Standing on the perimeter of the festivities with his brother, Trenton, Cyrus’s eyes rested on Daniella, chatting with a guest over near the drinks table. He could hardly take his eyes from her. She wore her hair loose around her shoulders, the way he liked, and she managed to make the simple long skirt and oversized peasant top she wore look like high fashion. To him, she was the most beautiful woman in attendance. Today she was returning home, and he could hardly wait. He could almost feel those long legs wrapped around him, her soft body clinging to his in rapturous release, and his ass clenching under the bite of her fingernails.
A scream pierced the air. Like everyone else, Cyrus turned toward the sound and saw Ivy with her hand over her mouth. He followed her wide-eyed gaze to see his brother, Gavin, coming down the stone steps that led from the back of the house.
The prodigal son had returned.
Cyrus couldn’t see his brother’s eyes behind the dark-tinted aviator sunglasses, but Gavin smiled fondly at his sister as she rushed forward into his arms. He lifted her off the ground and swung her around in two full circles. Once everyone realized there was nothing to be alarmed about, a low hum of excited chatter started.
Cyrus couldn’t hear what his brother and sister were saying, but the happiness on Ivy’s face conveyed her joy at seeing her twin.
“Would you look at that,” Trenton murmured. He took a carrot stick from the crudité cup he held and crunched it. “I didn’t think he would come.”
“I guess he thought better of it,” Cyrus said.
Trenton eyed him suspiciously. “What did you do?”
“I reminded him of how important his presence is to his sister.”
That and threatening to cut him off financially had done the trick. As the executor of their father’s will, Cyrus was responsible for the allowances paid out to all family members. Since Gavin didn’t work, he depended on his allowance to finance his partying around the world.
Trenton laughed. “Yeah right. Whatever you did, it worked. Mother’s happy, too,” he added as their mother hurried over to envelope her son in her arms.
Friends and family greeted Gavin with enthusiastic hugs and smiles, many of whom hadn’t seen him in years, so it was a while before he made his way to them. When he finally did, he sauntered over.
“Good to see you, bro.” Trenton gave him a hug and they slapped each other on the back.
Cyrus’s lips quirked into a smile. “Changed your mind, I see,” he said.
“I guess you’re happy.” Gavin shoved the glasses atop his head. “I’m going to get you back for this.”
“For telling you to come home? I’m not losing any sleep over your threats. Stay a while. For some reason Mother and Ivy want you here and are glad to see you. Look how happy they are, although I have no idea why.”
Gavin laughed. His light brown eyes, the same color as their father’s, crinkled in the corners. The contrast with his dark brown skin was the first thing women noticed about him and made them practically swoon. Cyrus sometimes thought Gavin wore sunglasses so often to make the reveal of his eyes more dramatic.
“Tell the truth, you’re happy to see me, too. That’s why you wanted me here so badly.”
“Don’t flatter yourself.”
Gavin laughed again. “I might stay a while if I can find a way to occupy my time.” He looked around at the attendees. “What’s the scoop on the ladies?” He directed the question to Trenton.
“You don’t waste any time, do you?” Cyrus asked dryly.
“Unlike you, I’m not in any hurry to get married. You are still married, aren’t you?”
“Barely,” Trenton answered.
“And where is the lovely Daniella? That woman should be nominated for sainthood for putting up with you for as long as she did. Are you ever going to give her a divorce?”
Both his brothers looked at him and waited for an answer.
“We’ve recently reconciled. Worry about your own love life and not mine,” he told his brothers.
“My love life is great, as always,” Gavin said. “So who are the single ladies?”
Trenton pointed them out with his chin. “That one over there is recently divorced. The one in the cream dress will be happy to see you. Every time she sees me she asks about you.”
“What’s her name again?”
“Sharon.”
“Oh yeah, Sharon.” Gavin licked his lips and smiled. “What about her, in the gray skirt?”