Page 7 of Temptation

“We’re going out,” he said as the door opened again. My younger brother, Nate, entered, followed by our other cousin Graham. Though, the four of us had always been more like brothers than cousins.

I was the eldest, then Graham, Nate, and finally Jasper, who was six years younger than me. Sloan, my only female cousin, was the baby. She was four years younger than her brother Jasper. But she lived in London, while the rest of us were in LA.

I dragged a hand down my face, my beard smooth beneath my palm. “Seriously? How many times have I told you guys that you can’t just barge in like this?”

I would’ve reported them to security, but seeing as Graham ran the damn place, I knew nothing would change. I got the feeling Graham secretly relished annoying me, if only because he wanted the suite back. And even if Graham had been willing to do something, Jasper would charm any number of hotel employees to give him access—and not just to my room.

“Oh please.” Jasper rolled his eyes, grabbing four glasses from the bar and setting them on the dining table. “You love it.”

I growled. It wasn’t that I didn’t love my family, but I liked my personal space. Especially coming off the loss we’d just suffered. It had been brutal.

“I’dlovesome peace and quiet.” I gnashed my teeth. “Why I ever decided that moving in to the presidential suite was a good idea is beyond me.”

“You’re welcome to leave anytime,” Graham said.

As the CEO of Huxley Hotels, he was more focused on the bottom line. I might be a paying customer, but I got the room at a significant discount.

“I’m giving you guaranteed occupancy and revenue.”

“This room is almost always occupied,” Graham said. “If anything, you’re costing me money. And not just because of the discounted rate. But because some of our favorite clients only want this suite.”

“Yeah, but at the holidays?” I asked.

“Especially at the holidays,” he said.

I didn’t get it. I’d much rather be at home, surrounded by family, for the holidays. I could remember Christmases as a kid and how wild and wonderful it had been to spend them with my brother and cousins. One big, loud, happy family.

That’s what I’d always envisioned having myself. A loving wife. Lots of children. Laughter and presents and chaos. But life had turned out differently; I was divorced and only had one son.

“You could stay at one of the extended-stay properties like Hux House Suites,” Nate teased, referring to the more budget-friendly line of hotels our family owned. They were nice, but they couldn’t compare to a hotel like the LA Huxley Grand.

The Huxley Grands were the jewels in the Huxley Hotel crown. The high-end properties competed with other luxury hotels such as the Four Seasons, the Ritz, and the Waldorf Astoria.

“Only if I thought you fuckers would actually give me the peace and quiet I crave.”

“Doubtful.” Jasper winked.

I slumped into a chair. “I thought I’d be in the house by the holidays.”

I couldn’t wait to move. Not because of the lack of privacy from my family—they were right; I did love it. Them. I’d always loved being part of a big family.

But my dream of having a big family of my own was dead, and I needed to feel settled. I needed a home, though I wasn’t sure my new house would fill that void. It might be smaller than my previous one, but I suspected it would feel just as lonely.

“How much longer do you think your house is going to take?” Nate asked. Graham seemed just as interested in my answer.

“Weeks? Months?” I shrugged. “Fuck. At this point, your guess is as good as mine.”

“Don’t forget,” Graham said, “you have to be out of the suite for the weekend of—”

“I know. I know,” I sighed. He’d only told me about a thousand times.

“Do you want to talk about the game?” Nate asked.

I downed the rest of my drink then placed the empty glass in the sink. “No.”

“What do you think?” Jasper looked to the others. “In or out?”

“Fuck no,” I said in a firm tone. “We’re not going out.”

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