlier to sleep in. They were the same deep gold color as her eyes.

The thin camisole straps left her slender shoulders and arms bare and revealed the slope of her uptilted breasts. The shorts rested low on her hips, her legs bare and slender.

Her reddish-brown hair was slightly tousled, as if she had been to sleep but woken up again and had now come downstairs in search of…

Him?

“I came downstairs for a glass of water.” Thea’s explanation immediately dispelled that thought. “I can’t sleep, so I thought I’d take another couple of painkillers.”

That hope?

Jesus, this obsession was getting out of hand!

Getting?

It was already way out of his control.

“Nice to meet you, Thea,” His brother’s voice sounded slightly hollow through the speakerphone.

“Magnus,” she returned, revealing that she had overheard enough of their conversation to at least know who Fergus was talking to.

What else had she heard?

“I’m sorry you’re having a few problems at the moment.” Magnus continued his conversation with Thea. “Not the least being having to put up with my pain-in-the-arse brother. Oops, sorry, Fergus, I probably shouldn’t have said that, under the circumstances,” he taunted insincerely.

Fergus scowled when he saw the fiery blush now coloring Thea’s cheeks. “I thought I told you to fuck off,” he snapped at his twin.

“Since when have I ever done anything you told—” The sentence wasn’t finished because Fergus had pressed the End Call button.

“I apologize. You obviously overheard me talking about you, us, this…” he fumbled for the right word as he waved a hand between the two of them, “with my brother. I just… You were on my mind, and…” He drew in a controlling breath before continuing. “Mag and I have always had an emotional connection that tells us when the other one is upset. It’s a twin thing, I think. When he called me a short time ago to ask me what was wrong, I just blurted it all out. ‘It’ being my having kissed you,” he hurried to explain. “Along with my sudden fixation on your… Shit, stop talking, Fergus. You’re just making this situation worse.” He closed his eyes as he muttered to himself.

As if doing so could even begin to shut out the awkwardness of this situation.

* * *

Thea could seeand feel Fergus’s discomfort. She just had no idea whether he felt that way because she had overheard him talking to his brother about something so intimate, or becauseshewas the recipient of his confusion over those feelings and had obviously overheard some of their conversation.

Most of it, by the sound of it.

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