by V. Hunter
"Good morning," I said.
He took his eyes off his laptop and looked right at me. There was a blank look in his eyes that I hadn't expected. I dragged the comforter closer to my body, suddenly intensely aware of my state of undress under the vibrant red cover.
I looked for any sign of affection but found none.
My eyes darted all around the room until I realized my nightgown was folded neatly on the nightstand next to me. I snaked my arm out from under the comforter to grab it so I could avoid exposing myself as I slipped into it. Despite how brazen I acted the night before, I couldn't find the same courage in the light of day.
Mostly because of the way Jairo looked at me like he was actually looking through me.
I cinched the nightgown tight around my waist and slid out of the bed. I thought something changed between us the night before, but maybe I only imagined it. Maybe it was wishful thinking.
"Are you leaving?" Jairo asked as I took my first steps towards the door.
I froze, recognizing how loaded a question it was. I stared at the blank wall as I tried to formulate an answer, but nothing would come to me.
Just from the way he asked, I had a feeling if I said yes that I would be on the next flight home. It would be so easy. One word and I would be on my way home, back to people I knew who were—for the most part—pretty safe and predictable. At least compared to Jairo and his mysterious work issues.
"I should go get Sofia started on her schoolwork," was what came out of my mouth instead.
I glanced at Jairo for any kind of reaction, but he still stared back at me with a blank face. If I stood there any longer, I knew I would start getting angry. Or worse, upset. As I walked out of the room, I could feel his eyes on me, but he did nothing to stop me.
I tried my best to have a normal day with Sofia, but I kept finding myself fumbling over what to say and struggling to pay attention. Sofia did her best to be patient with me but I could tell when she started to grow frustrated.
It was after lunch—with no sign of Jairo—when she finally set her pencil down on her desk and turned to me with a serious expression. She looked very adult-like aside from her fidgety fingers. She let out a little sigh as her eyes seemed to search mine for something.
"Are you going to leave now that Uncle Jairo is back?" she asked.
She was far too perceptive for her own good.
I didn't know what to say, so I answered her question with a question, "What makes you think that?"
My deflection didn't fool her one bit. She tilted her head down so she was no longer looking at me. It barely did anything to hide how she was feeling because she started sniffling almost immediately.
"Please don't leave, Miss Brooke." Sniffle. "I don't want to be the only girl again." Sniffle. "And I love you."
It hurt so bad to hear the pain in her voice as she said the words. Even though her parents didn't abandon her on purpose, I knew she still felt the sting of that loss. Now, after she got attached to me, I was set to abandon her, too. It didn't seem fair. Not to either of us.
Sofia was different with a woman around, the evidence was abundant. The tight ponytails were gone, replaced by loose hair much like how I wore mine. She also didn't seem to mind wearing her own clothes anymore, I guessed because she'd seen me comfortably wearing the ultra feminine clothes that Jairo got delivered my second day there.
I think she forgot what it meant to embrace being a girl until someone came around to remind her. The last thing I wanted was for her to lose that part of herself again.
My whole heart ached.
"Sofia, I will have to leave eventually," I told her as gently as I could. I didn't want to hurt her feelings, but I also knew I needed to prepare her for the inevitable.
She buried her face in her hands as she started to cry. "Oh, sweetheart." I gathered her as much in my arms as she would let me and held her while she cried out some of the hurt. No matter how much I wanted to, I knew I couldn't erase the hurt she was feeling.
"I don't want you to go!" she wailed.
It was probably the most I'd seen her act her age since I got there, and I hated it was under those circumstances. I hated that I caused it.
"Please don't cry. I'm not leaving yet, honey. We still have time to spend together. Let's not spend that time being sad, okay?"
"Okay," Sofia answered as she struggled to stop crying. "I just don't want you to leave."
I don't want me to leave either, I silently admitted to myself. But I didn't dare say the words aloud and risk her thinking I could actually stay. It just didn't seem possible, especially not after the way Jairo acted that morning.
I needed more from him than a boss doubling as a booty call. I didn't feel like I could ask for more, though, not when it seemed clear now that was all he was after. I let myself get my hopes up like I was living in some kind of fairy tale. I couldn't hold that against him just because he didn't want to fulfill my fantasy of some sort of dark prince charming.
"I don't want to leave yet, Sof, okay? So no more crying." As I used my fingers to wipe her residual tears away, I got that familiar feeling of being watched.
My head jerked right up, expecting to find Jairo in the doorway. Instead, my heart sunk as I saw it was only Tomas checking in on us. I admonished myself for getting my hopes up. I couldn't force a man to care for me, no matter how much I willed it to be true.
Tomas nodded to me and left. Swallowing my disappointment, I did my best to focus on Sofia. At least she needed me.
20
Jairo
Brooke wanted more from me when she left my bed that morning, I knew it and I still didn't manage to give her anything more than silence. It was a goddamn miracle she didn't ask to go home on the spot. I didn't intend to be a dick to her, but when she woke up and looked over at me with those soft, sleepy eyes... I lost all common sense.
All I could think of was how good it would be to wake up like that every day. To have her look at me with that same warm and satisfied expression and know she belonged to me and only me.
It was too easy to picture her as a permanent fixture in the house, and I panicked.
She was meant to be just a brief distraction while I fucked her out of my system. I didn't expect to grow so dependent on her so quickly. Even when I was away, I took comfort in checking the cameras to see how she was spending her time. And to see her there knowing I would get to go home to her after all the bullshit was dealt with.
And the surprise blowjob only further cemented my obsession with keeping her. After everything, that she still had the power to surprise me like that, it was sexy as hell. Another reason to want to keep her even though I never thought I would willingly bring another person into my world.
It wasn't fair to her, especially not with her so in the dark about everything I was involved in. The situation with Brunetti—hopefully that would be over soon, but I was still running a major drug shipping business that came with plenty of risks of its own. Even if I could work up the nerve to ask her if she would stay of her own free will, I would have to live with knowing I was asking her to give up her very normal life for a life with no privacy or guarantees of safety.
She would never again be able to go anywhere without a security escort.
I would also be asking her to become an insta-parent. Expecting someone to play nanny was a hell of a lot easier than asking them to be a stand-in parent. And would she want more kids? Because damn did the idea of filling up a house full of miniature versions of her appeal to me. I didn't have a great track record so far with Sofia, but something told me Brooke was more than capable of whipping me into shape.
She took no shit and freely spoke her mind. We would make a good team.
"Uh, Boss?"
I'd been so caught up in my thoughts that I didn't even notice Tomas enter. I abandoned my view of the backyard and looked to him expectantly.
"Was everything okay?" I asked. I asked Tomas to check on them since I didn't feel ready to face B
rooke myself at the moment.
"They're fine," Tomas answered carefully. He clearly had more to say but a few seconds passed before he went on, "Sofia was telling Brooke she didn't want her to leave."
I felt like I'd been gut-checked. "And what did Brooke say?"
"She said she didn't want to leave yet." Tomas studied me as he said it.
I tried to stay passive, not to let on how fucking ecstatic I felt to hear those words. Even just a few more days would give us time to try to sort everything out. Tomas wasn't the least bit fooled by my passivity.
"I think the two of you are both getting in over your heads," he warned.
I scowled at him, annoyed that he couldn't just stay out of it. But of course he wouldn't because his job was literally to be all up in all of my business. That was how he kept everyone safe, and I didn't dare interfere with his job because of it. So, I had to suck it up and accept that he had an opinion about all of this.
"You think it's a bad idea?" I asked, even though I dreaded the answer.
He seemed to choose his words carefully. "I just think there's a lot for the two of you to clear up between you before you start thinking anything crazy about long-term plans. This life isn't what she's used to—and you have to be willing to accept it if it's not what she wants."
"I know," I admitted.
"But you also have to be willing to let it be her choice. Once she has all the information, that is." Tomas shrugged. "She could surprise you, given the chance. She seems like a pretty tough girl."
"I think she is," I agreed.
"You should take her out somewhere, see if you still feel the same way even when the two of your aren't trapped in this house together. I think she'd probably also appreciate the chance just to get out for a little while. It's a good way to show her you trust her not to be confined here.”
The suggestion made sense but I felt reluctant to agree to it. "What if she bolts while we're out?" I asked.
"Then let her go," he answered, looking at me like I was an idiot. "If she really wants to go, then there's not gonna be anything you can do about it. We're not typically in the business of holding women captive. Or have you forgotten that that's exactly the thing we've been rallying against for more than a year?"
I rolled my eyes at his uncharacteristically dramatic words. He wasn't wrong, and we both knew it, but he didn't have to put it like that. I already knew I couldn't force Brooke to stay any longer. I just wasn't ready to see her go, either, if that was what it came down to.
But I would never know if I didn't give her the chance, and maybe it was better to find out now than to prolong it and risk making everything that much worse.
"I think you're right," I said, already heading towards the door.
"Where are you going?" He grinned like he already knew.
"Shut the hell up," I growled good-naturedly. I could already feel nerves kicking in, and that wasn't like me at all.
I had no idea what the fuck I would do if she rejected me outright.
My first instinct was to look for Brooke in Sofia's room, but neither of them were in there. I was too keyed up to go back to my office to check the cameras for them, so I just went searching for them the old-fashioned way instead. It only took two empty rooms before I regretted my decision. Luckily for me, I heard laughter the second I stepped foot on the first floor. I followed the sound of it to the small music room tucked away behind the staircase. No one usually went in there, so I barely recognized the room as I stepped into it.
I stayed near the door as I took in the scene unfolding in front of me.
Sofia was sitting on the piano bench, doubled over in laughter as Brooke put on a show for her. She was twirling with a tambourine in one hand and a Christmas bell in the other. The racket she made was terrible, but the smile she wore as she danced around more than made up for it. She might have been acting silly for Sofia's benefit, but she seemed to be thoroughly enjoying herself as well.
She looked so light and carefree as she turned exaggerated circles with her instruments shaking in every direction. Her hips swayed to the beat that wasn't even dance worthy, as if she could find a rhythm in anything.
I almost wanted to join her.
"Uncle Jairo!" Sofia called out, having noticed me hovering.
Brooke stopped cold, tucking the instruments behind her back as if it could erase what I'd just been lucky enough to see. I grinned at her, feeling a little put-off when she only returned a tight smile. I reminded myself of how cold I acted that morning towards her and tried not to take her current reaction personally.
"Isn't Miss Brooke pretty?" Sofia asked with a dreamy look in her eyes.
"Beautiful," I agreed easily.
I watched with pleasure as Brooke's whole face turned bright red. She probably thought I was making fun of her after her little display, but I absolutely meant it. There wasn't a woman in the world more beautiful, especially not when she was being carefree and goofy. With that big, genuine smile on her face, she was exactly the kind of woman every man hoped to fall in love with.
The full package, and for the moment she was all mine. Mine for the moment wasn't enough, though. Now I needed to make it permanent. Otherwise, I would lose my fucking mind.
There would never be another woman like her. I was sure of it.
"Brooke? Can I talk to you alone for a minute?" I asked.
She hesitated, but then answered, "Sure."
Sofia looked curiously between the two of us, but quickly became distracted when Brooke handed the instruments over to her. She started to dance in her best impression of the made-up dance Brooke had been doing, which made both Brooke and I laugh.
I was still chuckling as Brooke followed me out into the hall.
"I'm sorry about last night," she blurted out the second she closed the door behind her.
"I'm not," I said automatically, assuming she meant the blowjob. I sure as hell wasn't sorry about that.
Her cheeks went red all over again. "Oh. After this morning, I thought..."
"I was thinking we could go out to dinner," I interrupted. I didn't want to re-hash our awkward morning together. It seemed better to me if we just moved on from that.
"Out?" She stared at me as if it was a foreign concept.
"Yeah. It's a bit of a drive back into town, but I thought it would be a nice change of pace. The closest town is small, but there's a couple of good food options there," I explained.
"Like a—" She paused. Date, I willed her to finish. Because yes, I absolutely intended for it to be a date. "Could Sofia come with us?"
Okay, not exactly what I had in mind.
I didn't know how to answer her. Her eyes were bright and hopeful in a way that made me want to say yes, but the thought of taking Sofia off the property on such short notice made me feel sick. Even if we doubled up security, it would be a major risk. I'd only taken her off property three times since I became her guardian—once for her mother's funeral and twice for dental appointments. And those things were planned well in advance before I was willing to take the risk.
As much as humanly possible, I avoided taking her anywhere. I even had our own doctor on call so she never had to leave home for her vaccinations or check-ups.
"I'm not sure about that," I admitted. I couldn't stomach the idea of putting Sofia in unnecessary danger. Keeping her safe was one of the few ways I had left of honoring my brother.
Brooke crossed her arms. "She needs to get out of the house, Jairo. Clearly you've got lots of money, so clear out a restaurant or something if that makes you feel better. But don't make her miss out on life just because you're busy worrying about what might or might not happen. She's going to grow up resenting you if you keep doing that."
"Brooke..." I tried to figure out how to explain to her all the things that could go wrong. I didn't want Sofia to resent me, but didn't her safety come first? But then was I neglecting a kind of emotional safety I never considered? I felt completely torn.
"Jairo
, please."
Well, fuck me.
21
Jairo
I couldn't believe Brooke managed to talk me into it. Not only were all three of us going into town for dinner, but she also somehow managed to convince me we should go to a hole-in-the-wall pizza place on the outskirts of town. Brooke was adamant that if we were going to eat out that nothing but pizza would do.
And I, being the sucker I suddenly was, felt helpless to deny her anything she wanted.
Sofia hesitated to agree at first, but Brooke managed to coax the reason out of her quicker than I thought possible. She hadn't eaten pizza since her dad was alive. Unsurprisingly, it wasn't a dish her mother was interested in eating when it was just the two of them.
"You know what that means?" Brooke had asked her.
"What?"
"We'll eat have to eat an extra slice for your dad."
And that was enough to convince Sofia it was a good idea after all. She idolized Brooke, so it wasn't that far of a push to get her excited. Brooke's excitement was contagious—even for me.
As we drove into town, I glanced back at Sofia in the rear-view mirror. Her eyes were wide as her head turned every which way to try to take in everything at once. The dark tinted windows made it so no one would be able to see in and see her back there, but I still checked to make sure Tomas continued to follow close behind. There was another guy, Garrett, directly in front of us. Having someone drive on either side of us was the only way I would agree to take our own car to dinner.
Tension radiated off of me as we pulled into the parking lot of the place we were going. Brooke must have sensed it because she reached across the console and squeezed my arm. When I looked at her, she smiled so big that I knew I couldn't turn around now.
