laughed at my grimace and stood. “I’m kidding, Parker. Guess I better leave you lovebirds alone. But you”—he pointed at his brother—“got training this afternoon.”
I felt Rhys’s hand slide farther up my leg. “I’ll get my workout in, don’t you worry.”
Shivering at the promise in his voice, I couldn’t even laugh at Dean’s disgusted expression. “I understand innuendo, fuckface.”
Rhys chuckled. “You leaving or what?”
“I got shit to do, so yeah.”
“I hope that shit has something to do with finding a decent job.”
“Hey, who is the smartest person in this room?”
“Parker.”
I laughed as Dean rolled his eyes. “I meant out of us two.”
But Rhys wasn’t laughing. “I mean it, Dean. Time to get serious.”
“I already told you I am.” He left before Rhys could say another word.
I frowned. “You’re still worried about him?”
“I’ll keep worrying about him until he nails down a good job and starts to settle. Now, can we stop talking about my little brother and go up to the loft?”
Before I could answer, he placed his hands under my ass and lifted me up so I had no choice but to wrap myself around him like a monkey.
“That was a rhetorical question.” His lids lowered over his eyes as he stared at my mouth. “If I don’t get inside you in the next five minutes, I’m gonna lose my mind.”
I would’ve chided him for such melodrama if his phone hadn’t vibrated on the desk.
He glanced over my shoulder and scowled.
“What is it?” I twisted to have a look down at his phone screen. “Who is Colonel Dipshit?”
“Fairchild.”
I snorted and grinned at him. “Colorful.”
Rhys didn’t laugh. “It’s the third time he’s called since yesterday.”
“He’s heard about the fight,” I surmised, feeling a trickle of trepidation run through me. “Answer it. Just get it over with.”
The muscle in his jaw flexed. “I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“I won’t be able to concentrate until we know what he has to say.”
Rhys sighed heavily and gently lowered me to the ground. His phone stopped vibrating for a second and then immediately started again. “Colonel Dipshit was too kind,” he muttered under his breath as he reached for the phone.
I pressed into his side, one palm on his lower back, the other on his abs, my physical support a show of my emotional support. Rhys curled his arm around my shoulders and answered, putting the phone on speaker. “Fairchild.”
“Morgan,” Mr. Fairchild answered tersely. “You do realize this goddamn charity fight you’re putting together has affected the level of interest in my fight?”
“Well, it doesn’t really matter because I never agreed to do your fight.”
There was silence. Then, “You sneaky little fuck.”
I stiffened at the same time Rhys did, a growl burrowing up my throat.
Hearing it, Rhys rubbed my shoulder and shook his head at me. “I don’t give two shits who you are, Fairchild. Nobody talks to me like that.”
“Oh, you’ll care, son, when I’m done with you. Did you think you could get one over on me and survive that?”
“You threatening me?”
“Not in the way you think. There are other ways to destroy a man’s life without touching a single hair on his head. Now, here’s what you’re going to do. You’ll continue with this asinine charity fight, but you’re still going to fight for me.”
“Or what?”
“Or I start with that little bitch who, according to my staff, really likes getting fucked.” Rhys’s fingers bit into my shoulder, and his expression turned dark. “Well,” Fairchild continued, “I’m going to fuck her too, just in a different way. I’ll start with that job of hers. Not only will I make sure she never works for Horus again, I’ll make sure she never works in Boston again, and I’ll go even further than that and make sure she never works in renewable energy. Every move she makes to further her career, I’ll be there to fuck with her.”
My heart pounded in my chest, nausea roiling in my gut because I knew Fairchild was capable of doing exactly that.
“And if that isn’t enough to make you see things my way, I’ll move on to your brother. It would be a shame if someone as intelligent as Dean, with such a bright future ahead of him, were to find himself unemployable.”
Rhys shuddered against me and I held on tighter, as if I could contain his fury. He opened and shut his mouth. Seeing his struggle, I caressed his cheek, drawing his gaze to mine.