Ruffles & Beaus

by Carina Adams

  “Alone at last,” Reid whispered as he tucked a damp curl behind my ear.

  “Finally,” I smiled back.

  His eyes raked over me slowly. “And what do we have here?”

  “Well,” I laughed as I tugged on the shirt and boxers I’d borrowed from him, “I didn’t bring anything to sleep in. Silly me,” I shrugged playfully. “Roman said you wouldn’t mind if I borrowed something of yours. Was he wrong?”

  “Oh, he was wrong. So very wrong,” he informed me straight faced. “In fact, I want them back, right now. Take them off.”

  “Okay,” I backed away and reached for my phone.

  “What are you doing?”

  I held up a finger. “I’ll be happy to give you back your clothes. Just give me one second.”

  “And why would I do that?” He stepped forward as I backed up.

  “Roman said if you objected to this outfit,” I looked down at my phone and pretended to pull up my contacts, “that I could borrow something of his. I think he said he’d let me use the shirt he wore today. I—,” I squealed as Reid scooped me up in a fireman’s hold and my phone slipped from my fingers.

  He threw me on the bed like a sack of potatoes, which shouldn’t have been appealing or sexy in any way, yet it was. Then he jumped onto the bed next to me, and braced himself on one elbow while he flung the other arm over my stomach. He looked down at me, a handsome grin on his face.

  “Did he now?”

  I nodded. “So, if you want me to take them off…,”

  “No,” his fingers closed around the t-shirt at my hip. “You look perfect. They should stay on.”

  “Mmhmm,” I settled into the pillow and looked up at him. “So, if I hadn’t mentioned Roman’s clothes?”

  He tipped his head one way, and then the other, in exaggerated thought and his eyes focused on the nightstand. “We’d probably be naked right now.”

  “Oh, really?”

  His lips quirked. “No,” he laughed as he shifted his attention back to me. “No probably about it. We’d definitely be naked.” He waggled his eyebrows suggestively.

  I giggled. He was too adorable for words. The need to touch him was so strong I lifted my hand and ran my fingertips over the scruff on his chin.

  His eyes burned into mine as his hand drifted up the side of my body, stopping every few inches to rub circles, then starting the unbelievably slow torture all over again. When they reached my face, his knuckles were rough against my skin. Then he cupped my cheek, dipped his head, and captured my lips.

  There was a hesitation, one that hadn’t been there the first time we’d kissed. When he broke away, I palmed his cheek.

  “Are you okay?”

  His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I will be.” The pad of his thumb traced my lips, “It’s been a long day, but I have a beautiful woman in my bed. I want to forget about everything else.”

  I wanted him to kiss me him for hours, to help each other erase the night from our minds. I couldn’t ignore the wrinkle of worry between his eyes, though. Or the fact that he was distant, anywhere but there with me.

  “It has been a long day,” I agreed. “Will you hold me while we sleep?”

  He did a double take and searched my face as he contemplated my request. “You’ve got me alone for the next few hours and you want to sleep?”

  He sounded so stunned it was almost comical. I wanted to take it all back, but I forced myself to nod.

  “Okay,” he consented as he slid down the bed. When his head was on the pillow, his body stretched out behind mine, he snuggled in close and nipped at my ear. “Next time I have you alone in a bedroom, there will be no sleeping.”

  Twenty-Six

  Roman

  “I’ll call Gran and cancel.”

  “No, don’t do that,” Reid shook four white packets against the edge of his Styrofoam cup before he tore them open and emptied them into his coffee.

  I watched him, perplexed by the odd behavior. “You know Cady takes just cream, right?”

  He nodded, pushed the lid onto it, and chugged. “It’s mine,” he explained unnecessarily. “She’s not awake yet.” He tapped a Marlboro Red from the pack and put it between his lips. “It was a long fucking night and I need a little extra pep.”

  Jealousy burned in my gut, but I forced it away. I didn’t want to think about why he was tired enough to need sugar when he’d spent twenty-five years refusing to eat it. I pointed to the cigarette he’d lit.

  “I thought you quit.”

  He gave me an amused look as he took a long drag and inhaled. “We can’t both cancel on your grandparents.”

  “Violet was up most of the night. When she wakes up, she’s going to have the hangover from hell. We can’t take her like that.”

  “You’re right. Which is why I’m going to take her home.”

  “What?”

  He shrugged. “She won’t make it through brunch. We can’t cancel. So, the only thing we can do is divide and conquer. You take Cady to brunch, I’ll take Vi home.”

  “You want me to spend the entire day with Cady—without you?” Something was wrong. He’d never willingly leave the two of us alone as long as he had another option.

  “Fuck, no. But I don’t have a choice.” He dropped his cigarette into the Butt-Box outside our hotel, downed the rest of his coffee, and checked the time on his phone. “If I wake Vi up now, we can get to the station before the first train leaves. You and Cady need to get a move on, too.”

  “We’ll got to brunch and then head right home. You’ll pick us up? We need to figure out this China shit.”

  He nodded, relief obvious. If I hadn’t known better, I’d think Reid was intentionally pawning Cady off onto me. I just didn’t know why.

  “It won’t take long, I promise. We’ll eat, then leave. An hour, tops.”

  Cady hadn’t seemed upset we were going to the MacGregor’s alone, but she had been distracted ever since we left the hotel. I wasn’t surprised after our heavy-topic talk the night before. I wanted to get through brunch and get her on the train, then I’d ask her how she was doing.

  “Oh, good. We can be grasshoppers.”

  I turned from the window to her, sure I’d misheard her. “We’ll be what?”

  “Grasshoppers,” she repeated with a grin. “They come, they eat, they leave.”

  I hadn’t the faintest idea what she was talking about. “You are the weirdest person I’ve ever met.”

  “Then next time, I’ll introduce you to my family,” she laughed and I smiled back automatically. I liked that idea. I wanted to know the people she loved. “So, what do I need to know about your grandparents?”

  “No.” I shook my head.

  “No?”

  “You have to go in blind. If I tell you anything, you’ll miss getting to know them on your own.” The Uber pulled up in front of the familiar brownstone. “Besides, we’re here.”

  I opened the door and pulled her from the backseat before I retrieved our bags from the trunk and led her up the stairs. Gran opened the wide red door and welcomed us with open arms. “Roman,” she hugged me then turned to my guest, “Cady.”

  The MacGregor joined us in the foyer and snatched the bags from my hands. “Where’s Reid and Kendra?”

  “Learning a very valuable lesson,” I laughed. “When one over-imbibes, they pay for it the next day.”

  Cady’s eyes grew wide and she shifted uncomfortably, as if shocked I’d been honest.

  “That is a valuable lesson. It’s really too bad it took you so long to learn it,” the MacGregor chuckled. “Reid.”

  “Kendra,” I explained as Cady and I followed them by the stairs and down the hall into the family room. “She’s going to feel it tomorrow. Reid took her home.”

  “Good. He’ll take good care of her.”

  I nodded my agreement. “I know it’s disappointing,” I told Gran with a shrug, “but I thought you’d take Cady and I as a consolation prize.”

  My grandmother
sighed dramatically and shook her head sadly, “You know Reid is my favorite, but I promise not to kick you out until after breakfast.”

  “Do try to be nice, honey. We only have to tolerate them for a few hours,” the MacGregor added.

  Cady watched the interaction with a fascinated horror that made our typical family banter even more fun.

  My grandfather noticed, too. “We’re scaring the new girl,” he told us in a loud whisper. “Quick, act normal.”

  “Roman,” Grannie snapped. “Did you not prepare her?”

  Cady shook her head. “No. He told me I needed to get to know you on my own.”

  The MacGregor nodded. “It really is best that way. Or you’ll come in with high expectations and be disappointed. It’s best to assume the worst when a MacGregor is involved, my dear.”

  “Take my word for it,” Gran agreed with a nod. “Especially one of the MacGregor men. If you plan to be let down, then you’ll always be presently surprised.”

  Cady leaned in to my shoulder, “How long did you say we had to stay?” She’d said it just loud enough to be heard, but she didn’t try to mask the smile on her face. I grinned down at her and lifted my arm over her shoulder to tug her close. It had taken Brooke months before she’d felt comfortable enough to play along, yet here Cady was, five minutes in.

  “Oh, no you don’t. Sit, sit,” Grannie practically pushed Cady onto the chaise before she shoved me down next to her. “We don’t get to see Roman as much as we’d like. When we do, we hold him captive for as long as we can.”

  “It’s true,” I told my friend. “One summer they stole me and then moved from house to house to keep my parents from finding me.”

  “No,” Gran argued as she settled into her favorite chair next to the fireplace. “Just your mother. We told your father where you were.”

  Cady snorted. “How long were you gone?”

  Gran waved her hand dismissively. “Oh, it was just for a couple of months. It wasn’t that big of a deal. Roman needed a break from his sister and his mother thought it would be better to send him to a summer camp out west than let us have him. It was pure craziness.” She lifted her shoulders. “We saved him from what was sure to be a traumatic experience.”

  The MacGregor lifted a hand next to his mouth in an attempt to shield his mouth from me. “Military school.”

  I snorted. “It was an exclusive summer baseball program I’d begged my parents to send me to.”

  “That’s what they told him,” Gran explained. “They had him convinced.”

  “Well, thankfully you save him,” Cady’s face was so serious I almost believed her. “Military school would have made him into a bossy and demanding ass. Insufferable, really.”

  Gran nodded. “Exactly. I can’t imagine it, can you? Our sweet, patient, selfless Roman as a monster?”

  “I can’t,” Cady answered as she turned to me.

  “Ha, ha,” I rolled my eyes. “Lucky for us, they did rescue me and I got to spend the summer with them.”

  “Speaking of your mother, Roman, how is she?”

  “Good, I think.” I answered carefully. My grandparents were kooky and found the humor in every situation, but family was everything to them. They’d objected vehemently to my self-imposed time-out. “You talk to her more than I do, though, so you tell me.”

  “Talk is a bit of a stretch,” Gran laughed. “I see her at family functions, but we avoid each other like the plague.”

  “She’s good, then.” I grinned. Dad would have called me if something was wrong.

  “Roman’s mother has never forgiven me,” Grannie told Cady.

  “Because you kidnapped him and didn’t let her send him to military school?”

  Gran nodded, “Why, yes.” She pointed at Cady but looked at me. “She’s smart. I like her.”

  “That’s exactly what happened, my dear,” the MacGregor nodded. “Our daughter-in-law’s dislike for you has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that you told Seamus not to marry her and sobbed all through their ceremony. Or that you later convinced him Roman was the perfect name for the descendent of a protestant highlander. However, I fear it may have something to do with the fact that you intentionally miss her birthday. Every year.”

  Cady snorted and tried to cover it with a cough.

  Gran twisted her lips. “Actually, you know I think you might be right. This year I’ll make sure to send her present on time.” She stood up and reached for me. “Roman, will you come with me? I want to show you what I got for her.”

  “I don’t think I’m the best judge,” I argued with a shake of my head. I didn’t want to leave Cady already.

  “You’re her son. That makes you the expert. We’ll check on the food on the way.”

  “You know her birthday is in April, right?”

  The small twitch of her lips was the only thing that gave her away. “Oh, dear. I thought it was October.” My grandmother never got dates mixed up. Ever. She wasn’t going to let me off the hook.

  I patted Cady’s thigh and stood. “Be right back.”

  “Don’t go anywhere,” Gran told her. “I want to know all there is know about Cady.”

  I started to follow gran but stopped to point at the MacGregor. “She’s a lightweight. No alcohol. And don’t hit on my girl.” I paused for a moment in the doorway and glanced back at them over my shoulder. “Be nice.”

  “When am I not nice?” My grandfather huffed.

  “Oh, don’t worry,” Cady assured him as I walked away. “He’s talking to me.”

  Gran went straight toward the office instead of the kitchen. She waited until the door was closed behind us before she gave me the look. I’d seen it a hundred times when she’d given my cousins the third degree, but it was only the second time she’d sent it my way. “She’s a pleasant surprise.”

  “But?”

  She shook her head. “No but.”

  “There’s always a but,” I crossed my arms over my chest. “Especially when you pull me away five minutes after we arrive.”

  “She’s,” Gran paused, “different. But, I want to talk about you.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “We’ve all been worried about you. For good reason.” My gran never beat around the bush, but for some reason she’d never mentioned the failed wedding from hell or the drunk I’d become afterward. I wished she would so we could get it out of the way.

  “I’m fine.” I explained cautiously.

  She nodded, but it felt like she didn’t believe me. “Have you seen Brooke?”

  And there it was. “Friday night.”

  It was her turn to look stunned. She waited for more, but I wasn’t going to talk about Brooke when I’d brought another woman to brunch. It didn’t matter what my real relationship with Cady was, she was my date for the day and deserved respect.

  I knew how much Grannie loved my ex-fiancé. Our families had planned a picture perfect future for us, right down to the neighborhoods we could live in and the schools our children could attend. I didn’t want to give her false hope.

  “We ran into her, that’s it.” I clarified. “It’s over, Gran. I’m moving on.”

  She stared at me closely, searching for truth in my words. Finally, she nodded. “Okay.” She turned to the closet and pulled out a gift box. “Do you think your mother will like this?”

  And just like that, Brooke was a topic of the past.

  “On a scale from one to ten, how horrible was today?” I asked as we strolled down the platform with the other passengers waiting to board the train home.

  Cady adjusted her bag strap on her shoulder. I’d offered to carry it, but she’d pushed me away. “One being absolutely miserable?”

  I nodded. My grandparents, while charming, were a bit much. They’d separated us as much as possible and I was dying to know what they’d said to Cady.

  “That’s hard,” she twisted her lips. “A solid nine.” When I did a double take and she rolled her eyes. “Please. They’re really
sweet. They adore you for some reason. Other than hearing how great you were every five minutes, it was fun.”

  “They did not talk about me that much.”

  “Oh, they did. I now know everything there is to know about you, Mr. Hotshot Baseball player.”

  Oh, if she only knew a quarter of what she thought she did, she’d run away as fast as she could.

  We reached the doors for Business class and I guided her on board, motioning to the side with double seats. “Window or aisle?”

  She shrugged. “I figured you’d want to sit in the singles.”

  I gave her the window seat. “Why? Then we couldn’t talk.”

  “And that’s a bad thing, why?”

  “Is that a real question? We promised honesty, so if it is, I’ll answer it.”

  “No,” she shook her head and looked at me—finally. “I’m just really good at avoiding the awkward.”

  “I’ve noticed.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and powered it down. The train left the station, but I ignored everything except her. “For the next two-and-a-half hours you have my undivided attention. Let’s talk.”

  Her eyes darted around us nervously. We were virtually alone. A couple two rows ahead and a man on his tablet diagonally behind me were the only ones within hearing distance. I didn’t think any of them gave two shits what Cady and I talked about.

  Satisfied no one would overhear us, she lapped her lips. “I don’t know where to start.”

  “Pick a topic. Nothing is off limits. You have questions, so ask.” I knew she wanted answers, but I didn’t volunteer information to anyone. If you wanted something from me, you needed to tell me.

  Her face grew determined and I thought she was going to start digging. She sighed and shook her head. “I can’t.”

  She needed a push so I went for the shock factor. “Are you fucking Reid?”

  Her eyes grew wide and her lips parted in a way that made me long to lean down and trace them with my tongue. “Not yet.” She arched a single eyebrow. “Why?”

  I almost told her he’d acted weird, but I went with another truth. “Because I’m a nosey bastard.” When she nodded in agreement, I continued. “Just like that.”