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PROLOGUE
AUSTIN WENTWORTH
14 YEARS AGO
I was lost in thought as the driver made his way through Chicago’s evening traffic toward the steakhouse where I was meeting my brother Carter. When the car finally stopped outside the building made from old dark brick, I pulled out my wallet to tip the driver.
“Thank you, sir. Have a good evening.”
“Thank you for the ride.”
I could hear my nervous tone as I stepped out onto the sidewalk. This was my last night in the city before I was to fly home to Galveston. My older brother and his wife, Caroline, loved living in Chicago, and I saw the appeal. It was a beautiful city, but the cold weather here wasn’t for me. I preferred the heat, but not necessarily south Texas.
Carter was twenty years older than me, and at forty-two, staying in Chicago had been his form of rebellion against our highbrow, Texas oil family. He’d agreed to go into the family business if—and only if—he could go to school where he wanted. Not where Jasper and Mary Ann Wentworth had planned for him to go. So, he picked Northwestern, met Caroline, and decided to stay. Another rebellious move, even though they badgered him relentlessly about moving back home.
I was planning my own rebellion, and that’s why I needed to talk to him alone. We all loved Caroline, but she was too much sometimes. I needed Carter on my side for the impending shit storm when I dropped the bomb on them. And what I planned to do would keep me out of their reach for a long damn time. I refused to become another Wentworth Oil office casualty. I wanted more out of my life than what would end up a loveless, almost arranged marriage to another Texas socialite, and two point four kids to carry on the Wentworth name. There was no way Jasper and Mary Ann would allow me to live my life as a gay man.
My phone buzzed in my pocket as the car pulled away, so I stepped out of the doorway to check the message.
Carter: I’m running late. Have a drink at the bar, and I’ll be there soon.
Me: Okay. Just got here.
Pocketing my phone, I entered the restaurant and was met by a pretty young woman about my age with long, dark hair and even darker eyes. She blinked at me before the smile spread across her face. Lowering her gaze, she tucked her hair behind her ear, then glanced up at me through impossibly long lashes. Unfortunately, I had that effect on women, but she wasn’t my type. So, I pasted on the cordial smile my mother had trained me to wear.
“Good evening. Do you have a reservation?”
“Yes, ma’am. Under Wentworth. But my brother is going to be delayed. Would it be a problem to push it back until he got here?”
Her smile returned as she scanned the designer clothing I hated and nodded enthusiastically. “I can do that.”
“Great. I’ll just wait at the bar, if that’s okay, ma’am.”
“Cassidy,” she purred. “My name’s Cassidy.”
I nodded once. “Thank you, Cassidy. I’ll be at the bar.”
Pasting on another forced smile, I looked away and scanned the area. A couple of barstools that remained unoccupied, but the one closest to the wall held more appeal because I recognized the man sitting there. As my smile stretched across my face, I wasted no time claiming the spot.
Shrugging off my jacket, I folded it neatly, shoulder to shoulder, and took a seat on the leather-covered barstool. The air filled with the familiar scent of an expensive men’s cologne that made my dick stir. It had notes of juniper and seawater and was the most boner-inducing fragrance I’d ever come across.
And I had a thing for the man who wore it. The very same one I’d been crazy about for years.
Shifting on my stool, my gaze went to the handsome older man sipping his amber-colored drink. I took in the side view of light hazel eyes rimmed in long, dark lashes that I’d dreamed about. His sharp, chiseled jaw with a day’s worth of stubble caused my heart to beat a little faster. If I were being honest, I’d admit that I’d fantasized about him quite a bit. And when he turned and looked at me, all bets were off. He was the man of my dreams.
Greer turned to appraise me with a knowing smile, making my breathing a little raspier than normal. I was no longer Carter’s kid brother. I was more. And his appreciative smile and long assessing gaze that took in my face, my sharp jaw, and my lips said he knew it. And he looked pleased to see me.
“Well, hello there. It’s good to see you, Austin.”
I smiled and held out my hand to shake his. “Hello, Greer. It’s really nice to see you.”
He shifted on his stool toward me, then looked momentarily at my hand before sliding his into mine.
When he touched me, a warm sensation started in my hand before heading straight into my pants. I looked down at where our skin made contact and, for the briefest of moments, I wondered if his lips on mine would have the same effect. Would he taste like I’d imagined?
Would kissing him cause an electrical current to run through me, making me want things I knew I shouldn’t? He was my much older brother’s best friend, and old enough to be my father. But that didn’t stop the tidal wave of longing and desire I’d carried for him for years. And at that moment, I didn’t think anything could.
Greer didn’t let go as he looked into my eyes, making me lose track of time. I’d always been attracted to him, and if the way he looked at me was any indication, he was feeling it, too.
