Roses & Champagne Kisses

by Stacy Eaton

  He sighed. “I wasn’t in the mood to deal with questions about why I didn’t call Autumn back.”

  “I thought you weren’t coming back until tomorrow.”

  “I didn’t plan on it—but dinner got done early and I was able to catch a flight.”

  “Well, obviously this room is taken, but you can sleep in Wade’s room tonight if you want.”

  “I’ll do that.” Rye turned to me. “I’m sorry again for walking in on you.”

  “That’s okay. It was nice to meet you, Rye.”

  “Trust me, the pleasure is all mine.” His smile was a little wicked, and I knew he’d said that because he’d gotten a nice view of me naked—great.

  As the two of them spoke for another moment, I compared them. His brother’s hair, while the same color and style, was slightly longer, and he had at least a two-day beard growth on his jawline. His shoulders didn’t seem to be quite as wide, and his chest wasn’t as thick as Roan’s. There was no doubt that he was just as attractive though.

  Rye nodded as he walked out of the room, apologizing again and letting his gaze drift down my legs. I fought to stand still and not bring attention to myself. After Rye had gone, Roan turned to me. “I am so sorry, Finley. He didn’t walk in on you, did he?”

  “Actually, yes, he did, and he got an eyeful because I was just climbing out of the tub. I thought he was you and didn’t cover up as quickly as I should have. You never bothered to tell me you had a twin.”

  “Sorry, I just assume people know. We might look alike, but we are very different.”

  “You’re not as alike as you think. I can easily spot the differences in your bodies.”

  As I spoke, Roan’s gaze dropped to my chest, and he swallowed. “You thought it was me in the bathroom?”

  “At first, but then I realized quickly it wasn’t and covered myself up.”

  “Did my brother get a nice, long look?” He sounded just a tad bit jealous.

  “He saw enough.”

  “Damn, that’s not fair.” His voice was husky, “I’ve only gotten to touch you, he got to see.”

  My legs began to tremble as his eyes grew darker, his voice softer and deeper. “I think touching is better.”

  He moved to stand in front of me. “I think looking and touching at the same time would be the best option.”

  I swallowed. A mixture of nerves and excitement swirled through my belly and into my groin. “I think I agree with that.”

  His hand came to the edge of my towel and tugged gently. His desire-filled, green eyes locked onto mine as my towel fell to the floor. He took a step back so he could see me. My breaths were practically coming in pants as I waited to see what he would do.

  “Damn, you are beautiful.” He wet his lips as if he were hungry.

  I wanted to go to him, but I waited. Something in me told me to let him come to me. It didn’t take long before he took a step and reached out, his fingertips running from my shoulder to my breast and down over the weighted mound. My breath hitched as he touched my nipple, and then his fingers were following the curve of my waist and the flare of my hip. His Adam’s apple bounced slowly as he swallowed. His other hand cupped my right breast and lifted it as his head lowered. “I need to taste you.”

  His lips covered my breast, his tongue teasing the skin as my hands dove into his hair and held him there. His other hand swooped around my back and smoothed over my buttocks. I was melting into a puddle, ready to give myself over to him body and soul.

  “Hey, Roan, you got—” Rye’s voice slammed into us, and we jumped apart. I quickly hid behind Roan and bent to retrieve the towel as Roan growled at his brother.

  Chapter 18

  Roan

  “What?” I snapped at Rye.

  Rye held his hands up. “Sorry, I didn’t know you were busy.” He backed out of the room quickly, although he was trying to get another peek at Finley behind me. Once he was out, I went over and shut the door firmly.

  “I’m sorry about that, Finley.”

  “No, that’s okay. It’s probably better that we stop anyway.”

  I had to inhale and hold it for a few seconds with my eyes closed before I felt calm enough to speak.

  “Yeah, probably, but I’m still sorry. He doesn’t normally show up here, so I better go talk to him and find out what’s going on.”

  “Sure, go ahead. I’ll see you in the morning.”

  “Sleep well.” I kept my distance and slipped out the door. If I had stepped even a foot from the door, I would have pulled her back into my arms and taken up where I’d left off.

  I found my brother in the kitchen pulling out a beer. “Grab me one of those.” Rye slid the bottle over the counter to me and returned to the fridge to get one for himself.

  “Sorry about that.” He cracked open the top and took a long pull. “I didn’t expect to walk in on anything. Who is she?”

  “Her name is Finley Parker.”

  He rolled his eyes. “I know her name. We did introduce ourselves. Who is she?”

  “She works for Robin Landry at the café.”

  My brother curled up his lip in disdain. “She’s a waitress?”

  “She does more than that. She helps Robin with the catering, too.”

  “I hope you’re just getting your rocks off and this isn’t serious. You know someone like that is probably only after your money.”

  “Stop,” I hissed at him quietly, “if I hear you say one more negative thing about her, I am going to come over this counter and pulverize you. Got it?”

  “Fine, whatever. Just be careful, man.”

  “Stay out of my business. What are you doing here anyway?”

  “I told you, I didn’t want to go home. I just don’t have it in me to deal with her questions and whining.”

  “Why are you marrying her?”

  He narrowed his eyes at me. “You know, you just told me to stay out of your business, so why don’t you take that advice for yourself.”

  “I’m not planning on getting married anytime soon, ass,” I took a long swallow as I settled myself on a stool at the counter, “but you’re about to make one hell of a commitment, so just make sure you’re ready for it.”

  “Yeah, I’m ready.”

  “Why are you getting married?”

  “Damn, Roan, if I had known I was going to be playing twenty questions, I’d have gone home.”

  “No, I’m serious. You’re getting married in two weeks. Tell me why you are getting married, and I’ll leave it alone.”

  “Ro, I’m thirty-eight, too, you know. I guess I’m just ready to settle down, maybe—and that’s a big maybe—start a family.”

  “You know that’s what Autumn wants, right? She wants kids, like, as soon as you’re married, so you damn well better want that, too.”

  “I do—I think.” He frowned.

  “Rye, you need to know, not think. Damn, man, do you really want to bring a child into this world and have your marriage fall apart? It was hard enough with Sherry dying and me having to be a single parent, but divorced families have a lot of issues.”

  “Jesus, Ro, I’m not even married, and you have me getting divorced already.” He walked into the family room and plopped heavily onto the leather sofa.

  “I just don’t want to see you screw this up.”

  “You know, not everyone finds amazing love with the woman of his dreams like you did.”

  “You could if you opened your eyes and looked around.”

  “Pfft, not likely, bro. I learned a long time ago that I will never have what you shared with Sherry, and to be completely honest, I’m not sure that I want that. After watching what you went through when she died, I don’t think I have the strength to do that.”

  “Of course, you do, not that I would wish that on anyone.” I joined him on the couch. “I know what Sherry and I had was great, but it’s not like you can’t have that. I think you’re settling with Autumn. I think you feel comfortable with her, and that’s wh
y you decided to marry her, because you didn’t have anything else to do and your clock is ticking.”

  “Dude, I don’t have a biological clock.”

  I laughed at him, “Yeah, you do. Everyone does. You’re closing in on forty and questions of mortality are starting to knock on your door. I know that someday you’ll find the love that you deserve, someone as incredible as Sherry was to me.”

  He sighed by way of answer and drank a little of his bottle in silence and then turned to me, “Do you ever think of finding someone else?”

  “To be honest, I am thinking a lot about it these days. Wade will be going off to college soon, and the thought of being alone kind of bothers me.”

  “So you’re actually open to getting involved, maybe falling in love again?”

  “Yeah, I am. I want to find someone else to love. Sherry wouldn’t have wanted me to be alone forever.”

  He shifted in his seat so he could see me better, “Do you think you could love someone as much as you did her?”

  “Not in the same way, but, yeah, I think I could.” I didn’t mean to, but my gaze strayed to the landing above, and he chuckled.

  “Really? Her? Don’t get me wrong, she’s got a great body, but come on, she’s a waitress.”

  “What in the sam hell does that have to do with anything? Just so you know, she graduated at the top of her class in business management with a minor in restaurant management.”

  He looked slightly impressed. “Okay, so she’s more than a pretty face.”

  “She’s a lot more than a pretty face,” I snapped and then I narrowed my eyes, “but if you say one more thing about her body or her job, I swear I will kick your ass, Rye.”

  He laughed. “So, if you like this girl, why is she staying in your guest room and not your bedroom?”

  “Because it’s not like that.”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “First of all, I saw that woman’s beautiful body as she climbed out of the tub, and second, I just walked in on you with your hands all over her. Don’t give me that shit that it’s not like that.”

  “Seriously, it’s not like that. Yeah, we’ve made out a few times,” and I almost took her up against the glass wall. I didn’t tell him the second part, but my eyes darted to the place where we’d been, “but there are some things going on, and we need to get them settled before we jump into something.”

  “What’s going on?”

  For the next few minutes I told him what had been happening, and then we got on to other business, and he was telling me about his latest trip.

  “Rye, can I ask you a question about your trip?”

  “Go for it.”

  “When we were getting off the phone earlier, you were talking to a woman. I could have sworn I heard you call her baby.”

  “Okay—”

  “Are you having a last fling before you get married?”

  “No,” he answered sedately.

  “No?”

  “Yeah, that’s what I said, ‘No.’”

  “You want to expand on that?”

  “No.”

  “What the fuck, Rye? Are you sleeping with someone else?”

  “No, I’m not.”

  “There is something that you’re not telling me, I know it, so just spill already.”

  He sucked back the rest of his beer and got up, “Why do you need to know every single detail of my life?”

  “Because I’m your big brother.”

  He rolled his eyes, “By five minutes. You are older than me by five minutes. That still does not give you the right to dig into my personal life.” He tossed his bottle into the recycling container, and I got off the couch and pulled it out.

  “Beer bottles don’t get recycled now?”

  “You need to rinse it out first or it’s going to stink.”

  He yanked the bottle out of my hand. “When did you become Mom?”

  “When my wife died, and I had to play both parental roles. Now cut the shit, what the hell is going on with that woman?”

  He rinsed the bottle, set it on the counter, and then rested his palms there, too, his head hanging. “I was tempted. It’s not the first time she’s gotten my attention.”

  “Have you ever slept with her?”

  He shook his head, “No, but tonight was the first time I almost did. I guess I suddenly began to think about the fact that I will be married in two weeks and actually considered one last fling.”

  “But you didn’t.”

  “I already told you I didn’t.”

  “But you wanted to.”

  “Geez, man, what is it with you and these questions?”

  “Obviously, I’ve hit a sore spot. If you can even contemplate having an affair on Autumn, then you need to put a stop to this wedding.”

  “You know, Roan, I respect you. I always ask for your opinion, and I take your words to heart, but this time, you need to butt the hell out. I’m getting married to Autumn in two weeks, and nothing you say is going to change that. Got it?”

  “Got it,” I replied wearily. I knew my brother well enough that when he used that tone, he was dead set on his decision, and I wasn’t going to be able to change his mind.

  “I’m going to go crash. It’s been a long day.” He put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed as he walked past. “Night, Ro.”

  “Night, Rye.”

  I had a hard time falling asleep, and when I woke, I could smell bacon and coffee. I tossed on sweats and a t-shirt and made my way down the stairs to find Rye sitting at the counter watching Finley in the kitchen. I picked up a magazine on the counter and swatted his head.

  “Hey! What’s that for?”

  I glared at him and then looked pointedly at Finley. He knew exactly what I meant and started laughing.

  “Morning, sleepyhead,” Finley said as she turned from the stove where she was flipping a few pieces of bacon. “How do you like your eggs?”

  “You know you didn’t need to cook,” I said as I stopped behind her.

  “I know, but I was starving, and so was your brother. How do you like your eggs?”

  “Any way you want to cook them, thank you.” I kissed her cheek as she turned away. I saw her smile as I pulled a mug from the cabinet. “Did you two sleep well?”

  “I slept like the dead,” Finley said and then winced as she turned to me. “Sorry, I guess that’s a bad reference here.”

  I poured my coffee and then winked at her. “No worries, glad you slept. What about you?”

  In answer, Rye yawned. “I slept, but Wade’s bedroom smells like mold and chlorine.”

  Finley and I began to laugh. “That’s a teenager’s room. Do you remember what Mom said your room smelled like?”

  “Dirty socks,” he grinned around his coffee mug.

  “Yep, from all your sweaty track sneakers.”

  Finley observed us as we bantered over breakfast, and as soon as she got up to clean, I grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into my lap. “I got the dishes.”

  She glanced nervously at Rye, who was watching us, a serious look on his face. “I don’t mind cleaning.”

  I placed a gentle kiss on her lips. “You cooked, I’ll clean. That’s the way it goes in my house.”

  “Okay,” she said, looking uncomfortable.

  “Besides, you should go get dressed so we can get back to your place and go through it with the police.”

  She winced, “Do we really need to meet with them?”

  “Do you want any chance of getting that key back?”

  She was off my lap before I could blink. “I’ll get dressed.”

  Rye was still looking after her when I turned back to the table. “What?”

  “Nothing,” he said, shaking his head, and then he smiled almost wistfully as we heard her door close upstairs. “I like her. I was wrong to judge her last night. She’s pretty funny.”

  “Thanks, Rye, that means more to me than you know.”

  He smirked and punched me in the arm
. “Yeah, I already knew that, too.”

  Chapter 19

  Finley

  Right after Roan left, my stomach growled, and I debated for a minute if I should go get some food. When my stomach growled again quickly, I decided it was probably better than lying there trying to sleep with my stomach empty.

  I was about to head down the stairs when I heard voices and stopped. “I didn’t expect to walk in on anything. Who is she?”

  “Her name is Finley Parker.”

  “I know her name. We did introduce ourselves. Who is she?”

  “She works for Robin Landry at the café.”

  “She’s a waitress?” Did I hear contempt in his voice?

  “She does more than that. She helps Robin with the catering, too.”

  “I hope you’re just getting your rocks off, and this isn’t serious. You know someone like that is probably only after your money.”

  Damn, was I glad that I hadn’t gone down. I would have walked right into that comment.

  “Stop,” I heard Roan say and then his next words were too soft for me to hear.

  “Fine, whatever. Just be careful, man.”

  “Stay out of my business. What are you doing here anyway?”

  “I told you, I didn’t want to go home. I just don’t have it in me to deal with her questions and whining.”

  I didn’t want to hear anymore. This wasn’t my business, and I returned to my room and quietly closed the door. For a long time, I tossed and turned in the big, comfy bed, my growling stomach, making it even harder to fall asleep, but eventually, I did.

  The next morning, I was a little nervous to be wandering around the house alone, but I was starving, and I didn’t know how long Roan or his brother would sleep. I had just gotten downstairs and was digging through cabinets when I heard a voice behind me.

  “Coffee is in the opposite cabinet.” I spun and took a moment to study the man who had spoken. The hair on his chin gave it away.

  “Good morning, Rye.” Tension rushed through my limbs. Obviously, he didn’t think I was good enough for his brother, and I wondered if he would say something to me directly.

  “You’re quick.” He chuckled, “Takes most people a few times around us to tell us apart—and good morning to you, Finley. Is my brother up yet?”