Deadly Coincidence (Brantley Walker Off the Books #4) - Nicole Edwards Page 0,9

“Yeah, sure. I’ll go in, say hello.”

And then Trey was walking toward the house and Magnus was watching intently.

“You two have a problem?” Reese asked, too curious not to.

“What?” Magnus’s gaze slammed into him. “No.” He shook his head. “No problem here.”

“How’s your … uh … girlfriend?” Reese inquired, referring to the woman who’d been with Magnus the last time they’d gone to Camp K-9. For the record, there had been a different woman there nearly every time Reese had stopped in for a training session.

Magnus frowned, his black eyebrows lowering. “No girlfriend.”

“Oh. You were with… Sorry, her name eludes me.” Only because he’d never gotten her name.

It was obvious Magnus was attempting to think back. It took a second before he smiled and shrugged. “That was … um … Mich—uh, Melanie. Yeah. I’d just met her. We’re not a thing. Just a one-nighter.”

Interesting.

More so when Magnus’s gaze shifted to the house once again, as though he might possibly lure Trey back out that way.

*

Trey Walker stepped into Brantley and Reese’s house, forced himself not to turn around and look at the trainer who for some stupid reason had snagged his attention from the jump. Since the day he’d met Tesha’s trainer, he found himself fantasizing about him for no good reason.

And fine, Trey would admit there was something strangely appealing about Magnus Storme, with his closely cropped brown hair, hazel eyes, square jaw, and a nose that was slightly crooked. The previously broken nose didn’t even detract, only lent a rugged appeal to Magnus’s otherwise good-looking face.

Initially, he’d tried to tell himself it was a good thing that Magnus invaded his thoughts from time to time. That fantasizing about a man he wasn’t intimate with, nor would he ever be, was no big deal. It didn’t matter that the guy plagued his dreams, because Trey had no intention of acting on his attraction. And not only because he knew Magnus was straight.

No, Trey’s biggest reason for not acting on his attraction was the simple fact that he was doomed to fail at his relationships, and after Cyrus had up and left for a job in California, Trey realized it was easier to give up altogether than to hope that one day he would find a man who’d give as good as he got. So, for now, he was abstaining. Indefinitely.

Heading for the stairs, he went up, proud of himself for maintaining his focus and not lingering on Magnus for too long. He even managed to avoid looking out the sliding doors that overlooked the yard to see if the man was in view. Just because the guy was good-looking, or because he could swear there was a mischievous gleam in Magnus’s eyes when he looked at him, did not mean Trey needed to entertain—

“Why’re you here?” Brantley asked, pulling Trey from his thoughts.

Realizing he was standing in the doorway of Brantley’s office, he raised his eyebrows. “What?”

“You. Here. Why?”

Trey smiled, understanding why Reese had suggested Trey talk to his brother. “What’s got your panties in a twist? Somethin’ go wrong on your stakeout?”

“It’s almost Christmas. Shouldn’t you be at the mall gettin’ those last-minute gifts?”

“Shouldn’t you?” Trey countered.

“I plan to. Later.”

“Me, too.”

“Fuck you,” Brantley bit out with a smile.

“Fuck you, too.”

Then they were both quiet, staring at one another.

He knew Brantley had changed the subject for a reason, and while he didn’t have a problem giving any of his brothers or sisters shit, Trey knew when to hold off. Right now felt like one of those times.

Trey jerked his chin in the direction of the barn. “Figured I’d follow up on a couple of things,” he told his brother, leaning against the doorjamb. “You know, before everyone’s out of the office for the long weekend.”

Brantley was still leaning back in his chair. Every so often his gaze would shift to the window. Trey figured he was attempting to see Reese, but there was no way. Not from where he was sitting.

“You’re comin’ to Mom and Dad’s for Christmas breakfast, right?” he asked when Brantley didn’t say anything. “And gettin’ with Reese’s family for dinner?”

“That’s the plan,” Brantley muttered, and Trey could tell his mind was elsewhere.

He stood tall. “Well, then. I guess I’ll leave you to it.”

“Yep.”

He paused for a moment, watched his brother.

“You sure everything’s cool?”

“All good.”

Clearly something was bothering him, but Trey couldn’t bring himself to dig. At the moment, he didn’t have the energy to shoulder the weight of anyone else’s problems. Not with his own