Page 15 of The Merger

“Exactly,” Colt grumbled and brought his beer up to his lips.

Jana rolled her eyes, but her smirk said she was more amused at Colt than annoyed. “He does, but like me, it was a family company. He never got to choose the path he’d take. Lucky for him he really loves technology. Anyway, we are building my virtual assistant together as a joint venture between Woten Automotive and Anderson Global.”

I turned my attention to my step-brother. “I thought you liked him?”

He shrugged. “He’s all right. I’d like him a lot better if he hadn’t gone into business with my wife behind my back.”

Jana reached over from where she sat next to him and patted his hand. “That was when you were being a dumbass. Nothing was done behind your back. We weren’t together.”

Colt’s jaw clenched. “For a brief period of time we were residing in different places, but there was never a single moment I was going to let you go. I told you that when we said our vows. You are mine. You were then, you are now, and you always will be.”

I felt Stryker’s eyes on me and turned to face him. He didn’t need to say anything. The way he looked at me I had a feeling he felt the same way about me.

* * *

The rest of dinner went by much easier. It didn’t take long for Colt to see that Stryker was nothing like Malcolm. They discussed business, both of them had a love of numbers that piqued my inner geek, but I didn’t contribute, because I loved watching them connect. I didn’t want to look at why too closely.

Colter and Stryker worked together to clear the table after dinner, leaving Jana and me alone to chat. “How are you holding up?” she asked.

I blew out a breath and shrugged. “I’m not sure. This whole thing is wild.”

I could practically see Jana biting her tongue. “Whatever you want to say, just spit it out,” I insisted.

She shook her head. “No, I don’t want to interfere. This is something you’ve got to figure out on your own.”

A small growl escaped my throat. “Malcolm and I had a fight last night at dinner.”

Part of me wanted to keep this from her. She already disliked Mal, and anything I said would only reinforce that. Not only that, but her opinion mattered to me. It wouldn’t be hard for her to influence me, especially after the side of him I saw last night.

Jana clenched her hands around the edge of the table. “Did he hurt you?”

I shook my head. “No. He was dismissive. Tried to tell me I couldn’t take the promotion. When I first told him about it he asked if I had another brother that needed an assistant.”

“What the fuck did you say?” Stryker had walked into the room. His tone was hard and cold, but it warmed me at the same time.

“It sounds like you heard me,” I mumbled.

Stryker extended his hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet. His night-dark eyes locked on mine. He was the direct opposite of his brother.

Malcolm was good-looking, in a pretty boy kind of way. He was tall, and lean with a swimmer’s build. His hair was a rich golden blond, always perfectly styled. His eyes were the clearest blue. I was only just starting to realize that even the brightest eyes could hide darkness.

I only got a peek at what was inside the man I’d thought was my best friend. Maybe we’d move past this, but I didn’t think we’d do it together. Not in a romantic sense anyway. Certainly not while I was legally married to his brother.

Stryker stood still, his hand still holding mine. I’d heard he was an asshole when I asked around about him, but I hadn’t seen that side of him tonight. I’d never have thought he and Mal were brothers if they hadn’t both confirmed it. Stryker was taller and broader. His hair was dark, nearly black. The sides were shaved close to his scalp while the top was left long. It gave him a roguish look, that fit more with the grumpy persona than the one I saw.

He pulled on my hand, moving me closer to his side. He dropped his arm around my shoulders, and for a second I let myself lean into him. Stryker leaned down and pressed his lips to the top of my head.

“I know this has been a lot. Why don’t we have that talk later? Can I help you get home?”

“I walked here.”

The look he gave me was full of a mixture of concern and irritation. “You walked here? Alone?”

I stepped back and held my arms out. “I’m fine.”

“I’ll walk you home.”

Shaking my head I moved to the hall and grabbed my jacket and purse. “I’ll be fine. I walk all the time.”