Rough & Tumble (The Haven Brotherhood)

by Rhenna Morgan

  “So? How’s that warrant him riding your ass now?”

  “Money. His family put him in restraints and said he wasn’t getting anything more than an allowance if he didn’t prove he was worthy to inherit. The threat of losing a three-hundred-million-dollar estate is enough to make a lot of men do stupid shit. Rumor has it, him winning this election would get that collar out from around his neck.”

  Viv ran a finger down the side of his neck, his pulse strong and steady. “I bet turning the tables on him felt good.”

  Jace’s mouth quirked and he leaned in close. “Didn’t suck.” He kissed her again, this time more tender than before, so rich with emotion it vibrated through her until her blood sang.

  When he lifted his head, she wrapped him up tight and buried her face in his neck. “I’ll be careful with him. I’ll get through this and won’t have to deal with him anymore.”

  Jace’s arms tightened around her.

  Vivienne pulled back to meet his eyes. “Is something else wrong?”

  For the first few seconds, he scrutinized her, pensive and pressing his fingers deeper against her scalp. “I promised you there wouldn’t be anything else between us, but sometimes a man needs to take care of things the way he sees fit. Need you to give me a few days, and then I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

  Chapter 29

  Midafternoon sunshine slanted through the museum’s windowed lobby, showcasing Viv’s last-minute work in tidy detail. The white and stainless steel motif she’d selected for the furnishings had generated more than a few raised eyebrows, but then the volunteers had unveiled the scholarship winners’ colorful artwork, and suddenly everyone was on board with the idea. Without competing colors or emphasis, the bold and vibrant works of their up-and-coming beneficiaries took center stage and generated a debut gallery feel to the event.

  Evelyn had called it a stroke of genius. Viv chalked it up to Jace. Bit by bit, his constant encouragement had fashioned a key for her creativity, one that popped the locks on ideas she’d dismissed as asinine, and fueled her long-stifled instincts. The more she listened, the bolder her ideas blossomed, her textbook teachings resuming their place as guideposts instead of infallible rules that must be obeyed.

  Striding through the wide lobby, she rechecked all the items from her clipboard. Chairs, press section, podium, sound system, brochures and catering, everything in its proper place and ready for action.

  Perfect.

  She pulled her phone from her pocket—2:37 p.m. With no more details to check on for tomorrow’s luncheon all she’d do the rest of the afternoon if she stuck around here would be fidget, waiting for her time alone with Jace tonight. So what if she cut out before five and got a jump start on prettying herself up for her date?

  Aftershocks from Jace’s goodbye kiss on the front porch this morning rippled through her, bolstered by the devilish parting shot he’d added as she got in her car.

  “Got the whole place to ourselves tonight, sugar. I suggest you delegate and save your energy for when you get home.”

  Her cheeks stretched on a huge smile. Yeah, like that wouldn’t sabotage a girl’s work ethic. Maybe she’d pay Jace back in kind and text him about the clean bill of health her doctor had sent over this morning. Odds were good he’d storm the museum and cart her back to Haven whether she was ready to leave or not. Especially since he’d already earned a green light from Zeke three days ago.

  At least he’d acted a little more like himself this morning. He’d still been guarded and tight-lipped, refusing to share what had been on his mind all week, but some of the gruffness was gone. Maybe she could sex a conversation out of him. A sneak attack while his guard was down and his tongue was loose.

  However it came about, Jace was due for his own come-to-Jesus talk. He might think he was helping by keeping her in the dark, but if he knew how many insane alternate ideas she plugged the darkness with, he’d probably spill every secret he’d ever learned.

  “Vivienne!”

  Viv snapped her head up and turned, Evelyn’s chipper voice still bouncing off the marble floors and soaring ceilings. “I thought you were gone already.”

  Evelyn’s coral suit and ivory camisole was a nearly perfect contrast to their surroundings. Come to think of it, every time Viv had seen Evelyn, she always came color coordinated to the event with not so much as a hair out of place. She’d probably choke if she saw Viv’s preferred after-work attire.

  Flicking her hand toward the kitchens, Evelyn hurried Viv’s direction, her designer shoes clacking a rapid rhythm the whole way. “The caterer caught me on the way out. You can never reach them when you need them, but they’re always quick to find you when it’s time for a payment. I’m ready to head out now, though. Do you need anything from me before I go?”

  “No, I think we’ve got everything in place. All we do now is execute.”

  “Excellent.” Evelyn unfolded her cashmere camel coat from one arm and shook it out. “I’m so glad this is almost over. I was ready for a change even before the new president’s nonsense about you and Jace, but that whole bit was the last straw for me. It’s time for something new.”

  Viv’s heart kicked so hard she nearly fumbled her clipboard. “What nonsense about me and Jace?”

  “Oh, it turned out to be nothing. Mr. Davidson heard you were intimate with Jace and, with all the bad press, insisted we find someone else to finish the event. Frankly, I’m surprised Jace has put up with all the social jabs they’ve given him lately. You’d think a charity would do whatever it took to keep their major contributor, not cut every tie but the finances.”

  “Wait, what do you mean, ‘cut every tie but the finances’?”

  Evelyn scowled and finished buttoning her coat. “The idiots basically kicked him off the board, saying they couldn’t afford to have someone with such a jaded reputation providing guidance for the organization’s future. Fools. I’ll be shocked if he stays with them after tomorrow’s announcement. It will take them months to find a replacement, but they’ll do it without me.”

  She tossed her scarf over one shoulder, patted Viv’s shoulder and winked. “Not to worry, though. You won’t be affected. I went to see Jace myself and he insisted you two barely knew each other, so that’s what I told the board. My advice, gobble up all the contacts you can, and make the most of it.” She waved over one shoulder and hustled to the front door. “See you tomorrow.”

  He insisted you two barely knew each other.

  Over and over it looped in Vivienne’s head, a crush of emotions pile driving her all at once and nearly knocking her legs out from under her. She couldn’t believe it. Wouldn’t. Not after all he’d shown her. Jace was many things, but duplicitous wasn’t one of them. At least not in a fashion that would ever hurt her.

  Beyond the wall of windows, Evelyn hurried to her Lexus SUV, the strong winter winds tossing her sleek bob and tailored coat to one side. Evelyn was a smart woman. Observant, but discreet. No way would she have written off a relationship between Viv and Jace so easily, not after sitting next to them for most of the charity auction. And the timing alongside Jace’s odd behavior the last few days was suspicious.

  Something was up. Big-time. Something big enough he’d been willing to deny what burned between them. With one last glance around the lobby, she tucked her phone in her pocket and headed for her coat in the kitchen. Now all she had to do was figure out why.

  Chapter 30

  Seven o’clock. Jace yanked his watch off his wrist and tossed it to the nightstand. The heavy metal thudded against the wood and slid toward the edge, nearly taking his Scotch along with it. Three hours he’d tried to reach Vivienne. Three itchy, tense hours he’d spent imagining every worst case scenario before she’d finally texted back with a terse, I’m fine. Be home soon.

  Soon. What the hell did “soon” mean? Thirty minutes? Two hours? Tomorrow? He
snatched his drink and stomped to the balcony off his room. He should’ve put a tail on her, at least until he was sure the bit with Hugo was put to rest. Payoff or not, Hugo still couldn’t be ruled out as the one who’d tried to take Jace out. After how much Jace had laid down to bail out Callie, the leap to figuring out how valuable Viv was to Jace wouldn’t take Hugo long either.

  Ruger padded alongside him and nudged his hand. For the last hour, the dog had barely left his side, whether out of worry, or man-to-man commiseration, Jace wasn’t sure.

  He dropped into one of the cushioned Adirondack chairs and glared up at the night sky. The spring stint had taken a nosedive in the last few weeks and reminded everyone it was still January. His heavy breaths fogged against the chill with each exhale, but at least the cold damped some of the fire beneath his skin.

  Headlights swept the side of the house and the purr of his Porsche idled for a minute before the evening’s quiet took over.

  Thank God.

  The muscles in his shoulders unwound enough he could move without feeling like he’d shatter in a million pieces, but his stomach wouldn’t release. Something was up. His instincts practically screamed it. No way would Viv go radio silence without an explanation if something hadn’t gone down.

  Probably Paul. If he had any inkling what Viv meant to Jace, he’d pull any trick he could to screw things up.

  A chime sounded from deeper in the house and Ruger took off at a sprint.

  Keep your seat and your cool. If she was anything like him, the worst thing he could do was push. Prod, maybe, but not push. She’d evened out the last week. Found her place and her own footing between them. If she had a grudge, she’d tell him.

  Maybe.

  Fuck, where the hell was she?

  A few minutes later, Ruger’s happy panting sounded from the open door behind him.

  A heavy swoosh sounded on the bed, her coat he’d guess by the weight of it.

  Ruger’s nails clipped on the wood deck before he pranced into view, his body wiggling with happy relief. He sat between the two chairs with his tongue lolling out to one side and stared up at Viv, still out of sight behind him.

  Man, Jace understood that look. Perfect adoration and not an ounce of shame for it.

  Viv strolled into view, her conservative black pantsuit and heels no more rumpled than she’d been when she’d left this morning, but her movements heavy with fatigue. Or trouble. Hard to tell which yet. She set a tumbler of Scotch on the table between them, eased into her chair, and patted her leg.

  Ruger inched forward and laid his head on her lap so she could rub behind his ears.

  Scotch. Not wine like she usually drank. Shit was definitely not good.

  To hell with it. “Something buggin’ you?”

  Viv slowly nodded, her eyes locked on the crescent moon.

  “I take it that something has to do with us?”

  Again, with the sinister and silent agreement. Her fingers never broke the easy strokes on the back of Ruger’s neck, but everything else about her said detonation was imminent.

  The night’s chill hit him all at once and mingled with a clammy, sick sweat along the back of his neck. He gripped one armrest hard enough the tips of his fingers went numb. A proactive approach might be best. Maybe cart her down to the basement and lock her up so she couldn’t run. “You think it might be better if we talk instead of you disappearing off the face of the Earth and scaring me and your family?”

  She twisted, the inquisitive fire behind her gray gaze turning the night’s chill sweltering. “You’ve been angry the last few days. I want to talk about that.”

  Oh, hell no. That was the last thing they needed to talk about. In eighteen hours, the whole damned thing would be over anyway. Surely he could stall her for that long. “I told you I couldn’t talk about that yet. I will. Soon. I need you to trust me.”

  She held his gaze, the same laser-like expression his mom had used on him when he’d done something stupid as a kid. The kind of look that turned a man inside out and almost compelled him to spill his shit. She sucked in a long, patience-buffering inhalation, and dragged her finger under Ruger’s collar. “What would you do for me, Jace?”

  “Anything. No limit.” He straightened in his chair and set his drink beside hers. Intuition prickled with a foreign twist he couldn’t interpret. “Someone hurt you? Paul?”

  She cocked her head and picked up her drink. The sip she took was huge, even by his standards, but she gulped it down without so much as a grimace. Standing, she set the drink aside, crossed her arms, and studied the horizon. “Being in the dark hurts me. I’m diving into a relationship with a man who admittedly doesn’t tell me everything, but insists I trust him anyway. Who’s told me things I want to believe so much it hurts, but will devastate me if I find out it’s all a lie.”

  She turned and nailed him the rawest expression he’d ever seen. “Do you know how hard it is to walk through the dark and not imagine all the trapdoors and booby traps along the way? I could barely navigate relationships with men I felt nothing more than appreciation for. Negotiating that terrain blind with someone who shakes me to the core is scary as hell.”

  For the first time since his calls went unanswered, his worry settled. Something had tripped her, for sure, but whatever did it wasn’t the root issue. This was about trust. Building it. Understanding it, and giving her something to hold on to. “It’s scary because you’ve got no practice.” He stood and prowled toward her. He pulled her against him, his hands anchored just above her ass and in her hair so she couldn’t look away. “What you don’t get yet is that scary place you’re stumbling through’s not the dark. It’s shelter. My shelter. No matter what it takes—money, time, words, or blood—I’ll give it to keep you safe. Sometimes that means me keeping my silence.”

  “So, I’m just supposed to trust you? Cross my fingers and hope I don’t stumble? Give me a reason, just one, why I shouldn’t insist to know what’s going on.”

  For the umpteenth time in a handful of days, the words he’d tucked away for when the time was right surged upright. Well, fuck it. She might be pissed he didn’t wait longer, but he wasn’t leaving her unarmed against her doubts. Not anymore. “I’ll give you one. A big one you can hang on to no matter what happens.” He cradled her face in both hands and leaned in close, willing his words to sink deep. “When I said I’d give blood to keep you safe, I meant mine. My life, if that’s what it took. And scared or not, I think you know, a man wouldn’t give up his life for a woman he didn’t love.”

  Viv tightened her grip on Jace’s shoulders and fought to keep her legs under her. His words slammed against her defenses and razed every barrier she’d ever built to their very foundation. Tears welled so fast they spilled down her cheeks before she could choke them back. A vicious pressure built behind her sternum, a mix of joy and utter terror sending her heartbeat on a wild ride. “Jace.”

  “You don’t have to be afraid. And you’re damn sure not alone.” Slow and easy, he ghosted his lips over hers. A dark, yet beautiful angel coaxing her toward surrender. “Give it to me, sweetheart. Whatever’s brought this on and weighting you down, let go and let me carry it.”

  She whimpered, and his mouth slanted over hers, catching the vulnerable sound with his kiss. His fingers tangled in her hair at the back of her head, holding her captive for his feasting lips and tongue. Strength and warmth surrounded her, a liberating presence that urged long-clipped wings she hadn’t even known existed to unfurl.

  And Jace would be there. Soaring beside her. Blazing paths in front of her. Always ready to dip and catch her if she fell. That was shelter. The safety and certainty she’d always wanted.

  Pushing against his shoulders, she pried herself from his fervid mouth, her breath huffing short and heavy. Her lips tingled at the loss of contact. “I know you talked to Evelyn.”

  His features harde
ned and fear flashed across his face. “Whatever she said, you have to let me—”

  “It doesn’t matter.” She smoothed her fingertips through the soft whiskers along his jawline. “I don’t know why you said what you did, but I know it was for me. I suspected it right after she told me, but couldn’t imagine why you’d say it. I drove for hours trying to figure out how to bring it up.”

  “I love you, Vivienne.”

  Her heart thudded to a stop then jolted to top speed. Nothing could sound as sweet as those words on Jace’s lips. They burned through her, rumbling and beautiful as thunder. Forceful and intoxicating.

  “I knew it the night I saw you at The Den,” he said before she could catch her breath. “I didn’t want to. Tried like hell to slake the interest somewhere else, to fight and hide it under curiosity and goodwill, but the truth is, you branded me in a second. I don’t want to hide that mark, that piece of my soul you’ve cornered just for you, but I’d do it a thousand times over if it got you what you wanted.”

  “And you thought I wanted this gig.”

  “I know you did, sugar. Saw it in every saucy swing of your hips and the way you dug into the work. There’s nothing wrong with you being pleased to score a win on your own. Me sucking up my pride for a few days was worth it to see you shine.”

  “I would’ve turned it down.”

  He smoothed a windswept strand of hair off her cheek and tucked it behind her ear. In that moment, the gruff, in-your-face man he showed the world disappeared, the love he’d confessed soft and gentle in his gaze. “I know you would have.”

  And there it was. Jace putting her needs before his. Blazing paths in front of her, even at his expense. She buried her fingers in his hair, the long strands tickling her forearms as she pulled him to her. Chilled wind snapped and whirled around her as if to faster spur the words pushing up the back of her throat. Her skin prickled with a heightened connection to the world around them.