by Jody Holford
That’s what Mia wanted. She wanted to fall into someone—no, not just someone—Brady, and know that was where she belonged. Regardless of the chaos swirling around her.
...
Brady pulled Mia to a table and snagged two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. He handed her one and they clinked their glasses. She took a sip of the bubbly sweet liquid and sighed.
Giving her a soft kiss, he stood and they walked to the dance floor together. Their bodies swayed as his mouth touched hers and Mia let go. She fell into him, kissing him with everything she’d held back. His arms tightened around her and he turned them so they were firmly on the dance floor, no space between them as he kissed her like it was the only thing he needed. When he pulled back, his hands were cupping her cheeks. He rested his forehead against hers and sighed.
As the evening wore on, Brady’s touch became more intimate. His fingers lingered longer and his lips brushed against her neck, her earlobe, and her mouth. Sensation warred with reason until in their final dance, logic took a backseat to desire.
“Something I didn’t expect to happen has happened,” he said seriously.
Mia’s heart stuttered. “What?”
“I’ve passed liking you a little and am now in a hazy place between a lot and falling for you completely,” he said.
His mouth touched hers again, his tongue sliding along her lower lip then he traced the column of her neck, trailing kisses along it, until he reached the spot where her shoulder met her neck and she shivered.
She waited until he lifted his head and his eyes met hers. She no longer cared about dancing. “We still don’t know each other that well.”
His eyes darkened. “No. But a few weeks ago I didn’t think I wanted to know you better.”
The words stuck in her chest, but she was scared to voice them. “I think I might be standing in the same spot as you.”
His smile was boyish. Charming. Dammit. “At least we’re together then.”
Mia nodded. “Equal footing.”
“So what now?”
She really, truly didn’t know. What she wanted and what she believed would happen were two different things. “I’m not sure. I like getting along with you better than fighting. I’d like to keep doing that.”
Weird how the smile he gave her hadn’t seemed sexy at one time and now it made her want to press herself up against him and hang on.
“So a long-term truce then?”
Was he mocking her? His eyes shone brighter than the lights overhead. “Can you handle that?”
Brady leaned in and let his lips graze her earlobe. “Can you?”
Breath shaky, she nodded. “I’d like to try.”
How long term could it be when sometime next week, she’d be announcing a merger with Jonathan. Tell him first. She wanted to, but not here and not now. If she told him and he walked away from her, she might not get the chance to feel like she did right this minute. Was it so wrong to want just one night of him looking at her like he was? Compromise. Tell him in the morning.
“Let me take you home,” he whispered.
It was a leap. She’d taken one professionally. Could she do the same personally without crashing to the ground or worse, crushing her heart?
She nodded slowly. She’d tell him in the morning. They both deserved tonight. “Yes.”
His eyes burned into hers…and it felt as if his hands were skimming over every part of her.
Brady smiled so wide that it lit up his eyes and Mia’s heart lurched, like it was reaching out to his. He took her hand and they wove their way through the crowd, toward the exit. They said nothing as they retrieved their coats, and though butterflies danced when he slid hers on her shoulders, they still didn’t speak. At this point, there was nothing left to say.
At least, not with words.
Chapter Sixteen
Brady drove through the quiet streets with Mia at his side, the heat of her hand on his thigh burning an imprint he was sure would mark him for life. What the hell were they doing? Their relationship—if it could be called that—had gone zero to sixty faster than a mint-condition Jaguar. The commonsense side of his brain was being squashed by the compelling need to get as close to this woman as he possibly could. He felt like a kid who wanted to gorge on dessert, just in case he didn’t get another chance to have it.
Stop it. His fingers gripped the wheel as Mia’s thumb stroked back and forth.
“I think you’re speeding,” she said, amusement in her tone.
“With your hand on my leg, you’re lucky I don’t have the pedal all the way to the floor.”
Her quiet giggle seemed so unlike the woman he’d painted her to be. Don’t think about that right now. He pulled into the underground lot, came around the car, and offered his hand. When she slid her silky palm against his, he yanked her up against him and took her mouth. He couldn’t wait until they were upstairs to kiss her again. A small moan in the back of her throat had him changing the angle of his head to kiss her deeper.
She inhaled slowly when he released her. “Remind me where I am again.”
Brady laughed. Good to know he wasn’t the only one feeling a little lightheaded. “Right here, with me.”
They walked hand in hand into the building and in the elevator, she rested her head on his shoulder.
The thick beat of tension softened between them, so it was more of a dull ache. Weightless and timeless. In her apartment, he helped her with her coat, neither of them bothering with the lights. A thin ray shone from the tiny bulb over the stove into the hallway and some moonlight filtered in from the living room, but other than that, they moved by feel, listening to the sound of each other’s breathing. His hand trailed up her back and he wanted his mouth there, on every inch of her. She sighed when he kissed the nape of her neck.
Removing his own jacket and his shoes, he took the time to set them in her coat closet. Despite the urgency he felt, he didn’t want to rush. Mia stepped forward and loosened his tie. She went on tiptoes as it came loose and took the lead in kissing him. He let her explore his mouth, his neck, even though she was driving him insane. Going back on flat feet, he could barely see her eyes flutter open, then she took his hand and began to lead him farther into the apartment.
“How sweet,” a voice said from the corner of the living room.
Mia screamed at the same time Brady pulled her to his side and then shoved her behind him. He saw the shape of someone sitting on the couch and thought the voice sounded familiar. Knowing the unit as if it were his own made it easy to find and hit the light switch.
Mia’s body shook against his, but then she gasped so deeply, she started to cough.
Brady recognized her brother—the smug son of a bitch, sitting on her couch, a glass of amber liquid in one hand. The other hand stretched along the back of the sofa and one ankle rested on the opposite knee. He’d been here awhile and made himself perfectly freaking comfortable.
“What the hell, man?” Brady pulled Mia close and ran his hand up and down her arm, trying to warm her or at least stop her from shaking.
“Michael. What are you doing here? You scared the life out of me,” she said, her words as unsteady as her body.
A sneer played on Michael’s lips. “I own half the building. I have every right to be here.”
Brady wanted to haul the guy up and toss him out, but as he was trying to stay on Mia’s good side, it probably wasn’t the best option.
As if she’d just realized he was holding her in a protective way, Mia loosened herself from Brady’s hold and stepped toward her brother. “How much have you had to drink?”
Michael held up his glass and swirled it before swallowing down what was left. “I wasn’t keeping track. Had to do something to keep myself busy. I see you’ve been off gallivanting with the handyman again.” He looked around Mia and smiled meanly at Brady.
“That is who you are right? The nice mechanic who drove her home? Saw photos of you two at your shop. My little
sister has been quite busy. Lunching with Jon-boy, carousing with you, wrecking my plans.”
Her brother was drunk and Brady’s irritation was quickly ramping up to supremely pissed off. If Michael had issues with his sister, he could damn well discuss them when he was sober. And had been invited into her home.
Brady walked to the couch. “I think you need to go. We’ll call you a cab.”
Michael laughed. “I’m not going anywhere. This place is as much mine as it is yours, Mia.”
“Not anymore and you know it. Why are you doing this?”
Michael stood, forcing Mia to take a step back when he wobbled slightly. He put his empty glass on the coffee table. Brady slid closer to Mia, but didn’t touch her.
“Doing what? I came to celebrate with my sister. Grams is so very proud of you. I swear she doesn’t like me much at all,” he said.
His breath reeked, making it clear the drink he’d finished wasn’t his first. Mia’s face was white, her lips parted, and her eyes were wide as she stared at her sibling. It wasn’t easy to be in the same room with someone who was supposed to love you, but resented you instead.
“Now you know how I feel about Dad. I want you to go. This is no time for us to talk.”
“Aw. Don’t wreck the fun. Your new boy toy can celebrate with us.”
He pointed at Brady and Mia took a step closer like she needed Brady to help her fend off a drunken idiot.
“Hey, what floor do you live on?” Michael asked.
Brady frowned as Mia said her brother’s name in a harsh whisper.
“Second. Why? You’re not staying at my place. Let’s call you a cab.” The last thing Brady needed was for Justin to meet this ass-clown.
“Actually,” Michael said, taking another step toward Brady. “You are staying in my place.”
He rounded on Mia. “Isn’t that right, sis? That’s one of the units I get right? Whole second floor was what the contract said. God, I underestimated you. Thought I’d convince you how great my idea was, but instead you smashed it to bits. Used Jonathan’s infatuation with you to get what you wanted.” He gestured to Mia’s body, his hand moving up and down in the air.
“Listen, pal, you need to go. Mia, let me get him out of here.” Brady’s stomach tightened with worry. He didn’t know what was going on between the siblings, but whatever it was, it wouldn’t be resolved while one of them was incoherent. Mia wouldn’t betray him and he wouldn’t take the words of a drunken idiot as gospel.
“Michael, please, I’ll call you a cab.” She opened her phone.
“Nah. Don’t need one. Second floor is going to be hotel rooms, might as well sleep this off in one of them, right? Maybe your boyfriend here can show me the way.”
The air seized inside Brady’s chest. He couldn’t inhale or exhale. He stared at Mia. What the bloody hell was her brother talking about? Was this just drunken rambling? Mia was shaking her head, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her eyes were damp.
“Michael, stop it. Stop it now and get out. I don’t care where you go, just get out.”
“You can’t make me leave. Call the police. You’ll have to tell them Kendrick Place is my home, too.”
“You don’t even want to live here,” Mia yelled.
Brady’s jaw dropped. He’d never heard her yell. She looked at Brady, a kaleidoscope of emotion in her eyes. Her mouth tightened, then began to tremble as she clamped her hands together.
“You should leave as well, Brady.”
No. It wasn’t ending like this before he got some answers.
“What is he talking about, Mia?”
Michael flopped down on the couch again and chuckled to himself. Mia and Brady stared at each other, an arm’s length apart, but Brady felt the distance in spades.
“Brady, please. I’ll explain everything to you tomorrow. I was going to anyway.”
“Explain what?”
“God. You picked a dumb one this time, didn’t you. At least Jonathan is smart. And rich. What’s this one got besides tree trunks for arms?” Michael hiccupped loudly.
Being compared to Mia’s GQ ex didn’t sit well with him. Her brother is a drunken ass. Don’t let him get to you. Don’t let him get to Mia.
Mia looked at her brother with so much sadness, Brady felt it inside of him. He ached to pull her close and tell her he wouldn’t let anything hurt her. Or them. But the gnawing feeling in his gut told him it was too late.
“Why do you hate me?” she whispered to her brother.
“Oh, don’t be dramatic. It isn’t personal. It’s business. Turning this place into a hotel will triple the revenue we get. You’re shortsighted and closed-minded, little sister. And this time, those qualities cost us both.”
A hotel? This was their home. His home. His nephew’s home and his friends. “Mia?”
She looked at him then and he couldn’t read her. He felt like he didn’t know her at all. Everything he’d felt in the last few days came to a screeching halt, freezing inside of him. He wasn’t sure what to do with the mass of emotion and feelings rioting between his stomach and chest. He wanted to punch something. Her brother would be a good start.
“Brady, please.”
“Am I being evicted?” He didn’t recognize his own voice.
Mia and Michael spoke at the same time.
“No,” she said.
“If you’re on the second floor, yup.”
Brady stepped back, his mind tripping over everything. Mia walked toward him.
“Please, Brady. Don’t listen to him. He’s drunk and a complete idiot.”
“But not a liar?”
“It’s complicated.”
He stopped backtracking. “It damn well isn’t. It’s my home. Am I going to be asked to leave my home?”
“Not immediately and I have some ideas. Please, just trust me.” Her voice broke on the last word.
Scorn filled Brady’s chest, burning him from the inside. “Trust you? That’s a good one. The person I should have trusted was myself. Goddammit. I knew better, but I fell for your whole poor-lonely-rich girl, I’m-down-to-earth-and-could-like-a-guy-like-you routine. How many times have you played that one?”
The pain firing from her eyes into his made him pause. “It wasn’t a routine. Don’t do this. I like you, Brady. A lot.” Her whispered voice was fierce.
When she stepped closer, he caught the scent of her perfume. He could still feel the shape of her under his hands, the feel of her mouth against his. Who had he been kidding?
“Yeah. So much you’re taking away the one thing I told you matters to me more than anything. My home.”
“Brady, I’m not. I’ll fix it.” She reached for him, but retracted her hand when he flinched.
If she touched him right now, he wasn’t sure if he could resist pulling her close and begging her to tell him her brother was a liar.
“You can’t. I’m not waiting around for you stab me in the back again. If I’m leaving, it’s on my own terms. Consider this my two weeks’ notice.”
A loud, rumbling snore came from the couch. Brady shook his head and glared at Mia.
“I can’t believe I almost fell for you,” he said.
“Brady.”
He waved her off and turned. He needed to get out of her apartment, away from her. If he could get away from the ache spreading through his body, he would. Instead, he’d have to settle for putting a couple of floors between him and the cause of the pain.
Grabbing his coat and his shoes, he let himself out. Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. People were supposed to learn from their mistakes, not fall back into the same trap. He’d started to trust her, believe in her, and think money didn’t have to be a divider between them. Being so naive meant he’d likely just lost his home, his friends, and whether he wanted to admit it or not, his heart.
Chapter Seventeen
Mia’s heart was imploding inside of her chest. She felt like shrapnel was lodged in her lungs and her throat, making it impossible to breathe evenly. Mich
ael snored loudly from her couch. The sweet-sour smell of alcohol made her gag. Staring at him, Mia felt so much anger it clouded her vision. Literally. A haze formed over her eyes and she shut them tight, trying to regain some composure.
In that moment, she had to decide what kind of person she wanted to be. Opening her eyes, she clenched her fingers around her phone. If she thought about the sound of Brady’s voice or the look on his face when he’d left, the shrapnel dug deeper, gouging out more space inside of her.
It isn’t business. This is as personal as it gets. One picture on social media and her brother—and likely her father—would be shamed in the business world. It might not last long, but it would certainly leave an impression and Mia would come out the victor in more ways than one. But the thought of hurting her family the way her brother was willing to hurt her disgusted her. Her father was right: she didn’t have the stomach or personality to be a cutthroat business woman.
But she did have the heart to protect what was hers.
Dialing quickly, she started to breathe deeper as she waited for Jonathan to answer.
“’Lo” he said in a groggy voice. It was after midnight, but this couldn’t wait.
“Jonathan,” she said.
“You all right?”
“Michael showed up at my apartment, drunk. He let my…” Mia stopped. Her what? Almost boyfriend? Guy she’d fallen for?
“One of my tenants knows about the hotel plans. Not in full, but Michael babbled enough to a tenant I’m certain will share the information even if it isn’t accurate.”
And she couldn’t blame Brady for that. He would go to the ends of the earth to protect the people he loved. He wouldn’t let them be caught unaware—blindsided as he was.
“Jesus. Your brother is a nightmare,” Jonathan said.
Mia couldn’t disagree, but it still surprised her that Michael felt so much contempt for her.
“I wanted to give you a heads-up because I don’t know how much damage control I can do before word gets out.”
“There’s nothing to say. Mia, my father was uncertain about your brother being the lead on this in the first place. I can’t go into business with a man so volatile he’d sell out his own sister.”
