by Ali Parker
I stopped short when my brother stepped aside and gestured to Rhys, who had seemingly materialized from the hallway as if by magic.
Rhys shook his head in disbelief and came into my room with an outstretched hand. “No way you’re Vanny. Good Lord. You’re all grown up.”
And fat. And single. And dying of humiliation.
Fucking Chris.
The voice of my grandmother ran around in my skull, condemning me before I could stop it. I forced it back down and swallowed the lump in my throat. “That happens with donuts, dumplings, and time.” I shook his hand and tried to still my beating heart.
Everything silenced down inside me as I looked up into his ocean-blue eyes. His dark hair was cut shorter than the last time I’d seen him in the paper. The man was beyond beautiful.
He laughed. “I guess so. Sorry about your grandmother. She’s always been rowdy, if I remember correctly.”
My only focus was not to eye-fuck the poor man in front of me. His light-blue shirt made the color of his skin more tanned than it was, and the way his clothes fit him left very little to the imagination.
Wealth had been good to Rhys Daniels.
Hours in the gym had not been wasted either, from what I could tell.
“Congrats on your newest moonshine plant opening.” I pulled my hand from his strong, warm grip and stiffened when Chris disappeared from the door, running after Sandi down the hallway in jest. “I read about it. In the paper. Not that I read the paper because—you know—it’s the twenty-first century. But we get the paper at work. So. Yeah.”
Shut up, Vanessa. You rambling idiot.
“Oh, thanks.” Rhys put his fists on his hips and smiled. He looked like a rich man’s Clark Kent. Surely, the angels sang a chorus of hallelujah. “I didn’t know you kept up with me.”
Kept up with him? How could you not? He was in every paper every other week.
“You’re a local celebrity.” I shrugged and crossed my arms over my chest, suddenly very self-conscious about my outfit and very grateful for my cardigan.
His cheeks grew rosy. “Nah. Enough about me. Tell me about you. It’s been years. Did you stay here in Nashville or go off to school somewhere? What are you up to now?”
“Bear!” My mother’s voice filled up the hallway. Our family’s chocolate Labrador raced down the hall, his tail smacking against the walls as he went.
Saved by the dog.
I moved around Rhys and jogged after Bear. He was a good dog. Loyal, good-natured, and a bit dopey. But he was a bull in a china shop, especially when he got excited and there were so many people around.
I caught up with the dog and dug my fingers into the fur on his rump, giving him the scratches he loved. He looked up at me, his tongue lolling, his eyes begging for deeper scratches. I couldn’t help but smile. “Bear, come on back outside before you knock the house down, yeah?”
“Need help?” Rhys knelt down and cupped Bear’s face in his palms. Bear’s tail wagged more obnoxiously. “Hey, buddy. Aren’t you beautiful?”
“He’s new. Well, sort of new.” Chris walked up and took him by the collar. “Still has a lot to learn about restraint and his own strength. I’ll get him outside. Mom wants everyone back in the kitchen. Dinner will be ready soon.”
Chris tugged gently at Bear’s collar. The dog lurched forward. His thick chest bumped into my calf, sending me a little off-kilter. I stumbled back with a surprised gasp. Rhys grabbed my wrist and steadied me. “Whoa there. You all right?”
“Sorry. Clumsy.” I half-jerked my hand back like I’d touched a flame. “I should get back to helping with the food.”
“You didn’t answer me.” His voice was thick with playfulness as he hurried down the hall. I could hear his steps behind me. Hell, I could practically feel the heat of his body over my shoulder as he followed me into the kitchen.
“I know. It was intentional.”
His laugh rolled over me. Realization bit into me as he brushed past me, his arm softly grazing mine.
Holy shit balls.
Rhys Daniels was Mr. No Name. No. Yes. He had to be. Heat flushed from the top of my head to the tips of my toes.
My grandmother glanced over her shoulder as she stirred the dip in the crockpot. “Why are you all red, Vanny? Have you been running down the hallway?”
“What? No.” I walked to the sink and busied myself washing dishes.
I was right. Had to be. I’d spent enough time on the line with Mr. No Name to know that voice anywhere. And that deep masculine velvety laugh. It was him. My heart fluttered like a wild bird in my chest. I scrubbed vigorously at the grilled cheese pan until the scrub brush began uncoiling.
Chris interrupted me with a soft cough.
I yelped, dropped the pan with a loud clatter, and gathered it back up to rinse it off. I glared defiantly up at my older brother. “Why do you always need to sneak up on me?”
“I’m light on my toes.” Chris shrugged. Then he nudged my hip with his. “You all right, Vanny? If you need a couple more minutes, I can take over here.”
“I’m fine.”
“You’re sure?”
“Yes. I’m sure.” I was not sure. I was confused. How on earth was it possible that the stranger I’d been crushing on for nearly six months—who I only knew through anonymous phone calls—was my brother’s best friend? The chances were slim to none, and yet here I was, about to sit down to dinner in my family home with Mr. No Name himself.
A billionaire.
Eep.
I set the clean pan aside and moved on to the other dishes in the sink. “Chris? Your friend Rhys, is he married?”
“No, but you’re not interested.” My brother put his arm around my shoulders and stared down at me. There was no playfulness in his eyes, just brotherly protectiveness. “He’s a terrible guy. Period.”
“I’m aware.” I nodded, thinking back to hearing my parents talk about Rhys every time he’d end up in the papers over the years. Some of it was good, and some of it wasn’t at all.
Playboy.
Slut.
Scoundrel.
Trust-fund baby.
“He’s in a long-term relationship anyway. This girl he’s been dating for years. He’s going to ask her to marry him soon.” Chris gave me another good squeeze and escorted Nannie out with him. Chris was overly protective and he was a shit liar. Not only that, but I had insider information from Rhys’s very own lips.
This long-term girlfriend of his had cheated on him. They were over.
I let go of a breath I didn’t realize I was holding.
It didn’t matter. Rhys wasn’t my dream guy. At least I could put a face to Mr. No Name and move on.
That was a good thing, right?
Chapter 7
Rhys
Bear was definitely clumsy. After leaving the kitchen, I’d wandered out into the backyard to find him mindlessly chewing on one end of a very thickly bound rope toy. Unable to help myself, I’d bent down, stolen one end, and engaged in a game of tug a war.
I’d managed to get it from him and had thrown it across the backyard when the patio door slid open behind me. I glanced over my shoulder to watch Chris pull it closed, and then my best friend turned to me with a stern expression.
He slid his hands into his jean pockets. “Hey, stay away from my sister. She’s not your type.”
I straightened with a chuckle as Bear trotted back across the yard. “I’m not trying to get with your sister. I was being friendly. Did she tell you I was?”
“No, but I know how you are. That hands on the hips thing only happens when you’re nervous. You did it twice in there.”
“So what? I want to make sure your family likes me.”
“You know full well they like you.” Chris reached down to pet the dog. “I’m serious. She’s a really, really good woman. And she deserves better than the likes of you. No offense.”
“None taken. I assume all this macho bullshit is because she is, in fact, single?”
I smirked and hopped back as he swung at me playfully.
Something about Vanny had set me on edge. The last time I’d seen her, she’d been a chunky little fourteen-year-old girl with piss and vinegar flowing through her veins. I couldn’t even offer her a friendly smile in high school without her flipping me the bird or telling me to mind my own business.
Meeting her Nannie tonight made her attitude problem a little easier to understand in hindsight.
But damn, she’d been a mean kid.
My memories barely resembled the beautiful, curvy woman in the kitchen. My stomach tightened, and I turned from Chris to focus on Bear, who’d rolled over onto his side to expose his belly for Chris to rub. Good thing Chris had set the tone for what was accepted and wasn’t when it came to his little sister. I’d be a lying bastard if I said I wasn’t interested in getting to know her a little better.
Then again, rules were made to be broken. I smiled at the thought.
“You need a beer?” Vanny’s voice caused my shoulders to draw up. There was something so sexy about the way she spoke. She had a distinctly feminine voice, but there was an edge to it, a little something that was raw and sharp all at once. And she was clueless. Her grandmother berating her had to have affected her.
“I do.” I took the beer she offered. She’d already popped the cap, so I took a gulp before wiping my mouth with the back of my hand. She watched the gesture before flicking her gaze to Bear. “You gonna fill me in on the last ten years now, or am I going to have to drag it out of your entirely overprotective dick of a brother?”
Vanny laughed. It was a wild and contagious sound that made me grin. I basked in the warmth of it and soaked in the sight of her as the sun dipped down over the mountains to the north, painting the sky a pinkish-orange. The glow of the sunset shone against her long dark brown hair, which hung in loose curls over her shoulders and in front of her breasts. Her eyes, a deep rich shade, were streaked with lines of gold. For a moment, I thought I was imagining it, or it was a trick by the setting sun, but it was not. Freckles dusted her nose which was small in proportion to the rest of her face. She was still laughing and her pink lips were glossy and dazzling in the twilight.
Thoughts that belonged to my private moments swam in my mind’s eye, and I had to clear my throat and apologize when I realized she’d been speaking. I hadn’t heard a damn thing she’d said.
Her eyebrow lifted. “I’m not repeating myself again, Mr. Daniels.”
I smiled, unable to help myself. “Yes, ma’am. I’m all ears now.”
Chris cleared his throat. Bear whined. He’d stopped petting the dog and was now looking back and forth between me and his baby sister, clearly aggravated.
But we were only talking. What was wrong with talking?
“I’ve been here the whole time.” A subtle shrug let me know that she wasn’t entirely thrilled with that fact. “I’ve been doing odd jobs and such.”
“College?” I could feel the tension rise between us. Did she think I was judging her?
“No.” She turned her attention toward the bonfire that had been lit up by her father at the back of the yard. The flames licked at the air and little sparks popped out from the wood, floating upward to escape the flames. “Maybe one day. I don’t know. I keep changing my mind too much.”
“Nothing wrong with that.” I nodded toward the flames. “You want to get a little closer?”
I realized the way my words could have been taken when her eyes widened a little too much. “Do what?”
So country. I loved it.
“To the fire. Do you want to get closer to the fire? It’s cold out here this time of year.” I offered her my arm.
She started to take it, but Chris moved up in between us and wrapped his hairy-ass arms around us both. “Yes. Moving closer to the fire sounds great. You two up for marshmallows and chocolate?”
Vanny snorted. “You mean s’mores?”
I smiled. “Yeah, buddy. Go get us some. We were just catching up.”
Chris growled but released us both. He pointed at me with a warning finger. “Off limits.”
“Chris!” Vanny glanced my way as her brother slipped back inside. “I’m sorry. He can be completely obtuse sometimes. I’m sure you’re aware.”
“That, he is.” I finished my beer and slipped a hand into my pocket. My heart was still torn from the situation with Trish, but something about Vanny called to me. She was a welcome distraction to all the bullshit I’d been drowning in. “So are you married? Have kids?”
“If you’re asking if I’m pregnant—”
I cut her off. “What? No, I’m asking about your relationships. Don’t put words in my mouth, pretty girl.”
She glanced down and fidgeted with a shiny black button on her cardigan. “No. Nothing serious.”
“Same.”
“Chris said you were engaged.”
“I was. Well, I wanted to be. She slept with her ex.” No reason to hide what happened. It was what it was.
“I’m sorry.” She bit her bottom lip almost regretfully, and my body hardened. I knew it was wrong and my timing was terrible, but I wanted to get to know this beautiful woman.
More than I should.
Was it a rebound? Was I just lonely?
Hell no. She was everything physically I craved. Maybe it was just surface level. I’d only know that if I had the chance to spend more time with her. Damn Chris for living in Seattle and taking away my opportunity to just casually show up where she was.
I forced my lips to form words. “Where do you work?”
“A dress shop.” She answered curtly. “I’m sorry, but I need to circle back. I have a really hard time imagining that a guy like you got cheated on.”
“A guy like me?” I took a step toward her and locked eyes with her. “What’s that mean exactly?”
“You know. A trust-fund baby with good looks and lots of money.”
“Ouch.”
With impeccably shitty timing, Chris returned with a box of graham crackers, a chocolate bar, and a bag of marshmallows. He looked from me to his sister and noted that we were standing closer together than we had been when he left.
I turned to him. “What have you been telling your sister about me? Sounds like she’s got the story all wrong.”
He smiled proudly. “No, she’s got it right. It’s you who’s in denial.”
And I was. Love wasn’t real. Lust was. Maybe going back to my old ways of doing things would save me the heartache that was sure to be mine again and again.
I was rich.
And a trust-fund baby.
If shallow was what the world expected, then I shouldn’t disappoint.
“This is true.” I glanced over my shoulder and winked at the pretty girl who had misjudged me when I hadn’t done the same to her. “Enjoy your night. Don’t let the bed bugs bite.”
Chapter 8
Rhys
“Hey, your father is here to see you.” My favorite associate, Clay, pulled me from my thoughts.
My knee-jerk reaction was to growl, but my young associate didn’t need to understand the depths of my disgust for my world-famous father.
“Send him in. Thanks, man.” I stood and put my hands on my hips. “Hey, Clay?”
“Yeah?” He paused in the doorway to my office and turned back expectantly.
“Where’s Kate?” My secretary had been absent a little too much lately.
“No clue. I guess lunch?”
“It’s four in the afternoon.” I glanced down at my computer and jostled the mouse. Surely, she’d had an emergency and emailed me? Maybe she didn’t want to bother me.
“No clue, boss. I’ll let her know you’re looking for her when she comes back.” He turned and walked back out of the office.
I dropped down in my chair and let out a long sigh. Running a business had never been the goal of my life, but things had changed as my relationship with my dad continued to deteriorate during my twenties.
My father walked in and set his briefcase down on my desk, not looking me in the face. “This won’t take a moment.”
I couldn’t help but notice how sunken in his cheeks were. A jolt of concern welled up in me, but it fled as quickly as it came.
“What’s this?” I asked, keeping my voice as even as I could.
“It’s paperwork for my will.” He glanced up at me, his piercing-blue eyes able to take me down a few steps on the proverbial ladder, though he hadn’t spoken a sharp word.
“All right.” I took the papers from him and sat down to read them.
His disgusted sigh didn’t faze me at all. “Jasper, just sign the papers.”
“You know I go by Rhys now.” I picked up a pen and read through the first paragraph. “And you taught me never to sign anything until I’d read it. That’s a rookie mistake, Dad.”
He sat in the chair across from my desk. “This place smells.”
“It’s a moonshine factory. It should.” I tapped the pen against my lips. The weight of him watching me should have been too heavy, but I’d lived under it my entire life. “How’s Mom?”
More disgust. “Who knows? She’s never around anymore. I don’t know why I don’t kick her out.”
“She’s the only one who pays you any attention, outside of Gigi.” I continued to stare at the paper, my focus completely off. Was he dying? Had my grandmother been telling the truth? I couldn’t ask. He would have called me a sensitive pussy with no spine. His words had forever been harsh.
“Whatever. Sign the paper, Jasper.”
“Rhys.” I glanced up and shook my head. “No, I’m not interested in this. Thanks, though.”
The look of fury I’d seen so many times stained his features. “What the hell am I supposed to do with all of this?”
“Give it to Mom and Gigi. Hell, you’re going to live forever. Keep it for yourself.”
“You’re my only son.” He stood and pressed his balled-up hands on the desk in front of him.
“You’re a little late claiming me as your own.” I snorted and lifted the papers back toward him. “I’m not taking something I didn’t earn. You made sure of that with the way you raised me. Thanks, but no thanks.”