After arriving back in Santa Monica, they dropped off the bikes and strolled back to the car. As he drove away, heading back to Dex’s place—because she had a bath and he didn’t—he curled his fingers around hers and lifted her hand to her mouth.
“Next stop… Operation Cooter.”
Chapter 14
Dex couldn’t stop her legs from bouncing as the plane began its descent into JFK. Even though Nate had become more and more monosyllabic the longer the flight went on, she couldn’t wait to see everything. Her one worry was that she’d miss her usual Sunday trip to see Mom, but Elva had allayed Dex’s concerns by promising to make an extra visit that weekend.
She and Nate were staying in New York Thursday through Tuesday—the wedding was being held on Saturday—and Dex had already planned out an entire itinerary, much to Nate’s chagrin.
“I wonder if Bernard is over his snit yet?” she mused, referring to her boss’s fury when she’d finally plucked up the courage to ask for a long weekend. He’d said no at first—until Nate had made a call.
“Who gives a shit?” Nate said, staring at the seat belt sign as if it held the answer to who’d win best actor at that year’s Emmy’s.
“What’s the matter?” Dex asked, wondering if he was scared of flying and that was the reason he’d barely spoken a word in over three hours.
He didn’t look at her. “Nothing.”
“Really?” she snapped. “Cat got your tongue then?”
The closer she and Nate had become over the last few weeks—since the whole Be Mine speech as she’d now chosen to think about it—the more she’d become herself. Those early days of watching every word—even if she occasionally slipped—were over. Not that Nate seemed to mind. In fact, the more combative she was, the more he liked it.
His eyes cut to hers, and what she saw in his face had her worried. Gone was the over-confident man with a permanent cocky smirk that she sometimes wanted to smack right off of him. In his place was a sullen, morose guy who gave the impression he was heading to a funeral rather than a wedding.
She caressed his arm and softened her tone. “What’s wrong, Nate?”
For a split second his mask fell, and behind the brooding façade she saw a man who was deeply troubled. Then the curtain dropped back into place, and he became unreadable once more.
“I’ve told you before. I don’t really like coming back here.”
“Yes, you have told me that. What you’ve omitted to mention is why.”
“Bad memories, that’s all.”
“You mean your parents dying?”
He shrugged one shoulder. “That, among other things.”
She should have stopped there, but she’d always found knowing when to quit a challenge. “What other things?”
“Fuck’s sake, Dex. Just leave it.”
He returned to staring at the seat belt sign, a ticking nerve in his jaw giving away his annoyance.
“I’m a good listener.”
“Then hear me. Drop it.”
She sighed heavily and turned away to look out of the window. The clouds parted, giving her a view of the ground below. They’d be landing soon, and despite Nate’s black mood, she was still so excited. She refused to let him steal her joy.
As they walked through the arrivals hall toward baggage reclaim, Nate entwined his fingers around hers.
“Sorry.”
She expelled a deep breath through her nose. “You should be sorry. You wanted me to come, Nate, and yet from the moment we got on the plane, you’ve been moody and distant.”
He offered her a crooked smile. “Apart from my brothers, you’re the only other person to call me out on my shit, you know that?”
Thrilled with his admission, she beamed. “Get used to it, mister. My sister doesn’t call me Mouth Almighty for nothing.” Except with bastard Bernard. She only minded her manners around him because she needed the money.
Nate threw back his head and laughed. His arm came around her shoulder, and he pulled her into his side. “I’m glad you’re here, Titch.”
She playfully bumped his shoulder. “I’m good with moods, Nate. Look at who I work for. But don’t shut me out. I’m here to listen anytime you’re ready to talk.”
He gave her a wide-eyed look and then slowly shook his head. “You know what, Titch? One of these days, I might take you up on that.”
* * *
Nate stared out of the cab window as the Manhattan skyline grew closer. Dex remained silent, but he sensed her buzzing with excitement each time a new sight came into view. The contrast with his own pit of dread that increased with every mile the cab ate up wasn’t lost on him, but fuck, couldn’t he put his own feelings aside for a few days? Didn’t she deserve a fun-filled vacation, especially with all the shit going on with her mom?
Except the familiar black cloud had descended, dragging him to dark places he didn’t want to visit. Somehow, he found it easier to forget back home in LA. But faced with his brothers, and the city he used to adore, the memories always flooded in. If only he could gouge out the part of his brain that had found the letter. The part that made him so fucking miserable.
The Williamsburg Bridge loomed ahead—he’d asked the driver to go that way so Dex could see a few sights as they traveled through Manhattan to the upper east side—further darkening Nate’s thoughts and tightening the band around his chest. Not long now until he had to play the part of his life—the same part he played every single time he came home.
“Oh look, it’s the Empire State Building,” Dex enthused, clutching his arm.
Nate forced a smile. Her excitement was so contagious. Each day that passed made him thank his lucky stars he’d gotten her fired that day. If he hadn’t, she wouldn’t have come after him at the club, and she wouldn’t be sitting beside him now.
He sought out her hand, threading his fingers between hers. “I’ll take you if you like.”
She turned to him, face shining. “Oh, would you? It’d be like Sleepless in Seattle. I love that movie.”
He laughed. “Sure, Titch. Whatever you want. I’ll even see if I can get us a table at the Rainbow Room.”
A furrow appeared between her eyebrows. “What’s the Rainbow Room got to do with Sleepless in Seattle?”
He stared at her in mock horror. “Call yourself a fan? It’s only the restaurant where Meg Ryan’s character sees the heart on the top of the Empire State Building and she knows she has to break up with her fiancé to be with the man she truly loves.”
Dex gave him an incredulous look and then broke into a fit of giggles. “Nate Brook, I wouldn’t have taken you for a chick-flick fan.”
He cleared his throat. “Well, I wouldn’t say that exactly.”
“Oh yeah?” Still smiling. “What would you say?”
He hitched a shoulder. “I had a crush on Meg Ryan, okay? When I was a kid.”
Dex clasped a hand to her chest. “That’s so sweet.”
Fucking sweet?
He unclipped her seat belt and dragged her across his lap. He cut off her squeal with his mouth, ignoring the irritated grumblings from their driver.
Drawing back, he nipped at her bottom lip. “Nothing sweet about me, little Dex. As you’ll find out later.”
“Promises, promises,” she said with an over-exaggerated wink.
He kissed her again, because every time he did, she stopped him thinking—with his brain, anyway.
The taxi jolted to a stop as the damned driver slammed on the brakes. Nate’s hand shot out against the seat in front to steady himself and to stop Dex sliding off his lap.
“Jesus,” he said as the driver tapped his forefinger against the red counter showing the fare. “Not the way to get a fat tip, buddy.”
He dug out his wallet and handed over the fare as Dex got out of the cab. Nate opened his door and walked around the back to grab their luggage from the trunk.
“So, this is your hotel?”
“Yep.” Nate slung his bag over his should
er and picked up Dex’s suitcase—the woman did not travel light. He slipped his free hand inside hers. “Deep breath, Titch, coz you’re about to enter the lion’s den.”
She giggled. “I think that happened a few weeks ago.”
He raised an eyebrow. “Indeed. And I’ll definitely be taking a bite out of my prey later.”
Jax jogged down the steps to meet them, preventing her from responding. “You made it,” his brother said, pulling him into a rough hug followed by a hard clap on the back. “And you must be Dex.” He briefly hugged her. “Come on in. Champagne’s on ice.”
“I’d rather have a beer,” Nate said while Dex gave him a dig in the ribs.
“Champagne sounds lovely,” she said politely.
“Stop being a sycophant,” he muttered under his breath. “You don’t even like champagne.”
“Stop being an ass,” she hissed, tugging her hand from his.
“Beer it is then.” Jax went to walk back inside the hotel. “Everyone’s downstairs. They can’t wait to meet you, Dex.”
Dex trotted after Jax, leaving Nate lagging behind. “Thank you so much for letting me come to your wedding.”
“Any friend of Nate’s is welcome here,” he said.
“And so it begins,” Nate muttered uncharitably.
Dex glanced over her shoulder, a wide-eyed glare getting her message across perfectly.
Nate rolled his eyes, gritted his teeth, and prepared himself for the longest few days of his life.
Chapter 15
Dex glanced around as Jax led her into a hallway, past a lounge that was buzzing with guests. He waved at a woman serving drinks to a couple of patrons sitting at the bar then carried on. He pushed open a door on his left marked Private.
“Be careful going down the steps.”
She followed him downstairs. At the bottom, it opened up into an enormous open-plan living room with a kitchen at the far end and a large table that seated twelve. Five pairs of eyes swiveled her way, three women and two guys. It took a moment for her to realize the two guys were twins. Identical twins. She did a double-take, her mouth dropping open a couple of inches. And then she blinked and forced her jaw shut before anyone noticed.
One of the women got up and came toward them wearing a beaming smile. “You must be Dex.” She clasped Dex by the shoulders and kissed her cheek. “I’m Indie. Jax’s fiancée. We’re thrilled you could be here for our wedding.”
The other four people all rose to their feet and were now making their way over.
“I’m Calum,” the first guy said, also kissing her cheek. “This is Laurella.” He tugged a dark-haired, olive-skinned beauty to his side as if he couldn’t bear not to touch her.
“It’s so lovely to meet you,” Laurella said, a European accent shining through.
Dex couldn’t place it. She made a mental note to ask Nate later as it seemed rude to ask Laurella.
Calum’s mirror image followed on behind. “I’m Cole, and this is my girlfriend, Millie. And over there,” he pointed to a bassinet Dex hadn’t spotted until then, “Is our little girl, Aimee.”
The pride in Cole’s voice, and the way he gazed adoringly at Millie, had envy curling in Dex’s belly. She had no doubt Nate was attracted to her—the amount of sex they’d had was testament to that. But Cole looked at his girlfriend as though walking over hot coals wouldn’t be enough of a sacrifice to prove his devotion and love.
“It’s so great to meet you all,” Dex said. She peered inside the bassinet at Aimee whose face was serene in sleep, her hands at either side of her head. “She’s gorgeous,” she said to Millie. “You must be so proud.”
“Fuck’s sake,” Nate grumbled, finally appearing at the bottom of the stairs, hauling their suitcases behind him. “What the hell you got in here, Titch?”
Dex watched with fascination as the faces of Nate’s brothers lit up, and he was enveloped into the bosom of his family. Even the girlfriends joined in with the group hug. It reminded her of a rugby game she’d seen on TV once where all the players piled on top of one another. She frowned in confusion. Why would he not want this? There was so much love for him that she almost felt like a voyeur, peering in on a private moment that wasn’t hers to share. And yet he’d freely admitted he didn’t like coming home.
Eventually he muscled his way free. He scuffed a hand over the top of his head and straightened his shirt. His eyes cut to hers.
“Sit down, Titch.”
“Both of you sit down,” Jax said. “I’ll get the drinks. Champagne, Dex?”
Dex opened her mouth to respond, but Nate beat her to it. “She was being polite earlier. She doesn’t like champagne. She’ll have a beer.”
She glared in his direction. I’m going to kill him.
Nate didn’t even bat an eyelid at his rudeness, or her death stare. Instead, he shrugged.
“She is perfectly capable of speaking for herself,” Dex said. Nate’s lips twitched at her snippy attitude. The man was incorrigible. “I would love a Corona if you have one.”
“Ha!” Nate said.
Dex showed him her middle finger.
Calum barked out a laugh. “You’re going to fit right in, Dex.”
Jax rolled his eyes at Indie. “Here we go.”
Jax and Indie walked over to the kitchen area, and Nate flopped down beside her. His little finger brushed against hers. “Doing okay, Titch?”
“You didn’t tell me you had twin brothers,” she whispered as embarrassment at her open-mouthed stares of a few minutes ago finally hit her. “Identical twin brothers.”
Nate twisted his lips to the side. “It never occurred to me.”
Dex suppressed an urge to elbow him in the ribs, but only because Laurella and Millie started asking her about her job, and how many famous people she got to see on a daily basis. Neither of them seemed to think of Nate as one of those famous people, which Dex guessed was fairly natural when referring to someone they knew well.
“So, bro,” Calum said. “It’s been a while. What’s new?”
Nate shrugged, disinterested. “Not much.”
“Work okay?” Cole asked.
“I guess.”
Dex squirmed at his monosyllabic responses to perfectly legitimate questions. She pressed her thigh against his in warning. It had absolutely no effect.
“We’re really glad you made it,” Jax said.
Nate cocked an eyebrow. “I wasn’t aware I had a choice.”
“You didn’t,” Jax replied, grinning. He seemed indifferent to Nate’s curt attitude, which meant this wasn’t unusual behavior.
Her curiosity increased at the same rate as her embarrassment. Nate’s relationship with his brothers was an odd dynamic, yet the restraint was all on his side.
Nate yawned loudly when fewer than thirty minutes of his brothers trying to tease information from him—which he refused to share—had passed. “It’s been a long day, and Dex is shattered.” He unfolded his long legs and got to his feet. “Come on, Titch. Let’s go to bed.”
Dex narrowed her eyes. She wasn’t remotely tired, and neither was Nate, but the silent pleading in his expression had her rising to her feet.
“Thank you for such a lovely welcome,” she said.
“We’re glad you’re both here,” Jax said. “Your usual room is all ready for you, Nate, but if you’d prefer your own space, Dex, you can take the one next door. It used to be Calum’s room before he and Laurella moved in together, but don’t worry, I changed the sheets.”
His twitching lips told her he was joking, but Nate’s glowering expression said he didn’t find the quip remotely funny.
“She won’t be needing that,” Nate said, capturing her hand. He grabbed their bags and towed her—and them—toward his bedroom, his brothers’ chuckles ringing in her ears.
“Why were you so rude out there?” she asked as soon as they were alone. “And for the record, I’m not tired.”
Nate parked her suitcase by the wall and tossed his own
bag on the floor next to the bed. “You will be, by the time I’m finished with you.”
Her stomach vaulted when he crooked a finger, beckoning her, but despite her body’s eagerness to strip naked and get down to business, she couldn’t let it lie.
“You were really short with them, and they were so happy to see you. I think you should apologize.”
Nate curved one eyebrow. “Do you now?” His tone held a hint of ice—which she ignored.
“Nate! What is wrong with you?”
He pinched the bridge of his nose. “Nothing. They’re used to me. It’s fine.”
“It is not fine. I was embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. Not on my account.”
She planted her hands on her hips and glared. A few seconds scraped by, and then Nate expelled a frustrated sigh.
“Oh, for Christ’s sake. Fine. I’ll apologize in the morning. Now can we go to bed and fuck?”
She stayed on her side of the room. “We should unpack.”
“The only thing we’ll need tonight is condoms.” He reached into his jacket and pulled out several, which he dropped on the nightstand. “Well, would you look at that.”
Despite her annoyance, she smiled. It was impossible to stay mad at Nate for long. It wasn’t her place to call him out on his relationship with his brothers. If they had a problem, it was theirs to solve.
“What if they hear us?”
He unfastened his belt. “If it bothers you so much, then keep quiet.”
She nibbled on her bottom lip. “You know I like it noisy.”
Nate eased the belt through the loops on his jeans and casually flung it on the bed. “Then maybe I’ll have to gag you.”
Yes, please.
Oh, where did that come from? Her face must have spoken a thousand words, because Nate slowly grinned. “You like that idea, do you?”
She fiddled with the hem of her shirt. “Maybe.”
He sauntered across to her side of the bed and slipped his arms around her waist. His erection nudged at her, and her thighs trembled as a surge of excitement heated her blood. Nate always had this effect on her, like her insides were on fire.
Web of Lies: A Brook Brothers Novel Page 12