Deceit in Bloom (The Love Unauthorized Series Book 1)

by Jennifer Michael

  I look like a crazy person in their living room with one of their photos off the wall in my hand. It’s a picture of all three of them years ago. I couldn’t help but want a closer look at the younger version of Burke. I’m regretting that choice now. Teagan startles and gasps while taking a step back. Burke spins on the spot, and I’m blindsided as he pulls a gun from his waistband, aiming it directly at me. Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time I’ve had a weapon pointed my way. That type of thing happened on an almost regular basis when Brae and I were living on the streets, but I’m not on the streets anymore. This is crazy.

  “What the fuck are you doing in my house?” The gun is still aimed directly to kill. Burke advances a few steps toward me. Teagan approaches to stand by his side.

  “Burke, put the gun down. She’s obviously not here to fucking attack us. You’re out of your mind.” He lowers the gun, but he doesn’t move his finger from the trigger.

  “My sister is upstairs with Kai. We were out together when he summoned her. So, here I am.”

  Teagan lets out a little laugh, her dimples broadening on both sides of her face. Burke finally loosens his grip on the gun and secures it back to its hiding place under his clothes.

  “Not going overboard, huh, bro? I’ll be upstairs in my cage if you need me.”

  Burke

  It’s been a long week since we found the garage trashed from top to bottom. The stress is messing with my head. Teagan isn’t taking this threat seriously, and it’s working my nerves. Yes, I’m being overprotective of her, but someone mutilated a fucking doll with her name on it. How am I supposed to react? Kai and I’ve increased security everywhere, but we’re not any closer to figuring out who did it. Kai put out some feelers around town to try to get some intel, but either nobody knows anything or they aren’t fucking sharing. I saw Teagan startle and I reacted. I hadn’t known what the fuck spooked her, but I hadn’t expected Paisley to be standing in my living room. For the second time in too short a period, I’ve freaked this girl out. First by stampeding into her apartment and now by pulling a gun on her. I bet she hopes Kai will stop calling her damn sister.

  I did a background check on the chick. Obviously I don’t think she’s the threat, but she is someone new hanging around going by a false identity. Considering her line of work, I can understand why she does that, but currently being too careful isn’t possible. I didn’t find anything really noteworthy. She’s Braelyn Davis, a twenty-six-year-old local girl who has never really worked an honest day in her life. She grew up in foster care and had a few misdemeanors under her belt for petty shit like theft. Her arrest record was wiped clean and sealed once she turned eighteen. Benefits of being a minor, but I have my ways of finding shit out. Nothing ever really disappears for good in this day and age. She’s stayed out of legal trouble ever since.

  I checked out Paisley too. I found out very little except these two aren’t related by blood, and she was also a foster kid. Paisley James seems to work regular jobs and has no run-ins with the law. Her birth records are sealed tight, and even I couldn’t get any information about them. I told myself I was doing the research on her for safety’s sake, but who was I kidding? I don’t really need to see the girl’s birth certificate to know she’s harmless. I’m curious about her, and someone telling me I couldn’t have the information made me want it more. No luck. For reasons unknown to me, her birth documentation is highly classified information.

  She stands in my living room, holding a picture of one of the most important days of my life. It was the day we finally brought Teagan home for good. It’s of us in the living room of the old dump we used to live in. Teagan was timid and a little freaked out. She’d gone through a lot of changes that year, and she was probably nervous about her new home. Kai and I’d bought her presents and a cake so she’d have toys to play with and know she was wanted. Both were featured in the picture.

  Our parents died, and the state of Florida wanted to put Teagan into a foster home. I couldn’t let that happen. I convinced some aunt we had, who we’d only met a couple of times, to take her until I could get my shit together. The court wouldn’t give her to me right away—I tried. To them, I was some punk ass eighteen-year-old kid, barely working part-time at a minimum wage job. My illegal income couldn’t figure in. Teagan lived there with the aunt for about six months. That was how long it took me to do the laundry list of things to appease the court into giving her to me. To anybody else, the photo probably looks like it was her birthday, but it wasn’t. It was the day we finally got to be a family again.

  Paisley hangs the picture back on the wall as I move closer to her. Her back is rail straight, but she seems fidgety as she wrings her hands together. I guess it’s warranted since Teagan is upstairs, and she’s alone with a man who pointed a gun at her.

  “Do you always greet your house guests with guns aimed at their heads, or is that special hello exclusively for me?”

  Paisley heads toward the couch, giving me an unobstructed view of her ass. She’s thin but has killer curves, which my eyes linger on before she sits and pulls her legs up to her chest, obstructing the view of her chest. Her tits aren’t as prominent as her ass, but they aren’t anything to turn away from. She has more than enough to please my eyes or any other body part of mine that might enjoy them. I follow her over to the couch and sit down as well.

  “Do you always tag along on your sister’s house calls or were you hoping to see me?”

  Her face scrunches as her eyebrows pull inward, off-put somehow by my question. Her features often seem to be in some sort of scowl around me. She’s one of the few girls I’ve ever met that doesn’t automatically play the role they think I want.

  “I’m not a whore. I won’t say it again.”

  “I know you’re not. You’ve made that crystal clear. Are you suggesting you have to be a whore to want me?”

  Finally, the corners of her lips tilt up into what resembles a smile. I believe it’s the first time she directs one at me. “Are you flirting with me?”

  “I don’t flirt, baby. If I wanted you, then I’d have you.” Well, her smile sure didn’t last long. It vanishes before I even finish that last sentence.

  “So, are you insinuating you don’t need a girl’s permission or that no one would refuse you? Because obviously the first option is super creepy, but the second makes you seem like a complete douche.” Kai is right about this girl. She has a wicked tongue on her, and my mind is imagining all the magic that tongue could do to my dick. No girl has ever spoken to me like she has. I’ve even pulled a fucking gun on her, and she still doesn’t hold back. It should be pissing me off, but it’s working a much different nerve.

  I lean in slowly toward her. I make all my motions slow and exaggerated to prove I’m giving her ample opportunity to deny permission of my advance. I move her knees apart so I can get closer, and as I do, I run my hands down the insides of her calves as I lean between them. My hands quickly move into her hair, tangling into her long locks, bringing her face close to mine. Her eyes are wide open, and they stare back at me with curiosity, shock, and arousal. I’m banking on all three emotions to work in my favor.

  Before my lips make contact, I hover a breath, weighing her reaction and giving her one last chance to say no. Instead, her body melts into mine. Her breathing quickens as it comes out in rough bursts against my skin. I crush my lips against hers, and she doesn’t hesitate before kissing me back. A moan erupts from deep within her the second my tongue swipes against hers. The kiss is angry and intense. If I had to guess, I’d say she’s taking out her aggression of wanting to kiss me. I’m more than okay with that.

  Her hands go behind my neck. She pulls me toward her as her legs open farther, giving me complete access to her. Deepening the kiss allows her to brutally return the action, a battle commencing through our mouths, lips, tongues, and teeth. I bite down on her bottom lip playfully, but I also return some of her fiery boldness. What started out as a kiss has us completely horizon
tal on the couch with me fully on top of her, pressed together by the weight of me covering her. I let my body move on instinct in a way that shows her she has me rock hard and ready. Even with the clothes that separate us, she gasps with awareness of me between her legs.

  With all the willpower I can muster, I raise up on my arms, breaking any physical contact between us. “I would have said you were my best bet for a refusal, but you proved you want me. So, do I need to state my case any further?” She’s breathing heavily. In her turned-on state, it takes her a few seconds to process my words. She shakes her head back and forth, as if to get her thoughts to catch up with my actions, and then her mouth drops open.

  With my finger, I push on her chin to close it for her, and she swats my hand away. A deep chuckle pours out from within me. Her eyes swirl with heat from both anger and lust. Those blues are a storm of emotion directed solely on me.

  “Get off me.” Her voice is strong and maybe a little strained from my sudden shift in momentum. I lift myself the rest of the way off her, careful not to make any more skin-to-skin contact. It might make me a complete pussy to admit, but there is an energy about her that pulls me to her. There are a number of reasons why I shouldn’t have kissed her, but I couldn’t seem to help it. I also wanted to prove my point and fuck with her a little. I’m not the guy for Paisley, but I couldn’t seem to resist the temptation.

  Paisley rights herself on the couch and fixes her disheveled appearance. I stand before her, awaiting whatever response she throws at me.

  “Seriously? You’re fucking twisted. I guess you confirmed you’re simply irresistible to the entire female race, didn’t you?” The glare she gives me is deadly. She’s trying to hide that I’ve turned her on. It isn’t working. I can’t help being a little smug.

  “I’d say so. Don’t you think?” I give her my best charming smile, but I’m sure she sees right through it. Charming isn’t an adjective usually used to describe me. Crass, cold, and heartless are more accurate of popular opinion. I’ve been called all three more than a few times by a number of women.

  “I’d say you started something you’d better be prepared to finish.” She rises to her feet and squares her shoulders at me, a glimmer of something devious playing in her eyes. If she were taller, we’d be nose to nose. This girl isn’t letting me play games with her, and that’s not helping ease the pressure in my dick from the business on the couch.

  A throat clears from behind Paisley, but neither of us breaks eye contact. We’re locked in the middle of some sort of twisted eye fuck stare down. Her grin broadens and before she steps away, she leaves me with a confident promise. “Game on.” This girl doesn’t know who she’s playing with.

  The two girls are barely a step away from me, when Braelyn questions, “What was that about?”

  Before walking out of range, more for my benefit I think, Paisley says, a little too loudly to be casual, “Nothing I can’t handle.”

  Paisley

  Burke has rattled my cage—big time. I’m not sure I’ll even see him again, but I threw down the gauntlet with him. I don’t even know the ground rules of the game I started. I suspect, with a guy like him, winning a challenge would be more about breaking rules than following them. I should have known he was proving a point when he kissed me, but from the second he touched me, I couldn’t seem to pull away or even think straight. My head was screaming at me—red flag after red flag popping up while everything was happening. Each one telling me it was such a bad idea. I ignored them all. I couldn’t help it.

  My nerves are shot. Brae seems to have come down from the high she’s been on all week. We still went and had our nails done, but neither of us spoke a word to each other the entire time. It felt awkward, even for two people who spend so much time together not actually engaged in conversation, which is how things are with us most of the time.

  Something with her shifted, but I’m not sure what it is yet.

  The red color that decorates my nails seemed like an appropriate choice for my mood. It screams battle, strength, and power. Somehow, I believe I started a war with a powerful man. Of course, it would take more than nail polish to guarantee victory against such an opponent, but in the face of my nerves, I feel bold. I chose a vibrant color to match. I’ve been looking for a rush of adrenaline, a change—something to shake things up in my life. I found that in a man who evokes hostility, conflict, and somehow also passion. Burke is the adventure I’ve been craving.

  It doesn’t make much sense, but I think that’s okay.

  The second we get home, Brae has a real serious look on her face. I ignore her glare as I retrieve a book to keep me company on the couch. I’m not sure what has changed her mood or why she seems about ready to confront me, but I’m at my threshold for drama for the day. She follows me into our tiny living room. It’s clear on her face she’s itching to say something to me. I sigh and put down the book to give her my attention, since it seems she’s demanding it anyway. She doesn’t waste time making her point. “I want you to stay away from him.”

  Okay, she most absolutely has my ear. Braelyn has never cared much about my social life, except when she could benefit from it. Like when she needs me to tag along to something or she’s screaming about my social ineptitude in order to win an argument. She’s never said a word about a guy I was seeing or screwing. She’s this worked up over a guy she doesn’t even know I kissed, and that has my curiosity rising. “And who do you want me to stay away from?” I gesture my hands in a way that tells her I’m looking for more clarification. It’s a pitiful attempt at ignorance, but I go with it.

  “You know who I’m talking about. Don’t play stupid. Burke. I want you to stay away from Burke. Got it, or do you need it spelled out even further for you?” Okay, wow. Brae has a tendency to want things her way, but she’s way out of line. She and I may have been together for most of our lives, but I’ve been taking care of myself since forever. I’ve been able to count on only myself for my entire life. That means I’m fully capable of making my own choices, mistakes and all.

  “You’ve no right speaking to me that way or trying to dictate what I can or cannot do. While we’re on the topic, where do you get off swearing me away from Burke when you’re fucking his best friend?”

  By this point, I’ve left my place on the couch and am standing toe to toe with her. Sitting like a doormat for her to walk all over isn’t in my nature, and it seems like today is the day for getting in people’s faces, since this is number two.

  “He’s paying me, Paisley. My heart isn’t involved. Our relationship consists of short blocks of time locked in a room and meaningless exchanges of bodily fluids. Nothing more. There is a big difference. If you can’t see that, then you really are foolish.”

  “Can you elaborate a little, Brae? You’re the one who brought these people into our lives. I don’t know anything about them. What’s so wrong with him that you’re forbidding me to see him?”

  Brae leaves the tight bubble of my personal space that I’ve created in my anger toward her attitude. She sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose. “He’s big trouble, Paise. They are both deep in an illegal world. They look out for the three of them and no one else. They have demons and enemies in their past and their present. They treat women like they own them. He or his world aren’t something you need to be involved with in any way. You have to stay away from him.”

  Her voice and demeanor change from authoritative to pleading as she reaches the end of her diatribe. I’m more receptive now that she isn’t dictating orders at me. She’s no longer demanding, but asking. I don’t know if I want to heed her warnings or throw caution to the wind. It’s understandable why she’s warning me away, but I don’t know if it’s enough to quiet the storm that has been created inside me. I want to see him again. I want to touch him again, and I want to have the last word in the game we started today. It might be stupid, but I’m feeling a little reckless.

  “I’m going to think about it, but I’m not goin
g to simply stay away because you tell me to. I’m a big girl, Brae. I can take care of myself.”

  Brae leaves the room without another word. She slams the door to our bedroom and that’s where she stays for hours. I turn her words over and over again in my head. I replay my time with Burke from earlier today like it’s stuck on a loop. My mind is working on overdrive, barely processing all that has happened today. Burke. Trouble. That kiss. The way he felt against me. The way I felt when his skin no longer made contact with mine. Brae’s warnings. Her anger. Her demands. Her plea. My head is spinning. In defiance of all that’s on my mind, I still can’t help wondering about the next time I’ll see him.

  Late into the night, when I’m half asleep on the couch, Brae leaves the house, slamming the door on her way out. Where the hell is she going?

  Burke

  My patience seems to have paid off. It isn’t a characteristic I’m known for, but it worked this time. We finally have some information back from the feelers Kai has spread around town. It was risky for him to let people know about what happened. It tells others we’re vulnerable, but it’s a necessary showing of our hand. It’s time for answers. Now.

  A guy had reluctantly told him he knew who broke into the garage, fucked shit up, and made such a bold threat in a way I assume he thinks is clever with those stupid fucking dolls. Once Kai paid off the informant, he quickly went out and found the guy, brought him to the garage, and then called me. I made the fifteen-minute drive in less than ten. It’s time to fucking end this.