The Monroe Sisters

by Aliyah Burke

  Andrew had her, he knew this. That announcement alone had done it, but at the same time, he couldn’t help but wonder if he’d not just lost her all the same. Her incredible black eyes raged hot, then nothing. Not anger, suspicion, or desire for revenge.

  Blank.

  And with Tara that was never a good thing.

  Damn it, if she’d not pushed the issue. The other two men looked between themselves.

  “Ms. Monroe?” the guard asked.

  Andrew bristled. That wasn’t her name. Tara held up a finger and put her fork on the plate. A move he was grateful for, unsure she wouldn’t try to take out an eye with it. She moved toward him until they were millimeters from each other.

  “You will leave with Marvin and wait in his office until I get there. You won’t talk to him or annoy him, or so help me, I’ll rid this world of a baron and make myself a widow.”

  She vibrated with the force of her anger.

  “Then?” he pushed, because he wanted her to know he wasn’t a man to lie there and take this behavior.

  “We talk and you get the fuck out of my life.” She whirled around and went back to her seat. As she sat, she glared at him, then her gaze softened as she looked to Marvin, who escorted him out.

  Another hour passed before something told him to look up. He saw her walking down the hall toward the office. Her eyes were closed and she was rubbing the back of her neck.

  He hated seeing her like this, exhausted and stressed.

  If she’d just let me take care of her.

  “Move,” she barked at him.

  He got up as she went to Marvin and bent down to whisper in his ear, then she turned and walked away. Hastening after her, he caught up and cleared his throat when she didn’t speak.

  “Not a single word out of you until we’re out of this building, Drew.”

  Clamping back his retort, he held the door for her as she pushed past him into the cold night.

  “Am I allowed to talk now?”

  “Where did you park?” She snorted. “Where did you have your man park your car?”

  There was no denying the derision in her words.

  “I had him drop me off.”

  “Just my fucking luck,” she muttered. “Where are you staying?”

  He gave her the name of his hotel and she swore again before striking off, heading down the steps at a rapid speed. Andrew hurried after her. She stopped next to a SUV and when he just stood there, she looked at him, disgust all over her face.

  “You actually have to get in yourself. I’m not holding the door for you.” Rolling her eyes, she hopped behind the wheel while he climbed into the passenger side.

  The moment his belt was buckled, they were pulling out of her parking spot. The interior smelled like cherry blossom and he hid a smile. She smelled like them and no doubt had some air freshener to keep it around her. They were, after all, her favorite flower.

  “Talk—you have until we get to the hotel.”

  “No way, Tara. You owe me more than that.”

  “I owe you?”

  Her voice, low and dangerous, flowed over him.

  “Yes. For fuck’s sake, we’re married. You owe me the decency of a face to face without a time limit to talk about this.”

  “For the record, I owe you shit, but fine, let’s deal with this now.” She cleared her throat and said, “Call Shai.”

  “Where are you and how long before you get here?” A low cultured voice reached out from the speakers.

  “I’ve got my husband in the car and apparently I owe him a face-to-face.”

  Andrew waited for her to sneer along with Tara.

  “You do,” Shai said, her voice even keel.

  Okay, even he was shocked by that. And from the screech Tara released, she was as well.

  “Excuse me? How are you siding with him? I’m your sister.”

  “You were the one who married him, Tara. Not the rest of us. Hell, we didn’t even know you were married. As it is, I’m still the only one in the family who does, unless you’ve come clean to them since we last spoke?” A momentary pause. “Didn’t think so.”

  “I hate you,” she grumbled, and Andrew wasn’t sure just who the words were for.

  “That’s okay, I’ll still love you when you get over yourself. As I was pointing out. You married him. If you want to divorce him, fine, we’ll support that, but you do owe him a face-to-face. Unless you’re telling me he was abusive?” Ice lined the question.

  “No,” Tara replied without hesitation, soothing the unease that sprang up within him. “He never did anything like that.”

  “So there’s no danger. Spend time with him, fuck him again if you must, get it out of your system then divorce him.”

  “Christ, Shai, you do know he’s in the vehicle with me, right?”

  “You say that like I should care. I wasn’t good enough to be introduced to him. Come by when you’re done with him.”

  She was gone.

  Cutting his gaze to the woman driving, he saw the exhaustion on her features. “Is she expecting you tonight?”

  “Knowing Shai, yes.” She pulled into the parking lot of his hotel and killed the engine.

  Her reluctance poured from her. Andrew hated this. He undid his belt and got out. Moving to her door before she could get out, he blocked her in with his larger form.

  “This isn’t a death sentence, Tara. I promise.”

  His hands burned with the need to touch her once more. Allow himself the privilege of pushing into that thick, glossy hair of hers. Feel it sliding over his skin, holding it close to his nose and inhaling the subtle scent of cherry blossom and white sandalwood.

  Instead of touching her, he backed off, holding the door as she climbed out. Once she’d locked her vehicle, he offered his arm and noted the reluctance she had to take it. Or was that her reluctance to touch him?

  Either way, he wasn’t pleased. His anger was soothed the moment she rested her hand upon the sleeve of his coat. Together they entered the hotel, strode for the elevator and rode up to his penthouse suite.

  His mind raced with the possibility of stripping her bare of all her clothing.

  It was so long since she’d been naked beneath him, since his cock had slipped inside her and been surrounded by her scorching heat.

  Chapter Four

  Tara gazed around as she entered the suite. Her palm still burned from where she’d had it upon his arm. Even with the leather between them, she had no recourse from the heat emanating from him. Out of instinct, she drifted her gaze to the open doorway leading to the bedroom. No, not the bedroom, his. She fought to hide her flush when he turned with a complete arrogant smirk on his face.

  Bastard.

  Damn if he didn’t make it hot.

  “I’m here. Speak your piece.”

  The longer I’m around him, the weaker I will become.

  Anger and irritation flared in his eyes before he reined them in. He shrugged out of his black leather jacket only to drape it over the back of a chair. Her mouth dried as he shoved the sleeves of his shirt up, allowing her to see the muscular forearms.

  “That’s not how this will go, Tara.” His voice held an edge. “You will remove your coat, sit, and share a drink while we speak.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “You don’t call the shots.”

  One dark eyebrow rose as he poured two drinks from the mini bar. “I beg to differ.” He gestured with one hand. “Sit.”

  Leaving her coat on, part defiance, part necessary armor, she moved to a chair and sat.

  He neared and handed her a drink. She took it only to set it beside her. Not drinking and driving was something she was serious about and she had no intention of being here long enough for any drink to wear off—there was no reason for her to begin to indulge.

  Drew lowered himself across from her and crossed his legs. She never thought of him as Andrew. He’d introduced himself as Drew that first afternoon they’d met on the beach and that was the man she
’d fallen in love with. Not the one who wore the mantle of Baron Andrew Coleman.

  Skimming her tongue along her teeth, she waited. This, this was a game she excelled at. Tara steepled her fingers and watched the man she’d married.

  He held her gaze as he put the amber liquid up to his lips and drank. She didn’t blink as he swallowed.

  “You’re not drinking.”

  “And you’re not talking.”

  “We’re not divorcing.”

  “Fine. Good talk. We go back to how things were.” She flicked a hand along her pantsuit. “Anything else?”

  When he remained silent, she began to rise and he narrowed those blue eyes once more. With a huff, she sat back and crossed her ankles.

  “Get on with it then.”

  “Why are you rushing to get away from me? We’ve not seen each other for five years and you have somewhere else to be?”

  She rolled her eyes, exasperated. “This isn’t all about you.”

  “That’s right,” he ground out. “It’s all about you and what you want.” The sarcasm drenching the words raised her ire.

  “I suppose it is. I mean I married a man I barely knew, and a week after we tie the knot, I swear it was like looking at the shell of the same man, but he was entirely different. An ass, uncaring of what I wanted, what I wished for, my dreams and aspirations.”

  He leaned back against the chair as if she’d delivered a full-on physical slap to him, eyes wide and shocked.

  “Is that what you think? What you thought? That I didn’t care about your dreams?” He cleared his throat. “That I don’t care?”

  “Why wouldn’t I think that? After we were wed, it was all about you and how there were things to attend. How we would be overseas from my family, how I would be with you every step of the way.”

  He moved his cup to the table beside him where his strong fingers lingered on the glass, moving along the rim.

  “You are my wife.”

  “Then why even pretend to listen to what I said on those walks, you know, the few times you acted, at least, like you cared what I said? You invented interest in me. But for the life of me, I can’t imagine why. I’m not exactly ‘baroness’ material. I wouldn’t expect a tiny Asian woman to be what a baron would pick.”

  He flexed his jaw.

  “Are you finished?”

  She needed her sister’s ear. “I believe I am. And while this has been spectacular for me to catch up, I should be going.” Getting to her feet, she then made her way to the door. The second she closed her fingers around the latch, he was there.

  Drew had her up against the firm barrier of the door. Every hard inch of him held her there. She closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath. While the air was important, it was both necessary and a curse the moment his masculine scent filled her nose, shooting need and raw lust through her.

  The long, thick length of his cock was blatant against her and she licked her lips, trying to stem the flow of moisture gathering between her legs. A whimper slipped free as he nuzzled the side of her neck.

  “If this is what you’ve believed for all these years, I’ve seriously neglected my job as your husband. A fact I must tell you, I am fully anticipating the fun I will have making you realize just how wrong you were.”

  It had been so long since she’d been this close to a man. Her man. Damn it, all she wanted to do was sink back into him and let herself indulge.

  “It’s fact, Drew. And the fact that you think otherwise is just more proof.”

  Her phone rang and it took a moment to dig it from her pants pocket. Not making him move back, his warmth was fucking amazing.

  “Yes?”

  Great, my voice is all deep and husky.

  “I had a question because I was thinking.”

  Shai.

  Tara cleared her throat. Behind her, Drew kissed along the nape of her neck.

  “About?”

  “If you were married when we all went off on our Mexican week of hard sex and fun in the sun, what did you do?”

  Drew stilled behind her, one large hand wrapped around her small waist, anchoring them together. The graze of his teeth could be felt along the same path his lips had just taken.

  “Now isn’t the best time to talk about that, Shai.” Heat flushed through her entire body.

  “Why not? You’re the one who said sometimes you just need cock. Oh, you are still with him then. I will just eat my dinner alone. Do you think you’ll be by for dessert? You know, you could bring your husband and I can meet him. I think that’s a good plan.”

  “Shai.”

  “Well, get the fucking done with and come on.”

  “I think it’s a great idea,” Drew said loud enough she knew Shai could hear.

  Of course he would.

  “Excellent. I will see you soon.” She hung up.

  He took the phone from her hand and threw it behind them somewhere. She honestly didn’t care.

  “What’s this about you going to Mexico for a time with some man?”

  “That’s not pertinent to this discussion.”

  He bumped his hips into her. “You, my beautiful wife, have never been so wrong.”

  “We should just get a divorce, Drew. You go on your way and I’ll go on mine.”

  “No.”

  Not a lot of ways to misinterpret that single statement.

  “I didn’t chase you down across the world to have a divorce, Tara. I came because I want my wife.”

  She bit the inside of her lip. “I’m sure there are any number of women who would love to be a baroness. Marry one of them.”

  He spun her so they were face-to-face. She’d always been so tiny and petite next to him and had loved it. Loved how he made her feel so protected, feminine, sexy.

  Right now, however, she was at a disadvantage and she didn’t like it one bit. He wasn’t stupid and knew how to read her reactions to him, knew she was lusting after him.

  “Is that what you want? A divorce so you can trot back to Mexico and hook up with whomever you slept with down there?”

  He gripped her chin and forced her head back to maintain eye contact. She gulped.

  “Is it?” Those two words rumbled from his throat as fire burned in his gaze.

  Andrew seethed. The thought of another man laying a single finger on her enraged him. He forced himself to release her, because he would never cause her physical harm.

  Even so, staring down at her, he was lost in her deep eyes.

  “I spent a week at a spa, getting massages and sleeping. Nothing more. I’ve not betrayed the vows I took.”

  He searched her features for a lie but didn’t see any. He settled the back of his hand alongside her face.

  “But your sisters think you were with a man? Because, sometimes you just need dick?”

  His own pulsed and he bit the inside of his lower lip so he didn’t thrust against her. He could read her like a book, even after all this time, and knew without a doubt she was aroused.

  “We were speaking for Eva.” The corner of her lips twitched.

  Andrew had always had a fascination with her mouth. Her lips were like a delectable candy he wanted to indulge in. They were an erogenous zone for her. Had they changed or did she still crinkle her nose at the brush against the back of her knees? Did kisses along her ankle have her panting in need?

  “Well, I think you do need cock. It’s been far too long for either of us.”

  She arched a perfect eyebrow. “Really? How long has it been since you’ve had a nice, thick cock?”

  He gripped her chin. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

  A heavy sigh. “I’m not sleeping with you, Drew. You wanted to talk, so talk. I have places to go.”

  “We have places to go. We shouldn’t keep Shai waiting—let me change and we will head out.” Before she could say anything, he kissed her.

  Fuck!

  The contact was too goddamn fucking brief, rocking him to the core, but he backed away an
d headed to his bedroom to change into something a bit less stuffy. He had to make a good impression on her sister.

  Not trusting her to wait if he took a long time, he shoved himself into jeans and a dark blue Henley. Hiking boots on his feet, he swiped his identification and key card before making his way back out to the living area. She remained by the door, still wearing her coat and not having drunk a drop.

  “Ready.”

  She flicked her gaze over him before spinning around and exiting the room. Grabbing his jacket, he hurried after her, catching up at the elevator. He stepped in and pinned her with his gaze. Hers didn’t waver and he bit back some concern.

  This woman wasn’t the same one he’d married. Then again, perhaps she was and now she’d just come into her own. He didn’t know much about her, if he were to be honest to himself about it, because he had been focused on winning her.

  Her warning words flicked through his mind. She was right. He hadn’t really thought much about what she wanted once she’d married him. It had all been about him.

  At her car, he held the door for her, ignored her suspicious look and just made his way to the passenger side once she was securely in. While he preferred to drive, he didn’t have a clue where Shai lived, so he wouldn’t push that particular boat.

  Tara didn’t move the vehicle until he buckled up. Snow had begun to fall again in earnest and he couldn’t help but admire the way she handled the drive. The music was low and as they cruised along, he tried to compare this woman to the one he’d first met.

  Still a spitfire, yet more.

  After a full twenty minutes of silence, one she never asked him to break, she slowed in a neighborhood before pulling up to a modest house.

  Andrew climbed out and, as he rounded the hood, the front door opened. As he helped Tara out, he watched a woman step from the house. His wife led the way and paused at the bottom of the steps before she looked up.

  “Shai, Drew. Drew, Shai.”

  Tara slipped past her and into the house, leaving him alone with the black woman who watched him like a mama bear protecting a cub. Her cub.

  Why am I fearing this? I’ve done countless deals that have made me nervous. This is one woman.