Magnus, well, Magnus worked.
Levi also fell out of love as quickly as he fell in love, so most of the time it worked out for the best. Levi would be impossible for a few days, and then he’d inevitably get his heart broken—Levi also had a pattern of falling for unattainable girls. He’d mope over his lost love for a few days, and then he’d get back to work with a new passion for creation, and things would move along once more.
Which was why Magnus just rolled his eyes as he got into the passenger side of the Maserati. Let Levi fall in love. He’d be done with what’s-her-name in a few days and ready to get back to work.
And Magnus? Well, Magnus would just continue doing what he did. He’d wake up at six A.M., put in his sixteen hours, and keep on going. Because that was the only way to get anything done in their business. And hey, their business arrangement was a bit unorthodox, but it worked for them. And that was all that mattered, right?
***
Three days later, Magnus went and knocked on the door to Levi’s suite. “It’s fucking two in the afternoon, bro. Are you ever coming out of there?”
Impatient, he waited a few minutes, tapping his foot. When there was no answer from within the room, he lifted his hand to give another impatient knock—
And Levi opened the door, a sullen light in his normally happy eyes, his sandy blond hair a mess. “What do you want?” he said in a subdued voice.
“I want you to work on The World with me? You know, mapping out the AI of the Huns? Remember that part?”
Levi’s mouth pulled down in a sad frown. “I can’t work when my heart is broken.”
Magnus groaned. “Fuck. Not this again. Still stuck on this girl? She’s just a pretty face. Let it go.”
“She’s not just a pretty face,” Levi protested. “She’s Bianca.”
As if that explained it all.
“Is she coming to map out the AI for the Huns for me, then?” Magnus asked, and Levi gave him a dirty look.
“You don’t understand.”
“I sure don’t—”
“Bianca loves me, too, but there’s a problem.”
“Of course there is.” Because there was always a problem when Levi fell in love. “This one married, too?”
He gave Magnus an insulted glare. “Of course not. Bianca would be completely devoted to any man she was married to.”
“Sure she would,” Magnus said, letting the sarcasm drip through his voice. Levi was such a dreamer when it came to women, unlike Magnus, who was a die-hard cynic. He knew how relationships with women went. They’d date a little, things would get a little more exclusive, and the next thing Magnus knew, he was having to check in if he wanted to scratch his ass and finding her toothbrush tucked next to his. Women didn’t believe in “casual.” They believed in first dates and then showed up with a bag of their things so they could lay claim on you. And that was not for him. He liked being able to do his own thing, and he sure didn’t like answering to anyone. The moment a woman started to get clingy, Magnus shut things down. He had Levi in his life, and trying to get his brother’s head out of his ass was a full-time relationship as it was.
“You just don’t understand,” Levi said in a mournful voice. He raked a hand through his messy hair and then retreated back into his room. “I need her.”
“Need her? For what?” He followed his brother into his room, amazed at how Levi managed to trash a two-thousand-square-foot room in the space of a few days. “You need to pull your shit together, man. And look at this pigsty. That’s unfair to the staff for you to be such a pig.” Just because they were rich now, Magnus hadn’t forgotten what it was like to pick up after himself. Levi, on the other hand . . .
Levi turned and flopped onto his back on his big bed. “Like I said, I need her.”
“For fucking what? Is she going to pitch in with the new project? Because I fucking need you to help me with this new IP.”
“She’s my muse. I can’t work without her.”
His muse? Fucking seriously? Magnus began picking up some of the laundry strewn all over the floor of his brother’s room and tossing it onto the bed—and onto Levi. “Fine. I give up. You’re clearly not going to work until you get this newest girl out of your head. So go fuck off and see her or something. Forget all about deadlines or anything. Jesus.”
“That’s just it,” Levi said in a mournful voice. He didn’t even move a muscle when Magnus tossed an old towel on him. “I can’t see her. She won’t leave her sister’s side.”
“Then she doesn’t want to date you,” Magnus said bluntly.
“She does,” Levi said. “She just can’t leave her sister’s side. Her sister’s a workaholic, just like you.” Levi sat up slowly on the bed, his eyes wide. “She’s a workaholic like you. Magnus, this is perfect!” He rolled off the bed and sprang to his feet, crossing the filthy room to grasp his older brother by the arms. “Can you date Edie for me?”
“What? What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Can you date Edie for me?” Levi repeated, as if it were the most sensible suggestion in the world. “We get Edie occupied, and I can have Bianca. If Edie’s out with you, Bianca can be out with me. It’s the perfect solution.”
Magnus shrugged his brother’s hands away. “The perfect solution . . . if you’re high on something. Why would I want to date Edie? She was a pit-viper at the damn dinner party the other night.”
“I’m sure she has a softer side if you flirt with her,” Levi continued, undeterred. He grabbed a shirt off the floor and shrugged it on, then began to button it up. “That’s just what I need. I need a distraction for Edie. If you can keep her preoccupied, I can spend time with Bianca. Then we both get what we want.”
His brother was flat-out crazy. Magnus crossed his arms. “You have a flaw in your plan.”
Levi tilted his head, curious. “I do? Where?”
“The fact that I don’t want to fucking date Edie!” Magnus roared. “Jesus Christ, man, pull your head out of your ass. Why would I want to date her? I don’t care how fucking cute she is if she’s a nightmare to be around.”
But Levi gave Magnus a knowing look. “So you thought she was cute?”
He groaned inwardly. “Yeah, I’d fuck her . . . if she kept her mouth shut. That doesn’t mean I want to date her. So what?”
“So . . . you can date her. Just get a few drinks into her. Compliment her hair. Build a common ground. You’ll have her eating out of the palm of your hand.” Levi slung an arm around Magnus’s shoulders again, as if the problem was solved. “It’s perfect. You can date her and I’ll keep Bianca distracted and we’ll both have a little bit of quiet time.”
“No. Absolutely not.” Magnus shoved his brother’s arm off of his shoulders. “You know we have a deadline. Game Channel wants the new IP and game design in two months. That means we need to work our asses off, and that means you need to work on the goddamn Huns. They’re paying us a lot of money—”
“Who cares about money? We’re already rich! I want love—”