Wild Forces: A Friends to Lovers Romance (O-Town Book 2)

by Karen Renee

  Ryan smiled, but I knew it was fake. “Miss Daughtry, radio stations change call letters every couple years. That station just did that. So, they used to be WADS and now they’re WORL to take advantage of the acronym for our airport.”

  Everything about that screamed bullshit to me, but I gave into his condescending tone because I figured I had tipped my hand. “Yes, sir. I didn’t realize that.”

  It might have been paranoia, but I didn’t trust the club internet or servers. I grabbed my cell from my desk and used it to run an internet search on call letter changes. The most recent listing of call letter changes had happened six months prior. I knew I couldn’t trust everything I found on the Internet, but I also knew changes to a radio station’s call letters were important enough to be filed with the FCC. All of that in mind, I found it hard to believe this switch hadn’t been reported. Or more to the point, hadn’t been picked up by Google’s search algorithm to find it for me.

  To cut Google out of my search, I went to the FCC website. Even they didn’t list a call letter change.

  I suspected this was a way for Ryan to divert money.

  I reopened the digital copy of the invoice and looked at it a little more closely. There were little gray lines on it that made me think it wasn’t an original, and everything about that made me uncomfortable. The problem was, I didn’t know if I was giving into preconceived notions or if I was listening to my instincts. If this station was a fraud, then it provided an excellent vehicle for Ryan to siphon funds away from the club. Yet, I had to wonder why he would do that.

  And if he was diverting funds... where was he diverting them to?

  Gabe

  THE DAY STARTED OUT great, waking up and showering with Cassandra, but it took a left turn when Pauline, my mother, called.

  “Hello,” I answered.

  “Gabe. Your father said you asked for my number. I hope you don’t mind, but I thought I’d call.”

  I inhaled. “Yeah. That’s great. Did he say why I was asking for your number?”

  Her voice sounded more upbeat, and I imagined she was smiling. “He did. You’re curious about the inheritance.”

  I pressed my lips together because it sounded like she was thrilled I had reached for the proverbial carrot she dangled.

  “More like I’m curious about whether I need a lawyer, or an accountant. And I wanted to know how the distribution was going to work.”

  She sighed. “Yes. Those are all good questions. How about we meet for lunch today and discuss it further?”

  I hesitated. “Do you really think that’s necessary?”

  She paused. “Do you really think lunch is asking that much of you?”

  “I suppose not. Brock has today off. I’ll ask if he wants to tag along.”

  She paused again, but it was shorter than the last one. “If he has time, that would be great. However, if you’re leery of spending time alone with me, I understand that too. Should Brock have other plans, I can call your father.”

  I didn’t like that she’d figured me out, but I wouldn’t call my father to hold my hand for something like this.

  “No, that’s all right. I’ll see if Brock’s free, seeing as my questions might be pertinent to him too.”

  “Good. Would you like to meet at Lazy Moon? I hear you’ve yet to meet a pizza you don’t like, and it’s close to your apartment.”

  My father had ingrained good manners into me and both my brothers, so her meeting me for lunch went against the grain. That forced me to say, “No. I’ll be by to pick you up, with or without Brock.”

  TURNED OUT, I SHOULD’VE let Pauline meet us at the restaurant. Brock came along, which meant we had to take his car in order to pick her up because I couldn’t take three people in my S-10. That hadn’t occurred to me when we spoke.

  As Brock turned into the parking lot for Pauline’s practice, I asked, “What are you going to call her? Pauline or are you actually gonna call her ‘Mom?’”

  He parked the car and gave me a hard look. “I don’t know, Gabe. But ‘egg-donor’ is damn sure out, so you better be nice.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. I haven’t called her that in over a month and a half. Just thought I’d find out what you intend to call her. Anyway, I’ll go tell her we’re here.”

  As I walked up the sidewalk, I noticed my mother walking my way. She wore a sky-blue pantsuit with a floral print scarf tied intricately around her neck. I smiled and aimed my thumb behind me. “Hey. Brock’s car is right over here.”

  I opened the passenger door for her, and a small smile hit her face. “Your father trained you well.”

  I smiled before climbing in the back.

  While we waited on our pizza, Pauline put a napkin in her lap and shot a feeble smile at me and Brock. “I’m glad you were both able to meet.” She looked at Brock. “Gabe has some questions about the money, and we thought you should be here, too.”

  “Yeah, he mentioned that,” Brock said, sipping his water.

  “There’s no need for a lawyer. The money was left to me. I can make a trip to the bank and have the funds wired to you. What you will need is an accountant because such a large sum of money drastically impacts your taxes.”

  “Or we could wait until we’re ready for that kind of tax blow,” Brock put in.

  She nodded reluctantly. “You could, but Brock, I’m not letting you put this off. The money will do far more good for you boys than it will me. And by no means am I gifting it to you three in order to get into your lives.”

  Brock arched a brow at her, which surprised me since he’d told me to be nice.

  “I mean it, Brock. Do I want to be part of your lives? Yes. Am I using the money to do that? Not even a little.”

  “Really?” he asked.

  I shot him a look. “Maybe you should follow your advice to me,” I muttered.

  “Why’d you leave? No. Why didn’t you fight harder to get back in with us?”

  I sat back because those were questions I wanted answers to, also.

  She sighed. “There isn’t enough time for me to get into all of it, but your father is a force of his own.”

  “Lame,” Brock said.

  Her face set in a way that mirrored our older brother, Cary. “No. You think your father wouldn’t lay his life down for you, you’re crazy. And believe me, he was dead-set that I would not cause a rift between you three. Or really, set Gabe against you and Cary. As he put it, he’d endured enough turmoil in his house, and it would be a cold day in hell before he let me force that on him again.”

  Brock’s eyes slid to me.

  I nodded at her. “That does sound like something Dad would say.”

  “Right. The compromise was that I came to every event any of you were at. I watched you all grow up from afar.”

  “You didn’t watch him grow up,” Brock said, jerking his head at me.

  Pain flashed across her face. “You’re right. Let me rephrase. I watched all three of you go from young men to becoming men.”

  An uncomfortable feeling took root in my chest, and I shifted in my chair. I glanced at Pauline and her remorse was written all over her face. After seeing her like that, my bitterness took a direct hit.

  The server arrived with our pizza. Since I could feel the tension rolling off my brother, I dished up slices for all of us.

  Pauline stared at her plate for a moment before she looked up. “Believe it or not, leaving you three was the hardest thing I’ve ever done, but I know I did the only thing I could do. It may not have been right, but none of us became statistics because of my mental illness.”

  Brock stopped cutting into his pizza. “That why you became a psychologist?”

  “To an extent, yes. I had an uncle who taught psychology. When I left, he found me the help I needed. It took a very long time, but after a while I resumed college classes. And since I spent so much time with various professionals, it seemed the right thing for me to study.”

  Normally, Brock kept the peace
in our family, so him grilling our mother wasn’t sitting well with me.

  Shooting for levity, I said, “So, I could be a quarter-of-a-millionaire as soon as tomorrow morning, have I got that right?”

  Pauline hung her head but wheezed out a chuckle.

  “Really, numbnuts?” Brock demanded.

  “Listen, some of us got bills to pay, Brock.”

  His nostrils flared. “An excellent reason for you not to be any richer. You gotta get a handle on your existing cash first.”

  I narrowed my eyes at him. “Whatever. I have plans for this cash.”

  Pauline’s eyes met mine. “Oh, really?”

  “Yes, but not all of the money, so I’m not sharing my plans just yet.”

  “You better share it with someone. Cassandra at a minimum, now that you told me she’s a millionaire,” Brock muttered.

  I swallowed the huge bite of pizza in my mouth. “Shut it, man.”

  Pauline reached out and touched my forearm. “Seriously, Gabe. If you need an advisor, I have two I can refer you to, and your brother is right. If you have plans for the money, it would serve you well to have someone else look those plans over.”

  I nodded. “I understand. I’ll text you when I’m ready to chat with someone about it. First, I gotta have the money in the bank, don’t I?”

  She shook her head, but did it grinning. Meanwhile Brock popped a bite of his pizza in his mouth with a sigh.

  AFTER PAULINE SAID her goodbyes, and got out of the car, I moved to the front seat. I had just clicked my seatbelt into place when Brock asked, “Have you met Cassie’s family?”

  I jerked my head to him. “Where the hell did that come from?”

  “Just answer the question.”

  “No. What the fuck, man?”

  “Nothing,” he muttered.

  “‘Nothing’ my ass. Why are you askin’ that shit?”

  Brock closed his eyes and shook his head for a moment, then refocused on the road. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

  I turned off the tunes. “Well, you did. So, how about you tell me why.”

  “Has to do with what I’m workin’ on, so I can’t tell you why. But if you meet both her parents, tell me beforehand. Can you do that for me?”

  “Don’t know why I need to, but yeah. I can do that for you. As long as you make sure you and Cecilia shut your bedroom door when you’re goin’ at it. Comprende?”

  He snickered. “Comprende. But if she forgets, that’s not on me.”

  22

  Magic Word

  Cassie

  WHILE I CHANGED FROM my pantyhose, skirt, and blouse into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, I heard my phone chime with a text. After I put my glasses on, a smile curved my lips when I caught sight of Gabe’s message.

  Brock and Cecilia won’t be in tonight, and I’m cookin’ STEAKS. Get your ass over here. Pronto, woman!

  I chuckled and shook my head. As I slid my feet into my sandals, I texted him back that I would be there in five minutes.

  When he opened the door, Gabe’s eyes heated. “Do you know how hot you are in those specs?”

  I felt myself blush. “They’re just glasses.”

  His head dropped down and he stared at my feet. “Have your feet always been that cute?”

  I gently shoved at his shoulder. “Shut up, Sullivan. You are so full of it.”

  His head shot up. “I am not. I’ve never noticed how cute your feet are. Noticed how cute other things are about you, but not your feet.”

  I pushed past him, and wandered toward his balcony. “All right, Gabey-Gabe. Where are the steaks? I don’t smell anything being grilled. This better not be a bait-and-switch.”

  His hands slid along my side and around to my belly. With his lips at my ear, he whispered, “I’d never do you like that, baby. But I thought you were working late. Steaks are marinading. I can grill them now if you really want me to.”

  I put my hands over his. “Okay.”

  He kissed just beneath my earlobe. “Or, we have forty-five minutes to say hello.”

  I tried to turn around, but he held me firm and walked us to his bedroom. “What are you talking about, Gabe?”

  Once we were in his bedroom, he kicked the door closed and let me go. “You know what I’m talking about, Cassandra.”

  “I do, but then what are we going to do after dinner?”

  He dipped his chin to give me an admonishing look while he strode to the other side of the room. I watched him put his cell on the nightstand, and he turned to me while leaning against the window. Then I noticed his vertical blinds were pulled fully open. Half of the pool was visible, and I hadn’t realized his bedroom overlooked the pool.

  He chuckled before he asked, “Now who’s getting close to thirty-nine? Or at least acting that age?”

  “Gabe...”

  Slowly, he shook his head at me. “No, Cassie. You can’t have it both ways. Rub my age in, and then shirk the responsibility of acting the old soul. Neither one of us are thirty yet. Surely, I can take care of you now, and work you up again after dinner.”

  A curl of heat rushed from my belly south, and just when I thought it was finished, it zoomed up to my breasts as well. Yes, Gabe could have me before dinner, at dinner, and after dinner. That didn’t mean he needed to know it.

  As if he knew my thoughts, he grinned and crooked his finger at me.

  “I’m not sure I like this finger-crooking business, Sullivan.”

  His brow rose. “Well, we both know how I feel about your ‘Sullivan’ business, so I guess that makes us even. Get over here, Daughtry.”

  I pouted as I debated giving him a hard time, but it was short-lived, and I moseyed over to him.

  As soon as I was within arm’s reach, he pulled me snug to his body and I was surprised to feel his hardness between us. My hands glided along his chest, and his pecs flexed as I moved my hands.

  I glanced up at him. “You’re a nut, Gabe.”

  “I’m not,” he murmured, and put his lips on mine.

  Whenever we kissed, a thrill shot through me, and I gasped. Gabe never missed that, and his tongue moved into my mouth. I loved feeling his tongue against mine. The first few times it happened was one thing, but these days it had become something else entirely. Like a force unto itself which I couldn’t get enough of... almost like a drug. If I could’ve grabbed his tongue with my own, I’d have done it, but I couldn’t. Still, every liplock we shared sent me into a daze.

  Next thing I knew, my arms were in the air because Gabe had pulled my shirt free. I locked my arms around his warm neck, but I felt his fingers working the bra clasp at my back. My mind blocked that out as I kissed him with all the intensity I could muster. His fingers stopped working at my back, and I thought he had given up, until my breasts freed from the confines of my bra. He forced my arms down, allowing my bra to slip between our bodies. My breath caught at the sensation and I pressed my breasts into his chest. His t-shirt was soft, but I wished it was his bare skin.

  He moved his hands, to cup my breasts, and I remembered how exposed we were at his window. “Gabe! Your window...anybody could see us.”

  He grinned against my lips. “No, baby. We’re upstairs. Someone might see me, but not any of you.”

  I inhaled at the suggestion outsiders would see him with no indication of me or who I was. Before I could say anything to him, Gabe backed me toward his bed, and when we were horizontal, he pulled away, but only to yank my shorts and underwear down.

  When he had the garments free, he sunk to the floor on his knees so he could bury his face in my core. I moaned at the intense sensations, and my hips bucked.

  My fingers threaded through his hair to gain purchase, but he tilted his head to thwart me. I raised my head doing a half-crunch to look at him.

  “What are you doing, Gabe?” I cried.

  His eyes crinkled at me just before he lapped at my clit. When my breath hitched again, he chuckled, and I felt it at my core and when his shoulders jostl
ed into my thighs.

  With unexpected strength and swiftness, his arms wrapped around my thighs.

  “Gabe,” I cried.

  “Damn, right,” he murmured.

  “Gabe,” I admonished his arrogance.

  “Said that already, baby,” he said,

  I thought he was going to suck deeply, but I was completely wrong. Gabe didn’t suck deeply at me; he did everything but that. He traced me. He licked every part of me. His beard tickled my thighs, but he teased me endlessly. Then he stopped, and I looked down my body to see him staring at me.

  My glasses slid down my nose a fraction. “What are you doing?”

  His eyelids raised, a gleam of mischief in his blue eyes. “God, you look like a hot librarian in those damn glasses. I’ll tell you what I’m doing. Feasting.”

  Finally, he took me in his mouth and sucked hard. My body tensed, and my legs moved, but his hands around my thighs kept them still. I moaned and it surprised me how loud I was.

  “Gabe, I’m gonna—”

  Suddenly, he let go and stood up. He tore his shirt over his head and immediately dropped his shorts. His torso twisted as he reached for a condom from his nightstand.

  After he sheathed himself, he nudged my legs. “On your knees, Cassandra.”

  I rolled onto my knees and his hands rubbed my ass. His mouth hit one of my cheeks and he bit me. “I love your ass, baby. God, I can’t tell you how many times I stared at it whenever you walked away.”

  His cock slid inside me, and his torso blanketed my back. “Remember, you come when I’m ready for you to.”

  Feeling him inside me was almost as good as having his mouth on me, and my orgasm built again. “Not so sure I can control that, Sullivan.”

  He leaned back and spanked me. “No more of that shit, Cassandra.”

  I giggled. “Not helping.”

  He growled and leaned forward to nip my earlobe. “My Cassie’s got a kinky side. I love it.”

  ‘My Cassie’. God, how I loved hearing that.

  “Harder,” I demanded.

  “What’s the magic word, baby?”

  “Please!”