A heavy fist knocked on the front door.
“Coming,” Jayden called out in a lackluster tone.
The front door swung open and a six foot tall black man stepped in. He wore a black knit sweater that was probably made out of some imported rabbit hair and ripped blue jeans. It was still odd seeing him with locs. Though hadn’t it been six months?
“It’s cool, bro,” the interloper said.
“Kingston. You’re looking nice today. What’s up, bro?” Jayden felt a little lighter now that he wasn’t alone.
Kingston thumbed over his shoulder. “Just heading up the posse.”
Behind him came Luca and Diego.
The unfortunate scar slicing through Diego’s left brow would forever give him a dark and intimidating appearance at first glance. His hard outer shell hid one of the biggest, softest hearts. Jayden had often played the big brother role to Diego when they were growing up, offering advice, listening and letting him figure out who he wanted to be. Jayden was likely the only one in the family who hadn’t been shocked to find out Diego wanted to work with animals after high school.
Luca still wore his suit pants and tie dangling around his neck, but he’d shed his button down and jacket in favor of a Supernatural T-shirt. He squinted at Jayden, then waved. It was funny how Luca had worn contacts for almost ten years, yet that squint of his was ingrained. Luca might be the youngest Fullilove, but he was also the smartest, though Kingston would no doubt challenge that title. In the end, Luca was quite simply a prodigy.
And they were all Jayden’s family.
Each of them had been given a chance to be the very best they could be.
The only one of them not doing that was Asher.
“Can we order pizza already?” Kingston plopped his bag down on the kitchen counter.
Luca pressed a hand to his stomach. “I’m starving.”
“There’s a frozen lasagna,” Jayden offered.
“Frozen? Seriously?” Kingston shook his head. “You’re an animal.”
Jayden smirked. “You’re just a snob.”
Kingston grinned back and thumbed at his chest. “Because I can afford to be, baby.”
He was right on that point.
Kingston’s early life was full of poverty. One of the first things Jayden recalled about Kingston when they met was his determination. And he’d always said that he would do well in school so he could get the best job. Even with the money Kingston gave to the Fulliloves and his biological family back in Jamaica, he was doing well for himself.
“I’m ordering us some real food,” Kingston announced.
Sometimes when Jayden looked at the others, he had to wonder if he’d aimed too low. Were his aspirations of managing a bank enough? Should he have pushed himself to do more? Be more?
Jayden didn’t want to buy imported clothes or fancy cars. He wanted a comfortable life where he didn’t have to worry about the future.
There were trade-offs. Kingston, Luca and Diego all had student loans that they’d be paying on for most of their lives. Jayden had gone to community college, then transferred out the last two years to Washington State University.
“What’s this I hear you’ve got a girl you haven’t told us about?” Kingston asked over his shoulder.
Jayden paused. He really was surprised it had taken this long for Brandi to become a topic of conversation. It was likely an indicator of how worried they all were that the guys weren’t riding him harder about a woman.
“Her name is Brandi,” Jayden said.
“And?” Diego appeared at Jayden’s side holding the stack of cork squares.
“Thanks. And I like her.” He glanced at Kingston. “What do you want to know? Spill it.”
“I was just curious seeing as you got a text from her.”
A text and he hadn’t heard?
Jayden crossed the apartment to the dock where he’d left his phone.
Sure enough, Brandi had just texted.
He muttered the words out loud to himself. “Nicole said she asked today. Decision maker is out. Might know something Wednesday. Have fun with bros!”
Jayden still wasn’t clear what it was Nicole thought she could do, but at this point he’d take all the help he could get.
“Who is Nicole?” Luca asked.
“Nicole is Brandi’s roommate,” Jayden replied.
He wasn’t about to get into the history between the two women and himself. Not when he was just trying to get Brandi to accept not only him, but the idea of them together. It was clear she had some reservations. Otherwise, why wouldn’t she come to family dinner on Sunday? What was he missing?
Diego pulled a bag of chips out of the pantry. “So is this like a serious thing, or what?”
Jayden paused and considered how to answer. “I want it to be serious, but she has a lot going on and can’t do serious. So we’re taking it one day at a time.”
Hell, he wasn’t even positive he could call her his girlfriend despite how close they’d gotten.
Diego frowned. “A lot? Like what?”
“A lot like none of your business. Aren’t we supposed to be on a mission here?” Jayden gestured to the wall.
“Yeah, I guess.” Kingston sighed. “I checked out his old crib from seventeen, fourteen and ten. Those were the places I had addresses to.”
Jayden rubbed at his face. “And I can probably figure out where he was between those years to check with whoever he was rooming with.”
Luca turned an assessing gaze on Jayden. “You know him best. What do you think he’s doing?”
Jayden stared at the bare cork and sighed. “These days, I wonder if I know him at all. I know he’s my twin, but... We’ve taken different paths.”
Diego’s dark gaze bored into the side of Jayden’s skull. “How do you come out of Mom and Dad’s house like that?”
He wanted to defend Asher. To claim that they didn’t really understand him, that he’d stroll back in with a laugh and crazy stories. But could he do that? Really and truly?
Twin loyalty only went so far.
“You got another text,” Kingston said.
Jayden grabbed for his phone.
Kingston howled with laughter. “I’m playing, man. I just wanted to see how fast you’d jump.”
Diego and Luca joined in the laughter. Jayden shook his head and swiped his thumb over the screen, regardless. He had it bad, so what? Maybe he was in love? Or in love with the idea of being in love with Brandi?
Whatever this was, Jayden wanted to see it through. She’d blindsided him in the best way possible. Now if only the rest of his life would do as well.
Come on, Asher. Where are you?
Day 16: Tuesday
Brandi pulled into one of the visitor parking spots at Jayden’s condo. She’d had a whole plan to strip down and wear nothing except a winter coat. Do something ultra-sexy. The desire was still there. Especially after Jayden came through for her time and time again. She couldn’t think of another man in her whole life who’d done that.
If she could go back and do things differently, she’d have believed him on day one. Who knows how things might have turned out? For all she knew, Nicole and Jayden could be together now instead of Brandi and Jayden. And maybe not. Both Nicole and Jayden maintained there was no chemistry. It was time Brandi started believing her closest friend and the guy she was sleeping with.
She grabbed her work tote, purse and overnight bag, but left the coat behind. It could be presumptuous to think she’d spend the night, but she doubted that. The way things were between them, she wanted to milk every moment they had together. It could be selfish or natural or something else.
Truth was she didn’t want to examine it too closely. Nicole was doing that enough to stress Brandi out.
She hauled herself into the building and up the elevator.
The early morning breakfast dates with Dad and his family were taking a bit of a toll. She needed to go to bed earlier, but there weren’t enough hours
in the day for her to get it all done. Eventually she knew the breakfast dates would go away and their communication would shift, but for now she was enjoying getting to know this person who was half the reason she was alive.
Brandi tapped on Jayden’s door, then twisted the knob. He’d told her to come in, that he might still be working on leads.
Nicole would know tomorrow if she could run a report or not.
“Jayden?” Brandi pushed the front door open. “Honey, I’m home.”
She stepped inside and paused.
The tall, buff guy with the shaggy hair and scraggly beard sat at the bar shoving the last bite of a burger in his mouth.
There was no one else.
“Hi. You aren’t Jayden.” She carefully closed the door behind her and crossed to the kitchen counter.
One of Jayden’s brothers, but which one? And why? Was this a trick?
“Sorry, I didn’t know I was crashing your date night,” he said in a strangled voice. He pounded on his chest with a fist and shook his head. “I swear, I’m about to leave. I was never here.”
Brandi chuckled and set her things down on the cleared counter. There was something about him that was so disarming. He was a big guy, and yet he seemed like a teddy bear.
She liked him.
“Which brother are you?” she asked.
“Ah, I’m Axl.” He quickly wiped his fingers on a napkin before extending his hand to her.
“Brandi.”
He flashed her a mischievous smile. “I know.”
Her stomach did a flip flop and heat rose up her neck.
Jayden was talking about her.
She wanted to preen and cover her face all at once.
“Oh dear.” She sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Is he telling lies about me?”
“I hope it’s all true.” Axl winked at her. “Give him extra hell, okay? He can handle it.”
Brandi glanced around, taking in the wall of cork boards now covered with lists and sticky notes. “Is he here?”
“Shower. He was trying to be done when you got here. Dinner is in the oven.” Axl nodded at the stove. “Now that you’re here, I can leave that to you.”
“You’re just leaving?” Brandi glanced at him, the stove, then the hall.
Axl wadded up his trash. “Jayden made it abundantly clear no one is welcome tonight except you. I missed the memo.”
She narrowed her eyes. “You’re into...video games?”
He nodded. “Yeah. I work for Dark Matter. We make games. It’s crunch time. We deliver Friday and I cannot wait.”
She , but he didn’t offer any insight as to what crunch time meant.
Axl grabbed a bag from the stool next to him. “It was nice to meet you, and I hope he drags you to Sunday dinner sometime. Mom’s asked me a dozen times if I’ve seen you again.”
“Oh, well, maybe I’ll meet her soon?” Brandi screwed on her smile a little tighter. Meeting the parents and the rest of his brothers sounded far too intimidating for this stage of the relationship.
He slung the bag across his shoulders. “I’ll let her know. Okay, I’m gone. I was never here.”
She closed her eyes. “Never saw you.”
Axl laughed. “I like you. I hope he’s smart and keeps you around for a while.”
Brandi didn’t know what to say to that. He saved her from having to respond by leaving without another word.
She glanced at the oven timer.
It was counting down seconds.
She grabbed a pair of oven mitts hanging off a magnetic hook on the fridge, then quickly removed a bubbling pan of delicious smells. She set it on the stove, equal parts amused and awed.
He could cook, too?
Brandi laid the oven mitts on the counter and decided to go in search of her dinner companion. She locked the front door, then headed down the hall.
The bathroom door was shut and she could still hear water running.
She lifted a hand to knock, but paused.
Okay, so her sexy door answering plan hadn’t worked out. That was for the best. Talk about awkward ways to meet the family.
However, here was another opportunity...
Grinning, she whisked off her blouse and shimmied out of her pants and underwear. Every stitch of clothing went into a pile next to the bathroom door along with her shoes. If possible, her grin only got wider as she twisted open the door and stepped inside.
“Axl?” Jayden’s voice was ragged and weary. His figure was a bit of darkness beyond the glass shower walls. “I swear to God... Get out.”
Her cheeks ached from smiling so wide.
She couldn’t screw this up. Jayden was probably the best guy she’d ever dated. Somehow, some way, she had to make sure she didn’t sabotage this relationship. This time, if they broke up, she didn’t want any regrets.
“Axl, I’m not playing around,” he snapped.
Brandi grasped the handle to the shower stall, but the door didn’t budge.
Spoil sport.
“What if I’m not Axl?” Her voice was throaty and sensual, the tone amplified by all of the tile.
The shower door yanked away from her and steam billowed out.
Jayden’s eyes were wide and his mouth hung open. Water trickled down his body, following the dips and valleys of his muscles. It was clear that he did everything to excellence, including his work-out routine.
Brandi tilted her head to the side. “Hi.”
“W-what are you doing here?” he stammered.
Interesting.
She was as naked as the day she was born, and yet he was staring at her face.
“Did you forget I was coming over tonight?”
“No.” His eyes finally dipped lower, then right back up.
She took a step into the shower. The tiles were warm underfoot, which meant he’d likely been in here a moment.
“Am I disturbing you?” She placed a hand on his chest and tipped her chin up.
“No.” He let go of the door, allowing it to swing shut.
She lifted her arms, encircling his neck. “Is it okay if I crash your shower?”
He placed his hands on her hips, almost gently. “Yes.”
“You sure about that? You don’t seem convinced.”
“Sorry.” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “My head, I wasn’t really here.”
“Thinking about—”
He pulled her to him and some of the darkness in his gaze rolled back. “Yeah, let’s change the topic.”
“How was your day?” She settled her arms more comfortably around his shoulders.
“Better now that you’re here.”
“Bad day at work?”
“Just distracted.” He grimaced. “Maddox keeps coming to my desk every half hour with another idea. Makes compartmentalizing family and work hard when he keeps pulling my head back to Asher.”
She pressed her thumbs into knots in his shoulders. “That sucks.”
“But he’s not here now and this isn’t work.”
She chuckled. “It better not be.”
Jayden smiled and bent his head just a little. “Yeah, I think we’re violating the dress code.”
“Oh dear, I better fix that before I get in trouble with Mr. Manager.”
“I’ll put in a good word for you,” he whispered.
Her body shook with laughter and their noses bumped. “You’re so kind.”
“Just trying to look out for you.” One of his hands drifted lower to rest on her behind.
She couldn’t help herself.
Brandi had to touch him.
She trailed her fingers over his face and along his jaw. There was just something about him that made her want to touch, hold on and never let go.
“Aren’t you generous?” she purred.
“I can be a lot more generous,” he whispered with his lips almost on hers.
Jayden kissed her and after a long day, it was exactly what she wanted. His soft lips, warm body, the
way he made the world completely fade away so all she could think about was him.
She wished they could live like that, in the warm, sensual bubble where everything was perfect.
It was a nice thought, at least.
“I needed that,” she whispered.
“Me, too.” He kissed the corner of her mouth, then the other side.
“Why, Mr. Fullilove, I think you might have missed me.”
“There’s no might about it. I miss you every moment you aren’t with me.”
She knew it was a line, and yet, she loved hearing it.
Jayden wrapped a now soaked lock of hair around his finger and tugged, urging her to tip her chin up.
Brandi did as he asked and was rewarded with another toe-curling kiss that left her knees weak.
What was it about this man?
At a glance, he was nothing she should want. Too corporate. Too controlled. Too stuffy and stressed. Too structured. And yet, never once had he tried to apply those to her. He hadn’t tried to change her once to suit him. He let her be her, even encouraged it.
How could she not care about him? How could she not crave this?
His tongue teased her lips and the kiss took on a decidedly hungry feel. She dug her nails into his shoulders, hanging on just a little tighter.
The arm around her waist tightened, forcing her so close there wasn’t room for a drop of water between their bodies. And then he took a step. He half-carried her backward until her shoulders pressed against the still cool glass wall of the shower.
Ah, yes.
She closed her eyes and reveled in the arousal coursing through her veins.
When Jayden stopped being polite and started being demanding, she knew she was going to enjoy herself. The man had a way of taking charge that ticked all her boxes. With him it was a near perfect give and take, with no one person giving it all.
His hands slid up and down her body, all while his mouth made love to her.
What would it be like to have this always? Was that even possible for a girl like her? Should she dare hope?
She had to admit, little by little, he was wearing her down. Part of her was even rooting for him to be right. If he proved her wrong, she just might have to love him. What other choice would there be for her?
The Wrong Perfect Match (Fullilove in the House Book 1) Page 23
