Graham
T he city is a fast-paced rat race. Everyone hustling to the next job, next deal… whatever it is they’re after. It never slows down and never sleeps. People crowd the sidewalks, all with devices in their hands, dodging the masses of bodies around them as they rush to their next destination.
Business is much the same. Multiple deals are handled at once at any given time and are always on a tight timeline. When one is finalized, it’s on to the next acquisition, merger, or negotiation. If you don’t hurry, someone else may swoop in and grab it from under you. I’m usually the one doing the swooping.
Sin Records isn’t as demanding as most organizations. It’s got a fantastic work atmosphere that promotes production, even if it’s too chaotic and dramatic for my liking. But Sin Records isn’t my only responsibility. I still have my own businesses to handle.
That’s what I should be doing now.
“If you were sitting in a Kia wearing old jeans and a worn t-shirt, you would be picked up for loitering. Or at least told to stop blocking the hydrant,” Will chuckles through the sound system of my car.
He’s probably right, but the near million-dollar car I’m sitting in doesn’t say threat. It says wealth and privilege. Not someone actively stalking the woman they’re obsessed with.
“It’s a good thing I’m not a regular guy, isn’t it?” I reply, keeping my eyes trained on the entrance of the rehearsal space.
“I understand why you avoided being here before now. I thought you were obsessive before. Now you’re downright certifiable. It’s only been a few weeks, and you don’t go more than a few hours without putting your eyes on her. Next, you’ll be chaining her to your side. You’re unhinged.”
I roll my eyes and grunt. I’m well aware I’m possessed, but I won’t admit that to him. “Her psychopathic mother threatened her. What do you expect?” Krista’s statement won’t stop playing in my mind.
“Was it a threat, though?”
If he knew the bitch like I did, he wouldn’t even question that. It’s like no one ever sees the danger she poses. They never take her seriously. If I’m honest, until our confrontation the other day, I’m not sure I saw it either. The idea of tying Casey to my side doesn’t sound unreasonable.
“What have you found out?”
I glance in the rearview mirror. Even though he’s several car lengths away, I can tell he’s rolling his eyes. He really does think I’m overreacting. I’ve only just refrained from asking him to contact his brother. He might quit if I do. “She got a room at the Aman. Hasn’t left since she checked in.”
My eyes narrow behind my Akoni Pathfinder glasses, the cogs in my mind working double time as his words sound so many alarms in my mind that I can’t hear past the ringing. “How the hell is she paying for that?”
“No clue. Henry is digging into her financials, but so far nothing to explain why she’s sleeping in a fifteen grand a night hotel instead of under a bridge.”
“Check whose name the room is under.”
“No shit,” he grunts, and I know I’ve insulted him by stating the obvious, but fuck. “The hotel won’t tell us shit, so we’re going to have to use other methods.”
“I don’t care what you have to do. Just find out.”
“Again, you know Maddox has connections, right?”
And Will has very similar connections, but I don’t say that. “I’m not involving them. Just do what you can.” Just then, the doors of the rehearsal space open. I recognize a few faces that come through the doors, but it’s mostly extras and the crew that I don’t know.
Casey steps through the doors, a beautiful smile lighting up that gorgeous face, looking over her shoulder. The corners of my lips tilt with the hint of a grin at how carefree she appears, especially since I’ve noticed she seldom seems so. When the person she’s smiling at comes into view, my jaw locks with irritation. I watch as he wraps his fingers around her bicep, my own turning white around the steering wheel. “We’ll talk later,” I grunt at Will.
“You can’t ki—”
I end the call without allowing him to finish his sentence. The guy won’t die. We’re in the middle of New York and the sidewalk is packed with witnesses. I’m not an idiot, after all.
After climbing out of the car, my shoes clap against the pavement as I circle the front of the vehicle with determined strides. The cocksure smirk on his lips and the lustful look in his eyes vanish when he meets my gaze over Casey’s shoulder. Before she can turn her head toward me to see what caused his sudden change in demeanor, my fingers are digging into his trapezius with bruising force as a shark grin spreads across my face. “You shouldn’t touch what doesn’t belong to you,” I growl next to his ear.
“, what are you doing?” Casey hisses next to me.
My head tilts to the side, lips still close to him, but my eyes are on her. “Just issuing a friendly warning. A brotherly warning if you must.”
Scarlet explodes across her cheeks as she spins on her heels.
“Next time, keep your hands—and eyes—to yourself before you lose them,” I grind out, then release him to go after Casey.
She only makes it a couple of feet before I grab her, halting her steps. “Where do you think you’re going, Sunflower?”
“Trying to go home.” Her voice is barely above a hissed whisper as those blue eyes bore into mine with venom. She’s pissed, and I like it because no one else gets this from her. There’s no one else she’s comfortable enough with to be this raw and honest with her emotions. “Let go before someone sees.”
“Sees what? An overprotective brother?” I pull her to my chest, earning a gasp as her palms slap against my chest. Those flawless oceanic depths stare up at me with wariness and want clashing in their midst. A shudder ripples through her body as my lips brush the shell of her ear, and a smirk slides across my face as the responsiveness of her body to mine. Even in anger and fear, despite her words or what she tries to convince herself, her body doesn’t lie. It’s why I hate myself for needing her words so often, but with her, it’s not consent I need. I need her, not only unafraid to admit what she wants but to own it, willing to say it aloud to everyone. “Or do you see a very jealous man who doesn’t appreciate another man’s hands on his woman?”
Her lashes flutter against her cheeks. She loves that I claim her, but she cannot let go of what her mind is telling her.
The mind is a strange thing. It’s where logic and reason reside. Without the heart, it would die. You can follow your head, denying your heart for a while, but eventually, the organ that pumps life through you will reign, whether you like it or not.
Trust me. Even hundreds of miles away, I learned that lesson.
Her lips part with a stuttered gasp. She’s in my arms, her lips a breath from mine. We’re blocking the sidewalk, no doubt drawing attention from those exiting the rehearsal space and many others, but they may as well be invisible as I lose myself in those endless pools that stare at me with astonishment and adoration she cannot conceal.
“Y-you can’t say things like that,” she breathes against my lips.
“I can say anything I want, especially when it’s true.”
“Some-someone might see us—hear you.”
“No one is paying attention to us,” I lie. “But even if they were, I wouldn’t care.”
“We… you… You said—”
“I would give you time.” A silky strand falls across her face, and I twine it around my fingers before tucking it behind her ear, then allow my knuckles to skim her neck before I drop my hands and step away. I’ve pushed her enough for now, but I won’t deny her look of disappointment and loss gives me great satisfaction. “I will give you time, but time doesn’t change that you are mine. And when someone thinks they can take what’s mine, I will show them why they never will. I don’t share or play well with others, Casey. You need to remember that now.” I jerk my head toward the car, gesturing for her to go. She bites her lip, feet not moving. I lift a brow, wanting to grab her, barely resisting. “It wasn’t a request, Sunflower.”
Her shoulders pull back, and her chin tilts up. That’s it, baby. Show everyone how strong you are. The cutest pout purses her lips as she stomps toward the car. A deep chuckle rumbles in my chest.
Shoving my hands in my pockets, I follow with thin pressed lips to hide my grin. “Nice job playing the spoiled, bratty little sister.” I tease as I reach around where she leans against my car with her arms folded across her chest giving me the stink eye.
“He wasn’t trying to…” Her hands wave in the air in annoyance. “He wasn’t interested in me like that.”
I open the door and gesture for her to get inside, not acknowledging what she just said because she’s oblivious to her beauty and the effect it has on men. She starts to slide into the passenger seat, poking her tongue out at me, when I grab her arm. “Better watch who you stick that tongue out at. You might not like how I put it to use.”
Her brows dip in confusion before leaping to her forehead as a tiny noise escapes her. I shove her into the car with her mouth hanging open, then return to my side. Unasked questions bore into the side of my head as I start the engine. The ticking of the turn signal chimes through the car as I check the mirrors and pull into traffic, noticing Will merging a couple of car lengths behind me. Finally, I give the unspoken curiosity in the air my attention. “Don’t just stare, baby. You didn’t use to hold back with me.”
“Actually, I held back a lot.” I’m sure I’m not meant to hear it, but I do. It makes my teeth grind to keep the questions in my head at bay; questions I probably don’t want answered.
“Ask what you want, Case.”
“It’s… Well, it’s two things, actually. One question and one statement.” She watches me, I guess waiting for a response.
“Okay. Ask me your question.”
“Why me?”
Fuck, my jaw is starting to hurt with how often I find myself grinding my teeth to hold my tongue. Snapping at her will make her shut down, if not trigger a damn panic attack. Patience. It’s what I keep reminding myself she needs. She doesn’t say it, but I know she’s got a lot of trauma because of her psycho bitch egg donor.
Silently, I count to ten in my head as I try to find the words to answer her question.
Another funny thing about the heart, it doesn’t like a lot of bullshit talk. And emotions can’t be explained with words. Not really. We try, but how do you explain feelings and sensations, and even if I could, it doesn’t answer her question.
“Casey,” I sigh, accepting that nothing I say will help her understand, “one day you will look in the mirror and you’re going to see what I do. You’ll see how beautiful you are. And I don’t mean just physically, but, baby, you’ve turned into the most stunning woman I’ve laid eyes on. What I mean is you’ll see the kindness that radiates out of you. Your heart is huge. You’re loyal and gentle and so goddamn strong. You accept people for who they are. You don’t try to change them. You never ask for anything, but you’re always willing to give. You listen without saying a word, knowing sometimes a person just needs to vent. You never judge. In fact, you search for reasons to excuse behavior you shouldn’t, taking blame on yourself when others treat you badly. And I fucking hate that you do it, but it’s another reason I…” I clear my throat, stopping myself before I say something I’m not ready to say and she’s not ready to hear. “The question should never be why you. It should be how in the hell could it not be you?”
She’s quiet—too quiet—and I wonder if my near slip has freaked her out. I cut my eyes toward her, worried I upset her. She stares at her hands, blue eyes misting with unshed tears, and fuck I hate it. I cannot handle her tears. I’m two seconds from pulling over despite there not being anywhere to pull over when she turns her head. She swipes her fingers under her eyes and clears her throat. “Okay,” she whispers.
“Okay.” Silence fills the car, and though it’s not truly awkward, it bothers me. After several endless seconds, I break it. “You said you had a statement.”
“I did.”
When she sniffles, continuing to look out the window, I prod. “Don’t keep me in suspense, Sunflower. What is it?”
“That I have no idea who you are.”
She says it so low, I almost think I imagined it except it’s not the first time she’s said it.
That she believes it is aggravating, but I understand why she thinks it. I reach over, taking her hand, and lacing her fingers through mine. “I know this will sound absurd, but you know me better than anyone.” Her intake of breath tells me she’s about to argue, so I quickly continue. “I know you think I showed you a different version of me, but you are the only one who ever got the real me. I might have censored myself, but I told you everything.”
“That can’t be true.”
I glance at her, and her face is full of doubt that I’m not sure how to alleviate. It does sound unbelievable, a grown man confiding in a child. But it was often easier telling her about my day, my thoughts, my plans, or whatever I needed to get off my chest because I knew there would be no judgment.
I wanted to prove myself to the world as more than the son of Maxwell Davis or the grandson of Simon Davis and James Mahoney. That I was more than a trust fund and a silver spoon getting rich off the talent of other men. I was terrified of being a disappointment to my mother’s memory because I didn’t inherit her musical ability.
With Casey, I had nothing to prove. She looked at me like I hung the sun and the moon. Maybe that makes me a narcissist.
Maybe she just doesn’t remember everything I’ve told her. “You know everything important, baby.”
She shakes her head. “I’ve never seen this side of you. This demanding, controlling possessiveness. You threatened Devon,” she whispers as if someone might hear. “You were never like that before.”
“Wasn’t I?” I laugh loudly. “It might’ve seemed more protective than possessive back then, but it was always there, Sunflower. Remember when I was the one who drove you to your first dance with that punk ass Lambert kid?”
“I forgot about that. Probably because it was my only dance. I never got asked to another.” I wince, knowing that’s probably my fault. I tell her as much, watching her reaction. She waves me off, seeming less than convinced. I wish I were sorry, but I’m glad I kept those hormone-driven assholes away from her.
“Every guy you went out with in high school, or at least the ones I knew about, got the same message,” I confess.
“It didn’t matter,” she shrugs. “Mom paid them all to go out with me anyway, so it’s not like they were genuinely interested.”
“That’s a load of shit, Casey. Krista never paid for anyone’s attention to be on you. It goes against everything she is.”
“If you say so,” she mutters.
My nostrils flare as I roll my head over my shoulders. The hand wrapped around hers tightens as frustration builds. Calm down, .
“I do, but that’s not the point,” I say through clenched teeth. “How I am—what you see—it’s the same as it’s always been. The intensity of it just… evolved. When you were younger, I had this need to protect you. Now, I have this fierce, insatiable, deranged need to possess you.”
Fuck, even I can see the red flags waving.
I turn off the car and slide out of my seat. I walk around the rear to her door, gripping the handle. The click of the latch releasing echoes in the garage, and I pull it open, extending my hand. She takes it, blinking as she looks around as if realizing for the first time where we are. “?”
I slip my hand behind her neck, bringing her close to me. My mouth slants over hers, and I groan. Her tongue as always is timid against mine at first, but it only takes a second before she explores my mouth as deeply as I search hers. I relish her sweet flavor, the innocence in every brush of our tongues. Practiced restraint pulls me back, but I keep my forehead pressed to hers. “We better get inside before I spread you on the hood.”
She looks at me with a knitted brow, concern etched on her face. “Is…”
My fingers press against her lips. “I would never bring you here if she were.” What I don’t tell her is that she won’t be coming back either.
“What about everyone else? I mean Maxwell and the staff,” she clarifies at my puzzled look. “What will they say?”
I smirk, turning and guiding us through the garage. My arm drapes over her narrow shoulders, pulling her to my side. “My guess is they won’t think anything at all.”
“But…”
“No buts, baby. Now let’s go see your little brother.”