by Iris Morland
The brunette frowned in confusion, her lower lip protruding forward. Anthony ignored her. He smiled grimly when he heard her mutter asshole as he walked away.
That night at his penthouse, he stared into the fire lit in his office, brooding. He thought about what Carter had said, that maybe he wanted something that wasn’t Elise. Maybe he wasn’t such a heartless bastard, despite what Thea had said.
He remembered how Thea had looked at him when he’d rescued the rabbit. He remembered the hurt in her eyes when he’d insulted her—twice. And he remembered the way she’d responded when he’d kissed her, and how she was unlike any other woman he’d ever met. There was an innocence and a purity about her that had enchanted him. She wore her heart on her sleeve and didn’t care what others thought.
What would it be like to have a woman with a heart as kind as hers to care about him? The thought was almost unbearable, so he pushed it away. Let her go. Let this go, man.
For the rest of the night, he gazed into the fire until the wood was just ashes and the fire dissipated entirely.
15
Thea usually loved spending time with her family—usually being the operative word. Tonight, however, she wanted nothing more than to go home and be alone.
It all started when Trent’s wife Lizzie invited Thea over for dinner. Considering that Thea had pleaded exhaustion twice already for previous dinner invitations since returning from her disastrous vacation, she’d known she couldn’t decline a third time without her siblings banging down her door, demanding to know what was wrong.
Now Thea sat at dinner with Trent, Lizzie, and their three-year-old daughter, Bea, along with Ash and his girlfriend, Violet Fielding.
Trent owned three restaurants in Fair Haven and planned to open another one in Seattle in the next year. Lizzie, one of the illustrious Thorntons of Fair Haven, had grown up with a silver spoon in her mouth, but Thea appreciated that Lizzie hadn’t inherited her parents’ snooty ways. Lizzie had gone on tour with her band last fall, Trent and Bea coming along for a part of it, essentially roughing it the entire time. Thea was hardly an expert singer, but even she could recognize talent when Lizzie sang and played.
Ash was Thea’s younger brother, and they’d been the closest in age growing up. Ash had recently settled down with Violet, to everyone’s immense surprise, considering his playboy past. Violet, a widow five years older than Ash, had somehow tamed the beast and left him happier for it. Thea liked Violet’s no-nonsense attitude and how she managed Ash, usually with nothing more than a smile and a raised eyebrow.
Trent had dinner brought in from his tapas restaurant, La Bonita. Thea’s stomach rumbled when she smelled the array of dishes set on the table: steamed mussels, crusty bread with olive tapenade, spicy fried potatoes, and chicken skewers with a bright red pepper sauce, among other dishes. Thea didn’t know how they’d eat all of this food, but then again, her brothers could eat their weight and go back for seconds and thirds, too.
“The bread is vegan,” said Trent with a wry smile. “Don’t worry, little sis, I have you covered.”
She smiled. “Since when did you make that change?”
“Since somebody complained that bread could be vegan and why wasn’t ours?”
Ash took a bite of chicken with gusto. “You’re missing out. But you already knew that.” He swallowed and sighed with pleasure. “I love meat.”
Violet snorted. “We all know how much you love meat. And everything else that’s going to give you a heart attack someday.”
He patted his chest with a bright smile. “Healthy as a horse. Sorry, you’re not getting rid of me that easily.”
Bea, in her highchair next to Lizzie, was given some cheese, along with small bites of the chicken. When Lizzie began to eat one of the mussels, Bea said, “I want some!”
Lizzie raised an eyebrow. “You sure? I don’t know if you’ll like it, baby.”
Bea leaned over, trying to reach the mussel in her mother’s hand. Thea bit back a laugh as Lizzie scooped the mussel out of the shell and placed it on Bea’s tray. The toddler scooped it up and ate it, chewing thoughtfully. The adults all seemed to hold their breaths. Then Bea swallowed the mussel and returned to her chicken without another word.
Lizzie laughed. “She won’t eat broccoli, but she’ll eat a mussel. Of course.”
“She has expensive tastes,” joked Trent, kissing Bea on her rosy cheek.
Thea watched her family eat and laugh, glad that two of her brothers had found happiness. Trent had been so burdened with caring for them all, only to be haunted by how he hadn’t done enough for their mother, that Thea was glad that he’d let go of a lot of the past to be with Lizzie. He and Lizzie had been star-crossed lovers, falling head over heels for each other in high school, only to break up and not see each other again for many years.
As they ate, they passed around a pitcher of red sangria. To Thea’s surprise, Lizzie declined a glass, preferring to sip water.
I bet Lizzie has a secret, she thought, smiling to herself.
“So, Thea, tell us all about your trip,” said Violet after they’d all eaten so much that Thea was sure her stomach would burst. “I want to hear all about it. You were really stuck in a cabin with some strange guy for days?”
“Not just some strange guy,” said Ash, “but Anthony Bertram.”
Violet frowned. “Am I supposed to know who that is?”
“He’s a billionaire. Makes more money sitting on the can than we can dream of making in our lifetimes.” At Violet’s continued confused expression, Ash added, “Pretty sure his company makes those bath things you love.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh! Really? Well, no wonder he’s rich.”
“Yes, tell us all about this rich guy you got stranded with,” drawled Trent.
Thea ignored her brother’s wry tone. If she’d been cagey about telling them all about what had happened, well, could they blame her? She’d needed time to process everything.
The morning after she’d arrived back in Fair Haven, she’d taken Sneaky to a wildlife rescue. She’d related the story of how she and Anthony had saved Sneaky. The rescue woman had stared at her in astonishment as Thea had told the story. At the end of Thea’s recital, the woman had blurted, “This guy must really like you to do something like that.”
Thea had chosen not to respond to that remark, instead asking questions about Sneaky and his prospects of healing and being released back into the wild. Although the woman couldn’t guarantee anything, she did say that his chances seemed good, considering that his injury was healing. But they wouldn’t know for sure until they looked him over thoroughly.
After leaving Sneaky at the rescue, Thea had driven home with tears in her eyes. It was stupid, to be crying over a rabbit, but she’d gotten attached to him.
Or maybe she’d cried because Sneaky had been the last link to Anthony. Now, with Sneaky gone, it was truly over. And that thought had been so depressing that she’d cried for an hour before getting dressed and driving herself to work.
Since then, she’d gotten her own car back, cleaner and shinier than she’d ever seen it. The man who’d dropped off her car had handed her an envelope with a single piece of paper inside that had read: Hope the rabbit made it. Anthony.
Thea had wanted to drive straight down to Seattle and find Anthony herself, and—well, she didn’t know what she’d do. Slap him, probably. Throw his stupid note in his face. Maybe throw some more of his sandwiches out the window.
And she might just kiss him. Which meant that staying put in Fair Haven, miles away from him, was the best thing she could do to get over him.
Thea realized she hadn’t answered Trent’s question, and she blushed as her family stared at her. Only Bea didn’t care, too interested in eating cubes of cheese. At least the three-year-old wasn’t judging her, Thea thought.
“There’s not much to tell about the trip,” said Thea, shrugging. “The weather was terrible and the storm washed away the bridge. Then there was a
mix-up with the reservations. It was basically a comedy of errors with a side of power outages.”
“I hope you got a refund,” said Trent seriously.
“Ted gave us both refunds and a free voucher for another stay at a later date.” Thea smiled wryly. “Although I’m not sure I’ll ever take him up on it, given what happened the first time.”
“But what was Anthony Bertram like?” said Lizzie. At Trent’s raised eyebrow, she blushed a little. “What? Anthony Bertram is one of the most eligible bachelors around. Just because I’m married doesn’t mean I’m blind.”
“Now I’m going to have to go beat this guy up,” said Trent, only half-joking.
Lizzie patted him on the arm. “No chance of me leaving you. The food’s too good.”
Lizzie laughed when Trent growled, and for a moment, everyone was too distracted by the general revelry to press Thea. She took a deep breath and drank her sangria, hoping they wouldn’t keep asking her questions.
But that would’ve been too good to be true. Trent and Ash began to double down on their interrogation. When Thea revealed that Anthony had orchestrated the entire trip home without consulting her, they were angry on her behalf.
“He didn’t even ask you?” demanded Ash. “And you just went along with it?”
“He sounds like a shithead. I’m sorry you got stuck with him,” said Trent.
Thea decided not to mention the whole kissing thing. Or the arguments. Or how she was also behind the viral campaign that had seriously damaged Anthony’s company’s image… no, Thea would take those secrets to her grave.
“Well, what was she supposed to do?” Violet countered. “What if she’d gotten stuck there for even longer? That would’ve been terrible.”
Ash crossed his arms. “He sounds like a heavy-handed son of a bitch who needs a good thrashing.”
Violet rolled her eyes. “Like you aren’t heavy-handed.”
While Ash and Violet bickered over that particular comment, Lizzie leaned toward Thea to whisper, “Something else happened, didn’t it?”
Thea stilled. Looking up, she could see the sparkle in Lizzie’s eyes.
Damn her for being so perceptive.
Not remotely wanting to spill her secrets to her brothers or their significant others, Thea said, “And what about you? You’re not drinking, even though I know you love sangria.”
Guilt assailed Thea immediately. Luckily, Lizzie just laughed, good sport that she was.
“Maybe I’m just on a diet,” she said, but her smile was only getting wider.
“Ah, come on, just tell ’em. You’re already past the first trimester,” said Trent.
At the word trimester, the entire table erupted. Violet gasped and hugged Lizzie, while Ash chuckled before shaking Trent’s hand. Thea also gave Lizzie a hug, amazed that despite Lizzie’s petite size, she couldn’t see any kind of baby bump yet. Then again, it was early still.
“Yes, I’m pregnant”—Violet interrupted with a squeal—“and I’m due in October. Right before Halloween, actually.” She rubbed her belly. “I’m sorry we didn’t tell you all sooner, but I’m a worrywart and wanted to wait.”
Thea knew that Lizzie had had a miscarriage in her first trimester before Bea, so she couldn’t blame them both for keeping mum.
“To the next generation of Youngers,” said Ash as he raised his glass. Everyone cheered and toasted.
After the dinner, Thea went outside on the back porch for a moment to herself, only for Violet to follow her. Violet shot her a sympathetic smile.
“I’m not going to ask if you want to talk about what happened, except to say if you do want to talk, I’ll listen and won’t comment. And I won’t tell Ash, either.”
Thea snorted. “I’m going to have to get that in writing. Maybe in blood, too.”
“Hey, I can keep a secret from your brother. Besides, just because I love him doesn’t mean I agree with everything he thinks. Since I only have a sister, I never knew how protective brothers could be.”
“Protective? More like nosy and obnoxious.”
“They mean well.”
Thea knew that, and she loved her brothers with all her heart. As the silence wrapped around her and Violet, she found herself wanting to tell somebody about her crazy adventure in the woods. About how she couldn’t get this man out of her mind. How she dreamed of Anthony Bertram almost every night. It was like he haunted her.
In quiet tones, she gave in to the urge. She related the entire story—the mix-up, the rabbit, the kissing, Anthony’s cruel words to her—and Thea was thankful that Violet just listened.
By the time Thea was done, she needed Violet to say something. Was she judging Thea for being an idiot? Thea wouldn’t blame her, but it was still a depressing thought.
“You know, when your brother and I were together,” Violet began, her voice thoughtful, “I was convinced he was just some playboy. He wasn’t a bad guy, of course, but he wasn’t exactly what I’d call relationship material. But when I looked below the surface, I saw things that showed me that I was wrong.”
Thea sighed. “So what are you saying?”
“I don’t know.” Violet laughed quietly. “Only that it’s obvious Anthony showed a different side of himself to you. A side I would bet he doesn’t show just anybody. That, I think, counts for a lot.”
Thea wrapped her arms around herself. If Anthony cared about her, why would he have said those things to her? A washed-up wannabe artist. She still cringed when she heard those words in her head. But she’d also attacked his business and ethics, so she almost couldn’t blame him for lashing out.
Almost, but not quite.
“I think I’m in a muddle,” said Thea, groaning. “I don’t know what to do and it pisses me off.”
Violet patted her on the arm. “Nobody knows what to do when it comes to these kinds of things. You’ll figure it out. And I would also bet that this Anthony guy will show up when you least expect it, because who could forget somebody like you?”
“I’m sad that you’re with my brother, because clearly we would make a great couple,” joked Thea.
Violet laughed. They hugged briefly before returning inside when Ash popped his head out to ask what they were gossiping about.
Thea arrived home and poured herself a glass of wine, mulling over what Violet had said. She wondered if she’d already forgiven Anthony for what he’d said to her. Did that make her weak? She smiled wryly, thinking of how she’d given him that speech about forgiveness.
No, she hadn’t forgiven him, but she still wanted to see him. Thus was her conundrum. Too bad in all of the chaos she hadn’t gotten his number. All she knew was that he lived in Seattle in what she guessed was some ridiculously expensive high-rise apartment. Or maybe some mansion that overlooked Puget Sound. She didn’t even want to imagine how much he paid every month for his living situation.
Thea was about to go to bed—or drink another glass of wine, she wasn’t sure yet—when a knock on her front door almost made her drop her wineglass. Her heart pounding, she waited, wondering if the person had gotten the wrong door. Who was here this late at night?
Another knock, this one louder.
Then, a voice. “Thea, I know you’re in there. Let me in.”
She couldn’t believe it. It was Anthony.
No, it couldn’t be.
She rushed to the door, wrenching it open. And to her absolute shock, Anthony Bertram himself really was standing on her doorstep, his expression thunderous.
“What—?” said Thea.
But she didn’t get a chance to finish that sentence. In the next moment, Anthony pushed inside her apartment, wrapped her in his arms, and kissed her.
16
Thea wondered if she’d fallen asleep and was dreaming that Anthony was here, kissing her as fiercely as he’d kissed her that first time. And the second time. His hands skimmed down her back and cupped her ass as his tongue delved into her mouth.
No, this definitely isn’t a dream
. It’s all real.
Thea could barely put two coherent thoughts together right then. But one single thought did come to the foray: what was he even doing here at her apartment?
She put her hands on his chest, pushing at him. He finally broke the kiss, although he didn’t step away from her.
Thea swallowed. Her voice none too steady, she said, “Why are you here?”
“Do you really want to talk right now?” He slid an arm around her waist, pulling her close again. “Because I don’t want to talk, Thea.”
She was tempted to give in. God, was she tempted. He looked delicious, with his dark eyes looking at her with such heat that she was pretty sure she would go up in flames in the next few seconds. He wore a dark sweater that delineated his muscular body, and Thea wanted to put her hands all over him. She sighed inwardly. She wished he had a huge wart on his nose, or bad breath, or something human that she could use as a reason that she shouldn’t be attracted to him in the first place.
Thea shook her head and took a step back. Folding her arms across her chest, she said, “You can’t just come to my apartment without even telling me, bang on my door, kiss me, and then act like telling me why you’re here is too much to ask.”
Anthony clenched his jaw. Pushing his fingers through his hair, he replied, “I wanted to finish what we started. That’s all.”
“You drove all the way from Seattle—where I’m going to assume there are plenty of women for you to sleep with—just for sex?” Thea rolled her eyes. “I don’t have time for whatever this is. And before you so rudely interrupted me, I was going to go to sleep. Because that’s what normal people do at eleven at night.”
She waited for him to tell her that he’d missed her, or that he was sorry for what he’d said to her. And then the inevitable guilt nipped at her, because it wasn’t like she was the only injured party here, either.
If you really care about him, you should tell him the truth. Before you go any further with this. It’s wrong not to.