Nicole Edwards - Temptation

Club Destiny. Luke didnt bother trying to hide the gruff irritation in his voice when he clicked the answer button on his cell phone and all but slammed it against his ear. The damn thing had been ringing nonstop for the last two hours, so hed stopped bothering to look at the screen before he answered.

Hey, bro. Whats going on? Logan, Lukes nothing-if-not-persistent twin brother, greeted back, seemingly immune to Lukes umbrage.

Flying under the radar for the last two months had taken some creative manipulation, but Luke had pulled it off, making a full-fledged effort to work on some of his own personal issues. Nonetheless, said personal issues were not resolved, but he found himself right back in the thick of things once again. He shouldnt be surprised that his brother was calling, and he wasnt really, he just wasnt in the mood to talk to him considering the ass chewing he was expecting.

Not a damn thing. What about you? He barked back, walking through the main floor of his club on the way to his office.

Hed spent the better part of the morning with Club Destinys head bar manager, going through their weekly order, and trying his damnedest to get back into the groove. Between that and answering the phone, he hadnt had a minute to himself. Which in his current state was probably not a bad thing.

Glad you could make it back. Logan said, and Luke heard his brothers sarcasm, as well as his frustration, but at the moment, he didnt give a damn.

What do you want? Luke made it to his second floor office and slammed the door behind him.

Thankfully there were only a handful of people at the club that early in the day since they werent open to the general public yet. Only members were allowed in during the morning hours, and they all knew to give him a wide berth on a good day. Unfortunately for them, today wasnt a good day.

Even with the few familiar faces hed seen that morning, Lukes only desire was to be left alone. Although hed managed to abandon his responsibilities, as well as any of his personal relationships for the last eight weeks, Luke still wasnt in the mood to be around anyone, and he wasnt keen on the idea of talking to his brother either.

What the hells wrong with you? His brother never did have a problem calling him to the carpet so to speak, and apparently, Logan wasnt in much of a better mood than he was.

Which was surprising with all that had apparently happened to Logan during the time that Luke had been away. The man was a husband now, for Christ sake. That alone should make his brother much more pleasant than he currently was.

With a silent groan, Luke flopped down into the high back executive chair that he managed to occupy for at least a few hours every day. Glancing around the immaculate office, gleaming with hardwood and soft, iridescent lighting, he tried to remember what made him find comfort in the place.

Oh wait. He didnt.

The oversized mahogany desk, the full size, distressed leather sofa, and the intricate, way overpriced designer rug had been someones idea of soothing. Instead, the result was just fucking ugly. And the confined feeling that overcame him when he walked in didnt help either. Without windows, the not so small space seemed more like a broom closet than an office.

Even after spending thousands of dollars on some highly recommended interior designer, Luke hadnt felt comfortable in the space. Which explained why he spent most of his time down in the club or caught up on the mountains of endless paperwork from home.

Despite his discomfort with enclosed spaces, the club as a whole offered him a sense of peace that was absent from his personal life, thanks to his own demons that managed to haunt him day and night like a bad case of the flu. Rational decisions werent generally on Lukes short list of things to do, so purchasing the club ranked right up there with one of the best he could come up with in quite some time.

Though he often wondered if the club actually intensified those demons.

Remembering that he still held the phone to his ear, and his brother wasnt going to wait patiently for long, Luke answered. Just trying to get some shit done around here. And not succeeding worth a damn.

Luke almost felt guilty for directing his annoyance at his brother, knowing the other man had spent the last two months trying to juggle his own responsibilities, including a full time job and apparently a new wife, along with covering for Lukes absence at the club. Yes, the wife part had been a surprise because when Luke had left town, Logan and Samantha were only dating. When he came back Bam! new sister-in-law.

For some unexplained reason, just the thought of Samantha had Lukes body going instantly hard. Most likely that was due to the fact that hed known Sam intimately, on more than one occasion, thanks to the few times Logan had invited him to be the third. The remembered feel of Sam against him, or her hot, sweet mouth on him, had Luke almost longing for another encounter with her. Almost being the key word.

Since his personal demons had begun making a daily visit, Luke had sworn off those little sexcapades.

Granted, Luke liked Sam. And as far as Logan went, she was a perfect match for him.

The fact that they had gotten married shouldnt surprise him as much as it did. Or perhaps the fact that his identical twin brother hadnt bothered to mention that little tidbit of information prior to Luke taking some time off was what kept throwing him off. Either way, he tried not to think about it too much. Especially knowing that what they had shared before could never be again, especially after that last night

Luke brushed off the thought. He didnt have time to dwell on what couldnt be.

Im glad youre back, Luke, but we need to talk. Though Logans tone was slightly less frustrated than before, Luke easily picked up on the insistence his twin had thrown in for good measure. Luke hated when his brother did that shit. Hed much rather face the anger than to have to face the fact that he had let his brother down.

Then talk. Luke stated, leaning back in his chair, thinking twice about propping his size 15 boots up on the polished wood top.

He could almost predict what Logan wanted to talk about after all their twin bond was strong, and for most of their lives, they could finish each others sentences, sometimes even knew what the other was going to say before they said anything at all. And now wasnt much different.

Ill drop by around lunchtime. Dont disappear on me. Logan stated flatly before the line disconnected.

Sonuvabitch. Luke mumbled to no one in particular. He might deserve to have Logan show up on his doorstep and read him the riot act, but it didnt mean he was going to be happy about it.

Luke hit the switch to turn on his computer screen so he could scan through his recent emails. While he had been away, hed managed to stay on top of things as best he could. He couldnt abandon his responsibilities altogether, though hed been so fucked up in the head that he had wanted to. Even now he had a hard time keeping his focus. So many things had happened in the last couple of months, Luke wasnt sure he knew which way was up anymore.

As much as he wanted to blame everything on what had happened that last night with Logan and Samantha, Luke knew he couldnt do that. Sam mightve come into Logans life, and in turn Lukes, but the woman hadnt done anything specific that would have thrown Lukes life off course the way it had been. No, he only had himself to blame for that, but his own denial wouldnt allow him to admit that either.

Fuck. Luke ground out as he pushed out of his chair, nearly sending the damn thing over backward. He had too much shit to do to sit around pondering the reasons why he felt so off kilter lately.