Men in Control: Special pack: The Smith Brothers Series

by Brenda Ford

  “No, that’s right. Not anymore.” Angelo grin. “You know, I just saw Ruby and she said that she thinks Tami will be ready soon which means that it’s almost wedding time.”

  I peer out of the window and in to the back garden to see all the people who have come to see the happiest day of my life. It isn’t many, we didn’t want to make it a massive thing, just the ones who are important. The ones who we love in our home. Perfect for me and Tami. She did as I suggested at first and moved in to the family home as a test to see if we could make things work living together without putting too much pressure on us, and it clicked. It was the perfect set up, so we haven’t ever moved on. I think eventually it’s where we will end up living alone and where we will raise our family, which will definitely get bigger as time goes on.

  “Mom and Dad would be extra proud of you today,” Angelo tells me. “If they are up there somewhere looking down on you, then they are very happy. Happy to see what an incredible father you are, what a great husband you are, brother too… I bet they wish that they could be here with you.”

  I wish that too, but this right now is what life has handed me and I can’t complain. I have had things taken away from me, but I’ve also had a lot handed to me. A family of my own, the love of my life and a child.

  “I think I’m ready to go outside now,” I tell Angelo with a smile. “I’m ready to be a husband. Tami’s husband.”

  He keeps Lola with him, and she remains in his arms even as we walk to the front of the aisle that my brothers have helped the wedding planner set up on my behalf. All my brothers are my best men, of course. I couldn’t have it any other way than with them around me, supporting me through everything.

  “You good?” Wesley whispers to me while patting me on the shoulder. I nod.

  “You look awesome,” Nelson pipes up. “That suit is a good one.”

  “Thanks, Nelson. I bet I don’t look as good as the bride though.”

  “I saw her,” Alex jumps in. “And that wedding dress looks incredible on her.”

  My whole body heats up with excitement. I just know that she will look amazing in white. I haven’t heard any details about the dress, she has chosen to keep it secret, but I can’t wait. Then again, to me, she looks wonderful no matter what. Even after three days of no sleep, no showering, and no hair brushing… which is a common sight with a little baby in our lives now. She is always perfect to me.

  “You better get ready,” Oliver informs me while pointing down the aisle. I follow his eye line and my heart nearly stops beating as I realize what’s happening. “It looks like she might be on her way.”

  I step away from my brothers and hold my breath while I wait for the inevitable to happen. Ruby is in sight now in a purple bridesmaid dress and Chelsea is by her side. They both look incredibly pleased with themselves which can only mean one thing. They have done a phenomenal job with my wife to be.

  Soon, I try to calm myself down as I bounce from foot to foot. I will get to see her soon.

  But I can’t stand still as every passing second feels like a torturous hour. It’s only been twenty four hours since I last saw her, but since we spend so much time together that has felt like forever. I wish she wouldn’t make it harder by being so slow now. I can hardly contain myself.

  Then she appears, and the whole world stops spinning as I drink every inch of her in. That gorgeous long blonde hair of hers curled into waves and cascading around her shoulders, her stunning eyes shining for me, a sleek white gown which shows off all her curves in an elegant, yet sexy way… wow she looks perfect.

  This is why she is the one for me, I think happily to myself. This is why Angelo was right.

  The teasing never bothered me, not really. I’m happy to swallow my pride and admit that I should have listened to my brother before because the prize I get to have is more than worth it. The woman who is walking closer to me with her eyes fixed on mine, my happy ever after is worth everything.

  I love her, I remind myself, as if I could ever forget. I love her so much, and now she will be my wife…

  “Well, hello there, Mrs. Smith,” I declare in a teasing tone of voice as I spin her around the temporary dance floor set up in our garden for our first dance as husband and wife. “I have waited for a long time to call you that.”

  “I remember where you first said Mrs. Smith to me,” she replies wistfully. “When you first proposed, and I liked it right away. I like the way that it makes me feel like I really do belong to you. Mrs. Smith. Your wife.”

  “Oh, you do,” I growl while dipping her low. I bring my lips almost to hers, but I don’t kiss her. Not right away. There is something that I need to say first. “You’re all mine, and don’t you ever forget it.”

  “I am.” She nods. “And that makes me so happy I could cry. So, you don’t need to worry. I won’t forget it.”

  “I love you,” I reply, a little softer this time. “More than anything in the world.”

  “Not more than Lola though. You dote on that girl. I thought you were wrapped around my finger until she came along. Now, I’m playing second fiddle to my daughter… not that I can blame you. She is adorable.”

  “Does that mean you love me too… in a roundabout way?”

  “Oh, as if that’s something you didn’t know already. Of course I love you, Mr. Smith. My husband.”

  I cave and kiss her then, the world melting around us in to nothingness. I love how in all the chaos of our lives, me and Tami can still sneak off to this little private bubble of our own. We can simply block everyone else out as if they don’t exist. It’s wonderful and makes everything so much easier to deal with.

  I have no doubt in my mind, and I never will about this woman. She is the one that I was waiting for all this time, even when I didn’t realize it. It might have taken my thirty five years, but finally I have it all.

  Tempt Me Forever

  Blurb

  Being with him would wreck havoc!

  Angelo is filthy rich.

  Always suited.

  And stares at me with his piercing blue eyes all the damn time.

  He’s everything I need.

  And I want him in my bed.

  But he’s also taken.

  His girlfriend is a cheating piece of sh*t.

  Angelo deserves better.

  But I’m not the right woman for him.

  “A rock band drummer dating a billionaire!”

  That in itself sounds like a joke.

  And also like an unattainable fantasy.

  In this life,

  We’re not supposed to be together.

  But as luck would have it..

  Our two worlds collide.

  It causes an explosion… and a ton of drama.

  And now, he’s down on one knee.

  Do you think I should say yes?

  Prologue – Angelo

  I can’t believe this. My feet pace up and down outside Mandy’s apartment as I wait for her to arrive home from work. With every passing second, the irritation circling through me grows and grows until it’s completely out of control. I feel like I’m losing my mind. I absolutely can’t believe this. It can’t be true. It just can’t.

  Ever since I got that devastating message on my phone while at work, it changed everything for me and I have been a complete mess. I don’t even know how to process it. Mandy and myself, we have been together for years now. We are in love; we’re heading towards a happy ever after. She can’t be cheating on me. She just can’t be.

  But the text message from an anonymous number says different. ‘Mandy is cheating on you. Here is some proof. Just thought you should know’. With a picture that shows two people kissing furiously like there is no tomorrow. Mandy and someone else. Mandy with a man who definitely isn’t me. What the fuck is going on?

  “Angelo?” All of a sudden, Mandy’s sugary sweet voice darts through my body. “What are you doing here? Have you come to give me a surprise or something? Aww, that’s so sweet… it seem
s that you can take a hint.”

  As she circles her arms around my neck to hug and kiss me, I snatch away, sickened by her. Right now, the last few years mean nothing. It’s all just vanished into nothingness. All I can see is that picture.

  “Oh, babe, what’s going on?” she groans, tossing her head back so her long blonde hair flies behind her.

  “You got my message asking you to come and meet me, didn’t you?” I spit back, unable to keep the rage inside. Or maybe it isn’t rage, this is all just hurt. “You know that I got a message about you cheating…”

  Her expression falters, but only for a second. She gathers herself back up in an instant. But that’s something she’s good at. It helps her in her pharmaceutical sales job to remain composed at all times. I just never thought that I would be the one having to look at that mask. Yet here it is, staring right back at me.

  “Oh, honey, I thought that was just a joke. You know that I would never do anything like that to you.”

  I narrow my eyes and stare directly at her, trying to work out what’s going on behind her eyes where the truth lies. “But I got a message. And a picture too. Why would someone do that to us?”

  “Babe,” she wines while rolling her eyes. “People are jealous of me and you, aren’t they? Because we’re the best relationship ever. People are always saying to me that we’re a perfect couple. So, they are jealous.”

  I shift from foot to foot as I allow those words to wash over me. I do know that people say that about us and I guess jealousy is a thing. But am I really going to get sucked in by her words?

  “Look.” I push my phone in front of her face and show her the picture. To her credit, Mandy doesn’t look guilty as she stares at it. More confused than anything else. “Who is that in the picture with you?”

  “That isn’t me.” She shakes her head hard. “You can see that isn’t me. I don’t look anything like that.”

  “But it’s you. It has to be. I don’t understand why someone would send that to me.”

  “Don’t be dumb, Angelo. Of course, that isn’t me. In fact, I hate this so much, I don’t like the way that it’s made you feel, so I’m going to delete it. Whichever jealous fuck sent it; I don’t care anymore…”

  “No, wait!” I cry out, trying to stop her before it’s too late… but it is. It’s already gone. “After I spoke to you, I wanted to call the number to see who it was. To work out what the hell is going on.”

  “Well, you don’t need to, do you? It doesn’t matter.” She glares angrily at me. “Me and you aren’t going to let it get in the way, are we? Why would we ruin what we have over someone else?”

  In a way, her words make a lot of sense, but I don’t know if I’m ready to accept that yet. Something doesn’t quite feel right. I just can’t totally believe that someone would do that just to be spiteful.

  “Please don’t be all stiff about this, Angelo,” she wines. “Just relax and let it go. I know that it’s hard for you to understand, but people are bitches. People can be the worst. Especially when jealousy gets involved. You know that I’m doing well at work. Perhaps people want to take me down another way…”

  She’s right. Do I really want to give up all the last few years over something that might not even be true? Am I willing to not trust the woman that I have been with for all these years? She’s giving me a look of sheer love, like I’m the only person she worships, and to be honest that’s how she looks at me often.

  No, I think what I need to do is push all of my insecurities to the side and to believe the only person who has been in my life for all this time. I allow myself to match Mandy’s expression, to smile along with her, and to slip my fingers into hers. She’s right. We are stronger than other people. We should be together, no matter what.

  “I love you,” she whispers quietly while pulling me inside.

  “Yes, I love you too,” I reply while swallowing the strange bitter feeling in my throat as those words come out. I just need some time, that’s all. Time to get over the messages. Then everything will be fine. Me and Mandy we’ll be all good once more.

  Chapter 1 – Rachel

  Six Months Later…

  “Alex, get the fuck off your phone!” Gary yells at the lead singer of our band. “We’re playing a gig in a moment. You can’t sit there texting all night long. Get your fucking head in the game, won’t you?”

  I give Gary a look, trying to silently calm him down while also completely understanding why he’s lashing out in such an over the top manner. Not only is Alex texting and distracted rather than focusing on the gig that’s to come, but the person he’s messaging isn’t someone he should be talking to at all. None of us agree with it. Not that we can do anything about it. Of course, he’s an adult and able to do what he wants, but we all know where it’s headed, and it can’t end well. We don’t know when it’s going to explode, but it will.

  After all, you can’t have an affair with your twin brother’s girlfriend that would lead to a happy ever after…

  Alex might not look much like Angelo. Angelo is tall and broad with light brown hair and piercing blue eyes. Because of his work at the family business with two of the other Smith brothers, he’s also always in a suit. Alex is smaller with green eyes and darker hair. Plus, he always dresses like the rock boy that he is. They are like chalk and cheese. But they are still twins so Alex really shouldn’t go anywhere near Mandy, I don’t think so it is right.

  But then I’m torn. Not that I would ever agree with cheating because that isn’t me, but because I can see from the lovelorn look on Alex’s face how much he adores Mandy. He wouldn’t be doing any of this, risking absolutely everything for her if he wasn’t in love. He really does adore her, and it’s sad. A real shame that it’s only going to end in tears. That they will both lose Mandy and each other as well.

  I have tried to discuss this with Alex, to make him see that it will be an explosion at the end, but he still can’t keep away. I guess there isn’t anything I can do about that… I mean, I tried, didn’t I? Not that I would ever admit that to anyone. I sent Angelo the message with a picture of Mandy and Alex kissing each other, to try and make him see that Mandy is cheating on him. But that was six months ago so clearly it didn’t work. I guess in a way it’s a good thing. I’m kinda glad that it didn’t work because I would hold on to guilt forever because of it. After all, Alex is supposed to be my friend. I don’t want to hurt him. Not only that, but my intentions weren’t exactly pure either.

  I wasn’t just trying to out Mandy because I’m sure a nice person. I did it because I have the same hopeless, stupid crush on Angelo as Alex has it on Mandy. I have been hopelessly in love with Angelo ever since I first saw him and that is something else that will also end in tears. He will never feel the same way about me as I feel for him. He’s with someone. He’s in love. Even though that’s all going to end badly, that doesn’t mean he’ll want me.

  “Yeah. I’m focused.” Alex’s head snaps up to grin at Gary. He really doesn’t seem to see the issue himself. “Some of my brothers are coming tonight, so I need to be on top of the game.”

  Immediately, my heart starts pounding at the speed of light, my knees turn to jelly “Which brothers?”

  “Brad will be coming, Angelo too, so I’m sure they will drag Oliver along too. I think Nelson has something on, and Wesley is away at the moment. So, three out of five. That isn’t too bad.”

  Oh God, Angelo. He’s going to be here tonight. Instantly, my eyes snap towards the mirror. I have my red curly hair tied back in a high pony tail, my eyes are dark with makeup, I have a leather jacket on… I look good. Like my usual rock chick drummer image, but I don’t feel good right now. I feel like I could look better. It’s so sad when he’s never going to look at me, but I really want him to notice me regardless. I smooth my hair down a little, trying to calm it and make it look less wild, but there’s no hope. It’s out of control.

  “Right, come on.” Gary looks madder than ever. He doesn’t know ab
out my feelings, no one does, but the way that he’s looking at me right now suggests that he might have figured it out. “It’s time.”

  We step out on to the stage and I take my usual seat behind my beloved drum kit. For a split second, I feel amazing. I love playing music, it’s everything to me. My passion, the only thing I could do, so I’m glad that I have found a band who shares the same dreams and goals as me.

  But then my eyes catch the Smith brothers, mostly Angelo, and the good feeling ebbs away. He isn’t alone. He has a very familiar blonde wrapped around him, clinging to him possessively while she locks eyes with Alex up on the stage. She’s got two men at her finger tips. Two wonderful guys who could be happy with other people if she allowed them to be… but she greedily wants them both to herself to make them miserable.

  A sense of emotional exhaustion overcomes me. I almost don’t have the energy for the gig anymore. People might be screaming and cheering for us, wanting the best from Blood Red Masters, as we should give it to them. Alex is already going to be affected by this display in front of us, I need to be on top of things to make up for it. I need to look the fuck away from Angelo and focus on the music. Just for now anyway…

  “That was awesome, guys!” Gary yells as we leave the stage, now in a much better place. “We kicked ass.”

  Alex fist pumps and lets a yell out, one that comes deep from the pit of his stomach. I’m surprised that he has anything left to cry out to be honest. Much to my surprise, he was better because Mandy was in the audience. It was almost like he wanted her attention all the damn time. Much as I don’t like him hopelessly wanting Mandy, if it helped us to get over the slump that we could have faced tonight, then so be it.