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Quietly, I make my way down the hall and end up in what seems to be an incredibly opulent office. The space looks like a library built within the mansion. Floor-to-ceiling bookshelves line the room. I make my way to one of the shelves. All of the books are in French. The next bookshelf contains books in Chinese. Then there’s a shelf filled with romance books.
“Romance?”
I reach for one title. I’m surprised to find that Ryan reads romance at all. I’m even more surprised to see that this is a BDSM novel. Interesting. As I peruse the shelves, I find that his collection is expansive. His choice in books varies from heavy Dom/sub relationship stuff to sweet small-town romance to why choose.
Who would have known the billionaire has a thing for people falling in love?
As I make my way through the room, I find more things that interest me: a couple of sofas, a fireplace, a large desk in the center of the room, and an ornate chair with it.
There’s an open laptop on the desk. I make my way over, carefully looking at everything in front of me. Ryan’s desk at home is much less organized than his desk at work. At the office, everything is in its proper place. Here, things are strewn about. He’s got a picture next to the computer of three little boys. Obviously, this is a picture of him and his brothers.
I pick it up, tracing my fingers over the glass. The Ryan in this picture seems so much more relaxed than the Ryan I know now. This Ryan is calm. Happy. He’s safe, I realize. The Ryan I know now probably hasn’t been safe in a very, very long time.
Does he feel safe with me?
“Can’t sleep?” Ryan’s voice tugs me from my speculating. I drop the picture so fast that it clatters on the desk. He makes his way past me, brushing against me, and picks it up. “These are my brothers.”
“I thought as much.”
“We used to be very close,” he says.
“And you’re not now?” I’m hesitant to ask too many questions. I don’t want to make him uncomfortable. I really do want to know more about him, though. I want to know everything there is to know about this guy who has captured my attention, and my heart.
“Not as much. You?”
“My brother and I haven’t talked in a long time.”
“Why not?”
I shrug. This is my chance to tell him. I almost did earlier when he asked about my work history, but I chickened out. Sometimes I feel like I do that a lot.
“People change,” I say.
“Bullshit.”
“What?” His comment catches me off guard.
“I call bullshit.” Ryan walks to the side of the room and stands by the window. He peers out through the open blinds, glancing at the moon, and then turns back around. “Nobody just stops talking to their brother. Nobody. Not without a good reason.”
“I have a good reason, asshole.”
“Try me.”
“I haven’t talked to him because he disappeared.”
