Page 18 of The Desperate Warrior

However, Jules made him feel as if he could actually build a life with her.

Hearing a subtle movement, he turned to find his older brother Luke leaning against the doorway.

“Hey, man.” Luke’s perceptive eyes narrowed as he took in Brock’s appearance. “You look like crap.”

“Appreciate the warm welcome,” Brock muttered in a gravelly tone.

“Just tellin’ it like it is.” Luke flashed an unapologetic grin.

Big Brother prided himself on being candid.

Luke stood barefoot in the hallway. He was a couple of inches taller than Brock and had a slightly leaner build. He was the spitting image of their mom, and Brock looked more like their dad. Luke wore swim trunks and a surf shirt. His dark curls were damp and tangled. “Just went for a swim. Gonna hit the waves out at The Strand. The swell’s looking decent today. Wanna come?”

Brock gave a tired shake of his head. “Nah. Just wanna crash.”

Luke shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

Brock expected him to leave, but he didn’t. He just stood there, arms folded over his chest, studying him with that irritating, older brother intuition. Brock raised an eyebrow. “Anything else?”

“How’d it go with Jules?”

Brock brushed past him and stalked to the kitchen. He yanked open the fridge and grabbed a bottle of Perrier. He twisted the top open, dropped it on the counter, and chugged half of the fizzy water down, appreciating the burn in the back of his throat.

No surprise, Luke had followed him in here. He studied Brock, waiting for him to answer.

“I’m fine,” he growled, wishing Luke would just let it go. But no, he had to keep pressing. It was what Luke did. His diehard determination had served him well as a Navy SEAL, and then later, when he worked for Sutton Smith, he quickly rose upthe ranks to become one of Sutton’s most trusted men—before Luke’s demons got the best of him and he wrecked everything.

On a personal level, Luke’s refusal to let things go was more than a little irritating.

Luke leaned back against the counter. “Yeah, you’re about as fine as a frog in a frying pan. What happened?”

Brock downed the rest of the water and tossed the empty bottle into the trash. He picked up the discarded cap and threw it away also.

“Please tell me that you didn’t make the biggest mistake of your life.”

His stomach was tied into a hard knot. “I did the only thing I could.”

“She knows?”

“She knows,” Brock said dully.

“You’re making a huge mistake, bro.” Luke scrubbed a hand over his face. “It’s bad enough that you’re going through with this absurd plan, but I can’t believe that you broke the news to Jules at her sister’s wedding. That’s poor form, even for you.”

“It’s not like you’re the king of diplomacy,” Brock slung back.

Amusement flitted over Luke’s face. “No one ever accused me of being diplomatic. And even I’m not harsh enough to break up with my girl at her sister’s wedding.”

“You don’t have a girl,” Brock reminded him.

“Well, if I did, I sure as heck wouldn’t treat her the way you treated Jules.”

“I didn’t want to break the news at the wedding. Wasn’t planning on it,” Brock countered as he tightened his jaw. “Charli and Fitz let it slip right after the ceremony.”

“Ouch.”

“Yeah,” Brock muttered. “It was a train wreck.” He went over and sat down at the kitchen table.

Luke joined him. He eyed Brock. “So you’re really doing it? Going back to Adrian?”

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