Burned: A Bad Boy Billionaire Romance (Lords of the City Book 3)

by Alice Ward

  This relationship wasn’t a board meeting. It wasn’t work. I needed to take a chill pill and turn my attention to other things. So far, Seth and I were working out. Maybe Type A Quinn was great for at work, but when I left the office, she needed to stay. Type B Quinn could dominate at home.

  I needed to think about things that didn’t make me nervous. Like, how long had the front of my legs been sunning? Twenty minutes? Thirty? Now there was something to mull over. Since this might be one of the last days I would get to lay out, I needed to think about such a matter. All the ice in my glass was melted, a clue to how long we’d been outside.

  “What time is it?” I asked casually, thinking another dip in the pool might be called for.

  Silence.

  I opened my eyes and peered at Seth through my sunglasses. His shoulders were hunched over as he stared down at his phone. His lips grew tight as he eyeballed the screen. My throat constricted. Something was wrong. The first sign that something wasn’t right with Seth was always silence; after that came a loss of eye contact.

  “What is it?” I asked quickly, not ready for more tension.

  “My dad wants to see me again.”

  “Oh.” I wasn’t able to keep the note of apprehension at bay.

  We hadn’t spoken about his father since the weekend of our fight. I still knew next to nothing about the man who had raised Seth. I’d purposefully not broached the topic, though I burned to know more. He and Ellen were divorced. I’d gotten that much info.

  Judging merely from the change in Seth’s posture whenever he mentioned his father, it didn’t seem like they had a very positive relationship.

  “So he’s coming back to town?” I asked. “Where does he live anyway? Did he stay in the area after the divorce?”

  Seth rubbed the back of his neck and kept his eyes on the patio tiles. “Where does he live now? In Wisconsin. At least that’s his story. Really, who knows? He moves around a lot.” There was a hint of resentment in Seth’s voice. Clearly, he didn’t want to see his father. “He’s kind of a drifter. He wouldn’t use that word to describe himself. It’s not like he travels around the country in a van or anything, but he never stays in one place long.”

  I swung my legs over the side of the chaise and sat up straight. My knee brushed against Seth’s, and I pulled my sunglasses off so we could make eye contact.

  “Was he always like that?” I asked, carefully selecting the question.

  “No,” came his tart answer. “He was pretty square when I was a kid. It wasn’t until… I grew up. Then my parents got divorced. After that, he kind of went on this…” Seth sucked in some air. “I don’t have the words to describe it.”

  I lightly squeezed his leg. “That’s all right. When did they get divorced?”

  “A few years ago. Not even three, actually. It hasn’t been that long.”

  “Damn,” I breathed. “How’s Ellen doing with that?”

  “She’s just great.”

  I nodded. The woman I met last night seemed more “all right” than “great.” In fact, she seemed a tad lonely. She’d been pretty eager for us stay.

  “Do you really want to see your dad?”

  Seth rubbed the stubble along his jaw. After checking out of the hotel, we’d arrived back at my place around noon, then spent an hour preoccupied in the sheets. After that came the shower we took together. In between, he skipped shaving, leaving himself with the look I liked best on him.

  “I don’t know,” he finally admitted. “No. Probably not.”

  “Then don’t.”

  He looked at me like I was crazy.

  I lifted an innocent shoulder. “It really doesn’t sound like you’re excited about him coming, so why put yourself through having to see him again? I mean, when it comes down to it isn’t it really that simple?”

  Seth’s eyebrows knitted together. He gazed down at where our knees met. “He’s my father. I can’t just push him away.”

  Why not?

  Maybe I didn’t get it because my relationship with my own father was pretty decent. I did know enough to acknowledge that parent and child relationships weren’t always so black and white. Even if a parent was extreme enough to be outright abusive, there were still ties to that person. You didn’t just grow up and sever them with one quick cut. Even if people managed to break free, they still went off in the world and repeated the same bad cycles they’d learned in their childhoods.

  “Can I ask you more about this?” I pressed.

  He didn’t say anything but looked up at me. His face seemed open enough, so I went on.

  “Did something happen between you two? Is this bigger than a difference in lifestyles?”

  Seth shifted in his seat. “I told you about my grandfather, right?”

  “You told me he left you an inheritance and that there was some kind of a falling out with your dad before you were born.”

  “Right. The two of them never made up.”

  “What do you mean? They never talked again?”

  “Barely. At least that I know of. I think my grandfather tried a few times to repair things, but my dad shut him down. That’s the story from most of my relatives, at least. I know they communicated a small amount when I was a kid, to arrange stuff with me and all. But it was strictly business. If it wasn’t for my mom, I might never have even met my granddad. She’s the one who insisted I have some kind of relationship with him.”

  “Wow,” I breathed. “Did that have anything to do with the divorce?”

  “Probably not. By the time they got divorced, I was a grown up, so I don’t think so. Then again… maybe.”

  “Resentments can stew for years.”

  “Yeah… Anyway, years after all of that, just a couple years ago, my grandfather got sick, and my dad didn’t get a chance to see him before he died.” Seth paused. “I know he regrets that. He wishes he had said he was sorry before it was too late.”

  My stomach twisted. “That’s awful. That’s a lot to carry.”

  Seth’s face contorted as he stared at the ground. He was off somewhere else, probably experiencing a memory.

  After a moment, he nodded and looked up at me. “It’s not that whole thing that’s the issue between me and my dad, though. Since I was a teenager, I was closer to my grandfather than to my dad. Me and my… well, it was just easier. My grandmother died when my dad was in college, and that’s when the rift started between the two of them.”

  “What happened?”

  His lips pressed tightly together. “They had a disagreement over life support. My dad wanted to take her off it, and my grandfather wanted to leave her on it.”

  “Oh my God,” I gasped.

  “She had a boating accident and was in a coma for a while.”

  “What happened? I mean with the life support?”

  “While they were arguing, she passed away. Literally. They were out in the hallway or something when her system started failing.”

  I bit my bottom lip, so I wouldn’t curse. This story was turning out to be way heavier than I’d anticipated. Each new piece seemed crazier than the last. “Wasn’t it up to your grandfather though? If there had been time to make a choice, as the spouse he would have had first say.”

  Seth’s head inclined in acknowledgment. “That just speaks to the complexities of their relationship. My granddad loved my dad. A lot. And he respected his ideas and wishes. Even after my grandma died, Grandpa wouldn’t talk about Dad a whole lot, but when he did it was always positive things.”

  “Man… and what about your mother? Where does she fit into all this?”

  “Not really at all. You saw she’s still there, living in the house I grew up in, though she’s not holding onto my dad, that’s for sure.”

  “She seemed really happy to see you,” I added. “I think it made her day, and not just because she needed help moving all that stuff.”

  “Yeah,” he nodded. “We’re good. I should go see her more.”

  I took Seth�
�s hand in mine. He squeezed it lightly, and I pressed his hand in return.

  “So you agree with your grandfather?” I asked. “Is that why you don’t like seeing your dad?”

  Seth took in a long breath. I waited for his answer, but it didn’t come. Abruptly, he stood and walked to face the pool, his back turned to me.

  “No,” he said to the backyard. “All of that happened before I was born. I don’t have much of an opinion on the issue. I can see both sides. My father… he can be…” Seth turned to look at me, his face hard. “He has a penchant for blaming things on me.”

  I snorted. “Don’t worry, a lot of parents can be that way. People just expect the best out of their kids sometimes, I think. It’s because they believe in them so much.”

  “No, it’s more than that.” Again, he looked at the ground, withdrawing.

  “What is it? He has a grudge against you? He just doesn’t like you?”

  Seth ran a hand from the back of his head to the front, making his hair stand straight up. “I need to hit the gym before I meet up with him.”

  I swallowed the lump in my throat. Just like that, it became hard once more to tell myself I’d imagined his odd behavior the night before.

  Push and pull. Expand and contract, just like a rubber band. That was Seth. One moment he could be pouring his heart out and the next he was running for the hills.

  Were things supposed to be like this between the two of us? We’d already professed our love for each other, and that only happened two weeks ago. Wasn’t it fair to expect things to settle down for a little bit before the first real relationship issues reared their heads?

  Did most boyfriends withdraw this way? My friends certainly didn’t. They shared everything with each other, putting all the trials and tribulations — the ups and downs — out onto the table for inspection. It was how they connected. How they healed. How they made sense of the world.

  It didn’t seem to be that way with Seth. Again, I got the sense he hid something when it came to his parents. The whole thing with his mom the night before, and now this. Together the incidents were too much to ignore. Maybe whatever he hid wasn’t big but certainly important enough for him to feel like he needed to keep it in the shadows.

  “Are you hiding something from me?” I blurted out. “Is there something else you want to tell me?”

  Seth’s eyes widened slightly, but just for a second. A moment later, they were back to normal. “Why would you ask that?”

  “Because you seem… I asked if your dad doesn’t like you and you didn’t answer.”

  “It’s complicated, Quinn. Haven’t I already explained that? It’s why I’m not about to introduce him to everyone. He just doesn’t need… he doesn’t need that.”

  I could feel my nose wrinkling. The tail end of Seth’s explanation didn’t exactly make sense, but there was nothing left for me to ask. I’d poked and prodded enough. Any more nudging might do real damage. I didn’t want a repeat of the fight in my living room. A second round of that might not end so well.

  “Okay, I understand. But if there’s anything you do want to tell me… you can. I promise I’ll do my best not to judge you.”

  Seth’s lips parted slightly like he was about to say something, but then they pressed closed again. He nodded. “Thank you.”

  I forced a smile. I just needed to shut my mouth and trust him. Seth loved me. I loved him. That meant we would be there for each other. I’d made a promise to myself two weeks before, to not only be there when he needed me but to also give him space when he needed it.

  “I’m here if you need me,” I told him, standing up to wrap my arms around him.

  Seth laid his hand against my head and pressed my cheek onto his shoulder. I sucked in his sweet and spicy scent and closed my eyes. With his arms around me and the sun beating down on my back it seemed impossible that things could turn out any way but perfect.

  “I’ll come back tonight, if that’s all right,” Seth said into my hair. “As soon as I can.”

  I snuggled my face tighter into his shirt. “Hell yeah, that’s all right.”

  As soon as he left for the gym, I rushed to catch up on weekend work and then called my friends to come over. Seth had promised to come back to my house when he could make it, though he had dinner plans with his father. That meant I could be solo till ten or later, and I wasn’t feeling being alone.

  Usually, my Saturday nights were jam-packed, the one night of the week that I really let myself cut loose. Before Seth, Saturdays meant brunches with the girls, walks in the park, and, often, dates. Since the last item on that list wouldn’t be happening tonight, there was a large, gaping hole in my day.

  By the time night fell I was feeling like a new person, thanks to all the alone time. It hadn’t taken long before I figured out that a ‘large gaping hole’ was actually a nice amount of time to spend by myself. It had been a while since I’d spent a whole evening alone.

  The night air had the slightest nip to it, which meant it was a perfect evening for a fire. London came over after dark and helped me pull the fire pit out from the storage shed. I’d stored it after buying it months before and not using it once. When I bought the house, I had grand fantasies of weekend long get-togethers, with the whole backyard set up to entertain a crowd of people. My guest house would be full. The beer kegs would overflow, and the fire pit would get so much use it would rust out in the bottom during its first year. Reality had trumped fantasy, of course, meaning I ended up spending my weekends doing anything that was easier than stringing lights in the trees and making appetizers for people I barely knew.

  Once Heather and Rory got to the house with bundles of wood we were ready to go, piling on logs and Boy Scouting it as best we could. Eventually, the flames picked up and the fire crackled and roared, tossing dancing light across the patio.

  “Woo-hoo!” Rory yelled, raising the bottle of wine in celebration. “We’re practically pioneer women over here.”

  “Yeah,” London agreed. “All we need is a covered wagon and a husband missing half his teeth.”

  “Tell that to Little House on the Prairie,” Rory countered. “The guys were hot on that.”

  “Speaking of husbands,” Heather directed at London, “have you seen Bartender Boy again?”

  “Bartender Boy?” I asked, dragging my chair closer to the fire pit.

  “Remember? From the hotel bar?”

  “Oh, yeah, that’s right! The one who wanted to give London extra cock in her drink,” I grinned. “Did you go out with him?”

  London scrunched up her nose. On the other side of the fire, Rory laughed.

  “She’s already heard this,” London explained. “But, yeah, we went out. And he went outside twice during dinner to call his mom.”

  Rory snorted again. “That’s not all. Just wait for it. It gets better.”

  “On the way home, we had to stop by her apartment,” London further explained. “And then Simon… excuse me, Bartender Boy came out and asked me if I could take an Uber home because his mom had a cold and he needed to stay with her, so he couldn’t drive me.”

  Heather and I burst into laughter.

  “Wait,” I said between choking sobs. “He had you wait in the car while he went in to see her?”

  “Yep,” she said dryly.

  “Let me get this straight… and then he told you he couldn’t drive you home.”

  “That’s about the story in a nutshell.”

  I pressed my palm against my mouth to stop the giggles, but it did no good. All of us laughed like crazy women, Starlet looking at us in confusion.

  Rory poured wine into the glasses I’d brought out. “It just goes to show a good man is hard to find.”

  A good man is hard to find. My heart lurched, her statement reminding me of the Flannery O’Connor story… which reminded me of Flannery’s biggest fan, Seth.

  “What?” Heather asked me.

  “Huh?”

  “You sighed about something.�
�

  London passed me a glass of wine. “Trouble in paradise?”

  I took a long sip of the dry white. “Maybe… I don’t know.”

  “Spill.”

  “Seth’s dad is in town again tonight, and I get the feeling he’s hiding something.”

  “This again?” Heather asked.

  “Yeah, but I really don’t think I’m imagining it.”

  “Whatever happened to space?”

  “I know, I know…”

  “Well, everyone has a right to their secrets,” Rory argued.

  “Yeah, but this feels like it’s something big.” I stared into the flames. “When Seth talks about his dad, or when I ask about their relationship, something happens to him. He shuts down.” I shook my head, trying to make sense of it as all the clues flew away.

  “Then let him,” Heather said. “I’m sorry if this sounds harsh, but just let him do that.”

  “What?” London squealed. “You’re seriously going to tell her to not be there for him?”

  “I’m not saying that. I’m saying give him his space. If he has something to work out with his dad, then let him work it out. That’s probably what they’re doing right now.”

  London looked like she wanted to retaliate, but Rory interrupted. “Did anyone bring the marshmallows?”

  “Right here.” Heather pulled them out of her bag. “What are we going to put them on? Do we have any of those skewer things?”

  “Sticks,” London said.

  Heather recoiled. “From a tree? No way!”

  I met Rory’s eyes and suppressed a laugh.

  “No,” Heather said. “Quinn, don’t you have the things they sell at the grocery store? I saw them just today. They’re made for marshmallows.”

  “Sticks,” London said again.

  “Yeah,” Heather countered. “Sticks that Starlet has peed on and birds have pooped on.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Really? Think about how long those sticks have been sitting in the yard.”

  “I’d rather use a stick that might have dog pee on it than embarrass myself. I’d look like an addicted consumer going out and buying some piece of metal made to roast marshmallows on. So, yeah, I’m gonna take my chances.”