She stiffened against him. “You—you’re not mad?”
“Oh, I could shake the tar out of you right now, but I’m fine with just holding you instead.”
“But I almost burned down your kitchen.”
“It’s just stuff. I’ll call my insurance company later and they’ll take care of it. I’m just glad you’re okay.”
Her head lifted and her brown eyes peered up at him from beneath her thick, lush lashes. “Really?”
“Yeah, really.”
She blew out a relieved breath then looked over his shoulder, assessing the damage. “I’m really sorry. I feel like such an idiot. I’ll pay you for the damages.”
“No need. Accidents happen.” She regarded him quizzically, as if no one had ever cut her a break before. “Really,” he assured her. “It’s fine. But if it really bothers you, then we’ll consider it payment for services rendered.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’re helping me, so instead of paying you and you handing the money right back, we’ll call it even. How’s that?”
She pursed her lips, considering his offer. “I think that’s a hell of a break since I just ruined your kitchen, but with all my student loans piling up, I’ll take it.”
Her arms around his waist, she gave him a tight hug before breaking away to start cleaning up what mess she could. Ransom, on the other hand, stood frozen in place, his mind snagged on her innocent confession. One word in particular leaped out at him, flashing like a neon sign: student.
Son of a…
SIX
DANI WAS BESIDE HERSELF. Not because she was upset, but because she was so over-the-moon happy! Why? Because less than a week ago her jerk ex-boyfriend had unwittingly revealed that he was a lying, cheating scumbag. While she’d never been under any illusions that he was a great guy, Dani had considered Mark a trustworthy man. Someone respectable and kind. She’d even introduced him to her friends and colleagues. They’d all loved him. Thought he was the best thing since sliced bread. It was how he’d gotten a job working as legal counsel at the firm where she’d gained employment as a junior accountant.
And then he’d made her look and feel like a fool. Dani would never forgive him. She’d likely live out the rest of her days cursing his name whenever it cropped up in conversation, and she had no plans in the near future to stop sending up a nightly prayer to whomever was listening to grace the bastard with a raging case of dickitis in which the traitorous appendage would develop a flesh eating disease then promptly rot and fall off.
She could imagine no better outcome for a man like him than living the life of a eunuch.
But she was getting away from herself. It was a happy day. Dani had been invited to her first ever family gathering, and Ransom was to be her escort.
He was picking her up in a matter of minutes, and she was as jittery as if she’d downed a whole pot of coffee.
“Would you stop your damn fidgeting? What the hell could possibly be so special about this guy to have you practically pissing yourself on my hardwood floors?”
While Ashlyn was usually the naysayer of their little trio, it seemed today she was content to hand over the reins to her sister, Brit, while she kicked back and watched the drama unfold.
“Uh, have you seen the man?” Dani asked rhetorically. Ransom was positively gorgeous. He easily out-hunked every guy she’d ever met. Possibly even all the men in the metro area.
Checking herself one last time in the foggy floor-length mirror that Brit had rescued from a garbage bin, she smoothed the fabric of her heather gray asymmetric sweater, making sure it hung just right over the pair of black jeggings underneath, then turned her focus on her hair, spritzing hairspray on to tame a few stubborn flyaways.
“There’s no missing that he’s an absolute prince,” Brit agreed, “but like any prince, I’m sure he can turn into a real toad with the snap of a finger.”
“You’re just saying that because you’re a diehard feminist.”
From her perch atop the six-foot ladder where she was working on an elaborate self-portrait wall mural, Brit cast her a well-deserved patronizing frown. “Feminism isn’t a dirty word, Garbriella. Thousands of people all over the world share my views. Women are equal to men and have been oppressed for far too long. And the way you’re prancing around for this man is—”
“Is what? Stupid? Degrading? Giving a bad name to women everywhere?” Dani threw her arms up. “I’m not you, Brit. And I’m not going to be ashamed for being into this guy. So what if I like him? So what if I want to dress up because I know it will please him? So. What. I’m one of thousands of people all over the world who do the same thing,” she shouted, throwing her words back at her.
God love them, but sometimes Dani got sick and tired of listening to her friends spout their bitterness, and she hated it even more that they used feminism as an excuse. She’d gone to college, too, and she knew as well as they did that it wasn’t what the cause was all about, so if they thought she was going to be cowed by their accusations and snide remarks, then they were sadly mistaken.
“Fine,” Brit said with a shrug, “do what you want. That’s why God gave us free will, after all. Just don’t be surprised if you get your heart stomped on again is all I’m saying.”
“You can say whatever you want, Brit,” Dani said sharply, cutting her gaze to Ashlyn as well to include her in the equation, “but kindly direct it away from me from now on.” Snapping her beige wool coat off the back of a chair, she marched toward the door. “Ransom will be here any minute. I’m going to go wait for him downstairs.”
“Come on, Dani, don’t be that way,” Ashlyn protested. “You know how Brit gets.”
All too well, in fact, but what her friend failed to realize was that she’d reached her bitch tolerance for one day. With a flip of her hand, she waved good-bye and headed out.
***
“NERVOUS?”
God, was she ever. “What’s there to be nervous about? It’s just family right? If they’re half as enjoyable to be around as you are, then I’m tickled to meet them,” she fibbed. But only about some of it. She really was excited to meet them, but there was nothing casual about it in her book.
Dani had nearly chewed her nails off on the ride over, only just managing to refrain because the last thing she wanted to do was ruin a perfectly good manicure. She wiggled her matching toes inside her Tieks, taking a moment to admire the perfect French tips that no one knew were there but her.
If she could just focus on something other than her ragged nerves and subsequent roiling gut, then this whole shindig would be a breeze.
“Well, that makes one of us.”
Dani’s head twisted his way, the question already forming on her lips, but before she could utter a word, they were pulling into an expansive driveway set before a stunning two-story white home that screamed sandy beaches and crystal blue ocean waters.
“Oh wow, you lived here growing up?”
“Yep, Dad built it for Mom right after they were married.”
That must have cost a fortune. She had no idea he came from such wealth. As a girl from a middle-class family who had to scrimp and save to make ends meet, it kind of made her feel shabby in comparison.
“Lucky boy.”
Except he didn’t look too happy to be back. Watching him climb out of the car, expression flat if not pensive as he came around to her side, didn’t give Dani a warm and fuzzy feeling. Instead, it made her already ragged nerves raw. Her stomach grumbled in protest, and Dani groaned at the pinching sensation.
It wasn’t an ideal place or time for an upset stomach, so she inhaled a fortifying breath, reminded herself that she was likeable and these people weren’t any better than her, and accepted Ransom’s proffered hand. Slipping out of the car with what she imagined to be grace and poise, Dani focused on preventing her knees from knocking together as they climbed the grand stone steps that required both feet to touch down before moving to the next.
&nbs
p; Inside, the home was even more remarkable. Expertly designed to be sure, and finely furnished with a designer’s professional eye and attention to detail. Homing in on a wall of black and white photos, Dani smiled.
“Are these you and your brother?”
Pausing in the vestibule, Ransom placed his warm hand on her lower back and studied them. “Yep, that’s us.”
“Which one is you?”
It took him a moment, but then he pointed to a photo of two little boys dancing in diapers during a rainstorm. His finger was on the one with his head flipped back, arms wide, and mouth open—a single moment of true, unimpeded happiness suspended in time.
Dani’s heart squeezed.
She’d never known moments like that.
“We were…three here.”
“Cute. It looks like the two of you were very close.”
“We were,” he said, his tone rigid. “Things change.” Placing pressure on her back, he urged her away and she easily fell into step with him as if they’d done it a hundred times before.
The hallway broke into an expansive modern kitchen with all the amenities. Stainless steel and white everything, it was blindingly beautiful, and the view. God, Dani could get lost in a view like that.
An entire wall of windows that overlooked a parklike scene of hills and trees and water.
Definitely upper-class.
Her hands began to sweat.
“It looks like everyone is outside,” Ransom observed, and he was right. There was a gathering of people out there, covering the deck and vibrant green lawn. A grill smoked just outside a set of sliding glass doors and a bonfire raged beyond that. Dani was relieved to see that she’d dressed appropriately for the occasion.
“Do you want to go mingle?”
She nibbled the corner of her bottom lip. “Would it be terrible if I said no?”
“Not if you don’t think it’d be terrible of me to agree,” Ransom smiled softly. “Let’s go sit at the counter. Let them come to us.”
She smiled, liking that idea. Plunging into a large group of people she didn’t know was a bit too much stimulus for such an early hour of the day. Or any day, for that matter.
Ransom tucked her into a comfy, red leather stool in front of an impressive spread of appetizers—meats, cheeses, veggies, and cut fruit. Her stomach had been so fluttery that she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, and her mouth watered as she took it all in.
But as much as she’d like to sample everything, Dani’s stomach was still on the fritz. She knew from experience that one bite could lead to disastrous consequences. Consequences she didn’t want to ever think about again.
So she sat back and resolved herself to the gnawing discomfort of her stomach eating itself.
“Would you like something to drink? My mother always goes overboard with these parties, so I’m sure whatever you want, she has.”
“I could go for some water.” She could stand going hungry for a few hours, but at least she could prevent dehydration.
“You got it.” Rounding the tiered counter to the fridge, Ransom popped open the door and Dani’s eyes widened.
He wasn’t kidding. Every shelf was lined in perfect order with every drink imaginable. Cans of tea and soda, bottles of water, pitchers of lemonade, beer, wine. Every option was covered.
Ransom paused in front of the open door, and Dani wondered if he was having a crisis of conscience, but then he seemed to shake himself and selected a water bottle with a brand Dani didn’t recognize, so it was probably expensive, and cracked the cap before handing it off.
“Hungry?” He pointed to the appetizers.
“I’m okay,” she lied, and her stomach promptly spoke up as if to call her a liar.
The loud grumble narrowed Ransom’s eyes, but he didn’t comment. Maybe he thought she needed time to settle in and get comfortable first. Whatever his reason, she was thankful.
“So do you always hide out at these things?” she asked, getting the impression from his stiff shoulders and surreptitious glances outside that he wasn’t much into these family functions.
“No. Usually, I try to avoid them altogether.”
“Then why did you agree to come today?”
“You’ve never met my mother,” he replied with a half-cocked smirk. “She’s very…persuasive.”
“Hmm…Sounds like someone I know.”
He winked at her and her heart tripped over itself. Why did the man have to be so friggin’ hot? How was she supposed to keep this relationship platonic if he kept being so damn charming and sexy?
Ransom grew serious. “Listen, Dani, before you meet my family, especially my brother, there’s something I should tell you. I—”
“There you are!”
A woman with black hair pulled into a chignon and wearing a black cocktail dress that showed off an admirable figure floated into the room and made a beeline for Ransom. Arms already extended and a radiant smile that showed all her teeth, she grabbed him by the shoulders and drew him in for a solid hug.
When she pulled away, she stared up at him with affection. Then her hand swung back and wacked him in the shoulder. “That’s for not telling me you were back in town. And this,” she said with another whack, this time with the back of her hand, “is for hiding this gorgeous creature from me.”
This, Dani thought as the woman spun and fixed her with a winsome smile, had to be his mother. Thank God, because she’d started to worry. The woman outclassed her by a mile, but as she rushed over and embraced her, praising everything about her from her clothes to her complexion, Dani realized she wasn’t the pretentious type. The discovery comforted her.
“You must be Ransom’s friend. I’m Seraphim.” Cupping her face in her delicate hands, his mother appraised her once more and sighed contentedly. “Well done, son. You caught yourself a beauty.” Releasing her, she cast Ransom a stern, motherly scowl. “Don’t you dare think of ruining it either. It’s past time you settled down and gave me some grandbabies.”
Grandbabies? Dani’s mind screamed in revolt at the same time her stomach clenched as if liking the idea. Ransom’s annoyance and cocked brow seemed to agree.
“Mom, you’re putting the cart before the horse again. Besides, you already have two grandbabies you can smother.”
“I also have two sons,” she said with conviction, “which means I should, ideally, have four grandbabies. Why, I started playing the lottery recently, and do you know why? Because I’ve resigned myself to the knowledge that I have a better chance at winning the jackpot than getting grandbabies from you. As far as I’m concerned, you’re falling behind.”
“Falling behind in what?”
Another booming male voice came from behind her and Dani turned to see who it belonged to. A towering man with black, shark-like eyes that seemed to scream menace and demand submission strode into the room with a cat-like grace that was incongruous with the picture he presented. Especially since he was toting two car seats with two chubby, wiggling bundles of baby swathed in pink.
Ransom’s twin. Even armed with the knowledge, Dani wasn’t prepared for the visual evidence. He was stunningly handsome.
She looked back at Ransom, who stood silently behind the counter, glaring at his brother with a ferocity that would be terrifying if it had been directed at her.
As handsome as his brother was, though, he didn’t hold a candle to Ransom. Didn’t twist her stomach and her heart, didn’t leave her speechless, and certainly didn’t test the limits of her self-control.
No, his brother was just that—his brother.
“We were just talking about your brother and his need to supply me with more grandchildren. By the way, this is Ransom’s girlfriend…”
“Dani,” she supplied, even though her mind shouted with questions. She shot a questioning look at Ransom, and he smile sheepishly. That’s when it dawned on her what he’d wanted to say before he was interrupted. That…scoundrel. He must have told her that she was his girlfriend.
“You can call me Joe. Everyone does,” she said with a friendly smile.
Setting the car seats on the floor out of the way of foot traffic, Rebel knelt down and began unbuckling the harness around one of the babies.
Girls, from the looks of it. And…twins? Her gaze leapt to Joe, unable to find any signs that the woman had recently given birth. Not even a pooch. Definitely model-worthy.
If ever she had children, she had no such confidence that she’d come out the other side in the same condition.
Lifting one of the babies, Rebel passed her off to his mother, then got to work freeing the other one. “I didn’t realize you were back in town,” Rebel said to Ransom.
“Just got back.”
“Over a week ago,” his mother glowered.
Rebel’s eyebrows shot up. “Did you get paddled like a naughty boy?”
Ransom struggled to keep his scowl in place. “Looks like your position as the golden child is safe another day.”
Standing, Rebel cuddled his daughter to his chest. “You think you’ll get around to burying that hatchet anytime soon? My back is killing me.”
Suggesting Ransom had stabbed him in the back? Dani grimaced, lowering her gaze to avoid the shit storm that was bound to rain down any moment.
“Boys, this is neither the time nor the place,” their mother scolded. “I’d tell you to kiss and make up, but I’m afraid you’d maul each other’s faces off instead. So, until I can find an empty room to lock you in so you can duke it out, behave. We have guests.”
Forbidden Valentine: A Forbidden Novel Page 5
