Page 105 of On His Terms
“And because you’re as stubborn as you are blind…” Gavin let the words hang between them. “Did you ever mention the possibility of continuing to see her?”
“I hinted at it.”
“Hinted? For shit’s sake. You know damn well that every relationship—especially a BDSM one—needs forthright discussion.”
He winced.
“Do you know how she’s feeling today? What she’s thinking? What she wants?”
Alex squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught of a sudden headache.
“Do you care?” Gavin asked quietly.
Yeah, I do. Obsessively.
“Or are you so deep in your own black hole that no one else exists?”
He willed his brother to shut the hell up.
“What happened that night at the Den couldn’t have been easy on Chelsea. I’m thinking a good trainer would have the consideration to check up on her.”
Because it was accurate, the criticism burned as much as the cheap whiskey he was drinking. He should have gone with the more expensive Bonds choice.
“We’re going to do business with You’re The Star.” Gavin dropped Chelsea’s presentation folder on the desk.
Where the hell had that come from?
“I signed a contract with Jennifer yesterday.”
“You did what?”
“Something we should have done a couple of weeks ago and would have if you weren’t such a stubborn fucker.”
Before that barb landed fully, Alex’s addled mind registered something odd about what his brother said. Frowning, he asked, “Jennifer? You mean Chelsea?”
“No.” Gavin shook his head. “She’s Chelsea’s executive administrator. If you’d engage at work, you’d know that.”
“Ah.” Which meant his bastard sibling hadn’t seen Chelsea? “So you don’t know how she’s doing?”
“Chelsea?”
Hating how much he hungered for even a crumb of information about her, he leaned forward.
“From what Jennifer said, she’s not herself. But you didn’t hear that.”
His heart grabbed hold of the information and tucked it inside.
The fact she’d continued to try to land his business even though they hadn’t seen each other for a few weeks meant… What? Nothing?
“I came here for one reason.”
“Get it over with.” And leave me in peace.
“If you want to implode your personal life, go right ahead. That’s your choice. But Monahan Capital belongs to both of us, and I won’t let you stand in the way of growth over some fucked-up thing going on in your head.”
His headache grew worse.
“Chelsea’s proposal is solid, and it’s worth the time and money required.” Gavin stood and smacked both palms on the desktop.