Page 212 of Heresy

Standing from my seat, I reach across the desk and yank it from his hand. Tanner doesn’t say a word when I cross the room, open his office door, launch the fucking pen into the hallway, then slam the door closed again.

Tanner glares when I turn back to him and return to my seat.

“Feel better?”

I nod. “Yes, I hate those damn pens.”

Tanner smiles.

Opening a drawer in his desk, he extracts another pen, shows it to me, then clicks it once.

“You’re going to have to be faster than that. Gabe’s been stealing my pens from me for years for the very same reason. I stocked up on extras. We’ll be at this all night.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake.

“Back to what I was saying. My point is that while Gabe, Taylor, Mason and I are doing the grown-up shit around here, the rest of you tend to slack off and do your own thing. Communicating with the twins, Sawyer and Jase can be tough. They don’t want to listen. Except they tend to follow your lead, whether you realize it or not.”

He has a point. “So I’m the middle child?”

“Pretty much.” Pausing, his expression softens. “You’re also the one who will instantly react if one of us is hurt. Without even thinking about it, you’re the one who will rush into any situation regardless of what it does to you. For that reason, I have to worry about you the most. I refuse to risk losing you because we couldn’t communicate, and because you failed to listen before doing something stupid.”

I don’t argue.

How can I?

He’s got me cornered on that one.

“The lying stops,” Tanner says. “Between all of us. No more fucking secrets. And from now on, come to me when you have a problem or an idea of how you plan to solve it. You’re an intelligent man, Shane. And you’re my brother. I’m not trying to order you around; I just happen to think that two heads are better than one. Do you understand?”

“Yeah,” I say, rubbing my hand over the tense muscles of my neck. “I get you.”

In Tanner’s own way, he just told me he loves me and shit.

“We good?” I ask. “Can I leave now?”

Another couple clicks of the pen just to annoy me. “Yes. Get the fuck out of here. Were you expecting a hug?”

Hell no. I’m out.

I cross the room on three long strides then practically rip the door open.

Slamming it closed on my way out, I find Damon waiting by the stairs for me with a pack of bandages and some medical ointment.

“What the hell is that?” I ask.

He hands it to me and grins.

“Thought you might need it after the anal ramming you just took.”

I throw the crap at his head. It only makes him laugh.

“Fuck off, Damon.”

He follows me down the stairs. “All I want to know is if Tanner used lube or not after bending you over the desk.”

Spinning to face him, I throw a punch, and we both lose our footing to fall down the stairs.

We’re both laughing by the time we’re wrestling each other on the ground in the foyer.

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