by Reid, B. B.
“I guess I did catch you at a bad time,” Selena teased before winking. I didn’t miss the way her teeth sank into her bottom lip either—as if she were picturing licking him dry. I’d cut her tongue out if she tried and claw her eyes out while I was at it if she didn’t stop gawking soon.
Moving to block her view, I remembered she was slightly taller—not to mention the fact that Vaughn, being well over six feet, dwarfed us both. There was no hiding him and all his deliciousness.
“What’s going on?” he asked when he finally reached the door. His gaze bounced between Selena and me before settling on moi.
Good boy.
“Nothing,” I quickly replied when I noticed her reaching out a hand for him to shake. I bet she’ll try to grab his dick next. Stop, stop, stop it! “She was just leaving. Maybe you should go put on some clothes?”
I didn’t give a damn how obvious I was being. Vaughn had marked his territory so many times. The double standard ends now.
Smirking at my possessiveness, Vaughn ignored me and shook Selena’s hand. “Vaughn.”
“Selena.”
“Can we help you?” he graciously asked after dropping her hand and immediately wrapping his arm around my waist. His strong hand squeezed my hip in reassurance. Liking the fact that he said “we,” I immediately felt myself relaxing into his embrace.
Oh, God…
I was acting nutty, wasn’t I?
This girl hadn’t done anything to me, and here I was acting like a jealous bitch.
“Oh, God,” Selena groaned. “This is stupid, and I shouldn’t have come here. It’s just that…” She gazed down at me, her bright smile wavering as if reading my thoughts. I told myself to get a grip and offered her an apologetic one in return. It seemed to give her courage because she quickly reached inside the Gucci purse hanging from her shoulder and fumbled around before pulling out sheets of worn-out pale-pink paper. “I found this letter my mom wrote, and I was just curious about the man she wrote it for. She died a long time ago, and to be honest, I barely remember her. I-I guess I’m just grasping at straws. I’m so sorry,” she said, already backing away from the door. “I didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“Wait,” I said while untangling myself from Vaughn and stepping outside. There was a sadness in her brown eyes that called to me. Maybe it was because I lost my mom before I ever really got to know her, too. I couldn’t turn her away. Not now. “What’s your mom’s name?”
My father had never spoken of any woman other than my mom, the love of his life. I had to know what was written in that letter. Nothing other than monumental would have brought Selena all of this way. I recognized that Texan accent.
Selena looked unsure for a moment, but it passed faster than a shooting star, and then she was squaring her shoulders. “Monica. Monica Taylor.”
It felt like the air had been knocked out of me. I was no longer standing but rather flat on my back. Helplessly, I watched the world spin out of control and knew that when it finally stopped, it would no longer look the same. I wasn’t sure how long it took me to find my voice, but when I did, I hated how small it sounded.
“But that’s my mom’s name.”
THIS IS WHAT I GET for thinking with my dick.
After my workout this morning, I had planned to crash, but in a moment of weakness, wanting to hear her voice, I’d called Tyra instead. The Twilight Zone was a fucking walk in the park compared to the shitstorm wreaking havoc on Blackwood Keep. Tyra’s older sister showing up out of the blue, one she never knew existed, was pretty much like jumping from the frying pan and into a roaring fire. First, Ever and Wren being half brothers, and now this?
What were the odds?
What were the fucking odds?
I naïvely thought the next two months would be the easiest, most carefree time of my entire life, but it was apparent fate had other plans. The summer had gone to shit as far as I was concerned.
Both girls stood frozen, their gazes locked, with what I could only assume were a million questions begging to be answered. I wondered at the chances of Selena being mistaken. Still, after studying the possible sisters carefully, I realized that if not for the two-inch height difference, Tyra and Selena could have been carbon copies.
Feeling my dick slowly deflate and remembering that I only wore a towel, I pulled a stunned Tyra back inside. After a moment of hesitation, I awkwardly invited Selena into a house that didn’t belong to me. Once I showed her into the living room, I took Tyra’s small, trembling hand in mine and led her up the stairs.
Her small bedroom was a teenage girl’s wonderland.
The lights Tyra had strung up on the wall above her bed illuminated the pictures of us covering the entire wall adjacent to it. Most of the time, I pretended not to see them or feel the sharp chord in my chest, knowing they were there. I gently placed her on the bed and shoved Mr. Bear, her favorite stuffed pig—I still scratched my head at that one—into her lap. Tyra immediately wrapped her arms around it before staring at her bedroom floor.
Turning away to dig out the duffel—one her father didn’t know I kept in his daughter’s closet—I dropped the towel, hurriedly pulled on a pair of sweats, and then shoved a loose-fitting muscle shirt over my head. I decided to keep some clothes here after the third or fourth bubble bath when it became clear that this was now a routine for us. Soaking in a tub hadn’t been my thing until Tyra convinced me of the benefits. Let’s just say it involved her getting wet that first time, too.
Just as I was pulling on a pair of socks, I heard the faint but unmistakable sound of sniffling. I looked up in time to see the first tear fall down Tyra’s soft, supple cheek.
Fuck.
As much as I wanted to get the hell out of there, I knew I could never leave her like this.
Sounds an awful lot like you’re starting to give a damn, Rees.
I gritted my teeth and shoved the possibility into the deepest, darkest recesses of my mind where my father could never hope to reach it. Not even if he made good on his many threats to torture me.
Pulling Tyra up, I took her place on the bed before planting her in my lap. She wasted no time curling into me for the comfort that I had no business giving. I wasn’t her boyfriend. It wasn’t my place to be the foundation that kept her from crumbling. I had every right to walk out that door.
I balled my hand into a fist in frustration as I kept my ass planted on her overcrowded bed.
“Just say the word, and I’ll toss her out on her ass,” I heard myself whispering in lieu of goodbye. The hole I’d been digging for the past year was getting deeper every day, and if I weren’t careful, my father would throw both of our lifeless bodies inside.
“I don’t understand,” Tyra cried in response. “My mother and father were in love. How can she be my sister?”
“She’s older,” I gently pointed out. “Maybe they found each other after she was born.”
“My father said he was with my mother for five years before she got pregnant with me. Selena can’t be more than twenty-one years old.”
I thought about that for a moment. Unfortunately for us both, Tyra was right. Selena barely looked old enough to be out of high school. No way could she be almost thirty. “It’s possible you share the same father, too. Maybe they gave her up for adoption,” I reasoned. “Maybe they weren’t ready to be parents at the time.” I dried her tears only for twice as many to fall in their place. Fuck, fuck, fuck! “Not until you came along.”
Tyra went still, and instantly, the tears dropped as a cold look took over her normally warm gaze. “Then how did she get her hands on that letter? A letter that was meant for my dad?”
Before I could respond, Tyra was up and rushing from the room on a mission. I leaned forward, holding my head in my hands and considered calling Four. I was way out of my depth. Unfortunately, even though I knew she would come, Four already had her hands full with Ever.
Biting the bullet, I shot to my feet and rushed down the stairs in time to see
Tyra facing off with a startled Selena. Her eyes were rimmed red, making it clear that she’d been crying, too.
“How did you get that letter?” Tyra demanded.
“Excuse me?”
“The letter our mom wrote to our dad, how did you get it if they gave you up for adoption?”
Selena’s head jerked in genuine surprise. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said, nostrils flaring. “I was never given up for adoption. My dad raised me alone after our mom died giving birth to you.”
You could hear a pin drop in the house next door.
The sudden hostility in Selena’s tone when she uttered that final truth had my eyes narrowing. It was a far cry from the bright-eyed girl with the too-easy smile we’d met just minutes ago. Tyra sank onto the couch, too distraught to notice the resentment in the other girl’s eyes. I watched Selena like a hawk as she sat next to pip-squeak, an apology ready at the lips. It was debatable whether it was genuine.
“I’m sorry. That was insensitive of me. This is not at all how I thought our first meeting would go.”
Tyra’s head shot up at that. “You mean you knew who I was when I answered the door?” Her suspicious tone had Selena rushing to answer, albeit nervously.
“I wasn’t sure, but yes. I had a hunch you were my baby sister. My mom wrote this letter right before you were born. She said she wanted to name you Tyra. Tyra Morgan Bradley.” Selena met my gaze, a look of uncertainty there, before continuing. “Even though it broke my father’s heart to learn you weren’t his daughter, he still honored her wishes.”
Biting back a curse, I was ready to make good on my offer and toss this bitch out on her ass when Tyra shot to her feet. “What are you talking about?”
“M-m-my parents,” Selena stammered, “were married for ten years. Your father was having an affair with our mom. It almost broke their marriage.”
“You’re lying,” Tyra growled.
“I wish I were, but it’s the truth!”
“Get out.”
“Please, Tyra, listen to me.” In a bold move, Selena reached out to pip-squeak, but I quickly stepped between them with a look that brooked no argument. She was lucky I hadn’t clotheslined her instead.
“I don’t care what lies brought you here,” Tyra said in a tone I’d never heard from her before, “but I don’t care. Our mom and my dad were soulmates, and nothing you say will ever change that. Now leave.”
Wordlessly, Selena picked up her purse, and I made sure she was gone for good before lifting a broken Tyra off her feet and carrying her upstairs. She spent the entire night crying in my arms, and when she finally tired herself out enough to sleep, I wondered where the hell her father was.
The next morning, I awoke soaked in sweat in a bed that wasn’t mine and my throwing arm completely numb. It took a few blinks to clear my vision and figure out where I was and why. My location explained the back pain. Tyra’s mattress always made me feel like I was sleeping on a bed of nails. Groaning, I palmed my face and contemplated slipping quietly from Tyra’s bed and going the hell home. Even Jamie would have been the better choice to deal with an emotionally distraught female.
I’d spent most of my formative years learning not to care about the people around me or at least pretending not to, and it almost worked. Until her.
I froze when Tyra suddenly shifted in her sleep, and I spent the next thirty seconds praying she didn’t wake up yet. I needed time to think of a way out of this. I hadn’t even gotten so much as a blow job from her after nine and a half months of wooing, and here I was dealing with this heavy shit like some sappy ass hero from a porny romance novel.
Jesus fucking Christ.
Carefully and quietly, I freed my arm from underneath Tyra. She immediately curled into her small frame as if warding off the demons that awaited her once she finally opened those whiskey eyes. Her long lashes fanned her cheek, and her lips were stuck in a pout as her frown grew deeper. It seemed her troubles had followed her into her dreams. It wasn’t until my phone softly pinged from the nightstand that I realized I’d been watching her sleep like a goddamn creep.
Fuck it.
Leaning down, my hands planted on either side of her head, I asked myself if I was really willing to risk everything for one goddamn kiss. As if hearing my thoughts, she softly moaned in her sleep, and I decided the answer was a resounding yes. Pressing my lips against hers, I warred against deepening the kiss. When she rolled onto her back and spread her legs, I decided it was time to go. Snatching my phone and my shoes up, I shook my head in disgust.
This newfound chivalry could seriously bite me.
Any other girl and I would have taken what she freely offered. Keeping my steps light, I made for Tyra’s bedroom door. Once in the hall, I listened for her father, already thinking up an explanation if I was caught.
The house was as quiet as a mouse.
Stepping out into the early morning sun and finding the driveway empty except for Tyra’s little Honda, I considered throwing caution to the wind and calling Coach Bradley so that he could be here for his daughter.
That was until I reminded myself that none of this was my goddamn business.
Throwing myself into my Lamborghini, I sped all the way home. Even though I’d run from Tyra, my mind and heart were left behind, still in bed with her. Worry over the state she’d be in when she found me gone gnawed at me, but I forced myself to push it aside.
Not my problem. Not my fucking problem.
“Where have you been?” my father greeted the moment I walked through the heavy iron doors. Despite the gray peppering his thinning hair and mustache and the wrinkles lining his pale skin, Franklin Rees put on an imposing display in his tailored suit. Perhaps it was the cruel set of his mouth that matched his cold gaze or the fact that at least a dozen armed guards surrounded him. He was standing in the foyer when I arrived, but I doubt he was waiting for me. In fact, I was sure he’d only just realized that I never made it home last night. I could have been wrapped around a tree as long as his precious gang was okay. My father didn’t give a damn about much else.
“I was out.” As you could see when I walked through the door.
“Your frequent and lengthy absences are starting to alarm me. Do I need to put a detail on you again?”
“Why ask as if I have a choice? Why care as long as I come back?”
As head of Thirteen, the largest and most notorious gang on the east coast, my father didn’t shy away from corporal punishment. To be honest, he reveled in it, which made my open defiance that much more stupid.
“Because I fear for the day when you dare not.”
“I’ve never kept my plans a secret from you. I’m leaving to play ball, and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“I could have one of my men break every bone in your body. What good would you be then to the head coach at the University of Southern California?” I could feel my blood draining from my skin as my father’s cruel grin spread. “Oh, yes, son. I know all about you accepting their offer. I’m curious why you chose them over Ohio State even though they had the better offer. Is it because you foolishly believed California was far enough to run from me?”
“Bones heal,” I said rather than answer his question. I didn’t believe it, but the west coast seemed my best shot at escaping my father. After all, my mother had done it. Only she hadn’t taken any chances and had left the goddamn country.
I hadn’t heard from her in years. Not a single phone call, a letter written, or a birthday card sent. Maybe she’s dead. The thought didn’t make me feel any better. Especially knowing that my father would likely be responsible.
“Perhaps,” he agreed in a way that left a lot of room for doubt.
“What good would I be to you if you caused permanent damage? Who’d follow me if I couldn’t walk or even lift a spoon to feed myself?”
“Your cock would still work,” he coldly replied, “and my dynasty would be ensured.”
I felt ice
in my veins where warm blood should have flowed. “You’re fucked if you think I’m bringing a kid into this world knowing what you have planned for them.” And if I thought there was a doctor out there who wouldn’t turn me away, I would have had a vasectomy already.
“Not all of them. Just your sons.”
“Not gonna happen.”
“I guess we’ll have to wait and see.” My father waved his hand dismissively, the discussion over for now. “Thanks to that little fool you call a friend and her spineless father, I’m back at square one. Consider this a momentary reprieve.” With that, he left me alone, his grim-faced security detail following him out the front doors.
Good fucking riddance. I said a silent prayer that he was gone for longer than a few days this time.
It had been hard enough looking Bee in the eye knowing that my father had made Elliot Montgomery an offer he couldn’t refuse. Rather than a wife to make me whole, all my father required her to be was a fucking broodmare for me to mount. By some miracle, none of my friends had figured it out yet, but it was only a matter of time. Luckily, Elliot had got himself arrested before my father could fork over the money. If he had, Bee would never be safe, and what was worse, Jamie would die trying. Bee might have believed her father to be a monster, but she’d yet to look pure evil in the eye.
My phone rang, snatching me from my thoughts. Reading Tyra’s name on the screen, I paused then pressed one of the buttons on the side, silencing the call before heading upstairs.
I’d meant it when I told her she deserved better.
“I HONESTLY CAN’T DECIDE WHO’S the bigger asshole—Vaughn or that Selena bitch.”
I’d just finished telling Lou about Selena’s visit and waking up alone this morning. Oh, and the fact that it’s been hours and Vaughn still hadn’t returned my call. Not wanting to be alone with my thoughts, I’d called up Lou, who immediately invited me over.