by Raquel Belle
The charity event is to raise funds for a new children’s home being built here in New York, it’s taking place this weekend. Being raised in a boy’s home, I was happy to get involved with the project. I’ve donated quite a bit and I’m helping the institution get even more funding from the rich and privileged living in the city. I’ll be giving a speech as well. It’s a cause that’s very personal to me. Of course, Grace is going to be there. It’s been on our schedule for months. In spite of how things have changed between us, I know she isn’t going to back out now.
“I’ll be there,” she says, and Sean gives an exaggerated sigh.
“Thank God! I’ve been saved.”
She giggles and I feel my jealousy rising and threatening to consume me again. I’ve never been the jealous type, especially not of my own sibling, but for once I wish Sean wasn’t so damn lovable and charming. Looking at them now―the way Grace’s face is lit up, the way he makes her laugh―is unsettling. She deserves someone who makes her happy. Someone who wants the same things that she does. Someone who isn’t me.
Chapter Twenty-Five
Grace
I was skeptical about staying at O’Sullivan’s when I realized that Nick would be joining us. Sean totally blindsided me―although I’m sure it was unintentional. He wouldn’t be aware that his brother and I are in a strange place right now. I knew he’d visit because of the upcoming charity event, but I wasn’t expecting him to drop in so soon. When he called and asked me to meet him here, I really thought he just wanted to catch up with me. I expected Nick to be at home, working as usual. I almost kicked it into reverse when I stepped in and saw both of them sitting at the bar.
Sean distracts me from thoughts of his brother—who’s presence and proximity I’m painfully aware of—when he leans forward and grins broadly. “Grace, this might sound overly inquisitive, but my curiosity is getting the better of me.”
I wait…warily…for what’s about to come out of his mouth. Sean can be a little too much for some people to handle but I adore him. I’ve only met him in person a few times, but we talk over the phone as if we’ve been tight for ages. We have a lot in common and that’s why I gravitated toward him the instant we met. We always have something to talk about and we’re always laughing about something else.
I can’t get over how different he is from his brother. They’re like night and day. In appearance there’s no mistaking that they’re family. The only difference in their looks is that Sean has dark brown hair as opposed to his brother’s jet black, and his eyes are more of a sapphire blue—much darker than his brothers. Also, Nick is about half a head taller. Personality wise, they couldn’t be more different. Nick is just super intense—serious and reserved and broody—while Sean has a kind of ‘in your face’ charisma and mellowness.
“What’s your relationship status? Are you single and free to mingle?” His lips quirk upward and his eyes are lit with amusement. “Asking for a friend.”
In the process of taking a sip of my Irish coffee, I dissolve into a fit of coughing. A hand gently pats my back and my shoulders tense. Nick touching me in any way always wreaks havoc on my body. Sobering, I gape at Sean, annoyed that he’d even ask me that. Our entertaining banter just took a severe left turn―right in the direction of way too personal. I’d feel better about answering that if the man whom I recently indulged in a purely sexual fling with wasn’t sitting right beside me. I can see him staring at me with interest from my periphery, just waiting to hear my answer.
“You’re right, that is overly inquisitive.”
“Please, don’t feel you can’t answer honestly because I’m here, Grace,” Nick rumbles beside me.
I’ve been avoiding looking directly at him since I arrived, especially since I can practically feel his eyes on me all the time. But his comment has me turning to him with my eyes narrowed to slits. Feeling super petty all of a sudden, I give him the sweetest plastic smile I can conjure. “Why wouldn’t I feel free to tell your brother that I’m single and ready to mingle with whomever, Nick? You’re just my boss.” His expression darkens and his mouth snaps shut. That telltale sign—the muscle ticking in his right jaw—tells me he’s livid. I turn to Sean, satisfied that my slight dig had the desired effect. “Which friend are you asking for? I’m interested.”
Sean’s eyes are gleaming with mischief, which I’ve just now noticed. When realization dawns, I have to swallow my groan. I can’t believe this. He’s deliberately goading his brother. The devil. While I appreciate his effort—he’s made no secret of it that he thinks Nick and I should be together, and though I agree—I’m still irritated that he’s using me to get a rise out of Nick like this. I wonder what he’d think if I told him Nick and I have already hooked up plenty of times and nothing came out of it so he might as well give up.
“Yes, Sean, what friend?” Nick practically growls.
Lips pursed, obviously trying to contain his laughter, Sean takes my hand in his. “None of your business, this is between Grace and I. Dance with me.”
“What? This isn’t that kind of place.”
“I know you don’t care,” he grins.
No one dances at the pub, but he’s right. I’m that girl who will get up and dance if I feel like it even if no one else will. Laughing heartily as I’m whirled to the middle of the room, I shake my head. “You’re insane, you know that?”
“How else was I supposed to get you alone?” Sean grins.
“I know what you’re up to, but you might as well quit.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His sly smirk says otherwise.
“Trying to make your brother jealous won’t drive us together.”
“Busted,” he murmurs, twirling me around again.
People are eyeing us with amusement, as I knew they would. No one has ever turned the middle of the O’Sullivan’s into a dance-floor. “Nice try.”
“It just might work,” he shrugs. “Did you see the look on his face when I said I was asking for a friend? Pure jealousy.”
Heaving a sigh, and rocking to the music along with Sean, I smile sadly. “That was probably a look of irritation, not jealousy. I bet he’s sitting over there brooding right now.”
Sean glances over my shoulder in the direction of the bar and chuckles. “He is indeed brooding, but it’s because jealousy is eating him up inside.”
“Even if that were true why are you so happy about that? You’re horrible.”
Sean smiles serenely. “I know, but it’s only because I love him and want what’s best for him. So I have to give him a push in the right direction.”
I’m sure my skepticism is evident as I look up at Sean. “You can’t force Nick to change his mind about what he wants or doesn’t want.” He doesn’t want a serious relationship and both Sean and I have to accept that.
“You know what I think?” Sean swings me to the left and reels me back in. “I think my brother has changed his mind about what he wants but he’s terrified to admit it.”
I stare at him, not sure what to say. Could he be right? Dare I get my hopes up?
“Or, maybe the poor fool doesn’t even realize that he’s changed.” He sighs dramatically. “For such a brilliant man, my brother is an idiot when it comes to matters of the heart.”
His overly sympathetic expression has me rolling my eyes so hard, I’m surprised they don’t fall out of my face. Swatting his arm, I huff, “You know what, that’s enough out of you. I don’t even know when to take you seriously.”
“What’s going on with you two anyway? Don’t think I can’t sense that something is up. You’ve been ignoring Nick since you got here and he’s just been staring at the back of your head with way too much intensity.”
I knew he’d pick up on the tension surrounding his brother and I eventually. But, I can hardly tell him what’s really going on. “We just had a little disagreement. You know, work stuff.”
I can see the suspicion in Sean’s eyes as he scrutinizes me with a lif
ted brow. “Work stuff...right. What else could it be?”
Glowering at him, because I know he’s teasing me, I ask, “Are we finished dancing? I need to make a trip to the ladies’ room.” With a smile, he releases me, but not without a final twirl that makes me giggle. “I’ll be right back.”
There’s a line for the bathroom when I step around back. Rather than returning to the bar, I decide to wait. I don’t really have to use the bathroom. I just needed a break from Nick’s constant, heated stare. I know he’s still miffed that I called his bluff and put an end to our affair. But does he have to look at me like that? It’s unsettling―mostly because whenever I feel his eyes on me, I want to give in and jump right back into bed with him. I’ve held out for a week. I wonder how much longer I can continue pretending not to want him.
Eventually, I’m the only one left in the narrow hallway, and when the person who was before me steps out of the ladies’ room, I return her smile and remain leaned against the wall. Letting out a heavy sigh, I consider coming up with some excuse to head home. I can catch up with Sean at the charity event in a few days and we can have a drink or something before he heads back to Philadelphia. I can’t bear to sit beside Nick and pretend to be okay anymore. It’s hard enough to get through a normal weekday—working so closely with him—so this, I definitely don’t need.
Pushing myself off the wall, I turn around to go back to the bar and lie that I have to leave because of a headache. I let out a shriek when I nearly collide with a much larger body. Glancing up, my polite smile and apology die on my lips and my heart skips a beat. “Nick.”
“Grace,” he drawls, with a mocking half-smile.
“What are you doing back here?”
“Looking for you. Is this what you call a bathroom break? Leaning against the wall and staring at the floor?”
I purse my lips, feeling the heat slowly spread through me. How long was he watching me? “Oh, I uh...I wasn’t ready to go in yet. I am now.” In a desperate attempt to escape, I turn to the bathroom, yank the door open and dash inside. Before I can slam it shut, he steps in behind me. It’s a tiny space and with him inside, the room shrinks even more. Wheeling around to face him…only to quickly jump back because he’s much too close, I hiss, “Seriously? This is the ladies’ room.”
“I don’t care.”
“What has gotten into you?” Over the past few weeks, I’ve witnessed Nick exhibit behavior that I’ve never seen from him before. Then again, the dynamics between us have changed quite a bit.
“You have,” he hisses back. “What the hell was that out there? Did you enjoy flirting with my brother? Right in front of me,” he growls.
Me flirting with Sean? It’s laughable. As good-looking as Sean is―he is a Parker after all―I’ve never felt anything other than friendship toward him. How could I when I’ve been hung up on his brother for years—and still am? Letting out a laugh, I say, “Clearly you’ve lost your mind. I was not flirting with your brother.”
“No? What would you call that entire interaction between the two of you?”
“That was called having a good time with a friend. Why am I even explaining myself to you? If I choose to flirt with anyone it’s none of your business...not anymore. It’s safe to say it was never any of your business. We only slept together a few times.”
He’s silent, his face an unreadable mask except for the fact that his eyes are alive with fury. We’re face to face, in a tiny women’s bathroom in a bar, glaring daggers at each other, no one saying a word for way too long. It’s absolutely absurd and I’m the first to crack. Looking away, I huff, “You can get out now.”
“No. Something tells me you just came back here to get away from me.”
Damn his perceptiveness, but then again…it was pretty obvious. What can I say? He’s got me. The only thing I can think to do is fold my arms and stomp a foot petulantly. “That’s exactly why you should get out,” I nod to the door. I wish there was enough room for me to back away and put more distance between us, but there’s nowhere to go.
“This is stupid.”
“Tell me about it. You’re in the ladies’ room.”
“I mean this tension between us. It isn’t us.”
“Everything was fine until you stalked me back here to accuse me of flirting with your brother.”
His brows dip into a frown and he lets out a breath. “You know damn well that isn’t even the half of it. You’ve been avoiding me. How long are you going to keep this up?”
“How can I possibly avoid you when I’m stuck with you in the office all day, five days a week?”
“So now you’re stuck with me? Are you trying to hurt my feelings?”
“I didn’t know anyone was capable.”
“Neither did I,” he grumbles and my eyes snap to his face.
“Don’t do that. Don’t try to make me feel guilty.”
“I’m not trying to do anything.” He crosses his arms and leans against the door.
Mimicking his stance, I rest a hip against the counter. “Guess you’re not leaving and you’re not going to let me out.”
“This is the only way I’ll get you to talk to me,” he shrugs.
Glancing around the small bathroom, I chuckle. “Well, this is the strangest place we’ve ever had a conversation.”
His lips curl slightly upward as he gazes at me. “Yeah, I wouldn’t be caught dead discussing anything in the women’s bathroom of a bar with anyone else.”
“I’m that special, am I?”
“You’re that special.”
I asked him that jokingly, but his response rings with sincerity. It really pisses me off. His mixed signals are driving me crazy. I’m special but not special enough to have something serious with? Staring at him for a few seconds, I debate verbalizing my thoughts. With a tired sigh, I decide not to. I don’t have the energy for that argument right now. “I haven’t been avoiding you,” I redirect the topic. “If we agreed that we’d no longer be intimate, what did you expect? Naturally, I’d keep my distance as much as possible, but we still work together.”
“If it wasn’t for work, would I even see you at all?”
“No.” There’s no point in lying. I’d have kept myself away from him in an effort to get over my feelings for him faster.
If he’s hurt or angry by my admission, he doesn’t show it. Instead, he surprises me by accusing, “You were ready to meet Sean here. Alone.”
Gaping in his direction, I lift both shoulders. “He invited me.”
“You didn’t know I’d be here and you agreed to meet him—like a date. I don’t like it.”
Disbelief has me at a loss for words momentarily. “I’m seriously considering forgetting that you’re my boss and doing something stupid like putting my hands on you...violently.”
His lips twitch, amplifying my level of annoyance. “You make even a threat sound adorable. You wouldn’t dare.”
“That’s what you think. Just ask the last person I made scream,” I drawl, recalling the end of my blind date weeks ago when I deliberately used my stiletto heel as a weapon. I may be a big softy, but I have my tough moments—even though I always feel horrible afterward. Nick’s smirk fades as mine widens. He’s lost to what I’m talking about and the control freak in him hates it.
“What the hell are you talking about?”
“It’s no concern of yours,” I return smugly. “Are we done talking? I don’t want to keep Sean waiting too long.”
That cold Nicholas Parker stare—as I’ve dubbed it, because I’ve never met anyone who can practically freeze body parts off with just a look―hits me and I think I feel myself shiver just a bit. My confusion over why he’d be angry clears when he takes a step toward me like some predator about to pounce. Right. He has this strange jealousy over his brother and I.
“Do you prefer Sean’s company to mine now?” He leans close, into my personal space. He’s practically breathing my air. Instead of being intimidated and backing down, I poke the
bear.
“Well, he is less intense…”
“You’ve been enjoying my intensity for the last few weeks based on your moans and screams when I have you―”
“Shut up, Nick.” Fuming, I glare at him, hating how he has the power to get me so easily riled up. Just listen to us. Two adults reduced to bickering and lovers spats. I did things like this in high school for goodness sake. This isn’t me and it most definitely isn’t Nick. Can’t he see that we’re both driving each other nuts? Apparently not, so I say it. “We’re driving each other crazy. You do realize that, right?”
“Yes, because you keep pretending that you don’t want what I want—sex.”
Gritting my teeth and refraining from spitting out that I want more than sex, I do the next thing that comes to my mind. I grab him by the collar and pull him forward into a heated lip-lock that just might cause a fire and burn down the pub. Insane, I know―since I was adamant about not doing this anymore. It’s just that I’m so frustrated and a good portion of it is sexual. I didn’t stop wanting him, I just pretended to…and one can only pretend for so long.
He releases a satisfied groan and takes control of the kiss, pulling me flush against him to devour my mouth. I meet his hungry movement with matching eagerness and reach up to shove my fingers through his hair. Tugging at the strands slightly so that he can let me up for some air, I breathe, “What are we doing? We’re in a bathroom.”
“It’s my turn to tell you to shut up. Shut up, Grace.” He attacks my mouth again, this time lifting me to sit on the counter. He steps between my legs and his hands start to roam. They slip beneath my crop top and his palms on my bare skin makes me shudder with delight.
“We’re so not doing this here,” I moan, yet, I wrap my legs around his waist to pull him closer.
Lips grazing mine, he says, “We can finish this at my place...or yours.”
My cells come alive at the thought of spending the night with him. It’s only been one week and my body is practically starving for his touch. “Why do we always end up here?” I groan. No matter how much I try to put my foot down and stay away, I always end up back in Nick’s arms and his bed...even if it takes years. I’m about to throw caution to the wind and say yes when we’re interrupted by urgent knocking.
