“Just this.” He didn’t slow, just cupped his
hand around the back of her head, tilting her face up in the same
movement, and covered her mouth with his.
He tasted so good, hot and male, just a touch
of sweetness from the pop he’d nursed while he waited for her. He
pressed his body against hers and she sank into it, just for a
minute, savoring the firmness of his chest against hers, his arms
around her, the heat of his tongue dipping into her mouth. Every
female nerve in her body sparked, and she wanted to drag him with
her into the house, pull him over her on the bed, feel all the
things his kiss promised, all the things her body remembered. Her
hands trembled up his chest and were just about to clutch at the
front of his shirt and follow through when the front door of the
house opened.
Beth, expecting to hear something snotty from
her sister, instead stiffened at the man’s voice that carried
across the yard. “Well, well, what do we have here?”
Maddox felt the pure panic freeze Beth before
she broke away and turned. Then all the air went out of her
body.
“Adam, you scared the hell out of me.”
Her brother grinned and stepped out on the
porch. “What, you thought I was Dad?”
“You sound just like him.” Her voice was
shaky, and Maddox wasn’t cocky enough to think he’d caused that.
No, that was fear, pure and simple.
“Shouldn’t be doing things you don’t want to
be caught doing, then.” Adam moved down the steps, hand extended to
Maddox. “Funny, the last time I caught her kissing a guy, it was
you, too.”
“Adam. Good to see you.” Maddox clasped the
young man’s hand before Adam moved to embrace his sister in a
swift, one-armed hug.
“What are you doing here?” Beth repeated.
“You invited me to come meet my nephew,” he
reminded her. “And I wanted to make sure you really were okay. I
went by Quinn’s. You weren’t there. Been out with this guy?” He
jerked a thumb at Maddox.
Her shoulders tensed in anticipation of his
reaction. “I work in the casino on the other side of the lake now.
Tips are better. So everything’s good, just like I said.”
Adam’s grin faded. “The casino.”
“It’s not as bad as we used to think.”
Adam glanced at Maddox who mouthed, “It
is.”
“So what made this decision?”
“Babies are expensive.”
“Yeah, and Linda was working at Quinn’s.”
“That’s new. She just started this week,”
Beth said.
“Why don’t you two go in and talk about
this,” Maddox said, gliding his hand down her back possessively
before stepping away. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” Before she could
protest, he dropped another kiss on her mouth before he turned to
his car.
Beth couldn’t say whether her heart was
pounding from the kiss, Adam’s sudden appearance and demand to know
what was going on, or the fact that he sounded—and looked—just like
her father. She hated the frisson of alarm that ran down her side
as she stepped into her own house with her own brother. She moved
into the kitchen and noticed Linda on the couch, looking smug.
Well, the cat was certainly out of the bag. Great.
To buy time, she poured herself a glass of
water from the tap, and drank it.
“How much does he want?”
“Who?”
“Our father. Linda told me you started
working at the casino after he called. I figured he called for
money.”
Okay, so Linda hadn’t told him everything.
She’d just pointed him down the right road.
“I told you, babies are expensive. We have
hospital bills and—”
Adam braced his hands on the counter. “Why
are you defending the man after all he did to us?”
“I’ve got this taken care of,” she said with
a sigh.
“Beth.” He moved closer and she moved
back.
God, why did he have to look just like her
father? He was the same age their father had been when she was in
kindergarten, she realized.
“What does he need, Beth? Let me help you
out.”
She looked from him to her sister, listening
avidly on the couch. “Have you met Jonas yet?”
“I did, even fed him a bottle. Beth.” Finally
he realized the message she was trying to send and motioned with
his head toward the back door.
She sat on the stool at the counter, refusing
to move. He dragged the other around to sit across from her.
“So how long have you been going out with
Maddox Bradley?”
His attempt to change the subject, and his
wary tone, were almost enough to launch her out the back door,
ready to spill everything about her father and his debts and
threats. “I’m not.”
Adam lifted his eyebrows. “Not what it looked
like to me.”
“That was just—” What was it? She didn’t even
have time to think about what had happened out there, didn’t even
have time to savor it, or fret over it. She waved a dismissive
hand. “He’s leaving soon.”
His gaze was steady on hers, letting her know
he didn’t believe her.
“When will you be leaving?” she asked in her
sweetest voice.
“A week, or longer if you need me.”
A week of having someone else to worry about.
“Where are you going to sleep?” The question popped out before she
could stop it.
“I thought the couch tonight, then maybe I
could get a room at Lily’s tomorrow.”
“That’s ridiculous to spend the money when we
have a house here.” Though it was barely big enough for the three
of them, and Adam wasn’t accustomed to a baby’s sleep cycle.
“It’s fine. No big deal.” He pushed to his
feet. “You’re tired. We’ll talk in the morning.”
The minute he made that decision, she thought
about a hundred questions she wanted to ask him, about his life,
about his work. And she wanted to know her brother again. But he
was right. Tonight was not the time.
“I’ll get you some sheets.”
A long time passed before she fell asleep,
yet she forgot about Adam being there when she woke up in the
morning. She jumped when he stepped out of the bathroom, toothbrush
in his mouth, wearing only a T-shirt and boxers.
“You didn’t tell me about the babysitter,” he
said around the toothbrush.
Oh, no. Trinity. Still needing to pee, she
hurried past him to the living room, where Trinity sat on the
couch, flipping through a bride magazine, Jonas in his bouncy chair
on the floor beside her. Adam’s bedding was neatly folded at one
end of the couch.
“Your brother’s a cutie. A surprise, but a
cutie,” Trinity said.
“I’m sorry. He showed up last night. I didn’t
know until I got home from work. I didn’t even think about letting
you know.”
Trinity waved her hand. “He went to the
grocery store and stocked the fridge and made some good coffee.
Have some.”
How long had he been up? She crossed to the
kitchen to check out the fridge. Indeed, he had packed it with
cartons of juice and lunch meats—not the cheap ones she usually
bought—milk and fruits. She opened the freezer and saw ice cream.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d had ice cream. Longing
warred with guilt and, maybe some resentment. She closed the door
and turned to see Adam walking down the hall, dressed in jeans,
wearing his shoes.
“You look like you haven’t been out of the
house,” she accused.
“I did that last night after I got here.
Linda went with me. I thought she’d have told you.”
“You know I was thinking that I can move into
the room with her and you can stay in my room the rest of the
week.”
He shook his head. “I already called Lily.
She has a room for me.”
“But you bought all this food.”
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t be here.” He walked
past her and got a carton of juice out while she poured a cup of
coffee. “What time do you have to go to work?”
“Six.”
“And when does Linda get home?”
“Two-thirty.”
He glanced at his watch. “So get dressed and
let’s take a walk by the lake and you can tell me what’s going
on.”
A mixture of pride and apprehension filled
her as they walked down to the lake. People stopped to greet Adam
and remark on how much he’d grown, and how handsome he was. He
greeted each old neighbor graciously, but Beth’s stomach churned,
knowing she’d have to tell him the truth about their father, not
wanting to pull him in to her troubles.
“So how is New York?” she asked, feeling a
touch of guilt that she hadn’t stayed in better touch with her own
brother.
“Good.” Okay, there was a part of it. Their
phone conversations often went along these same lines, him not
offering anything, her not wanting to pry.
“Your job?”
“It’s good.”
“And…do you have a house or an
apartment?”
“Still living in a condo. Like it. Not home
much anyway.”
“Is there…a girl?”
He flashed her a sideways grin. “A few. None
in particular. Why are you avoiding the subject?”
“I’m not,” she deferred guiltily. “Just
catching up. I mean, apparently you’re all caught up on my
life.”
“Thanks to Maddox.”
Of course. She cursed the meddler under her
breath. “You know I don’t want us holding you back.”
His steps slowed. “I know that. I wouldn’t be
here if I didn’t want to help. It’s got to be bad, Beth, if you’re
working across the lake.”
“Really, it’s not all bad,” she lied.
“Whatever. What kind of trouble is Dad
in?”
“Money. What else?”
Adam blew out a disgusted breath. “Does he
get in touch with you for anything else?”
“No, and why should he?” She folded her arms
in front of her. “I’m just as glad that he doesn’t.”
“How much does he need?”
Beth had debated over this. The bigger the
number, the more Adam would feel obligated to step in. “Two
thousand.”
Adam whistled. “Gambling?”
“I don’t know. He said something about
borrowing money from the wrong people.”
“Then he should learn to pay the price
instead of depending on his daughters. Has he even seen Jonas? Does
he know about him?”
“He knows about him but hasn’t come by.
Again, just as well.”
“So how is he getting the money? And when
does he need it by?”
“I sent him—some to an address he gave
me.”
“Beth.” He stopped walking and turned to face
her. “How much have you sent him already?”
“Five hundred.” She hated lying to her
brother, but he had his own life. He didn’t need to get bogged down
in hers.
“Why not just let him take the beating?”
She sighed. “He said he’d come get it.”
He set his jaw. “Okay. I can get you the
money, and you send it to him. Then you don’t have to deal with him
anymore.”
“I can’t let you do that,” she said.
“You’re not letting me. I’m offering. Beth,
you did so much for us growing up. It’s the least I can do, to keep
him away from you and Linda.”
Two thousand. That would cut time off her
casino work. Still… “You need that money yourself.”
“So do you. Don’t worry. I have some stashed.
I mean, just about all of that, but I can swing it. Don’t worry,
Beth. I’ve got this.”
She hated the relief that rolled through her.
She was so glad she hadn’t told him the full amount. He wouldn’t
have it, and doing this much made him feel good. She nodded. “Thank
you.”
He smiled and they started walking again.
“Now you can quit the casino.”
Oh, hell. How long would he be here? “I have
to give them two weeks’ notice.”
“Why?”
“Because they hired me right away when I
needed the job. I owe them that.”
Adam made a face, but nodded as they
continued toward the dock.
Beth’s pulse jumped when she saw a familiar
long, lean figure hop off a boat onto a dock, and help tie it up.
Maddox shouted something to the man still on the boat—Quinn, she
saw—and Quinn’s laugh carried over the water.
She hadn’t heard Quinn laugh in a long time.
Then Maddox straightened and looked right at her, as if he had some
kind of homing device on her, and her step stuttered. Maddox
grinned and waved, and Adam returned the gesture when Beth didn’t.
She really needed to talk to Maddox about his expectations—as
evidenced by last night’s kiss—but she wasn’t going to do it with
an audience. And without an audience, well, there was too high of a
chance for a repeat performance.
Like that would be a bad thing, her hormones
whispered.
Yes. Yes it would.
He loped up the dock toward them, and Adam
stepped forward.
“Catch anything?” her brother asked.
“Yeah, why don’t you come out to my place
tonight for a fish fry?” Maddox offered, his gaze not leaving
Beth.
She opened her mouth to protest.
“I know you’re off tonight and don’t have
anything else planned.”
“Aren’t you going to be playing at Quinn’s?”
she countered.
“I’d love to hear you,” Adam said.
“Especially since I can’t afford to go see you in concert.”
Maddox chuckled. “I’ll push back playing at
Quinn’s tonight, maybe start around ten or eleven.”
“Your regulars won’t like that,” Beth said.
“One thing about Bluestone, change is something we don’t do
well.”
“They can live one night. Come on. Bring
Linda and Jonas. I’ll see about Quinn, and maybe Lily.”
Like a family thing. That was what his family
did, not hers. His parents had always invited people, had always
included people. She’d loved the times she’d spent with them, going
out on their boat, having bonfires, roasting marshmallows, shooting
fireworks off over the lake. Memories of those simpler times made
her smile, and Maddox’s grin widened, taking it as her
acceptance.
“Great. See you around six. Still like corn
on the cob?” he asked her.
Just the thought of the way his mom used to
make it on the grill, wrapped in foil with a lime slice and chili
powder, made her mouth water. “What can we bring?”