Page 71 of Her Ex-Husband's Brother

He’s also magnificent, and sexy, and has a rare gentleness, and helistens,and oh my god did I mention how goddamnedsexyhe is?

I see the way he sees himself—like he’s broken because of the way his brain works, in part because of whattheydid to him—and I want to go to war on his behalf.

And it makes me want to stand up straighter and go to war formyself, too.

How often do you meet someone in life who helps you to see your own worth?

August is working in the back, tattoo gun in hand working on what looks like an intricate back piece.

He glances up and when our gazes connect, a ball of joy and sexual chemistry sizzles in my tummy that makes me grin so hard, it hurts my face.

For just a second, something flickers across his face—worry, maybe, or something coiled tighter than that—before he smooths it back into that easy, cocky grin of his and dips his chin at me.

But Daddy, I love him.

I spin away, cheeks flaming at the terrifying intrusive thought. It’s just a dumb meme.

I’ve only known him a few weeks.

We’re just having fun together.

I mean, we can’t really?—

Not in this actual, human reality where I’m still legally married to hisbrother?—!

“The woman of the hour!” says a man popping up from a station near the front of the shop. He steps out around the front desk and comes toward me and thank God, because I’ve never needed a distraction more in my life.

I give a little wave. “Hi.”

“Hi! I’m Cormac Johnson. Everyone calls me Mack. August says you did his… social whatevers.” He waves a big hand back at the crowded front waiting area. “And it’s caused all this.”

“Oh.” I can feel my cheeks still all hot, most from my unruly mind and the effects of August’s glance moments earlier, but also from Cormac’s praise.

I don’t do well being the center of attention. “Mostly it was August’s work.”

Mack just hefts a heavy eyebrow and pulls out his phone, where he’s got August’s Insta grid pulled up.

He clicks on one of the reels where I used a lot of movements and cuts along with a trending sound. The post happened to pop off and go semi-viral. It’s almost at 500k views.

“How do I hire you? I mean, I do fine.” His chin notches a little higher with pride. “But the other guys are feeling a little sour with August getting all the business and attention. Can the shop hire you so you do this for everyone who’s got a chair here?”

My grin comes back. Losing myself in my work—now there’s a lasting distraction. Just give me a project and set me loose. That’s much better than going in circles about whatever may or may not be happening with the handsome tattooed god I spend most nights in bed with or, worse, the headache of all the divorce stuff.

I was just at the divorce lawyer’s office before coming here, and it’s all going to be a much more frustrating and drawn-out process than I anticipated.

Not to mentionexpensive. So, so expensive, considering I now know Jake’s going to put up a fight, although my lawyer reassures me that even though it’s scary, it’s far better to fight it now rather than have regrets later.

Still, I need all the work I can get.

“Of course.” I look around at the crowded shop. “Is there somewhere we can sit and talk over what you’re thinking? I’ll probably need to talk to each of your artists individually, too, to see how we want to develop their individual brand.”

Mack smiles at me. “I like the way you think. How the hell did August manage to snatch himself such a smart, beautiful lady as his hype woman?” Then he rolls his eyes. “It was all the muscles, wasn’t it?”

I laugh out loud at that.

Mack moves to the side and I notice August lift his tattoo gun and look my way again at my laugh, our eyes again connecting with the samewham-pop-zing.

Phew. Takes my breath away every time.