Page 827 of One More Kiss

Jenika

My mouth hungopen as Anders continued to rub his thumb over my knuckles. I made him nervous? The sexy as sin Thor look alike could probably have any girl he wanted. Knowing now that the mysterious Mike was not only his brother but his twin made my mind whirl. This meeting was not going like I had planned.

So how do I dig myself into an even bigger hole? Just blurt out what I’m thinking. “How the fuck do I make you nervous? I’m nobody.”

A growl echoed around us, an honest to God growl. From Anders. Holy fuck, that was sexy. He could put the shifters I wrote about to shame with those noises.

“You aren’t nobody. You’re an amazing woman who completely shines when you enter a room. I almost fell over when I saw you. You blinded me.” He leaned forward, his other hand cupping my cheek.

Oh Gods, he smelled so good. Like sage and sandalwood with an undertone of ink and antiseptic. His hands were rough, his nails short and his fingertips stained with ink.

I snorted, pulling myself from the insane thoughts running through my mind. “I think you need to get your eyesight checked.”

He cocked his head to the side. His thumb rubbed over my cheekbone in such a soothing pattern. A whimper threatened to escape my lips. “I wish you could see yourself the way I do. Everything you’ve been through. How you’ve moved forward and accomplished so much. It’s astonishing.”

Tears burned in the back of my eyes and I shook my head. “I’m not strong at all.”

“Yes you are, älskade. One of the strongest people I know.”

We were interrupted by a knock on the door. Anders called out a clipped, “Come in.”

I instantly felt the loss of his touch as he sank back into his large office chair.

The receptionist poked her head in and gave Anders a large smile. “Rhys is here and won’t take no for an answer.”

“Oh, brother!” The deep voice bellowed in a cheerful cadence. The receptionist let out a squeak of surprise as the man pushed the door all the way open and sauntered in.

“Rhys, I’m with a client,” Anders gritted out, his voice pinched as he shook his head.

“I know, you’ve been telling me about her for weeks.” He turned to me with a bright grin and held out his hand. “Hello, Jenika. I’m Rhys.”

My gaze flickered between his hand and his face as confusion swept through me. Anders had spoken to his brother about me?

I mean, I told my best friend Brittany about Anders, but I didn’t think he thought of me as more than a client. It was just in my warped and twisted head I thought of this as something that could be more.

“Rhys,” Anders hissed.

“Oh, shut it, brother. You were going to blow this so I wanted to make sure you didn’t.”

This was not the Rhys that Anders had talked about. That Rhys was quiet and shy. Struggling with depression and had even attempted suicide a couple times.

“Jenika, I’m so sorry about him.” Anders stood and faced off against his brother. “Get out, Rhys. Now.”

Rhys completely ignored him, his gaze still firmly planted on me. “He’s been working day and night on that tattoo.” His face transformed, the humor and mirth fading completely. “Just like he did for mine. I know he told you a bit about me. Probably not what you were expecting, right?”

I shook my head emphatically. “Totally the opposite, actually. Was not expecting you to be his brother, much less his twin.”

We chuckled, but Anders stood with his arms crossed over his chest with color tinging his pale cheeks. “Why are you here?”

Rhys rolled his eyes and I almost burst into a fit of giggles as the twins engaged in a sibling argument.

My brother was six years older than me and we weren’t close by any stretch of the imagination. He tormented me for most of my childhood, chasing me into my room and pounding on the door. Hitting me. Yelling at me.

It wasn’t something I liked remembering. It even contributed to my suicide attempt. Something else I didn’t like thinking about.

Unconsciously I reached my hand out to my left wrist and rubbed my palm up and down along the raised skin. I fought to control my breathing and get focused back on the adorable argument between the siblings.

I practiced the exercises my therapist had given me. Focusing on the artwork on the walls, the slight sterile scent of the room. The chill in the air.

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