The Better Brother

by Rye Hart

  “Let’s sit down,” Gabriel said. “This conversation won’t happen right away. I can guarantee that.”

  “All right,” I said numbly.

  I followed him down into the warm living room to sit in front of the fireplace. The heat of it washed over me when I took a seat with Gabriel’s arm draped over my shoulders like a protective cloak. I leaned back against his strength, and my eyes closed.

  “How can you be so calm right now?” I asked quietly. “Your daughter thinks that we’ve betrayed her in the worst way possible. She hates me.”

  “She doesn’t hate you,” he replied, rubbing my shoulder. “Alyssa does not have the ability to hate a single person in this world. She doesn’t even hate her own mother for abandoning her. I don’t know how I raised a kid to not have hate in her heart, but I’m pretty damn proud of that fact.”

  “I just keep picturing the look on her face. She was so hurt. We did that to her,” I said, tears once again falling from my eyes. Gabriel pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “I know,” he said with a sigh. “And it kills me that I hurt my daughter like that. But I also know her, and I know that she will eventually come around.”

  I tried to take comfort in those words, but it didn’t do any good. I wouldn’t feel right until I talked to Alyssa. I debated calling her myself, but I knew the call would go straight to voicemail. I had no choice but to sit and wait for whatever miracles my mother could work.

  She entered the living room ten minutes later with her phone and coat in hand.

  “I managed to convince her to come back,” she said. “The only thing I could get her to agree to was to talk to me first, before coming up to talk to you two.”

  I sagged in relief at that, and Gabriel let out a pent-up breath of relief as well.

  “Thank you,” Gabriel said, nodding up at her. “I really do appreciate it. Everything that you are doing, Nikki. You’ve always been a good friend to me. Too good of a friend.”

  “You were a good friend to me, too, for a long time, Gabriel,” she replied, slipping into her coat. “And to my husband.”

  I straightened up to move away from the fire when the fabric of my jeans burned against my skin. “What did you do for my mom that earned so much of her trust? Clearly it’s the only thing that is getting her to accept the situation.”

  “After your father’s death, she informed me that most of his money was tied up in the bank because of old debts. She didn’t know how she was going to pay for anything, so I went to the bank to pay off the mortgage on your condo. It gave her time to figure out where she wanted to go.”

  “You did that?” I asked, floored by the compassionate gesture. “My mom never said a word about that.”

  “She was upset at the time over a lot of things. We worked it out in the end.”

  This man continued to amaze me. I leaned forward to press a kiss against his lips.

  His hands fluttered up to grasp my shoulders while he returned the kiss. I pulled back after a few minutes before it could go further.

  “Did you really mean what you said?” I asked softly. “That you love me, and that you want to be with me?”

  Gabriel’s eyes went tender as he gently brushed a hand along my cheek. “Of course, I meant it.”

  I reached up to grasp his hand. Pressing a kiss against his palm, I relished the quiet moment between the two of us. It was near midnight when the door finally opened. I immediately dropped Gabriel’s hand. I didn’t think shoving public displays of affection in Alyssa’s face was the way to go right now.

  Alyssa walked into the living room with my mother right behind her. She came to stand in front of us. Anger still glittered in her eyes as she swept a glance between the two of us sitting close to each other.

  “I don’t like the fact that the both of you were sneaking around behind my back,” she said. “No matter what you say, it doesn’t excuse the both of you lying to my face about it.”

  “It just happened,” Gabriel said. “We weren’t trying to hide it from you. We were trying to understand it ourselves before we talked it over with everyone.”

  “And this is really what you want, Dad?” Alyssa continued, shaking her head at me. “Because you know how awkward this is going to be from this point on?”

  Gabriel reached across to lay a hand on my bouncing knee. “It’s exactly what I want, Alyssa. I am happy with Penny. There’s nothing wrong with me wanting to be happy, just like how you want to be happy with Scott.”

  Alyssa’s lips thinned.

  “Then, I suppose I have to accept it for what it is,” she said. “I’m not going to stand in the way of you two if this is really what you want to do.”

  “It’s what we want. Nothing is going to change, Alyssa. You’re still my daughter. As far as I know, Penny still wants to be your friend.”

  “More than anything,” I added, staring up at Alyssa with pleading eyes. “I never meant to hurt you. I told your father that if this was going to cost you heartache, then it wasn’t worth it to me at all.”

  “It’s just--” Alyssa let out a heavy sigh as exhaustion fell over her face. “It’s going to take some time to get used to it. I need some time to figure things out, is all.”

  “Take all the time you need,” Gabriel said.

  She nodded once before leaving the living room with my mother following behind. I turned to look over at Gabriel while relief shot through me fast and hard. My heart pounded as he returned the look as well.

  We no longer needed to hide.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE - GABRIEL

  I woke to the sound of my alarm. Sunlight streamed in through the windows for the first time in a few days since the constant cloud cover of a snowstorm passing through. Despite only sleeping for a few hours at the most, I’d never felt more energized as I pushed back the warm sheets and blankets from my legs. Acceptance, even if it was hesitant, had lifted the weight off my shoulders.

  Even if Alyssa and Nikki both hadn’t totally come to terms with the relationship, I still meant every word that I told them both. I loved Penny more than anything in the world, and this wasn’t an ego boost for me. Everything about Penny spoke to my soul in ways that I never felt before. I had no intention of letting that go. Ever.

  I padded into the bathroom to take a quick shower and ready myself for another long day in the office. The last thing I wanted to do was to sit down at my desk for a few hours while I tried to concentrate on work instead of wanting to bury myself in Penny while I could. Now that there was no fear of anyone walking in on us or finding out, I felt liberated, which only fueled my desires even more.

  Alyssa’s door was still shut when I walked by, but the guestroom door was wide open. The bed was already made, too, and the bedside lamp was still on. I continued down the hallway to the kitchen where Penny and Nikki were talking quietly to one another over their coffee. I stopped when they both turned to look over their shoulders at me. My heart swelled when a ghost of a smile tugged at Penny’s lips.

  “Morning,” I said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt the conversation. Just coming in to get some coffee before I head into work.”

  “You weren’t interrupting,” Nikki said. “We were just talking about what Penny plans to do after she graduates college.”

  I kept my face carefully guarded. I didn’t want to discuss any future plans yet, until I talked to Penny alone. She still had to return to school at the end of her break, and then finish up her college career. I loathed the idea of being apart, but I didn’t want to be the reason why Penny didn’t finish college.

  “I’m going to go lay down for a little bit,” Penny said. She slid off the barstool next to Nikki while grasping her cup of coffee. “I didn’t sleep all that well last night.”

  Her eyes caught mine then. Desire spiraled through me, knowing she hadn’t slept well because we didn’t want to push anything further on anyone. I had resisted the urge to point out that she no longer needed to sleep in the guestroom, now that everyone knew about
us, but neither one of us wanted to upset them any further. It was fresh and fragile.

  Penny brushed by me in the direction of the guestroom. I watched her go from the corner of my eye while I poured myself a cup to go.

  “Gabriel.”

  “Yes?”

  Nikki tapped a fingernail against the side of her coffee cup. “No matter how you two feel about one another, I won’t see her not finish college for you, or anyone.”

  “I wouldn’t let her do that,” I said, turning to face Nikki fully. “I know how important it is.”

  “Yes, I know, but I know my daughter is in love with you. I worry that she might not be able to navigate through a relationship easily while trying to focus on her studies.”

  She had a good point there, even though I didn’t want to admit that age did factor into that portion of everything. I knew how to balance a life from years of doing it. Penny had little experience in maintaining a relationship, while also following her own goals.

  I smoothed a hand over my jaw to make sure that I had gotten every bit of stubble, then, I met Nikki’s eyes. “I promise to talk with her about it. You don’t have to worry about any of that. I have no grand plans on keeping her against her will when you go back to New York.”

  “Very funny,” Nikki muttered sarcastically. “Joke all you want. I’m still going to be concerned about my daughter’s well-being.”

  “I would be concerned if you weren’t,” I said. “I have to get going. What are you planning to do this morning?”

  “Maybe do a bit of shopping. I’m not sure yet.”

  “Well, have a good day, either way.”

  A ghost of a smile touched Nikki’s lips then. “You as well. And don’t think that I won’t be keeping tabs on you.”

  “I’m aware of that,” I replied as I walked out of the kitchen.

  The second that I entered my office, Neil barged in quickly with concern flickering in his eyes. He ran a quick and assessing gaze over me before letting out a small, relieved breath.

  “No bullet holes in you,” he said. “How’d the conversations go with Penny’s mom?”

  I slipped out of my coat and draped it casually across the back of my chair. Then I sat down and powered on my computer with the intention of playing catch up on work from the past few days since I had left.

  “It took a little convincing, but she’s willing to concede that her daughter is an adult that can make her own decisions.”

  “I’m glad to hear that man,” Neil said genuinely. “If she makes you happy, then I want you to be happy.”

  “I’m happy,” I said. “For the first time in a long time.”

  “Alright, enough of this girly feelings shit,” Neil said, standing up to leave. “Get back to work Bradley.”

  I laughed and bid him goodbye before immersing myself in the hundreds of emails glaring at me from my computer screen. I spent the next few hours rifling through what I needed to get through before picking up my phone to call Penny. My dick ached in my pants while I tried to remember the last time we had even been close. It had been a few days since the roof top. That was when everything had gone awry for a short period of time.

  Penny answered on the second ring.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s me,” I said. “Is everyone gone for the morning?”

  There was a moment of shuffling around on the other end of the line.

  “Yes,” Penny said. “Alyssa went out to meet up with Scott. My mom just left a few minutes ago to have lunch with a friend here in Chicago. I’m about to jump in the shower.”

  I hardened instantly at the thought of Penny wet and naked in the shower. I powered my computer back down while I grabbed my coat.

  “I’m coming back,” I said. “I’ll be back there in fifteen minutes max.”

  “Are you sure?” Penny asked, baffled. “I mean, we have all the time in the world. It’s not like we have to sneak around anymore.”

  “That may be true, but I need you. I need you right now. I’ll be there soon. Don’t even bother getting dressed.”

  The fifteen-minute drive back to the condo was pure agony. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat while I stared out the window moodily at the traffic that only worsened because of the lunch hour. I opened the passenger door before William could even put the SUV into park.

  “Thanks, William,” I said shortly. “If I need anything, I’ll give you a call. Not sure if I’ll be heading back out.”

  William nodded at me. “Sounds good, boss.”

  The smell of fresh soap filled my nostrils the second I walked in through the front door. Tossing my keys, wallet, and phone carelessly on the little table next to the door, I hurried down the hallway while I loosened my tie.

  Penny sat on the edge of my bed with a bottle of lotion in hand. All rational thought left my brain when I took in those long, toned legs that peeked out beneath the towel that was wrapped around her securely. Her long blonde hair was still tangled from the shower.

  “Wow,” she breathed, shaking her head at me. “That was fast.”

  I tossed my tie to the floor, and I closed the bedroom door shut to lock it. Penny swallowed thickly as she slowly stood from the edge of the bed. Desire sparked in her eyes as I loosened the cuff links at my wrists before working on the buttons of my shirt. She waited motionlessly next to the bed while I undressed with confidence.

  The second my erection was free from the tight confines of my boxers, I let out a relieved groan. I kicked away my pants and boxers while Penny slowly unwrapped her towel from around herself with a mischievous smile tugging at her lips. My lips were on hers the second that the towel dropped to the floor around her bare feet.

  Our naked bodies pressed up against one another’s—all hard lines and soft curves. Desperation filled me while I ran my hands along every inch of her, absorbing the softness of her smooth skin. We tumbled sideways into the bed in a tangle of legs and arms. I pulled her body up against mine to center ourselves on the bed.

  I kissed every inch of her skin that I could, while Penny squirmed beneath me in pleasure. Our moans were growing increasingly loud and frantic, and her hands tugged at my shoulders in wordless need. I sucked a taut pink nipple between my lips, teasing it. Then I eased my hard cock into the slick and hot core of her.

  We both let out a satisfied groan. My hips jerked in response to the need to move against her amazing body. I strained to keep the pace slow, to savor the feeling of her underneath me, now that we had all the time in the world to explore each other. I gritted my teeth in effort as I tried to pull myself back, but Penny’s thighs squeezed my hips tightly. She arched up to push herself against me with a trembling gasp.

  I couldn’t think past the heat and tightness that bore down on my erection. I braced myself against the mattress to pound into her, until I felt those tight muscles spasm with the beginning phase of an orgasm. The rest of the world faded away. The only things I could concentrate on were the sensation of Penny arching up against me with a sharp cry of pleasure and how those muscles milked me into my own soul-shattering release.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR – PENNY

  Nothing in the world would ever replace the feeling of Gabriel pressing up against me intimately. The realization washed over me while I clung to his shoulders to ride out the pleasure pulsing through my body. He consumed me in every sense and surrounded me with strength and warmth.

  He collapsed against me with a sated groan. The tips of my fingers and toes continued to tingle from the aftermath of our lovemaking. I strained my ears out of habit to hear if Alyssa was nearby before it hit me again that we didn’t have to worry about it any longer. Even if Alyssa found it weird, she accepted the relationship because she just wanted us to be happy. I wanted to cry with relief because it meant that I could have my best friend still. I also had my mother’s acceptance. Everything would work out just fine.

  “You okay, Penny?”

  “I’m more than okay,” I said, threading my fingers throu
gh Gabriel’s dark locks of hair. “I’m just relieved, you know? Everything worked out.”

  Gabriel lifted his head from where it had been nestled against my neck to gaze down at me. A relieved smile tugged at his lips, too.

  “Me too. But we still need to talk,” he said.

  I smiled up at him, not willing to let him roll away just yet. I wrapped my legs tightly around him to keep him pressed up against me. I savored the feeling of his hard body lying flush against me, skin on skin, with nothing in the world separating us.

  “Talk about what?” I asked.

  “For starters,” he said, tracing my bottom lip with the pad of his thumb. “We have to talk about what we both want and expect in the future.”

  “What do you want?” I asked him.

  Gabriel gazed down at me for a long time while he thought about the question intently. He rested on his forearms so that both of our bare chests touched one another. It brought him even closer to me, something that I gladly accepted.

  “I want to be with you, not just now and not just in bed. I want a real relationship. I want to go places together, do things together. I want all of the mundane everyday life things with you. All of it,” he said.

  “I want that too Gabriel, more than you know,” I answered him.

  A smile graced my lips as I rolled over to drape myself over his bare chest. I could feel the pounding of his heart slow back down to a calm and steady rhythm beneath the palm of my hand.

  “I have to give it to you,” I said. “Convincing my mother was going to be one of the most difficult things to do about this, but you managed to ease her worries without too much effort.”

  Gabriel shrugged. “I reminded her that once upon a time, she knew the type of man I am. That eased her concerns about our relationship because she knew I was going to take care of you, no matter what happened.”

  “You are?”

  “Of course, I am,” he said, circling an arm around my back protectively. “I don’t want to think about you going back to school at the end of this break, but I’m willing to make it work if you are.”