in town or what?" Ever since Dylan had joined the FBI a couple of years ago, he'd seen his brother less and less. Usually only twice a year. It was a stroke of luck that Dylan was working a case in Los Angeles now.
"I don't know, you make it sound so appealing," his brother drawled.
"Shut up and tell me you have your pick up lines picked out. My boy Ray, who left the Jags last year to play for the Lakers, is going to hook us up at some it club this weekend. You can't back out on me."
His brother sighed. "You realize I'm out here to work, right, not party it up with starlets?"
"You're really not going to meet your brother for a drink?"
Dylan was notorious. Even as a kid he'd been like an old man in a kid's body. Always the responsible one. Always the one taking on the mantle of looking out for everyone. The little adult. Clubbing wasn't really his thing. Therefore, Derek made it his personal mission to see that his big brother had some fun every now and again.
"No, I'll be there. Just tell me where. I just want it to be known it's under protest."
Kind of like he was here under protest? He couldn't believe she'd called. What’s more, he couldn't believe he'd said yes. Just thinking about Kisima set his teeth on edge. He kept trying to remind himself that she was just one more spoiled, beautiful, rich girl who thought she could skate by in life. But fuck, he wanted this one.
From the moment she'd jutted her chin out at him and challenged his assumption about her recovery, he was a goner. There was only one word to describe what he felt when she'd told him it wasn't going to work out...relief. Okay, first, annoyance, then relief. And now, like an idiot, he'd walked right back into the lion's den wearing a meat suit.
But he wanted to work. And a small part of him was terrified that Kallie's influence would prove stronger than the truth. He had to find alternatives. But that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.
Although, he glanced around at his surroundings, if he had to be here under protest, there were worse places to be. The room Kisima had given him was huge. And thankfully, the bed was a California King, so his feet wouldn't dangle off. The bathroom had a shower big enough to host a party in, and the stereo system was state of the art to make him nearly weep.
But a sick room didn't change the fact that he was going to have a hell of a time with her. He didn't need them to be best friends forever, but they did need to get along. Be on the same team, on the same page. And it would certainly help if that challenge he saw in her eyes didn't make him want to bite her lip. He cleared his throat and dragged his attention back to his brother. "Just like that bar in Adams Morgan when I came to DC? You went home with that blonde under protest?"
He could hear the humor in his brother's voice when he said, "Well, you'd worked so hard to get me to talk to her, so I figured it was only right for me to at least put my back into it."
"The things you do for family." Derek chortled. He'd missed this. Missed his big brother. Dylan was the only person that knew exactly what it felt like when their mother had walked out because she realized she didn’t want to be a mother.
"I'm all about self sacrifice." Dylan was quiet for a moment, then asked, "So how's it going, you getting settled in?"
Derek glanced around. "Yeah, you know, it could be worse." That was a hell of an understatement. The carpet in his room was so plush that his feet all but sank in with every step he took. He could fucking live in there. Fuck, the bathroom even had its own sauna.
"And you? You feeling okay about the gig?"
He recognized the worry in Dylan's voice. "You can relax D2. I'm cool. I'm confident about this appeal. I'll only be here for a few weeks, then I'll be back where I belong. Besides, do you really want to talk about my new patient, or do you want to talk about who gets Sofia Vergara when she walks into the club this weekend?"
Keep it light
"I don't know, you make it sound so appealing," his brother drawled.
"Shut up and tell me you have your pick up lines picked out. My boy Ray, who left the Jags last year to play for the Lakers, is going to hook us up at some it club this weekend. You can't back out on me."
His brother sighed. "You realize I'm out here to work, right, not party it up with starlets?"
"You're really not going to meet your brother for a drink?"
Dylan was notorious. Even as a kid he'd been like an old man in a kid's body. Always the responsible one. Always the one taking on the mantle of looking out for everyone. The little adult. Clubbing wasn't really his thing. Therefore, Derek made it his personal mission to see that his big brother had some fun every now and again.
"No, I'll be there. Just tell me where. I just want it to be known it's under protest."
Kind of like he was here under protest? He couldn't believe she'd called. What’s more, he couldn't believe he'd said yes. Just thinking about Kisima set his teeth on edge. He kept trying to remind himself that she was just one more spoiled, beautiful, rich girl who thought she could skate by in life. But fuck, he wanted this one.
From the moment she'd jutted her chin out at him and challenged his assumption about her recovery, he was a goner. There was only one word to describe what he felt when she'd told him it wasn't going to work out...relief. Okay, first, annoyance, then relief. And now, like an idiot, he'd walked right back into the lion's den wearing a meat suit.
But he wanted to work. And a small part of him was terrified that Kallie's influence would prove stronger than the truth. He had to find alternatives. But that didn't mean he had to be happy about it.
Although, he glanced around at his surroundings, if he had to be here under protest, there were worse places to be. The room Kisima had given him was huge. And thankfully, the bed was a California King, so his feet wouldn't dangle off. The bathroom had a shower big enough to host a party in, and the stereo system was state of the art to make him nearly weep.
But a sick room didn't change the fact that he was going to have a hell of a time with her. He didn't need them to be best friends forever, but they did need to get along. Be on the same team, on the same page. And it would certainly help if that challenge he saw in her eyes didn't make him want to bite her lip. He cleared his throat and dragged his attention back to his brother. "Just like that bar in Adams Morgan when I came to DC? You went home with that blonde under protest?"
He could hear the humor in his brother's voice when he said, "Well, you'd worked so hard to get me to talk to her, so I figured it was only right for me to at least put my back into it."
"The things you do for family." Derek chortled. He'd missed this. Missed his big brother. Dylan was the only person that knew exactly what it felt like when their mother had walked out because she realized she didn’t want to be a mother.
"I'm all about self sacrifice." Dylan was quiet for a moment, then asked, "So how's it going, you getting settled in?"
Derek glanced around. "Yeah, you know, it could be worse." That was a hell of an understatement. The carpet in his room was so plush that his feet all but sank in with every step he took. He could fucking live in there. Fuck, the bathroom even had its own sauna.
"And you? You feeling okay about the gig?"
He recognized the worry in Dylan's voice. "You can relax D2. I'm cool. I'm confident about this appeal. I'll only be here for a few weeks, then I'll be back where I belong. Besides, do you really want to talk about my new patient, or do you want to talk about who gets Sofia Vergara when she walks into the club this weekend?"
Keep it light
Similar Books
