Grant
Iwalked into Rush’s after only knocking once. I wasn’t in the mood to wait. Blaire came walking down the stairs with Nate on her hip and a handful of her hair in his mouth.
“Grant?” she said, looking concerned. I hadn’t barged in as if I owned the place since Blaire and Rush got married. It was no longer my brother’s bachelor pad but their house.
“She let me talk and then she said okay and forgave me and left. Nothing else. No questions. Nothing. Then . . . then f*cking Adam said he was taking her out tonight. I stopped by the café to get a bottle of water and he was talking to someone else and I overheard him. Adam! He’s . . . he’s . . . just . . .”
“He’s a nice guy,” Blaire finished for me as she tugged her hair from Nate’s fists. Then she handed him to me. “Take him. But don’t curse. I need to fix myself something to eat and you can talk while I do that.”
Nate grinned up at me and I noticed one small tooth peeking through his bottom gums. “Look at you. You got a tooth, little man.”
Nate continued smiling as he reached for my hair. The kid had a good grip and I had too much damn hair. “Whoa, dude. That needs to stay on my head.” I reached into my pocket and grabbed my keys and handed them to him to distract him.
Blaire turned at the sound of him jingling them and reached to take them from him. “Those have germs. He puts everything in his mouth. He’s teething.” She walked into the kitchen and opened the freezer and took out some blue frozen-looking toy and handed it to him.
“It’s gonna freeze his hands,” I said, wondering what the heck she was doing.
“No, it’s meant for teething. It will numb his gums.”
This kid shit was more than I wanted to think about.
“Where’s Rush?”
“He went running on the beach. He’ll be back soon. He’s been gone for an hour. Now, back to Harlow,” she said, reaching into the fridge to retrieve food that didn’t look appealing at all. “She forgave you and let you off the hook and you’re pissed because she didn’t put up a fight and is now going out with Adam.”
Not exactly. She made it sound like I was being selfish.
“I just . . . wanted to talk about it more.”
Blaire looked up at me from where she was slicing a tomato. “Really? That’s what you wanted? Because most of the time when a guy is trying to give a girl the brush-off he wants no drama. Sounds like Harlow gave you the easy out.”
“I wasn’t brushing her off,” I said defensively as Nate threw his frozen blue thing onto the floor and began clapping as if he had just done something fantastic.
Blaire smirked. “He wants you to pick it up. Be warned, this is his favorite game. He’ll treat you like a dog. He will keep doing it as long as you fetch it.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Well what the he— I mean, heck do I do then?”
She shrugged. “Be his favorite uncle and pick it up or be the party poopero and ignore his game.”
Dammit. I reached down and got it and handed it to him and he beamed at me as if I was the most wonderful person in the world. The kid was cute. And at the moment I felt pretty damn special . . . until he threw it on the floor again and began clapping.
“He’s a manipulator,” I told her as I bent down to get it.
“Or you’re a sucker,” Rush said as he opened the back door and stepped inside. He smirked at me, then went over to Blaire to kiss her openly right there in front of me and the kid.
“I need help. Let her face go, you’re gonna eat it off,” I grumbled.
Rush went a little longer on the kiss just to be an ass, then shot a look over at me. “This about Harlow again?”
“Yes,” Blaire said, pressing one last kiss to his lips before going back to the tomato.
“Dadadadada,” Nate said happily, and Blaire and Rush both froze. Blaire dropped her knife on the bar and covered her mouth.
Rush stared at his son with an emotion I didn’t understand.
“Dadadadada,” Nate said again.
“Ohmygod he did say it,” Blaire said as tears filled her eyes and she laughed out loud.
Rush walked around the bar and took Nate from me as if I wasn’t even standing there. “Hey, buddy,” he said with awe in his voice. Nate patted Rush’s chest. “Dadadadadada,” he said again.
Blaire made another happy cry sound and Rush grinned. “That’s right, buddy. You can say it now, can’t you?”
I looked over at Blaire and I realized this had to be Nate’s first word. I was witnessing a special family moment and I needed to leave. This was their time with their son. I would talk to Blaire later.
Blaire ran around the counter and wrapped her arms around Rush’s back. “Who is this, Nate?” she asked, and once again he happily answered.
I didn’t say anything as I slipped out the door and headed for my truck. I quickly sent Rush a text.
“Tell Nate I said congrats on his first word. I’ll talk to y’all later. That was a moment y’all needed to enjoy alone.”
?
It was after eight and all I could think about was Harlow’s f*cking date. Why? I had let her go. I had told her I couldn’t commit to her. No dating. No nothing. I just had one damn good memory to cherish. The best. Now I had to move on. If I was scared to be involved in more than a shallow relationship then I needed to embrace my fate. I just wasn’t going to be shallow with Nan. That was too f*cked up.
Harlow was looking for more. I was looking for less. So, I headed to the closest honky-tonk. I’d find a hot little number who just wanted a good time and take her home. I didn’t want the strings of a girl from the club. They were all f*cking looking for more than I wanted to give.
I was familiar with this place. It was go-to when I wanted to get out of Rosemary. They had good cover bands and cold beer. College girls were always in abundance from the local state school.
Walking in, I scanned the place until I saw several promising opportunities then made my way over to the bar. Lynette was bartending tonight. She was a looker for someone old enough to be my mom.
“Hey, handsome. Haven’t seen you all week. Thought you might have left town again.”
I flashed her a smile that I knew wouldn’t make her blush. She was too hardcore, but I knew she still liked being flirted with. “Can’t leave you for too long,” I replied.
“Bullshit.” She grinned and set a tall mug in front of me. “That’s the best we got on tap tonight.”
“Thanks, sexy,” I replied and winked.
Lynette let out a bark of laughter then walked over to help someone else. I turned to look out over the room. Two pretty blondes with matching black halter tops and red leather miniskirts were sending me flirty little smiles. They weren’t twins but they were trying real hard to be. The matching outfits were a nice touch. Not to mention they had some killer legs. They weren’t in Harlow’s league, though . . .
No! F*ck no! I interrupted my own thoughts. I wasn’t going to compare girls to Harlow. Those two were hot. They had nice plump tits about to fall out of their barely there tops. And the spiked heels were doing it for me. I shoved off from the bar.
“Figured those two would get your attention,” I heard Lynette say in an amused tone.
I glanced back at her. “You know me well.”
She just shook her head and fixed another drink.
Both girls tried to strike sexy poses as I approached them. They wanted it. This would be too damn easy. I needed easy tonight.
“You two here all alone? Looking like that?” I asked then took a sip of my drink. I wasn’t going to give them any dumbass lines.
They giggled and glanced at each other. “Yes,” they both replied.
So they were doing the answer at the same time thing. They had this twins bit perfected. I was impressed.
The band began to pump out a deep, heavy, sexy sound and I set my beer down. “Dance with me,” I said and walked past them onto the floor. I didn’t have to look back to know they were following me.
I wanted to see how good these two really were. They were promising a lot with those bodies and the way they were dressed, but their dance moves would tell me if they were worth my night. Besides, I wasn’t drunk yet. I needed more alcohol for this.
“I’m Carly,” the one with dark brown eyes said as she moved her body close enough that it pressed her tits out over her top even more.
“I’m Casey,” the other one said as her body pressed against my back.
They had even chosen names that matched. Cute.
“Show me what you got, girls,” I said as I slid one hand on the hip of the girl in front and took the girl’s hand from behind me and wrapped it around my waist.
This was what I was telling myself I wanted. So I needed to f*cking learn how to enjoy it again. Casey moved her hand down to rest over my dick and rub it as she moved her body against my back. I slipped my hand down over Carly’s ass and let two fingers tuck underneath the hemline and tease the bare skin just under there. She had nice skin. Her breasts were pressed just under my mouth and with each move of our bodies I let myself focus on how good it would be to suck on those nipples. My cock started stiffening under my jeans as Casey kept rubbing.
I moved my legs farther apart and let her slip her hand down and grab my balls through my jeans. These two could give me some relief tonight.
“Feel good?” Casey asked in my ear.
“When your mouth’s on it it’ll feel better,” I replied.
“I like it on my knees,” Carly replied, licking her lips.
Yeah, these two would do.
Harlow
Adam had been polite and attentive during dinner. He hadn’t mentioned my dad or Mase once, which was a relief. It helped wash that worry away. Old habits die hard, and I was good at putting up walls when I was suspicious of guys using me to get to my dad.
We had watched an action movie because we both liked them. It was nice not to be “on” and worried about conversation for two hours. Then he had taken me home. Nan’s car was gone and so was Mase’s truck. I could invite him in, I guessed. Was that what I was supposed to do?
“I had a good time tonight,” I told him as we walked toward the door.
“Me, too. I’m hoping we can do it again,” he said with sincerity in his voice.
“I’d like that,” I answered honestly. Because it was true. I had been nervous but the date had been easy. It had also given me something to do tonight.
I reached into my purse and pulled out the keys. “Would you like to come in for a drink? I have coffee,” I suggested, not sure if I should be offering something stronger.
Adam grinned. “Yeah, I would. I wasn’t really ready to say good-bye just yet.”
I sighed with relief. I had done the right thing.
I opened the door and held it for him as he walked inside.
“Come on in,” I said.
He let out a low whistle. I glanced around. The place was kind of impressive for a house on a beach. “Nan has expensive taste,” I explained and set my purse down on the table by the entrance. “Kitchen is this way,” I said before walking toward it.
“You adjusting to living with someone you don’t get along with?” he asked.
“Yes and no. It is what it is. We’re working through it but ignoring each other,” I replied. We entered the kitchen. “You want coffee or something else? Nan has a full bar.”
“I need to drive home so coffee is good,” he said.
I kept myself busy making the coffee and let Adam look around the place as he waited. “Is your brother staying here, too?” His question immediately made me tense. I had to remind myself that he was just trying to make small talk. Talking about Mase did not mean he was interested in my dad.
“He’s staying here while he’s visiting.”
“A family gathering,” he said with a smile.
I wouldn’t think about that. I would not. I had to learn to trust people. Just because he was mentioning my family did not mean he was a fan of my father’s. I had to overcome that insecurity.
“Not exactly,” I replied, and pulled two cups down from the cabinet.
I heard the beep that sounded when an entry door or window opened and I froze. If it was Nan this could be bad. Then I heard her voice laughing and a deeper voice. I felt sick to my stomach. Please, God, don’t let that be Grant. Not right now. I can’t deal with that. I wasn’t ready just yet.
Her heels clacked against the marble as she walked down the hallway. They were headed this way.
“Nan,” I explained to him as I poured a cup of coffee.
“Ah,” he said simply.
“Cream and sugar?” I asked.
“Black is good,” he replied.
I handed him the cup as Nan came staggering into the kitchen on the arm of a tall blond guy with a dark tan. He was dressed in a pale pink polo and a pair of plaid shorts. If he weren’t so attractive the outfit would have looked ridiculous on him.
“Well, hello,” he said, smiling at me in a way that made me uncomfortable. Then his gaze moved to Adam and his eyes widened a bit. “Adam, hey,” he said as Nan looked sourly at both of us.
“What are you doing here?” she snapped.
“I live here, and he’s my company,” I replied, stirring the sugar into my coffee and praying she would just go away.
“Pull in the claws, kitty. It’s your sister and Adam. Be nice.”
“She’s not my sister,” Nan said angrily.
I wasn’t in the mood for her stupid temper tantrums. I was getting sick of it.
“Then you probably should move out of the house my daddy paid for,” I said, and took a sip of my coffee.
The hate sparking off her eyes told me I’d pushed the right buttons. Good. She needed to grow up.
“How dare you!”
“How dare I what, Nan? Remind you that we share a father who owns this house? It’s as much mine as it is yours. If you want to argue, then please call him. I’m sure he’ll clarify that for you.”
The smart mouth was coming from somewhere. I wasn’t sure where; it was as if I’d been possessed and had no control over my words.
The tall blond guy laughed, then patted Nan’s arms as if to soothe her. “She’s your sister, all right. That mouth says it all. Calm your sexy ass and leave her and Adam alone. We aren’t here to drink coffee,” he said, then winked at me as if I wanted to know about his and Nan’s plans. “I’m August, by the way,” he said.
He was the golf pro I had heard about. I was just glad he wasn’t Grant. More glad than I wanted to admit. “Harlow. Nice to meet you,” I replied.
“Don’t talk to her,” Nan spat.
“You get mean when you drink tequila. I told you I was going to stop letting you drink so much,” August said.
“No, she’s mean all the time. Tequila has nothing to do with it,” I assured him.
Adam laughed this time, and I saw August hold back a smile. “I think I’ll stop things before we have a fight on our hands. Come on, Nan, let’s go upstairs.”
The beep sounded again and we all turned to see who was here.
The heavy sound of boots told me it was Mase before he walked into the kitchen.
“Shit, now he’s here,” Nan complained, which only made me smile.
Mase stepped into the kitchen and around Nan and August with a glance at them before he looked at me and Adam. “What’s up? Am I missing a family fight? I hate to miss those.”
“I’m taking this one upstairs to keep any swings from breaking out,” August told him.
Mase leaned against the counter in front of me before crossing his arms in front of his chest. “She can take swings if she wants, but she won’t touch Harlow. Not if she wants to keep her bones in working order,” he drawled as if he were bored.
August’s eyebrows shot up. “Dude, Harlow isn’t innocent here. She was mouthing off pretty good, too.”
Mase glanced back at me over his shoulder. “Did you talk back to her?” he asked.
I nodded. No use in lying. A grin broke out on his face. “Well, I’ll be damned. That’s my girl.” he turned back to August. “You can go on and take up with that one all you want. But when she’s stomped you under her spiky heels and crushed you, then you’ll see what a stupid idea this was.”
“Ugh, I hate both of you. Come on, August. Let’s go,” Nan grabbed his arm and they left the kitchen. We could hear Nan’s heels as she stormed up the stairs like a preschooler.
“That was . . . uh . . . interesting,” Adam said, then took a drink of his coffee.
“Ain’t it though. This place is a damn zoo,” Mase replied, and looked back at me. “Got any coffee left?”
I nodded and fixed him a cup then walked around the bar. It was awkward now. I wasn’t sure what to do with Adam after all that.
“I’m Harlow’s brother, Mase.”
He was introducing himself to Adam. I was a horrible hostess.
“Adam. Nice to meet you,” he replied.
“You two have a good night?” Mase asked.
“Yes,” we both said and I blushed.
Mase chuckled. “Well, I’ll head on up to bed. See you in the morning. Nice meeting you, Adam,” he said, kissing the top of my head, then heading for the stairs.
Once his heavy footsteps hit the stairs I looked over at Adam. “I’m sorry about all that. Maybe asking you in was a bad idea.”
“No. I, uh, get it now. Why you don’t like staying here. She’s mean as a damn snake. I am trying to figure out why August is messing around with her. I wonder if she even knows he has a little girl. Surely he isn’t letting her near his kid when he gets her on his weekends.”
Whoa . . . Nan was dating a man with a kid? I couldn’t imagine that.
“I hope he doesn’t. I’m afraid Nan would see a kid as competition for his attention. She’s that immature.”
Adam nodded and frowned. “I was thinking that, too.”
I drank some more of my coffee and considered inviting him into the living room or just saying good night. I was tired and after all that I wasn’t sure I wanted to make this last any longer. Especially if Nan started getting loud.
“I’m getting tired and my head is a little scattered.”
Adam nodded and gave me an understanding smile, then stood up.
“I get that. I would be, too.”
I set my cup down and led him back to the door.
“Thanks again for tonight, and I’m really sorry about all this.”
Adam didn’t respond right away. Instead, he stared down at me a moment as if he were deciding something important. Then he bent down slowly and in that brief moment I knew what was about to happen. It would be my first kiss since Grant. I had kissed Grant a lot during those two weeks. I didn’t want to compare him to Grant, but I was afraid I wouldn’t be able to stop myself.
When his lips touched mine they weren’t as soft but they were warm. He moved over my mouth gently and it was pleasant. He didn’t try for anything more. When he pulled back and smiled at me I knew that nothing would ever be as good as Grant’s kisses but that I could live with this.
“They are as soft and plump as they look,” he said, then shook his head with a grin on his face. “Good night, Harlow.” He opened the door before I could say more and stepped outside, closing it behind him.
He wasn’t Grant but he was nice. He wanted me. And the smile on his face made me feel special. As if I had been something special for him. Grant Carter was made for women’s fantasies. Adam was more real. He wasn’t the kind I would need to worry about getting in too deep with. He was just someone to spend time with.
Grant
“You have got to be f*cking kidding me,” Rush’s voice broke into my dreams and I slowly peeled open my eyes to see tits in my face. Confused, I looked down and saw two long pairs of legs draped over me.
Carly and Casey. I had forgotten. Damn, they were still here. I’d passed out. Shit. I would’ve preferred to send them home. Then I remembered Rush’s voice and jerked around to look at the door. Rush was glaring at me with disgust. He wasn’t looking at the two naked women in my bed. Kudos to him, because they had nice asses. I knew that firsthand.
“Get rid of them and meet me on the balcony,” Rush said and walked off.
Why was he so pissed off? This is what I did.
I disentangled myself and stared down at the two girls I’d spent my night with. Several condom wrappers littered the room and bed. They’d been full of energy. “Time to get up, girls. It’s going-home time,” I said, jerking the covers back and slapping both their asses. They grumbled and I couldn’t remember who was who anymore. I was pretty sure at one time last night I was just calling them both Harlow. It was a low moment.
“I got company. Get dressed. I’ll have a cab waiting on you in five minutes outside. It was fun,” I told them and flipped the lights on to help.
“Ouch,” one said, covering her eyes.
I waited until both of them were up and looking for clothing before I left them to finish. I headed outside to see why Rush was here.
Opening the door, I stepped out into the sunshine.
Rush glanced back at me. “Two of them? Really? That’s f*cked up.”
I cocked an eyebrow. “Don’t preach at me about two at a time. You did it all the damn time back in the day.”
Rush shook his head. “I was stupid. You’re stupid.”
“Watch it. I happen to think it was pretty damn smart. They were nice and jiggly and helped me release some tension.”
Rush turned his head to look at me. “I thought you had a thing for Harlow,” he said.
I did . . . but I couldn’t. I had explained this to him.
“Wanting Harlow is one thing. Sure, I want her. Who the hell wouldn’t? But the thing is, I care enough about her not to mess with her. I’m not going to get serious. I can’t have what you have with Blaire. It isn’t me.”
“Bullshit,” Rush said, turning to look directly at me. “I had a drunk-off-his-ass idiot rambling on about how special she was and how he just wanted to talk to her and how much he missed her smile. That shit don’t go away.”
I hadn’t realized I’d said I missed her. I did. Even with her here, I missed her. She made me laugh and her smile always made everything else seem unimportant. “She went out with Adam last night.”
“The tennis pro?”
“Yeah,” I replied, feeling sick at my stomach. What if Adam kissed her? What if he touched her?
“So, you f*cked two strangers in your own damn bed.”
“Because she went out with Adam,” I replied. That was the truth. I wouldn’t have gone looking for distractions had she not been on a f*cking date with f*cking Adam.
Rush let out a sigh. “Harlow is the most sheltered person I know. She has been protected and guarded her entire life. She’s the only child of Kiro’s to make it into the news. So he hid her in North Carolina with her grandmother. He hated the way the news wanted to know everything about her. He used his money to keep the world out of her life. Once her grandmother died she was thrust into his world and did the only thing she knew to do. She hid away in her room. Now she’s here and she needs friends. She can’t stay home and hide. She has Nan there. So, sure. Someone asked her out. She went. Why the hell not? You haven’t asked her out. You haven’t done shit.”
“I’m scared of her.” There. I said it.
Rush frowned. “You’re scared of her? Harlow? Or are we talking about Nan?”
“I’m scared of Harlow. Of what I could feel for her.”
“You’re afraid you’ll fall in love with her,” he said, finally understanding.
I just nodded.
“Why? What’s so wrong with that? It’s a hell of a lot better than what I walked in on this morning.”
I gripped the railing in front of me. I hated that I was about to admit this. It made me sound so weak. “What if I lost her? Like Jace.”
“You could lose anyone. You could lose me, but you don’t keep me out.”
It was different. I looked at him. “What if you lost Blaire?” I asked. Surely he feared that.
Rush frowned. “It would be the hardest thing I’d ever have to face. Losing her would take my soul. But I can’t not love her for fear of losing her. What kind of life is that? I wouldn’t know how amazing it feels to wake up with her in my arms. I wouldn’t get to enjoy watching her laugh and play with Nate. It’s worth it. Letting something like that stop you is letting fear control you. Don’t do that to yourself. Every moment I get with Blaire and Nate makes a life without them seem shallow and lonely.”
I could see it on his face. He didn’t fear losing her. It didn’t haunt him. He loved his life now. Focusing on what could happen wasn’t holding him back. Was that what life was about? Taking chances?
“If you think she could be the one then it’s time you take a chance. If I lost all that I have tomorrow, I wouldn’t regret one single minute. Ever. They’re what makes my life worth it.”
“My dad thought he was in love twice. Both times he was burned, and I paid the price. And I look at his life and where he is now, and it’s sad. I don’t want that.”
Rush shook his head at me as if he didn’t understand me at all. “The two women your dad loved were nothing like Harlow. Your dad didn’t choose well. Harlow is a good choice. The man who owns her heart will be lucky. She is honest and kind. I’ve never seen her be anything but both of those things. So, if she’s the one you allow yourself to fall in love with then I’d be more than happy for you.”
He was right.
A heavy weight that had been sitting on my chest slowly lifted. What he was saying made sense. And I didn’t have to hurt myself to protect myself.
“I may have pushed her too far away,” I said, letting reality sink in.
Rush shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe you never stood a chance to begin with. But is she worth trying?”
I nodded. “Yeah, she’s worth begging,” I replied.
Rush sat down and propped his feet up on the railing. “Then I guess you need to stop having threesomes in your bed with strangers and work on getting Harlow to give you another chance.”
That sounded easier said than done. I had told her I didn’t want to have anything more than a friendship with her. She’d agreed and left it at that. Now what? I should just tell her I changed my mind?
“I don’t think she’s going to let me in that easy. And then there’s that brother of hers who doesn’t approve of me.”
Rush chuckled. “Mase? Yeah, he’ll be hard to win over. Good thing is you won’t have to kiss him and beg for forgiveness. Just focus on Harlow.”
For the first time in months I had hope. The idea of being near Harlow again and spending time with her was more exciting than anything else I could think of . . . except getting her naked.