“Then you’ll have no problem apologizing,” Ky replies coolly.
She ducks out from under his raised arm and levels a look at me. “Sorry,” she says, not looking or sounding overly apologetic. “My bad.”
Ky’s gaze locks on mine as he opens his mouth to intervene again, but I silence him with a look. One I hope conveys my gratitude but suggests I can deal with this from here on out. While it warms my heart to know he will always jump to my defense, I am more than capable of standing up for myself, and I know full well how to handle this spoilt brat.
“I don’t know what your problem is, but I’m telling you how it’s going to go down today.” I walk up to her, and she juts her chin up defiantly. Even in her hooker boots, she only reaches my chin. I talk calmly and quietly. “You clearly have some issue with me, which disappoints me, but I’m not going to lose sleep over it. However, you are not going to ruin today for your father or your brothers, and you won’t disrespect my aunt and uncle when they have so graciously invited you here. So, do everyone a favor and at least pretend to be nice for a couple of hours.”
She flips her middle finger up at me, and some of my control evaporates. “And while you’re at it, keep your hands off my boyfriend, because if I catch you even looking funny at him, I will rip your hair out, one obnoxious pink strand at a time.” Okay, that was probably going a tad too far.
She sends me an amused grin, almost like she approves, and I genuinely can’t figure her out.
“Is everything okay out here?” Adam asks, poking his head through the door.
I give him my best smile. “Peachy. Whitney and I were just having a little chat. Coming to an understanding.”
She harrumphs, brushing past and deliberately nudging me in the side.
Adam frowns, and his eyes scan my face. “Are you sure?”
“Yes.” I smile sweetly.
“Have you seen Jake?”
“Yep. He’s playing Xbox with my cousins, and they’ll join us when they have finished their game.” I loop my arm in Ky’s, continuing the pretense. “We should eat. The food will go cold.” Adam nods, walking back into the living area as we trail behind him.
Ky presses his mouth to his ear. “Will I get in trouble if I admit that you warning her off was the hottest damn thing I’ve ever seen?” I smirk. “And how I’m hard as a rock now and wishing you would take me to my room and—”
“Don’t finish that sentence,” I whisper, cutting him off as my knees turn weak and a surge of longing so intense ripples through me. “We can’t escape now, and you’re only teasing me. Save it for later.” I slide my hand down his back and squeeze his butt in my own version of payback.
“And thank you for sticking up for me,” I add, giving him another playful squeeze.
“I know you had it under control, but I wasn’t going to stand by and let her spout all that sleazy shit. Let her act so disrespectfully toward you.”
“I appreciate that, but you could’ve removed her hand from your ass a little quicker.” I send him a knowing look.
He pulls me aside, and I try to ignore the inquisitive looks leveled our way. “Are you for real?” An angry spark flashes in his eyes. “You got there first, and her hand was on my ass for, like, three seconds, tops.”
“That’s three seconds too long.” I pout, deciding to downplay it before it turns argumentative.
His shoulders relax, and he laughs. I release the breath I’d been holding. “I didn’t think you could get any hotter, but you are so hot when you’re jealous.” He pulls me into his chest, all hint of anger vanished.
“Not funny.” I push against his chest, attempting to resist his allure. “How about I call Brad over here and let him feel my ass for three seconds?”
I instantly know it’s the wrong thing to say. Regret rears up and bites me. He releases me like I’m an infectious disease. “It’s not the same thing and you know it. That was fucking low, Faye.” He walks off into the kitchen, dragging his hands through his hair.
Shit. He’s right. That was way out of order, and I don’t even know why I said it. It’s like my brain took a temporary vacation.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot Whitney grinning in my direction, and I glower at her. I’ve imagined today going many different ways but not like this. Foolishly, I’d thought I might be able to strike up a friendship with my sister. Might be able to form the type of relationship I have with Jill and Rach with Whitney. That idea is shot to hell now. She wants nothing to do with me. Maybe, when she’s had time to get used to the idea, she’ll come around, but I’m not going to hold my breath. I’m a pretty good judge of character, and …
My thoughts meander as I pick up on something outside the window. I squint as my feet take on a life of their own. I walk over to the window like there’s a rocket up my ass.
No fucking way.
I blink excessively, wondering if it’s possible I’m seeing things—but nope. Pointing out the window, I ask, “Is that … Courtney?”
Chapter Thirty-One
Kyler
We all turn at Faye’s words, and I’m beside her in a heartbeat, staring out the window with my mouth hanging open. Courtney is racing across the back lawn, in her bare feet, holding her shoes in her hand as she’s chased by two of Dad’s security guards. Her hair is flapping behind her, and the wild look in her eyes is kinda freaky. The guards are speaking hurriedly into their mouthpieces, no doubt requesting backup.
Dad curses low under his breath. “I’ll handle this.”
He turns to walk away, but Mom takes hold of his elbow, shaking her head. “I’ll fix this. Can you call Kaden and see what their ETA is, please?” She’s in professional mode as she smiles apologetically at Adam. “I’m very sorry about this intrusion. Please just ignore her.”
Easier said than done. Although the guards are closing the distance on Courtney, she’s making good use of those long legs of hers, and she’s almost to the edge of the lawn, at the corner of the house. She stops for a minute, pivots around, and strategically flings her stilettos at the guards. The both duck down, narrowly avoiding a heel in the eyeball. Ouch.
She’s closer now and there’s no missing the venomous look on her face. Faye jumps as Courtney slams into the window, mashing her face up to the glass. The glass panes rattle. “I can see you, James,” she yells. “Get out here and confront me like a man! If you think this is the end of it, you can think again. I’ve still got cards to play, and you are both going to be sorry you did this to me! No. One. Does. This. To. Me!”
One of the guards reaches the house, grasping her waist from behind. “It’s not too late to negotiate!” Her shrill plea is borderline hysterical. The guard tries to pry her from the window, but she’s stronger than she looks, and she grips the wooden window frame like she’s clinging on for dear life. Her sharp, green eyes fix on me as her body is jostled about from behind. She still doesn’t let go.
“Call Officer Hanks, please,” Mom says, appearing outside. Her words filter in through the open window. “Tell him we want this woman arrested for trespassing and breaking an official court order.”
Courtney pounds the glass with one clenched fist, reclaiming my attention. She points her finger at me, and her eyes bore into mine, sending prickles of alarm washing all over me. Icy chills rip up and down my spine. “Say goodbye to your nice life.” She cackles, enjoying my obvious discomfort. Her eyes dart wildly around the room. “You’re all going down! All of you!”
Faye’s hand threads in mine and hauls me away from the window. “Okay, that was super creepy.”
I allow Faye pull me away in a bit of a daze. Something about the way she looked at me has unnerved me.
Outside, Courtney has been removed from the window, but she’s thrashing about uncontrollably, and the guards are struggling to restrain her. Her arms and legs are flailing about as she screams like a wild
animal. Mom is trying to talk to her, her face a mask of calm composure, but they’re too far away now to hear what’s being said. A few minutes later, a cruiser pulls up in front of the house just in front of Kade’s Jeep.
“The boys are here,” Dad says, as if we haven’t just witnessed the crazy woman making threats outside. “Let’s sit down at the table.”
Whitney cranks out a laugh, and Adam sends a warning glare in her direction. “I’m really glad I came now, Dad. You were right.” She sends him a smug look as she flies off the arm of the couch. “This is fun.”
Kent strolls into the dining room with Keaton, Keanu, and one of the twins. Jake, I think it is. Hard to tell, they are so alike. Except for the fact that the other boy, Josh, has barely left his father’s side.
I wait for it. Knowing it’s as predictable as the Patriots making the playoffs.
Ten, nine, eight …
And there it is.
The moment Kent spots Whitney.
I saw this coming from the minute she opened her mouth outside. From the second her mischievous eyes roamed me unashamedly. From the instant the dirty proposition left her filthy mouth. The sense of déjà vu was almost overwhelming. It was like looking at a miniature female Kent in the making. She already has the derogatory look down pat, and the way she went at Faye proves the same arrogant, cocky immaturity flows through her veins.
My little warning outside apparently fell on deaf ears. I told her how important today was to Faye and that I wouldn’t hesitate to crush her if she fucked things up for my girl.
Clearly went in one ear and out the next.
I’m losing my touch.
Kent stops, his eyes narrowing as he zones in on her like a predator marking his prey. He’s across the room in a flash. Bowing dramatically at the waist, he extends his hand toward her. “Kent Kennedy at your service, oh gorgeous one.” He straightens up, grinning as he takes her hand and plants a kiss on it. “Who are you and where the hell have you been all my life?”
I groan, recognizing the line. He borrowed it straight from Brad’s mouth.
Could he be any more cliché?
She eyes him like he’s scum at the bottom of her fuck-me boots, but I see the flicker of interest, the sheen of excitement in her eye. She’s not experienced enough to hide it. “Don’t tell me that line actually works on girls? It’s so 1990s.”
I need to shut this down.
I stalk toward them. “Enough flirting, dipshit. Go get the door for your brother.”
“Get lost, Ky, and get the fucking door yourself.”
My fists twitch at my side. I’d love to knock some sense into the little shit, but I don’t think Mom would approve of that type of discipline. “Behave, or I’ll make you.” I send him a warning as I go out to greet my brothers.
Courtney is screaming like a banshee as I step outside. Kicking and screaming and cursing like the skank she is. Officer Hanks and his colleague push her into the back of the cruiser, and my ears give silent thanks.
Kade and Kev are looking on in amusement. A pretty girl with bouncy red curls is glued to Kaden’s side. She’s wearing a fitted black mini dress that is molded to her body, leaving little to the imagination. Her killer cleavage is on full display, and I mean, full display—if the neckline were any lower, I’d be able to see her nipples. She is perched on extremely high heels, looking like she could topple over at any time.
I fail to hide my smirk as Keven looks in my direction, grinning back at me in obvious understanding. He strolls over to my side as Mom talks urgently to the officer.
“Who the fuck is she and what’s she doing here?”
“Tiffani,” he drawls, “with an I, not a Y. She’s his latest fuck buddy. No idea in hell why he’s brought her here. Mom’s going to blow a gasket.”
I chuckle. “Perhaps, that’s the intent.”
Kev grimaces. “You could be right, but I think there’s more to it, but, you know Kade; he doesn’t say jack shit.”
That surprises me.
The two of them are usually very tight. It always used to piss me off, but since I found out we are legit blood brothers, it’s actually grated on my nerves a little more than usual. “How come? You two live together.”
“Bro, I hardly ever see him anymore. And he’s so secretive. Won’t tell me a Goddamned thing. I haven’t a clue what’s going on with him these days.” He slaps me on the back. “How are you?”
I shrug casually, as if having a death sentence hanging over my head is no biggie. “Fine.”
“Yeah.” He snorts. “That’s what I thought.”
Before I can retaliate, Mom is rushing us into the house. The moment she spots Tiffani is priceless. The look of pure horror on her face is impossible to miss, but she composes herself quickly, welcoming the girl. Only Kev and I see her wiping her palm down the front of her dress after they shake hands. “This should be fun,” Kev jokes.
“You have no idea.” Wait until Faye versus Whitney round two kicks off.
After all the introductions are made, we serve ourselves from the buffet and sit down. I pull Faye’s chair out for her, conspicuously avoiding the heated stare Whitney is leveling my way from across the table. Kent sits down beside her—of course—proceeding to flirt up a storm the whole way through dinner. A couple of times, I have to kick him under the table to shut up. Adam appears to have shrewd instincts, and he’s watching the pair of them like a hawk. Unfortunately, I think that only spurs Whitney on. I should be glad that she’s stopped sending fuck-me eyes my way, and stopped glaring at Faye, but now she’s fawning all over Kent, and I’m afraid things are about to head south. It’s not like he needs much encouragement.
Faye’s new sister is one hell of a spoiled bitch. No matter what Mom offers her, she refuses. The response is either she’s “allergic” or “red meat clogs your arteries” or “dairy gives me, like, really insane migraines.” There’s no denying she’s hard work, but that only appears to add to her appeal for Kent. His eyes have glossed over, and he’s staring at her as if he’s never seen a girl before in his life.
Conversation is strained at the table, although things are cool with me and Faye now that she’s apologized for her earlier comment. I know she didn’t mean it, but that didn’t make it hurt any less at the time.
Dad and Adam aren’t fooling anyone with their barbed comments and hate-filled looks. Faye has barely swallowed a thing, and I know the tension is eating away at her. She was already so worried about today without all this unnecessary drama. Every so often, I squeeze her knee or sneak a sly kiss when I think no one’s looking. Whatever I can do to ease the stress.
Mom suggests we eat dessert in the conservatory overlooking the lawn so we head outside. My younger brothers return to the games room with Josh and Jake in tow.
Tiffani is laughing at something Kaden is saying in her ear, and the piercing sound is like a hyena with a sore throat. I can already feel a headache coming on. Faye nudges me in the side, not so subtly rolling her eyes. Tiffani’s contributions at dinner were less than illuminating, and I’m struggling to understand how she managed to get into Harvard and how she’s managed to worm her way into my brother’s affections.
She must be one hell of a lay.
Perhaps she intentionally hides her brain under that bimbo exterior, but one thing’s certain; if she intends to hold on to my brother—and all the indications are pointing to her being a clinger—she’ll need to up her game.
Her current game face sucks butt. Big style.
“Whitney’s been in the bathroom for ages,” Faye whispers in my ear. I had noticed. Her direct look tells me she’s thinking what I’m thinking.
Taking her hand, I pull her to her feet. “Let’s go. It’s best we find them before your dad does.” Her step falters a little. “What?”
“You called him my … dad.” A flustered expression
crosses over her beautiful face. “That’s still difficult to wrap my head around.”
I haul her into my side, kissing the top of her head. “Sorry. I didn’t think.”
“No.” She shakes her head, her hair cascading in soft waves down her back. “I’ve got to face facts. And it’s not really such a bad thing. Apart from Whitney, that is.”
“She’ll come around.”
“Yeah, right.” Faye snorts.
Inappropriate sounds accost us the instant we step into the lobby. Faye bites out a curse. “You’ve got to be kidding me.” She’s fuming as she stomps toward the guest bathroom, tucked in at the back of the mezzanine stairs. Yanking the door open, she curses again.
Kent is leaning back against the sink with his jeans and boxers pooled around his feet. His head is thrown back, and his eyes are closed as he moans in ecstasy. Whitney is crouched over him, eagerly sucking him off. I lounge against the doorframe, trying not to laugh at the disgusted look on Faye’s face. She’s like two seconds away from exploding.
Kent is a little asshole, but I’ve got to begrudgingly give him credit. Despite his cheesy one-liners, and his love-’em-and-leave-’em attitude, he still has girls crawling all over him. He’s getting way more action than I did at his age, although, to be fair, I had a steady girlfriend. Kent opens one eye, spots us, grins, and then palms the back of Whitney’s head, urging her to continue. What a cocky little bastard. I chuckle, earning a death glare from Faye in the process. Whitney looks up but she doesn’t stop her feverish sucking, eyeballing me with a naughty glint in her eye.
A faint noise outside spurs me into action. Gently moving Faye aside, I grip Whitney by the shoulders and pull her off Kent. Faye averts her eyes. Whitney is bitching me out over it and wrestling in my grip. Kent is scowling at me like I just killed his firstborn. “Someone is coming!” I hiss through gritted teeth.
“That someone would’ve been me!” he snarls. “In like less than two seconds. You fucking asshole.”
Keeping Kyler (The Kennedy Boys Book 3) Page 27
