“Hey, Pepper,” he whispered, running a hand through his artfully disheveled hair. The action only made the dark blond hair stick out more wildly. Just like his brother, he was probably hot on his worst day. “Fancy seeing you here.”
“Yeah. I live here.” My gaze flicked from him to Heather’s door—RA, grad student, and twenty-four. “Does she know you’re in high school?”
He grinned crookedly, bending to tug on his shoes. “I don’t think she cares.”
I snorted. “I bet.”
“Hey, you have a car, right?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Well, Heather drove last night. I was going to call someone for a lift back to Mulvaney’s . . .”
I smirked. “Why don’t you ask Heather?”
“Oh, I don’t want to wake her.”
“Right.” Readjusting my laundry basket on my hip, I started for my room. “Let me just drop this off and grab my keys.”
“Thanks.” He followed behind. When I glanced back it was to catch him looking nervously over his shoulder—as if he was worried that Heather was going to come after him.
I dropped off my basket and grabbed my keys, a smile twitching my mouth. “C’mon, Romeo.”
He grinned unrepentantly as we walked to the elevator. “I’m no Romeo. There’s no one girl I’m pining for.”
I nodded. “This is true.”
“Now my brother on the other hand . . .” His voice trailed off as he eyed me knowingly.
I shook my head, warmth crawling over my face and reaching all the way to my ears. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You two have been seeing a lot of each other.”
I shrugged one shoulder uneasily. “I wouldn’t say a lot.” Sure, I had seen more of him than any guy before, but Logan didn’t know that.
We stepped into the empty elevator. Two girls were already there, talking. Their gazes slid over Logan appreciatively before they continued with their conversation. A conversation I couldn’t help listening to—especially when I heard the words kink club. Em would want me to tell her everything I overheard. She’d been on a mission to learn more about it ever since we first heard of its existence. She thought it an insult that she somehow hadn’t landed an invitation yet.
“Yeah . . . Hannah got an invite,” one said. “Apparently she knows someone who’s already a member. And you know Hannah, she’s always been into the freaky stuff . . .”
I couldn’t help sliding a look to Logan. Clearly, he was listening, too, if the interested expression on his face signified anything. He was probably wishing he could meet this Hannah.
Stepping off the elevator, I teased, “You want to ask them for Hannah’s number?”
He chuckled as we stepped outside into the brisk morning. The wind cut sharply at my face and I wished I had taken the time to throw a jacket and scarf over my sweater. “She does sound interesting, but no thanks. I’m more of a traditionalist.”
I didn’t bother pointing out that sleeping with a different girl every week didn’t exactly qualify as traditional. We slid into the car and I turned on the heat as soon as I started it.
“So,” I began as I pulled from the parking lot. “Your brother know where you are?”
His smile shifted into something smug and catlike. His stare turned knowing, and I had to fight the urge to fidget.
“Why don’t you just ask me what you really want to know?”
“W-what do you mean?” I stammered.
“You want to know everything about my brother. Admit it.”
“I don’t want to know everything.” Just the key parts.
“Well, I can tell you that he’s seriously into you.”
“How can you tell that?” I demanded before realizing that I should maybe try to act like I didn’t care either way.
“There haven’t been a lot of girls. I mean, clearly he’s no me.” I snorted and rolled my eyes. He flattened a palm to his chest and winked. “But there have been a few. Nothing like you though.”
“And what am I like?”
“You, Pepper, are the kind of girl a guy brings home. Which is why I guess Reece never got involved with your type before. We don’t have much of a home to bring girls home to. Our old man is a piece of work. Even before his accident, he was bitter and foul-mouthed. Hell, I don’t know what flew faster—his fists or the empty beer bottles he threw at us.”
My hands clenched around the steering wheel. A familiar sour feeling rolled through me. It sounded like his childhood was no better than mine. A different poison, yes, but poison was poison. “He sounds great.”
“Yeah. A real prince.”
“You mentioned an accident.” Reece hadn’t called what happened to his father an accident. He blamed himself. “What happened?”
“He wrapped his truck around a tree. Broke his spine.”
A car crash? How was that Reece’s fault? I moistened my lips. “Reece said something. It sounded like he thinks he’s responsible.”
Logan looked at me sharply. “He said that to you?”
I nodded.
Logan swore. “It wasn’t his fault. The old man blames him, but it’s bullshit. Reece didn’t come home for spring break to work, and Dad wrecked his truck driving home after closing up. In his mind, if Reece had been there he wouldn’t have been driving that night.”
My mind reeled as I pulled into Mulvaney’s parking lot. I guessed we all had our crosses to bear. Except Hunter. He only ever knew a loving family. Parents that stood by their children and protected and supported them. “That’s not right.”
“Nope,” Logan announced, a tightness in his voice hinting that he had a lot more to say on the subject of his brother dropping out of school and sacrificing his future. “I wouldn’t have done it. I’m more selfish, I guess. Once I graduate, I’m out of here. Gonna live my own life. Hopefully, Reece will, too. He won’t have me to worry about anymore at least.”
“You think he’ll go back to school?”
He shook his head. “No, he enjoys running the bar. He didn’t at first, but it’s in his blood. Our grandfather opened it and made it what it is. The business had been in decline with Dad. Things have picked up since Reece took over. He’s been talking with different banks about opening a second location. My dad will flip his shit. He doesn’t like change. But I doubt that will stop Reece. He’s determined.”
I pulled up to the back door, wishing I had driven slower. Everything Logan said revealed a new side to Reece, confirming that he was more than I first assumed.
Opening the door, Logan hesitated. “Thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome.”
His eyes, so like Reece’s, fastened on me. “My brother is a good guy, you know.”
I nodded, unsure what to say to that.
“I heard you came over and took care of him when he was sick.” I nodded once, warmth flushing my face. “He deserves someone like you.”
Embarrassed, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked out the windshield. “That’s nice of you to say, but you don’t know me at all, Logan.” I wasn’t someone who was going to save his brother. Even if I wanted to, it wasn’t in me to save anyone. I could barely save myself.
“Maybe I can see you better than you think.”
“I don’t think so.”
“All right then. Fine. Maybe I don’t.” Something in his voice pulled my attention back to his face. His pale eyes cut into me. “But Reece does. He sees you. He wouldn’t be wasting his time with you otherwise.”
My fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “You’re making a lot of assumptions here. It isn’t like that between us. Reece and I are barely friends.”
He laughed a little then, shaking his head like I’d said something incredibly funny. “Keep telling yourself that.” Climbing out of the car, he ducked his head to look back inside. “See you around, Pepper.”
He slammed the door shut, and the sound reverberated on the air for a moment as I watched him disappear into the bar. Muttering to myself, I put the car into drive, deciding I probably needed to take a little break from hanging out so much at Mulvaney’s.
Chapter 18
The following day Reece stood at my door. The vestiges of Halloween still lingered in the hall behind him. Heather insisted the culprits come forward to clean it up themselves, and so far no takers. For a moment I felt uncomfortable, remembering my conversation with his brother. I was pretty certain Reece wouldn’t appreciate him sharing everything he had with me, but then I doubted Logan had confessed our little chat to him—primarily his matchmaking efforts. The realization that Reece likely knew nothing of that encounter eased my tension.
He carried one of those little white boxes from Em’s favorite bakery.
I pointed at it. “What’s that?”
“A cupcake.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What kind?”
“Red velvet.” Oh my God. He was bringing me cupcakes?
He held the box out to me. “Thanks for coming over the other day and taking care of me.”
I accepted the box and waved him in. He sat at my desk.
I sank down on the bed and lifted the lid. Peering in, I salivated at the glimpse of cream cheese frosting. “This looks so good.” Lifting it from the box, I peeled back the wrapper and bit into it with a moan.
“That good?”
“Want some?”
“No. I’m fine.”
I angled my head at him. “Seriously? It’s the size of a cantaloupe. Share it with me.”
With a half smile, he joined me on the bed. Later, I would wonder if maybe that had been my intention all along. To get him on the bed with me.
I held the cupcake up for him, thinking he would take it from my hand. He took a bite with his strong, white teeth instead. My eyes flared. “That’s like half the cupcake.”
He chewed, his thumb catching a bit of icing on his lip and licking it. “You asked me to take a bite. I’m a guy. I can’t help it if I take big bites. The rest is yours.”
“Hmm.” I gave him a look of mock reprimand and took another bite—dainty compared to his.
“I meant what I said.”
I swallowed before asking, “What?”
“Thanks for staying and looking after me.”
“Oh.” I took another bite, shrugging as I chewed, feeling awkward under the intensity of his stare. “Anyone would have—”
“Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Make light of what you did. Who you are. The truth is that I can’t think of another person who would have fussed over me the way you did. Not since my mom died.” He nodded slowly. “You’re a sweet girl, Pepper.”
My face warmed at his praise and my stomach got all fluttery. I swallowed the last bit of cupcake and flinched when his thumb swiped the edge of my mouth, pulling away a bit of icing that he took into his own mouth. I watched him, riveted. “Isn’t it supposed to be the kiss of death when a guy calls you ‘sweet’?”
He looked at me. The moment stretched thickly until he answered, “Not if you’re so sweet all I can think about is getting you n**ed and tasting every inch of you again.”
A breath shuddered from my lips. Sucking in a deep breath, I rose up on my knees and straddled him. My hands lifted, hovering in the air before I brought them down on his shoulders, feeling the firm flesh, corded and taut with sinew beneath his shirt. His hands fell on my hips, gripping gently. We stared into each other’s eyes. He wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled my head down until my mouth met his.
“Yeah. I live here.” My gaze flicked from him to Heather’s door—RA, grad student, and twenty-four. “Does she know you’re in high school?”
He grinned crookedly, bending to tug on his shoes. “I don’t think she cares.”
I snorted. “I bet.”
“Hey, you have a car, right?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Well, Heather drove last night. I was going to call someone for a lift back to Mulvaney’s . . .”
I smirked. “Why don’t you ask Heather?”
“Oh, I don’t want to wake her.”
“Right.” Readjusting my laundry basket on my hip, I started for my room. “Let me just drop this off and grab my keys.”
“Thanks.” He followed behind. When I glanced back it was to catch him looking nervously over his shoulder—as if he was worried that Heather was going to come after him.
I dropped off my basket and grabbed my keys, a smile twitching my mouth. “C’mon, Romeo.”
He grinned unrepentantly as we walked to the elevator. “I’m no Romeo. There’s no one girl I’m pining for.”
I nodded. “This is true.”
“Now my brother on the other hand . . .” His voice trailed off as he eyed me knowingly.
I shook my head, warmth crawling over my face and reaching all the way to my ears. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You two have been seeing a lot of each other.”
I shrugged one shoulder uneasily. “I wouldn’t say a lot.” Sure, I had seen more of him than any guy before, but Logan didn’t know that.
We stepped into the empty elevator. Two girls were already there, talking. Their gazes slid over Logan appreciatively before they continued with their conversation. A conversation I couldn’t help listening to—especially when I heard the words kink club. Em would want me to tell her everything I overheard. She’d been on a mission to learn more about it ever since we first heard of its existence. She thought it an insult that she somehow hadn’t landed an invitation yet.
“Yeah . . . Hannah got an invite,” one said. “Apparently she knows someone who’s already a member. And you know Hannah, she’s always been into the freaky stuff . . .”
I couldn’t help sliding a look to Logan. Clearly, he was listening, too, if the interested expression on his face signified anything. He was probably wishing he could meet this Hannah.
Stepping off the elevator, I teased, “You want to ask them for Hannah’s number?”
He chuckled as we stepped outside into the brisk morning. The wind cut sharply at my face and I wished I had taken the time to throw a jacket and scarf over my sweater. “She does sound interesting, but no thanks. I’m more of a traditionalist.”
I didn’t bother pointing out that sleeping with a different girl every week didn’t exactly qualify as traditional. We slid into the car and I turned on the heat as soon as I started it.
“So,” I began as I pulled from the parking lot. “Your brother know where you are?”
His smile shifted into something smug and catlike. His stare turned knowing, and I had to fight the urge to fidget.
“Why don’t you just ask me what you really want to know?”
“W-what do you mean?” I stammered.
“You want to know everything about my brother. Admit it.”
“I don’t want to know everything.” Just the key parts.
“Well, I can tell you that he’s seriously into you.”
“How can you tell that?” I demanded before realizing that I should maybe try to act like I didn’t care either way.
“There haven’t been a lot of girls. I mean, clearly he’s no me.” I snorted and rolled my eyes. He flattened a palm to his chest and winked. “But there have been a few. Nothing like you though.”
“And what am I like?”
“You, Pepper, are the kind of girl a guy brings home. Which is why I guess Reece never got involved with your type before. We don’t have much of a home to bring girls home to. Our old man is a piece of work. Even before his accident, he was bitter and foul-mouthed. Hell, I don’t know what flew faster—his fists or the empty beer bottles he threw at us.”
My hands clenched around the steering wheel. A familiar sour feeling rolled through me. It sounded like his childhood was no better than mine. A different poison, yes, but poison was poison. “He sounds great.”
“Yeah. A real prince.”
“You mentioned an accident.” Reece hadn’t called what happened to his father an accident. He blamed himself. “What happened?”
“He wrapped his truck around a tree. Broke his spine.”
A car crash? How was that Reece’s fault? I moistened my lips. “Reece said something. It sounded like he thinks he’s responsible.”
Logan looked at me sharply. “He said that to you?”
I nodded.
Logan swore. “It wasn’t his fault. The old man blames him, but it’s bullshit. Reece didn’t come home for spring break to work, and Dad wrecked his truck driving home after closing up. In his mind, if Reece had been there he wouldn’t have been driving that night.”
My mind reeled as I pulled into Mulvaney’s parking lot. I guessed we all had our crosses to bear. Except Hunter. He only ever knew a loving family. Parents that stood by their children and protected and supported them. “That’s not right.”
“Nope,” Logan announced, a tightness in his voice hinting that he had a lot more to say on the subject of his brother dropping out of school and sacrificing his future. “I wouldn’t have done it. I’m more selfish, I guess. Once I graduate, I’m out of here. Gonna live my own life. Hopefully, Reece will, too. He won’t have me to worry about anymore at least.”
“You think he’ll go back to school?”
He shook his head. “No, he enjoys running the bar. He didn’t at first, but it’s in his blood. Our grandfather opened it and made it what it is. The business had been in decline with Dad. Things have picked up since Reece took over. He’s been talking with different banks about opening a second location. My dad will flip his shit. He doesn’t like change. But I doubt that will stop Reece. He’s determined.”
I pulled up to the back door, wishing I had driven slower. Everything Logan said revealed a new side to Reece, confirming that he was more than I first assumed.
Opening the door, Logan hesitated. “Thanks for the ride.”
“You’re welcome.”
His eyes, so like Reece’s, fastened on me. “My brother is a good guy, you know.”
I nodded, unsure what to say to that.
“I heard you came over and took care of him when he was sick.” I nodded once, warmth flushing my face. “He deserves someone like you.”
Embarrassed, I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and looked out the windshield. “That’s nice of you to say, but you don’t know me at all, Logan.” I wasn’t someone who was going to save his brother. Even if I wanted to, it wasn’t in me to save anyone. I could barely save myself.
“Maybe I can see you better than you think.”
“I don’t think so.”
“All right then. Fine. Maybe I don’t.” Something in his voice pulled my attention back to his face. His pale eyes cut into me. “But Reece does. He sees you. He wouldn’t be wasting his time with you otherwise.”
My fingers tightened on the steering wheel. “You’re making a lot of assumptions here. It isn’t like that between us. Reece and I are barely friends.”
He laughed a little then, shaking his head like I’d said something incredibly funny. “Keep telling yourself that.” Climbing out of the car, he ducked his head to look back inside. “See you around, Pepper.”
He slammed the door shut, and the sound reverberated on the air for a moment as I watched him disappear into the bar. Muttering to myself, I put the car into drive, deciding I probably needed to take a little break from hanging out so much at Mulvaney’s.
Chapter 18
The following day Reece stood at my door. The vestiges of Halloween still lingered in the hall behind him. Heather insisted the culprits come forward to clean it up themselves, and so far no takers. For a moment I felt uncomfortable, remembering my conversation with his brother. I was pretty certain Reece wouldn’t appreciate him sharing everything he had with me, but then I doubted Logan had confessed our little chat to him—primarily his matchmaking efforts. The realization that Reece likely knew nothing of that encounter eased my tension.
He carried one of those little white boxes from Em’s favorite bakery.
I pointed at it. “What’s that?”
“A cupcake.”
I arched an eyebrow. “What kind?”
“Red velvet.” Oh my God. He was bringing me cupcakes?
He held the box out to me. “Thanks for coming over the other day and taking care of me.”
I accepted the box and waved him in. He sat at my desk.
I sank down on the bed and lifted the lid. Peering in, I salivated at the glimpse of cream cheese frosting. “This looks so good.” Lifting it from the box, I peeled back the wrapper and bit into it with a moan.
“That good?”
“Want some?”
“No. I’m fine.”
I angled my head at him. “Seriously? It’s the size of a cantaloupe. Share it with me.”
With a half smile, he joined me on the bed. Later, I would wonder if maybe that had been my intention all along. To get him on the bed with me.
I held the cupcake up for him, thinking he would take it from my hand. He took a bite with his strong, white teeth instead. My eyes flared. “That’s like half the cupcake.”
He chewed, his thumb catching a bit of icing on his lip and licking it. “You asked me to take a bite. I’m a guy. I can’t help it if I take big bites. The rest is yours.”
“Hmm.” I gave him a look of mock reprimand and took another bite—dainty compared to his.
“I meant what I said.”
I swallowed before asking, “What?”
“Thanks for staying and looking after me.”
“Oh.” I took another bite, shrugging as I chewed, feeling awkward under the intensity of his stare. “Anyone would have—”
“Don’t do that.”
“What?”
“Make light of what you did. Who you are. The truth is that I can’t think of another person who would have fussed over me the way you did. Not since my mom died.” He nodded slowly. “You’re a sweet girl, Pepper.”
My face warmed at his praise and my stomach got all fluttery. I swallowed the last bit of cupcake and flinched when his thumb swiped the edge of my mouth, pulling away a bit of icing that he took into his own mouth. I watched him, riveted. “Isn’t it supposed to be the kiss of death when a guy calls you ‘sweet’?”
He looked at me. The moment stretched thickly until he answered, “Not if you’re so sweet all I can think about is getting you n**ed and tasting every inch of you again.”
A breath shuddered from my lips. Sucking in a deep breath, I rose up on my knees and straddled him. My hands lifted, hovering in the air before I brought them down on his shoulders, feeling the firm flesh, corded and taut with sinew beneath his shirt. His hands fell on my hips, gripping gently. We stared into each other’s eyes. He wrapped a hand around the back of my neck and pulled my head down until my mouth met his.
