His Brat (Off Limits Book 1)

by Kali Argent

  “But there are tamales.” He laughed when I slapped his shoulder. “Relax, sweetheart. Just be glad they hadn’t interrupted us five minutes sooner.”

  “You think this is funny,” I accused.

  “Yes, yes I do.” He got up and hitched his jeans up over his toned ass. “Come on, let’s clean up and get something to eat. We’re going to be late if you keep distracting me.” He turned and winked at me, leaving me sputtering as he disappeared into the bathroom.

  Chapter Nine

  “You need to relax,” Gabe ordered as he gently squeezed my hand.

  That was definitely easier said than done. As we sat out in the courtyard that surrounded the hotel pool which had been converted for the wedding ceremony, I glanced around nervously, scanning the crowd of people for a glimpse of my brother. Thankfully, he hadn’t arrived yet. A little part of me was hoping he had gotten distracted by writing and would forget to attend, but that would only delay my doom.

  “I’m trying, but I’m worried,” I whispered.

  “I know, sweetheart.”

  The air was perfumed with the fragrance of lilacs and roses, the blooms bursting out of several big containers placed around the large, rectangular area. The lounge chairs that usually surrounded the pool had been replaced with chairs covered in white cloth with lavender bows that draped to the ground. Small brass lanterns lined the length of the walkways with small white candles flickering behind the glass, and strings of fairy lights hung overhead.

  Most of the men in attendance were dressed in suits, while the women wore dresses in a variety of shades ranging from bright, bold colors to the palest of hues. When I saw a woman wearing an emerald green dress I recognized from a local store, I was glad I hadn’t worn the same one.

  Instead of changing at the hotel, I’d gotten ready at my apartment while Elan and Rosa had fed Gabe a massive amount of food. Their open friendliness made it impossible not to like them, and I was glad that he seemed to enjoy them as much as I did. Rain had offered to curl my hair while I did my make-up, and we’d talked about Gabe in the privacy of my bathroom. Since she knew how long I’d been in love with him, she had been elated for me. It had been nice to share my happiness with a friend, but I left out most of the details when she had interrogated me.

  I re-packed my bag before putting on my dress and the new pearl earrings and necklace I had gotten the other day. I didn’t need to wear a bra with the dress, but I did remember to put on a pale pink thong that I imagined Gabe taking off me later. I left my long hair falling loose down my back in beachy waves and had gone with dramatic smoky eye shadow and a shimmering pink gloss that made my lips look wet.

  When I’d walked out of my room, the look on Gabe’s face had made my heart pound.

  After we’d returned to the hotel, he had showered, shaved, and changed into a black suit, white shirt, and silver tie as I had responded to several text messages I had been ignoring for the last few days. I found it highly unfair that he could look that damn good in a fraction of the time it had taken me to get ready. Of course, I had paused to watch him dress. He looked damn good in a suit, but he looked even better naked.

  While I had been lost in my own head, a couple had walked over to speak to Gabe. I smiled, then felt joy spread through me when he introduced me as his girlfriend. We chatted with them for a few minutes, then they wandered off to go join a group of their friends. When the groom and his party came out to stand near the arbor of flowers that had been set up, I studied them with open curiosity.

  “The groom looks familiar.”

  “I told you that I played football with Zimmerman in college. I’ve only met his fiancée, Michelle, a few times, but I think you’ll like her.”

  “Wait a minute, now I remember him! He was the one with the big—”

  “Layla,” he growled in warning.

  I squeezed his hand and laughed. “I was going to say he had that big, black truck. The one with the huge tires that looked like I’d needed a ladder to get in it. What did you think I was going to say?”

  He smiled sheepishly. “I’m not sure, but it didn’t sound good. He still has that truck. Michelle is even shorter than you, but she likes driving it. He had retractable steps put on for her.”

  “Aww, that’s so sweet.”

  “Hey, I’ll put steps on my truck for you.”

  “Yeah, but will you ever let me drive your Jaguar?” I teased.

  “That…we might have to negotiate.”

  Laughing, I leaned closer to kiss him, then I froze as my brother hurried down the walkway.

  Aiden had on a gray suit with a light blue shirt and paisley blue tie. His dark brown hair was longer than it had been the last time I’d seen him over winter break, and he hadn’t bothered to shave in a few days. Both of my brothers were taller than me, but Aiden easily packed on muscle while Noah had a leaner build. Still, Noah could command a room simply by walking into it, while no one would have guessed Aiden was a bestselling author by looking at him.

  “Sorry, I got caught up re-writing a scene, then I realized I have to completely change one of my characters,” Aiden announced as he sat down next to Gabe. “I almost forgot about the—Layla, what are you doing here?”

  His gaze traveled down to where my hand was being held by Gabe’s, and his jaw tightened. I saw the barely controlled fury in his hazel eyes, and suddenly everything I had planned to say was gone, completely wiped from my mind.

  “We need to talk, Aiden,” Gabe said softly.

  “Yeah, you’re fucking right we do…later,” Aiden bit out as the music began playing.

  All three of us remained silent as the wedding began, and Gabe squeezed my hand, trying to assure me that everything would be okay. An adorable ring bearer and a pretty flower girl sauntered down the aisle together, followed by several bridesmaids dressed in pale-purple gowns. When the bride appeared with her father by her side, everyone stood.

  A few minutes later, we were all seated again. I was surprised that I forgot my worries while I watched the bride and groom exchange vows. I didn’t know them, but their personalized vows touched my heart. I only realized I was crying after Gabe pulled his handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbed at my cheeks. I took it from him gratefully and noticed Aiden staring at us with a strange expression on his face.

  Once the ceremony was over, everyone cheered as the newly married couple danced their way down the aisle. The guests were told to head upstairs to the ballroom for the reception while the wedding party took pictures down by the pool. Most people went straight up to the ballroom, but I silently followed Gabe and Aiden away from the rest of the guests.

  When we had a little privacy, I gathered my courage and said, “Aiden, I—”

  “Shit!” Gabe’s head snapped to the side when Aiden spun around and punched him in the face.

  “I can’t believe you hit him! Gabe, are you okay?” I gently touched his cheek and was glad that he wasn’t bleeding.

  “He’s lucky that’s all I did,” Aiden snapped. “What the hell are you thinking, Layla?”

  Tears stung my eyes as I met his gaze. “I love him.”

  “You love him?” Aiden threw his hands up in the air. “Well, that’s just fucking great. How long has this shit been going on?”

  “Not long,” Gabe said calmly as he rubbed his jaw. “And that first one was free. Next time you hit me, I’ll hit back.”

  “No one is hitting anyone,” I countered, standing between them. “We’re at a wedding, damn it. You’re acting like a crazy person!”

  Gabe took my arm and pulled me behind him. “We weren’t hiding anything from you.”

  “The fuck you weren’t!” When a few people paused at the base of the stairway and glanced over, Aiden snarled, “What are you looking at?”

  As the people scurried away, Gabe said, “Look, I get why you’re pissed—”

  “Of course, I’m pissed. That’s my sister, asshole! That’s the one line you don’t cross.” Aiden turned his glar
e on me. “I thought you had more sense than this. How could you be so stupid?”

  “Stop being such a jerk, Aiden,” I snapped. I knew he was just venting his anger, but his words still hurt.

  Gabe took an aggressive step forward and growled, “Say what you want to me, but do not talk to her like that.”

  “I can’t believe this!” Aiden started pacing. “You were supposed to watch out for her, not take advantage of her. Fuck, man. I trusted you! I know how you are with women. You’re going to break her fucking heart. Do you think I want that for my sister?”

  “I love her.”

  Those words made Aiden freeze in place, and his eyes went wide. “What?”

  “I love her,” Gabe repeated. “You know I’ve never said those words to a woman before, so you know I mean it. I understand you feel like we—that I betrayed you, but nothing happened between us until a few days ago.”

  Aiden continued to stare at him as he said, “Layla, can you give me and Gabe a minute to talk alone?”

  Warily, I glanced over at Gabe. At his nod, I walked toward the stairs to give them some privacy. They moved further down the hallway as I stood nervously watching them. I couldn’t hear what they were saying, but I wanted to make sure they didn’t start attacking each other like rabid dogs.

  My heart melted at the way Gabe had just declared his love for me. He was being so open and honest about his feelings, while I had just stood there unable to say much. Part of that was due to a lifetime spent trying not to disappoint my brothers, but Gabe was worth fighting for. I wasn’t going to apologize for loving him, and I wasn’t going to give him up, even for my brother.

  Still, Aiden and Gabe were best friends, and I hated coming between them.

  I tore my gaze away from the men as I saw a pretty blonde woman in a slinky white dress walking toward me. Seriously, who wore white to a wedding? Was she trying to upstage the bride? Classy. She looked familiar, but I couldn’t place her. Then, recognition hit me. Annalise had dated Gabe a couple of years ago, but their relationship hadn’t lasted long. Then again, that was one of the reasons Aiden was so worried about me. Gabe never dated any woman for long.

  But he hadn’t loved anyone before me.

  That thought instantly cheered me up.

  It wasn’t her fault that I hated her, but I did. I totally did since she had seen Gabe naked. I hated all of his exes on principle, no matter how long they had dated him. It was a moral imperative that was hardwired into my bones. I didn’t want to talk to her, but I couldn’t just tell her to go away.

  “Hi, you’re Aiden’s sister. Layla, right?” Annalise said with a friendly smile.

  “Yes,” I said, then glanced back at the men. Okay, no punches were being thrown. They were still just talking. That was a good sign.

  “I’m Annalise Gibbons. I’m a friend of Gabe’s. Actually, I was hoping I’d see him here. We have a lot of catching up to do.”

  “We’re fucking,” I blurted out. Good lord, where had that come from? I looked back at her and could tell I had shocked her. I bit my lower lip to try to stop myself from speaking, but more words just spilled out. “I mean, we’re dating, and we love each other.”

  “Ah.” She shrugged, but I saw the steely glint of challenge in her eyes. “Isn’t that cute.”

  The way she said that made it clear she thought I was delusional…or simply a liar. Okay, now I wanted to punch her.

  Unfortunately, Gabe and Aiden chose that moment to walk over and join us.

  Annalise smiled as she practically purred, “Hi, Gabe. It’s so good to see you.”

  I squeezed my purse as my hands clenched into fists.

  “Annalise.” Turning away from her, Gabe ran his hands down my arms and said, “Your brother wants a moment alone with you. Why don’t I go grab us some champagne while you talk to him?”

  I wanted to protest but meekly nodded instead. I cast a furtive glance at the other woman. She was still smiling sweetly at Gabe and doing her best to pretend I didn’t exist. When my gaze met his again, I saw that his eyes were narrowed slightly. Suddenly, he jerked me to him and kissed me hard.

  Oh, yeah. Take that blondie.

  “Christ, don’t make me hit you again,” Aiden muttered.

  Gabe released me, holding onto my arms to make sure I didn’t fall flat on my face. He winked, then said, “I love you, sweetheart. See you upstairs.”

  With that, he started up the stairs.

  Annalise stood there gaping at his back. Obviously, she hadn’t believed me when I’d told her that I was dating Gabe. She had been waiting for him to pay attention to her, but the way he had walked away should’ve told her there was no chance of a reunion. When she turned on her heels and hurried after him, I frowned. I trusted Gabe, but that didn’t mean she wouldn’t hit on him while I wasn’t around.

  “Relax, kid. He’s not interested in her.”

  I tore my gaze away from the stairs and looked over at my brother. Since he didn’t seem angry anymore, I did relax a little. Lifting my chin, I said, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, Aiden. But I’m not going to apologize for loving Gabe.”

  “Look, I get it.” He sighed. “I always knew you had a crush on him, but I didn’t know that it was this…real. This is going to take me some time to get used to, since, I’ll be honest, it all seems pretty fucking weird to me right now.”

  “You know he’s a good man.”

  “Yeah, but no one is ever going to be good enough for you.”

  Touched, I blinked back tears. “I love you, Aiden. Even when you’re being mean.”

  “Come on, don’t cry.” He pulled me into a tight hug. “I love you, too, even when you’re being a brat. I’m sorry I yelled at you.”

  “I forgive you since I know you’re only trying to look out for me. But, Aiden? Gabe looks out for me, too. He always has.”

  “I know.” After a long pause, he added, “I’m still going to break his legs if he breaks your heart.”

  Pushing away from him, I laughed. “You’re such a guy.”

  “Yeah, well…this guy needs a damn drink.”

  I was pleased that he seemed to be handling everything well now that his initial shock had worn off. I didn’t even complain when he grabbed my arm and pulled me up the stairs. Most of the guests were already inside the ballroom, but a few people were gathered around the small bar set up in the large hallway at the top of the stairs.

  Gabe was talking to a group of people, but he immediately left them and walked over as soon as he saw us. Thankfully, Annalise was nowhere in sight. He handed me a glass of champagne, then offered the other one to Aiden.

  Shaking his head, Aiden said, “I need something stronger.”

  As he stalked into the ballroom, I whispered, “Are you two okay?”

  “We’re fine. He just needs some time to get used to…thinking about us together. Don’t worry, we’ve hit each other before. That usually fixes things.”

  “I don’t understand you guys.”

  Gabe grinned. “Yeah, well, it works for us.” He sobered again, staring at me intently. “Did he apologize to you?”

  “He did.”

  “Good. I know he was upset, but I didn’t like him speaking to you like that.”

  I leaned against his chest and smiled up at him. “Is that your version of ‘nobody puts Baby in the corner?’”

  “I have no idea what that means.”

  “It’s a quote from one of my favorite movies.” When he continued to stare at me blankly, I laughed. “Never mind. It’s a chick thing. So, did you catch up with Annalise?”

  He smirked. “Is this going to end up with you doing another devil sketch of me?”

  “That depends on your answer.”

  Laughing, he leaned down to kiss me. “You know you have nothing to worry about.”

  “Maybe I’ll sketch her with horns instead.”

  “That’s my girl.” He wrapped an arm around my waist and led me toward the ballroom. “Come on.
Let’s go dance.”

  Chapter Ten

  I had just stepped out of the shower Sunday morning when Gabe walked into the bathroom with my cell phone in his hand.

  Surprisingly, he didn’t have any bruising or swelling from Aiden’s right hook, or maybe I just couldn’t see it beneath the shadow of scruff. He was already dressed in a pair of fitted jeans and a snug, gray T-shirt. The outfit molded to his body like it had been tailor-made for him, and honestly, he looked absolutely mouthwatering.

  Since my head was still buzzing from the amount of champagne I’d consumed at the reception, I kind of hated him for it.

  Grabbing a towel off the vanity, I wrapped it around me, holding it in place while I reached out for the phone with the other hand. “Noah again?”

  I’d woken up to six missed calls and eleven text messages from my eldest brother. I wasn’t proud of the fact that I’d been dodging him, but Aiden’s initial reaction to mine and Gabe’s relationship had been bad enough. I could only imagine how Noah had taken the news.

  I’d been hoping Aiden would let me tell Noah myself, but at the same time, it didn’t surprise me that he’d ratted me out like that.

  “Nope,” Gabe answered, passing the phone to me. “Aiden. You’re supposed to have breakfast with him this morning.”

  Crap, I’d completely forgotten about that. “Are you coming with me?”

  Sliding his own cell phone out of his back pocket, he tapped it against his palm. “I am. I got the same message. Breakfast in the hotel restaurant in ten minutes.”

  I cursed under my breath. That barely left me enough time to get dressed, let alone do anything with my hair or makeup. Luckily, I’d skipped washing my hair, so at least I could pull the locks into a ponytail without any fuss.

  After banishing Gabe to the downstairs area of the suite—because we’d never make it to breakfast on time if he kept looking at me the way he was—I pulled on a pair of cropped, white jeans and a blue V-neck tank top that matched the color of his eyes. Once I’d added a swipe of lip gloss and a touch of mascara, I slid my feet into a pair of plain, white flip flops and descended the stairs.