by Bry Ann
“Yep,” I say a bit dryly.
“Well, I know it’s last minute, but Anthony, his brother, and I are going to grab some lunch. Do you want to come? I can pick you up.”
“Is Anthony with you?”
“No, I'm meeting him there.”
“Alright, I’ll probably never meet the princess if I don’t agree to this.”
“Rain,” Katrina whispers, sick of my off-hand comments about her boyfriend. I can’t help it, though. I'm a blunt person, especially when it comes to my girl.
“Yeah, swing by. I’ll be ready and, yes, before you say it, I’ll behave.”
Katrina laughs. “I'm almost there. Meet me out front.”
“Alright. See ya soon.”
Twenty minutes later, I'm sitting in Katrina’s passenger seat. I love that although she teases me, my dad’s riches don’t affect her, unlike most people I meet. Katrina’s dad is wealthy but he left and moved in with his new girlfriend. It broke my girl’s heart. Her mom does just fine. She’s just cold as ice so Katrina hates asking her for things.
“So what’s the plan?”
“We’re going to Mountain Tavern Cafe.” She looks down at my form-fitting peach dress and heels. “You’re gonna be so overdressed.”
I roll my eyes. “I'm never overdressed. I know how to dress elegant but casual.” I lift my leg. “These are sling-back, cheap material. I have my hair in a ponytail to balance the dress.”
She laughs. “I wanna be like you when I grow up.”
“Trust me, you don’t.” Katrina winces. “Just stating facts,” I chuckle.
“Yeah, never mind. I’ll trade your hair, style, and ass for my sanity.”
I throw my head back and laugh. God, thank God for her. Thank God she can joke about it without getting weird on me. Ten minutes of listening to throwback 90s music later, we’re pulling up to the restaurant. I climb out first. Katrina follows. We both head inside. The lighting is dim so it’s hard to see where people are.
“Well, he didn’t meet you out front. Where did he say he was seated?”
“We haven’t talked about it yet. The restaurant’s not big. Let’s take a quick walk around.”
I'm groaning inside as we walk around searching for her boyfriend. Finally, Katrina stops and her face lights up. I turn to see a man with cropped black hair and brown eyes sitting across from a mountain of a man with strawberry blonde hair and green eyes. My stomach swirls a bit when I see him, which is… strange. It feels like I’ve seen him before, but it’s probably just attraction. That’s also weird because I don’t look at people like that. Honestly, it’s possible I don’t feel attraction like other people. I don’t think I’ve ever looked at someone and had a desire to kiss or fuck them.
Ever.
So this feeling in my lower stomach is super odd.
Katrina runs over and slides in beside Anthony. He kisses her forehead.
“Hey, baby.”
God, why do I hate him so much? And I hope to God they don’t expect me to sit by bodybuilder extraordinaire. My hands are already shaking with anxiety at the idea. There’s no way my side wouldn’t be pushed up against him. With all the fake confidence in the world, I grab a chair from a nearby table and swing it around to the head of the table. I don’t look at him. Instead, I turn to Anthony and Katrina.
“So, we finally meet,” I say, narrowing my eyes a bit.
He smiles and extends his hand. I’ll admit the guy’s got a good smile, straight white teeth and all. “I'm sorry that we’re just meeting. I keep a busy schedule and this may be selfish, but I like to spend my free time with Katrina.”
Katrina blushes while I fight the urge to roll my eyes. “Well, I'm her best friend, so hopefully you can make time for the people that matter to her in the future.” If there is one.
Anthony wraps his arm around Katrina and pulls her into his side with a little nose tap. “You’re right. I do owe you both an apology.”
He seems genuine and he’s dressed nicely, so he probably is a workaholic, which would explain a lot. Katrina is obviously smitten. I don’t know why red flags are going up but I need to calm down. It’s probably my own issues coming out. This is Katrina’s first serious boyfriend.
I'm ready to bring up the mountain man because no one has introduced me or so much as mentioned him when Katrina clears her throat.
“Rain, this is Anthony’s brother, Ajax.”
Taking a deep breath, I turn. Holy shit. I mean, he really is all muscle. All biceps and shoulders and abs and quads… damn it, what the hell is wrong with me?
“Hi,” I whisper before clearing my throat and getting myself together. With more volume, I meet his eyes and say, “What was your name? I'm sorry, I didn’t catch it.”
“Ajax. I know it’s a weird one.” He shrugs. His voice is deep but his demeanor is almost… shy. However, the only thing I can focus on is that name and the eyes. Those sad eyes.
“Do I know you?” I whisper, tilting my head to study him further.
He glances down at his hands before looking up and meeting my eyes. “I have a familiar face.”
His eyes. I know his eyes. That’s when it hits me—twelve years old, being thrown in the closet, my episode, the boy who stayed by my side and never told anyone. He’s saving my dignity right now by pretending we don’t know each other, because then people would ask how. And I’d have to tell them.
“That must be it.” I nod. My eyes convey our secret though. I know it was him.
“So…” I whirl on Anthony. “What do you do for a living?”
“My father owns a law firm. I work for him, but I’ll inherit it someday when the man finally croaks.”
Even Katrina winces at that. Jesus. I can’t imagine speaking of my dad that way. Even thinking of his death nearly brings tears to my eyes.
“Glad to see you’re so fucking compassionate,” I grumble as Katrina kicks me under the table. I force myself to look at him. “Nice. Good for you.”
“What does your father do?” he asks smugly, I guess assuming I have a “normal” family.
I smirk. “My dad is Richard Brown.” Because he needs no explanation. Anthony’s eyes widen.
“Oh, wow. Nice. You have more to inherit than me, I guess,” he laughs.
Just the implication… “I don’t want my father’s empire. I just want my father.”
I snatch the lemon water in front of me and down half of it. Katrina awkwardly shifts in her seat.
“So, what do y’all want to eat? The steak here looks bomb,” she says, forcing cheer into her voice.
“I'm gonna go to the restroom.” I squeeze Katrina’s knee to let her know I'm not mad at her. I don’t wanna ruin this for her even if I do not like this guy. He’s already kissing her and telling her how beautiful she looks.
Gag me.
I hate men.
Yet still, as I leave, I catch Ajax’s eyes. He quickly looks down at the menu, not at all interested in what Anthony is saying or Katrina and Anthony’s gross display of affection. I clear my throat and let my heels click as I head for the front doors.
So I don’t like Anthony.
But I guess Ajax isn’t so bad.
Katrina should date him.
But as soon as the thought enters my mind, a weird heat swirls around in my belly.
I pace for a moment when I feel a presence behind me.
“He’s not so bad. He means well.”
I turn to see Ajax standing there with his hands in his pockets. It’s a strange sight for such a large, strong man.
“He’s an asshole.”
“No, you don’t know him.”
“Well, clearly, Katrina’s a smart girl. I trust her.”
Ajax nods. “I was just seeing if you were fine, I guess.”
My lips twist. “Look, I'm not broken, okay?”
Ajax’s eyes run slowly down then up my body. “You don’t look broken.”
“Gee, thanks.”
But before I finish
, he’s already speaking again. “But I’ve lived enough life to know the prettiest things are usually the most damaged. Come on, Katrina’s getting ready to order.”
My mouth is still gaping open like a fish when he reaches for my wrist. My whole body jerks and I tuck my hands into my chest.
“I'm fine. I can walk.”
Ajax meets my eyes and understanding crosses them. “Okay, fine. Let’s head in.”
“Where did you go?” I ask right as he’s reaching for the handle. His hand freezes. He looks back over his shoulder.
“Foster kid, remember?”
“But Katrina told me Anthony was your brother.”
Ajax sighs and lets his hand fall. He walks back over to me. “I got adopted. He’s my family.”
“Oh, uh, congratulations?” I scratch my head, unsure what to say. I'm not used to this weird nervousness pumping through my veins.
He smirks. “Yeah, thanks. Come on. Quit stalling. Give Anthony a shot.”
“You don’t have to defend him because they adopted you. You can’t dress up trash and make it a treasure, Ajax.”
Ajax’s eyes flare. “Watch how you speak about someone you don’t know.”
I bite my lip. It’s so hard not to fight back. I don’t like being reprimanded by men. It’s not a good trait, obviously. It’s an issue of mine. But this man doesn’t deserve it. I have a feeling if someone grabbed me right here, right now and scared me, Ajax would do what he could to preserve my honor while I freaked out.
“I’d love for him to prove me wrong,” is the best I can do.
Ajax nods and heads inside. I follow. I can’t help but watch his back muscles expand and contract as we enter the restaurant.
What is going on with me?
I just want this meal to be over.
“Well, what do you think of him?” Katrina asks as soon as we exit her car and walk toward my front door.
“Honestly?”
Katrina groans as I put the keys in the door and let us in. “I want you to tell me what you like about him.”
“So, no. Okay, let me see. Hmmm…” I plop down on the long, black leather couch. “His brother seems nice.”
“Rain!”
“What?” I ask innocently.
“I'm serious.”
“So am I. He gives off bad vibes. You know those things called red flags? I found six on him. At least.”
“He was a little bit of douche tonight,” Katrina admits, “but he makes me feel special. Behind closed doors, he treats me like a princess, Rain.”
“I am happy to hear that. I just want the best for you. You know that.”
“I know. You’re the best.” I smile. “Where’s your dad?”
“Probably working.” I shrug.
“That man literally lives and breathes work. We need to find him a woman.”
I scrunch my nose at the thought. He does deserve that, but I already get so little of his time. I can’t imagine sharing him.
“Okay, maybe not,” Katrina laughs.
“Katrina, I'm serious about Anthony. He gives me bad vibes. Just—if you find any red flags, tell me you’ll leave.”
She squeezes my knee. “I promise, Rain.”
7
Ajax
One Year Later
“I can’t believe you’re getting married,” I say from the doorway.
He glances back over his shoulder. “Katrina’s mine.”
I'm unsure what to say to that so I'm grateful when someone barrels past me. I glance up to see Rain charging for Anthony. Her heels are clicking loudly as she walks and the dress she’s wearing hugs her ass, which catches my attention.
“Listen to me,” Rain snaps, getting face to face with Anthony. “If you so much as make Katrina cry once, I’ll make your life hell. You know who my father is.”
“Really, the father threat, Rain.” He smirks. “Your little threat is noted.”
“It’s not a little threat!” she fumes. “I swear to God, Anthony. I can’t change Katrina’s mind but I don’t trust you for shit!”
Anthony leans forward. “You can’t do shit. Katrina doesn’t know you’re in here because if she did, she would be here trying to stop you. You can’t stop her from marrying me and you won’t be able to interfere in our marriage either.”
Rain’s body goes stiff. She seems to trip over her words before she snatches his tie and tugs him forward.
“Don’t underestimate the lengths I would go to for the people I love.”
Anthony slaps her hand away. She flinches when he touches her. “Why, Rain? Because someone hurt you, too. I know Richard adopted you.”
“It’s Mr. Brown to you,” she tries to snap but it comes out in more of a whisper.
He’s hitting the nail on the head and she’s losing her fire. I step forward.
“It’s an emotional day. Let’s finish getting ready.”
Rain’s withering gaze spins my way. I raise my eyebrows and cock my head towards the door, silently pleading with her to drop it. She’ll get nowhere doing this. Anthony and Katrina are not gonna stop the wedding. In fact, if her best friend finds out she’s doing this, they’ll fight. But what makes me most nervous is that Anthony is mean when he feels threatened—extremely mean. And while I respect Rain for standing up for her friend, Anthony could crush her under his dress shoe with his words. I can’t let that happen.
“Come on. Isn’t this supposed to be a beautiful day or whatnot?”
“Stunning,” Rain grumbles.
I hear Rain’s phone chime in her pocket. She sighs and picks it up. Instantly, her entire demeanor changes.
“Hey, gorgeous!” There’s some incoherent mumbling and then… “I was just running to the restroom. I'm heading over now.”
Rain disconnects the call and sighs. Rain is still looking at the floor when she says, “You can convince Katrina but not me. Like you said, I know bad men. If I'm right, I’ll end you. And you!” She spins to face me with a fierce look on her face. “You’re a goddamn coward.”
With that, she walks out. Her olive green dress swishes around her thighs as she leaves.
“She’s a bitch, but she is hot as hell.”
I have to bite my lip to not snap at him. “Mmm.”
“You so want to bang her,” he chuckles.
“Don’t be an asshole,” I snap. “Button your damn shirt and let’s do this thing.”
“Watch it, Ajax.”
“I'm shaking,” I deadpan as I walk out.
He’s my family. I’ll defend him. I’ll fight for him. I’ll stand by him. But I won’t take his shit.
One Week Later
“Anthony!” I call, using my key to enter.
I make my way through the entryway into the living room.
“Oh, hey, Katrina. Sorry, I'm not used to you living here.”
“It’s fine,” she says, voice wavering. My brows furrow.
“Are you okay? Hey, can you look at me?”
She turns to face me with the most forced smile I’ve ever seen. I mean, her eyes are watering for fuck’s sake. I take a step forward to find out what’s wrong when I see it. There’s a red mark across her left cheek like someone hit her.
“What happened, Katrina?”
“Nothing,” she laughs. “I'm such an idiot. I ran into the wall when I was going to the kitchen. I guess I had too much wine.”
She laughs again, but I'm not finding anything funny. My blood runs cold. I know when girls lie. I know why they lie, too. I grew up in the foster care system watching girl after girl lie to their social worker so they didn’t have to get moved again. The monster you know is better than the one you don’t. She’s lying. And the only reason she would be is because the guilty party is in the house. And I know him.
Anthony.
I don’t want to believe it. He’s my family. All I have. His parents are basically cold-hearted bastards. They adopted me for my look. It made them look like upstanding citizens to adopt a child and I guess I
had the right “look” with my muscular build. So they suck. But Anthony always made time for me. That said, I'm not surprised. I hate that I'm not, but he’s always had a dark streak. I swipe my hand over my face and look down at Katrina. She looks so tiny, huddled in oversized sweats and one of Anthony’s jackets.
“Mmm.” I take another step forward. “Walls don’t leave handprints, Katrina.”
Her face pales. “Please don’t say anything. I-I didn’t—”
“It’s alright. You didn’t tell me anything.” She nods. Her eyes are full of fear. It makes a feeling I’ve long since buried stir in my belly.
Rage.
But I owe it to Anthony to try and help him. I don’t know why he would hit her. I know he can be a dick, but this is a whole ‘nother level. I find Anthony in the kitchen, making a protein shake.
“Hi,” I mutter, like usual.
He turns. “Hey, brother.” Like nothing is wrong.
“Is everything okay with Katrina?”
Oh, that gets his attention. His lips curl in a scowl. “What is she whining about now?”
“She didn’t say anything. I just noticed a mark on her face when I passed. What happened?”
He rolls his eyes. “She ran into a wall. Must have been all that wine she drank.”
His chuckle makes my blood run cold. “Did the wall have handprint statues?”
Anthony’s eyes go cold. “My marriage is none of your damn business, Ajax.”
“Why are you doing this shit, Anthony? She’s a tiny little thing. That-that’s wrong.”
“And what would you know about that? You were nothing but a bastard when I met you.”
I feel my heart rate spike. “I was an orphan. Don’t insult my parents,” I snap. “They were married and in love when I was born. They were killed.”
Anthony rolls his eyes. “Look at you being romantic.”
Their love matters to me. They adored each other. But I am a little embarrassed under his criticism.
