His Brother's Wife

by Michelle Love

  His mother places a bowl of icing in front of him and drops some green food coloring into it. “Reed, grab us all some aprons, would you, dear?”

  He leaves the place next to me and in moments he’s back. I feel his body right behind mine. He’s so close, and then his arms are around me as he puts the apron over my head and his hands graze my stomach as he smooths it out, takes the strings, and ties it behind my back.

  I have to fight myself not to let my body fall back to his. It’s nearly overwhelming. My head feels light, and I don’t know how he makes me feel like this.

  It’s beyond anything I’ve ever felt with Rod, and I feel instantly awful for this. I shake my head to try to clear it. “Thank you, Reed.”

  Then my panties go wet as he leans even closer. His lips brush the hair around my ear as he says in a deep, husky voice, “You’re welcome, Jenna.”

  I’m nearly shaking as he moves back and puts his apron on, then hands one to his mother. All too soon he’s back beside me and his elbow gently pushes into my side. I scoot over a smidge to stop the connection.

  “I’ll be right back,” I say and nearly run out of the kitchen to the bathroom down the hall.

  As I get inside it, I close the door and fall back on it. I don’t understand how I can be so attracted to him. I do love Rod.

  I do!

  After splashing some cold water on my face and calming myself down, I go back out and find Rod standing under the mistletoe. He’s smiling at me. “Hey, baby,” he says with a sweet sound to his voice.

  His arms open and I move into them, and his mouth takes mine in a sweet kiss. Not hard, not demanding. Just sweet. And my body melts into his.

  His arms go around me as he sways with me, then our lips part and he looks down at me. The blue in his eyes has a silvery quality to them and sparkles a little.

  It’s times like this that make him so special to me. Love flows from my heart and I feel it coming from him, though he’d never say the word.

  I run my hand over his scruffy cheek and he takes my hand and kisses the top softly. Then the doorbell rings and he reluctantly lets me go. Taking my hand, he takes me with him to answer the door and let in the first of his many family members who will be at the party tonight.

  As he opens the door we find his cousin, A.J. holding up a bottle of Jack Daniels. “Ready to get fucked up, cuz?”

  I roll my eyes as Rod says, “Fuck, yeah!”

  I step back with Rod to let the man near Rod’s age in and say, “Now that’s the Christmas spirit.” My words come out heavily laced with sarcasm.

  A.J. follows us to the kitchen and, as we travel through the living room, he stops under the mistletoe. “Jenna, look where I am.”

  Rod and I turn back and Rod shakes his head. “Not happening, dude.” Then he pulls me along with him and leans in to whisper “Not with anyone but me. Got me, baby?”

  “Yes,” I answer and see Reed glance up when he comes our way.

  “You were helping frost cookies one minute, then gone the next, Jenna,” he says. “I suppose Rod happened to you.” He gives his brother a look.

  Rod lets my hand go, then runs his arm around my neck and pulls me in tight to him. “And I happen to her every night, and sometimes in the afternoon and morning too. Ain’t that right, baby?”

  I faintly hit at his broad chest and feel the heat filling my face with embarrassment. “My God, Rod!”

  His lips press against my temple as he laughs deeply. “What, baby? I’m proud you’re, mine is all.”

  Sue turns around and shakes a spoon dripping with red frosting as she looks at him. “Rod! Stop that! You know I hate when you talk about her as if she’s something that belongs to you. Jenna is a person, not an object you own.”

  His hand runs down to my ass and he gives one cheek a squeeze and whispers to me, “If she only knew.”

  With his words, my body heats with some type of excitement this time. I can’t explain what knowing I belong to him sometimes does to me. It’s odd, and I think it sets me back in the women’s liberation movement by decades, but it’s hot for some damn reason.

  Reed turns back to his cookie decorating and I glance at him for only a moment. He wears a frown, and it makes me feel awful.

  As the night wears on and Rod and his cousins get thoroughly trashed, I find myself sitting in a quiet corner of the den, a room not often used by the Manning family.

  I like the fireplace in here, though. The fire has burned nearly all the way down and it gives the small room a nice golden glow.

  I watch the embers and what’s left of the flames. Then I hear someone clearing their throat. “Mind if I join you?”

  Without looking up, I know it’s Reed and answer, “Of course you can, Reed. This is your home, after all.”

  The room has one loveseat and a chair in it and I’m sitting in the chair, so he takes the loveseat. He sprawls out on it, taking it all up, and lays his head back on the arm of it as he looks at me. Then his gaze moves to the fire.

  “What a night, huh?” he asks.

  “Yes, it’s very, let’s say, festive.” I smile, as it’s so different from how my family celebrates. Wild and full of alcohol and dirty jokes is what this family does.

  My family is traditional. We celebrate on Christmas afternoon after church services, a place I have to be at tomorrow while I’m sure Rod will be staying home and sleeping tonight off.

  “Your man is tying one on. I doubt he’ll be in any condition to drive home. You should talk him into staying the night here in his old bedroom. Mom keeps our bedrooms just like we’ve always had them. The bed’s a single, but if you work it out right, you’ll fit too.” He gives me a wink. “Or you can take the guestroom just down the hallway. It’s next to my room. You could drop by if you wanted to talk or something like that.”

  My eyes move from the fire to look at him. Bathed in the golden light, he looks like some kind of model. The light brings out the especially shiny parts in his blond hair. His eyes seem to dance with the firelight and his lips look plump and very inviting.

  My body feels the drag of the magnetism it has for him. I guess it’s kind of natural since I have such a strong thing for his brother to have some kind of attraction to Reed as well.

  I suppose it’s natural …

  “I want you to know you can tell me anything, Jenna. Anything at all. If you need my help, I’m here for you. You should really think about college. You can take online classes. I can help you. I want to help you.” His eyes dance as he looks at me. “Are you really happy with my brother?”

  I look back at the fire. “Of course I am.”

  “Will you be happy letting him take care of you forever?”

  Being twenty years old does have me thinking of a future for myself. But Rod is adamant that I must be available for him at all times. If not, then he’ll find another female to take care of his needs. I can’t stand the thought of that.

  “I suppose so. He and I are in it until the end.” I turn my head to look at him.

  I find him smiling. “No ring. No marriage. I think you have too much faith in him, Jenna. You don’t know him like I do.”

  I look away and think he doesn’t know his brother like I do.

  Reed gets up, comes toward me, and leans over. My body heats and my lips quiver as he’s so close. But instead of taking me into his arms or kissing me, he picks up the cell phone in my lap and taps in his phone number and saves it.

  He places it back on my lap and goes back to his lounging position on the loveseat. “There. Now you have my number. You call me if you need anything. Anything at all. I mean it.”

  A smile creeps over my face as I look down at his name and number still glowing on my phone’s screen. “K. Thanks.”

  “Baby?” I hear Rod slurring as he looks into the room.

  I hit the button to make my phone screen go dark. “Yes, Rod. I’m in here.”

  He’s drunk and leans on the door frame. “What are you two doing all al
one in here?”

  Reed sits up. “Just talking. What are you doing?”

  “I’m ready to take my woman home and give her a good old- fashioned Christmas fucking.”

  I jump up and move quickly to him. “Jesus, Rod!”

  Taking him by the arm, I pull on him to come with me. Reed gets up and comes to us. “You should stay the night here. You’re pretty drunk, bro.”

  Rod runs his hand over my head very clumsily and says, “Nah. What I plan on doing to her will have her screaming my name, so staying here is out.”

  Reed reaches into Rod’s front pocket and digs out the keys as Rod protests, but he can’t seem to function enough to stop him. Reed places the keys in my hand. “Let her drive, at least.”

  Rod smiles. “You want to drive me, baby?”

  “Yes,” I say as I start to pull him along.

  “Yes, what?” he asks as he stops and stares at me.

  I look into his eyes. “Do you remember where you are, Rod? At your family’s home. With your brother looking right at you.”

  “Yes, what?” he asks again.

  I lean in and whisper, “Yes, Master.”

  He smiles and Reed looks at me. I think he heard me even though I said it very quietly. But he makes no remark other than saying, “Bye. See you tomorrow.”

  “Bye, Reed. Have a merry Christmas,” I say as Rod leans his weight on me and I struggle to the door with him.

  Reed follows along and helps me get him into the truck. Rod slumps in the passenger side. Reed seatbelts him in, then walks with me to the driver’s side. “If he falls asleep, just leave him in the truck. He’ll be fine, and it won’t be the first time he’s slept in that position.”

  “Thank you. I’ll do that.” I open the door and get in and Rod is already snoring.

  Reed chuckles. “Looks like you won’t be screaming his name tonight.”

  I look down and go scarlet. “Good night, Reed.”

  He shuts the door and I start the truck up and drive home.

  To my complete amazement, Rod wakes up just as I turn the truck off at our small house and looks at me with wide eyes. “You two! What the fuck were you doing alone with another man?”

  I get out of the truck and go around to help him, but he seems to be no longer drunk somehow. He gets out and slams the door, so I hurry to unlock the house and get inside.

  He slams the front door closed and locks the door. “Answer me!”

  “I was watching the fire, and he came and sat down and we talked about nothing, really. Not a big deal. And he is your brother, Rod. Not some man.”

  I turn to walk to our bedroom as he says, “Well, since you were alone with a man and I have no idea what it is you were doing, then you need to know I will be alone with some woman and you will have no idea what it is we’re doing.”

  I stop and turn back to look at him. “Are you serious? He’s your brother, Rod. Neither of us would do anything to hurt you. Now don’t threaten me with that, please.”

  “He’d hurt me. He has before. And I’m not threatening you, Jenna. I will be doing something with some woman. Just know that, baby. And have a merry fucking Christmas!” Then he falls on the sofa and promptly passes out.

  I slam into the bedroom and fall on the bed and cry.

  Merry fucking Christmas, indeed!

  Chapter 5

  REED

  The first sunrise of the new year and here I am sitting alone in my parents’ backyard.

  A swimming pool would look very nice back here …

  I’ll make that happen before summer gets here this year. I have a financial secret I’ve been keeping from my entire family. My real estate business has been good.

  Well, great, actually. I’ve managed to become a billionaire through the sales and investments. But I’ve kept it all very low key.

  My mom and dad and even brother aren’t jackals, but the rest of my family is, and I can see the Manning clan making nuisances of themselves.

  Many would think of me as their personal ATM machine. And many would suddenly want to visit me in California. Maybe want to stay at the Bel-Air mansion I just bought a few months ago.

  I can see the old trucks driving through the ritzy neighborhood now. Yeah, the neighbors would hate me for sure.

  The sliding glass door rumbles open as Mom comes out. Her steaming cup of coffee leaves her in a cloud of fog as she emerges after the nearly all-night party they threw for New Year’s Eve.

  “Good morning, sunshine,” I say very quietly, because she most likely has a hangover. “Sleep well?”

  She takes the lawn chair next to mine and sips her coffee. Bloodshot eyes look at me. “No.”

  I smile at her. “Mom, when will you learn not to take shots at your age? Stick with the wine and leave the tough stuff to Rod and his cousins.”

  Her lips curve into a smile. “You’ve always called those rowdy boys your brother’s cousins. Never yours. Why is that?”

  “They’re nothing like me. All of them are the same. Work only as much as needed. Spend every last dime they manage to make so they’re broke as hell the day before payday. Then drink away half their paycheck on payday. It’s a vicious cycle Rod and his cousins are in.” The sun catches my eye as it rises over the area I’ve decided the pool should go.

  “They are your family, son. You’ve always stayed to yourself so much. You should try to get to know a few of the cousins now that you all are older and all that rivalry is gone.” I watch her sip her coffee and fight a frown.

  To become successful, I’ve learned to start each day on positive notes. Thinking about trying to find some common ground with the men in my extended family is not a positive note.

  “So, Mom. I’m going to be sending a swimming pool company out here soon. I’d like to have you a pool in by summer. Something nice and large. You have so many parties, and I think one would look nice out here in this big backyard.”

  “Reed, that would be nice, but way too expensive. I don’t think we can afford it. Not now since your father and I have retired.” She sips her coffee. “Thank you, though.”

  “Mom, I have the money to pay cash for it, and I’ll pay a pool cleaner to handle the care of it. It’ll be something that doesn’t cost you a cent. By the way, I found this month’s electric bill in the stack of bills you and Dad have. I set up for it to be paid straight out of one of my bank accounts. So don’t go freaking out when no more of those bills come in. I’m taking care of it from now on.” I stretch my legs out and cross them at my ankles.

  “I can’t let you do that, son. Change it back,” she says as she looks over the rim of her old brown coffee mug she’s had since I was a kid.

  “Mom, I’m not changing anything back. As a matter of fact, I went down to Doug’s Autoplex and left some money down there. You and Dad can go down this week and both of you can pick out any brand new cars you want. There’s enough money down there for you each to get something you absolutely love. It’s my Christmas present to you guys.”

  Her face turns very slowly as she looks at me. “Reed, just how much money have you been making over there in California?”

  “Enough,” I say, and put my hands behind my head and lean back on them. “I’m going to take care of you and Dad from now on. You need something, you call me. You merely want something, you call me. I’m leaving a bank card with Dad. It’s an account I’ve set up for you guys. I’m having your card sent in the mail. It should be arriving any day now. Use it for all of your expenses. Groceries, whatever you want or need. Got it?”

  She puts the cup down on the small table beside her and stands up. Her hair is flat on one side where she slept on it. The silver curls are pressed in neat circles against her head.

  Mom has light blue eyes. They used to be dark, but they’ve faded over the years. Her thin lips part as she asks, “Reed, just how much money are you making now? Tell me the truth.”

  “Plenty, Mom. That’s all you need to know. And it’s all legal stuff.” I smile
at her and get up. “I’ll make some breakfast for you and Dad. You want me to bring you out some more coffee?”

  She shakes her head. “I’m coming inside with you. You have to leave in the morning, and I want to spend every minute I can with you before you have to go.”

  I slide the noisy glass door back open and make a note to have it replaced. Then a thought pops into my head. “Why don’t you and Dad find a nice lot and I’ll buy it and have you a house built on it?”

  “Nothing doing, Moneybags. Your father bought us this home only three years after we married. We’re going to die in this home.” She sits at the bar and I refill her coffee cup.

  “Fine. But I’m going to have someone come and do some repairs and replace a few things.” I go to the fridge and take out the bacon and sausage I bought yesterday. “That glass door is the first thing I want to be replaced. Don’t you think a nice set of French doors would go great there? And once the pool’s in then it’ll look very pretty.”

  Mom looks at the glass door and nods. “That would look nice, wouldn’t it?”

  Pulling my cell phone out of my blue jeans’ pocket, I text Rod to see if he and Jenna want to join us for breakfast. Before I put it back I see he’s responded with a very short answer, Fuck you, I’m sleeping.

  I place the phone on the counter and wait to see if he wakes up a bit and changes his mind. Rod’s always been a real grump in the mornings.

  Then Jenna comes into my mind. I wonder how she’s doing this morning. She was so quiet last night at the party. Rod was roaring drunk again, and she was to herself.

  I don’t know why she thinks she has to settle for life with Rod. I glance at Mom who’s gazing around, I assume looking at things that need repaired or fixed up some.

  “Mom, do you think Rod’s treating Jenna well?” I ask as I fill a pan with strips of bacon.

  The way her eyes go droopy all of a sudden answers my question. “Your brother is a hard man. You know that. But maybe Jenna can calm him down. He seems very attached to her. Protective over her, you know?”

  “Possessive of her is how I see it. I’ve watched her around him. She’s skittish. She never was before. I used to watch her when we were in high school together. She was a sweet girl with lots of friends. I haven’t heard her talk about any of the girls she used to hang out with. Have you?” I form the sausage into patties and fill another pan full of them.