Winner: The Mathesons Book 4

by Declan Rhodes

Jamie was as handsome as always. He wore a crisply pressed pale blue dress shirt that perfectly complemented his blond hair and light complexion. He smiled like nothing had happened when he saw me.

  I didn’t waste time ignoring the tension inside. As I sat on the opposite side of the table, I said, “You’d better talk fast, because I still hurt like hell, and I might get up at any time.”

  Jamie shook his head. “Don’t. Please. I know what happened, and I know I was ridiculous and wrong. Please forgive me, Angelo. This is a sincere apology. We had something amazing together that goes way beyond Star One, and we can’t give it up yet.”

  I planned to block out anything Jamie had to say, but he surprised me. All that I expected was a plea to get back together. The claim that he knew what happened surprised me.

  I asked, “Do you think you know all of the details? How would you know that? You didn’t stick around long enough to find out.”

  Jamie was calm in his response. “I talked to Pete. After I listened to him, I put two and two together from everything else that I knew. You wouldn’t lie to me, Angelo, and you wouldn’t cheat. I know that now. It wouldn’t fit with everything else that we’ve shared.”

  I was still skeptical and narrowed my eyes. “What do you think happened?”

  “Harassment, plain and simple, and I refuse to let you be a victim. I’m going to make things right. I’ll fight for you.”

  A shiver passed through my body. “But I didn’t…I mean, it was partly…”

  Jamie held up a hand. “He has a history, and I have an ace in my pocket. Just you wait and see. Whether you can forgive me or not, you’ll have your job back. It will be bad enough if I have to lose you. I can’t let the industry miss out on one of its best young talents over a creepy executive.”

  “An ace? What do you mean?” Jamie’s comment made me nervous. I didn’t want it all to become a colossal scandal spread throughout the city or even the state.

  Jamie reached out across the table for my hand, and I let him take it. He asked, “Do you trust me?”

  I looked deep into his eyes. It didn’t feel like I had a choice. I wasn’t ready to forgive him. The dressing down he gave me in the office still caused pain, but I decided that I had no choice but to put my faith in him again.

  “I do trust you. You’ve always been honest with me, too.”

  25

  Jamie

  I high-fived Angelo as we walked out of Hal Ensign’s office. I wanted to grab him and tackle him to the floor followed by tearing his clothes off in a mad erotic frenzy, but we had to maintain a certain amount of decorum. A smile lit up my face as we turned to each other when Hal shut the door behind us.

  The meeting couldn’t have gone better. Hal explained the entire process of the Star One investigation into Charles Blackmoor. After I raised the complaint on Angelo’s behalf, office security sealed off Blackmoor’s office, and they found photos of Angelo printed out and stuffed into a desk drawer. Fortunately, none of them were compromising. Most of them focused on his handsome face and looked like they were taken discreetly with a cellphone.

  I tossed into the investigation my secret weapon, my big brother Mason. He’d mentioned knowing Blackmoor in the past, and I called to check whether he had any more details about old transgressions.

  Mason was a goldmine of information, and he was more than willing to go to bat for me. He dug out a newspaper article from southern California and an old email that detailed Blackmoor’s firing from another firm for similar predatory behavior. Hal said they double-checked on every piece of data from Mason and verified it all.

  In the end, Star One fired Blackmoor and made sure their side of the story filtered through the tight network of large advertising agencies. It was unlikely that Blackmoor would ever work in the industry again. He was lucky to avoid going to jail.

  Angelo refused to press charges, and Star One was glad to get rid of their predatory executive without an ugly public trial. Angelo breathed a huge sigh of relief when Hal shared that detail.

  I wasn’t surprised, but Angelo said that he was shocked when Hal invited him back to the company in his old job. He said that we could also discuss whether we wanted to renew our working partnership, but that wasn’t a condition of the offer of employment.

  Angelo was nearly speechless. He managed to squeak out a comment that he didn’t want to decide on the spot about working with me indefinitely, but he was happy to return to his old job. I applauded as he accepted the offer.

  Standing outside of Hal’s office, I looked into Angelo’s eyes. I knew that it would be next to impossible for me to say goodbye again to our intimate relationship. Unfortunately, I also understood that I had to keep my word and uphold my side of the agreement. Our relationship was not on the line in dealing with Blackmoor. I helped make sure Angelo got a just deal without conditions.

  Reaching out to hold Angelo’s hands for what I knew could be the last time, I said, “I don’t expect you to forgive me. I was a complete idiot, but I want you to know that I’ll always be on your side and fight for you. I hope that we can at least be friends.”

  Angelo held onto his serious expression for perhaps thirty seconds longer, and then he suddenly burst out laughing. I opened my eyes wide and asked, “What?”

  “Are you crazy?”

  “Uh…I don’t think so. What’s so funny?”

  “You. You’re ridiculous, Jamie. There’s one thing left that has to happen to complete this fairytale ending to the story.”

  I started to understand what he was getting at. Angelo wanted the opportunity to ride off into the sunset, but he didn’t want to be alone.

  I asked, “Are you missing your Prince Charming? Or maybe you are Prince Charming.” With a laugh, I broke into a galloping motion like I was riding a hobby horse. “Your horse, my liege.”

  “Now, I think you’re completely absurd, but yeah, I don’t want to go home alone. That would suck.”

  “Aww, fuck, Angelo. Do you know what just happened?”

  He glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t think so. Did I miss something.”

  “That comment made me hard. Are we still—a thing?”

  “Do you want to be?”

  “Of course, I do. Where should we go? Moretti’s? Or my place.”

  “Please, let’s go to your place,” said Angelo. “I’ve had to deal with enough raw emotion for a few hours. Ma would turn this into a bigger deal than it is already. I need some time with my man before I can face the family gauntlet.”

  I’d had enough of decorum. I threw my arms around Angelo and planted a big kiss on his cheek before sharing a more erotic one mouth to mouth. I didn’t care that we were standing in the executive suite of Star One. We’d been through hell together, and we deserved to share an ecstatically happy moment any way that we wanted.

  As I gazed into Angelo’s eyes, I pushed his shirt up and off his shoulders. My body raged with desire, and seeing more of my boyfriend’s flesh made it more intense. I slowly trailed my index finger down the center of his chest and abs while Angelo leaned forward for a kiss.

  Before our lips he touched, he whispered, “I want you to be the last man that I ever kiss.”

  I said, “That means forever.”

  “Yes, it does. Do you want that?”

  As my index finger hooked into the waist of Angelo’s jeans, I said, “It’s not a matter of want. I need that. You’re the only man for me. Forever and ever. For always.”

  My opposite hand rested on Angelo’s cheek as our lips touched. In seconds, our tongues twined together ramping up my lust and chasing thoughts of anything but Angelo from my mind.

  As he slowly unbuttoned my shirt, Angelo pulled back from the kiss and asked, “Will you dance with me?”

  My brow furrowed in confusion. “Dance?”

  “Slow dance. Up close. Swaying together.”

  “Don’t we need music?”

  “I can hum.”

  My shirt tumbled to the floor off
my shoulders, and we stood together, shirtless in the living room of my loft apartment. Angelo wrapped his arms around me, and I reached lower, placing my hands on his perfect ass.

  “Remember, we’re dancing. At least for now,” said Angelo.

  In all the many times I’d invited guys home to my place, none of them ever asked to dance before making out on the couch or pounding each other in bed. Angelo was different, and I loved that about him. He was a romantic, and that part of his personality drove me nuts.

  Our hips pressed together as we slowly swayed back and forth together while Angelo hummed some old, slow song. Suddenly, he decided that we could do more than dance.

  Pulling me closer with his arms wrapped tight around my torso, Angelo pressed his lips to mine. He gave me three closed mouth kisses light like feathers touching my lips. I gasped for breath. They were so soft and so sexy at the same time.

  Opening my eyes wide, I gazed at the handsome face of my boyfriend. His eyes were closed, and he parted his lips to kiss me again. I couldn’t resist pulling one hand up to cup the back of his head, weaving my fingers into his silky hair. I opened my mouth and wanted to devour Angelo. Every nerve in my body vibrated at its highest point of arousal.

  Angelo opened his eyes and placed a finger against my lips. “Not so fast. Slow down. Enjoy every single moment. We won, Jamie. Not the competition. We won what’s most important.”

  My heart pounded, and I wanted to pull the finger away. I needed to kiss Angelo. I needed to feel the passion. I asked, “Do you mean the battle against Blackmoor?”

  Angelo shook his head and gently rubbed the tip of his finger along my lower lip. “We won each other. We trusted, and here we are. You’re a big winner, a champion, and so am I.”

  26

  Epilogue - Jamie

  In the end, the double wedding of my two oldest brothers didn’t happen in New York or California. After the discussion erupted into an argument that kept Mason and Tate from speaking to each other for a week, my twin brother Benji stepped in suggested a compromise.

  With hearty support from Mason and Tate’s grooms-to-be, Kyle and Simon, the wedding took place in the backyard of Jax’s family’s house in the outskirts of Boston. Benji asked his boyfriend’s family first, and they felt honored to even have the Matheson clan consider the option. As Benji showed me the ample open space lined with beautiful flower beds on his cellphone, I knew that it was the perfect, neutral place. Fortunately, Mason and Tate came to their senses and agreed.

  We limited the invitations as the Matheson and Greene families would already fill up much of the space. I assisted Benji and Jax with keeping the peace when Mason and Tate disputed every decision from the reception band to the number of layers on the wedding cake.

  My way of calming my older brothers down was to say, “We’re holding a large party in Boston a few months from now in September whether you like it or not. I hope you’re both there to get married. If you want that to be the main event, you need to get your act together and agree on these things. Otherwise, we’ll all move ahead and enjoy the party without you.”

  The first time I said it to Mason over the phone, I heard a long pause. I knew that he was trying to figure out whether or not I was serious. Finally, Mason said, “Yeah, okay. I get it.”

  Usually, neither Benji nor I would stand up so boldly to my older brothers, but I knew that I had the backing of my parents. Secretly, in private phone conversations, both Kyle and Simon assured me that they were happy to have me speak on their behalf, too. As I stood firm, we hashed everything out in time to send out invitations to our small crowd.

  With the permission of everyone involved, I invited Angelo’s immediate family. I insisted that they needed to be there because I wanted them to feel like they belonged with the Matheson clan. While I had both Mason and Tate on a conference call, I said, “I think Angelo is the one, so we should start inviting his family to events now. He also comes with few added benefits for an occasion like this.”

  I descended on Benji and Jax a full week before the weddings along with Angelo and his Texas kin. The Morettis offered to provide the food for the reception, and Benji agreed that it was a perfect idea. We made the decision and put together a plan with Ma Moretti without consulting Mason or Tate. Surprisingly, they were both happy about the decision. Tate exclaimed, “I love Italian!”

  As the preparations began, something unexpected occurred. Angelo and I didn’t anticipate any conflicts or issues between the Morettis and Jax’s family, but we didn’t expect immediate bonding either.

  Christian, Jax’s younger brother, and Tony Moretti were excited to meet each other. Before we left Dallas, I’d shared details that I knew about Jax’s family from conversations with Benji. Moments after we stepped into Jax’s house, Tony pointed at Christian and excitedly asked, “Is he the musician?”

  Christian already felt like he knew Tony from watching our commercial clips online. He shouted, “Tony! I couldn’t wait to meet you. It’s like a celebrity in the family. Well, not yet, I guess. Our brothers aren’t marrying the twins.”

  Tony grinned as he hugged Christian and said, “Yet.”

  I grumbled, “Hey! We’re not even engaged.” I wanted to add, “Yet,” to my comment, but I kept it inside.

  After seeing how chummy Tony and Christian became after a few short minutes, Angelo leaned in close to me and asked, “Do you think they’re into each other—you know—that way?”

  Before I could answer the question, we heard Tony say to Christian, “The videos are a great way to meet girls. Maybe we should post some of you singing.”

  I turned to Angelo and said, “That’s settled.”

  We held a rehearsal a day before the wedding with the minister present and the wedding planner assuring us that all of the moving parts were in order. The two couples arrived at Logan Airport early in the afternoon one hour apart from each other.

  Seconds after Mason hugged Tate; he said, “I got your message about your honeymoon, and you can’t go to Mom and Dad’s favorite place in Martinique. That’s where I’m going with Kyle. You didn’t take French in high school, Tate. I did. Why don’t you go to the Bahamas or something? They speak English there.”

  Tate sighed. “We booked our rooms a month ago. What do you think will happen? Are you worried that we’ll peep through your keyhole?”

  “No, but as much as I love you, I don’t want my brother on my honeymoon. Sorry, enough said.”

  I rolled my eyes while Kyle and Simon stepped to the side to watch the fireworks. When Tate started to moan and opened his mouth again, I held up my hand.

  “Martinique is big enough for both of you. Honestly, what the hell is the problem? Getting the two of you married is twice as difficult as working late nights to win the competition with Angelo. This shouldn’t be as hard as brain surgery. Coordinate your reservations so that you’re unlikely to run into each other.”

  “But…” began Mason. He closed his mouth when he saw my frown.

  I said, “Don’t make me get Benji to knock your heads together. Why are the two of you being so difficult?”

  Tate lowered his head, and for once, his voice didn’t boom through the concourse. He muttered, “We’ll work it out.”

  Mason wouldn’t let it go and started to protest again, but Kyle held the trump card. He raised an eyebrow and asked, “Are you sure that you’re getting married? If this is what it’s going to be like after the ceremony, I’m getting cold feet.”

  Mason backed off immediately. He grumbled, “Yeah, it’s all okay. We’ll figure it out.”

  Somehow, we all made it to the wedding ceremony without descending into a family brawl. My two oldest brothers were stunning in their tuxes with tails. Benji and I served as groomsmen, and Angelo, with added encouragement from Tony, convinced Christian to sing at the ceremony. Everything moved along without a hitch.

  Then Mom lost it. She broke into the biggest crying jag I’d seen from her since Kyle’s mom passed awa
y. Usually, my mom, Petra, was the backbone of the family. We could always depend on her in tough situations. She didn’t panic. She even held it together sometimes when Dad lost it, but seeing two sons getting married at once was too much.

  The minister raised an eyebrow and paused the ceremony. Lily Greene, Kyles’s sister and the wife of our brother Guy, rushed to Mom’s side with a free arm and a shoulder. She signaled to the minister to continue.

  As the two couples kissed and the gathered crowd applauded, I glanced at the family section of the audience and caught Angelo wiping his eyes. I nearly broke down then, too, but in the end, I managed to hold it together for the recessional.

  We had one more part of the wedding extravaganza to handle before we could all relax and bask in the glow of two newlywed brothers. It was the reception. We’d hired a band that knew nearly every wedding-related song imaginable. Mason and Tate agreed to compromise on a pop ballad for the first dance.

  I tried not to snicker when I saw how clumsy my big brothers looked slow dancing. It made me think about Angelo’s request to dance in my apartment, and I knew that we were twice as talented. At least we figured out how to sway in time with each other.

  Later in the evening, I said to Tate, “You were handsome in the first dance, but you looked like you had two left feet. I worried that you’d crush one of Simon’s feet and send him to the hospital.”

  Tate groaned, “Very funny, Jamie. If it were a country music two-step, we would have been impressive, and Mason would have been lost. The band says they’ll play a couple of favorites from Sagebrush later in the evening. That’s when we’ll leave Kyle and Mason in the dust. You can count on that.”

  Benji and I had our own surprise planned with the band and their lead singer who acted as a sort of emcee for the evening. An hour after the dance began, he called us up to the stage.