He received some kind of grunt in reply.

Cameron grinned, sat back in his chair, and studied the enigma that was Chase. That took all of about five seconds. In the past six months Cameron had slowly been allowing that twin bond they’d once had to return. Letting go of the control he had always had over it hadn’t been easy, but Jaci’s love had helped. She’d soothed all those ragged, pain-filled edges and given him a reason to live again.

She’d given him the strength to take a chance on letting his brother sense his emotions, something he hadn’t done in twenty years. And he’d learned it wasn’t Chase sensing what Cameron was feeling. It was the other way around.

Cameron winced at the bottled emotions inside his brother, and he almost smiled. Hell, it was no wonder Chase had been amused when Jaci had walked back into their lives and proceeded to shake Cameron’s little world.

It was downright funny.

To look at Chase’s set, closed face no one would guess at the almost hollow anger that filled his brother, and the need. Damn, that need was enough to remind Cameron that he had a lunch date at home with his fiancée and a little afternoon love he’d been set on making.

The need trapped inside Chase was blistering hot, boiling, and threatening to explode. And Cameron had a feeling he knew exactly who it was going to boil over on. The potential for it had always been there. Even before Kia Rutherford married Drew Stanton, she had been the one woman Cameron had sensed Chase shying away from.

Chase might tell himself this was only for the pleasure, but Cameron knew better. And he had a feeling his brother was learning better.

Having a sister-in-law would be an odd experience, Cameron thought. Especially Kia Rutherford. But he imagined Chase probably felt the same way, with the wedding plans that were progressing rapidly between himself and Jaci.

He’d have his ring on Jaci’s finger soon, Cameron promised himself. And he’d wear hers with pride. But that feeling wasn’t helping his brother any. Chase, Cameron decided, needed a bit of help.

“You came in late last night,” he commented as Chase unclipped his cell phone from his belt and slapped it on the desk.

That was another thing, Chase had worn jeans into the office. Something he very rarely did. Jeans meant he was pissed off and ready to kick ass. Either figuratively or literally. Cameron was hoping for figuratively.

“I don’t have a curfew.” Chase sat down and glared at the computer for a second before turning it on.

Cameron blew out a soundless breath. He only did that when he was afraid Courtney had sent out e-mails. Or perhaps more cell phone photos of Kia Rutherford buying lingerie.

Cam grinned.

“How are you and Kia doing?”

Chase froze. “There is no me and Kia,” he snapped. “There never was.”

“Oh yeah.” Cam nodded as though remembering. “That’s right. Your old motto, huh? Only for the pleasure?”

Chase’s shoulders were tight. “Whatever.”

“She’s getting possessive, I bet?” Cam asked. “Yeah, women, they get stuff in their heads and the next thing you know, they think they own us. What’s up with that?”

Personally, Cam kind of liked being owned, but the effort was pissing Chase off, and it was the best morning’s entertainment he’d had outside of his apartment in a while.

“What’s up with you?” Chase fired back, glancing over at him. “Nobody’s getting possessive but you.”

Cameron reined in his amusement until his brother turned back to the computer, then he smiled. Yeah, he was kind of possessive now. But when a man found a woman who brought out the beast, it was always better to go along for the ride. It was a hell of a lot more fun that way.

“Broke it off with her, did you?” Cameron asked, though he knew better. A man couldn’t break off a relationship he refused to admit he was in.

“There was nothing to break off,” Chase snapped.

“True.” Cam nodded thoughtfully, as though his brother were actually looking at him. “You’re better off without her anyway, probably. I mean, just think of all the complications.”

Chase flipped around in his chair, glaring at him. “What complications? There are no complications.”

Cam could feel said complications pouring off his brother, and it was both amusing and sobering. Hell, had he been like mat when he was fighting what he felt for Jaci? He’d have to be sure to make it up to her tonight when he got home.

“Well,” Cam drawled, “there’s always those little 'honey do’ projects they have going on, like putting up Christmas trees, that take most of the night.”

Chase frowned, his brows lowering over his eyes broodingly.

“Of course, there’s the compensation later.” Cam cleared his throat and let a little half smile tug at his lips. “But not all men would think that payment is worth it.”

If Chase’s expression could have gotten darker, it did.

“And that habit they have of wanting to chat after sex when all a man wants to do is sleep.” He leaned forward as if the thought was irksome, then arched his brows and grinned. “Of course, you can learn some good secrets about them then. They like to get things off their minds so they can go to sleep.” Cam made certain he had a suitably mysterious look on his face.

He was pleased to see that little flash of concern on Chase’s face, as though his brother wondered if either Jaci or Kia had been discussing them at that little lunch yesterday.

Of course, Cam was betting they had. Jaci just hadn’t said anything.

“What kind of secrets?” Chase asked, his voice dark, and impressively worried.

“Just girl stuff, I think.” Cameron frowned. “I think it’s girl stuff. I’m usually pretty close to sleep about then.”

Bullshit. If Jaci was talking, Cameron was listening, simply because he was fucking mesmerized by her.

“They definitely come with a few problems.” Cameron sighed and shook his head.

“Like what?” Chase growled. “Kia’s not a problem.”

“Well, that’s true. I guess if you’re just there for the fuck, then it’s not that big a deal.” He shrugged. “Now me, for instance. There’s all the cuddling Jaci wants to do at night.” He tapped his fingers against his desk thoughtfully. “But she does keep a man warm. Sharing bathroom space gets tight sometimes—all that girly stuff lying around. But she’ll wash my back in the shower.” He grinned. She did a hell of a lot more than that in the shower.

Chase glared at him.

“Man, monogamy can suck, I guess, and women just insist on it.” He’d kill any man who tried to touch Jaci.

Despite the fact that the first part of their relationship had been spent with Chase as a third, it wasn’t a relationship that had continued.

Chase’s look grew yet darker.

“There’s no relationship,” he snapped again. “It wasn’t love, it wasn’t commitment, it was pleasure. That was all. Simple. Clean. Period.”

Yeah, that was what he felt pouring from Chase, pure damned mad and messed-up male emotions. Simple. Clean. Period.

“Eh, count yourself lucky.” Cameron shrugged and grinned again. “I guess I just got all the monogamy genes in the family. Damn. I’m a lucky bastard.”

“You’re definitely a bastard,” he heard Chase mutter as he turned back to his computer.

Cameron had to keep his chuckle to himself. He cleared his throat, covered his mouth with his hand as he bent over the files on his desk and let a smile pull at his lips.

Man, Chase was a goner.

Maybe he should feel sorry for his brother, after all, falling in love wasn’t an easy thing to do. There were all those messed-up emotions, sensations you just didn’t know what the hell to do with, and the fact that a man knew, balls deep and in his gut, that he was never going to feel as much pleasure as he did with that one woman.

Chase was fighting that now. All the possessive, instinctual emotions that assailed a man when he finally touched that one woman who fascinated him were coming off Chase in waves.