I always made time to work out because it gave me the energy I needed to work twelve hour days and have a social life.

Plus, it prevented me from killing people who pissed me off. I preferred the executive gym where I didn’t have to worry about people interrupting me, but that wasn’t always possible, so I sometimes used the gym provided for employees. Like today.

I needed to burn off excess energy. Something had been off with Talia the last time we were together, and I hadn’t’ heard much from her since. Giving her space was harder than I thought it would be, so I worked out harder and hoped like hell when I got home I was too tired to do something stupid. Like call her.

Or stop by her place.

It didn’t matter. I’d have my fill of her soon enough. The door to my office burst open before I finished buttoning my shirt. It was Blake. And Scarlett. Both of them gawking at me like they’d never seen a man without his shirt. Scarlett’s gaze raked over me and I scowled.

“You,” I pointed. “Out. Now.”

“Sure thing, boss.” She turned slowly, eyes caressing me like the lover she was hoping to graduate to, which was never going to happen. She’d be lucky if I let her keep her job after the stunt she pulled with Talia.

“What’s up, Blake?” He had that wild-eyed look of a man either on the brink of a break down, or facing the terror of fatherhood. Not that Blake had any reason to be worried. He was born to be a father, and had been one to me and Lacey for as long as we could remember.

Blake walked in and took a seat while I finished dresssing. “Just came to check on your progress.”

“You mean to make sure Talia and I haven’t killed each other yet?” Blake was right to be worried, although we were getting along a lot better these days. Mostly. “Because I know you’ve been getting Talia’s updates.”

“Yeah?” He arched his brows. “How do you know that?”

“Because she CC’s me on every fucking one of them, that’s how!” The woman was a menace with her constant updates and checklists, confirmations and more damn updates.

Blake snickered. “She’s efficient, I’ll give her that. I can see why Poppy values her so much as an Assistant.” He shook his head and let out another chuckle when I glared at him from my seat behind the big desk Lacey said was perfect for my office. She was right. “I really did want to make sure you two were getting along because there is always an insane amount of tension between you two. I thought maybe you were sleeping together, but Poppy says that would never happen, so I’m checking in.”

I stroked my non-existent beard at his words, well Poppy’s words, and wondered why she was so sure. Then I realized that I didn’t give a fuck. I was close to burning off this obsession with Talia, and after a few more fucks she’d be old news. I could get back to my regularly scheduled life. Of that much was I certain.

“Things are fine and we’re making plenty of progress. She’s bossy as hell, but gorgeous, so I deal with it.” I threw in a shrug to make it believable. But somehow Blake knew Lacey and I better than we knew each other. Thankfully he didn’t call me on it.

“I appreciate you taking this on for us.” One hand slid through the same blond curls we all had. He blew out a long breath, giving me an unguarded moment to observe him, I could see he was exhausted. “A few days ago, Poppy’s blood pressure spiked, and we spent hours in the ER, took five years off my life. It was as bad as you and Lacey as kids.”

I smiled at that. As twins, Lacey and I managed to get in twice the trouble because we could do our twin thing and no one ever overheard our plotting.

“I’m not just good for wedding and events, you know? I’m here to help, even my perfect older brother. If he’s willing to ask.”

His mouth kicked up in a smirk. “I’ll keep that in mind. Now, do you want to tell me how long you and Talia have been sleeping together?”

I sucked in a fake breath of outrage. “Engaging in gossip?” I quirked an eyebrow and he grinned.

He frowned and shook his head. “No, but when you settle down with one woman you’ll take your wins where you can.”

“You guys are having problems?”

He barked out a laugh. “Yeah, she’s right all the damn time. It’s annoying.”

“Really? Tell me all about it, because I have no idea,” I deadpanned and he tossed a pen at me.

“I told you Poppy said Talia would never sleep with you, but you didn’t put up any fight about it. I know you, there’s only one reason for that, you’ve already done it.” He looked so proud of his deductions.

“Are you going to give me shit about it?”

“Not at all, I just want to rub it in that she was wrong.”

I shook my head and laughed, feeling less tense than I did earlier. “You two grow stranger every day. Why does Poppy think it’ll never happen with me and Talia?” Yeah, so my curiosity got the better of me. Sue me.

He shrugged. “Something to do with some guy she used to date. He was, according to Poppy, gorgeous, rich and arrogant.”

‘Just like you’, hung in the air between us.

“It started in Corvallis.” His brows rose in surprise, and I chuckled. “You asked.”

His brows dipped. “And what about Scarlett?”

That shit pissed me off, and I stared a hole through my brother and boss. “I told you I don’t fuck my assistants, why is that so damn hard for you to believe?”

“You like your women hot and easy, and every one of your assistants were cast from the same mold.”

Okay, that was true, but only because hot and easy meant hot and uncomplicated. “Then maybe you should talk to HR about why you feel the need to have all assistants look like pageant girls. You think I want to deal with sexual harassment claims, or worse? No thank you.”

“I didn’t think you were serious, but you make a good point. I’m grateful and impressed.” I didn’t bother to tell him that his being impressed wasn’t really a compliment. “So why are you so grumpy, then?”

Good question. “Things have been weird since Corvallis, and yeah I know, it’s barely been a week. Still, she’s back to that distance shit.”

“But now you know why,” he said thoughtfully, and then frowned. “You’re not looking for anything serious, so why does it matter?”

Another good question that I didn’t have an answer to, at least not one I wanted to share. “I don’t know, Blake. What I do know is, that I’m not ready to be done with her yet. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No,” he sighed, sounding all kinds of resigned. “But we both know eventually I will have a problem with it.” Blake stood and gave me a blank look. “Just be careful, please. Talia is family to Poppy.”

“And I am family to you too, or did you forget that little fact?”

“I didn’t forget Lukas, and don’t give me that hurt crap, I’m just asking you to be careful this time. A bit more cautious than you usually are, because Talia won’t be going away when you’re done with her.” With a resigned look that made me want to punch something or puke, he left.

It didn’t matter what Blake said, or what Poppy thought, I wanted Talia with a fever I hadn’t experience in my thirty odd years of living. It was damn near all-consuming, and I knew I wouldn’t stop until I had to.

I spent most of the day taking care of items on my half of the wedding list. So I figured stopping by to discuss it with Poppy would be better than waiting for Talia to call me back. She wasn’t avoiding me, but she was avoiding having to talk to me, answering every call with a text or email. I was baffled.

I was also even more fucking intrigued. I know she had a good time in Corvallis because I made damn sure of it. But something had caused her to back off, and I didn’t think it was the ex. I’d figure it out, but first I needed to deal with Poppy and wedding stuff.

So I knocked on her door, laughing that she’d somehow convinced Blake to leave his swanky penthouse and come to this quaint little duplex. I rang the bell, listening to it echo in the house and chuckled to myself.

The door to the apartment next to hers shot open, and a curly topped silver head popped out and leveled a blue stare at me.

“Lukas, you handsome devil, how are you?”

“Maple, you silver fox. I’m better now that you’re here.” She rolled her eyes but giggled like a woman half her age.

“Get in here, I’ll make you something to eat.” She stepped back and I entered her unit, taking in her pink and turquoise dress that brushed the floor and her requisite arm filled with bracelets, today they were bronze and silver.

“Don’t feel the need to feed me, Maple. I just have a few things to show Poppy for the wedding.”

“Sit,” she ordered and pointed at the cushion covered chairs. She began to pull a shit ton of ingredients from the fridge. “How do you like working with your siblings?”

It was an odd question, but it wasn’t invasive, so I shrugged. “It’s okay for the most part. We each have our responsibilities, but it’s good to have people you never have to doubt at your side.”

She smiled, apparently satisfied by my answer as she spread mustard on large slices of whole wheat bread. “I never wanted to work the family business, and my pa, he hated it too. I was more of a gardening, or animals kind of outdoors girl, you know? I’m so proud of Poppy for finding a way to accept her legacy without compromising herself.” I didn’t know if Maple needed me for this conversation, but I listened and learned. “Now, tell me what’s happening with you and Talia, and don’t bother denying it, because there were enough sparks to start a raging inferno between you two the other day at dinner.”

Damn. “You’re imagining things, Maple. Maybe projecting your feelings,” I told her with a cheeky wiggle of my eyebrows.

Her laughter was loud and unabashed, infectious. “Honey, you wouldn’t know what to do with all this. I admit I don’t still have the body or looks I had when I was Talia’s age, but even back then, she’s got me beat.” I liked how plain spoken Maple was, she just said the truth whether it hurt or not. It was an admirable trait. “I know I’m not imagining things. And you don’t want to listen because you still want to run around in these streets and stick your pecker inside anything pretty and willing. But it’ll change,” she said that plainly, but it sounded more like a warning than a foretelling.

“I’m not ready for it to change.”

She grinned, and her blue gaze was affectionate as she sat one half of the biggest sandwich I’d ever been served in front of me with malt vinegar chips and a big pickle half. It was perfect. “Men like you are never ready to change. Too rich and handsome for your own damn good, and too charming to boot.”

I flashed a smile around a chip. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not, as long as that’s what you want. Don’t let fear keep you from something great.”

It was exactly what I wanted, but I knew saying so would subject me to more words on the subjects of love and relationships.

“I won’t.”

Another one of those damn smiles spread across her friendly face, like I was an amusing kid. “You remind me of Frederico, Talia’s ex. Not in looks of course, he was all dark hair, olive skin and eyes so black it was easy to get lost in them. Not as handsome as you, but close. The man had charm in spades, and when he aimed it her way, Talia was powerless against him. He doted on her, and told her she was beautiful and she believed him, but you know how men are once they get what they want.”

“I don’t, actually.”

Maple scoffed and let a loud, guffawing laugh that let me know exactly what she thought of my answer.

“I hope you’re not out here talking out of turn old woman.” Poppy walked in, as quiet as she’d entered the unit, looking rumpled but rested.

Maple stood and kissed Poppy on the cheek, and I stood and did the same, offering up my chair so she could sit. “Of course I wasn’t, I was just trying to help,” she insisted to her granddaughter who didn’t believe her for a second.

“Well, don’t.” Her words were sharp. Harsh.

I frowned and I wondered what the hell was Poppy’s problem with me. “What the fuck, am I some kind of monster?”

“No Luke,” she said on a sigh. “Not at all, you’re great. But you wouldn’t be good for Talia.”

It’s a good thing I’d already laid out everything for Maple, because I was so fucking out of there. “Yeah, thanks Poppy. I left some wedding stuff for you to look at, Maple has it all.”

“Wait Luke, please!” I turned like an idiot, because I respected my brother which meant I wouldn’t disrespect his fiancée, but I was barely hanging on. “It’s not you on a personal level, it’s just everything about you.”

“That’s not better.” Arms crossed, I glared at her so she could see how pissed off I was. All this time I thought she liked me. Wrong again, Luke.

“You’re her Achilles’ heel, so if you’re not serious and just looking to get laid, please do it with someone else. If I lose my best friend I won’t be able to forgive you.”

The tears trembling in her eyes might have swayed me, if she hadn’t just threatened me, which she had. We both knew if she didn’t’ forgive me, shit would always be weird with me and Blake.

“Thanks for lunch, Maple.” I grabbed my blazer and left, slamming the door behind me.