Secrets That We Keep

by Linda Kage

  She surprised me, though. Leaning away, she fumbled awkwardly. “No. Uh, no, thank you.”

  She wasn’t at all snarky and bitchy about the brush-off, either. Bella would’ve told the loser to get lost in a much more creative and violent way than that. She wouldn’t have sounded as innocent and intimidated as Yellow did, either.

  So why wasn’t Yellow just laughing in the dude’s face and telling him to get lost, already? She obviously wasn’t into his advances. Why wasn’t she threatening to kick him in the balls? Why wasn’t she defending herself at all?

  That’s when I realized…

  Fuck. The idiot had actually spooked her. I could practically feel her quivering in petrified fear all the way from back here.

  Scaring a woman was wrong, no matter how wicked she was, so instant unease thickened in my stomach.

  “Come on,” her harasser repeated, reaching for her shoulder. “You know you want to.”

  Clenching my teeth, I silently warned him to stop.

  But he didn’t.

  With a gasp, Yellow jerked away and stumbled to her feet so she could reverse deeper into her row away from him. “No, really. I-I’m fine here.”

  “What? Don’t you like me, darling?” he challenged, following her until she was even more trapped than she’d been before.

  When her back hit the wall, she yelped out her surprise and winced up at him, her face full of wary fear. “Excuse me.” She tried to step around him. “I’d like to get by now.” But he dodged into her path, blocking her escape.

  “No can do, baby.” He chuckled. “Not until you tell me why you won’t sit with me.”

  “Please,” she tried, turning her face to the side away from him when he leaned too close. “I just want to watch the movie in peace.”

  “So do I,” he countered. “Next to you.”

  “I…I…” Jesus, was she going to cry?

  I think she was gonna fucking cry.

  I glanced around. No one else in the entire theater did a single thing to step in and help her, either. I swear, it was like they didn’t even see the woman over in the corner about to have a panic attack as some dickless douchebag harassed her.

  I wished they would though. So I wouldn’t have to. Because I desperately did not want to assist this woman.

  Anyone else but her.

  Except the jackass put a hand on her, grasping her shoulder. Her fear was so visceral she had to be a hot second from passing out.

  And so, I snapped.

  “God damn it.” Muttering out a disgusted sigh, I gathered my shit and rose, then stormed down the aisle toward them, beyond pissed I was being forced into this situation. Why hadn’t the idiot just left her the fuck alone?

  I mean, seriously. What was the world coming to? Bella would kill me if she knew I was about to save her archrival’s ass.

  What an ass, though.

  Wait. Shit. No, I wasn’t thinking about her ass, anymore.

  “Sorry I’m late,” I said, as I reached them, making my voice sound breathless as if I’d been rushing. “Damn boss wouldn’t let me leave any earlier. I got us the works, though.”

  When both Yellow and her creepy admirer snapped startled gazes to me, I lifted my attention from the heaping pile of goodies in my arms and jumped as if surprised to see she had company.

  “Um…hi?” I told the guy, sounding confused before I cocked my head curiously to the side. “What’s going on?”

  He lifted his hands as if to prove he hadn’t been touching her, which honestly only made him look guiltier. “Nothing,” he answered with a defiant kind of tone, even as he backed off. “You here with her?”

  I lifted my eyebrows and glanced at the snacks in my arms before returning his gaze. “What’s it look like to you?” Then I hitched my chin toward Yellow but kept my eyes on him. “There a problem here?”

  “Nope.” He shook his head and turned sideways in order to step out of the row and into the aisle without brushing against me. “No problem at all.”

  “Good,” I said, staring him down and turning with him as he stepped around me so we could keep eye contact. “Because it looked like you were backing her into that wall and touching her against her will.”

  “Well, I wasn’t,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes before he started away to return to his own seat. “Get some glasses, man. And don’t leave your girl alone in a theater like that next time.”

  “Yeah, thanks for the advice,” I snarled after him, glaring until he found his old spot. Then I slumped heavily into the seat next to where Yellow had been sitting and muttered, “Dipshit.”

  Beside me, she slowly sank back into her chair, too.

  I was too busy still glaring at her harasser to pay her much attention. But I did have the presence of mind to lean toward her and hiss, “What a fucking weirdo. He needs to take a class in learning how to read body language because you were throwing out some serious back-the-hell-off signals. Am I right?”

  When I finally deigned to glance her way for a response, I’d completely forgotten all about the fact that she was breathtakingly gorgeous. Or maybe I just hadn’t realized she’d be so much prettier up close like this.

  But damn. My heart gave a big ol’ kathump in my chest when our gazes clashed, and I went momentarily brain dead.

  What’s worse, she was still shaking from her encounter with the harasser. Her lips trembled and her shoulders heaved and stuttered as she hiccupped out a frightened breath.

  I’d been on track to dislike her because of that. Only someone weak and spineless would’ve handled the situation as poorly as she just had. She hadn’t stood up for herself at all.

  Except…

  Instead of downgrading her in my mind, all I could seem to think was: You’ll be alright now. I’m here. No one’s going to hurt you, not on my watch.

  Stupid protective instincts. They made me want to pull her into my arms and hold her until she stopped shaking, then maybe kiss her temple and smooth the hair down her ponytail before I pressed my nose to the side of her throat to inhale that intoxicating scent of hers straight from the source.

  She blinked big brown, trusting eyes at me and answered, “You’re definitely right.”

  I was? Wait, what had we even been talking about?

  Fucking hell. Why did she have to look so innocent and hopeful when she looked at me? Something inside me must be wired all wrong because this electric current of desire shot straight to my core, and my limbs went heavy and liquid as primal urges stirred.

  “I, uh…” Damn, this was bad. This was very, very bad. Clearing my throat, I widened my eyes and lifted my brows before sitting up straighter in my seat to physically force myself back into thinking logically mode. Then I asked, “Are you okay?”

  “I…” She shook her head, then blew out a breath. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she finally answered glumly before blasting me with a smile that would’ve knocked me on my ass if I hadn’t already been sitting. “Thank you, though. For helping out. I was kind of bombing that, wasn’t I?”

  “No,” I immediately gushed, not wanting her to feel self-conscious. But then I shrugged because sometimes I was too honest for my own good. “I mean, yeah, you pretty much suck at turning guys away.”

  Well, shit. Now I was the one who sucked. At encouraging downtrodden damsels into feeling better about themselves. I had nothing motivating to add at all.

  Not that I should boost her confidence. She was the enemy.

  Wasn’t she?

  Jesus, I was getting confused.

  I needed to abort this mission pronto before I thought one more good thing about her.

  Yellow sent me a kind, forgiving smile. “You probably can’t tell, but I’ve actually been training for this very thing.”

  What thing? I wanted to ask.

  Rejecting men?

  Talking to her nemesis’s brother?

  Turning a guy to mush with a mere smile. Because she was definitely excelling at number three.

  With a
rueful shrug, she confessed, “It’s a work in progress, I guess.”

  I nodded stupidly. What the hell was it about her that had me feeling so inept? And yet alive?

  Grinding the back of my teeth together, I hooked a thumb over my shoulder. “I should, uh, I should probably get back to my seat now.”

  Except I didn’t move, and when she said, “Wait,” then gripped my forearm, every muscle in my body tensed with anticipation.

  I couldn’t have gone anywhere if I wanted to. The light press of her fingertips rendered me immobile. It was as if she’d just fucking branded me. I belonged to her now, whether I liked it or not.

  Completely oblivious to the spell she’d just put me under, Yellow cringed, and her big brown eyes begged. “Do you think you could—I mean, would it be okay if you stayed? Here. Through the rest of the movie. That guy just…” She glanced over my shoulder toward him and gave a horrified shudder. “He really creeped me out.”

  “Yeah,” I murmured, agreeing. Then I cleared my throat, shook my head, and returned to the present. “I mean, yeah. I could stay. No problem.”

  But as soon as I said the words, I internally winced. Because what the hell was I doing?

  I should not stay anywhere near this woman, ever. So I quickly added, “But this is a one-time deal. Alright?”

  When she sent me an odd look, I nearly groaned and smacked myself in the forehead. “I mean…” I rolled out a hand to get her to understand. “I can’t help you again. Because I—you know. Because you and I are…”

  Jesus, was it hot in here? I tugged at my collar, thinking everything I said only seemed to make me sound more and more idiotic.

  So I paused—full stop—rewound and started over fresh with, “You probably don’t remember me.”

  “You’re Gracen,” she answered immediately. “Lowe. Isabella’s brother, right? We met when you were pulling her off me as she tried to literally scratch my eyes out.”

  “Right,” I said slowly. So she did remember. “That is who I am.”

  “So really,” she told me with a chagrined smile. “This is more of a two-time deal, don’t you think?”

  “What?!” I gasped in horror. “No! No, no, no, no. I don’t two-time. I’ve never two-timed before in my life.” And I absolutely would not start with her, the woman who’d slept with Bella’s fiancé, even though I didn’t have a girlfriend I could actually two-time on. It would be a betrayal to my sister. Which would be worse.

  So much worse.

  Two-timing was totally off the table.

  “I, uh…” Yellow blinked at me as if I’d lost my mind. Then she flushed a little and shook her head. “I meant two times as in twice. Not the unfaithful, cheating kind of two-time. Since, you know, this was the second time you’ve stepped in and helped me out.”

  I gaped at her, totally lost.

  “You saved me when you stopped your sister from kicking my ass,” she reminded me. “And then again just now with that guy.”

  “Oh,” I mumbled, only to straighten. “Oh!” Right. “Well, I…” I waved a dismissive hand because it was decided; this was the most humiliating, awkward night of my life. “The first time was more about saving Bella, to keep her from going to jail for assault, you know. But I guess—”

  “It benefited me too,” she surmised on a nod.

  “Well, good,” I murmured, only to wince.

  Because, no, that was not good. I wasn’t supposed to be doing anything to benefit Yellow Nicksen. What the hell was wrong with me?

  “So your sister...” she murmured, glancing past me. “Is she, uh, is she coming to see the movie with you?”

  I frowned at the question and wanted to ask why. Did she want to try to seduce me away from Bella too? Just as she had seduced Ethan from her?

  Except her expression was full of so much fear that I realized she was merely worried about facing the wrath that was my twin.

  So I found myself having mercy and shaking my head. “Nah. It’s just you and me tonight.”

  Just me. And her. And no seats between us.

  Seriously, was it only me, or was it furnace-hot boiling in this theater? Or maybe that was simply hell, knocking on my soul and giving me a taste of my future because I’d certainly be burning there someday for all these wrong, traitorous thoughts I was having right now.

  Bella would never forgive me for being attracted to her nemesis.

  Relief eased Yellow’s shoulders, however, as she shifted her gaze around the theater with a wild kind of reprieve. “Oh, thank God.”

  Not that I blamed her. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to see Isabella Lowe right now—or ever again—either.

  But the way she seemed so fucking relieved about not having Bella around struck a nerve.

  “Yeah,” I muttered dryly, finally recovering my true loyalties. “It’s only me stuck sitting next to you for the rest of the movie. That’s just fan-freaking-tastic, isn’t it?”

  She swung her surprised gaze to me, only to wince. “Hey, I’m sorry. I bet this puts you in a tight spot with your sister, doesn't it? You honestly don’t have to stay here with me if you don’t want to. I’m fine.”

  She was right. Only a horrible, terrible, no-good brother would want to stay sitting next to her.

  And I was an awesome brother. So I was going to dislike Yellow if it was the last thing I did.

  Though, it would really help if she’d stop acting so damn sweet and understanding.

  I had a serious soft spot for sweet things.

  “I’ll stay, but you’re absolutely right,” I leaned in to whisper, “Bella would probably castrate me if she even knew I was talking to you right now. And she’s pretty much the most important person in the world to me, so I’m really not allowed to like you. Alright?”

  When she merely blinked at me, I fumbled and tried again, hoping to revise my statement enough not to sound as if Bella owned me and controlled everything I did, which she didn’t. “I mean, I have to be mean to you.” Then I frowned because that didn’t sound any better at all. It sounded kind of worse. So I blew a disgusted breath and added, “You know what I’m saying, right?”

  “I…guess so,” she said slowly.

  “Good.” I nodded. “Okay, then. Great. Glad we got that cleared up.” I lifted the butter-stained tub between us and asked, “Popcorn?”

  She glanced down at it, then back up again, frowning in confusion. “Um, offering me popcorn isn’t really being that mean,” she explained.

  “Shit. You’re right.” Pulling the tub back to me, I offered her a rueful cringe. “Hey, being mean’s a work in progress for me.”

  Repeating her own phrase back to her made her grin.

  God, she had a beautiful smile. It lit up her entire face.

  “So, uh…” I cleared my throat and hugged the tub to me possessively. “Keep your damn hands out of my popcorn, lady.”

  She sniffed out a small laugh. It gave me a certain thrill to know I was entertaining her—which had to be wrong—so I cleared my throat and leaned closer.

  “Then again, sharing popcorn doesn’t mean I’m proposing marriage or anything. So take some if you want.” Turning to look directly at her, I shook the popcorn at her in a taunting manner as I added, “Besides, you wouldn’t be interested in me anyway; I don’t have a girlfriend you could get me to cheat on.”

  There! Now, that was the kill shot I should’ve been aiming for all along.

  I straightened my shoulders, proud of myself.

  With an offended gasp, Yellow jerked the hand she’d been lifting to accept some popcorn back to herself as if I’d said the unthinkable. But, oh, there was plenty more where that had come from.

  Shoving the tub back toward me, she hissed, “Get your popcorn out of my face.”

  “Fine.” I swung the tub back to my own lap. “More for me, then.”

  From the corner of my eye, I watched her cross her arms tightly over her chest and face the screen to watch the commercials playing.

 
I grinned, realizing I got the same rush from angering her as I did from amusing her.

  So I leaned toward her as I filled my mouth with a handful of buttery goodness. “Mmm,” I moaned in delight. “So good.”

  The irate glance she shot me seemed to say, Are you kidding me right now?

  Glad her attention was back on me, I swallowed and said, “Your taste in rows sucks, by the way. I had the best seat in the house before you had to start your little drama show and forced me to come down here and step in.”

  “Excuse me?” she growled and lifted her eyebrows. “I didn’t start anything. And you did not have to come down—”

  “And why the hell are you here all by yourself?” I added, ignoring her rejoinder. “Couldn’t you get any of your friends to join you tonight? Or did you sleep with all their boyfriends, too?”

  Her mouth fell open as she sputtered a moment before snarling, “You know what? Fuck you. Slut-shaming looks attractive on no one, buddy. You can go, now.”

  The label caused me to pull back in surprise. Then I instantly shook my head to deny such a claim. “Whoa. No. I’m not slut-shaming,” I insisted. “I’m—I’m homewrecker-shaming. Big difference.”

  When she sent me a disbelieving glance, I lifted my hands in surrender. “Honest. I don’t give a shit what your bed-count number looks like. It’s the ruining-my-sister’s-life part I’m sour about.” I pressed a hand into my own chest and added, “Because I’m the one who had to patch her back together after you royally fucked her world up with what you did. You really hurt her, you know.”

  A multitude of expressions crossed her face. Shock, horror, guilt, humiliation, despair, indignation, and then rage. “That’s it,” she said, flashing clenched teeth at me. “I really wanted to see this movie, but if you don’t stop talking to me, I’m leaving.”

  I gulped, realizing I’d gone too far. Hell, I was probably harassing her worse than the last guy had. Lifting my chin to make it look as if I wasn’t feeling any kind of shame for my words, I announced, “Don’t worry; I’m shutting up. I don’t have anything else to say to you, anyway.”