When he rose up, eyes full of dark fire, his arms and shoulders vibrating with strain, he looked like a demigod to her. Half man, half god of the forest.
"Make crazy mad love to me," she whispered. "Make me forget everything except you."
And he did. One long, hard stroke at a time. One whispered love word at a time. One intense orgasm at a time. At some point, he brought her a snack and a mug of hot milk with honey. After that short break, he went back to work. He made love to her until she didn't know her own name. Until he was everything and more. Until she knew there would never be anyone else. That this was it, forevermore.
Figuring out the details, that was another matter.
31
The buzzing of Rollo's cell phone woke him up out of the sweetest sleep he'd experienced since the last time he was in bed with Brianna. Which would have been New York. Which was where the call came from. Brent was on the line this time. For fuck's sake, why couldn't his family ever learn about time zones?
Then he remembered. Before too long, he'd be free from the family business affairs—maybe even by the end of this phone call. He'd tell Brent first, because ultimately Brent would take over the handling of his share of things. What better time than the present, even if it was five in the morning?
He rolled out of bed, treating himself to one last stroke of Brianna's warm skin, right where it curved around her hip. That might be his favorite spot on her body, the slope between her waist and her hipbone. But then, there were so many contenders.
After wrapping a towel around his hips, he took his phone into her kitchen and answered in a low voice. "It's five a.m., Brent. I'm sending you to time-zone school."
"Sorry."
Rollo snapped to attention. An apology from Brent? That wasn't a good sign. Something must be wrong. "What's up?"
"Look, I think you should get back here. Sidney's missing."
"What?" Rollo braced his free hand on Brianna's kitchen sink and stared at his reflection in the window. He looked ghostly.
"Yeah, the little brat has been driving everyone nuts. Whining about this and that and everything she can think of. Like she has anything to complain about."
"Think you could skip the part where you insult her and get the fuck to the point?"
"Sorry. Been a long night."
Another apology? This was a first.
"Anyway, there was a big blowout and Mother told her she had to go to some school upstate and Sidney freaked out and went into her room, did the whole slam-and-lock routine. When Mother knocked on the door because Mace was ready to drive her to school, she was gone."
"So she ran away? Did you call the police?"
"No, Mother brought in a private security company. Doesn't want the scandal. Didn't want me to call you, either. You're on her black list at the moment."
And that was about to get worse. But he'd save his news for later. Right now, all the mattered was Sidney. "I'll be on the next flight out."
"Fuck that. I sent a Learjet. It's waiting for you at some dinky little regional airport out there."
"Fine. I'll see you soon."
"One more thing. Bring that friend of yours. The redhead."
Rollo squinted past his reflection, out into the predawn sky. A grove of cypresses was silhouetted against the waning moon. Brianna's little cabin in the woods felt a million miles away from Manhattan. "Is this some kind of trick? You want to drag her back to New York and humiliate her again?"
"Man, I wasn't even at that show. Everyone's over it, even Mother."
"I'm not over it."
"Look, forget about that. Sidney likes her more than she likes any of us. We need her help."
Rollo gritted his teeth, torn between worry for Sidney and protectiveness toward Brianna. "She doesn't owe us anything. I'll ask her, but I wouldn't blame her if she told us all to fuck off."
After he ended the call, Rollo stepped quietly toward Brianna's bed. She was already sitting up, stretching, naked and glorious.
"I heard you in the kitchen," she mumbled through her yawn. "What's going on?"
"I have to go to New York." He explained the situation as he pulled on his jeans. Dragging a sweater over his head, he cast about for the best way to ask her to come with him.
But he didn't have to. Before his arms were even through the sleeves, Brianna was out of bed and digging in her dresser drawers for something to wear.
"I'm coming with you," she announced. "I don't care what your family says. If your mother doesn't like it, she can just pretend I'm not there."
He stared at her. Warmth dawned at the core of his being then spread from there, filling every inch of his heart. "You'd really go back there? Into all that drama? When my mother's upset, she can get really ugly. No holds barred."
"Rollo." In nothing but panties and bra, Brianna faced him, hands on her hips. "You think I don't know that? I got a pretty good dose of it, up close and personal. This isn't about me. Sidney's missing and I have to be there. We're friends and she might need me. What's a little embarrassment compared to that? Don't worry about me."
He ate up the sight of her, so little and fierce, so luscious in her mismatched underwear, her skin still flushed from sleep. The way she was standing reminded him of when he first spotted her at the Seaview Inn that fateful night. Like a pirate about to dive into the fray. "You're amazing, you know that? Do you know how much I want to haul you right back to bed right now?"
"Forget it, buddy-boy. Come on. Get that hotshot ass of yours in gear."
"What about your injuries?" He brushed a gentle hand across the blackened patch on her scalp. "You need to rest and recover."
"I'll sleep on the plane. Let's go."
The entire Park Avenue household was in an uproar. His father, mother, Brent, and all the servants were gathered in the Grand Salon when Rollo and Brianna walked in.
If Rollo didn't know his mother's moods so well, he would never have guessed she was upset. Impeccable as ever in a nubby coral Chanel suit, she barely pulled her phone from her ear to greet them. She raised her eyebrows at the sight of Brianna, then turned her attention to Rollo.
"How could she do this to me? Our security team has gone through everything in her room and found nothing. Not a single clue or lead or anything. I threatened to fire the lot of them so they're looking again now."
"For the millionth time, we should call the fucking police," Brent said wearily. He had big dark circles under his eyes. Rollo figured he'd probably been out clubbing when Sidney's absence was discovered. He probably hadn't slept all night.
Both of their parents shook their heads. "Last resort," his father said. "It would go right to the media and we have a delicate negotiation going on right now. Our people are twice as competent in any case." His phone rang. "I have to take this. Keep me in the loop."
He stepped away to take the call. Something told Rollo that call was more about business than the search for Sidney.
Brianna cleared her throat. "I was wondering if they found her sketchbook when they searched her room."
Alicia turned an icy stare her way. "Excuse me?"
"Her sketchbook. She uses it to express her emotions. We might be able to pick up something from what she's been drawing. That's only if she left it behind, though." Brianna screwed up her face. "She probably has it with her. Never mind."
"Don't raise false hopes," Alicia said sharply. "That's unkind."
"I didn't mean…I'm sorry." Brianna flushed a deep rose. She folded her lips together, as if to keep from blurting anything else out.
Rollo opened his mouth to lash out at his mother, but Brent jumped in.
"I might have seen that thing." Brent shoved his hands in the pockets of his trousers. "I saw her scribbling in something and asked why she was doing homework when she wasn't even going to school. She tried to hit me with it."
"Nice going," said Rollo. "Way to establish good communication."
"Hey, that's our thing. We torture each other. It's a Wareham family
bonding ritual."
Rollo couldn't really argue with that. "Did you see what she was drawing? Before she hit you?"
His brother squinted to call up the memory. "It was very dark. Like she'd covered the entire page in charcoal. I figured, Sid being Sid, right? Morose, moody, woe-is-me."
"This is a waste of time," snapped Alicia. "Her therapist was supposed to be dealing with all that emotional nonsense. That woman is fired."
Brent shook his head. "No, it turned out it wasn't like that. She wasn't drawing dark hellscapes, like I thought at first. It was the night sky, with all these constellations. She said she was inspired by the night sky in Jupiter Point."
"Constellations? Well, that's utterly useless. Are you suggesting she's on her way to outer space?" Alicia pressed the back of her hand against her forehead. Rollo's heart twisted at her iron-willed attempts to hide her distress.
"Could you blame her?" Brent quipped. "I guess the West Coast wasn't far enough."
She snapped. "Are you all here to gang up on me? Maybe I should just up and run away like everyone else in this family does! Then who would take care of everything around here?"
Good Lord—she sounded on the edge of tears. Alicia Wareham, mother of steel, about to cry? Rollo wouldn't have thought it possible.
He glanced at Brent, who looked just as shocked as he was. Alicia fought to compose herself, the battle visible on her meticulously made-up face. It was like watching slow-motion film of an avalanche getting triggered.
The tense silence was finally broken by Brianna. "I have a question. Just a crazy thought, but is there a roof on this building? I mean, of course there's a roof, that sounds silly. But is it accessible? And if it is, does Sidney know how to get up there? I only ask because back in Jupiter Point, she used to hang out on Rollo's roof sometimes. Remember how she loved watching the stars up there, Rollo?"
"That's true. I know I used to hang out on the roof when I needed a break. Has anyone looked up there?"
"Absurd. The roof? What an idea. Even if she had, she would have come inside by now. It's the middle of winter." Regaining her composure, Alicia smoothed her jacket over her hips.
"Mother, are you rejecting the idea because it came from Brianna? Seriously?"
She glanced at each of her children, then over at Brianna, who was standing a few feet from her. Rollo tried to see Bri through his mother's eyes. She wore her cleanest blue jeans, the ones with only one grass stain. Her forest-green sweatshirt had the lettering, "Got Earth?" arched above a photo of Planet Earth from space. Her curls were a mess, one of her snow boots was coming untied. She looked exactly as if she'd just completed a headlong cross-country trip.
But she met Alicia's harsh gaze without even flinching. Even better, she offered his mother a tiny, rueful smile. Sympathy shone from her eyes. She showed no hint of resentment, anger, or wariness—all things she'd be completely entitled to. Instead, pure concern and compassion poured out of her.
After a long moment, during which Rollo held his breath, Alicia turned away and headed for the door, heels clicking on the parquet. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to check."
Rollo tugged Brianna close as they followed his mother and Brent out of the Grand Salon. "Have I mentioned that I love you?" he whispered in her ear.
"Have I mentioned that you're crazy?" she whispered back.
"Hey, I'm a hotshot. Goes with the territory."
As in many Manhattan buildings, a cube-like structure sat on top of the flat roof. It housed various electrical and mechanical workings, as well as the access staircase. Some buildings populated their roofs with gardens or lounge chairs or even swimming pools, but not theirs. Rollo had always been grateful for that, since the roof was pretty much guaranteed to be empty when you needed to escape from the people inside.
At the final level, when a steel door was the only barrier between them and the top of the building, Alicia paused. "You'd better go first, Rollo. If she sees me, she might jump."
He raised an eyebrow at his mother. She really was full of surprises today. Maybe Sidney's disappearance had shaken something loose in her. He nodded and brushed past her.
"You too, Brianna," his mother added grudgingly. "She trusts you. Go ahead."
Brianna's eyes went wide, while Rollo nearly stumbled on the last step. This was huge. His mother had spoken Brianna's name. She'd said something nice about her. It was like some kind of miracle.
He pushed the upper door open, allowing a blast of chilly air inside the staircase.
A girl's voice sounded from beyond the door. "Go away!"
Sidney.
Alicia slumped against the wall, so relieved she didn't even object when Brianna squeezed her hand. Rollo stuck his head around the edge of the door. "Hey, sis. What's going on?"
"You're here? I thought you went back to Jupiter Point." Her voice floated over the brisk wind cutting across the rooftops.
"I came back. Everyone's been looking for you. Why don't you come inside and you can tell us what's going on? I mean, really going on."
"No. And don't come any closer or I'll do something crazy!"
He looked at the others, worry tightening his throat. She sounded different, not like herself. He heard no snark in her voice, no sass. Just pure sadness. He looked at Brianna and jerked his head toward the door. He trusted her to handle this more than himself.
Bri looked over at Alicia, who nodded her consent. Rollo made room for her at the head of the staircase.
"Sidney, it's Brianna. Don't worry, I won't do anything you don't want. I just want to make sure you're warm. Do you have a jacket out there? Aren't you freezing?"
"Brianna? You came back too?"
"Of course I did. I love you, honey. I was really worried. I still am, to tell you the truth. If you've been out here all night you must be half frozen."
"There's a steam vent. It's been keeping me warm. Seriously, you came back? After the fashion show and everyone laughing at you on YouTube? And after Rollo invited that witch to visit him?"
Color came and went in Brianna's cheeks. "Well, I wasn't too happy about any of that. But I still care about you. I care about you a lot more than YouTube. Are you hungry? You must be starving."
"That's a trick to get me to come inside, isn't it?"
"No," Brianna said quickly. "I can bring something to you. I just want you to be okay."
"No one else does! They just want me to do what they want! No one cares what I want! Not even my therapists. They just want all the money Mother pays them."
"That's not—" Alicia began, but Brianna hushed her. Even though his mother's eyes bulged with surprise, she obeyed and snapped her mouth shut.
Sidney kept going, her voice like a wail. "They all think the only thing that matters is money. Even Rollo. Why else is he giving up firefighting and marrying someone Mother picks? It's all pointless. None of us will ever be free. She'll never like anyone I want to be with."
Rollo and Brianna exchanged a look of alarm. "Sidney, is there someone you like? Is that what's been bugging you?"
Long silence. "Yes. I think. I don't know."
"Sweetie, how about you come inside and we can talk more about that? We promise to listen."
"No one ever listens."
"I do. We've had some really good conversations, right?"
Another long silence. Rollo fought the urge to just go out there and tackle her. Brute strength wasn't what the situation called for.
"Yes, but you're not part of the family. No one in my family listens."
"Well, as a matter of fact, that's going to change," Brianna said. Her gaze flew to his, and the breath stuttered in Rollo's chest.
"How? They'll never change. Why should they? They think everything's perfect the way it is."
"No, I mean the other thing. The part about me not being part of your family. Rollo…"
She paused, her green eyes scanning his face, gauging his reaction.
He jumped in before she could continue. "I proposed to Bria
nna, Sidney. I want to marry her. I'm going to give up my trust fund and everything else connected to our money."
Brent grinned—probably counting all the money he'd soon be controlling. Rollo risked a glance at his mother. She let out a long, resigned breath. Alicia was many things, but not stupid. She must have seen this coming.
"What?" They heard a sound from across the roof, then footfalls coming closer. The next time Sidney spoke, she sounded more alive, more herself. "What did you say, Brianna?"
"Well, I haven't actually answered. I love Rollo, of course. But I wasn't so sure I'd be the right person for him. For the Wareham family. So I had to think hard about it. And I think I'm ready to give my answer. So what do you say, Sidney? Want to come be my witness?"
Alicia gripped her hands together, looking as if she was about to get her teeth drilled.
"Depends," Sidney said. "Is Mother there too?"
Brianna chewed at her bottom lip. But of course she couldn't lie. She was Brianna. "She is, Sidney. So is Brent. We're all here because we care about you, no matter what."
"No matter what? What if…" She paused. They all held their breaths. "What if the person I like…well, what if it's a girl?"
Alicia's jaw dropped. Brent's eyes bugged out. Rollo knew his brother was about to burst out laughing, so he clapped his hand over Brent's mouth. Sidney didn't need a dose of the Wareham family bonding ritual at that moment. He gestured for Brianna to continue.
"Is that why you've been so upset, sweetie? Why you ran away from school?"
"I guess. I was just…confused. I hate having crushes. Crushes are the devil."
"Believe me, I know what you mean. Awkward crushes are my life. But listen, Sidney. You still have a lot of time to figure out who you like. Don't be so hard on yourself. We love you no matter what."
She elbowed Rollo in the side, and he started. "We do, Sid. A hundred percent." He pinned his mother with a hard stare.
"That's right, Sidney," she managed. "Listen to your brother."
"I guess if Rollo can stand up for himself, I can." Suddenly there she was, right outside the door, within arm's reach. She wore a black wool hat with a skull and crossbones pattern, a long wool coat that covered practically her entire body, with a gray scarf wrapped around her neck. Her cheeks were pink from cold, her eyes rimmed red.
Into the Flames (Jupiter Point Book 3) Page 22