by JA Low
“I did nothing she didn’t consent to.” Jackson chuckles while Anderson shoots the guy daggers. Anderson’s a big dude and one I wouldn’t want to go up against, but from what they have told me, Jackson was a marine and could probably kick his ass from here to Christmas.
Mental note… Never, ever, get on the bad side of either of them.
“Anyway, what I was saying was, as Anderson’s personally recommended you, I may go a little rogue in regard to our fact-finding mission,” Jackson explains.
“What he’s saying is he’s hacking into everyone’s stuff, and the stuff that they have deleted or ever googled or pretty much ever thought about he will uncover.” Anderson chuckles.
“Yeah. What he said.” Jackson grins.
“I don’t want to get anyone into trouble,” I tell them.
Jackson and Anderson look at each other and burst out laughing.
“Don’t you worry, I never get caught.” Jackson grins knowingly. “Once I find the information I need, I go back and try to find the breadcrumbs legally.”
“He’s a fucking tech wizard,” Anderson states. “Just don’t trust your sister around him.” I’m guessing there’s a little bit of tension in regard to their relationship.
“You have a sister?” Jackson chuckles.
“I do, actually.”
Jackson bends over and laughs even harder.
“Hey, fucker, you’re with Elise. No one else’s sister is available to you,” Anderson curses at his friend, and Jackson dissolves into laughter again, which I can’t help but join in on. “Don’t you gang up on me, bro.” Anderson points at me. “Not when your best friend is hooking up with your sister.”
What did he say?
Everything inside of me stills.
“What did you say?” Looking at Anderson, whose eyes widen as he realizes he’s just said something he shouldn’t have, my face must tell what I am thinking right now.
“Oh, shit, man, you just dropped a damn bomb.” Jackson shakes his head.
“I’m just messing around,” Anderson adds, then takes a massive gulp of scotch, emptying his glass.
“No, he’s not,” Jackson adds, which gets him a stern look from Anderson.
“There’s no way Stirling is messing with my little sister.” Looking at the both of them, Jackson shrugs his shoulders and sips his drink while Anderson looks like he wants the floor to swallow him whole.
“He’s not, is he?” I ask Anderson.
“No...” Anderson shakes his head unconvincingly.
What the hell is going on?
“Babe… we have a code red down here,” Anderson calls out. Then I hear footsteps, and then they echo down the stairs.
“What is it?” Emma takes a seat on the edge of Anderson’s chair and drapes her arm around his shoulders.
“Anderson put his foot in his mouth.”
Jackson chuckles, enjoying this way too much.
Elise takes a seat beside him and gives him a weird look. I look over at Ariana, and she is definitely confused by what’s happening.
“Did you know anything about Stirling and Audrey?” I ask.
“No.” She shakes her head and looks around the room. “Rhys, I promise I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
“Seriously, the stuff I tell you in our bed needs to stay there,” Emma chastises Anderson.
“I know, babe. Jackson said something to rile me up, and I just kind of took it out on Rhys here,” Anderson states.
“What’s going on?” Am I missing something big here?
“Nothing. Really,” Emma tries to placate me.
“But they’ve hooked up?” My blood begins to boil when Ariana places a reassuring hand on my shoulder.
“You should maybe speak to your sister,” Emma explains.
“Stirling wouldn’t do that to me. He promised,” I tell the room, but as the words fall from my lips, flashes of their interactions come back to my mind. “That motherfucker.”
“Right, I think that’s us done.” Jackson stands, holding out his hand for Elise to take. “We’ll see you tomorrow.”
“We might show you to the door.” Anderson stands and Emma follows, leaving Ariana and me behind.
“You okay?” Ariana gives me a weak smile.
“I can’t believe he would do this to me?” I’m shocked over the entire situation.
“You don’t know if it’s true,” Ariana tries to calm me down.
“Why would Anderson lie about something like that?” Looking over at Ariana, she shrugs her shoulders because she knows he wouldn’t.
“Even if they have, is it really that big of a deal?” she asks. “I mean, it’s the twenty-first century. Her honor is not ruined.”
A frown falls across my forehead. “I know they’re adults, but still, she’s my sister, and he’s my best friend.” It’s a weak-ass argument, but it’s all I’ve got right now.
“Just hear them out if it’s true. Don’t go in there with all guns blazing. You have enough going on at the moment. Something like this is nothing compared to the big picture,” she tries to explain to me.
I know Ariana is right, but I’m just so angry and disappointed in my friend.
“Why didn’t they tell me?”
“Because they probably knew you would act like this, or it could also be they don’t know what they are yet. It could have just been a bit of fun. Maybe your sister used him, and maybe Stirling used your sister.” That last point makes my hands turn into fists.
“If he’s fucking hurt my sister—”
Ariana lets out a heavy sigh, effectively interrupting my rant. “Would you stop it,” she chastises me. “She’s a grown woman, and you’re acting like some overbearing big brother, and that shit is not turning me on.” She folds her arms across her chest.
“But…”
She waggles her finger in front of my face. “No buts,” she tells me. “If you want me to suck your cock, then you will not make a big deal about this information.”
“Hey, now—”
“I’m serious, Rhys.” She looks damn serious. “Do not embarrass your sister.”
“I would never—”
“And that means having a go at Stirling,” she explains.
Urgh, but I want to have a go at him.
“Fine. I like your lips more, anyway.” I give in to her charms.
26
Rhys
I know I promised Ariana that I wouldn’t embarrass my sister, but come Monday morning, I’m still seething as I make my way into the office.
“Hey, how was LA?” Stirling comes in chipper with a grin on his face. Why the hell is he so happy? Is it because he spent the weekend with Audrey? While the cat is away, the mice will play.
“Close the door.” The words come out chipped as I’m unable to hide my emotions. Stirling gives me a strange look but does as he’s told. He is probably assuming I have something sensitive to talk to him about what happened in LA.
“Has something happened?” he questions while taking a seat on the seat opposite me.
“You could say that.” My eyes narrow on him as I telepathically curse him. An alarm on my phone goes off, making us both jump as it buzzes away in my suit pocket. A frown forms on my face as I grab it from my pocket and pull it out.
In big flashing text are the words…
DO NOT YELL AT STIRLING
… as my phone continues to beep.
A small smile forms on my lips as I switch off the alarm when I realize what Ariana did last night when she asked to borrow my phone. I suck in a deep breath and count to five then let it out.
“Are you okay?” Stirling looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind.
“I will be.” Grinning at him like a damn Cheshire cat, I continue, “I’m just going to come right out and ask. Are you seeing my sister?”
Stirling stills, and I can see the thoughts running through his mind as he tries to work out how much I know.
“No,” he answers hesitant
ly.
“You sure?” I ask him again.
“Yes.” His voice is shaky.
“Why won’t you tell me?” I ignore his lies. “Audrey spilled to the girls.”
Stirling sags in his seat, his shoulders roll in, and he looks a little deflated. “I’m sorry, Rhys.” My best friend can’t even look at me.
“Hey…” trying to gain his attention back to me, “… you’re both adults. I get it.”
Stirling’s eyes widen at my words. He’s surprised I haven’t punched him in the face.
“I don’t need to know the details of what’s happened, but if you hurt her, I will punch you where the sun don’t shine.” Pointing my finger at him, I give him a warning.
“You don’t have to worry about Audrey getting hurt,” he says ever so quietly.
Oh, now I’m the one who is surprised.
“You’ve fallen for her?” I can’t believe these words are falling from my lips.
“Yes.” He finally looks at me. “I’m sorry.”
“Why are you sorry?” Tilting my head, I look at him.
“Before you left for London, you asked me to look after her. I did so as your friend,” he explains. “She missed you so much, and I guess I was the closest thing to you that she had in her life.”
Doesn’t explain why he took things further, but I let him continue to talk.
“Audrey is beyond beautiful inside and out, and I guess we always had you as a buffer between us.” Oh, I see. “We started hanging out more and more. She needed someone to go the opening of some art exhibition at the Met, or some fundraiser your mother was dragging her to, all the things she would call on you for.” This is true. “The more time we spent together, the more I guess the lines started to blur and, well, here we are.” Thank goodness he didn’t go into any more details than that.
“What’s going to happen now?” I am curious as to where this leaves my sister and us.
“She told me we’re just friends.”
I’m a little relieved at hearing that, but the hurt on my friend’s face is a little shocking. “And how do you feel about that?” Stepping into some weird-ass territory here, but I need to know the answers.
“She’s young and has her whole life ahead of her. I’m happy with just being friends.”
I’ve known Stirling my entire life, and I can tell when he’s lying. He isn’t happy in the slightest about the outcome, but I’m going to take Ariana’s advice and not meddle as they are both grown adults.
“Well, right…” Clearing my throat over this rather awkward conversation, I swallow hard.
“I’m genuinely surprised you haven’t punched me yet.” Stirling chuckles.
“The day is still young,” I joke.
“Ariana is mellowing you out,” Stirling observes. “I like this new Rhys.”
“She’s pretty great. That’s what the alarm was. She had set it on my phone, reminding me not to yell at you.”
Stirling cracks up in hysterics. “She did what?” He clutches onto his stomach.
“I know. She warned me not to embarrass Audrey by having words with you.”
“Well, tell her I’m very happy she did. Otherwise, I would be probably making a trip to the ER.”
“I’m not that bad.”
“You have been that bad since you found out about Madison and Dominic,” Stirling adds.
“Guess I’ve been so caught up with my anger, I didn’t realize how I might have been affecting others,” I confess as I move some paperwork around on my desk with a nervous fidget.
“It’s all completely understandable, though,” Stirling tells me. “You think the LA people will be able to work out what the hell is going on?”
“He was cocky enough that I believe so.” Putting all my faith into Jackson and his team is a big ask, but right now, I have no alternative. “He can’t do any worse than the crew I hired who haven’t found anything more.”
Stirling nods his head in agreement. “Did they have any suspicions on who it might be?”
“No. They have no idea. But by the end of the week, he told me he would have something for me. Who knows what that might be?”
“Fingers crossed we can find out who the hell is doing this. Just so you know, while you were away, I had someone sweep the building for bugs.” He did what? “I know I sound paranoid, but I don’t know who we can trust at the moment.”
“And?”
“Nothing,” he answers. I’m not sure if I should be relieved or not by that.
“I feel like a sitting duck at the moment waiting for whoever this psycho is to make another move.”
“If they do, we’ve got you.” Stirling gives me a weak smile.
I know he does, even if he lied to me about Audrey.
27
Ariana
“Hey, you’re home,” I greet Rhys as he enters his apartment after work. He’s given me access to his apartment any time I want. If his apartment had a key, then I guess I would be getting one.
It’s only been a couple weeks since reuniting at Emma and Anderson’s housewarming party, but it feels like a lifetime ago now. What does feel like a lifetime ago was the first night Rhys and I met all those months ago. Who knew we would be where we are now?
Happy.
Content.
Fulfilled.
I’ve been busy designing Stella and EJ’s dream home in Montana. I have sent back a couple of designs, and they’ve sent back their changes, and once I’ve done up this last copy of plans for them to check over, they will be ready to break ground.
The best part about building this house is it’s on her father’s land, plus the councilman who signs off on building permits plays cards with her father, and he’s happy to do whatever he wants. Plus, the mayor lives down the road, and her father’s known him since high school. It’s all extremely crazy and an incredibly small world. I don’t know how I would cope dealing with everyone knowing my business. It’s hard enough with this group of friends of mine as they are such busybodies.
“I’m so happy to see you.” Rhys picks me up in his arms and swings me around while nuzzling into my neck.
“Did you miss me?” A little dizzy from his enthusiastic greeting, he puts me down on the floor.
“Damn right I did.” He grabs my face and kisses me passionately as I melt into his arms. “Want to come have a shower with me before the call with Jackson?”
He doesn’t have to ask me twice. Grabbing his hand, we rush through his apartment stripping off our clothes, leaving them all over the floor. I trip over my damn underwear in my haste and fall to the floor in a fit of giggles.
“Ariana, you okay?” Rhys picks me up and assesses the damage.
“Guess I’m a little bit excited to dirty you up before giving you a thorough clean.” Biting my lip, I rub my naked self against his near-naked body.
Seconds later, Rhys is tugging off the last pieces of his clothing and throwing them to the floor. He picks me up, and I wrap my legs around his waist as he strides the last few steps through the hallway, then through his bedroom to his en-suite. While I cling to him like a koala, I tease him with my lips against his neck. Rhys reaches into the shower and turns on the faucet, playing with them for a few moments testing the water. Then he steps into the oversized shower and presses my back against the cold tile wall.
“Did you enjoy teasing me while I was helpless?” Rhys growls against my skin.
“Yes.” My answer is more than a little breathless.
“Maybe I should do a little teasing of my own?” He slowly lets go of my legs, and with an unhappy pout, my legs hit the wet floor. The next thing I know, he spins me around and pushes my chest against the tiled wall. His hand is straight between my thighs, and his fingers are running lazily through my slit. My teeth sink into my bottom lip as I turn my head to the side.
“Who’s teasing who now?” Rhys nips my neck as his fingers do crazy things between my thighs. He’s so good as I try to pretend that what he’s do
ing to me isn’t driving me crazy.
“I bet I can make you come before I do.”
Rhys fingers still at my challenge. “Do you now?” His voice is deep and husky with a hint of amusement.
“Yes.” Confident in my challenge, I mean it’s win-win because we both get off, so no one is losing, really.
“What do I get if I win?” he cockily asks.
That’s easy as I was going to ask him anyway. I had spoken to Chloe, and she’s agreed to it.
“Be my date for Chloe and Noah’s wedding?”
Rhys stills at my question.
A sinking notion runs through my veins. Oh, no. Have I read this all wrong? I didn’t think I had, but a wedding is a big deal, especially since he’s getting divorced. Maybe he hates weddings. Maybe he never wants to get remarried. Planning social events months in advance, that’s not wise, Ariana. Shit. Maybe it’s a trigger for him.
Rhys spins me around, so we are facing each other again.
“Please, you don’t have to say yes or anything…” My mouth is running away with this awkward moment.
“Ari…” This is the first time Rhys has used my nickname as his hands cup my face. “I can see your mind is going a million miles in the opposite direction to where mine is,” he explains. “I’d love to go with you.”
He would? The sinking feeling begins to disappear as I look up into his blue eyes that are shimmering with emotions.
“I didn’t know if you would want to because of your divorce?”
He shakes his head. “I know there’s a heap of drama going on around me with that right now, but the more I learn about it all, the more I realize none of it has anything to do with me. I could have been the best husband in the world, and the events still would have happened.” He shrugs sadly. “I wish I had met you all those years ago,” he confesses. “Then you wouldn’t have been stuck with someone carrying a mountain of drama.” Rhys lets out a heavy sigh.
“I don’t know if either of us would have been ready for each other all those years ago,” I tell him as I push his dark hair away from his eyes. “We’re on the path we need to be now. When we get through all of this, and we will…” I try to remain positive, “… we will be stronger.”