Chapter 9
“Thanks for watching him,” Fox said, ushering Ethan into Bailey’s house.
“It’s no problem. There’s a snack on the table if you want it,” she answered. Ethan ran into the kitchen without even saying goodbye.
“It’s just, I have to go in tomorrow, and I don’t know what Brooke is doing. I feel better if he’s here.”
“We’ll be fine. Don’t worry about it.” Her hand landed on his arm, and the feeling of fire shot up it. “Would you like to come in for some cheesy bread? I made extra.”
He should say no. He should walk away, but there was something about her that kept pulling him closer. There was no doubt that whatever was between them wouldn’t end well. How could it when you fell for your girlfriend’s sister?
“Sounds great,” he said, stepping inside. He followed her to the kitchen where Ethan was just finishing his snack.
“Can I go outside, Aunt Bailey?” he asked.
“Of course, sweetie.” She opened the back door, and he shot into the yard.
They watched through the windows as he jumped on one of the swings on the playscape.
“It’s too hot to leave the door open, but we can see him from in here.
He should be fine.” She flitted around the kitchen preparing plates of bread and pouring two glasses of lemonade.
“I was supposed to be off, but I have to meet the boss tomorrow at some townhouse in Beacon Hill. I guess some rich guy is remodeling his place. I’ll come get him when I’m done.”
“Don’t worry about it, you know I love when Ethan is here. Brooke is good with this?” She took a sip of her lemonade.
“I didn’t ask her.”
“Fox.”
“I know. But you know she would have pitched a fit. It’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission when it comes to Brooke.” He could feel her gaze on him as he watched Ethan run around the backyard kicking a ball.
“Still.” He frowned, and she let the subject drop. “Is your other brother still in town?”
“Yeah. Would you believe he’s crashing at Dover’s place?”
“I bet that’s like throwing fuel on a fire. They haven’t killed each other yet?”
“Not as far as I know.” He chuckled. “We should be able to see the explosion from here when it happens, though.”
“It’s so crazy to think you had more siblings out there all this time.”
“Yeah.” They ate the cheese bread in silence. “I like your kitchen,” Fox finally said. “Yellow is always a good choice. Makes the room feel bigger.”
“It’s my favorite color. I can’t imagine not having a yellow kitchen. I painted it as soon as I moved in.” They lapsed back into silence again.
“Well, I should be going,” he said, standing.
“I’ll just say goodbye to Ethan.” He slipped into the backyard.
“I’ve got to go, little man. You be good for Aunt Bailey, and I’ll be back to get you tomorrow.
” Ethan ran over to hug him. “Have fun.” Ethan ran back to the swings, so Fox returned inside.
The food and glasses had been cleared from the table.
“Be careful getting home,” Bailey said, leading him back through the house. She stopped next to the front door but didn’t open it.
“I will,” he answered quietly, standing in front of her.
His hand was on the door, but he didn’t want to open it either.
Just one more moment with her. It was all he would ever get, but he would take anything.
Leaning forward slightly, he took in the scent of her shampoo.
Citrus, always citrus. It was seared into his memory like it was a part of him.
She looked up at him, her eyes smoldering. He took a quick glance at her lips, free of the heavy lipstick her sister wore. It would take nothing to lean a little farther until their lips brushed. But before he gave in, he stood straight again and turned the doorknob.
“Thanks again,” he said and walked outside. He didn’t even glance back at the house as he drove away.
By the time he made it back across town, he had pushed his feelings for Bailey away. Brooke would be home by now. He needed to be ready to head that cyclone off. He found parking near the building and climbed up the stairs.
“Where have you been?” Brooke demanded the second he walked into his apartment.
“I thought we could use a night out, so I took Ethan to your sister’s house.”
“Without asking me?”
“I wanted to surprise you. I thought we could dress up and try the new fish place downtown.” He didn’t wait for her to rage out of control. His gaze met hers, and he focused on calming her down.
“That sounds good. Just give me a little bit to get ready,” she said, swaying on her feet slightly.
She hurried into the bedroom, and Fox slumped onto the couch.
He had put the plan together earlier when he found out he had to work the next day.
He didn’t trust Brooke not to go out and leave Ethan in the apartment on his own.
When they’d first met, she had doted on her son. Fox had only seen the side of Brooke that she wanted him to. She was beautiful, fun, and a good mother.
After they had been kicked out of their apartment and moved in with him, he began to see a much different Brooke. She was still beautiful, but she spent most of her time either fighting with him or going out. Ethan barely mattered at all.
“You’d better get changed, silly,” she said, walking out of the bedroom. She was wearing a short blue dress that barely covered her ass. Her high heels could double as a weapon. This was the Brooke he remembered from before. He might have altered her mood a little too much.
“I need to run through the shower. Give me twenty max.” He walked into the bathroom shedding clothes.
The reservation wasn’t until seven thirty, but he knew Brooke would want to do some window shopping before then.
Even knowing she was buzzing around the bedroom hunting for accessories for her outfit, he couldn’t stop his mind from moving to Bailey.
His hand automatically moved to caress his hardening length.
“Are you doing something naughty in here?” Brooke asked playfully, stepping into the bathroom.
“No,” he answered. His hand moved to press against the wall of the shower. He turned his back to her.
“I can join you if you want,” she teased.
“No, don’t do that. You already look perfect.
I don’t want you to have to start over again.
” In truth, he was having a hard time convincing his mind to let go of the images of Bailey he had just been envisioning.
Being with one sister while fantasizing about the other was undoing him piece by piece.
“Wait until we get home. Then I’ll help you out of that dress with my teeth. ”
“Can’t wait,” she purred. He breathed a sigh of relief when she left the room. Turning off the water, he stepped out and grabbed his towel. Tonight was already shaping up to be agony. He wrapped the towel around his waist.
Staring into the mirror over the sink, he studied his face. He couldn’t see any way out of the situation with Brooke. He had willingly traded his happiness for a small boy.
He stepped into the shared closet. He pulled on a gray pair of slacks and a white dress shirt.
It would complement Brooke’s dress without calling any attention away from her.
He knew how much she enjoyed being the center of attention everywhere they went.
Not his of course, just everyone else’s attention.
“Are you ready?” he asked, walking into the living room.
“What do you think?” Her mood was already shifting. He knew he couldn’t alter it forever. If he could, then they would all be living happily as a family.
With Brooke though, it seemed like her good humor lasted a little less every time. There might even come a day in the near future where he couldn’t control it any longer. Then what?
“We’ll take the truck tonight,” he said, ignoring her comment.
All he had was his work truck. It made parking in the city a real nightmare.
“I don’t want this beauty sitting on a dirty train seat.
” He held out his hand to her. She finally relented and took it.
“We’ll even do valet.” He saw her eyes light up.
She loved putting on airs. He just didn’t want to hunt for a parking space downtown on Friday night.
They found the restaurant easily. Fox pulled into the valet line.
Brooke exited the car like a movie star when the man opened the door for her.
She waited just long enough for Fox to join her before marching her way into the restaurant.
The host showed them to the bar until their table was ready.
Fox couldn’t convince her that they were too early.
“I’ll have a whiskey sour,” she said when the bartender found them seated at the bar.
“Just club soda with a twist. Thank you,” Fox added. “This is nice.”
“It’s not bad. We might come back.” He caught himself before he rolled his eyes. She was just a working-class girl from Newton. What would she know about upscale dining? The bartender set their drinks on the bar. She took a sip of hers. “Heavy on the whiskey. It just went up another point.”
“Glad it meets your standards.” She shot him a glare. He simply held up his drink to clink against hers until she relented. “The fish is supposed to be first class.”
“We’ll see.”
Fox’s phone buzzed in his pocket. “They’re ready to seat us.” He took both of their drinks and followed her to the host stand.
They were shown to their table quickly. Brooke was seated by the host while Fox set her drink in front of her. She took another long drag before picking up her menu.
If they’d been paying better attention, they would have noticed the man who followed them from the bar to the dining room.
He now sat in a dark booth just far enough from them that he couldn’t quite hear what they said to each other.
Fox wouldn’t have known him even if he saw the man, so he had no reason to pay attention to another diner.
Brooke, however, had missed him also. She would know him instantly. She had sent him a text the moment she went into the bedroom to dress.
Looking around for him would only serve to alert Fox that something was going on, so she didn’t dare. Gooseflesh rose on her arms just knowing he was somewhere in the restaurant watching.
“Are you cold?” Fox asked. He slid his jacket off and slid it around her shoulders.
“I think there’s a slight draft on my side is all.”
“Do we need to trade sides?”
“No, I’ll be fine. I think I’ll have the salad.”
“You don’t want fish?” he asked.
“I’ll just have a bite of yours. You don’t expect me to look like this by bingeing on a giant slab of meat, do you?”
“I think you’d be gorgeous no matter what size you are.”
“That’s ridiculous,” she stated. Her gaze swept the room carefully hoping to get a glance of him. “I’ll just have a bite of yours.”
“Whatever you want to do.” He always gave in too easily. She might enjoy his company more if he ever fought back. It was so easy to get what she wanted.
Her lover didn’t roll over so easily. He took what he wanted from her which made her want to give him everything. Maybe she already had. She had offered to leave Fox several times, but he said to stay. He liked the game they were playing.
“I guess it’ll be a no to dessert then?” Fox asked.
“That’s later, remember.” She gave him a quick wink. At least he was skilled at some things. He didn’t make her blood boil, but he could force more than one orgasm out of her.
No matter what she was told, if Fox got where he couldn’t even do that, she was gone. She would simply gather up Ethan and disappear from the apartment. There were plenty of places to hide in a city like Boston.
“May I take your order?” the server asked from the side of the table.
“I’ll have the Caesar with anchovies and another one of these,” she answered, shaking her glass.
“I’ll take the salmon. Baked potato and green beans. Just water for now. Thank you,” Fox added. The server left, and Fox leaned back in his chair. He smiled at her. She matched the smile, but it wasn’t meant for him.
Her mind was on the man hidden somewhere in the very restaurant she sat in across from her boyfriend. A tendril of excitement threaded its way up her spine at the thought. With any luck, he would summon her tomorrow and give her what she really craved. She just had to wait until then.