Love Beyond the Mask by Adelaide Sinclair

Shane was cursing this jerk out in his head, but his face stayed as thick as ever. "Heh, still mad? C'mon, it's been like three seconds. We're brothers, right? No need to sweat the small stuff! Tell you what, I'll personally wheel you out when you get discharged, deal?"

Ludwik: "..."

That guy could switch gears faster than a magician. No way he was up to any good.

Ludwik narrowed his deep-set eyes, face going stone cold for a second as he stared at Shane's annoyingly handsome mug. He snorted, "Oh? I bet Sandy's planning to head back together with her big sis Whitney, right?"

The look in his eyes was all mockery-Shane could see right through it.

Shane's lips twitched, his thick eyebrows arching up. "Man, you hold a grudge over everything. Are we brothers or not?"

"Beg me."

Ludwik's jaw tilted up in a perfect, smug arc.

No room for negotiation.

Shane's eyes darkened, fists clenching as he fought the urge to deck that stupidly attractive face. He took a deep breath. "Don't push it."

"Who's pushing it?" Ludwik raised an eyebrow, voice cool as ice. "You keep changing my doctor's orders-just for a girl? What happened to your Hippocratic oath, Shane? Guess I'm not your brother anymore, huh?"

He'd never seen a grown man this dramatic before.

Shane gritted his teeth. "With how petty you are, if you actually win Whitney over, I'll change my last name to yours. Seriously, help me out here. If I can't get with Sandy, trust me, she'll be glued to Whitney, and you'll have zero chance anyway."

...

it, he had

knew exactly

wasn't mad at Shane, just annoyed that Whitney was spending all her time and energy on someone else. "You're hopeless, Shane. Whitney's a saint for even trying to set you up. You're thirty-something

"...Still better than you."

out a mocking laugh. "At

I'm back in business. Didn't

tone was casual, but a guy like him couldn't stand

eyebrow. “Oh, I

big leagues. You might still choke when it

progress doesn't mean

Sandy away

in, "Ludwik, could you please do me a

I'll let you take

finished the

like calm

How low could he

right then

But...

faster than

really