Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
I had three options here. Take the towel. Jump back into the pool. Or…pretend I walked around naked all the time like I was one of the models on Playboy who didn’t give a shit that a dozen people watched her being photographed in her birthday suit.
Easier said than done.
A flush crept into my cheeks as I snatched the towel, quickly wrapping it around me. “Thanks,” I muttered.
He watched me but not with the suspicion I’d anticipated at finding a half-naked girl in your pool, which I wasn’t sure if that said more about Cole or his brother. Why would he bat an eye? The Rileys were known for their summer parties. Naked girls in the pool weren’t a novelty in this family. “And you are?” he asked. His tone held this air of authority like their father’s and the question came out in a demand.
“Arie,” I replied, securing my towel tighter around me.
Hotness’s brows drew together. “Arie Quinn?”
This Riley had no tattoos that I could see and no piercings. From the outside, he appeared clean-cut, but something in his deep, chocolate eyes told me that was a fa?ade, a persona he projected but not the real man.
I nodded. “You know who I am.”
The scowl marring his lips carved deeper. “You’re the girl next door. ”
When Cole called me that, it sounded sensual, but coming out of this Riley’s mouth, whichever brother he was, made me feel dirty. I fucking hated the feeling as if I wasn’t worthy of being in the same space with them.
His sharpened gaze shifted to the pool where Cole eyed him, all playfulness gone from Cole’s features.
“Brody,” Cole greeted dryly. “What are you doing here?”
Was it just me, or did the temperature drop? I sensed this wasn’t a happy reunion.
“I came to see you. We need to talk, but I can see you’re entertaining.” Brody’s jaw worked as his focus shifted back to me. “It’s probably best you go home, Arie.”
Cole reached the edge of the pool and climbed out, pushing to his full height. “She’s not leaving unless I tell her to go,” Cole countered, making me feel like I was caught in the middle of a tennis match between brothers. Cole glanced at me, his features softening a tad. “Go inside. I’ll be in once I kick my brother out of here.”
Brody regarded Cole’s appearance, noticing the lack of swim trunks. I could all but see him putting together what he suspected happened between us. “Why is she here? Is there something going on between the two of you I should know about?” Brody demanded, firing off the question like a loaded gun.
“It’s none of your business,” Cole snapped. “Arie, go. Just don’t leave, okay?”
I didn’t particularly want to leave, but I also wasn’t keen on getting in the middle of two brothers, so I nodded at Cole, taking off toward the house. My wet feet slapped on the concrete, and when I made it to the sliding doors, I slipped inside, closing the screen but leaving the glass doors slightly parted.
Despite assuring Cole I wouldn’t leave, I intended to sneak out the front door and go home to check on Dad, but once inside, my curious nature took over.
Leaving the lights off, I sat at the kitchen table, hidden by the long drapes at the corner of the glass. It gave me a clear view of Cole and Brody but kept me shrouded mostly in shadows. Water dripped onto the wooden floors, my wet hair falling over my shoulders and ba ck as I listened. I should have gone to change and put on dry clothes, but I didn’t move. Spying wasn’t an activity I did frequently, but Cole had been so damn tight-lipped about everything that I couldn’t stop myself from listening. And if I were honest, I was also curious about the oldest Riley.
“What are you doing? Why is she here?” Brody demanded with a familiar frown. It was one I’d seen on Cole time and time again. They shared the same formidable downturned lips, minus the lip ring for Brody, but Cole wasn’t wearing his today.
Cole didn’t answer Brody’s question but redirected, taking the heat off me and putting it on his father. “Let me guess. Dad sent you.”
I was surprised by how well their voices carried to me. It helped that we were having calm weather for once. No wind. The ocean remained smooth and serene. Other than the quiet hum of the air-conditioning, it was perfect sleuthing conditions.
Brody slipped his hands into his navy-blue casual pants. “It doesn’t matter. Nor does it change what you’re doing here, does it?”
“And just what do you think I’m doing, dear brother?”
“You’re squandering your inheritance. Why? Because you feel sorry for the poor girl next door.”
I bristled, instantly taking a dislike to the eldest Riley. The instinct to jump out of my chair and storm outside wound within me. I was used to defending myself, but having someone like Cole come to my defense was a new feeling.
From my angle, I could only see the side profiles of the brothers, but I’m sure Cole’s eyes darkened. “Fuck off, Brody. That has nothing to do with it. Since when are you such a snob? You sound like Dad.”
“Someone has to smack some sense into you,” Brody replied, his tone lower, and my ears strained to make sure I heard him right.
A moment of silence followed before Cole responded. “I know what I’m doing. If Dad sent you here to try and talk me into marrying Gianna, you can tell him to fuck off as well.”
My pulse kicked up at the mention of another girl.
Brody sighed as if he didn’t want to argue with Cole. “If it’s not you, then it’s Crew. We both know who is more likely to do what’s best for the family. ”
Cole scoffed. “If this was really about family, our opinion would matter. It doesn’t. You marry her. That would solve all our problems.”
Brody shook his head. His hair was shorter than Cole’s and didn’t have the same movement, and the sun picked up hints of red Cole didn’t have. “You know I’m already committed.”
The sun had dried most of the water off Cole’s chest, but his hair and shorts were soaked as he sat at the end of a lounge chair. “How fucking lucky for you. At least you got to choose who you spend your life with.”
Brody followed, sitting opposite from his brother, his elbows resting on his knees as he leaned forward. “Marry her, then divorce her five years later. Take a mistress if you're set on love, which we both know that’s not what this is about. Hell, take ten mistresses. Seems more your style. I don’t give a shit. This deal is important. If you want to maintain your playboy lifestyle, especially if you want to keep your pet around, you’ll be there to sign the agreement at the end of the summer. Or Crew will. I don’t care which one of you walks through those boardroom doors.”
My throat went dry, and I wished I’d brought my bubble tea with me.
Cole glanced at the house. “I wouldn’t hold your fucking breath.”
“Cole,” Brody growled. “I’m not fucking around. I don’t see why this is a problem. You slept with that rich bitch for months.”
Cole’s gaze snapped back to his older brother’s, tension tightening his muscles. “Yes, I fucked her, Brody. Until she threw herself at Crew. Did you forget that little crumb of information?”
I gasped, perhaps too loudly. Brody’s granite gaze flicked to the doors, and I couldn’t tell whether he saw my shadow through the glass reflection, but I had a feeling he knew I was eavesdropping. His eyes returned to Cole to pin him with dismissiveness. “As if you haven’t fucked the same girl before.”
Cole didn’t bat an eye at Brody’s jab. “On our terms. Always our terms. Gianna isn’t as na?ve as she portrays. Don’t be fooled by her innocent act. I could never trust her.”
Nothing Brody said surprised me based on the rumors that buzzed around town about the Riley boys. When they were in Fallen Oaks, the house became a revolving door for every girl within fifty miles .
Except me.
I waited until the house had been cleared out before sneaking over, wanting no part in the parties the family threw yearly.
“You don’t need to trust her. You need to trust me,” Brody said, some of the harshness vacating his voice.
The heat and resolve in Cole’s gaze softened, and the tightness in his shoulders relaxed a fraction. My hands curled into fists on the table as I watched, not liking the way Brody manipulated Cole. It was dirty to use Cole’s love and trust for his brother to sway Cole into something he clearly stated he didn’t want. “Fuck,” Cole said, shoving a hand through his wet locks.
Brody stood, his shadow looming over Cole. “I need to get back into the city. Dad’s expecting you and Crew for dinner on Sunday. We need to do some damage control. The news of your spur-of-the-moment engagement is making its way through the circles.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything,” Cole said with a sigh and a slight scowl.
“You’ll do the right thing,” Brody said, clasping Cole on the shoulder, but the way the words came out wasn’t in encouragement but more of a death sentence.
If Cole did agree to marry Gianna, did that mean our deal was off? What about the other half of the money? If I didn’t stay, did that mean I wouldn’t get the rest? To be fair, fifty thousand was more than I had when the summer started. I would have agreed to this bargain for far less, which didn’t explain the sudden dread in my stomach.
Did I want to stay with Cole to the end?
Was I actually enjoying myself?
If this ended between us, that also meant I had to return to my life, to my job, to being the poor girl the town pitied yet rejected.
I didn’t want that life. I wanted to shape a new one.
Brody halted when he saw me sitting at the table, his somber eyes hardening. I felt as if I’d just gotten busted.
Can this get more awkward? Not how I imagined meeting his brother. “I should go,” I mumbled, averting my eyes from Brody’s intense stare and quickly standing from the table. My fingers pressed firmly to the front of the towel to keep it from falling to my feet .
“No,” Cole stated, walking in behind his brother, his eyes finding mine. “You’re not going anywhere, Arie. Brody is.”
Brody glanced between us, a glint of disappointment in his eyes at his brother’s choice. “You’re making a mistake.”
Cole pressed his lips together, his arms folding over his chest in a decisive gesture. “You’ve made your fair share. It’s mine to make.”
“Until you start messing with other people’s lives and those people get hurt. We’ve been down this road before, haven’t we?” I didn’t like the insinuation of Brody’s words, and neither did Cole.
Something dark fluttered over Cole’s features. “And what? You’ve been sent to keep an eye on me? Make sure I don’t fuck up again? How about I’m trying to make shit right for once.”
“Where’s Crew?” Brody demanded. “I assume he’s caught up in this.”
Cole’s fingers constricted against the back of a kitchen chair. “I don’t keep track of his whereabouts.”
Brody snorted. “Sure, you don’t. Clean this mess up. And don’t forget dinner on Sunday. I’ll drag you there myself if I have to.” Brody’s eyes, so similar to Cole’s but lacking the gold shimmer, flicked to me. I was the mess he wanted cleaned up. “If you knew what’s good for you, Arie, you’d leave. Keep the money. It’s the least we can do for the trouble Cole’s put you through.”
My chin firmed. I hated a bully, and that was what Brody reminded me of, pushing his brother to do his father’s will. “I gave him my word. That might not mean jack shit to you, but it means something to me. I’m seeing this through until Cole tells me otherwise.” I didn’t know if Cole told him about our arrangement or if Brody guessed what was going on between us. It didn’t matter. So what if the world found out I took money from Cole.
A heavy sigh left Brody’s lips, the sexy scar on his brow looking more menacing than attractive now as he scowled. “It’s your funeral. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
As Brody turned to leave, something he said spurred me forward, my hand reaching out and grabbing onto one of his thick biceps. The muscle flexed under my fingers. “Wait,” I said quietly.
With an arched brow, Brody glanced over his shoulder .
“What do you mean funeral? Did you mean literally or metaphorically?” I asked, seeking clarity on whether my life was actually in danger, remembering the guy who’d broken in with a knife looking for Crew.
Brody narrowed his gaze to slits. “Stay and find out.” Then the eldest Riley stalked out of the house, leaving me gaping after him in a damp towel.
“Fucker,” I mumbled under my breath, staring at the space his form had occupied, and then I whirled on Cole. “What the fuck was that?”
He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Nothing. Just some unsolicited advice.”
I shook my head, adjusting the towel clutched to my chest. “Don’t lie to me.”
Cole went to the fridge, grabbed a beer, and twisted the top. “It doesn’t concern you.”
“Doesn’t it? Then I guess I don’t need to be here.”
He swallowed a gulp of beer, staring at me. “Arie, I don’t have the energy to battle with you.”
“Let me make this easy for you.”
I walked out of the house.