Behind the Scandal

by M.A. Stacie

  She licked her lips, unable to form a decent comeback. “Wh-where’s Levi?”

  After pulling on his T-shirt, he chuckled and walked forward to wrap her in his arms. She sighed against his chest, still feeling the rumble of his laughter against her cheek.

  “I don’t see what’s so amusing. It’s a perfectly normal question to ask where my son is.”

  He cupped her jaw and walked her backward. His mouth met hers as her back hit the wall, and she gasped in surprise. She thought it would be fleeting, that he wouldn’t be so bold in front of his brother’s fiancée. But when he tilted his head and deepened the kiss, she realized she’d been wrong.

  He pressed his body along the length of hers as his fingers stroked the column of her throat. She melted against him, her muscles turning to mush.

  “Well, I guess it’s the Reese genes. You men are toxic to the rest of us.”

  Taylor slouched, burying his face in the crook of Libby’s neck. “Tell her to leave,” he said.

  “Sorry, Dale,” Libby said.

  Taylor wrapped his arm around Libby’s waist as Dale waved her apology away. “I know all about the stomach-flipping lust. Kyran’s a walking hard-on, so it’s difficult not—”

  “Whoa!” Taylor said, raising his hands. “I don’t need to hear that shit.”

  “Calm down. It’s not like I was going to tell you about that time in the fight club when he stripped—”

  “For the love of God, stop!”

  Dale giggled, her light laughter infectious. Soon Libby was laughing, too.

  Taylor clicked his tongue and shook his head. “Women,” he muttered before rounding the small island and dipping his finger into the cake mixture. Dale protested and slapped his shoulder.

  Libby watched the two of them, stuck by the sense of closeness she felt from them. Taylor had been so cold toward her when she’d first arrived, and yet now they were acting like siblings.

  “So, Taylor. Where’s Levi?”

  “Ah, yes.” He dipped his finger again and sucked the mixture off, his gaze fixed on Libby. The air grew suddenly hot. Very hot. “Levi is perfectly safe with Kyran. He’s currently teaching my brother to box. Yes, you heard me right. Apparently, Kyran’s form is all wrong.”

  “He’s doing what?” Libby said, her voice a mere squeak. Levi had cowered in the shadow of a bully just a couple of months ago, and yet now he was taking on Taylor’s older brother.

  “You need to lock down those silly thoughts that are causing that scowl. Levi’s fine with Kyran. He’s more than capable of getting your son out of a sticky situation. The guy’s a douche, but he kinda likes Levi.”

  Dale smacked his shoulder again as Libby said, “Funny, I could say the same about you.”

  “Nice.” Dale smirked. “I’ll leave you two to hash that out and go and watch my man get his butt kicked.”

  “Wait a minute.” Taylor reached out and touched Dale’s arm. He stared at his bare feet, looking nervous. “Kyran said you guys have to leave tomorrow.”

  “We do. We have a wedding to plan.” Her face lit up. “We’ve picked a date already. Actually, you should be home by then.”

  “Congratulations,” Taylor said, shooting Libby a quick glance before staring back at Dale. “And I, um . . . well, I’m sorry. You tried to help me. I know that now.”

  “Good.” She flashed him a dazzling smile and kissed him on the cheek. “I’m pleased you had your epiphany.”

  Dale waved to Libby before skipping out of the kitchen.

  Sadness coiled within her. She knew Taylor was going to leave her, but Dale’s statement wasn’t a newsflash. Hearing someone else verbalize that, however, made the fact much more real.

  “I need to finish Levi’s cake,” she mumbled.

  “Need some help?”

  Libby didn’t answer, and she wasn’t surprised when his arms looped around her middle. He rested his chin on her shoulder and tightened his hold when she tried to move away. “What’s up, Lib?”

  “Nothing. I’m tired. Five a.m. wake-up calls should have been over when I got past the baby stage.”

  “It’s his birthday. Give him a pass on this one.”

  “I will. Ignore me, I’m just grouchy. I can’t stop worrying, or thinking about where Chase is right now.” She spooned the gooey mixture into the cake pan, then lifted it to put in the oven. Taylor stayed locked around her.

  “Will you answer me truthfully if I ask you a question?” she asked.

  “Yup.”

  Libby set down the pan and twisted in his arms to face him. As she wrapped her arms around his neck, she didn’t miss the worry in his expression.

  “Was Tori the one who got you hooked?”

  He closed his eyes, and when he spoke, his voice sounded hoarse. “Tori pulled the rug from under me. After her, my world spiraled into shit, but no, she wasn’t the one who got me hooked. I’m the only one to blame for that.”

  “Oh,” she said.

  “Did you think the truth would be seedier? Maybe a broken heart?”

  “I don’t know. I heard you talking about her to Kyran. You sounded so hurt.”

  He untangled himself from her arms and beckoned her toward the dining room table. He pulled out a chair and sat down before tugging her onto his lap.

  “Why do I have to sit on your knee for this? In fact, for any serious conversation?”

  He rested his head on her shoulder. “Because being this close to you makes me feel like I can take on the world. Like whatever I tell you won’t matter, because I have you in my arms.”

  “Okay,” she said, stroking her fingers through his hair.

  “I’d been doing drugs for a few years before it got out of control,” he said. “I tried a few different things for fun, but I could get my hands on coke real easy. Work was tough, my family was distant, so it was an escape. That’s how it started. Not because of Tori.”

  “Tell me about her.”

  “Where the fuck do I start?” He kissed the spot just under her ear. She tried but failed at suppressing a giggle. “Ticklish?”

  “Don’t try to change the subject.”

  He exhaled, his chest deflating against her arm. He took his time before speaking again. “Tori worked for us as an assistant.”

  “Wow, you Reese men have a thing for women you work with.”

  Taylor shook his head. “I flirted, she flirted right back. We touched every now and then—more like groped, to be honest. There were a few hot kisses. I swear to you, she gave me the green light.”

  Dread had her blood running cold, her abdomen constricting enough for her to wince. Her mind started to race with possibilities, all of them bad. She shifted, trying to get off his lap, but he held her in place. “Listen to me, Blue. Let me finish. I’d never hurt you. I didn’t hurt her.”

  Only slightly subdued, she stilled and waited.

  “We never had sex. It never got that far, but something spooked her and she went running to her father—and mine. She claimed I harassed her. I didn’t, Libby. I swear to you, it was reciprocated. I know I can be a bit handsy, but I’m well aware what a dismissal looks and feels like. For fuck’s sake, she groped me plenty of times!”

  “What happened?” she asked.

  “My father paid for her silence.”

  “I see.”

  “You probably don’t,” Kyran said, stepping into the doorway. “My father and I agreed to keep Tori quiet by paying her off. On reflection, her story didn’t quite add up, but with Taylor being the mess he was, I never questioned it. I should have.” He faced his brother. “I’m sorry I didn’t.”

  Taylor gave his brother a curt nod and turned his gaze back on Libby. “Without her encouragement, I would have stopped. I don’t abuse women, Blue. You should know that about me by now. Trust yourself. I know that hasn’t gone so well in the past, but you managed to do it with Josh. You know me. You really do.”

  “I’m sorry to interrupt again,” Kyran said. “But I feel I should say t
he man in front of me isn’t the man who left Sea Pointe.”

  “I know that. I saw the Taylor who arrived. I watched him change and adapt,” she whispered.

  “Then I’ll leave the two of you alone.”

  Libby climbed off Taylor’s lap, glad he allowed her the space. “After Tori, you started doing drugs more often?”

  “Yeah. I had turned everyone against me, and it’s no excuse, but I chose to hide from it instead of dealing with it. Maybe if I’d have faced it all head-on none of this would have happened.” He reached for her, but Libby stepped away.

  “I need a bit of time to think. I’m going back to the cottage—alone. I need to sort my head out.”

  “Libby, I—”

  “Just give me a little while. I need to go and set up the decorations for Levi’s special dinner anyway.”

  Taylor nodded and looked to the floor.

  She hurried to her cottage. Her fingers fumbled getting her keys out of her jeans, and she dropped them twice before she got the front door open.

  Her head throbbed and her ears buzzed as she tried to process everything Taylor had confessed. She took a few deep breaths, telling herself to calm down and think the situation through, but no amount of mental chastisement helped. Her phone rang, and the throbbing at her temples increased.

  She picked it up. “Yes?”

  “What was the rule, little rabbit? Never keep me waiting.”

  The heartbeat she’d tried to slow down went into overdrive at the sound of Chase’s voice. A shudder raced down her spine as her skin broke out in a cold sweat. She gripped the phone hard, trying to bury the urge to hang up on him. This was her opportunity, and she had to do it right.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “As you should be. But now that I have your attention, how about we have a little chat?”

  “Wait.” She inhaled sharply, swallowing back the bile that rose in her throat. “I have what you want. I have your money. Plus interest. I have it all and more.”

  Chapter 19

  Taylor watched Libby leave, powerless to stop her. She would balk if he followed her, and he didn’t want to risk getting on her bad side. The woman had been incredibly understanding when it came to him and his past, and he told himself all she needed was head space.

  Feeling as if he were suffocating, Taylor walked out onto the wood porch. He inhaled deeply, confused as to why the tightness in his chest was still there. He rubbed his sternum and tried not to fixate on what Libby was doing right now.

  “You okay?”

  Whipping his head around at the sound of his brother’s voice, he searched the porch until he found him sitting on the bench in the corner. “Um, yeah. I suppose I expected this reaction. That’s why I never brought it up before now. She thinks I’m a monster.”

  “No,” Kyran said as he shook his head. “She doesn’t. It’s not every day the guy you’re falling for tells you he’s been accused of sexual harassment. Libby needs to look beyond the word and remember what the facts are. She will.”

  Taylor sneered. “What? Like you did?”

  Amusement danced in his brother’s eyes. “We’re going to do this now? Finally? Thank Christ.”

  “Do what? Tell you to back the fuck off? I can do that all day, every day, dude.”

  Kyran snorted. “Yeah, dude, you do that. But it won’t solve this shit. I’m tired of walking on eggshells around you. Say it, Taylor. Fucking tell me what’s in your head.”

  “You!” Taylor rammed the palm of his hand against the top of the porch fence. The wood shifted slightly, and he did it again. “King Kyran! Lording yourself over us all, so quick to judge everyone. And yet you have your own pile of crap to climb over.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Your sermon to Libby in there was wonderful. And a complete crock of shit. If you’d have listened to me, if you’d have considered the evidence, you’d have understood from the start! But you believed her. You and him!” He ground his teeth, opening and closing his fists.

  Kyran took a breath and straightened his spine. “Fine. If you’re ready, I’m ready. I didn’t want to leave until we had it out anyway.”

  “Very good of you.”

  “Okay, enough!” Kyran shouted. “I messed up, and I messed up in grand style, but I will not accept that I drove you to snort that shit. That was your choice.”

  Taylor scowled and held the bridge of his nose. He could feel a headache starting, and since he’d come off the drugs, a headache usually meant a nosebleed, too. He shouldn’t have started this. The trouble was, now that he had, he didn’t want to call a halt to it. He wanted to say what had been rotting inside of him for far too long.

  A calmness settled over him, and as he spoke, he could see, for once, Kyran was actually listening. “I didn’t do it. Every time I touched Tori, it was with her consent and usually in response to her touching me first. I’m angry, Kyran, not abusive. It fucking kills me that both you and Dad believed her.”

  “I didn’t—”

  “You paid her off. The facts speak louder than you do, brother. You tipped the scales. My balance between being high and being sober was precarious at best. Your lack of faith in me sent me into freefall. Dad didn’t surprise me. After all, the man couldn’t give two shits about either of us. His love for us died with Mom. But you? I assumed you’d have my back. When you didn’t, you pulled the rug from under me.”

  Kyran nodded before standing and stepping toward him. Taylor braced himself, expecting his brother’s rage. Instead, Kyran folded his arms around Taylor’s shoulders and hugged him tight. “I’m sorry.”

  Taylor wrenched his shoulder back until Kyran let go. “Say it,” he demanded. “Say it now while you look into my eyes.”

  Kyran didn’t even pause. “I’m sorry. I should have asked you. You didn’t harass Tori. I know that now—I always knew it. I just couldn’t see past the mess you’d become.”

  “Resentment does that to a person.”

  “It goes both ways, Taylor. Don’t tell me you didn’t feel bitter about me. I’m not much older than you, and yet I was your parent for years. The lines between us are so blurred it’s no wonder we can’t get a handle on our relationship.” He scrubbed his hand over his shorn head. “I don’t want to be your surrogate father anymore. I want to be your brother.”

  They’d never had a conversation so candid. But they’d also never been brothers. So how were they going to forge that kind of relationship now? “I don’t know how to be your brother, Kyran.”

  A small smile played across Kyran’s lips. “Yeah, that’s a tough one, huh? I’ve got no fucking clue either, but it’s worth a try, don’t you think?”

  “You really believe I didn’t do it? And that I’m clean now?” He felt like a dog begging for scraps, but he needed Kyran to say it.

  “You’ve done something I never thought you could. I’m big enough to accept that I was wrong. I’m proud of what you’ve accomplished here.” He clasped Taylor’s shoulder. “And I know you did nothing wrong with Tori. I can’t turn back time, but I would.”

  Taylor swallowed, emotion tightening his esophagus. Gaining Kyran’s acceptance meant far more than he’d admitted to anyone. As much as he resented the role his brother had played in his upbringing, he couldn’t stop the bone-deep need for Kyran’s acceptance.

  “We can work on what we have when you get home. You don’t have much time left here anyway. Maybe I could talk to Dad. I can tell him that you’re good—that you’re sober.”

  “No.” Taylor shook his head. “I’m seeing out my time. I’m proving to you all that I can do this, and without your help.”

  Kyran pushed his hand into the front pocket of his jeans before pulling out a small white card. “You’ve already done that.” He passed the card to Taylor. “I’ve spoken to the guy myself—told him your circumstances and where you’re living. He wants to talk to you. He thinks he can help. He said to think of it as a pre-twelve-step program until you get home.”

&
nbsp; “I’m staying.”

  Kyran blinked. “Because of Libby?”

  Taylor shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know.” He lowered his head and muttered, “I’m not ready.”

  “You’re scared to come back to Sea Pointe? I suppose I understand why, but maybe talking to the therapist will help. He’s expecting your call.”

  Hating that Kyran had read him so easily, he kept his response low. “It’s like a haven here. I’m safe.”

  “And at home you won’t be?” His brother craned his neck to hear Taylor’s response.

  Taylor looked up. “I can’t buy drugs here.”

  “But you can’t hide forever.”

  “What if I like it here? What if I actually feel like I do some good here? Am I still hiding, or am I taking charge of my life?”

  “Only you know that. Talk to the therapist. Work through what you need to.”

  Taylor walked to the edge of the porch and stared out across his uncle’s land. Questions swirled around in his head as he thought about why he was so reluctant to leave. He’d hated the place when he’d arrived and hadn’t been able to wait to get the hell away. Now was a different story. And it wasn’t because of Libby.

  “Why are you helping her?” Taylor asked.

  Kyran chewed the inside of his cheek. “Because I should have tried harder with you. So many times I blocked you out or assumed the worse. I want to help you now.”

  “And that’s the only reason?”

  Kyran smiled. “I think you need to cut me some slack. This ‘helping out’ thing is new to me, too, okay? Look, whether you admit it or not, I know you’re in deep with her. I know she means more to you than anyone ever has. I know because I see it written all over your face, and I saw that same look when I stared into the mirror after I met Dale. I want to help you both. Besides, you actually asked for it. That fact alone stunned me into action. I thought you were here making little voodoo dolls of me, sticking pins into a multitude of places.”

  Taylor snorted. “Never thought of that one.”

  “It wasn’t a tip.”

  “Noted,” he replied, shooting his brother a grin. “So . . . um . . . you going home tomorrow?”