by Marie Carnay
Her hand fluttered about her throat. “I didn’t keep you from anything, did I?”
Gage chuckled. “No. Thanks to modern technology, we’ve handled all our emergencies for the day. The afternoon is yours.”
No pressure. She tried to smile. “Can I start with coffee?”
Holt reached for the carafe. “Of course.”
An hour later, Jess had forgotten her morning mortification. Holt and Gage had managed to make her not only comfortable, but relaxed.
Holt glanced at the time. “Can you be ready in half an hour?”
Jess nodded.
“Good. We’ve got a whole afternoon planned. The perfect way to get to know us.”
She smiled. “For the article, right?”
“Of course.”
The crack of mallet to ball made Jess jump. “I never knew croquet was so cutthroat.”
Gage grinned. “A MacIntosh can make anything a competition.” He walked up to the pair of balls and put his foot on his own. “Sorry little brother, it’s your turn to hit from the weeds." Gage struck his own ball and sent Holt’s careening across the grass.
The man didn’t lie. The minute Gage picked up a mallet, he’d morphed into someone on a mission.
She glanced at Holt traipsing through the lush green lawn to find his ball. It must have been hard growing up in Gage’s shadow. For years when she was younger, Jess wished for a sibling. Someone to share her days and horse around. Get in trouble and share secrets.
Watching the MacIntosh brothers, she saw how difficult such a relationship could be. She swung her mallet back and forth as she walked up to Gage. “Were you and Holt close as kids?”
He shrugged. “As close as two brothers can get, I suppose.”
“Did you fight?”
“Always.”
“About what?”
“The usual.” His gaze wandered to his brother standing thirty feet away. "Sports. Friends. Girls.”
They waited as Holt took aim and shot his ball back into the field of play.
“Ever serious?”
“Once.”
From the way his jaw ticked and his hand gripped the mallet, Jess guessed what the fight was about. “Over a girl?”
He nodded.
“What happened?”
Gage’s gaze snapped to her. Pain and sadness and lingering anger all washed over his face as he attempted to control his expression. “We lost our father’s trust.”
Oh. She’d expected a broken nose or a trip to the ER. Not something so heavy. She swallowed. “I’m sorry, I didn’t know.”
“Now you do.”
Holt bounded up with a huge grin. “Never count a MacIntosh out. Who’s up?”
“Me.” Jess tried to smile and took aim. Her ball rocketed through the grass and she chased it down to keep Holt from seeing her face. She knew what family discord did to a person. It had been the regular vibe after her mother passed away.
HOLT
Whatever had transpired between Gage and Jess, the pair of them were in a funk. One he would drag them out of any way possible.
He’d thought an afternoon in the park, playing an easy game and relaxing, would give Jess a chance to see their softer sides. It would be a glimpse at the gentlemen they could be. Perfect for a piece by NNT.
But he didn’t want to play a part with her. Ever since the ride in the jet, he’d been entranced. He wanted to learn everything about the woman. What she ate for breakfast, what side of the bed she slept on, what made her laugh.
It had been a long time since a woman had sparked this kind of interest inside him. He hadn’t felt this way since Bianca.
He glanced up at his brother. Gage was lost in thought, scanning through his phone as he waited for his turn. Damn it.
“All right. I’m calling it. Croquet is a total bust.”
Gage looked up. “Can’t stand losing?”
“No. I can’t stand being bored.” Holt reached for Jess and twirled her around in the grass until she laughed. “We need to do something crazy and fun.” He grabbed her by the waist and dipped her so low her hair brushed the grass.
“Holt! You’ll drop me!”
He pulled her up with a flourish. “Never.” Their chests collided and her blue eyes sparkled. That was the woman he wanted to spend the afternoon with. Not the timid researcher watching and waiting.
Holt let Jess go and snatched his brother’s phone.
“What the hell!”
He waved the precious little electronic in the air. “Race me to the top of the hill. You win you get it back.”
Gage raised an eyebrow. “And if you win?”
Holt grinned. “I get a kiss.”
His brother made a face.
“Not from you, silly.” Holt pointed at Jess. “From her.”
Jess started to argue, but it was a lost cause. Gage had already marked out a starting line in the grass.
“I win, I get my phone and a kiss.” Gage glanced at Jess. “Deal?”
“Um… okay.”
Holt laughed and lined up with this brother. This would be fun. “First to pass the oak tree wins. On my count. One, two, three.”
They took off, sprinting across the manicured lawn in their khakis and polos like a pair of amped-up teenagers let out of choir practice. Gage picked up the pace, striding ahead until Holt buckled down and pushed himself harder.
Gage had the height advantage, but Holt had more stamina. They rocketed up the hill in a dead heat. Holt dove for the finish and hit the grass with a thud.
He rolled over, the pale yellow of his shirt covered in streaks of green. As he sprawled out, panting to recover, Jess appeared above him. “Did I win?”
Her eyebrow quirked. “From my view it looked like a tie.”
Holt inhaled. She didn’t have a clue what those words did to him, did she? He reached for her hand and tugged her down. She fell onto his thighs and reached out, bracing herself on his chest to keep from tumbling into the grass.
“What are you doing?”
“Claiming my prize.”
“But you didn’t win.”
“No. We both did.” Holt pulled her closer. His lips landed on hers, hot and fast. Mmm. Yes. This was what they’d been missing. The heat. Passion.
The connection of their bodies. Screw playing nice. He wanted Jess fevered and needy. Not prim and proper. Holt flicked his tongue and she opened for him.
So soft. Welcoming. His fingers wove through her hair, holding her close. Gone was the croquet field, the park, the other people milling about. The whole world was reduced to Jess and her body on top of his and the taste of her tongue in his mouth.
Gage cleared his throat. “Aren’t you forgetting something?”
Jess pushed against Holt’s chest, and reluctantly he let her go.
“Fine, I’ll fish out your phone.”
“Not that.” Gage crouched beside them. “This.” He reached out and slipped his hand behind Jess’s head to pull her close.
Holt watched as his brother claimed his own prize. Jess trembled on his lap, shuddering with every swipe of his brother’s tongue across her lips.
Damn. No competition, no animosity. Sure they both wanted a piece of her, but seeing the two of them didn’t bring out the same rage as before.
Was Jess woman enough to handle both of them? Did she want to?
She ran one hand up Gage’s chest, stroking the muscles beneath his shirt as she reached for Holt with the other. He leaned forward and she found his face. Oh, hell.
Screw getting to know each other. They could do that in bed after he’d explored every inch of her.
He opened his mouth to suggest it when Gage’s phone blew up in his pocket. Ringing and vibrating, the damn thing wouldn’t quit.
With a groan, Holt fished it out and checked the screen. Shit. He tapped his brother on the shoulder.
“Stop making out. We’ve got a problem.”
Chapter 13
GAGE
“What do
you mean, it’s not promising? Are we going to hit the target or not?” Gage practically growled at the vice president managing the takeover.
“I’m sorry Mr. MacIntosh, I can’t tell you that. All I have are the numbers.”
Gage pinched the bridge of his nose and inhaled. Wilson Fontaine was a good man. He might be in charge of the day-to-day issues with the takeover, but he didn’t have any more control over the shareholders of MacIntosh Hotels than Gage himself.
He perched on the edge of the conference table. “Tell me all you know at this point.”
Wilson flipped the page of his notes. “It seems Mr. Gordon has gone on a smear campaign. He’s been spreading some rumors about your lack of business priorities. According to at least one board member…” Wilson paused to scan the paragraph. “Poor judgments in your personal life are demonstrative of a larger problem. The sale price is low because you are too busy cavorting with young women to focus.”
Damn him. Gage slammed his fist on the table. If the board didn’t approve the sale price, the shareholders would vote no. It was already more than fair. If Nicky kept poisoning the well, no amount of money would induce the holdouts to sell. With Nicky determined to hold onto the company, they needed every single remaining shareholder to agree to the sale. Otherwise, it would fail.
The conference room door opened and Holt walked in. “I can’t believe you took the time to change. This is a crisis, not some routine meeting.”
His brother rolled his eyes. “I’m not coming to the office covered in grass stains, Gage. And you’re more than capable of running a meeting without me.”
“Maybe I should have been doing that from the start.”
“Excuse me?”
“You heard me. This whole sale is bogged down because of you. We’re going to lose the hotel chain because of your poor decisions.”
Holt stormed up to him. “Don’t put this on me. You’re as much to blame for the board’s reluctance as I am.”
“If you would grow up and stop all the parties and the late nights, we would already have approval.”
Holt leaned down until he hovered a few inches from Gage’s face. “If you hadn’t gone behind my back, we’d already own the company.”
Here we go again. Gage motioned to the door. “Leave us, Wilson. We have matters to discuss.”
“Of course, sir.”
As soon as the door shut, Gage spun to face his brother. “Get this straight, Holt. Bianca came on to me. Bianca wanted me. I didn’t chase her or do anything that woman didn’t want. It’s not my fault you couldn’t satisfy her.”
“She was my girlfriend first, Gage. You never should have touched her.”
“Then you should have tried harder to keep her happy.”
Holt pulled his arm back, ready to swing, when Gage shoved back his chair.
“Don’t you dare.” He straightened up to his full height and forced his brother to look up to meet his eyes.
Holt stared at him like he wished he were dead. “When are you going to admit what you did?”
“When are you going to move on?”
“I don’t have to put up with this from you.” Holt turned.
“We’re not done.”
“Yes, we are. I’m leaving.”
“Don’t you walk away from me, little brother!”
“Try to stop me.” Holt strode toward the door.
Gage took a step when his phone buzzed in his pocket. Shit. Holt wasn’t going to leave like this. Not when they were finally talking about Bianca. “This isn’t over!”
Holt walked out of the conference room as Gage answered the call. “Gage MacIntosh.”
JESS
Thanks to whatever crisis the MacIntosh brothers needed to handle at work, Jess had been on her own all afternoon. After propping her feet up on the coffee table in the living room, she opened up a web browser on her laptop.
Research time.
If she was going to write a piece on the brothers and their lives now, she needed to find out about their past. One name came to her mind first and foremost. Bianca Sutherland.
Jess typed it in. Up popped a bevy of tabloid stories. Caught On Camera! The Boys Are Back in Town! One Woman, Two Billionaires!
Jess swallowed. There were pages upon pages of articles. Photos of a petite brunette arm-in-arm with Gage. The same woman making out with Holt at a club.
The three of them together.
Photo after photo, one salacious story after another. Bianca had started out as Holt’s girlfriend. Then it… changed.
She scanned the rest of the headlines until one made her pause: 911 Call At the MacIntosh Mansion!
Jess clicked the link and began to read.
Breaking News! A 911 call was placed at 11:17 pm from the MacIntosh compound in Greenwich, Connecticut last night. Sources say a fight broke out between Holt and Gage, the heirs to the MacIntosh family fortune.
What was the fight about? A woman of course! A family friend who spoke to us on a condition of anonymity said the pair had been fighting over Bianca Sutherland for months, but this was the first time it ended in blood and bruises.
According to the source, their father, William MacIntosh himself, had to break up the brothers. With a reputation as a stern disciplinarian, you can bet the elder MacIntosh didn’t approve of his sons’ antics!
We’ll see if the handsome duo get punished!
Jess chewed on her lip. Gage had said they fought over a girl. Was this the fight? She checked the date. Three years ago.
She did some more digging. A half hour later, her heart sank. Oh, no. The New York Business Times claimed their father sold MacIntosh Hotels only a few weeks after the fight.
She tapped her fingers on her chin. Could Bianca have been the cause of the sale? Did Bianca drive the family apart?
It was all beginning to make sense. The competition. The underlying tension. The way they both came onto her but backed off when the other showed up.
The last thing she wanted was to be a wedge between them. She’d been hired to do a job, not ruin their relationship.
The private elevator dinged through the apartment and Jess shut her laptop.
“I told you we weren’t done!”
“I’m not doing this with you, Gage. There’s nothing to talk about!”
Holt stalked into the living room and headed straight to the bar. He poured himself a hefty glass of vodka and downed in one long gulp.
He poured another.
“Holt, what’s—”
“Stay out of it, Jess.” Gage stormed into the room, pointing a finger at his brother. “You don’t get to make those kinds of accusations and leave.”
“I can do whatever the hell I like.” Holt threw back the second drink. “You aren’t my keeper.”
“Someone should be.”
“Fuck you.”
“No thanks. I don’t swing that way.”
Holt charged his brother, but Jess reacted faster. She darted between their bodies and braced herself, arms outstretched. Holt’s chest bumped against her right palm. Gage collided against her left.
“Stop it, both of you. Nothing is worth fighting like this.”
Holt pressed harder. “It wouldn’t be the first time.”
“What did it get you?”
Gage eased. “A ruined family.”
Jess kept her voice even. “What else?”
Neither man spoke up, so she volunteered. “You lost the hotel chain, am I right?”
Holt’s gaze flicked to her face. “How do you know about that?”
“I’m a researcher, remember? What do you think I’ve been doing all day, painting my toes?”
Gage answered. “Pining after us, I’d hoped.”
“I’m not like Bianca. I would never tear you two apart.”
“She didn’t intend to.”
“But Bianca didn’t come into it eyes wide open, did she?”
Gage’s heart hammered against her palm. “No.”
“
I did. I know what I’m here for and how long this will last. I’m not naïve.”
His hand wrapped around hers. “Don’t make assumptions.”
She turned to Gage. The look in his eyes said more than his words ever could.
It went beyond lust, beyond need. His inky brown eyes held hope.
She swallowed back her own unspoken feelings. “I understand what it means to lose someone you love. Family is the most important thing in the world.”
Holt eased closer. “Who did you lose?”
Jess exhaled and turned his way. “My mother, when I was young. My father was never the same.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It’s made me who I am.”
“Someone who’s afraid to take a chance?”
Gage’s words hit her hard and deep. Was that true? Her nose crinkled as she looked to him. “I’m here right now, in this moment. Isn’t that chance enough?”
“What do you want from us, Jess?”
“Right now?”
Holt squeezed her hand. “That’s a start.”
“I want you to stop holding back. I’m not some delicate flower you can crush. You both want me? Then tonight, I’m yours.”
Gage’s voice edged just above a whisper. “What about tomorrow?”
“We’ll deal with it in the morning.” She turned to face him. “But right now, just shut up and kiss me.”
Chapter 14
HOLT
Gage kissed Jess, and Holt’s body surged with more than lust. Letting her go at the end of the assignment wasn't happening. Not after she stood between them like a referee, demanding they stop.
Bianca only ever egged them on, pitting one brother against the other in a perpetual jealousy machine.
Not Jess. She’d done the exact opposite. Instead of riling them up, she’d calmed them down and stopped their fight. She turned their attention not to the past, but to the sexy creature smack in the middle of the present.
Holt never wanted to fall for the same woman as his brother, but here they were again. This time he wished for a happy ending. Stepping closer, he cupped Jess’s ass in his hands. Mmm. He’d all but forgotten what sharing a woman did to him.
