Page 31 of The Merger

“Do it,” Stryker challenged. “I’ve got a fantastic lawyer on speed dial.”

Malcolm rose to his feet and tried to glare at Stryker, but he looked too pathetic for it to work.

“Have you ever wondered why Colter has never really gone after you?”

His eyes widened when I pointed to my chest. “Me, Mal. I’m the reason your feud never became a full-blown war. Consider my protection revoked.”

“Don’t kid yourself, Sabrina. Colter will always bend to Waverly’s will. You might give him the green light, but he won’t come after me as long as she and I are seeing each other.”

“I thought you were just scratching an itch? I bet that will really endear you to Colter. You’re right, he’s totally going to go easy on you,” I taunted.

“Sabrina, no. I’m just upset. I never meant for you to find out about this. Look, the other night I pressured you, and I’ve got needs, okay? That doesn’t mean I don’t have real feelings for you,” Malcolm tried to explain.

I turned my back on him in dismissal. Stryker ran his knuckles down my cheek. “How about we go back to my room, order room service, and sort out your clothes in the morning.”

My mouth fell open, and he realized how that sounded. A dimple winked at me as his mouth curved up. “I meant we’d call the shopper, Sunshine, but if you’ve got other suggestions I’m listening.”

A shiver ran down my spine because I did have a lot of ideas. Five years worth, and a hazy memory forming which I’d like to investigate.

ChapterTwelve

Stryker

Sabrina was in a daze as I led her down to my car. I’d never been jealous of my brother before. Not when I was a young boy and I watched him receive the recognition from our father I’d never been given. Nor when I worked long hours to help my mom with bills while I was in high school.

Then my mother got sick while I was in college, I had to take a second job to help cover her treatment for ovarian cancer, and Malcolm was given a two hundred thousand dollar car. That money might have meant my mom could have had the best treatment. I still wasn’t envious of him, because he had the two most frigid people on the planet caring for him, and I had my mom, even if my time with her was shorter than it should have been.

But, it was this moment, watching Sabrina suffer heartbreak over my asshole brother that I finally felt envious of him. He had her heart, and he threw it away, and yet she still mourned the loss of him. She was my wife, but he had her in a way I feared I never would.

Letting the valet take my car seemed unnecessarily extravagant, but I needed to get Sabrina alone. If everything I’d hoped for the last five years was about to disintegrate, I preferred to get it over fast and in private.

I wrapped my arm around her and tucked her into my side. Her warmth, the softness of her curves, I soaked it in for possibly the last time as I moved her to the elevator. Her continued silence worried me.

Inside my suite I led her to the sitting area and led her to sit down on the sofa. Once she was settled I wrapped a blanket around her. Then I waited for the shock of what she witnessed to wear off.

“Sunshine, talk to me,” I begged after she continued to sit staring blankly ahead.

She blinked several times and sighed. A sign she was coming around. “You said we were going to get room service. I could really use a burger.”

My smile was both grateful and sad. “Anything you need, Sunshine.”

“I know you want to talk, but I need to process a little more.” She looked at her clothes, beautiful but not comfortable. “Do you have anything I could change into?”

I strolled over to her and kissed her on the top of the head. “I’ve got some sweats. They’ll be huge, but they’ve got a drawstring. Why don’t you go take a shower and I’ll get them and order dinner.”

The moment the shower turned on I grabbed my phone. Surely I could provide more comfort for her than a pair of my sweats. She wasn’t short, but at six-foot-four she’d be swimming in my clothes.

I grabbed my phone and called Colter, putting it on speaker so I could order our dinner on the app at the same time. It wasn’t a call I’d ever thought I’d make. He picked up after a couple of rings.

“Hello?” he asked.

“Colter, it’s Stryker. I hope you don’t mind, but I got your number from Caroline.”

“I’m guessing this is an emergency if you’re calling me,” he grunted.

I exhaled. “I need a favor. Actually, Sabrina does.”

“What does she need?” he asked, concern leaking into his voice.