“Thanks, Kenneth.” By the time I hang up, I’m pulling into my driveway. What a day. I can’t wait to talk to Brandon, but I know he’s busy. At least when I do, he’ll be happy about the HIV news. For a little while, I have to admit, there was concern. But I should’ve known better. Mr. Responsible Balfour would’ve seen to it that everything was in order.
Brandon finally calls, but not until after nine. He’s just finishing up.
“I think every import in town is having issues, and I’m not sure I’ve made a dent. Dana wasn’t joking. We are so backlogged, it’s not funny. I need to consider upping my staff.”
“That’s good, though. At least you have business coming in.”
“You can say that again.” He sounds weary.
“I won’t keep you. You need to get some rest, and I have a busy week. My boss was all over me when I came in. We’ve got deadlines, so I’ll be tied up the rest of the week.”
On Friday, Brandon calls and says he was hoping to see me Saturday, but it looks like he’s going to have another long day at the shop. He also forgot his brother has a race on Saturday so he’ll have to bust it to get everything done. The pout I was holding back wins out and takes over. This was the day I had looked forward to.
“It’s okay.”
“You don’t sound like you mean it.”
“No, really.” I try my best to convince him.
“I’m sorry. If I don’t work, I’ll lose customers over this.”
“Brandon, I get it. Do you want lunch company?”
“I would love to say yes, but I’m afraid you’ll be a distraction. Besides, I’m going to have to work straight through lunch today. Can we plan on seeing each other on Sunday? We can spend all day together.”
“Fine, but don’t forget I have Sunday dinner at my parents’ house.”
“I haven’t forgotten. Call me when you leave, and I’ll meet you at your place.”
“Sounds like a plan.”
“Jenna?”
“Yes.”
“I miss you and that sweet body of yours.”
“Dammit. Why’d you go and say that? Now I’m going to be all horny and everything.”
“Guess you have to use that pocket rocket of yours.”
“Little good it’ll do. Not nearly as good as big boy.”
“Big boy?”
“Yeah, you know. Your cock.”
His deep laughter fills my ears. “You can call him Brutus if you like.”
I spit out my laughter. “Brutus?”
“Yeah, because he’s a beast.”
Still chuckling, I say, “You’ll get no argument from me there, but I think I can tame that beast.”
“Jenna,” his voice is deep and raspy, sending thrills up and down my spine, “you already have.”
Twenty
BRANDON
As paperwork won’t do itself, I’m stuck at my desk, placing orders, filing away so when tax time comes, I’ll be prepared.
When my office door opens, I don’t look up, assuming it’s Jeff or Dana.
“Brandon.”
My fingers automatically tighten around the pen I’m holding. I take a minute to breathe before sticking it behind my ear to balance it there. Glancing up, I see the man Mom claims is my father, even though he’s never acted like one.
“Cole,” I say coldly.
“I guess I deserve that,” he says, stepping further in the room.
What he deserves is me telling him to get the fuck out. Because of my brother, I bite back those words.
“What do you want?”
“Didn’t Braedon tell you I was coming into town?”
Damn, I’d forgotten that.
“He did.”
The man before me is a shinier version than the one I remember from childhood. Dad came from money so green you can smell it on him, even now. However, he’d been one to buck the rules growing up. So when he’d blown through his trust fund, his parents cut him off, forcing him to slum it for a while, all in the name of teaching him a lesson. Too bad he hadn’t been the one to pay the price for that lesson—we were.
During his years of living like most of the world did from paycheck to paycheck, he met Mom. Beautiful as she is, he fell hard for her, or in lust more likely. He used his golden tongue to charm her and knock her up while making all kinds of promises for the future.
It didn’t last. When my grandfather learned he had a terminal illness, he wanted his son back in the fold. And Dad all too easily left us behind, but not for good. He came back at some point, with a check and legal documents his father put together, to keep Mom quiet about his indiscretions. Only he also planted the seed that would later become my brother, or that’s how Mom explained it.
Broken-hearted and naïve, she’d taken the money because Dad promised her he’d return permanently when his father passed on. The money afforded her to buy the small house we grew up in and nothing more. Only he didn’t come back and never gave her a dime after that.
His voice brings me out of my thoughts.
“There’s someone I want the two of you to meet.”
I just stare at the man. He hadn’t been around much when we were growing up. A few hookups with Mom here and there, but he’d never really come around to see us, or rather, me.
“I’m really busy. Talk to my assistant about my schedule.” When he stupidly glances around, I add, “Oh, that’s right. I don’t have one. So show yourself the door.”
“Look, Brandon, you and I both know you don’t really like me all that much. However, your brother asked me to come. I’m here to see him race this weekend. The least we can do is be cordial to one another.”
There has to be something else. Though as he stands here with a sincere expression, I think about my optimistic little brother.
“Fine.”
“Good, I’ll text you the details for dinner on Sunday.” He starts to turn. “And if you don’t mind, wear something with long sleeves.”
He walks out, and I gaze at my ink. I hadn’t meant to agree to dinner, only to be decent to him in public. Next thing, he’ll ask me to remove the small gauges from my ears.
Before I can think of a way to tell him to fuck off when he texts later, Braedon texts me first.
Braedon: Heard from Dad. Glad things are cool.
All the fire leaves my throat, because if Jenna owns one half of my heart, my brother owns the other. The things I do for my family.
I work at a steady pace the rest of the day, making somewhat of a dent in the backlog. Eventually, I call it a night. I text Jenna, giving her an out because it’s late. However, she arrives at the house a few minutes after me.
She’s fucking sexy, and greedily I take her in my arms, ready to get her out of her clothes.
“Hey,” I say.
“Hey back.”
I lean in for a kiss, when my brother’s voice puts the brakes on things.
“Jenna,” he says from somewhere behind us.
She cranes her neck around before turning to face him.
“Braedon.” She grins at him.
My brother is too nice to hold a grudge. He grins back at her.
“I hear congratulations are in order.”
Her jaw drops, and finally she says, “I’m no longer engaged.”
“Does that mean you’re the reason my brother has been smiling lately? Because if you’re not, then please don’t fuck around with him. He’s been in a shit mood for months, and he’s finally not.”
Jenna swings her head around to stare at me. I close my eyes and rub at my temples.
“Well,” Braedon says, not letting go of the issue.
“Brae, please—”
“Yes,” Jenna interrupts. “Brandon and I are together now. And I’d like to think I’m the one that’s put the smile on his face.”
The urge is too strong after hearing her speak those words; I spin her around and take matters into my own hands. I cup her face and indulge us both with a deep kiss.
“Now if you’ll excuse us,” I say to my brother as I lead her to my room.
“Eager, are you?” She giggles once the door closes behind us.
“I think I’ll chafe my hands if I can’t be inside you for another day.”
Her smile is nothing short of glorious, but it doesn’t beat the one she gives me after I’ve made her come twice. As we face each other on our sides, I trail a finger from her face down over her hip as I admire her gorgeous body.
I meet her eyes as she says, “I can’t believe you made me wait so long for this.”
She’s teasing for sure, but we both know she’s not the one who waited. It’s probably not the time, but I find myself asking anyway.
“What are we doing here?”
Quick-witted, she says, “Duh, cuddling after I made you yell. You really shouldn’t be so loud. We surely made your brother blush.”
I hadn’t yelled, but I joke anyway, “Or he beat off.”
We laugh, and the sound is good.
“Did you mean what you said earlier about us being together?” I ask.
“We’re together now, you and me in your bedroom. Not to mention you got me off in the most spectacular way.”
She has no idea how spectacular she is. She takes my dick and begs for more. As good as that part of us is, I want more. The possessive side of me wants to mark her as mine to the world.
“You’re seeing your parents on Sunday. This thing with Kenneth will finally be put to rest. I assume we’ll be able to go out in public soon.”
She rolls to her back and away from me.
“Brandon, you just don’t understand. There’s a lot of pressure on me. I don’t need you adding to it.”
I nod, rolling to mirror her position. “I get it. No problem. At least we are moving in the right direction.”
“What’s that?” she asks, removing her hand from over her eyes. She’d hidden herself as she’d spoken seconds before.
Taking a page out of her snark book, I surprise myself with my words.
“From friends to fuck buddies.” I laugh, but there’s nothing funny.
She sits up and glares at me. “That’s not fair.”
I shake my head, agreeing with her. “You’re right. I’m sorry. Look, I’ve got a lot going on with work. And there never seems to be enough time in the day. And I can’t sleep for shit these days. Forget I said anything, and let me make you something to eat.”
There’s awkwardness as we get dressed. It lessens as she follows me out to the kitchen. The easy smiles and touches I give her as I move about eases some of the tension. So much so, she breaks the silence between us.
“You’ve never told me about your ink.” She strokes her fingers over the red scales of the dragon that twines around my arm. “Does this mean anything?”
It does. “It’s not something I like to talk about.”
Her smile widens. “Oh, let me guess. You want everyone to think it’s some real big bad dragon, but it’s really a magic dragon from your childhood.”
“You’ve got me,” I say, letting her win because I don’t want to talk about it.
She sits as I prepare the meal. One thing Jenna is not is a cook. It’s okay. I enjoy using my hands, and cooking is therapeutic.
“Are you still planning to work tomorrow?”
“Yes, I haven’t quite caught up, but I won’t miss Braedon’s race.”
From all our talks over the years, she knows my brother’s passion of rowing.
“Oh.”
A little slow on the uptake, I finally say, “You’re welcome to join me.”
“I actually have some work to catch up on. Helen has been on my ass. She won’t get the best of me, though. I’ll prove to her that I can do this.”
Grinning, I say, “If there’s one thing I know for sure is that you will do just that.”
She stays the night, but is gone before I wake. Cold sheets greet me, and I miss her warmth instantly. To make matters worse, I receive a text from my father about Braedon’s race that day. He wants us to watch the meet together.
Braedon leaves earlier than I do for work. Later that afternoon, I leave the shop to arrive on the shore and find the spot where I’m supposed to meet dear old Dad. I find him standing with a woman I’m guessing he wanted us to meet. What gives me pause is the two of them face my mother who has a death grip on Brock’s hands. Great.
Reluctantly, I approach because my parents look like they are about to lock horns. Mom sees me first.
“Brandon, honey, it would have been nice if you’d given me a heads-up your father was in town.”
Where Mom appears on the edge of blowing, Dad can barely take his gaze off of Mom’s hands in Brock’s. When he does, he glares at the man like he’s worth about as much as dirt.
The woman with Dad wears a cheery smile, oblivious to the all out war my parents are about to wage.
“Sorry, Mom. I guess I forgot.”
She fakes it better than Dad and breaks the weirdness by introducing herself to the other woman. Just when I think things will calm down, the woman says, “Nice to meet you,” to Mom, “I’m Tabitha, Cole’s fiancée.”
Twenty-One
JENNA
Sunday dinner at my parents is going to be informational for everyone, maybe myself included.
“Jenna, baby,” my dad greets me as I walk in. “How’s my girl?”
“I’m good.” I give him a kiss on the cheek.
“I don’t see you enough these days. You work too hard.”
“But I like it, Dad.”
“As long as my girl is happy, that’s all I want to hear. I believe your mother is waiting for you.” He makes a funny face.
“Dad!” And we both chuckle.
He gestures to her little parlor and pretends to sneak away.
I am the first to arrive and greet my mother with a gigantic smile. “Hello, darling,” she says. “You’re looking marvelous. This relationship renewal with Kenneth certainly agrees with you.”
“Hmm. If you say so.”
“The Balfours are very happy about it, too.”
“Mother, you have to understand something—”
“Jenna, dear, you know it’s so difficult for someone your age to make a good match these days. I’m thrilled you came to your senses.”
It’s an awful feeling to want to thump your mother on the head. It really is. A sudden image of me thwacking her and seeing her perfectly coiffed bob going kilter pops into my mind. Better to remove myself from this room before I do just that. “Excuse me, Mom. I’m going to check on Betty.”
“A minute, dear. I need a word with you. I’m glad you’ve changed your mind. The Balfours hold the key to our finances, you know.”
She’s hinted at this before, but Ben told me it wasn’t the case. “Mom, Ben said—”
“Jenna, your brother isn’t privy to everything, and this is something you shouldn’t discuss with him. He knows what affects the business, in certain instances, but not what affects the family. Your father and I do keep a few things private, and trust me when I tell you, if the Balfours pull their investments, the Rhoades’ personal finances will be destroyed. So the question I have for you is, do you want to be held personally accountable for that?”
“It can’t possibly be that bad, Mom. I’m sure there’s something we can do. I’ll talk to Dad about it.”
Barbed wire snakes through my guts as she silently shakes her head.
She purses her lips. “Whatever you do, do not discuss this with your father. He doesn’t want you to know the state of our family finances, and if you go to him, he will deny everything, even at the risk of our solvency.”
“But, Mom, we’re talking about my life, a marriage to someone I don’t want to marry.”
A long, bony finger is aimed at me. “If you want to be responsible for us being homeless, you go right ahead and ruin this family and have us lose o
ur home. May I remind you that a Rhoades has lived in this house since your grandparents? You may not care about this, but think of your father and me. We all have our crosses to bear.”
I shove my hands into my pockets, trying to quell their trembling. On a scale of one to impossible, I just hit totally fucked. The walls of her silly parlor close in on me and I make a break for it, needing air to cleanse my head. The first place I can think of is Betty’s kitchen.
Sprinting out of the parlor—and why the hell can’t she call it a den for fuck’s sake—I run into the kitchen for comfort from one of my favorite people in the world.
“Betty!”
She turns around and opens her arms. It’s the only place I know that will shield me from what I face ahead.
“Why are you shaking so?” she asks.
“Don’t ask.” I hang on to her as if my life depends on it.
“You okay, Jenna?”
I finally release her and say, “Yeah, I’ll get through this, like I always do. You ready for the snobbery to hit?”
A hearty laugh rumbles out of her. “Oh, you bet I am. I’m going to kill ’em with my standing rib roast.”
Normally, my mouth would water, but right now, it’s nothing but sawdust. “Oh, your standing rib roast? Did you make the little new potatoes?” If I don’t ask, she’ll start digging for answers, and I can’t have that.
“You know it! And the gravy, too.”
“Betty, I should’ve worn yoga pants, but Mother would’ve killed me.” I pat my stomach because I want her to believe it’ll be stuffed like a turkey after this meal.
“Yep, she would have.” Then Betty leans in and whispers, “She’s been all over this house, checking things out, acting like the president was coming for dinner.”
“You know how she is. That doesn’t surprise me.”
“Jenna, you still gonna marry that boy?”
Pasting a synthetic grin on my cheerless face, I say, “Why, yes. Yes, I am.”
Betty frowns. “You want to know something. I never could see you two together,” she whispers. “He’s a nice boy, but way too finicky if you ask me.”
The Cruel and Beautiful Series Boxset Page 97
