by Alisha Rai
Tatiana hid her smile and snuggled closer, his chest the perfect pillow for her head. The curtains were still closed, but weak sunlight was peeking through the cracks. “Airing grievances is fun.”
“You know, Esme said fighting could be fun, and I laughed at her.” His hand stroked over her arm.
“What do you think now?”
“I think I’m in a good mood, so maybe it’s got something going for it. And you make everything fun.”
They lay in companionable silence. Sleep hadn’t been something they’d done much of during the night, but Tatiana felt recharged and refreshed. Between bouts of sex, they’d talked. Some of it silly, some of it serious.
All of it made her optimistic for the future. Optimistic and horny. Because apparently, hopefulness was some sort of weird aphrodisiac for her.
“Tatiana.” Wyatt’s voice was hushed.
“Yes?”
He hesitated. “I didn’t like being surprised by your parents.”
She stirred, ready to apologize anew, but he shushed her. “Let me finish. I didn’t like it, but I get why you did it.”
“You do?”
“Yeah. I actually realized yesterday that I was a massive dick.”
She craned her neck up so she could see him. “You aren’t a dick.”
“I am. I would have told you this last night, but you were lying there and then we talked and then the beads.” He shrugged, as if this sentence made sense.
It did. “Yes. I know. Always the beads.”
His face remained serious. “I hate that I make you feel so defensive about your family.”
“I love them.”
“I know. And I’m happy you have them. I’m happy they love you.”
Tatiana rubbed his belly, the crisp hairs tickling her fingers. “I’m not asking you to adore them. But it would be nice if you wouldn’t avoid them like the plague. Or wince when I talk about them. Or act like seeing them is some ordeal that you have to suffer through. It’s getting hard to keep my world with you and my world with them separate.”
“Yes. We’re together too much now.”
“My mom already apologized.” She grimaced. “I can’t speak for my dad. But take some heart in knowing that he’s been a jerk to every guy I’ve ever dated.”
“I don’t blame him. You’re too special not to be protected.”
She tightened her arm around him, eager to get things off her chest now that he’d brought the topic up. “You don’t have to be defensive or protective of me around them. You should all be on the same side—mine. If they say something out of line, trust me to stand up for myself. They’ll get over being annoyed at me, but it’s harder to forgive an outsider who suddenly comes in and tells them they’re doing it wrong.”
His lashes dipped. “Fair enough. I promise I’ll make more of an effort.”
He sounded so grimly determined, Tatiana had to smile. “It doesn’t have to be right this second.”
“No. No, but maybe we should…invite them to brunch.”
Aw. Wyatt didn’t even sound like he was gargling that much glass at the concept of breaking bread with her dad. She paused, hating to ruin the moment. “They’re actually busy today. Ron is dragging out his barbecue grill in their honor.”
He exhaled. There was a weighty moment of silence before he spoke. “Okay. I guess we’re going to a barbecue, huh?”
She hadn’t expected that. “No. Maybe it’s too soon…”
“Tatiana, come on. I’m not some child. Let’s get this over—” He stopped. “Sorry. Rephrase. Let me show you I can be better.”
His words held only sincerity. How could she resist? Her smile came from the depths of her soul. “Okay.”
“What time does this thing start?”
Tatiana sighed, already missing the warmth of the bed. “If I tell you, you’re going to whine about how we’re already late.”
He slapped her on her behind. “Then get up.”
Tatiana took a second to deliver a tight hug. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”
“Do you want to appreciate it with me naked?”
She considered that. “That’ll make us late.”
“Then maybe not right now. Go get dressed so I can try to charm the pants off your family.” He cringed. “Never mind. I still have to forget that I’ve heard your mother’s name and toplessness in the same sentence.”
She chuckled and clambered out of the bed, headed for the bathroom.
“I expect tons of appreciation after we get home,” he called out.
They arrived before her parents did. Wyatt parked his relatively humble Mercedes behind her brother’s car. Tatiana hadn’t been surprised that he’d driven them, instead of enlisting Sal. A chauffeur would only make him stand out in her family.
She laid her hand on his thigh when he would have moved to exit. He wore jeans and a soft, faded shirt that may have once been blue but was now a shade of grey. She’d seen him in casual clothes before, but usually when he was visiting her. Here, he was too careful of his image to fully relax in something the old Wyatt would have easily worn. “It’ll be okay. Really, be yourself.”
He gave her a tight half-smile. “Sure.”
She linked hands with him as they walked around the side of the house, into the gated backyard.
It was family only today—her bizarre, mixed family, consisting of a half-brother she’d only discovered a few years ago, his wife, his son, his in-laws and their children, and her parents. Tatiana knew her parents would be in heaven. They would have loved a large family, but it hadn’t been meant to be.
They had, however, happily adopted Ron and his brood into their hearts. Her brother looked so much like her, they were wired to love him. For his part, Ron was happy to accept extra parenting, particularly since their birth mother hadn’t spared him much attention either.
Peter, her baby nephew, was the first to discover her and Wyatt’s presence. He toddled over on unsteady legs and came to clutch her calves. Not much of a cuddler, he quickly backed away. She was a standard presence to him, but Wyatt was not, so obviously the kid was fascinated. Standing a foot or two away, he raised his hands in the universal sign to be picked up.
Wyatt cast her a confused glance. “What does it want?”
Tatiana rolled her eyes. “Pro tip for you, Caine. Kids are he or she, but rarely it.”
He looked down at the baby. “Pete, right? So it’s a boy. Why is it wearing pink pants?”
“Peter’s parents believe that children shouldn’t be limited to certain colors because of their gender.”
“Oh. They’re those kind of people, huh?”
“Wyatt.”
“Yeah, yeah. I know.” He crouched down and picked up Peter, holding him gingerly like one might a bomb. He glanced over when he heard her stifled giggle. “Quit laughing. It’s not like you’re any more used to children than I am.”
That was true. She hadn’t been around a ton of them, and so far, at least, no intense maternal craving had hit her ovaries. If it happened at some point far down the road, that would be fine, but at the moment a kid wasn’t really in her cards.
Though…Tatiana studied Wyatt as he endured Peter’s unintelligible babbling and curiosity. There was something rather sexy about a large man holding a baby.
“Hey…guys.” Caitlin addressed her cheerful greeting to her, but her shocked eyes were riveted on Wyatt.
“Hey.” She gave her sister-in-law a hug and took a moment to whisper in his ear. “Be cool, please.”
She felt the change in Caitlin’s demeanor right away. She loved the other woman to pieces, especially for the way her pragmatic calmness was a solid counterpoint to her brother’s dreaminess.
Caitlin stepped back, a determined smile on her face. “Mr. Caine, how great to see you.”
“Please, call me Wyatt.” Only Peter was holding his lip so it came out more as, “Pwease, wall we Wyeff.”
Caitlin winced and rescued Wyatt from Peter. “Sorry.
Petey’s always intrigued by a new face.”
“That’s fine. Handsome boy you have there.”
Easily seduced by praise for her son, Caitlin beamed. “He is, isn’t he? Well, come on back, guys. Burgers are on the grill, and there’s some cold beer in the cooler.”
“I hope it’s okay that I came,” Wyatt said to Caitlin, as they followed her across the yard to where Ron was manning the grill. “I know you may not have been expecting me.”
“Only because we know how busy you are. We knew you’d come if you could.” Caitlin was a pretty decent liar when she needed to be, Tatiana thought.
“I’m reducing my workload. I’ll be able to socialize with Tatiana—and her family—more now.”
Caitlin’s smile reached her eyes this time. “Hey, that’s awesome.”
Ron spotted them as they approached, and he froze. Caitlin hoisted her son higher on her hip. “Ron, look who’s here.”
“So I see.” He took the hand Wyatt held out. “Mr. Caine.”
“Wyatt.”
Ron’s eyes ping-ponged between her and Wyatt. “Wyatt. How, um, cool that you came.”
Caitlin curled her hand around Tatiana’s arm. “Why don’t I show you where to put that pasta salad, honey?”
Tatiana blinked down at the forgotten container they’d picked up at the store on the way to the barbecue. “Oh, it can wait.”
Caitlin’s tug became stronger. “But my mother hasn’t seen you in forever.”
And more urgently, Caitlin wanted to grill her, Tatiana assumed. No surprise, since Wyatt’s lack of interest in her family had hardly been subtle.
“Go on.” Wyatt gave her a small nod.
She cast him a worried glance, but gave in to Caitlin. If she wanted him to get along with her family, she supposed she had to allow him some time with them. “Oh. Sure.”
There was a strained silence between him and Ron after the women walked away. Wyatt straightened, searching for something to say. God knew they couldn’t talk about their relationship pre-Tatiana. Wyatt wasn’t the most astute person, but he knew embezzlement wasn’t a good topic for a Saturday barbecue.
It was too bad he had some sort of weird history with every member of Tatiana’s family. His luck was atrocious sometimes.
“You have a nice house,” he finally said. The place was modestly sized, but the yard was large. Good for a kid and a dog.
“Thanks. Got it for a steal as a foreclosure.” Ron wrinkled his nose. “A while ago. Before uh— Your money wasn’t spent on this house.”
“Oh. Good.” Wyatt cleared his throat. “That’s good.”
They eyed each other for another long moment. “Do you want a beer?” Ron asked.
Boy, did he. He reached into the cooler Ron gestured to and withdrew a bottle, using his shirt to twist the top off. He paused when he noted Ron watching him with fascination.
The boy glanced away. “Uh. Sorry. It’s like seeing a teacher outside of school, you know? Tatiana said you weren’t always rich, but I didn’t think you wore anything but a suit or drank anything but fancy wines.”
“My Armani was at the cleaners,” he replied dryly. “And for the record, my favorite drink when Tatiana and I were young was Natty Ice. And it wasn’t for the taste.”
The younger man’s face split into an affable grin. As far as Wyatt could tell from observing Ron as an employee and from their few run-ins, that was Ron’s default mode—cheerful, happy. Like a Labrador.
Wyatt didn’t fully understand that. He wasn’t exactly a dour person, but the only time he felt truly happy was when he was with Tatiana.
And he still wasn’t so…openly jovial.
“This is weird, huh?” Ron scratched his arm.
Oddly enough, a flush rose up the back of Wyatt’s neck, though he wasn’t the one who had stolen tens of thousands of dollars. He took a gulp of his beer. “Yeah.”
“Had to meet up sometime, though.” Ron flipped a burger. “Tatiana talks about you all the time.”
He looked across the backyard at where Tatiana was speaking to a frail, elderly woman. “Does she?”
“Sure. It’s obvious you’re serious about each other. Or heading that way.” Ron took a deep breath, and regarded him steadily. “So it’s a good thing we’re breaking the ice sooner than later. I said it to you over the phone but didn’t have the opportunity to say it to your face—what I did was stupid and foolhardy and I’m sorry. I was desperate.”
Desperate enough to embezzle funds from him. Wyatt fought back the instinctive aggression that surged through him. He hated the reminder that he’d been bested by a baby-faced card dealer. The money was secondary. The hit to his ego? Epic.
Call him a territorial prick, but no one stole from him.
Ron nodded at the woman talking to Tatiana. “My mother-in-law. Cancer. Bad enough, but it ate her life savings. Mine and Caitlin’s, too.”
Wyatt nodded. “Tatiana told me.” He hadn’t cared much about the sob story. He’d already decided to cut the kid a break because of his relationship with Tatiana. After letting him sweat, of course.
“Yeah. Not making excuses. There were other options. Could have figured something out. I’ve always been someone who leaps first. Stupidly, sometimes.”
“We all do stupid things.” The words were meant to humor, but they emerged sincere. The elderly woman drew his gaze back. He’d never stolen, sure, but had he ever had that sort of motivation? If Tatiana had been in a position where she desperately needed money, could he have taken it from another?
Maybe. At the least, he might have been tempted.
“Yeah, but mine could have really screwed my family’s future.” Ron shook his head. “I’d react differently today.”
Wyatt tucked his hands into his pockets. “Good.”
“Yeah.”
“You have a new job, now, right?”
“Yes. Did Tatiana tell you?”
No. He had someone keep tabs on the guy. Since Wyatt didn’t think spying on your girlfriend’s family was socially acceptable, he made a noncommittal response.
Ron shot him a sideways glance. “The place isn’t as nice as yours.”
Wyatt inclined his head. “Few are.”
“But it’s not bad. Pay’s decent, and I do love working at casinos. The excitement, you know? Something’s always going on.”
He did know. Wyatt took another sip of beer, well aware that his next words were stupid and rash. “If you decide you want to come back to Quest, and there’s an opening, you’re welcome to apply.”
Ron’s jaw dropped open. “What?”
“You heard me.”
“Is this…? Are you making this offer because you’re dating my sister?”
“Yes.” Wyatt shrugged when Ron frowned. “Does that bother you?”
“I don’t want any favors because I’m related to your girlfriend.”
“Don’t be stupid. All of my decisions, from the second I traced the money to you, were influenced by the fact that you’re related to her. Favoritism is the only reason you aren’t in jail right now. It’s a little late to get riled up about it.”
Ron opened his mouth, but stopped. He shook his head. “But you didn’t know she and I were related when you traced the money to me.”
Wyatt paused mid-sip. Oh, shit.
Green eyes, so like Tatiana’s, sharpened, and Wyatt glimpsed the intelligence the younger man hid behind his jocular attitude. “Am I missing something?”
Wyatt lowered his beer. “I thought Tatiana told you.”
“Told me what?”
“Ah.” He glanced over Ron’s head, but Tatiana had her back to him. He’d known when Caitlin had dragged her away that the other woman probably wanted to gossip about him, and maybe give him and Ron a chance to break the ice privately, but weren’t they done yet? Tatiana needed to get back here now.
“Hey. Told me what?”
Goddamn. “I knew you were related for a while before you stole from me,” he said grud
gingly.
“For a while? How long is a while?”
Wyatt shifted his weight. “From when I sent you that anonymous packet containing information about Tatiana.”
Silence greeted him. “That…” Ron wheezed. “That was you?”
“Yes.” Really, had the guy never wondered? Had someone delivered a long-last sister to him, Wyatt would have dug around.
“But…why…? How…?”
“Look, it’s no big deal. You can ask your sister for details if you want.” And then Wyatt wouldn’t have to talk about it.
“Why didn’t she tell me?”
Wyatt lifted his shoulders. “I don’t know. I assumed she had.”
“Can I…can I hug you?”
“What? No.” He stared at the other man. “No.”
A big grin split Ron’s face. “Aren’t a hugger, huh?”
“No. No, I am not.”
Ron nodded, his smile not faltering. “I’m going to go hug my sister, then. I want to hear more about this, and something tells me you won’t tell me much. Mind watching the grill?”
“Sure.”
“And I’ll let you know about that job. If I do come back to work for you, I’ll work my ass off, that’s for sure.” Ron held his hand out.
Wyatt accepted it, pleased to find the younger man’s grip firm. “I wouldn’t expect anything less.”
“In the meantime, I think it’s good for us to get to know each other. I’m perfectly happy to have you over any time to grab a beer, with or without Tatiana. I don’t know if we have a ton in common, but I have no objection to trying to be friends.”
Used to subterfuge in his business dealings, Wyatt paused, searching for an ulterior motive, but only found guileless honesty in Ron’s face. “Thanks.”
“Unless you hurt my sister, of course.” Still grinning, Ron tightened his hand, using it to pull Wyatt forward. For a brief second, Wyatt wondered if the other man was going to hug him.
Instead, Ron slapped him on the back. He was shorter than Wyatt, but bulkier.
So Wyatt felt that slap.
Ron dropped his voice. “Tatiana means a lot to me. So I hope you understand that this brotherly threat to treat her well is both expected and sincere.”