Chapter 12
Titus
The doorbell rings, and for the first time in three days, I am not expecting it. I’ve had a shit ton of furniture delivered recently, but I’m pretty sure it’s all here, so I don’t know who in the hell could be on my front porch right now.
Pulling up the camera feed on my laptop, I lay eyes on my unexpected—unwanted—visitors.
Mariah’s elbows deep in some sort of baking project, but she quickly grabs a dish towel, preparing to wipe her hands because she knows I don’t love answering the door.
This time, I’ll make an exception.
Standing from the chair I’ve occupied consistently since she collapsed a week and a half ago, I brace myself for what’s coming. “I’ll be right back.”
Mariah’s brows pinch in concern. “You want me to get it?”
No fucking way. I definitely don’t want her to get it.
I shake my head, offering a smile I hope convinces her I’m not bothered. “I got it.”
Hopefully she stays in the kitchen while I handle this. I was aggravated enough watching as just about every fucking furniture delivery guy checked her out and did their best to get her attention. If one of my brothers pulls that shit, there’s a good chance he’ll end up with my fist in his face.
Taking a deep breath, I open the door, looking from face to face in silence as I wait for them to explain their sudden—uninvited—arrival.
Tucker shoots me a grin. “Aren’t you gonna invite us in?”
“What do you assholes want?” I can tell by the shit-eating grins on their faces that they’re up to something.
Something I’m not going to fucking like.
“That’s not very hospitable.” Trevor leans against the closest wall, bracing one big shoulder on the stone. “We figured you’d be more than ready for company, what with all the furniture you’ve been having delivered this week.”
Of fucking course they would have noticed the delivery trucks coming to my house.
“Don’t you have anything better to do than worry about what I’ve got going on?”
I love my brothers—really I do. I just don’t trust them around Mariah. She’s not some chick they can flirt with and attempt to charm. The last thing she needs is one of these dickheads trying to get in her pants.
“That’s awfully rich coming from the guy who hacked into my security system because he was so worried about what I had going on.” Walker shoots me a smirk. “At least I assume it was me you were worried about. Because if it wasn’t me, then it would’ve been—”
“Oh wow. There are a lot of you, aren’t there?”
Like a pack of feral dogs, my brothers all snap to attention, eyes sharp, mouths practically salivating as they zero in on the woman standing beside me. Walker is the only one who’s been lucky enough to put his eyes on Mariah, but even he seems to be struggling to keep it together right now.
I get it. She’s beautiful. But Mariah’s appeal is so much more than that.
Happiness and positivity fucking radiate out of her pores.
It’s impossible not to be drawn in by her warmth and uplifting personality.
She’s like fucking sunshine, and I’ve been in the dark so long, I can’t seem to make myself step away from her glow.
“Aren’t you going to introduce us, Ty?” Tobias has Copper, his miniature poodle, tucked under one arm, and I swear to God, if that dog starts humping something in my house, I’m going to drop kick my brother out the front door.
But what happens next is even worse than Copper victimizing all my shit.
“Oh my gosh.” Mariah steps away from me, going straight for the little horn dog my brother ended up with by accident. “Aren’t you the cutest little thing?”
“Don’t let her good looks fool you.” Tobias gives Mariah a wink that has my hands clenching into fists. “She’s an absolute menace.”
Mariah makes a cooing sound as she lavishes Copper with attention. “You are not a menace, are you?”
“I’m a menace too.” Tucker—slut that he is—tries to step toward Mariah.
I plaster one of my hands across his face and shove him back. “Down, boy.”
Since joining Mariah downstairs, I’ve started picking up bits and pieces of clues about what her life was like before she came here, and I’m willing to bet it involved someone a lot like my younger brother.
Though Tucker would never try to skip out on his responsibilities.
He’s careful as hell, but accidents happen.
And while he’s a lot of things, I can say with absolute certainty a deadbeat dad would never be one of them.
“Why don’t you guys come inside?” Mariah gives Copper a final pat before stepping back beside me, her proximity soothing a little of the unrest I refused to name. “I’m just about to put some cookies in the oven if you’d like some.”
There are two things my brothers will never say no to. One of them is a beautiful woman. The other is food.
So I’m fucked.
I’m forced to watch as the four of them file behind Mariah like the dogs they are, slobbering down my hallway as they take over my home and steal her attention.
I trail along at the back of the group, my mood darkening more and more as my brothers soak up Mariah’s light.
I know she doesn’t belong to me. I know I have no right to claim any bit of her as mine. But neither do they.
And those fuckers didn’t make her breakfast this morning. Didn’t steep the tea that settles her stomach. They sure as hell didn’t spend the last week and a half watching her like a hawk to make sure she didn’t pass out and get hurt.
“You’ve got this place looking real nice, Miss Mariah,” Tucker drawls as he slides onto the stool directly across the island from where Mariah’s got her cookie dough station set up. “It was all but uninhabitable before you showed up.”
Mariah’s eyes fix on my brother, narrowing just a second before focusing on the task of dropping scoops of dough onto a paper-lined baking sheet. “It was plenty habitable.” She almost sounds annoyed. “Just needed a little organizing.”
Trevor snorts. “You don’t have to kiss his ass. He’ll pay you whether you’re nice to him or not.”
One of Mariah’s brows slowly angles as her tongue slides across her teeth, the irritation I thought I heard becoming easily identifiable.
She finishes scooping out her cookies and slides them into the oven before turning her attention on Trevor, every trace of her sweet sunshiny nature gone as she stares him down.
“Is that how you feel about your assistants? You know, the ones who keep quitting?” A smile that would strike terror in most men curls her lips.
“Because I heard you were all for ass kissing when you’re the employer in question. ”
Tobias’s laugh is loud and immediate. “Damn. She’s got your fucking number, doesn’t she?”
Trevor turns to shoot me a glare. “I wonder how that happened.”
I shrug.
Right now Mariah and I are spending a lot of time together. We’ve got to talk about something, and she seems as interested in spilling the details of her past as I am about pouring out the agony of mine, so my brothers’ bullshit is usually a pretty safe topic.
And one with enough stories to keep her entertained for the next five years.
Did I also maybe spill a little of my brothers’ shit to make Mariah less likely to find them appealing?
Anything’s possible, I guess.
“I like you.” Tobias takes the seat next to Tucker, eyes locked on my chef as he settles in. “Tell me more about what an asshole Trevor is.”
Mariah’s eyes jump to me before returning to Tobias. He’s putting her on the spot—trying to get her to talk shit about our family just because he wants to stir Trevor up—and she doesn’t like it.
Neither do I.
Moving from where I’ve been standing at the edge of the room, I join Mariah on her side of the island, standing close as I stare my brothers down. “Don’t try to drag her into your bullshit.”
Tobias doesn’t look surprised by my stance.
If anything, it seems to amuse him. He leans back in his seat, smirking.
“Don’t get your panties in a bunch, Ty. We’re not trying to make her pick sides.
” He leans forward, eyes never leaving my face.
“Especially since it’s pretty obvious whose side she’s on. ”
I know what he’s insinuating. I didn’t miss the way Mariah took on my brothers in my defense. But like so much else, I’m choosing to ignore it.
Because if I don’t…
“Don’t give him a hard time, Toby.” Tucker leans close to Tobias, lowering his voice. “I have a feeling you won’t get any cookies.”
Mariah shifts from foot to foot beside me, looking uncomfortable with the situation. On reflex, I lift my hand, preparing to rest it on her back to provide reassurance. To let her know I’m right here with her and not gonna let any of these fuckheads ruin her day.
But then I remember there’s a whole line of very observant fuckheads watching my every move, and I drop my hand back to my side.
I shoot each of my brothers a glare before issuing a warning. “None of you are going to get any fucking cookies if you can’t act right.”
Trevor crosses both arms over his chest, leaning against the wall. “Well that’s just mean.”
I glance down to find a small smile curving Mariah’s lips.
Her caramel colored eyes meet mine and I nearly stop breathing.
It happens every time she looks at me like this.
Like I did something to make her happy. It’s like a fucking drug.
And can’t stop myself from continuing to chase it down, looking for another hit.
But normally we’re alone. There’s no one to notice the lengths I go to for that smile to be aimed at me. Now we’ve got an audience. One who doesn’t miss a fucking thing. Including the opportunity to give me shit.