The saddest part was the picture Cassidy painted of Jaden, the guy I loved, standing on the unfamiliar doorstep, telling his mom that she had to come home.
But she hadn't.
She hadn't even offered to help Jax and Jaden return home.
So there they were, stranded in Florida with no money, no plans, and apparently, no one even looking for them.
It was almost too horrible for words.
I asked, "But what about their dad or older brothers? Didn't any of them come looking?"
Cassidy shook her head. "The only one who showed up was Jake." She grimaced. "And the only thing he wanted was his car."
I winced. "Ouch. You mean the one they stole from him?"
"Yup, that's the one." She gave a weak laugh. "It was the same car that Jaden torched a few months ago."
I blew out a long, shaky breath. "I can see why."
And I truly could.
The way it sounded, the only thing Jake cared about was his car. If so, I was glad Jaden torched it. I was just sorry that he hadn't done it years ago – the first time Jake had shown up looking for it.
I murmured, "I can't believe I'm just hearing this story."
"Why?" Cassidy asked. "I mean, it's not like you and Jaden are friendly. And even with Jax, it was like pulling teeth to get the full story out of him."
"But what about the rest?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, they're obviously living here in Florida. Are you saying they just never went home?"
"That's exactly what I'm saying," she said. "And if it weren't for Darla taking them in, who knows what might've happened."
At the mere mention of that dreaded name, I stiffened. Still, I was curious. "So she's not related to them at all?"
Cassidy shook her head. "No. But she happened to see them hunkered down in that car. The way it sounds, she invited them for dinner, and then just sort of adopted them."
"Really?"
The story made me feel funny in more ways than one, but it certainly explained a few things. Now, it was easy to see why both brothers were so down on relationships – and why they cut Darla so much slack.
My thoughts zeroed in on Jaden. In my mind's eye, I could almost see him, just a kid, begging for his mom to come home. He must've loved her, whether she deserved it or not.
And she'd totally abandoned him.
No wonder he'd turned out so jaded.
Suddenly, I hated all of them – the mother, the dad, and even the stupid brother who cared more for an old car than for his little brothers.
God, what a tool.
And now, the guy's wife was calling Jaden at the office? I could only imagine why. Probably, it was to give him grief about the car or to ask for restitution.
Talk about nerve.
Silently, I vowed that the next time she called, I'd tell her what she could do with that husband of hers.
But the strangest thing was, she didn't call – not that week, nor the week after.
Soon, a whole month had passed, and she slipped almost entirely from my mind.
And why? It was because things with Jaden were keeping me blissfully busy.
Almost every day, I was learning something new about the guy I'd fallen for. But it wasn't until the day I found something in his laundry room that I knew beyond all doubt that he cared for me just as much as I cared for him.
Chapter 64
Both Jax and Cassidy were out of town, which meant that Jaden and I had the run of the beachfront mansion. It was a Sunday night, and the weekend had been pure bliss, with plenty of sex, laughs, and sandwiches, too – just because, hey it's sort of how we met.
Now, I was borrowing his washing machine to catch up on some laundry before the workweek ahead. I was in his laundry room folding my towels when I happened to look up and see something sitting on a nearby shelf, atop some gloves and scarfs.
It was a ski mask – a very familiar ski mask.
The last time I'd seen it, I'd been tossing it to Morgan as she sat nearly naked behind Jaden's desk. I'd never asked him about it, mostly because I'd been so eager to put all of that behind us.
But now, with the mask in sight, I was dying of curiosity.
When I returned to the kitchen where Jaden was making us a couple of club sandwiches, I set aside my laundry basket and held up the mask. With an embarrassed laugh, I said, "I see you got it back."
He gave the mask a perplexed look. "From who?"
"From Morgan."
He grew very still. "What do you mean?"
Obviously, I'd hit a nerve. "Well, the last time I saw it, Morgan was…" Gosh, how to put this? "… holding it for you."
Now, he was frowning. "Where?"
I cleared my throat. "In your office, actually."
He muttered, "Shit."
"Sorry, what?"
"You saw that?"
"If you mean, did I see Morgan waiting for you, yeah, I did."
With a low scoff, he looked away. "No wonder you were pissed."
I gave it some thought. That whole weekend had been a definite downer. In fact, the day after I'd seen Morgan lying in wait, I'd ended it with Jaden. But at the time, Morgan's obvious interest had been only a minor factor in the big scheme of things.
I tried to laugh. "Actually, it was funny more than anything."
He gave me a look. "Bullshit."
"What?"
"You weren't amused. You were pissed off."
"I wasn't that pissed off," I said. "I mean, I knew she liked you. But I never really saw you two together, at least not romantically."
"Got that right." His gaze met mine. "And lemme tell you something, if you were pissed, you had every right to be." He gave me a rueful smile. "If I'd found someone waiting for you, I probably would've kicked his ass."
From the look in his eyes, there was no "probably" about it.
"Honestly," I said, "I wasn't that angry, at least not about that."
"Wanna bet?" he said. "You dumped me two days later."
"Oh come on," I laughed. "I didn't 'dump' you. I was just…" I struggled to find the words. "…ending a temporary thing."
"Temporary to you," he said. "Not to me."
His words warmed my heart. "Really? Even then?"
He left the kitchen counter and circled around it until there was nothing standing between us. He pulled me into his arms and said in a quiet voice, "You know it."
I leaned into him, loving the feel of his arms and the hardness of his chest. Still, I had to ask, "So, what happened? I mean, did you actually see Morgan that night?"
He stiffened. "Yeah. I saw her."
"And?"
"And I told her it wasn't gonna happen, not then, not ever."
"How'd she take it?"
He was quiet for a long moment. And then, he said, "Not great. But Morgan, she'll be alright, as soon as she figures out what she wants."
I pulled back to meet his gaze. "Oh, I know what she wants, or rather, who she wants."
But already, Jaden was shaking his head. "Nah. She just thinks that's what she wants. Trust me, I'd make her as miserable as Jax did." He grimaced. "And shit, who wants sloppy seconds after their brother?"
He looked so disturbed that it made me laugh. "Sorry," I said. "It's just the look on your face."
"If you think this look is bad," he said, "you should've seen me when I found her."
I winced. "That bad, huh?"
"Well, it wasn't good."
"Can I ask you a question?" I said. "Why'd you leave the mask in the first place?"
"You mean in my office?"
I shook my head. "No. Not your office. My office."
He frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I found it on my desk that night, so I guess I'm just wondering what the joke was."
"The joke?"
"Well, you know how we were leaving things on each other's desks. I guess when it came to the mask, I didn't quite get it."
"That's because it was no jok
e."
"What?"
"You want the truth?"
I nodded.
He gave me the hint of a smile. "I didn't know I left it."
I stared up at him. "So you didn't leave it on my desk? Is that what you're saying?"
"No. If you say it was there, I believe you. I'm just saying, I don't remember leaving it."
"So who did?"
He gave a rueful laugh. "Probably me."
"But wait, you just told me—"
"That I didn’t remember leaving it. But that night, I was in there."
"You mean in my office?"
His voice grew quiet. "Yeah."
"So, what am I missing?"
"That Friday, you know what Jax and I did, right?"
It was funny to think that we'd never discussed this. But I knew exactly why. Everything about that whole weekend had been such a nightmare that I hadn't really wanted to re-live it.
But suddenly, this discussion felt long overdue.
I said, "You, um, roughed up Cassidy's mom's boyfriend." I almost shuddered. "Or should I say pimp?"
"Either way, you're right. And you know why we did it?"
"To keep him away from Cassidy, right?"
"Right."
I felt my eyebrows furrow. "But what does that have to do with you leaving the mask in my office?"
"After it was over," he said, "I got to thinking what I'd do to keep you safe. And before I knew it, I was standing in your office, wondering what I'd do to someone who ever hurt you."
His words melted my heart. "Really?"
Again, he pulled me close. Into my hair, he said, "I would've done a lot worse than 'rough him up.'"
That sounded vaguely ominous, and yet, I wasn't disturbed. Instead, I was feeling warm and gooey all over. "So, that's what you were doing?" I teased. "Plotting someone's demise?"
His arms tightened around me. "If anyone hurt you? Fuck yeah." He paused. "Allie?"
"What?"
"I love you. You know that, right?"
And just like that, the world stopped spinning. I pulled back to say, "You do?"
"What, you didn't know?"
"How would I know?" I said. "You never told me."
"Yeah, well, I'm telling you now."
I smiled. "And I'm telling you, too."
He smiled back. "Yeah?"
I leaned into him and said against his chest, "I do love you." I gave a happy laugh. "As if you didn't know."
Whether he knew or not, he never said. But suddenly, I wasn't in the mood for sandwiches. I was in the mood for something else. And as it turned out, so was he.
Lying in his bed afterward, he told me the rest of the story. Turns out, on the night of their masked adventure, Jax and Jaden had already returned home when Morgan called, claiming to be locked in Jaden's office.
He'd arrived to find her in the same condition I had – nearly naked and ready for action.
But the only action she'd received was a cold shoulder, along with a stern warning to never pull that kind of stunt again.
When he finished, I snuggled tighter against him. "That was probably a good thing," I said with a laugh, "since you'd never want to violate the sanctity of your office and all."
"Violate it, huh? So that's what you're calling it?"
"Definitely." And then, I pulled back to ask, "Just curious…have you ever done that with anyone else?"
His eyebrows lifted, but he made no reply.
I gave him a playful swat to the arm. "I mean in your office."
With a laugh, he yanked me close and kissed hard, leaving me nearly breathless. When the kiss ended, he murmured, "No. Just with you."
Just with me.
I was really liking the sounds of that.
And from the look on his face, so was he.
Unfortunately, just a couple of months later, everything was thrown into a sudden disarray – starting with an unexpected visit from an overly familiar name.
Chapter 65
It was a Monday afternoon, and I was the only person left in the office. Jaden was in Hawaii on business, and Jax had left early for the day. Even Karen had the day off, and unlike previous times, Darla wasn't filling in.
In fact, I'd seen Darla barely five times since that ugly scene a couple of months ago. Since then, we hadn't said a single word to each other – not even a passing "hello" or in Darla's case, "Up yours, you filthy-handed tramp."
Still, I hoped that eventually, we'd find some way to get along. Darla was important to Jaden, and Jaden was important to me.
On top of that, I had a new appreciation for everything she'd done for him, especially at a time when he needed it most.
But that was an issue for another day. Now, the most important thing on my mind was getting ready for my upcoming trip.
Technically, it was for business. In reality, the business didn't start until next Monday. But at Jaden's insistence, I'd be flying out this Thursday to meet up with him for some pre-business fun in the sun.
Yes, I was going to Hawaii.
In a lucky break, the company was acquiring some property there, and Jaden was handling the transactions personally. As for myself, I'd be helping him in whatever way I could.
He'd left early to get a jump on things, but I'd be with him soon enough. Already, I was counting the days.
It was just past four o'clock when the suite's door opened, and a pretty blonde walked in, wearing a white sundress and sassy sandals. She looked to be near my own age or maybe even slightly younger.
She caught my eye through my internal office window and gave a friendly little wave.
As I waved back, I wondered who she was. She didn't look like she was here on business, and that made me just a little bit nervous. Between Jax and Jaden, they had more than their share of female admirers, and every once in a while, those admirers ended up here, looking for one or both brothers.
I rose from my desk and met her at my office door. "Can I help you?"
She smiled. "Yeah, I'm here to see Jaden. Is he in?"
I couldn’t bring myself to smile back. Her voice sounded familiar, too familiar. I gave her a long, penetrating look. "You're Luna, aren't you?"
Her smile widened. "Yeah, how'd you know?"
I stiffened. "I recognized your voice."
At something in my demeanor, her smile faded to nothing. "Is something wrong?"
God, I hated this.
Right now, I was technically acting as Jaden's assistant. But in reality, I didn’t feel like his assistant. I felt like someone who needed to tell this chick and her selfish husband what they could do with their concerns about a stupid car.
Abruptly, I asked, "Why are you here?"
Now, she was frowning. "To see Jaden, just like I said."
"Oh yeah?" I crossed my arms. "About what?"
"Family stuff." She hesitated. "He'll know what it's about."
"So you said."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "Excuse me?"
"On the phone," I clarified. "You said that he'd know what it was about. But he never took your calls."
"So?"
"So, don't you think it was a bit presumptuous to just pop in?"
"Maybe." Her chin lifted. "But isn't that for him to decide?"
"Yes," I said. "And he did."
"Sorry, what?"
"I'm just saying, if he didn't take your calls, what makes you think he'd want to see you in person?"
Yes, I realized that I was being horribly rude, but I couldn’t shake the image of Jaden as a lost kid screwed over by his family. He didn't deserve that. And now, years later, he didn't deserve to be hassled about a torched car.
Luna edged closer to me and said, "Listen, I don't know who you are—"
"Fine, I'll tell you who," I replied. "I'm the person who loves him."
She blinked. "What?"
"Yeah, that's right," I said. "And I think it's pretty crappy that your stupid husband cares more about a car than about his own brother."
She was bristling now. "Hey! You don't know anything about it."
"I know enough to realize your husband's a jerk."
"Yeah, well maybe yours is too."
"Hah!" I shot back. "We're not even married."
"Oh, shut up," she muttered. "You know what I meant."
She was right. I did. And in hindsight, bragging that Jaden and I weren't married seemed pretty darn stupid. We'd never even talked about marriage even if he had said those three magical words.
I might've smiled at the sentiment if only I didn't have a bristling blonde glaring daggers at me.
I squared my shoulders. "I'm just saying, maybe you should've called first."
"Why?" she said. "So you could keep claiming that he wasn't in?"
"Well, he's not in now, so what difference does it make?"
Her gaze narrowed. "Did you even give him my messages?"
"What?" I sputtered. "You think I didn't?"
"Well, you do seem to have an attitude."
"This?" I said. "This is nothing." I straightened to my full height – which granted wasn't terribly high. "I've got a lot more attitude where that came from."
She gave a dismissive wave of her hands. "If you think you can scare me off, forget it. I've got brothers who are twice as scary as you."
"Yeah, well I've got brothers too. And they'd make mincemeat out of yours."
Mincemeat? What the hell was I even saying?
She gave me a perplexed look. "What's mincemeat?"
"I don't know," I admitted. "I'm just saying, you're not gonna intimidate me."
"I didn't think I could," she said with a little frown. "You're kind of scary."
"Hey!" I said. "I am not. I’m just…" I hesitated. "…mad at Jake, I guess. I mean, seriously, how could he do that to his own brother?"
Abruptly, Luna turned and looked to her right. I followed her gaze and stifled a gasp. Standing just inside the suite's door was – damn it – Darla of all people.
Well, this was just great.
Chapter 66
I'd been so focused on Luna that I hadn't seen Darla come in.
I hadn't heard her either.
But the way it looked, she'd seen and heard plenty. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she eyed me and my unwanted visitor. "That's it," she announced. "I'm getting security." And with that, she turned and marched out of the suite, leaving me and Luna staring after her.
One Bad Idea: A Billionaire Loathing-to-Love Romance Page 27