by Allie Burton
He appeared so similar to three months ago. Endearingly similar. Everything went cushy inside her. She wanted to hug him close and take the comfort he brought. She wanted to run her fingers through his too long hair and rub her cheeks against his stubbled ones. She wanted to kiss him.
“Paul?” Her gaze swiveled between the two men. And it hit her. Brothers. “Bradford.”
His surly expression changed. Furrowed brows went into high arches. His glare went wide. His flat lips opened into an O of surprise. “This is your Miss Tucker?”
He didn’t know. She’d never told him her last name or her career.
Jay nodded. “Miss Tucker is the agent I signed with. I’m sorry I kept the details from you, Paul. Now you’ve met her, I’m sure you’ll understand why I signed.”
Paul’s jaw dropped further. “Miss Tucker. Miss Vivienne Tucker.”
* * *
The woman from his dreams, and his nightmares.
Paul forced himself to stand straight and not waver. During the last month, he’d heard Miss Tucker says this and Miss Tucker says that from his brother. Each pronouncement had been a rub on an open wound. How was he to know this agent from Miami his brother was talking to was the same woman he’d had sex with? He’d believed Vivi was a lawyer with all her talk about contracts. The recommendation had been made by Ryder Croft, Jay’s ski coach, not Luke Logan. What were the odds?
Bitterness swirled on Paul’s tongue. He wanted to spit out questions and concerns. She’d taken advantage of him, and now she’d taken advantage of his brother. On Jay’s eighteenth birthday he’d signed a legal contract with the sports agent. He’d known Paul hadn’t approved and hadn’t consulted him. And the agent had swindled a barely-legal kid.
“You two know each other? How?” Jay’s expression seemed more confused than usual.
Vivienne’s head jerked up. She quickly covered her discomfort with a fake smile. Paul could tell she didn’t know what to say or what he’d say. She must understand he was angry and might speak the truth.
His body scorched remembering the truth. He knew every inch of her silky skin. He knew her taste. He knew how she moaned when she came.
“We met in December when she witnessed an accident on Holy Smokes Road.” He wasn’t going to embarrass her, and he certainly wasn’t going to tell his little brother the details of their night together.
Her shoulders drooped in a furry sweater, obviously relieved at the partial truth.
“Oh.” Jay slouched into the booth, spreading out his legs and taking up most of the room on the bench.
“I didn’t know Paul’s last name, so I never put the two of you together. As related. Brothers.” The stumbling was new to her.
Or the little about her he actually knew. They’d only spent a few hours together, and most of the time they hadn’t been talking. His cock shifted beneath his jeans. He needed to stop thinking about her as a lover and start thinking of her as an adversary.
She slid into the other side of the booth and took a large gulp from a glass of red wine.
He rocked back on his heels and purposely raised his eyebrows in question. Drinking in the afternoon? Was she an alcoholic, a cheater, and a sex machine?
“Sorry, I’ve had a rough couple of days.” She raised the glass again and put it to her red lips as if in defiance.
He snorted. She wasn’t what he expected of the glorified Miss Tucker his brother spoke so highly about.
“Chill, dude.” Jay slapped his arm knowing Paul’s cynicism of the agent. His brother didn’t understand on how many levels he disapproved.
“Yes, take a seat.” Her confident tone was allayed by the slight shaking of her hand.
She should be nervous because he had a bead on her real personality. He knew she’d taken advantage of his little brother, knew she’d cheated on her boyfriend and had one-night stands with strange men, knew she drank in the afternoon. The reasons for his dislike of her lined-up resembling ducks in a row.
He plopped on the bench seat next to her, crowding her in, wanting her to be intimidated and to understand his dislike and distaste.
Turning to his brother, he handed him a twenty-dollar bill. “Why don’t you get us a couple of sodas?”
“Sure.” Not exhibiting his recent rebelling attitude, Jay stood and reeled toward the bar.
She bit her plump bottom lip. “He needs to be here for the discussion.”
“Not this one he doesn’t,” Paul whispered, his lips tantalizingly close to her ear. He smelled the same almond soap scent. She must be staying at the lodge.
She quivered, and her stare followed his brother to the bar. Did she prefer a chaperone? A tense silence filled the booth. He wanted to ask her a million questions. He didn’t. He was here for only one reason.
Pivoting to face her, he placed his arm along the back of the bench seat. His hand was close enough to play with her hair. He fisted his fingers together. “I’m going to come right out and say it.”
Her body tensed and her back went ramrod straight.
“You took advantage of Jay. On the first day he was of legal age you signed him, knowing he never consulted me.” The pain of the day came back to punch Paul.
He’d had a long day at work juggling personnel schedules, budgeting for new equipment, disciplining one of his EMT’s, and going on too many accident calls because staffing was short. He’d been tired and hungry and lonely. The loneliness had been eating at him for the last few months. All he wanted was to come home, eat dinner, and celebrate his brother’s birthday with cake and candles.
But no, Jay had news. Big news. He’d shown him the signed contract and went dancing around the kitchen. He knew Paul didn’t approve of the career choice and never mentioned the agent pursuing him. Never told him they were in discussions about representation. Never told him anything until the deal was done. Then, Jay couldn’t stop talking about Miss Tucker.
Paul couldn’t believe his brother had left him out. The hurt below the surface rose to strike again. He didn’t take the torment out on his brother. He could take it out on Vivienne.
“I didn’t consult with you because I didn’t know you existed.” Her modulation went sharp and high.
He reeled back. His head bumped into the back of the bench sheet. Had she forgotten their night together? He’d existed inside of her. “What the fuck?”
“I mean, I knew you existed.” She twisted the wine glass around in her hand. “I didn’t know Jay had an older brother who had been his guardian.”
She sounded sincere, even while her eyes danced with desire. Was she trying to use sex to soothe him? Is that how she operated as an agent? Wasn’t going to work.
Paul imagined an impenetrable wall around himself. Jerking upright, he angled toward her in a threatening way. “Did you ask?”
“I asked if there was anyone else who should be involved in the contract negotiation. A parent, a lawyer, a friend.” She placed her hand against his chest, probably to stop his angry advancement, or to spike his lust.
Her palm heated his skin through his thick shirt. Desire wove through the guilt of intimidating a woman. What was it about her that drove him over the edge? Huffing, he leaned back taking a less aggressive position.
“Jay was vague. Something about how his parents had died.” Her hand followed his movement, not dropping away.
Paul’s chin lowered, and he gaped at the hand pressed against him. “I don’t want you taking advantage of my brother.”
Her fingers curled into a fist and she grabbed some of his plaid shirt. “Like I took advantage of you?” Her cold voice sent warning trembles through him.
It was the same voice she’d used a couple of times the night they were together. The voice with a hard edge telling him there was more beneath her surface, except she wasn’t willing to share. His curiosity piqued.
“Don’t worry. I have a strict policy about getting romantically involved with my clients and their relatives.” She released his shirt and scoote
d further back on the bench.
“What about kissing Luke Logan?” Paul hated how that bothered him. How she’d kissed the guy less than twelve hours after he’d left her bed.
“For your information, I kissed Luke Logan as a favor. He was trying to make someone jealous. It’s a long story I’m not willing to share.”
The realization thumped. Logan wasn’t a boyfriend or a lover. She hadn’t cheated when they’d slept together. Was she available now? Paul tossed away the question. Whether the delectable Miss Tucker was single or not shouldn’t matter. Didn’t matter.
His brother started heading back with two sodas in his hands.
He glared and forced himself to a callous pitch. “Either way, I’m not happy about this arrangement. I’m going to read every line of every sponsorship contract. I’m going to read every opportunity studying rates and agent commissions. I’m going to watch you like a hawk.”
Chapter Five
April
“Jay Bradford has been in a car accident.”
The blood drained from Paul’s head. Lightheaded, cold and clammy skin. He knew the symptoms.
Shock.
Recognized the symptoms from seven years ago when he’d received a similar phone call on an icy night. The oldest of four siblings, he’d been away at college when his parents had died in a car accident. His siblings had ranged in age from eleven to seventeen.
“Are you there?” The Castle Ridge police officer asked on the other end of the line knocking him out of his daze.
His world spun in a different direction.
He had to focus. “What happened?”
“Your brother has been rushed to Castle Ridge hospital.” The sympathy in the cop’s tone telegraphed the seriousness of the accident.
A spasm rocked his midsection and acid burned up his throat. His little brother injured. “How bad?”
“Alive. Pretty banged up. I can’t give a diagnosis.”
The acid came up his throat. Pretty banged up? What the hell did that mean? A bump on his brother’s thick skull or something serious?
Only minutes ago, they’d been arguing about Jay’s future. He wanted to train in South America after high school graduation. Paul wanted him to go to college. His brother’s agent, had suggested the idiotic plan.
Vivienne.
He tightened his fingers around the cell phone. Two weeks after learning she was the agent the thoughts riled him even more. He was the person responsible for his brother, not her.
“Mr. Bradford?” The officer interrupted his mind tangent. “You need to come to the hospital.”
“Right.” Dread dropped into the pit of his stomach. He’d become distracted by that woman. He needed to focus on what was happening with his brother. On what was important. “On my way.”
Throwing a pair of sweats and sweatshirt over his workout attire, he grabbed his coat from the over-stuffed hall closet and his keys from the small table by the door. And stopped short. His sister Keaton had borrowed his car to drive to Denver. He hadn’t had plans. When did he ever have plans?
He slammed the door closed behind him and jogged to the hospital while his thoughts ran inside his head, circling in a repetitive pattern. How bad was the accident? Was his little brother going to be okay?
Rain splattered the pavement making his gym shoes slip during his ten-minute run and making him unbalanced. He was more unbalanced in mind and spirit. If Jay was injured seriously, he wouldn’t be going to South America or hitting the professional ski circuit any time soon.
Hopefully, not any time at all.
A pang of guilt hit Paul’s side and he stumbled. He did not want his brother seriously injured. He didn’t. Not even if Jay ended up going to South America. Not even if Paul would have to deal with Vivienne again. He wasn’t that selfish.
Arriving at the hospital, he charged to the head nurse. He knew his way around the building, his office was right down the hall, and yet this time he entered a foreign land.
“Hi, Paul.” A cute nurse with her dark hair pinned in a bun greeted him. He couldn’t think of her name. “What’re you doing here on your afternoon off?”
“Jay Bradford.” Paul’s lungs seemed to collapse, and he could barely breathe. Not from the run over, from fear of saying his brother’s name. “Ambulance brought him in. Car accident.”
Her smile dimmed. “Oh. I just got on shift. Let me check.” She’d always been friendly and efficient when he’d dealt with her professionally. “He’s in cubicle four.”
“Thanks.”
Dashing past the other curtained rooms and the gurneys in the hallway and the other nurses and doctors, he didn’t have time to say hi. He recognized them. Knew most of them through work. Rarely socialized with them outside the hospital.
He arrived at cubicle four and thrust the white curtain aside. The man in the bed—the image slapped him because Jay was a man—had bandages wrapped around his head, a collar stabilizing his neck, and bruises forming on his cheeks. An oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth. One leg was hoisted high in the air. His eyes were closed, and the yellow hospital gown made his face sallow.
Every muscle in Paul’s body tightened. Similar to a child’s puzzle, he couldn’t make these things come together. His brother. Injured and in emergency. His responsibility. His fault.
He’d started the argument leading to his brother storming out of the house. Guilt plowed him under an avalanche. Weakness invaded his limbs. He grabbed the plastic chair beside him and dug his fingers into the back. He needed to stay standing. To stay strong.
The beeping noise from the machines attached to his brother with tubes and wires became gnats in his ear. He knew what the sounds meant, knew where the tubes were going and what they were attached to. At this moment, he couldn’t make sense of it all.
He forced his legs to stay strong and marched to the bed. Grabbing his brother’s hand and being careful of the monitor on his finger, he gripped him tight. “I’m so sorry. So sorry.” He blinked the unshed tears away.
He’d always had to be the strong one. The responsible one. The one who handled everything. He’d cooked for them, helped them with their homework, and been their emotional support. He’d dealt with the lawyers and the bills. He’d cleaned cuts and bandaged bruises. This he couldn’t fix.
Technically, his three siblings were adults. Yet he knew from talking to other parents that no matter how old the child, a parent felt the pain when a child hurt. The responsibility would never end, but it should lessen.
“Paul?” The cute nurse, Rosa was her name, stepped into the cubicle with a doctor. “Doctor Zilton has been assigned to your brother.”
An elderly man wearing the standard white coat stepped forward with his hand extended. “Paul, we’ve worked on cases together before.”
They had. The doctor had a good reputation.
He stuck his hand in the doctor’s and shook. “What’s the prognosis?”
He hated how his voice pitched higher. Biting his lip, he tried to control his emotional reaction. He was a professional and needed to act like one. He was the guardian. He needed to stay calm.
The doctor waved him to the door. “We’ve stabilized him and given him something to help with the pain. He’ll be asleep for a while. He has several impact injuries from slamming into the car in front of him. Fractures.” The doctor checked the tablet in his hand. “At this point, we’re not sure of the extent of his internal injuries. The paramedic’s report stated Jay told them he couldn’t feel his legs.”
Suddenly, Paul couldn’t feel his legs. He grabbed onto the edge of the doorway.
“Could be because of the multiple fractures or spinal damage, including cervical dislocation. He’s scheduled to go into x-rays in a couple of minutes. We’ll know more after those tests. He’ll probably need an MRI.” The doctor continued on about what damage Jay might have sustained.
“Thanks, Doctor.”
The man patted Paul’s arm before leaving.
He
understood the ramifications. With these kinds of injuries many times it was a waiting game. Wait for the swelling to subside, reassess the damage, keep the patient comfortable.
Except his brother wasn’t any patient. He fisted his hand, wanting to slam his fist into the wall. This was his little brother they were talking about. A senior in high school who needed to go back and graduate. A boy who loved to be active. Skiing being his number one sport.
Skiing.
He felt as if a ski skewered through his center. Could his brother ski again? Paul hadn’t wanted him to become a professional skier. Maybe this was fate’s cruel twist.
Grabbing his head between his hands, he sunk onto the plastic chair beside the bed. His head pounded. The antiseptic smell of the hospital room seared his nostrils. And his eyes. The only reason they pooled with tears.
His fault.
He’d wanted his brother to stay in town, go to college. They’d argued, and Jay had stormed off.
Rosa patted his shoulder. “Can I get you anything?” She must’ve returned to the room after the doctor left.
He shook his head. What he needed a nurse couldn’t get him. He needed his brother to be okay. Melancholy thoughts stagnated in his mind. Another accident changing his life. And his brother’s. He did not want Jay to give up his dreams like Paul had to do after their parents’ accident.
“Dude,” Jay’s ski coach entered the room and slapped Paul on the back. Ryder Croft’s expression appeared serious for once. His ponytail curled from under his coat collar. “I heard about the accident. Is Jay okay?”
Ryder had been coaching Jay since he was a freshman in high school. He’d seen potential in him and had contacted the agent. Paul should hate him. Right now, he couldn’t dredge up any emotion except fear.
“He’s going to be fine.” If he kept saying it maybe it would come true.
“Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.” The ski coach’s offer soothed a few of his nerves. “I’ll be back to visit later.”
