Chapter 8
8
QUIN
I was glad that it was nice enough for the outside tables at Grounds and Gears to be open because I really didn’t think Matt and Jackson should be hemmed into a single room together with strangers. People passed on the sidewalk, laughing and talking, and the sun was warm on the top of my head. It was a good day to be in the city.
I ran a fingernail over the pattern on the iron tabletop. Despite anything Matt had promised me, when he got within glaring range of his brother, it was game on. It wasn’t that I blamed him. Honestly, I didn’t. But it had become my mission to prove to him that there was nothing in the world that could rip us apart.
It was ridiculous, but I kept finding myself laughing with Jackson, and I suppose that was how he did it—got into bedrooms he didn’t belong in. I sipped my spicy chocolate latte with a hint of cherry rum as Jackson took a deep breath and smiled in Matt’s direction. I shrugged off the jacket I’d been wearing, and the sun warmed my shoulders as I shifted in my chair, crossing my legs, which had his gaze and Matt’s dropping to my lap. My heart raced as Matt slid his hand onto my thigh, a possessive, perfect move that I loved.
I smiled at him and ran the tips of my fingernails over his knuckles.
“So, have you seen the movie Cars ?” Jackson asked.
Surprised, I nodded. “Yes. Oh wow, it’s been years, though. Isn’t Owen Wilson a main character’s voice in the movie?”
“Yeah!” Jackson pointed at me, then sipped his espresso. Unlike Matt, he was able to handle the demitasse mug without it seeming as if it was in danger of being crushed. His dark eyebrows danced upward. “I was scrolling through things and just decided to watch it one day because I’d never seen it.”
“It’s cute,” I said, shrugging because I wasn’t sure where this was going.
Matt was trying to set Jackson on fire with his mind, the same way he’d been since we’d sat down with our drinks. The pastries we’d bought were long gone, merely crumbs on our plates.
“Well, in the movie, did you notice that the flies were VW Beetles?”
I grinned and toyed with Matt’s watch on his wrist. “Probably at the time.”
“So, it got me thinking, was it a movie about cars or a planet that had been populated by sentient insects? Like, from the cars’ point of view.”
I set down my cup and covered my mouth, hiding my laughter because every time I was amused Matt squeezed my thigh, and I could tell it was driving him bonkers. “That’s ridiculous. You clearly thought about it way too much.”
He shrugged. “That’s me, putting a lot of thought and effort into everything I do.” He leaned his elbows on the table and waggled his eyebrows— flirting .
Matt grunted and tugged his vibrating phone out of his pants pocket. He sighed and stood up, walking a few feet away before he answered. “Hello, Derek. I’m out with Quin. What’s up?”
Jackson watched with interest.
I began to feel uncomfortable because if Derek needed help, there was no way it would be legal, and despite me wanting to try to do something to repair Matt and Jackson’s relationship, the brothers would need more time to get over the crap between them.
“So, what are your plans for the rest of the day?” I asked, trying to keep my tone bright. “I should probably do some studying, but I’ll make dinner this evening. You’re free to do anything you want in the house, um, except it seems like Matt wants you to stay out of his den.”
“Does Matt boss you around a lot?” he asked softly, smile a touch too intimate for my comfort. “I would never do such a thing.”
Before I could fire back a response, Matt came over and leaned down to kiss me. He cupped the back of my neck with his big hand and let his mouth linger over mine before he straightened with regret written on his face. “Work.” He glanced at Jackson, and I assumed if he wasn’t sitting with us that Matt would tell me what was going on in more detail, but I just nodded.
“Of course.”
“I don’t have time to drive you home, but Royal is going to come and get you. And he’s going to stick around,” Matt said, already walking away as he texted on his phone.
I was both relieved and irritated. What was Royal going to do? Matt said that he didn’t trust his brother—and I could see why. It wasn’t difficult to imagine this man talking his way into panties if he put his mind to it, but that also felt like Matt still didn’t trust me . I glared at his back, but then took a deep breath and tried to get myself together.
“Does he leave you alone for work a lot?” Sympathy was heavy in Jackson’s voice, and he drained his small mug, clearly someone used to such things. Used to the good life.
“You’re interesting,” I said.
He perked up and flashed me an earnest smile. “Yeah?”
I nodded. “You knew my mother, and I suppose you were kindred spirits.”
He chuckled and ducked his head, smile fading to a sweet grin. “I’m not sure how I should take that.”
“Not well,” I said softly.
His expression faltered until it was a frown.
There would only be minutes before Royal arrived, and I needed to put an end to this so that Matt could have his brother, and things could be fine in his family again. I leaned forward, and Jackson smirked, shifting closer and glancing toward the collar of my dress. Heat traveled up to my face. He was attractive, but he wasn’t Matt.
“This isn’t yours,” I said, running my finger along my neckline and up my throat. I toyed with my earring. “Matt is mine, and I’m his. We’re a real couple.”
He tilted his head. “For now.”
“What do you think you’re accomplishing?” I asked. Now that we were alone, I expected the act might break the way things usually did with Mom, but he was very good. There was a flicker of confusion on his face, but then his smile was back.
“I’m protecting my brother. If I can tumble you into bed, he knows that the apple is spoiled, right? He can toss you in the trash, let me move in, and my issues are solved for now.”
I rolled my eyes.
We had a stare off.
“It drives you crazy that he’s doing better than you. He has more attractive people in his bed than you. You’re a little boy throwing rocks at his sandcastle out of spite.” I sat back and continued to hold his gaze.
He shrugged and ran a hand through his hair.
“What are your goals? Every con has a goal.”
He glanced around and rested his chin on his palm. “I need a place to stay until I leave town. Maybe someone in my corner in case a few people I’ve pissed off figure out where I am. I might like to borrow some cash until my payday comes in.”
“Be given money,” I corrected. “You will never pay Matt back.”
He lifted a lazy shoulder, conceding the point.
“You know, if I had a good brother I loved who was in trouble, I would give him money.” I raised my eyebrows. “Perhaps you should recalculate your strategy.”
He sighed and sat back hard in his chair. “Where’s the fun in that?” His pretty smile was back.
“What do you enjoy about upsetting people?” I sipped my coffee and the kick from the alcohol gave me a shiver.
“It’s fun at the time,” he whispered. “Want to find out how much?”
Sighing, I shook my head. “How good does it feel now?”
He pouted, and I couldn’t help it, I laughed.
Royal came huffing and puffing up to our table and bent over, resting his hands on his knees. The dark stubble on his jaw glinted in the sunshine.
Jackson gave him a once-over and sat up straighter in his chair. People usually reacted that way to Royal’s classic good looks. “Are you the man Matt sent to make sure I don’t make sweet love to the beautiful Quin?” He winked at me, and despite myself, I smiled and shook my head.
Royal huffed out a long breath and straightened, resting a hand on his side. “That’s why he told me to get here as soon as possible?” He closed his eyes and tipped his head back. “Fuck.”
“Would you like a drink?” I asked.
Royal shook his head. “I have my instructions. They’re to get you home. I don’t know what’s going on, but he wants you back at the house, safe and sound.” Royal gave me a wide grin and gestured along the street. “Sorry, I had to park a block away.”
“It’s fine.” I stood, and Royal extended his elbow out toward me with a grin, but I shook my head and followed him to a silver Mercedes. He opened the front door for me and left Jackson to find his own seat in the back.
It didn’t take long before we got home, and I wanted to ask Royal about a thousand questions, but that wasn’t happening. Irritation began to worm its way through me, the kind I hadn’t been experiencing recently because Matt chased away all the bad things in my life. Royal and I shared a look, and he fired a wink at me.
Once we were back in the house, I had trouble settling down, even though Royal was there to keep an eye on Jackson. No matter what I did—study, read a book, take a swim—the knowledge that Jackson was in the house, most likely thinking up ways to annoy Matt, began to itch at the back of my mind.
Finally, I gave up and decided to prepare something that would take a while for dinner, just to eat up the time while Matt was gone and give him a nice surprise when he got home. I landed on beef Wellington and baked Alaska. I didn’t know how to make baked Alaska, so I would have to pay attention to the recipe, which sounded perfect.
I waved at Royal on my way into the kitchen. He was lounging at the bottom of the steps on the main staircase.
“He’s upstairs in the guest room,” Royal said.
“Jackson isn’t a prisoner as far as I know,” I said, breezing past him.
“That’s not how Colt was acting.”
I smiled over my shoulder at Royal, and when I got into the kitchen, I grinned as I pulled an apron out of a drawer. I had several, and this one would look cute with my dress. It was white with blue flowers. I put it on and sashayed around the kitchen before I got started.
Everything about this kitchen was originally made to fit Matt’s fantasy of the perfect wife. The overall theme was basically a pink explosion. The backsplash and tiles on the walls were coquette pink. There were, of course, roses on all the dishtowels. To top it all off, bronze pans hung over a rose-marble island. It was a darned good thing I loved the color pink because it would’ve taken a lot of effort to change things if I didn’t.
Matt was my perfect fit. Grinning, I spun a little circle, just because I could.
A quick check confirmed that I had to order groceries, and I eventually went upstairs to drag down a book because the prep time on beef Wellington was four hours.
In the kitchen I was able to ignore the feeling that someone else was in the house, and I got lost in what I was doing. By dinnertime, I was pulling the beef Wellington and potatoes out of the oven, then getting the baked Alaska ready to pop in, when it occurred to me that Matt wasn’t home yet. I set the dessert back in the freezer and texted him.
Quin
Where are you?
Matt
Going to be late. Sorry, Baby Girl.
Quin
I can’t hold dinner because we have a guest.
The dots that indicated he was typing went on for a while, and I was suspicious that he might’ve deleted a long rant when all I got back was a thumbs-up. Huffing, I set the table.
I spotted Royal hanging around just outside the dining room. “Will you join us?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know if Matt would like that.”
“You’re his friend,” I said with a frown.
“Yeah, but Jackson’s not, and I suspect me stuffing my face won’t qualify as keeping an eye on the situation as far as he’s concerned.”
Thoroughly fed up with everything, I searched the house until I found Jackson near the pool in his swim trunks.
“Dinner,” I said, and I could hear the irritation in my voice, but there wasn’t much I could do about it.
Of course, he didn’t change. He just wandered in and sat at the table, muscled chest on display. I didn’t bother trying to start any sort of conversation, simply smiled. “Please enjoy.” With that, I dug into my own food.
He took several bites before he stopped to stare at me.
“What?” I asked, then sipped my water.
He grabbed his glass—merlot that would go with the red meat—and sucked down half of it. “It’s good! That’s unexpected.”
I scowled. “Why? Because Bethany couldn’t cook?”
He shrugged.
“I’m not her,” I said quietly, then popped a piece of flaky crust into my mouth.
We ate in silence for a few minutes, and then he used his fork to point around the table. “This is a long-haul job.” He raised his eyebrows at me.
“It’s not a con. I love Matt and want to be with him,” I said simply.
He frowned as if he just didn’t get that, and I kind of felt bad for him, which was stupid, but there it was. Either he couldn’t fathom anyone being loyal to him or he couldn’t imagine being that for someone else. It was sad.
“So, have you ever been to Rio?” he asked, out of nowhere.
“Twice,” I said.
His eyes lit up, and before I knew it, we were in a conversation about traveling, which I’d done a lot. By the time dessert was finished, I was tired from smiling and laughing, and back around to understanding how he took people in. It was more subtle than watching my mother work but ultimately the same thing. I’d never been on the receiving end, though, and I could see how someone might feel very flattered under all the attention.
“You know, I was reading about seahorses the other day,” he said, then sipped his wine. At one point he’d gotten up to go get the bottle from the kitchen and it was empty now. “Did you know the males have the babies?”
Grinning, I shook my head. “They don’t actually have them, they just carry around the eggs until the teeny horses hatch and then squirt them out.”
He snorted. “You’re lucky you can’t carry babies or I’m sure Matt would have you knocked up by now.”
My face heated and I cleared my throat, then sipped at my water.
“Oh, I struck a nerve,” he murmured, tilting his head. “Tell me about what my brother does to you.”
My stomach clenched. Despite my best intentions, I’d allowed him to lure me into dangerous conversational territory.
“I have to, um, put away the food or the meat will spoil,” I said, then shot to my feet.
“Let me help.” He stood slowly.
“Nope! I’m fine.” I laughed and it sounded stupid and hysterical, and I didn’t care. I didn’t want Matt to ever walk into a conversation like this. I hadn’t done anything wrong, but maybe I would’ve if I’d stayed in my seat, and I hated that. Whatever I’d been trying to prove today would be ruined if I didn’t make it clear where my loyalties lie, so I ignored him and went into the kitchen to clean up. I lingered over every task, giving Jackson plenty of time to go find something else to distract him. After a long half hour of dawdling, I went upstairs and got ready for bed, since it seemed like it was possible Matt could be out all night with whatever craziness Derek had sucked him into today.
I was coming out of the bathroom in a pink silk negligee when there was a knock on the bedroom door, and I glared at it, irritation sinking its claws into me. This house was my sanctuary, and normally, I was totally happy in it. I veered toward the closet and took out a robe that matched the negligee but covered every bit of me right up to my neck, tied it securely, and then went and opened the door.
Jackson smiled on the other side, and Royal stood nearby with his shoulder leaning against the wall and his arms crossed.
“Would you care to join me for an evening stroll?” he asked, sliding his gaze down my body. “Or something else?”
I shut the door, leaned against it, and slid down onto my ass. I could hear a scuffle outside and shot to my feet. I ripped the door open again in time to see Royal smash Jackson to the carpet on his face.
“What are you doing?” I shouted.
“He wouldn’t leave,” Royal said, grinning up at me. He didn’t seem to be putting much effort into pinning Jackson.
“Get off him,” I said with a sigh.
Royal frowned. “Quin.”
“Now!”
Jackson stood up and sent Royal a winning smirk before he slipped into my bedroom.
I covered my eyes with my hands.
“I’ll get him,” Royal said.
I shook my head. “Just stay here.”
When I walked in, Jackson was messing around with my perfume, then spritzed one. “You should wear this tonight. That pink deserves this vanilla.” He waved the bottle around.
“Out.”
He pouted, like he had at dinner. “Let’s have a chat.” He went over and flopped on the bed.
“Do you want to die?” I asked, completely exasperated at this point. “Is that why you’re here? You have a death wish?”
He stared at me. “You really won’t do it, will you?” He sounded baffled.
“How many ways can I say I love my husband?” I asked, tossing my hands up in the air.
“He isn’t yet, though, is he?”
I pointed at the door.
Jackson slouched out into the hallway; although, he sent me a blinding smile that left my insides twisting into knots. I felt as if I’d just been played, but I had no idea how, and I hated that sensation.
Royal nodded at me and followed after Jackson, and I collapsed onto the bed.
“Maybe Matt was right,” I said, sighing in defeat. I wanted him to have his family. Guilt twisted hooks into my belly. I pulled a pillow over my face and screamed into it.