“She was always grounded. She didn’t seem to care. Besides, my father would talk big when he first grounded her, say there was no way she was going to get off early, that he didn’t care how much she begged and pleaded. It never failed, though. Three days later she would be free and clear and he would conveniently forget that he’d sworn up and down that he wouldn’t let her off punishment early.”
“I bet you guys had a great time living here,” I said as I followed him to the back patio, my eyes going wide at the lovely courtyard that was completely decked out in cobblestone and a bevy of empty planters. “Wow! It looks like something big is going down back here.” I pointed toward the huge pile of dirt. “Is your father having some gardening done?”
Braden nodded as he stared at the mess. “Yeah. He has a regular gardener who does the planting every spring and fall. He wanted to add something permanent this year, so they’re going to start working on that in the next few weeks. They want to make sure we don’t get a late freeze that ruins the plants.”
“What plants?”
“Lilies.”
I slowed my pace and swallowed hard. “Oh. That’s ... kind of sweet. It’s a memorial to your mother.”
“We have that at the family mausoleum. Her body is finally there, where it should be. Her soul has been far removed for a long time.”
My heart went out to him. “At least you got a chance to say goodbye the second time around.”
“Not really. She was here. We saw her. Aisling got to talk to her the most. She had very limited time. Your aunt ... well, she had only so much power to give.”
Not much had been said to me regarding Aunt Maxine. She was my mother’s sister, a powerful Bruja in her own right. She wanted custody of me after the death of my parents, but my grandfather won and moved me to New Orleans. We remained close, talking at least once a week by phone. Now that I was in Michigan we could see each other regularly, but it had been days since we’d talked and she was behind on reaper gossip.
“I’m sure she did what she could,” I hedged. “If she had the power to give your mother back completely, she would’ve done it.”
“I know.” Braden flashed a tight smile. “It’s still difficult. Perhaps we shouldn’t talk about Madame Maxine.”
That was probably a good idea. “Tell me about the lilies. What type did you choose?”
“Oh, we picked six different kinds.” Braden’s smile was back. “Dad picked white because they’re the standard for memorials and he likes to follow rules.”
That made sense. “White lilies are gorgeous.”
“They are,” he agreed, bobbing his head. “Redmond picked orange because they mean respect and honor. Aidan picked pink because they mean admiration ... and that’s Jerry’s favorite color.”
I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.
“Cillian picked red for love. Aisling picked some sort of paisley hybrid — at least that’s what she called it — because she said our mother was more than one thing ... and that’s okay.”
The expression on his face made my heart hurt. “What did you pick?”
“I picked yellow for happiness, because no matter who came back, we were happy years ago and that’s what I want to remember.”
Instinctively, I reached out and grabbed his hand. “I didn’t know your mother, but I think she would’ve liked that. It sounds like you guys are going to turn this area into a lily extravaganza, which is probably the best way to honor her.”
“Yeah.” He squeezed my hand and slowly turned to me. “I heard you found a journal or something.”
“In the library,” I acknowledged, struggling to look away from the naked emotion in his eyes. He was laid bare right now, the warmth of his body radiating over me as we stood with our chests almost touching. “I don’t know why I forget about that room. It’s right there all the time.”
“Did you find anything interesting in it?”
“No, but I only had a few minutes to look. I got distracted by Jerry, who insisted Aidan couldn’t pick him up and was too frightened to Uber by himself.”
Braden arched an eyebrow. “Well ... that doesn’t make much sense. He Ubers by himself all the time.”
“I figured.”
“Why do you think he played you like that?”
The answer was simple. “To get me here.”
“Here? Because of the prime rib?”
“I think the prime rib was low on the list.”
Realization dawned on his handsome features. “Oh. He wanted to force you to spend time with me.” He chuckled, the sound warm and content. “In case you haven’t noticed, my family has taken it upon themselves to make sure we have no choice but to mash ourselves together at every turn.”
“Is that what you want?” I couldn’t stop myself from asking the question. “Is that it? Do you want to have a night and then let it go?”
“No.” He vehemently shook his head. “I like you. I’ve already told you that. It’s up to you what happens next.”
I wasn’t sure that was true. I was beginning to wonder if I ever had a choice in what was going to happen from the second I’d met him. My heart seemed to yearn from the moment our eyes met ... and ever since it felt as if I was fighting a losing battle.
“That’s not enough for me,” I said. “What do you want?”
He moved closer, even though I was already struggling to find oxygen to breathe. “I can’t stop thinking about you.” His voice was barely a whisper. “I want to be close to you all the time. I have to stop myself from showing up on the island because I don’t want to crowd you.”
My mouth was dry. “How do you know I don’t like being crowded?”
“I can tell.” His fingers were gentle when they brushed a strand of hair behind my ear. “You’re an only child. You don’t get the loudness associated with this house, and yet you enjoy yourself when you’re here. It’s a brave new world ... and you have fun.
“You know, I get that you’re here for a reason,” he continued, barely taking a breath. It was as if he worried I would suddenly break in and make an excuse to leave if he didn’t fill the silence. “You want to find out what happened to your parents. I can help you. That doesn’t mean we can’t be together at the same time.”
I wanted to give in.
“How do you know we’re compatible?” I asked, giving myself time to overcome the fuzziness in my brain.
“How does anybody know? They date and try to figure it out.”
I sighed. I so wanted to give in.
“Fine.” I exhaled heavily. I was done fighting it. “Go ahead and kiss me.”
His eyebrows migrated so far north they almost melded with his hairline. “That’s not exactly what I had in mind. I need you to tell me you want it. That’s the only way this will work. You’re the one holding back.”
He wasn’t wrong. For the first time in a very long time, I was afraid. He recognized that about me and still he didn’t back down.
I wanted to give in, and that’s exactly what I did. “I want you to kiss me.” I meant it with my whole heart as he leaned his head closer. “I want to try.”
“Everything?” He was breathless.
“Everything.”
His mouth descended on mine and we engaged in a kiss that was so sweet, so painfully loving, and completely hot at the same time that I thought steam would start shooting out of my ears. I lost my head ... and probably my heart.
For the first time in my life, I allowed myself to fall. He was there to catch me.
Twenty
I was confused upon waking.
The room was dark, other than a smattering of light that shone through the window blinds. There was a warm body beside me, which seemed out of place.
Oh, there was also a hand on my butt.
I jolted to a sitting position, my mind going a million miles a second. Then, as if in slow motion, I remembered the night before and how I ended up in Braden’s bed.
“Flipping
frogs,” I muttered, dragging a hand through my messy hair.
Braden cocked an eye and regarded me with an unreadable look.
“Aren’t you freaking out?” I blurted out.
He shook his head. “No. It’s not even seven yet. Go back to bed and I’ll flip out in an hour if you want.” He slid his hand around my waist and pulled me closer. “We don’t get up with the sun in Grimlock Manor. Okay, maybe my father does. That’s only because he likes the quiet before we start bugging him with inane questions and petty bickering. And, yes, he actually told us that, which is why I used those particular words.”
I was dumbfounded. “I can’t go back to sleep. I have to sneak out of here.”
“Oh, really?” He didn’t move his hand from my hip. “May I ask why you’re sneaking out before the crack of dawn?”
“First, dawn has already come and gone.” I inclined my chin toward the window. “You might not be an early bird, but that doesn’t mean the day hasn’t started without you.”
He smirked. “You’re cute.” He pushed my hair away from my face. “By the way, you do that shifting into a Bruja thing when you get excited for more than fighting an enemy. It freaked me out the first time last night. Now I kind of like it.”
I was mortified. “What? Are you saying I ... when I ... you know?”
His grin was so wide it almost swallowed his face. “Three times.”
“Oh, geez!” I slapped my hand to my forehead and rolled away from him to bury my face in the pillows. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
Apparently agitated, Braden rolled to his back and finger-combed his hair. “I don’t see why you’re being so weird about this. We’re both consenting adults. Unless ... did you change your mind?”
He looked so horrified at the prospect when I risked a glance in his direction I had to take pity on him. “No.” I wrapped my fingers around his wrist and squeezed. “I didn’t change my mind. Don’t think that. Last night was ... great.”
His smile was back.
“Don’t get a full head,” I chided. “I’m sure you can do even better than you did last night if you practiced a bit.”
“Very funny.” He poked my side and rolled on top of me so he could tickle my ribs unimpeded. “You’re just making me want to try harder right now,” he warned.
That was a very bad idea. “Stop it,” I instructed, gasping when his fingers caused me to squirm. “I hate being tickled.”
“Get used to it.” He gave me another tickle before lifting his head and staring into my eyes. “Do you admit defeat?”
That was a weird thing to say. “I’m not one of your siblings. You don’t have to win at all costs.”
His eyes filled with mirth as I realized the double meaning of what I’d said.
“I mean ... you know what I mean.” I lightly pinched his flank. “Not everything in life is a competition. You might’ve believed that before because of the way you interact with your siblings, but it’s simply not true. You don’t have to beat me.”
He sobered. “I didn’t mean it like that. I just ... well, maybe I did.” He propped himself on an elbow and rubbed his stubbled chin. Oddly enough, he looked even more handsome in the milky morning light. That should’ve been impossible, yet he effortlessly pulled it off, which I found distracting. “Fine. I won’t try to win at all costs,” he said finally. “Does that make you happy?”
I shrugged. “I’m happy regardless ... although that’s something we’ll need to discuss later. I think I should be going. I need to call an Uber or something.”
He furrowed his brow. “What do you mean? Where do you have to go? Do you need to be back at the gate?”
“Oliver is handling the gate this morning. That’s not it.”
“Then ... what is it?”
“This.”
“This what?” He looked around, confused. “Do you not like my room? I guess it could use a spruce. You should be thankful that I finally took down all my posters of scantily-clad women from my teenage years. Things could be worse.”
I shot him a withering look. “Not that ... but why you felt the need to tell me that is beyond me. I need to get out of here before your family figures out what we did last night.”
Realization dawned on his face and he clamped his mouth shut, pressing his lips together as he made a face I’d never seen before.
“It’s not the end of the world,” I said hurriedly, resting my hand on his forearm. “I’m sure we can figure out a way to get me out of here without them knowing so you won’t be subject to their teasing.”
When he finally opened his mouth, it was to let loose a chuckle rather than agree with me.
“How can you think this is funny?” Annoyance came out to play as I dragged my fingers through my hair. “Your family will know that I spent the night if you’re not careful.”
“So what?” He managed to stop laughing, but just barely. “What do you think they’re going to do to us with this new information? Tar and feathers? The rack? Pear of Anguish? Brazen Bull?”
I had to ask the obvious question. “What is the Pear of Anguish? Actually, while you’re at it, what is the Brazen Bull?”
He smirked. “You don’t want to know. Let’s just say I spent a lot of time as a kid looking up antiquated torture methods because my brothers and sister gave me endless headaches.”
That was a horrifying thought. “You were a weird kid, huh?”
He shrugged. “I think I was a fairly normal kid. I was a sullen teenager, though.”
“Who wasn’t?” I continued combing my hair to smooth it as I rested my chin on his chest. He was well muscled, though not so compact he looked like a bodybuilder. His frame was long and lanky, and I couldn’t help giving him an extra look now that we had natural light to lead the way. “You don’t want me to sneak out so your father doesn’t know what we were doing?”
Braden’s lips curved with amusement. “No. My father is well aware that I’ve had sex.”
“Yeah, but ... this is his house.”
“And he’s fine with overnight guests. Heck, he got so used to Griffin spending the night when he was dating Aisling that he started stocking the refrigerator with his favorite midnight snacks.”
Oddly, that made me feel better. “They’re going to tease you mercilessly.”
“Listen, my little witch, what makes you think they haven’t been teasing me since the moment they picked up on the fact that I liked you? We’re Grimlocks. Teasing each other is what we do.
“It’s going to be fine,” he reassured me, burying his face in my neck and exhaling deeply enough to send shivers down my spine when his hot breath washed over my skin. “They’ll be jerks, but they’ll get over it. After this morning, they’ll pretty much work everything out of their systems.”
That was a relief. At least I thought so. Still ... . “What do you think they’ll say?”
“I ... .” He didn’t get a chance to finish because his bedroom door swung open to allow Redmond entrance. The oldest Grimlock sibling swaggered into the room, barely lifting an eyebrow when I scrambled to make sure I was covered.
“Do you knock?” Braden barked, tugging the covers tighter around me as he wrapped his arm around my back.
“Hey, Izzy.” Redmond was blasé, his hair messy. He’d clearly just gotten up. “I am out of clean shirts because I forgot to drop my laundry with the maids this week. I need to borrow something.”
“Get out,” Braden ordered.
“It’s just for today.” Redmond’s grin was sly as he glanced between us. “I’ll have it laundered and returned tomorrow.”
“Get out!” Braden’s voice was a deafening roar as Redmond chuckled and turned on his heel.
“You’re right, Ais,” he called out. “She spent the night. You win the pool because they very obviously did it. That should make you happy.”
My cheeks burned as the bedroom door closed and Braden flopped back on his pillow to stare at the ceiling. “Your family sucks somet
imes,” I said finally.
“What was your first clue?”
BY THE TIME WE MADE IT downstairs for breakfast I’d managed to calm myself, though only marginally. I wore the same jeans from the previous day and Braden loaned me a simple black T-shirt. I’d showered in Braden’s private bathroom and now smelled of his shower gel, which wasn’t necessarily a bad thing, but my stomach was full of butterflies as we made our way to the dining room.
“Don’t let this freak you out,” he whispered outside the door, his lips brushing the ridge of my ear and sending chills down my spine. “They’re going to give us grief — me more than you — but then it’ll be over. I mean ... Maya and Griffin managed to survive it. You will, too.”
That did very little to ease the nerves fluttering through my stomach. “I don’t know if I can do this.” I felt helpless when I uttered the words, weak. I’d faced countless monsters over the years, fought off bullies in middle school and overenthusiastic dates when I was older. I’d once taken on a bayou stink monster completely on my own without any backup. This was something else entirely.
“Oh, you make me laugh.” He squeezed my hand and gave me a quick kiss before pushing me through the door.
I almost tripped over my own feet as I careened into the room, my eyes going wide as I realized the table was full of curious faces — including Cillian’s girlfriend Maya, who looked ridiculously amused. “Um ... hello.” My voice was barely a whisper.
“Good morning, Izzy,” Cormack offered from his spot at the head of the table. He held a wide-awake Lily in his arms, making a series of faces for her benefit as everyone else watched with mugs of coffee and glasses of juice in their hands. “Did you sleep well?”
Aidan and Redmond snickered in unison, causing Cormack’s expression to darken.
“Are we back in middle school, boys?” he challenged. “I swear, the older you get, the younger you act sometimes. It’s absolutely ridiculous.”
“We didn’t say anything,” Redmond protested, his cheeks flushing. “Did you hear us say anything?”
Only the Quiet Page 19