by Levine, Nina
She flinched at my hard tone, but she didn’t answer me. Instead, she looked up at me defiantly like she had no intention of paying any attention to what I’d said.
I worked my jaw, trying like fuck not to explode. Jabbing my finger at her, I threatened her with the one thing I knew she’d respond to. “You do not want to go there with me, Melissa. Not when I hold the key to Mum’s house.”
It wasn’t in my DNA to make threats like that. And I sure as hell never got involved in petty drama, so it was unlike me to do this, but fuck, I’d do whatever it took to protect Birdie from Melissa’s malicious streak. And as I suspected it was only going to get worse the further we got into sorting out Dad’s estate, I needed to cut her off at the knees now.
My words hit their intended mark. “Fuck you,” she snarled before pushing past Birdie and me, and stalking out of the room.
I didn’t watch her go. I watched Max tracking her movements. His eyes held all his grief and turmoil. And as much as I wished he didn’t have to go through this, I couldn’t change the course we were on. All I could do was be there for him and hope to fuck our relationship survived the carnage.
14
Birdie
* * *
She is going to rip this family to shreds.
I divided my attention between watching Winter and Max retrieving their father’s will from the safe in his study and watching Melissa shoot daggers at Winter. Having to listen to her trying to bring Winter down had been bad, but with every passing minute, my heart grew heavier as I fully realised what was happening here.
Melissa was not going to stop until she had what she wanted, which was nothing less than Max freezing his brother out.
That knowledge had me even more determined to be here for Winter to lean on. I mean, the man was made of steel, but even he had his vulnerabilities. Family was what would bring him to his knees. It always had been. It was why he’d put up with Melissa’s shit for so long; he didn’t want to lose Max.
“Is that it?” Melissa asked, moving closer to her husband as he flipped through a folder.
“Yeah,” he said, his voice gruff.
Melissa opened her mouth to say something but snapped it shut just as fast. The agitation and impatience rolling off her couldn’t be hidden. She desperately wanted to know what was in that document.
Max looked up from the folder and met Winter’s eyes. I didn’t miss the heartache or the fear flashing in his eyes as he looked at his brother. Silence filled the room, but it was so loud I wanted to cover my ears. And my eyes and my heart.
Everything was about to change.
Once they read this will, the family they knew before would cease to exist.
Max was stalling; it seemed like he wanted to slow everything down so he could hold onto what he had for even just one moment longer.
I felt the beats of my heart more keenly than I had in a long time. The rhythmic thump, thump, thump became more than just a physical sensation; it pounded in my ears too. The moments in my life where I could recall the same response to something were all owned by Winter. Even when my heart had beat so loudly because my father had died, my memories of that time were all painted by this man who I couldn’t help but love. This man I could never stop loving.
Winter took the folder from Max. His brother didn’t resist. Max might have been the older sibling, but Winter had always been the one who had to take charge when things got hard.
We all moved to the dining table and Winter read the will. Melissa and Max sat next to each other, but it was clear, even to me, that they were emotionally as far apart as a couple could get. I hadn’t noticed that until now. I’d been too tired from the trip up from Sydney to see it before. But I saw it now, and I wondered what had caused this distance between them.
It surprised me that Melissa managed to stay quiet for the length of time it took Winter to read the will. Everything Winter had told me he thought his father would stipulate, he had, and while Melissa appeared ready to lose her shit, she didn’t utter one word.
I sat next to Winter on the other side of the table to Max and Melissa, and made sure my chair was as close to his as I could get. As he finished reading and looked across the table at his brother, I ran my hand over his thigh, resting it there. I knew by the way the tension in his shoulders eased a little that he appreciated my touch.
“We’ll be contesting the will,” Melissa stated with absolute certainty, regardless of the fact she hadn’t consulted Max on that decision.
I wasn’t sure what to expect from him because so far he hadn’t appeared willing to challenge his wife on anything. And since that had generally been the way of their marriage while I’d been part of their family, I hadn’t been surprised. However, he stunned me with what he said now.
Standing, he met his wife’s gaze. “I need some time to think this over.” As she started to speak, he shook his head and cut her off. “That wasn’t me asking you for permission, Melissa. That was me telling you what I’ll be doing. You take the car and go home. I’ll find my own way there later.”
Melissa’s eyes widened with shock. “You can’t expect…. No, I’m not doing that… this is ridiculous….” Her voice trailed off as she struggled with his response.
I couldn’t be sure what caused it, but either something she said, or her tone, or maybe just all the baggage between them, caused Max to snap, “No, do you want to know what is ridiculous? My father died yesterday, and all you can think about today is this fucking will. I can expect anything I goddam well want, and what I expect is for my wife to comfort me, to care about my grief, to fucking put her shit about my family aside and just be there for me in any way I need. That’s what I want, and if you love me, that’s what you’ll do.”
With that, he stalked out of the room, leaving Melissa absolutely bewildered and speechless for once in her life.
Winter pushed his chair back and stood. “Birdie and I are moving to a hotel. I suggest you have a good long think about how you want to play this out, because I won’t be backing down. And as much shit as you throw at me, there’s no way I’ll ever walk away from Max. I will fight for my family until my dying breath.”
Melissa grabbed her bag, threw one last glare at us, and exited the room as fast as her husband had. Max’s tirade had shifted the dynamic between the three of them. She wasn’t used to being put in her place, and appeared lost for how to respond.
As I stood, Winter rubbed the back of his neck and said, “Fuck, I could do with a drink.”
I moved into him, putting my arms around his waist. “Let’s pack our stuff and find a hotel, meet with the funeral director, and then get you all the drinks you want.”
He contemplated that for a few moments before saying one of the nicest things he’d ever said to me. “I wish Max had found someone to love him how you love me. We’re not even together and yet you honour me with the kind of compassion and respect that she wouldn’t even know how to find for him, let alone show him.”
I smiled and rested my head against his chest. His arms circled me and we held each other for a long time. When I finally looked up at him and said, “I never stopped loving you,” I admitted to myself that he was right—that I wanted to be with him as much as he wanted to be with me.
He took hold of my face and brought his lips to mine. His kiss was gentle, the desperate passion of our last few kisses missing. But I still felt all his passion. Winter didn’t have to do wild and sexy for me to feel that, because he loved with an intensity I felt even during his silence.
When he ended the kiss, he said, “Thank fuck. I never stopped loving you either. And I never will.”
15
Winter
* * *
Max and Melissa didn’t show up for the meeting with the funeral director. He didn’t call. He didn’t text. It was radio silence. As far as I was concerned, it was the best damn thing that had happened since I’d arrived in Brisbane this morning. It meant that my brother was finally facing some of his
demons. I couldn’t recall one time in our lives when he hadn’t shown up and handled his responsibilities. Even when he had so much shit going on it could have buried him, he showed up.
It didn’t matter that he wasn’t there to help us with the funeral arrangements. Dad had planned his own funeral and detailed his wishes in his will. All I had to do was hand those instructions over to the funeral director and ensure we were on the same page.
“Are you thinking about Max?” Birdie dragged me from my thoughts.
“Yeah.”
We’d checked into a hotel in the city and then headed to The Victory for a drink after I’d called some of Dad’s friends to let them know he’d passed. I wasn’t sure if Max had managed to make the calls, but I figured it wouldn’t matter either way. These were family friends I’d lived my entire life knowing; it was important to me to have a conversation with them about Dad. It had taken me just over an hour, and that had been one of the most difficult hours of my life. The glass of whisky I was halfway through would be the first of many after the day I’d had.
Birdie moved closer to me on the bench we sat on. “I think his marriage is in trouble. Like, I think it was in trouble before your dad’s death.”
Fuck, she smelled amazing. And she was too damn close for comfort. That was, if I was to have any hope of not trying to get inside her tonight. But since she’d told me she still loved me, I was rethinking my position on waiting to sleep with her. It took everything in me to go as slow as I was with Birdie. Now that I knew for sure how she felt, I was ready to speed shit up.
“Winter, did you hear what I said?”
I lifted the glass of whisky to my lips again, meeting her gaze. After I drank some, I said, “Yeah, I did, but I’m thinking about how good you smell, and I’d rather discuss you than my family.”
I knew by the way her eyes softened that she liked what I’d said. I also knew by the way she took a deep breath that she wanted to continue down her path of conversation rather than mine.
“We can discuss me later. I think you probably need to talk about the stuff going on. Talk to me. That’s what I’m here for.”
Talking about Max’s marriage was the last thing I wanted to do. Hell, talking about anything was the last thing I needed right now. I was wiped out from the events of the day. Dredging up family shit from years ago. Dealing with everything that had to happen now. Thinking about my father. I could cope with a lot of shit in life—had coped with a lot—but this, this was pushing my boundaries. It hadn’t even been twenty-four hours since I’d learned Dad had died, and yet it felt like a fucking lifetime. I didn’t need conversation now; I needed to feel like I wasn’t alone in this shit. In this life. And I needed that from Birdie.
I placed my glass down and ran a finger down her cheek. Slowly. My action full of intent. “There’s been enough talking today. I’m ready for something other than talking.”
Her eyes searched mine. Her breaths quickened. “I thought you didn’t want to fuck me.” Hell, her voice had turned all breathy, her desire laid bare. Birdie’s voice alone, like this, was enough to test my restraint. Every last ounce of it.
“That was before you told me you loved me.”
She traced her finger over my lips, causing my dick to harden more than it already had. “Just because I love you doesn’t mean we should be together again.”
My hand snapped around her wrist, frustration filling me. “Stop denying what you want, Angel. You love me. I love you. We’re meant to be together. End of fucking story.”
She turned quiet for a moment before saying softly, “You don’t know how much I want that, Winter. But—”
I cut her off, unwilling to listen to her denial again. “Yeah, I do, because I want it too. And I’ve waited a long time to make you mine again. Too fucking long. Life is short. Just say yes and take what you want.”
Her teeth slid over her bottom lip as she contemplated that. If only she could see herself, she’d see how much she blazed with want for me. I’d been patient this long, but all my emotions were a tangled mess that fucked with my thinking and my ability to wait for her to see sense. I needed Birdie in a way I wasn’t sure I could hold out much longer.
Fuck.
I was done with waiting. Unable to stop myself, I leant forward and claimed the kiss I needed.
Goddam, Birdie’s kisses were everything.
Every single fucking time.
No way was I going without them or her another day in my life. Tonight I would make her see we were meant to be together.
By the time I ended the kiss, Birdie had moved to my lap, straddling me. Her hands were in my hair. Her ass was in my hands. And the way she was looking at me told me she wanted what I wanted tonight.
“Fuck.” She gripped my hair, pulling it, wild abandon filling her features in the most beautiful way I’d ever seen. “Take me back to the hotel.”
16
Birdie
* * *
Holy fuck I’d missed Winter’s hands on my body. Five years without the man I loved was far too long. Tonight I was throwing all my caution to the wind and finally allowing myself what I desperately wanted. Winter had certainly given me enough hope that we could navigate a new relationship, leaving behind past mistakes. If there was anything I knew for sure in life, it was that my man was stubborn and committed to what he wanted. Winter wasn’t someone who easily walked away or gave up, so maybe my sins wouldn’t be enough to come between us.
I let go of all my worries and thoughts about how we’d ever make this work and embraced what he was giving me tonight. If nothing else, we’d always have this night.
I barely remembered the walk back to the hotel. Winter’s hands and mouth made sure of that. It felt like with every step I took, he reached for me to kiss me again. And with every kiss, his touch grew more insistent. Demanding. Greedy. By the time he got me in the hotel lift, I struggled to recall my name, let alone anything else.
My mind and soul were filled with Winter.
He was my centre of attention. Everything else faded.
“Fuck, you’re sexy like this,” he growled as he pushed me up against the corner of the lift, one hand making its way up my leg under my dress, the other planted firmly on my breast.
I lifted my leg and wrapped it around his body, grinding myself against him. Practically panting, I managed to get out, “This is what you do to me.” I arched my back and gripped the back of his neck as he found my panties and slid a finger under the edge of them. “Oh, God, don’t ever stop what you’re doing.”
His mouth moved to my ear. “Not planning on it, Angel.”
He then found my mouth. Then my clit, and it was like an explosion of every good thing a girl could ever wish for as he rocked my world with his lips and his fingers.
It had been too long since I’d been with a man who knew what he was doing, and who knew exactly how I liked it. Winter had almost brought me to orgasm by the time the lift made it to our level. When it dinged to signal our arrival, he pulled his mouth from mine, and as he stroked me one last time, he said, “My fingers belong here and I’ll be fucked if I’ll ever allow anyone else’s here again.” His voice deepened, filled with a dark tone I wasn’t used to from him, as he ordered, “You’re mine, Birdie.”
I was almost completely sure it was those last three words, spoken with such force and conviction that sent me over the edge. It may have been his magic fingers, too, but mostly those words.
I wanted to be his.
With every fibre of my being.
Hearing him claim me was both hot as hell and something that made me feel like everything was right in my life again.
I grasped his arms as my orgasm detonated through me. Before I knew what was happening, he’d lifted me over his shoulder and had me out of the lift and onto the bed in our room.
Hands to his belt buckle, eyes consumed with need, he looked down at me and rasped, “Tell me you’re mine.”
This was the moment we’d been wor
king our way to. This was the moment of no return. This was the moment we’d either move forward from or end everything in. I knew this as sure as I knew anything.
I left the bed and stood in front of him. Unable to give him anything but the truth, I said, “I’m yours, Winter. Always.”
He didn’t respond instantly. Instead, his eyes searched mine in silence, his emotions as transparent as they’d ever been. Love and hope and passion and so much more swirled in the depths of his brown eyes.
I wasn’t sure exactly what I expected, but from the intensity that had been blaring from him, it wasn’t the gentle way he took hold of my face and kissed me. Sex with Winter had always ranged from urgent and demanding to downright filthy. It had never been gentle in any way, so this surprised me. But it also made me feel like a queen being loved on by her king. And I was all about that. I’d take gentle Winter any day of the week.
He took his time with this kiss. It felt like a beginning. He explored me slowly, like he was getting reacquainted with me.
His tongue slid over mine.
His hands lifted my dress over my head.
His erection pressed against me.
When he finally ended the kiss, he ran his finger over my lips and repeated what I’d said. “Always. I won’t let you go again, Angel.”
I placed a hand to his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
I meant every word I said.
I couldn’t walk away from this man again, and would fight for him if it ever came to that.
I’d always thought getting pregnant had been my biggest mistake in life. I’d been wrong. Thinking I could live without Winter had been my biggest mistake.
17