Tell Me You're Mine (The British Billionaires #1) - J. S. Scott Page 0,68
not from grueling workouts in a gym. Women stopped and stared when Leo walked by them, but to give him credit, my brother never seemed to notice. He’d always lacked the vanity that usually came with a perfect genetic makeup like his.
“She obviously makes you happy, Damian. You don’t know how glad I am to see you a little lighter. Nicole’s an amazing woman. Why don’t you make this real?”
My expression was grim as I asked, “How do you propose I do that? She thinks I’m a workaholic man-whore.”
“She’s got the workaholic part of it right,” Leo agreed. “But you seem to be managing that well right now by actually utilizing all those executives you have. Just tell her about Dylan.”
Leo had no way of knowing that I’d actually considered telling Nicole the truth. Maybe she didn’t completely trust me, but I fucking trusted her, whether I had her signature on a nondisclosure…or not. The woman didn’t have a vengeful bone in her body, and she’d never intentionally hurt anyone.
Maybe she’d be angry that I evaded the truth about a lot of things, but I was ready to admit that I’d rather have her mad than hurt. She might even forgive me if I groveled enough, and we could get on with the business of indulging in the earth-shattering sex that was going to occur the moment I could get her naked.
I finally spoke. “I’d have to trust that she’d keep the secret. The last thing we need, after all the work we’ve done to make people forget about that story, is to have Dylan’s involvement come out now. Everything is just dying down.”
I still touched base with Dylan every single day. The black cloud over his head wasn’t gone, but he sounded sober. He was actually going to counseling, which I’d insisted on before I’d released a small fortune to his bank account.
Mum joined the conversation. “Dylan will be fine. And I think, by now, you’re very much aware that Nicole would never betray your trust.”
“Fuck Dylan,” Leo spat out before he quickly said, “Sorry, Mum, but I’m sick and tired of watching Damian pay emotionally for every single stupid thing Dylan does.”
“I completely agree, Leo, and I’ve said as much, but Damian has to make his own decision to stop covering for Dylan.”
“He’s my twin, and I gave him my word. That actually means something to me,” I snapped.
“He’s also a wanker,” Leo added. “Look, I sympathize with him. I love him. Dylan is my brother, too. He’s been through a lot. Every time I talk to him, I try to get him to talk about it so we can help him work through everything, but he closes himself off like a clam. He’s not even trying, which is exactly what infuriates me. And it’s been two years. Way too long to leave his older brother in charge of his life while he runs away in a drunken fog. If I thought I could help, I would, Damian. I’d stay here in England and work beside you to take some of the load off your shoulders. But I know almost nothing about running Lancaster International.”
My damn chest ached as I listened to Leo’s outburst. It meant a lot that he was willing to put his own career on hold to help me. “I’ve never wanted that, Leo. I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished. Lancaster International will be fine.”
“I don’t care about Lancaster, Damian. I care about you. Which is why I’m happy to see you with somebody like Nicole. Don’t screw this up over Dylan. She’s real, Damian, and in our world, that’s a rarity. You’re going to have to decide what means more to you: Nicole, or continuing to protect Dylan from the real world, and the consequences of his actions.”
“She’s not the type of woman to reveal your secrets, even if she’s angry,” Mum added. “I don’t trust a lot of people, but my instinct says you can trust her.”
I already knew I could trust Nicole. She wasn’t the vindictive type.
“I was planning on telling her after the gala. She deserves to know everything,” I confessed. “If it sends her running back to the US, I don’t want that to happen until she’s done everything she wants to do in London.”
Honestly, I wasn’t planning on letting her go very far, even if she wanted to get away from me. No matter how long it took, I’d follow her until she could trust me.