Corrupt Idol

by Dinah Harper

  His eyes held hers. “You’re worth the risk.”

  “Brody…”

  He held up a hand. “I’m not asking for anything, I’m just letting you know I’m available.”

  “Available?” she echoed warily.

  He jerked his head at the house. “I know you’re here to support your family. If you need someone to talk to, I’m here.”

  She relaxed a little. “Thanks,” she said, touched by his offer.

  When he brushed her hair back from her face, her heart jumped.

  “I wanted to state my intentions this time around,” he said quietly.

  “Intentions?”

  A grin tugged at his lips. “I like you. I always have.”

  “As a friend.”

  “As more, but you didn’t see me that way. Now you do.”

  “Says who?” she demanded.

  He gave her a cocky smile. “Let’s just say I can tell the difference. We did everything we could to get your attention, but you made it clear you weren’t interested.” He shook his head. “You have bad taste in men, honey. You always chose the worst guys when you could have had your pick of the best.”

  She threw up her hands. “Why do you guys keep saying that?”

  “Because it’s true. You dated the bad boys, the loners, the freaks. You put Jesse through hell. It’s no wonder he beat the crap out of Tucker after those rumors went around.”

  “What rumors?”

  His brows shot up. “You don’t know?”

  “No! What rumors?”

  He grimaced. “I thought you knew. I don’t know if it’s my place—”

  “Brody!”

  “Tucker said he popped your cherry and he and his bandmates were passing you around.”

  She shot to her feet. “He what?”

  Brody held up a placating hand as he rose. “It was a long time ago.”

  “I don’t care how long ago it was! I can’t believe he said that!”

  “The day that rumor started circulating was the day Jesse beat the hell out of Tucker. How could you not know that?”

  Because Jesse fucked her after that confrontation with Tucker and everything else ceased to exist for her. She thought Jesse attacked Tucker because of the compromising position he caught them in. She had no idea Tucker put out such a filthy rumor. What the hell?

  “I never even slept with him!” she burst out and immediately glanced at her dad.

  Dad wasn’t paying her any mind and that was a good thing since Brody’s eyes popped wide. Sex wasn’t talked about so casually. Another thing she would have to remember now that she was home. Dad would go apoplectic if he heard her using such language.

  “I’m glad to hear that,” Brody said as he slid an arm over her shoulder and gave her a light squeeze. “He was an asshole.”

  “Does he still live in town?” she growled.

  He chuckled. “No. I think he moved to Los Angeles with his band. Never heard anything about him after that.”

  “What a jerk,” she fumed and suddenly wished she hadn’t stopped Jesse when he laid into him.

  “I think your taste in men is about to improve.”

  She glanced up at him. “You think so?”

  He had an extremely satisfied look on his face. “Apparently, I have your father’s blessing. He just gave me the nod.”

  His eyes flicked to the left and she followed his line of sight to see Jesse hopping out of his friends’ truck.

  “Jesse on the other hand…” Brody’s smile widened. “He’s always been protective of you and no wonder with the guys you’ve chosen. I’ll have to show him my paycheck and retirement before he lets me take you out.”

  She elbowed him. “Cut it out.”

  “Maybe your dad can vouch for me. I have honorable intentions.”

  “You’re ridiculous,” she said as Jesse and Anton came to a stop in front of them. “Hey, bro.”

  She was baiting the tiger, but with her dad in sight and Brody’s arm around her, she was feeling safe and daring. Jesse’s eyes flicked from her to his friend.

  “What’s this?” he asked.

  He sounded calm, but she knew better.

  “Getting reacquainted with Vi,” Brody said.

  “Man, I called dibs!” Anton said.

  Brody tucked her into his side and kissed her forehead. “Vi and I have a connection.”

  She smacked his stomach and noticed distractedly that it was just as hard as Jesse’s.

  “She’s here for my mom, not for all you hounds to move in on her,” Jesse said.

  “I know,” Brody said. “I’m just letting her know who to call if she needs anything. You’re not always gonna be here.”

  Jesse stared at her. “You have to pack for our trip, don’t you, Vi?”

  She gave him a long look before she went on tiptoes and planted a kiss on Brody’s jaw. “I’ll call you if I need you.”

  “What about me?” Anton demanded. “My shoulder’s free to cry on!”

  She laughed as she went to him and gave him a hug. “You guys are crazy. Thank you for helping me.”

  “Of course,” Anton said. “You’re one of us.”

  That put a hitch in her step, but she smiled at them before she went inside. She did need to pack and her room was a freaking disaster. The need to organize and nest was riding her hard. She wanted to do as much as she could before they left tomorrow, but she was waylaid by Lynne’s friends who jumped on her the moment she walked through the door.

  “It’s so good to see you!”

  “Did you get your college degree?”

  “It’s so sweet of you to move home to be with your parents during this time.”

  “Jesse is a great brother to help with your move!”

  By the time the interrogation was over, she didn’t have the energy to do anything. She plopped on the sofa beside Lynne and sighed.

  “They mean well,” Lynne said.

  “I forgot what it’s like to have people questioning everything about your life.” She spread her hands. “I don’t have any plans and I don’t know what I’m doing.”

  “You don’t need to plan. God will guide your path,” Lynne said.

  She looked away, uncomfortable with even the mention of religion when she held such a dirty secret in her heart. How would Lynne feel about the sinful relationship she and Jesse had maintained throughout the years? Was that God’s plan as well?

  “I’ll make dinner,” she said and got up from the couch.

  She was moving a piece of butter over the top of the cornbread she had pulled out of the oven when Dad and Jesse walked in.

  Dad clapped Jesse on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you, son. You’re doing great things in the world.”

  Her stomach clenched as melted butter seeped into the top layer of the cornbread. It was clear that Lynne and Dad were proud of Jesse serving in the military and his many accomplishments. They loved and adored him. If her parents knew what occurred between them, would that change their opinion of him?

  Jesse looked at her from across the room. She held his gaze for a moment and heard the echo of the words he uttered in the motel room.

  Love can make monsters out of men when it’s not returned.

  She shook her head and looked down as she continued to prepare dinner.

  “Here.”

  She took the iced coffee Jesse handed her with a grunt and took a seat amongst her family and the other passengers waiting for the flight. It was early and once again, she hadn’t gotten much sleep. There was a myriad of reasons why she couldn’t settle, but for some reason, that tidbit Brody dropped about Tucker circled round and round in her mind. How could a rumor she hadn’t even known about bother her nearly seven years later? She knew Tucker had a reputation as a jerk, but he’d been so sweet to her and nothing like his bad boy reputation. She resented the fact that Jesse and Brody had commented on her bad taste in men. It was an ongoing joke with Reese and Meg, but she had never paid much attention to it until
now. It wasn’t like she went out of her way to find shitty guys. Apparently, they flocked to her. And she didn’t always attract losers. She hooked her friends up with her Abel and Travis. Apparently, she gave the good guys to other people and kept the freaks for herself.

  They started boarding the plane and because Dad had ordered a wheelchair for Lynne so she could preserve her strength, they boarded first. Like they had the first time, she and Jesse waited while everyone rushed forward.

  “Thank you for helping me with my move,” she said, staring straight ahead. It galled her to say it, but she owed him this much at least. She wouldn’t have been able to do it without him.

  “You’re welcome.”

  She got up and dumped her cup before she came back to shoulder her oversized purse. The lines had gone down so she walked over with him by her side. She pursed her lips before she rounded on him.

  “Did Tucker really say he passed me around to his band?” she asked in a rush.

  His eyes narrowed. “Who told you that?”

  “Brody brought it up yesterday.”

  “Brody talks too much,” he said and ushered her forward with a hand on her lower back.

  She dug her heels in. “Is it true?”

  “Yeah.”

  She stiffened. “But, why would he say that? I never even…”

  His eyes moved over her flushed face. “He knew you were too good for him, that everyone was wondering why you were with him. He wanted to ruin your reputation so no one else would want you.”

  “Did you think…?” She couldn’t finish the sentence, but knew he understood because his eyes went flat.

  “This isn’t the time for this conversation.”

  She huffed and handed her ticket over to be scanned before she walked down the short tunnel to the plane. Again, she had to wait and again, she felt the heat of him at her back. She turned to face him again.

  “Did you believe that rumor?” she demanded.

  “I didn’t until I caught you with him.”

  With his hands in her pants. That was the furthest she had ever gone with a guy. She probably would have given Tucker her virginity if Jesse hadn’t claimed it for himself. “Did you beat him up because of the rumor or because you caught us?”

  “Both.” He pushed her forward. “You shouldn’t have been with him in the first place.”

  “Why didn’t I ever hear about this?”

  “Because I put a stop to it.”

  “How?”

  His eyes seared hers. “I told the truth—that you had never slept with him.”

  She stepped into the plane and shuffled down the narrow aisle. She passed Mom and Dad and waded to their seat, which was toward the back of the plane. They hadn’t been able to get seats together since the tickets had been booked last minute. She’d been hoping she and Jesse were sitting apart, but no luck. She took the window seat while he took the aisle. She shoved her purse under the seat in front and buckled herself in.

  “About Brody.”

  She had been expecting it, but still she braced before she looked at him. “What about him?”

  His eyes speared hers. “You shouldn’t mess with the guys.”

  “Mess with them?”

  “Don’t encourage them.”

  She leaned toward him. “Like Brody said, you aren’t always going to be around, big guy. I’m going to do whatever.” She paused for emphasis, “Or whoever I want.”

  He leaned in too, so close their lips touched. She jerked back and immediately looked toward mom and dad’s seats. They were faced forward and completely oblivious to what was going on. “What the hell are you doing?”

  He grasped her chin. “You’re mine.”

  She tried to jerk back, but he wasn’t letting up. She grasped his wrist, but couldn’t wrap her fingers around the width of it. Everything about him was supersized. “I’m not.”

  “You’ve been mine since you were thirteen.” His fingers traveled down her neck. “It started innocent enough. The feeling of protectiveness, enjoying your company, doing everything together, and building memories.” His thumb brushed over her sprinting pulse. “I remember when it changed. We were camping at the lake with church friends and we were playing chicken. Malcolm lifted you on his shoulders and you were trying to knock Marissa off Benny’s shoulders.”

  She frowned. “Why would that change anything?”

  “You were sitting on Malcolm’s shoulders, your legs draped around his neck. He was holding your thighs, touching you…” His eyes darkened as his fingers left her pulse and tripped between her cleavage before she jerked back. “Later that day he tried to get you to ride the jet ski with him.”

  She remembered that. “You made me ride with you instead.”

  His eyes glinted as the flight attendant launched into her safety speech in case of an emergency.

  “I got to feel your arms around me, your breasts against my back,” he said in a low, gravelly voice. “And I told Malcolm to keep his goddamn hands to himself.”

  “You’re insane.”

  “Maybe.”

  “No, you are,” she retorted.

  She rolled her shoulders to brush off the effect his voice had on her. When he gripped her thigh, she tensed.

  “Let Brody off easy, Anton too.”

  She glared at him and smacked his hand, which didn’t budge. “They’re nice guys.”

  “I don’t care.”

  “You have no claim on me.”

  “I told you how I feel about you,” he said in a low voice as his fingers glided up her bare thigh. “And even though you threw my feelings back in my face, that doesn’t mean I’m going to let you go off with some other guy.”

  She clamped her thighs together when he tried to slip beneath her shorts.

  “Are you crazy?” she hissed.

  “Did you hear what I said?”

  “I heard you. Will you stop touching me?”

  “No. I won’t stop. I told you that.”

  She peeked over the other seats to locate their parents. Her dad was reading a book while Lynne rested her head on his shoulder. Lynne was overexcited and seemed to have tired herself out.

  She glanced at Lynne’s psychotic son. “We’re here for Mom.”

  “I know,” he said as the plane lurched into motion.

  “Remember that and focus on her, not me. This trip is about Mom and making sure she has a great time.”

  “She will.”

  She made a clearing motion with her hands. “And that’s it.”

  He didn’t reply. When she looked up at him, the look in his eyes made her stomach flip.

  “I can’t be your brother, but I’ll try to be your friend,” he said as his eyes moved over her face. “And make you want more.”

  “That’ll never happen,” she said and sucked in a breath as the plane lifted off the ground.

  “We’ll see.”

  He traced distracting patterns over her skin.

  “You want to join the mile-high club?”

  “Only if that means I push you out of the plane and you fall to your death.”

  His mouth twitched. “No, it means I fuck your brains out in a stall where any moment there could be turbulence and we could die before we get back to our seats.”

  “I’ll pass.”

  “Next time,” he said lazily.

  She shoved his hand away. “Never! And keep your hands to yourself. I’m not here to entertain you.”

  Eleven

  She examined herself in the mirror. The fuchsia bikini Lynne bought her fit like a dream, but it was way more revealing than anything she would have picked for herself. She was a t-shirt and jeans kind of girl and if she wore a bathing suit, it was a one piece. This had a triangle cut out top and small bottoms. The color complimented her pale skin, but she felt very exposed even after tying a white sarong around her waist. Oh well. Lynne bought this for her and it fit well even if it wasn’t her style.

  She walked out of the bathroom and surv
eyed their room, which was decorated like a beach cottage rather than a hotel room. Vintage pictures lined the walls while weathered-looking wood furniture graced the room. They had a connecting room with their parents. She and Jesse were sharing, of course, but she wasn’t too worried. He was playing the good son, waiting on Lynne hand and foot. Even though the sight of him doting on Lynne warmed her heart, she reminded herself that she had to be on guard.

  Despite everything that happened on the road trip, there was no trace of anger or resentment in his attitude toward her. He was constantly touching her with an arm around her shoulders or playing with her hair. Neither of their parents thought anything of it. To them, everything was back to normal when it was anything but. Her attempts to avoid him were ignored. She fell asleep on the flight and woke to find she was using his shoulder as a pillow. When she glared at him, he laughed and tugged her off the plane where they hopped into a taxi and were taken to the resort. The moment she saw the sparkling blue waters, everything else faded away. Memories of her childhood tickled the back of her mind as they checked in and were shown to their rooms.

  She walked toward the glass sliding door and pulled it open. She could hear the sound of the ocean from here. They were on the first floor, right on the beach. She was as giddy as a child. She wanted to sprint across the sand and dive into the water, but the sound of Lynne’s voice kept her in place. This is exactly what they needed. She turned to see what the holdup was and found Jesse staring at her. He had changed into red surf shorts and a cap. She couldn’t see his eyes since he wore sunglasses, but she knew what he was thinking. She strolled toward him and saw him pecs flex.

  “Don’t even think about it,” she warned as she sailed into mom and dad’s room.

  Both of her parents had also changed. Lynne wore a sheer cover up with palm trees over her sunny bathing suit and a massive straw hat. When she saw Violet, she clapped her hands together.

  “It looks great on you!” Lynne said.

  When Dad saw her, his brows drew together, a predictable reaction to her wearing something so revealing. Inwardly, she shrugged. Lynne bought her suit so if he had problems, he needed to take it up with her.

  “Are you ready?” she asked.

  “Yep!” Lynne handed her beach bag to Dad and linked their arms together. “Let’s go!”