His to Belong To

by jm blake

  I shuddered dramatically. “I hate to be predictable, but I couldn’t help but wonder what was going on over here.” I looked around and see a few pieces of furniture out of place, and signs of actual living. The place typically looks like a morgue, a new one at that. It’s been over a week since Ayden swooped into that club and kidnapped the lovely lady—it doesn’t look like either of them has left that much. Now that I think about it, I haven’t seen my brother in a few days and Cassidy even longer.

  “What’s going on is none of your business. Now go away.” Ayden strolls into the room also barefoot, wearing an old pair of athletic pants and a ratty jumper. His hair is a mess, scruff all over his jaw. And he’s carrying a tray.

  A fucking tray. With food on it. My jaw threatened to unhinge itself, yet I managed to adopt a tepid expression.

  He set it on a low table, and then grabbed Cassidy’s waist, pulling her down to sit. He handed her a napkin, and she dove into the plate. He smiled briefly and stroked her bent head. He turned his gaze on me and glared.“Go home.”

  “Nope. I think I will hang for a bit. What’s for lunch?” I tried to peer over at Cassidy’s dishes, but Ayden blocked my view.

  “Nothing is for lunch. You have your own housekeeper and cook. Why don’t you run along and have them entertain you?” He attempts to rough me up, but being that we are the same size, and I am determined, it doesn’t quite work.

  “Cook, you say? Is Mrs. Manning here. I haven’t seen the old girl in ages. I’ll just pop into the kitchen and say hello.”

  I darted around him and find his indispensable housekeeper tidying up the kitchen. “Hullo, sweetheart.” Her soft face swings around and lights up. “You scamp! Come and give me a hug.” Mrs. Manning is Ayden’s head housekeeper. She oversees all of his homes and domestic employees, and he drags her around like a security blanket. She still loves me best, though.

  I squeeze her tightly and whisper in her ear. “So, how have the lovebirds been doing?”

  She pulled back and smiled conspiratorially. “Brilliant. Can’t keep their hands off of each other. That lovely girl has been here every day. Every. Single. Day. They start out with dinner or a late meal and then disappear upstairs for the night. Go to work together in the morning, and then repeat the cycle. Quite adorable. A darling she is; tries to help me tidy up and always thanks me for everything. I have never seen Master Ayden so smitten.” She pats my cheek and hands me a plate with a bagel and salmon. “Eat up, my boy.”

  I bussed her cheek and peek around the corner. Ayden is practically sitting on top of Cassidy as she eats, and they are speaking quietly. He absently wipes a bit of food from the edge of her mouth, leaning in to kiss her temple. She smiles at him, cheeks bulging with her meal, and pokes him gently with her fork. He kisses her again, and she briefly nuzzles her head into his chest, before going back to her chewing. I watch them for a moment, and then set my plate down. I feel an inexplicable sadness come over me that I don’t think I can joke my way out of.

  “Sweetheart, those two are going to spoil my appetite. Wrap this up for me, hmm?” I smile at her, wiping my face of emotion. I saunter back into the living room and give them my signature smirk.

  “Well, I can see where I am not wanted. I have a ton to do at home, plus you two are quite sickening.” I briskly brushed off my pants and pretended to check my phone again.

  “Look at the time.” I march over and clap Ayden hard on the shoulder and lean in and brush a kiss on Cassidy’s forehead. Her beautiful face has a slight frown, but I give her an award-winning smile.

  “Try not to miss me too much, hmm?” Mrs. Manning appears and hands me a sack with my bagel. I wink at her and Ayden stands up to walk me to the door. “Thanks for the check-up, infant. Do call next time? I may be…otherwise occupied. And if you ever think about using your key—don’t. And lastly—stay the fuck out of my phone.” He closes the door firmly in my face, and I ride down the lift to where my car is waiting for me. I shove a few pounds at the attendant and sit there for a minute, slouching in my seat.

  Cassidy is only going to be here a little over two more weeks. And while my erstwhile nonchalant brother may think that he will be able to let her go quickly, I already know that is not the case. Because my brilliant, untouchable, billionaire, manwhore of a brother has done the unthinkable.

  He has gone and fallen in love.

  Ayden

  “Are you nervous?”

  Bash is whipping his sleek black Jaguar through the thick M11 traffic at a demonic pace while I hold on for dear life. Today a few of our more prominent investors are flying in for an updated demo; needless to say- we have a lot riding on it. I haven’t seen Cassidy in over two days, as she and the entire lab team fine-tune and put the cap on the exhibition. Clayton himself drove her out to Cambridge at four this morning, and he reported that she was quiet yet seemed calmly excited.

  “Not nervous, more anticipatory. The team has been working like fiends, and though I can read reports and data, nothing matches seeing Apollo in action.” I tap the dashboard and grin at him. “You?”

  He shoves a hand through his thick dark blonde hair and chuckles shortly. “I’m bloody terrified.” We both laugh as he pushes the accelerator more. We pass Duxford and Sawston in a blur and chat about the next steps as I tap a few messages to Phyl, who is already at the lab and setting up a spread for our guests. I remind her to have a few American style options and start to text Cassidy but realize that she wouldn’t have her phone on her. Bash peeks over at me strangely a few times, and I raise a brow at his expression. “What is it?”

  He shifts a little in his seat and taps the steering wheel. “I’m just wondering how much damage control I’m going to need to do later this week.” He takes another measuring look at me, and I frown. “Why will you need to do damage control? Is Batroni acting out again?”

  We terminated Greg Batroni’s contract a couple of weeks back and saying that he took it poorly is an understatement. HR and Legal had a very attractive exit package waiting for him, as well as several ironclad contracts and NDA’s. He signed everything quietly but waited until he was out in the common area to begin a tirade. He accused us of everything from ageism (he’s only forty-one) to corporate malfeasance. In the end, he spat out a few personal insults, including some aimed at Cassidy. It took all of Bash’s strength to hold me back from annihilating his face, and he smirked at me when he realized that his arrow found its target. Since then, he has skirted around his restrictions and taken to showing up at DevCo’s lobby to harass my employees. The last time, I had him slapped with a threat of a restraining order, and Hugo had a few fellows from the Met waiting for him. He left swiftly but not without a few more warnings, shouted out. Cassidy has quietly asked a few friends in the scientific community to keep an ear out about any gossip he may be spreading.

  “No, it’s all been silent from his end. I’m speaking about Cassidy. She goes home the day after tomorrow…” He leaves the statement hanging, and I turn to look out the window.

  “Yes, she has already packed up her flat, and I’ve arranged to take her to the airport.”

  “Those are just logistics, Ayden. I’m talking about how you are going to feel.” He punches me lightly in the arm with a free hand before turning back to the wheel.

  “How am I going to feel? I won’t feel anything, not really. I mean, she is a lovely girl, and we’ve enjoyed each other, but that’s all this is. An uncomplicated romp with an end date.” I shrug and continue to watch the scenery pass.

  “An uncomplicated romp?” His voice is dry, and if I’m not mistaken, a bit sarcastic.

  “That’s right. We agreed that there wouldn’t be any messy feelings or lingering communication. It was her idea, actually.”

  “And she’s just a lovely girl?” More sarcasm. I should’ve left him in a basket and sent him down the river as a baby.

  “You don’t agree?” Cassidy is the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen. I could spend hours staring a
t her and waiting for those cavernous dimples to appear. Not to mention her body is a feast— it will be a long time before I forget the taste of her.

  “Of course, I agree. She’s bloody gorgeous. Not to mention brilliant. And funny. I have enjoyed getting to know her immensely. But I’m not the one who fell in love with her.” My head whips around, and I stare at him. His face is stern— I think he’s fucking serious.

  “I am not in love with her! Are you mad? I just told you we’ve had a romp.” I slap my leg with emphasis.

  “Ayden, you are my big brother, and I admire you in all things. But you are bloody whacked if you can’t see that you love that girl. It’s written all over you every time I see you together. You can barely keep your eyes, hands, and cock off of her. You hang on every word she says, and after just a few short weeks, you’ve given up your tailored suits and daily grooming for tatty joggers and grungy vests. You had on a ball cap, Ayden. Her ball cap. All I am saying is that I am here for you when it finally hits you that the love of your life is gone.”

  I continue to glare at him. Is he out of his mind? I don’t have the desire nor capability of being in love with anyone. I admit that I am fond of Cassidy, but that’s it. Any man alive would want to touch her- we just established that she’s beautiful, didn’t we? As for the clothing- well, we spent a lot of time indoors. I’m not going to wear a suit in my flat- that’s what tatty clothes are for. Today, for example, I have on a flawless three-piece Kilgour suit and highly polished Stefano Bemer bespoke shoes. Do I need to remind him that I won Europe’s Best Dressed?

  “Sebastian, you need to get that ridiculous notion out of your head. And I’d thank you not to bring any of your outlandish theories out to Cassidy. I will drive her to the airport and send her away with my affection and gratitude. And. That. Is. It.” I tug at my collar and rub the persistent ache in my chest. I need to see a doctor about that.

  “Alright. I will let you live in your denial. But one day, maybe not right away, you are going to realize what you have lost. And you are going to hate yourself. And that may be the only day in your life that I will not tell you ‘I told you so.’” He looks disappointed in me, and that stabs a bit.

  “Well, that day will never come, Puddock. So you can save the notion.” He shakes his head again and sighs deeply. We don’t say anything for the rest of the trip.

  * * *

  Phyl is waiting at the entrance when we pull up and immediately hands us the agenda and packet for the day. “Everyone is here, Mr. St. Devane. I have them set up in the Cam Room- coffee and tea have been served.” She briskly walks and lists a few of the things she overheard and informs us that the lab has sent up a message that they are ready whenever we are.

  The Cam Room is named for the lovely, winding river view just outside of the large windows. The doors are open as we walk up, and Phyl announces us formally to the group. I take turns shaking the hands of and thumping the back of several of the men and women. Pat is speaking to one of our most prominent investors, and he grins hugely at me as I walk up. “Still trying to make the rest of us look poor as hell, huh, Devane?” I laugh out loud and tightly shake the hand of Malcolm Clare. “You know that Nick isn’t coming?”

  Malcolm and my best friend, Nick Grant, went to college together at Harvard. They hit it off not only because they shared a major but because they had identical backgrounds- the oldest son of a storied and ‘old-money’ American family. The Grants own half of Chicago, while the Clares own all of New York. Like Nick, Malcolm - voted “The Most Beautiful Man in New York”-went through many erm, options, before he finally settled down. Last I heard, he and his childhood sweetheart were planning for the society wedding of the year.

  “Yes, he texted me this morning. Is everything alright?” I smile big.

  “Everything is fine, except that his wife is pregnant. Again. Little Erik’s only six months old, and Zay is just two. She is absolutely furious, though he is over the moon. She threatened to go on strike if he even thought about leaving her with two boys while she is ‘baking another damn Grant boy in the oven.’” We both get a chuckle out of it, as the image of Nick’s endlessly pretty and tiny wife laying down the law is only too vivid. MacKenna is one of my favorite people on the planet. “So, we are going to securely stream the presentation to him instead .” I take the cup of coffee that Phyl offers me, sipping deeply. “And you. When is the big day?”

  He grimaces and runs a hand through his hair. “So, yeah. We postponed it. Long story, but I’m not quite ready to take that leap. So we are on a break while I figure this all out.” I smirk behind my cup. Maybe Mr. Beautiful hasn’t exhausted all of his options, after all. We chat a bit about the presentation, and I give him a thumbnail sketch of our personnel changes and Cassidy’s involvement. Bash comes over and announces that the lab is ready for us. I clap Malcolm on the back, and the group heads down the lift to the lab below.

  Security hands out labcoats as everyone empties their pockets into the lockers. There is a lot of excited chatter, and the hum of activity from the lab reaches us. Alec is waiting for the group, and I crane my neck to find Cassidy. I finally spot her with the Nano team, glasses on her nose, and her signature thick braid draped over one shoulder. She is listening attentively while one of the techs is speaking and punching in data. She pats his shoulder and grins at whatever he says, one dimple flashing at me.

  Alec is summarizing their progress and asks everyone to position themselves in a particular section of the room. One of the other techs passes out unique sunglasses, instructing us to put them on before the doors open.

  I hear a subtle “Go,” and the whole team springs into action. Alec smoothly conducts the process, his calm voice rising above the din. “Materials team, check.” A voice sounds out the reply, and a thin thrum enters the noise. “Nano team, check.” Cassidy’s partner responds, and she finds me with a smile and a thumbs up. “Mirror team, check.” “Video team, check.” I glance down at my watch and see a message from Nick with confirmation that he is connected. The metallic hum grows, and the investors put on their glasses. At the far end of the room, the large double doors open and reveal the field of highly specialized mirrors. The new configuration mostly resembles a honeycomb, and as we watch, all of the pieces move until they are tightly clasped and facing the sun. They glow brightly, and a digital display on the wall ticks the growing temperature.

  “Two thousand degrees,” Alec calls out. I glance over at Cassidy again and see her frown at something on the computer screen. She whispers something to the tech, and he quickly types something into the keyboard. She squints at the display and says something else. He types more, and then she straightens up, smiling again. The counting continues.

  “Five thousand degrees.”

  The mirrors shimmer and shake a bit, and I see Bash shift nervously. This is further than we have ever been, and we still need another thousand degrees before we can consider this a smash.

  “Five thousand one hundred.” Malcolm rocks back on his toes and raises his brows expectantly.

  “Five thousand four hundred.”

  “Five thousand six hundred.”

  “Five thousand eight fifty.”

  “Six thousand. Hold!”

  The teams furiously go into action, and we watch the counter hover at the six thousand mark. Streams of data fly onto the screens, and excited shouts fill the room. “Holding!”

  A rapid clock speeds, tracking the length of time that the temperature holds. I hold my breath while the numbers tick to over two minutes. “Take it down!”

  The flurry ramps up as they once again re-configure the mirrors so that the temperature retreats. The numbers wind backward, and loud screech tings as a giant “blanket” mechanically moves to cover the mirrors. The process is slow, but the device runs flawlessly. The degrees drop dramatically and, after a few minutes, comes back down to zero. There is a beat, and then a loud cheer goes up. I let out the breath I was holding, and a loud pop hits my back. Bash i
s grinning like a loon, and Malcolm is tapping into his watch. “Nick says, “Well done, your majesty.” I roll my eyes and walk over to shake Alec’s hand.

  “Brilliant job, Alec.” He nods and wipes a bead of sweat off of his brow. “Team effort, sir.” Bash is at my back and lifts Alec off his feet into a big hug. I see that the rest of the investors have spread out and are speaking to different teams. I search for my girl and feel a brick hit my chest. Malcolm is leaning on a desk, hands in his pockets, and a foolish smile on his face.