“Let me guess, Trent and Mara just arrived, right? Man, you have got to let it go. She’s a grown woman. She’s had boyfriends before and you haven’t been this crazy.”
“He’s going to ask her to marry him. He just told me.” Matt growled and then in a sudden move turned and punched a hole in the wall next to him.
The sliding glass door opened again. Trent and Mara stood on the patio gaping at them. Nicholas walked up behind them and peered over Mara’s shoulder.
“Damn! Cleanup on aisle four,” he joked.
Matt stalked into the living room and Jackson ran his hands over his hair roughly. How had a simple family cookout turned into a soap opera?
Chapter Seven
“What do you mean you won’t give me the code?”
Ridley bit her lip and hoped no one downstairs could hear her. Not that they needed any more evidence of the crazy town her life had become.
“Exactly what I said. I am not giving you the code,” Raina pronounced. “I am so sorry about what happened to David. I didn’t like the idea of him poking around in our past, but I wouldn’t have wished him dead, especially not in a fiery car crash. But if the police think it wasn’t an accident, then that means he was mixed up with some pretty shady people. And if they’re looking for you, the first place they’ll look is my house.”
“I told you, I never told David about you.”
“I know, but if he had any investigative skills at all, he would have figured out that you were a twin. It wouldn’t have taken much for him to figure out who I am. And if he figured it out, then someone else could have, too.”
She paused and took a breath. “Plus, if the FBI really does think you’re involved in David’s accident, you need to stay hidden. They can’t arrest you if they can’t find you. At least at Jackson’s house, I know you’re safe.”
Ridley mentally counted backward from ten. “Raina. I cannot just stay at some guy’s house who I don’t even know. What am I supposed to tell Jackson?”
“All I want you to do is stay safe until I can get home. Don’t worry about Jackson. He owes me a favor. I’ll talk to him.”
“No! You can’t do that!” Ridley bit her lip.
There was silence on the other end of the line.
“Okay, what is going on here?” Raina asked. “Why wouldn’t I talk to Jackson?”
Ridley groaned and flopped down on the bed. She wasn’t sure what kind of outcome she’d been envisioning, but she’d never expected for Raina to want to call Jackson and explain everything. Now she had to come clean and, considering how many times she’d chastised her sister for lying, Raina was never going to let her hear the end of it.
“Because he thinks you’re here. When he saw me outside, he thought it was you. And I didn’t tell him otherwise.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa! You’re pretending to be me?”
Ridley gritted her teeth at the howls of laughter coming through the phone. “This isn’t funny, Ray. I didn’t know what else to do! I needed a place to stay and I figured I could get in contact with you and get the money to get out of here without anyone ever being the wiser.”
“I know, I know. Miss Honesty telling a lie. It’s probably killing you having to pretend to be me.”
“I hate lying to him,” Ridley whispered. All she could think of was Jackson’s face when he’d held her last night. So open. So trusting.
“You really like him, don’t you?” Raina asked. For once, she didn’t sound like she was poking fun.
Ridley stood, her mind made up. “That’s it. I’m telling him the truth. He deserves that much. Hopefully he won’t throw me out.”
“No, don’t do that! I know you feel bad, but as soon as you tell him, he’s part of this. He’s harboring a criminal. Is that what you want?”
“That’s not fair, Raina. Of course I don’t want that. I never wanted any of this.”
“I know you hate keeping secrets but he won’t be able to resist looking you up and asking questions. We can’t afford that right now. I’m sure the police have no proof against you, but I’d still rather no one knows where you are. The shoot is wrapping up in less than a week. Once I’m home, we can figure out a long-term plan. You’re going to stay with me, right?”
Ridley shrugged, then remembered that her sister couldn’t see her. “I haven’t thought that far ahead. But I’ll probably stay for a while. Until I figure out what to do, anyway.”
“Are you okay, Ridley? Really? He’s being nice to you, isn’t he? I’ll kick his ass if he hasn’t been.”
“Raina! Of course he’s been nice. He even stayed up to watch a movie with me so I wouldn’t be alone. He’s been great. I just feel bad that I’m taking up all his time. He probably has a girlfriend he’s neglecting because he feels obligated to stay here with me.”
“I don’t think he has a girlfriend. Or at least I’ve never seen any evidence of one. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen his ex-wife either.” She was quiet for a moment. “So, you guys stayed up late last night? Just watching a movie?”
“Yeah, it was some comedy with Will Ferrell. He fell asleep toward the end of the movie. I think he’s been pretty stressed out lately, too.”
“Uh huh. It sounds like you two got pretty close last night.”
Ridley would have crossed her arms if she wasn’t holding the phone. “Don’t start, Raina. Nothing happened. It was just two friends watching a movie.”
“Friends, huh? Friends with benefits?”
“I’m hanging up now,” Ridley warned.
“Oh, calm down. I’m just kidding. Not that it would hurt you any to seduce a handsome, successful man. You could do worse, you know?”
“I’m not here to steal his virtue,” Ridley said. “I’m just trying to stay out of the way until you get back.”
“Okay but I still think a little romance would do you good. Jackson is exactly the kind of guy I want for you. A real man, not like the guys you’ve been with who only want to use you.”
“Hey, if we’re going to start debating judgment skills, then I am not the one with the worst track record,” Ridley argued.
“Let’s see, there was the guy who just wanted you to cook for him. Was that John? Yeah, it was John. There was the guy who wanted you to write his term papers for him. I don’t even remember his name. Then there was Nate, the surfer dude who was high all the time.”
“Yeah, well who hasn’t picked losers when they were in college? You dated that guy who liked women’s underwear, remember?”
“Oh yeah, that was a shining moment, but my current boyfriend owns half the commercial real estate on the East Coast, so at least I’ve improved. I just want the same for you.”
“I know you do. But Jackson and I are just friends. Especially since he thinks I’m you.”
“Well, that should make it easier to seduce him, not harder.”
“Raina!”
“Okay, okay, I can take a hint. But I still think you should sleep with him. I saw him with his shirt off once. He is really built. Seeing him naked would totally make you feel better.”
“Sure. I’ll get right on that, sis.”
“You’re joking but I’m not. Well, if you change your mind, do it quickly because I’ll be back in about a week.” She paused. “I’ve really missed you, Ri.”
Touched, Ridley sucked in a breath, blinking back a sudden rush of tears. “I’ve missed you, too. Now, hurry up and get home!”
After they hung up she put her phone back on the nightstand. She’d lived apart from her sister ever since graduating from high school, but up until she met David, they’d talked on the phone every day. Raina would be back in a week. She’d already been here almost two days, so what were a few more? But for some reason it felt like forever.
She was suddenly really homesick and for her, home wasn’t a place.
It was Raina.
***
Nicholas Alexander hated to be wrong. Almost as much as he hated Chinese food and clip-on ties. Bu
t since he’d learned over the years that even his radar could be faulty at times, he decided to bring in the experts. As he walked down the driveway to his car, he pulled out his cell phone and hit the third speed dial. While everyone was distracted inside, it was the perfect time to do a little sleuthing.
“You rang, little brother?” The wry voice coming through his cell phone was about two octaves deeper than his. His older brother, Elliott, was the kind of man that lesser men feared. And not just because he was bigger than most everyone else.
“I’m glad you haven’t left yet. I need you to look into someone for me. A woman.” Nick glanced behind him to make sure he was still alone. Most of the partygoers had already arrived but it would be just his luck for Jackson or worse, their mother, to somehow overhear.
“It’s always a woman with you, isn’t it?” The dry laugh coming over the line was a surprise. Elliott wasn’t the happy-happy, joy-joy type and treated most conversations as if they were life or death. Nick was actually surprised his brother wasn’t grilling him for details on the “subject” yet.
“So, you want to know if your new flavor of the month has any skeletons in the closet? Namely, any irate husbands who’ll come after you with a baseball bat?”
“Hey! That was one time,” Nick countered. “And he wasn’t her husband. At least I don’t think he was.”
“He was,” Elliott replied firmly.
“Oh, damn. I actually didn’t know that.” Nick made a mental note to start having Elliott check out his future bedmates. He liked to have fun but he wasn’t trying to break up anybody’s home. His parents had managed to raise him better than that.
“Anyway, it’s not for me. It’s for Jackson.”
As he expected, that statement got his brother’s attention. “Subject’s name, age, and birthplace.”
“She’s a model, so most of her information is already out there. Her name is Raina Winters.”
“Leggy?” Elliott sounded surprised.
“Yeah, they call her ‘Legs.’ You know who she is?”
Elliott grunted. “I’m pretty sure every straight man in the western hemisphere knows who she is. She’s frickin’ hot.”
Nick tugged at the collar of his shirt. He closed his eyes tightly against images of those famously long legs wrapped around his neck while their owner bucked and moaned beneath him. They’d only spent one night together, but it had changed everything. He’d told her things he’d never told a woman, experienced things he thought weren’t possible. He’d lost himself in her.
Then the next morning she’d just walked away.
Focus, Nick!
“Well, she claims to be locked out of her house. Jackson seems to have bought her story and he’s letting her stay with him. She’s been there since yesterday.”
“You think she’s lying about being locked out?”
“I don’t know, but if she is I’d rather find out now before she wraps Jackson any further around her little finger. She told Jackson her real name is Ridley. That should help.”
His fingers clenched into a fist. When she’d needed a place to stay, she’d turned to Jackson. She’d confided her real name to Jackson.
Not to Nick.
Their night together clearly hadn’t meant as much to her as it had to him. Not that he didn’t already know that. Her refusal to see or talk to him since had pretty much driven that point home.
As angry as it made him, he couldn’t fault his brother for helping her. What was he supposed to say? I know she’s your neighbor and you knew her first, but I claim dibs?
Even though she doesn’t want me.
Just the thought of telling his little brother about her soul-crushing rejection made him feel about two inches tall.
“Anyway, can you check her financials and see if she’s having money problems?”
After Eli’s grunt of assent, he ended the call and closed his eyes. He couldn’t make his brother stay away from her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t keeping his eyes open. There was nothing to indicate that Raina would use Jackson to get back at him, but he would be prepared just in case.
If she was still the lying bitch he remembered, his brother didn’t stand a chance.
***
“I know this is hard, but you have to get a grip,” Jackson said.
“I’m sorry about your wall, man. I’ll pay for the damage.” Matt stared at something on the ground and kicked at it, looking so miserable that Ridley was suddenly embarrassed to be there.
She had stopped in the middle of the staircase after coming down to see what all the commotion was. Of course, her impeccable sense of timing put her right in the middle of a private conversation. At least the guys were facing away from her.
“Come on, Matt. Talk to me. What’s really the deal here? Your sister is getting married, not moving to a foreign country.” Jackson crossed his arms. “You’ve always been so overprotective of her.”
“She’s his family.” Ridley froze when they both looked at her. “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to overhear. It’s just, I don’t know. I get it.” She walked down the staircase until she stood next to Matt.
“I’d feel the same way if my sister was getting married. It’s always been just the two of us against the world. When she gets married, suddenly someone else is her next of kin. I’d be happy for her, of course. But I’d be sad, too. It would feel like someone was taking her away from me.”
“You’re right. I’ve always been the one who took care of her and now it’s like…” Matt crossed his arms and glared at the floor.
“Like someone’s taking your place?” she suggested gently.
“I’m being an ass.”
“You’re being human. You’re only an ass if you don’t go apologize so that your sister can stop worrying about you.”
“You’re right.” He looked at Jackson. “I meant what I said about your wall. I’ll fix it tomorrow.” He punched him in the arm and then walked out.
Jackson watched him go and then turned back to her. He stared for so long Ridley squirmed under his scrutiny. Was he annoyed she’d butted into his conversation?
“I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“You didn’t. I’m just amazed. It’s not easy to convince Matt to see reason. I feel like I’m watching one of those nature shows when the guy talks to the angry crocodile and manages to tame it. How did you know what to say to him?”
“I’m no crocodile whisperer. Like I said, I get it. I love my sister but we’re very different and I know what it’s like to be the one who’s left behind.”
Jackson went still, a dark look passing over his features.
“I understand loss, too. Believe me,” he whispered.
When he looked up at her, Ridley swallowed. Hard. There was something in his eyes that reflected what she saw in the mirror every day. Sadness. Loneliness.
Longing.
It was almost too intense to witness, so she looked away, breaking the spell.
“Still, I apologize. I should have just walked out when I realized you guys were having a private conversation. I’ve been told I’m too nosy.”
A tendril of warmth curled through her as their eyes met.
“I’m glad you didn’t. You managed to get him to admit something that I’ve been trying to force out of him since college. I owe you one.”
“I think saving me from death by grass stain more than makes up for it.”
They laughed together, the earlier tension in the room dissipating. Jackson was quiet for a moment, then clapped his hands together.
“I was actually on my way upstairs to get you. Come join the party. I want you to meet the rest of the gang.”
He led her from the family room, through the kitchen, and out the glass doors to the patio. Ridley stopped short when she saw all the people milling around the backyard.
“Whoa! This is a lot of people. I thought you were just having a family barbecue?”
“My family does this every year and I swear
every year my family gets bigger and bigger. You invite a few people who invite a few people. You know how it is.”
“Not really.” Ridley stepped out onto the patio behind him and they were immediately surrounded.
She hung back, in awe of his easy confidence as he hugged a few people and slapped a couple of the guys on the back. He seemed oblivious to the way the women looked at him with hungry stares and flirtatious smiles. Jackson reached back and grabbed her hand, pulling her to his side. Her heart sped up.
It doesn’t mean anything, he’s just being nice so you don’t get lost in the crowd, she thought. Still, she couldn’t deny the feel of his large hand around hers was a thrill.
Several of the girls looked at Ridley critically before dismissing her and turning back to Jackson. Apparently they didn’t find her to be a threat.
It took all her willpower not to throw her arms around him and say, “He’s mine. Back off, biyatches!” just to see the looks on their faces. She doubted Jackson would share the humor though, so she refrained.
Jackson pulled her closer until she stood right under his arm. “Ridley, I want to introduce my oldest brother, Bennett.”
A ruggedly handsome man with light brown skin shook her hand vigorously. “Nice to meet you, Ridley. I hope you’re feeling better.”
She blushed furiously as everyone looked at her speculatively. “I am, much better.” She glanced up at Jackson. He seemed to understand her discomfort because he quickly turned to someone else.
“And these are the other members of our usual group, Trent Townsend and Mara Simmons. Mara is Matt’s twin sister.”
He addressed Mara directly. “You should have seen her talking to Matt earlier. He actually listened to her. It was amazing.”
Embarrassed at the praise, Ridley shook hands with them both, surprised when Mara pulled her into a quick hug.
“Thanks for talking Matt down. He just came back from overseas and he hasn’t been himself lately. I don’t think he’s adjusting to civilian life so well.”
Mara looked over at Trent who hugged her close to his side and kissed the tip of her nose.
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