“Not that I’m aware of but I wouldn’t put it past him to have done a background check into my finances.”

“Manipulative cur. You can’t let him persuade you to do this. Seriously… I hope that man gets eaten by sand snakes.”

Rhys frowned but there was laughter in his words. “Wait a second … is that what you muttered when we first met?”

Uh-oh.

“Maybe. You did accost me just as my boss was arriving so I may or may not have wished for a door to another dimension to open, in which you’d fall through into a world of terrifying sand snakes.”

“Like Beetlejuice?”

I flashed him a quick grin, amazed he could amuse me when I was so goddamn angry at Fairchild. “Yes. But back to the point …

There was a moment of silence between us while I gathered my thoughts on this new information. Finally, I said, “You need to tell Dean.”

“No.” Rhys sat back on the bed, his countenance granite. “No fucking way.”

“I know you’ve been protecting him a long time … but, Rhys, he deserves to know the truth. He’s a grown man now, and keeping this from him, fobbing him off with fake accounting, isn’t protecting him. It’s making him a chump.” I ignored his blistering glare and continued. “Your brother is very smart. Confide in him. Take the pressure off your shoulders. Then maybe the two of you can come up with a plan.”

“I have a plan. I’m going to fight.”

I stood, anger at Fairchild ripping through me. “You are not fighting for that man.” I pointed toward the bedroom door. “He doesn’t get that from you, Rhys. If you fight for him, you know that will mess with your head in more ways than one. Please … before you do anything, please promise that you’ll talk to Dean. And I’m here. I can help … you know I am a problem solver. It’s kind of what I do.”

When he didn’t say anything, I whispered, “Please, Rhys. Trust in Dean. In me. Don’t do this alone anymore.”

Something warm entered Rhys’s gaze until his shoulders slumped. He nodded, his voice hoarse. “Okay, sweetheart. I’ll talk to Dean.”

That ache, the pleasurable kind I’d felt in my chest earlier, spread through me again. Tenderness filled me. I stood from my seat and walked slowly toward Rhys on the bed.

That warmth in his expression turned to heat as I pushed between his legs to curl my hands around his neck. He reached for me, his fingers flexing on my waist as he pulled me close.

“Had a shitty night, Tink,” he said, his voice low. “You interested in making it better?”