by Jani Kay
“Hey, Lexi. You’re late, Cousin,” Jade scolded, but the look of relief on her face couldn’t be denied.
Harrison turned to her, looking her up and down. “Jesus, Cousin, when did you get all that new ink?”
She looked at Harrison, unperturbed, her dark hair making her striking blue eyes stand out even more. She shrugged casually, ignoring the sarcasm in Harrison’s voice. Either that, or she just didn’t care. “Yeah, funny thing is, it started as one small tat on my foot, and then another on my back. Before long I was addicted and wanted more. My friend Ivy works at a tattoo parlor, so she’s always showing me new designs.”
“Uncle Eric must’ve flipped out?” Jade laughed, looking relieved that the focus was off her and Ryder for the moment.
“Where’s Rebecca? I thought she was coming with you?” Ryder asked.
Harrison’s eyes narrowed as he zoomed in on Ryder. The tick in his jaw was obvious even from where I was standing. I suspected that Harrison was usually the male who looked out for his sister and cousins, and he didn’t like that Ryder was usurping his position. Jade cringed as she saw Harrison’s face. She was in a difficult position between the two men, not wanting to alienate either, desperate for them to get along. She had no hope in hell. Our two brothers were never going to like one another.
It was just the way it was.
Lexi nodded toward the front door. “Becca had a phone call just as we arrived. Her asshole boss. He’s summoned her to New York. She’s cursing him outside.”
Everyone laughed, except Ryder and me. I didn’t understand why it was particularly funny. It was a bit awkward, not knowing everyone and their history.
“Is she alone?” Ryder asked.
“No. Ratbag insisted on accompanying us tonight. He’s like a love-struck puppy dog when it comes to Becca. He won’t leave her side for a minute.”
Ryder seemed happy with the answer. Ratbag? What a curious name. I was glad I decided to come along tonight. Instead of staying home alone in my apartment feeling sorry for myself after my split with my fiancé, I was meeting a whole new bunch of interesting people.
“Who’s Rebecca? And why is her boss an asshole?” I whispered to Jade. I wanted to know before Rebecca came in, curiosity getting the better of me.
Jade laughed. “Rebecca is my Australian cousin. She’s only visiting at the moment. Lucky girl has a contract to work in Europe for one of the most influential and richest men in New York. Only thing is, he’s a douche and although he’s married, he makes moves on Rebecca. She hates his guts—understandably. And he has this way of summoning her to New York every so often. It pisses her off.”
“Wow. Who is this man? He sounds very demanding—”
“You really want to know?” Ryder swirled his glass, chipping in on our conversation.
“Sure. He sounds . . . interesting.”
Ryder had an amused glint in his eyes. “Rebecca’s boss is none other than Maxwell Grant. My brother—and yours too.” He threw back his drink and called the waitress over to refill his glass.
“Really? Now I’m even more curious to meet Maxwell.” I took another sip of Martini and mused at how interesting my very boring life had become.
All this time, Harrison had been standing around, glaring at everyone. His distaste at his sister and cousins being involved with my brothers was obvious as daylight.
“It's a small world, isn’t it?” Jade laughed, not really expecting an answer to her comment.
“Not small enough,” Harrison piped up. “Knox, join me outside?”
Jade went pale, her eyes large and round in her pretty face. She looked at Ryder as if begging him to decline.
“Sure. Got something to say to me?” Ryder asked, kissing Jade on the forehead as he rose to his feet and followed Harrison outside.
“Eva, I'm worried. The two of them are going to end up killing one another. Maybe I should go out too?”
“No, honey, stay.”
She chewed her bottom lip. “What if it ends badly?”
“Both men care about you, Jade. Because of that, they will rein it in.” I rested a hand on her trembling arm, trying to reassure her, although I was honestly freaking out a little myself. I didn’t know how far they would take this battle.
Rebecca joined our table, and after introductions I decided to go in search of the two men who had still not returned. Jade was preoccupied with her cousin telling her that she had to go to New York within days and cut her holiday short.
I went outside but stayed close to the wall in the dark, observing but not interfering. I was unashamedly eavesdropping and probably would incur the wrath of both men if they caught me.
Harrison fascinated me beyond words. I was eager to find out what was going on between the two men. And, truth be told, the minute he stepped away I felt his absence. I was drawn to him in a fucked up way like no man ever had before. Part of me disliked him intensely because of his strange behavior, while another part of me couldn’t get enough and was greedy to know more. He was like a drug; I’d only had a small taste and now I was desperate to get more.
Harrison’s voice boomed over the traffic noise. “Knox, for the last time I'm warning you: stay away from my sister. I never want to see you with her again. I'm letting it slide tonight—with immense difficultly, I might add— because I don’t want to ruin Jade’s birthday.”
“It's not your decision to make, Summers. It's mine and Jade’s.” Ryder's fists clenched and unclenched by his sides.
Harrison snarled. “I'm going to make life hell for you and that scum club of yours. You’d better be looking over your shoulder all the time,” Harrison threatened.
Ryder’s voice was cold and measured. “You don’t scare me. I've been through a hell of a lot worse in my life than having a vengeful cop on my ass.” Ryder laughed, and I was surprised that he didn’t sound bitter. He merely stated the fact.
I gasped as Harrison gripped Ryder’s shirt, twisting it in his hand, his face mere inches from Ryder’s. “Leave. Jade. The. Fuck. Alone. You are ruining her life. Stop being a selfish prick and walk away while you can. Do the right thing, for once in your miserable life, before I chop you down at the fucking knees.”
This was getting out of hand. Both men were practically foaming at the mouth. My heartbeat sped up and my mouth felt dry. Should I stop them? A shiver ran down my spine.
“Never. I'm never leaving Jade. Fuck you, and fuck your threats.”
“Knox—”
Before Harrison could say another word I stepped out from the darkness. I smiled as if I’d just come outside and was surprised to see them here. “Hey guys, anyone have a smoke for me? I left mine at home, but after a few wines I'm dying for one.”
Ryder stepped away from Harrison, smoothing down his shirt. He speared his fingers through his hair, narrowing his eyes at me. “You smoke? That’s bad for you—”
“Brothers,” I said playfully, rolling my eyes. “I’ve given up two years ago, but sometimes I still crave a cigarette.”
“Summers, I think you should leave before this gets ugly.” Ryder grabbed hold of my arm and steered me toward the door. “Let’s go back inside, Eva. As your brother, it's my duty to protect you from big, bad wolves. And Summers here is the worst of the lot. There’s no way in hell I want you even talking to him.”
Harrison sucked in a breath.
Ryder opened the door and held it for me, but I managed to look back to where Harrison was standing. His gaze locked on mine. A wistful smile twisted his lips before he turned around and walked across the street without so much as looking back. My stomach dropped.
Ryder steered me inside and toward our table. Pizza had been served and the crowd that had arrived for Jade’s birthday was just digging in.
I'd lost all interest in being there. The din in the pub had become a loud and raucous noise that hurt my head. I’d had enough. I wanted to go home and replay tonight in my mind, trying to figure out just what the heck was going on.
/> And more than anything, I had to work out how come a man as hostile and angry as Harrison could make me have bad and crazy thoughts about him possessing me. For when I’d looked into his eyes that last time, my core clenched and my whole body tingled. I wanted him to fuck me. Badly. And that would be the end of both men. Two men, each trying to keep their sister away from the other.
Now, wasn’t that fucking ironic?
Chapter Eight — Harrison
Sitting across from Eva, I slowly stirred my coffee as I stole glances of her beautiful face. She was even more gorgeous in the daylight. Flicking a strand of hair from her cheek, she smiled at me with such brilliance it knocked the wind out of me.
I wasn’t accustomed to reacting like this to women. It shook me to my core, scaring the living fuck out of me. I'd called her this morning for two reasons. One: I wanted to see if she’d still have the same effect on me she had last night, or if it had been a figment of my overactive imagination. Second, I wanted to see where she stood on the relationship between Ryder and Jade.
“Jade’s a lovely woman. I can understand why Ryder is so madly in love with her. Even though he had a hard time admitting that he is, it's just so obvious in the way he looks at her.” She sighed into her cup, a cloud shifting over her face as she sipped her coffee.
My blood pressure rose several notches. Fuck, that wasn’t what I’d wanted to hear. I'd arranged this meeting with Eva to try to convince her to help me split the two apart. Trying to be reasonable for Jade’s sake. I figured that if they were split up soon and without me resorting to violence to make it happen, it would be better for her. I only wanted the best for my sister; there was nothing wrong with that, was there?
Sighing, I shook my head. She’d get over her infatuation with the biker and move on. I was screwed up and fucked for life, but there was no point in both of us ending up alone and bitter.
“Eva, I agree that Jade’s an amazing young woman—but then again, she’s my little sis, so I’m biased. I was hoping you’d agree with me that they weren’t very well . . . suited to one another. And that you’d help me show them that.”
She narrowed her eyes at me. “You don’t like Ryder, do you?” A pregnant silence fell between us for a few moments. I wasn’t going to lie to her. “I accepted your invitation today so I could understand why.” Her voice had a sharp edge to it. I appreciated her honesty and straightforward talking.
“Look, I just don’t think he’s the man for my sister . . .”
“You don’t think he’s good enough for her.” Her eyes fired up as she pursed her lips.
I sat back in my chair for a moment before replying. “Yes. That is true. I can’t pretend otherwise. I was hoping you felt the same about the two of them being . . . together.”
Her nostrils flared. “Look, I don’t know Ryder all that well. We didn’t grow up as a family. But what I have learned in the short time I've known him is that he would give his life for those he cares about. That makes him a good man, in my books.”
“That may be so, but it still doesn’t make him the right man for Jade,” I said, folding my arms across my chest. Not much was going to change my opinion. Over my fucking dead body was I going to sit back and watch it happen. Fuck no.
I'd hoped that by enlisting Eva to help me split them apart, it would be a gentler way to do it—for Jade’s sake. But if I were left no other option, I'd kill the fucker before I saw him hurt my sister.
Jade’s voice raised a few decibels, her anger etched on her face. “Dammit, Harrison, you’re exactly the kind of man I detest. Judging a person without making the effort to get to know them. You’re just like—” She clamped her hand over her mouth, as if she’d already said too much.
I raised an eyebrow. “Just like who?”
She bit into her bottom lip, casting her eyes down. I leaned forward and gripped her chin, lifting her gaze to mine. “Tell me,” I demanded.
“It's nothing,” she said defiantly, not looking away.
“Oh, it's something all right. Tell me, or else you leave me no option but to do some digging of my own. I have resources available to find out every little detail about you, Eva. Don’t make me use them,” I threatened. I didn’t know why I had this overwhelming urge to know everything about her.
“It's none of your goddamn business, Harrison. You wanted to talk to me about Ryder and Jade, but clearly we are on different wavelengths where they are concerned. So, really, I think this discussion is over.”
She pulled her head backward, releasing her face from my grip. “True love isn’t always easy to find. I can’t believe that you have the gall to want to split up two people who clearly are crazy for one another and so happy together.” She looked at me as if I were the devil. “They have already overcome so many obstacles. Jade told me about some of them.” She pushed back her chair and got to her feet, looking down on me. “I, for one, am going to help them work it out. They already have the fucking odds stacked against them without you adding to it. For whatever your reasons are.”
She threw a five-dollar bill on the table. Sarcasm dripped from her next words. “I’ll get my own coffee, thanks. I really don’t want anything from you.” She turned on her heels and left.
This meeting hadn’t gone my way at all. I sucked in a breath as I watched her walk away from me for the second time in twenty-four hours. The way she swayed her hips when she walked—no, glided—across the floor had me mesmerized. I swallowed hard. Jesus, no woman had ever told me off like that. I was used to females crumbling at my feet, begging for me to fuck them, not telling me to go fuck myself.
I couldn’t help chuckling. Now I was fucking determined to get to know more about the feisty brunette with the never-ending legs.
This woman was Danger with a capital D. I could smell a threat a mile away—it was part of my job. I lived on the edge, taking risks every day. But this was different. Alarm bells went off, warning me to stay away at all costs. But fuck, I knew already I wasn’t going to listen to those bells clanging in my head.
Chapter Nine — Harrison
Even though it was Sunday morning, I usually went into the office anyway, so it wasn’t out of place for me to be here now. Callahan, my boss, A.K.A. Dirty Harry patted me on the back, his lips curled into a sneer. “Can’t help yourself, can you? I told you to stay out of the office this weekend.”
“Fuck off. Most bosses love their employees to come in and work extra hours. You’re delighted I’m here, you just don’t want to admit it.”
I fired up the computer system with gusto. I had some digging to do. I already knew just about everything there was to know about Knox, but I was unaware that he had a sister. The records didn’t show other siblings besides Maxwell Grant, his half-brother.
But I wasn’t here to check up on Ryder’s history. I needed to know more about Eva. I wanted to know everything there was to know about her, down to what fucking toothpaste she used.
And her sex life. I wanted to know about every man that had ever fucked her. Partly because I wanted to know who my rivals were, and partly because, without a doubt in my mind, it was a matter of time before Eva Ryder writhed beneath me. I saw the look in her eyes last night; I saw her clench her thighs. She’d orgasmed to my image as much as I came to hers. Even though she was cool and aloof this morning, there was an undeniable attraction between us.
Add to that Ryder’s threat for me to stay away from his sister, and I knew that I wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. The fucker should never have put the challenge out there, because now it was stuck in my brain and I wouldn’t rest until I had her. I needed to fuck her.
It was the perfect revenge, wasn’t it? He was fucking my sister, so it was only right that I got to fuck his as well. An eye for an eye.
Finding information on Eva Ryder was easy. There were files with pages and pages on her, from her privileged childhood, her student years, her mother’s illness, her father’s indiscretion of taking on a lover and spawning Ryder, down to
her engagement two years ago.
I went through the files, learning everything I could about Eva, memorizing her address and birth date. She was only two years younger than I was.
Eva was completely out of my league. She was practically rock royalty. Her father owned Ryder Music and she was the heiress to his fortune. Not only that, but she ran large parts of the organization, and from what I’d just read, she was a kickass businesswoman who added even more profits to the coffer. Apparently she had a score to settle with her old man, and that drove her to outperform anything he had ever done in his illustrious career.
I was all for women doing well in business, so it wasn’t that which sent bells ringing in my head. It was the fact that she had just recently broken off her engagement. In my experience, women on the rebound were dangerous as fuck.
Gasping, I looked at the picture on file, rubbing my eyes to make sure I wasn’t mistaken. Nope. It was him. Senator Nolan Walker. Fuck. How did I miss this? I'd been on undercover operations involving him before. How the fuck did I not know he was engaged to the most beautiful woman on earth?
His smug face that many voters, especially females, apparently found charming and good looking stared back at me from the computer. There was something in his expression that I couldn’t quite place my finger on that bothered me about the man.
Curious, I read more. She’d broken the engagement only five weeks ago, after catching him in bed with his new assistant. There was even a picture on file of them having an argument in public and another of the woman he had cheated with. She looked pretty plain and ordinary to me. I shook my head. I didn’t understand some men. Senator Walker was obviously stupid. If someone as perfect as Eva had promised to be my wife, I wouldn’t chance anything that could fuck it up. I grinned.
His loss; my gain.
Of all the women on Mother Earth, the one that made my dick hard was Knox’s sister and the Senator’s ex. Karma was playing a cruel fucking joke on me.