Worth Any Cost: (Adam & Mia #4) (Gaming The System Book 6)

by Brenna Aubrey

  I blinked. “Oh, I take it personally, Mother. How could I not? But I also know it’s not through any fault of mine that he reacts the way he does.” I picked up the envelope and went to tuck it inside my bag. “Thanks for the medical info.”

  “When he gave it to me, Glen told me he wrote you a letter inside.” I froze and met Mom’s gaze. Her voice died out as she continued. “A personal note…”

  “You met him?”

  Mom nodded. “Yes. He asked to meet me. We had lunch, and it was very pleasant. He asked to meet you, too.”

  My jaw loosened, and I gave the envelope an extra-forceful push into the tote bag I’d brought. “Interesting.” It was the only thing that popped into my head to say at that moment.

  “He’s a good man, Mia. I think it would do you—”

  I held my hand up. “No, please. No lectures. I’m fine, and I’ll continue to be fine, and I don’t need to meet the asshole himself—or his children or his nephews or cousins or anyone else related to him. As long as I have the medical information I need, I’m good.”

  Mom wanted to say more—I knew she did—but her mouth snapped closed, and her gaze dropped from mine as she nodded vigorously.

  Later, when we were in the driveway saying goodbye before getting in the car to go home, she held me tight around my neck and said quietly into my ear, “I would never make you do something you didn’t want to do. I hope you know that. But…I love you, and I’m sorry.”

  I shook my head. “You have nothing to be sorry for.”

  She nodded. “I do…I do. I’m sorry I didn’t make better choices.”

  I kissed her on the cheek and reassured her again, but…there was something in her words. And when I examined my feelings deep down, I did acknowledge the resentment—even if just a tiny tinge of it—I felt toward her. If she’d made a better choice, I could have grown up with a dad like Peter…

  But when I went down that path, it got weird. Because if Peter had been my dad, then Adam and I would have been first cousins. And, well, that was squicky, and I didn’t want to go there.

  Eventually, I’d muster up the desire and courage to look at the report—maybe even read the letter. But for now, it wasn’t important.

  Chapter 5

  Adam

  Emilia was silent on the way home, and I knew it was because of that bomb her mother had dropped on her during dinner. It usually took Emilia time to process things like that, and it was best to leave her alone to work through her thoughts. So I skipped the small talk as we drove. She reached out and took my hand, sliding over to lean her head on my shoulder. I kissed the top of her head and kept driving.

  When we got home, I kept my phone off and asked her what she wanted to do until we went to bed. To my surprise and delight, she suggested we pull out our laptops and play Dragon Epoch together. We’d create brand-new characters on a different server to avoid getting chastised by our friends, who’d take offense at us logging on and playing without them.

  I rolled a dark-haired woman named DirtyTshirtLuvr, complete with brand-new and shiny chain mail bikini. In retaliation, Emilia created a human male named Wedgie. And we laughed and did every stupid thing we could think of—like attempting quests way beyond our level and jumping off high places and going splat, leaving as many virtual corpses on the ground as we could. She joked about pulling trains using AoE spells and kiting mobs, but I wouldn’t let her. The innocent newbies around us didn’t deserve that.

  “You’re no fun. I could start a guild war.” She pouted, the effect spoiled when she started laughing.

  “Yeah, you could, but no,” I replied. “I’ll ban you.”

  She narrowed her eyes. “Ban me from DE at your own risk. You won’t like what I ban you from, wedgie boy.”

  “Very funny,” I said, finally closing my laptop and studying the glow of the computer screen across her beautiful features. “I’m not scared.”

  Her dark eyebrow arched. “And why is that?”

  “Because you would never ban yourself, and I know you like those certain activities as much as I do.” I winked.

  Minutes later, we were upstairs in our bedroom, and I collapsed on the bed. I’d been figuring out how to circle back around to our awkward dinner conversation with her mom. Hence, I went for it.

  “So how are you feeling about that news your mom dropped on you tonight?”

  She shrugged out of her sweater then unbuttoned her jeans, dropped them onto the floor, and stepped out of them. My eyes glided down the long stretch of bare leg, and that familiar pressure of arousal rose up. In a few minutes, those mouthwatering legs would be wrapped around me, and every part of my body enthusiastically readied for it.

  “Take a picture—it lasts longer.” She smirked then stuck her tongue out at me.

  “If you didn’t want me perving on you, you would have gone and changed in your closet. If you’re changing out here, that means you want me to watch you.”

  She reached around and unhooked her bra. The straps retracted, but she didn’t pull it off. Turning around, she demurely gazed at me over her shoulder, slowly sliding one side off her arm and then the other. “I don’t want to inflame your lust any further…”

  “Yeah, you do.” I grinned, rolling onto my side and propping my head up on my bent arm to continue enjoying her show. To be extra obnoxious, I smacked my lips together. “My underpants are starting to feel tight.”

  She laughed as she wiggled out of her panties. “Someone wants a bonus tonight? After that fun little nooner?”

  “The nooner was the bonus. Tonight’s the regular.”

  She wrinkled her nose at me. “I think you’re getting spoiled. You might have to work for it tonight to convince me.”

  “Maybe I’ll finally follow through on that threat to tie you up.”

  She turned around, fully naked now. “Or maybe I’ll walk around here and torment you for a while and not give in.”

  “Not give in? That never happens.” I ran my eyes over her from head to toe. She was gorgeous…her body curving in all the right places. Delectable, smooth skin. Even her nipples were perky, all ready for my tongue to taste them. Perfect.

  “Come here.” I relished the feel of the blood pressure rising in my veins. Though I’d never in a million years admit it to her, I loved when she teased like this.

  She mock-frowned. “That wasn’t very convincing.”

  “Come here, you tease. I’ll make you feel good.”

  “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to inflame your desires. It was completely accidental.” Her eyes gleamed with amusement.

  “You inflame my desires just by breathing,” I said.

  She crawled across the bed toward me, shoulders flexing like a cat’s. But I was the one who sprang without warning, flipping her onto her back and pinning her down. “Surprise. Desires inflamed beyond control.”

  “I guess we’ll have to do something about that. Even though you don’t deserve the bonus.”

  “I told you, this one is the regular.”

  She grimaced at me. “You always were a cheater.” Then she grabbed my head and pulled it down in a fierce kiss. And we were lost in each other. And yeah, my original question about the news at dinner had been completely derailed. I’m a guy, after all. Where sex with a beautiful woman was involved, I was easily diverted.

  Then I tried again a while later—afterward—as I cradled her naked body against mine. She pressed her back to my chest. “Okay, that part about making me feel good. That was completely accurate.” She sighed.

  I kissed her neck, basking in my own afterglow. “Good.”

  She laid her head down, using my bicep as her pillow. “I’m gonna fall asleep in ten seconds flat.”

  “Before you do…”

  “Mmm?”

  “Just want to make sure you’re okay with your mom’s news at dinner. You haven’t said anything about it.”

  She was quiet for some time—enough that I almost thought she wouldn’t answer. I was debati
ng whether to ask her again when, finally, she took a deep breath and rolled over to face me.

  “I don’t know what to think about all that. It kind of…came out of nowhere.”

  I reached up and pushed a strand of long, dark hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. “Well, you should think about it—about reading that letter, anyway. There’s no harm in that, is there?”

  “Sometimes, there is harm in knowledge.” She took in a deep breath and then let it go. “For example, I was always comfortable with the formless idea that my father is an asshole. But to hear that he blew my mother off—when I was sick. Really sick. That’s…the reality of it.”

  “But it’s not your father. It’s your brother.”

  “Who’s to say he isn’t a chip off the old block?”

  I shrugged. “That’s a chance you have to take, but your mom seemed to like him a lot.”

  She expelled a breath that was almost a light laugh. “My mom…I’m not sure I trust her judgment in this matter.”

  “What?” I asked, puzzled. “You’re still judging her based on a mistake she made twenty-five years ago?”

  She shook her head. “No, no. I don’t mean that. I mean her own guilt might be driving her to accept him when he’s not a nice person. I think she feels guilty that I grew up without a family. She wants me to have one so badly that she’d recommend this guy. He is, after all, half of him.”

  “But so are you.”

  She made a face at me. “You’re only talking honestly because you already got sex tonight. No need to butter me up anymore.”

  I kissed her nose. “I think it might be good for you to read the letter. I don’t think there could be harm in that. I’ll read it first to screen it if you want.”

  She reached out and traced an idle doodle with her index finger across my chest. It tickled. “Maybe. I’ll think about it.”

  I kissed her again. “Okay. Don’t forget we have that meeting with the wedding planner tomorrow.”

  “Sure…she’s coming to your office?”

  “Yeah. I had a full schedule, so that was the only way we could fit it in, over lunch.”

  She nodded. “I’m falling asleep now. You better be doing the same, or I’m gonna turn into a nagging wife before my time.”

  I smiled. “Damn, I don’t want that. I’ll read, then. Go to sleep.”

  Once she was out—and I checked thoroughly—I got up to go work in my office until the small hours of the morning, ensuring I left Kim’s big envelope on the middle of Emilia’s desk.

  I’d been doing that lately, happy with the stealth factor that evaded Emilia’s concerns.

  Tonight, I was up for hours, continuing my research on how to fight this prenup. I learned that the board could not legally coerce me to sign the contract or require my spouse to sign. That was the good news. The law was on my side.

  The bad news? They were perfectly within their power to follow through on their threat to have me removed as CEO of the company for breach of fiduciary duty, if it came to that.

  I began building a list of legal references and lawyers to consult. I was going to do this. For her. For us both.

  But that involved being up late at night, composing emails, researching and reading legal documents, and verifying legal restrictions. It was exhausting, but it was working. I was managing those feelings of helplessness and rage for the most part.

  And I was planning to execute my next move all while running a company, planning a wedding, and fending off a persistent board of directors. No big deal.

  ***

  “Adam.” A shout echoed across the floor of the R&D warehouse days later as I sat huddled with several devs and art team leaders in a pick-up scrum meeting.

  I knew the voice. Ignoring it, I kept talking. “Because we’re way off our sprint goals—”

  “Adam.” The voice was closer now. His footsteps echoed across the polished cement floor of the warehouse. Everyone who was crowded around me looked up at Jordan, wrapped up in his own thundercloud, headed my way.

  “—emerging requirements have shifted,” I continued. “That means tighter deadlines.” They answered with groans all around. “I’m sorry, guys, but—”

  Jordan was now standing on the outer rim of the group, hands on his hips, scowling. “I need to talk to you for a minute.”

  “As soon as I’m done here,” I replied flatly.

  His jaw worked, but he said nothing. Good. The leadership team was taking notes, and the few members of the art department—my cousin among them—were whispering to each other. I ignored Jordan’s obvious posturing and continued with the scrum, taking my time.

  I never even so much as glanced Jordan’s way. Once I’d finished and dismissed them, Jordan proceeded to chase people away with a curt “Excuse us, please.”

  The group broke off into small clusters that either returned to their desks or hovered around the edges of the big warehouse, out of earshot, in order to discuss how to form up and work the problem. Jordan pulled out his phone, which he promptly shoved in my face. It showed the same attachment the entire board had received in the email not even half an hour before.

  “Susan sent me this agenda for tonight’s BOD meeting, and it says you’re bringing a ‘guest’ by the name of J.B. Kensington. For real?”

  I nodded. “That’s correct.”

  He glanced around us to make sure others weren’t close enough to overhear. I leaned back on my stool, arms folded across my chest, completely unconcerned about the storm I saw about to break on my long-suffering CFO’s head.

  He tucked the phone into a front pocket. “A fucking shark lawyer, Adam? Have you completely lost your mind?”

  I narrowed my eyes, but otherwise did not move as I stared him down. “And what the hell did you expect? The board calls an unannounced meeting on me to discuss this—matter. You cornered me. How did you think I’d react?”

  “That’s the problem. You’re reacting instead of acting. Look,” he said between his teeth, “you need to knock it off. Believe me, I’ve already been doing the research on your behalf. If the board gets agitated, they will press this issue. You’re playing a dangerous game.”

  My arms tensed where they were folded across my chest. “I know all about games. This isn’t a game.”

  “It’s bullshit posturing, and you’re above it—or you usually are. Lawyering up for a board meeting is over the top.” The expression on his face was a cross between disgust and exasperation. It only angered me more. Heat burned under my collar. “You remember that warning I gave you about your stubbornness? Well, it’s rearing its ugly head now. And things don’t appear optimistic.”

  “Is that a threat?” I stood up, suddenly agitated with him looming over me while I was sitting down, and, yeah, taken with the need to intimidate him. Would have worked better if we weren’t almost exactly the same height.

  My movements must have been more sudden than I’d planned, because several of the people still standing around jerked their heads in our direction. When I stared at them, they discreetly glanced away.

  Jordan was shaking his head in disbelief. “Don’t do that. I’m not here to threaten you. I told you, I’ve got your back…”

  My fists flexed at my sides, and I forced myself to relax them. “Those are nice words to say, but you don’t.”

  “It’s business, Adam. That’s my job—to protect your business interests.”

  “And your own.”

  He blinked. “To protect this company’s business interests.”

  “My company’s business interests.”

  His jaw set. “I think the board of directors would disagree with calling it that.”

  “Fuck the board of directors. Yet another thing that you’ve talked me into that I now regret.”

  He seemed to fight wanting to roll his eyes. “I’m going to ignore that.”

  I raised my brow, shifting my posture. It was ridiculous, but I could feel my chest puffing out. Jordan’s eyes narrowed,
taking in my body language. I knew he was carefully assessing it. He bit his bottom lip and cast a quick glance up into my face.

  “If you did have my back, I wouldn’t be fighting with those assholes about my private married life and personal finances that are none of their goddamn business. My company. My life. Get the fuck out of it!” By this time, I was shouting.

  Jordan’s eyes cut to mine. “You’re unbelievable.”

  “A friend would have used his influence with the board to put a stop to this,” I said. “Instead, you’ve put your own personal feelings ahead of doing what is right and throwing your friend under a bus.”

  He held his hands out, palms up. “Who’s throwing who under a bus? Christ Almighty, Adam.” He gestured stiffly with his right hand. “Pull your head out of your ass.”

  That heat from under my collar exploded like a supernova. In a flash, I was in his face, grasping his shirt. “My head isn’t up my ass, fuck you very much.”

  And there we were in that warehouse, our faces inches from each other and a whole lot of testosterone in the air. My blood gushed in my veins, heart hammering. And I was this close to swinging on Jordan. My best friend.

  That was when I sensed the presence of a third person. Hands on each of us, pushing us away from each other. Someone, luckily, as big as we both were. My cousin, speaking as a voice of reason.

  “Back off each other. Now,” Liam ordered in his typical monotone, a surprisingly authoritative ring to it. The tension washed from my body as if a spell had been broken.

  I released Jordan’s shirt immediately and stepped away. When I finally became aware again of our surroundings, the few people who were left in the warehouse all seemed to be hightailing it out of there as fast as they could. Soon, the entire place was empty except for the three of us.

  Jordan was flushed, breathing hard with a WTF expression on his face. Honestly, if I could see myself in the mirror, I’d probably see that same look reflected back at me. Jesus. What the hell was wrong with me?

  Liam had moved between the two of us. “If you two really want to handle this the old-fashioned way, then take up swords and don armor. We’ll hold a duel at the European martial arts studio. But you definitely shouldn’t be challenging each other in front of employees.”