Broken Ground: (Broken Series Book 1) (29 page)

I had the strangest feeling, standing there watching them. There was a warmth in my chest that had nothing to do with the temperature. Seeing the connection, the bond already forming between them, gave me the most profound feeling of contentment that I'd ever experienced.

It felt almost like... home.

Ali came over and wrapped her arm around my waist, watching our unexpected visitors drive away. "You have a great pseudo-family there. I can tell they all adore you."

"They didn't even look in my direction, Miss Popularity. I think it's safe to say you were a hit." I squeezed her shoulder and started walking across the yard to the lake path. "And Gran isn't easily impressed."

She laughed, a fond expression on her face. "She wasn't at all what I expected. An Avenged Sevenfold ringtone, a filthy mouth, and a fresh tattoo? She's cooler than I am."

I stopped. "What tattoo? Gran got a tattoo? Of what? Where?" I cringed at the possibilities. "You know what? Don't tell me. I have a feeling I don't ever want to know."

Ali wrapped both arms around my middle as she stood beside me laughing her ass off. Shaking my head, I kept one arm draped around her shoulder and gripped the arm she had wrapped around my stomach with the other. We did an odd snuggle-shuffle all the way down the path, neither of us wanting to let go even though it was throwing us off balance. When we came to the clearing, Ali sighed happily. "It's finally quiet. No work going on, no noisy tools, just the sound of the trees. I should have brought my easel down here for a while. I haven't been here to paint in nearly two weeks since the gala interfered last weekend."

"I need to get back to my project too, now that the pressure is off. Spencer knows about us, and he's good with it, we're close to figuring out the Marissa thing, and it feels like things might actually be okay for a while. Even that rich old buzzard trying to get his hands on shares of the company doesn't seem as bothersome right now."

"There's someone trying to buy up shares? Why?"

I shrugged, snuggling her closer to my side. "No idea. One thing about Holden Shepard, he does whatever he wants, and there's usually only one motivation. Money."

Ali tensed against my side, turning to face me and breaking my grip on her waist. "Did you say Holden Shepard?"

"Yeah, why? You heard of him?"

"Holden Shepard is my stepfather."

IT WAS A DAY FOR
revelations, apparently, and none of them welcome.

I stared into Ali's emerald eyes and searched for any indication that she was joking. "You can't be serious."

"As a heart attack." She held my eye, her expression unreadable. "I guess you guys don't look too closely at your applicant's emergency contact forms. His name is on there right alongside my mother's name. It's not like I wanted to list them but you guys wanted five contacts, and they live close enough to qualify, even if I never see them."

I let that sink in for a minute, letting the ramifications play out in my mind.

"I just want you to know that I had no idea what he was up to, I don't talk to him. Hell, I barely speak to my mother." She looked stricken all of a sudden. "Oh my God, you probably think I'm working with him, spying or something. It would stand to reason given my history at GFS and what they are accusing me of."

I placed both hands on her shoulders, waiting for her to look at me. "I never even considered it. If anything, I thought that you might be a victim in this because of your association with me."

"How?"

"Even if you don't associate yourself with Holden and your mother, your names are linked. If all hell breaks loose because of the video of me with Marissa, just being with me will put you in the spotlight, but add having connections to Shepard and the media will be foaming at the mouth. Just another way being with me will cause you pain."

I shifted my hands to cup her face, and she immediately covered them with hers. "You really didn't doubt me? Not even for a second?"

I placed a soft kiss on her lips. "I know you better than that, slugger. Remember? Only cowards sneak."

She gripped the hair at my nape and pulled me in for another kiss, this one deeper, more passionate. When we pulled back for air, she whispered. "At least now that I know what he's up to I can call him off. There's no way I'm letting him mess with your company."

I leaned my forehead to hers, smiling at her protectiveness. "Not necessary. Spencer, Brant, and I can handle him just fine. Leave that to us."

She pulled away. "I most certainly will not. Having a personal relationship to him, no matter how inconvenient most of the time, gives me an edge you guys don't have. No one can make a man's life miserable like my mother. If I convince her that the way to earn back my affection is to keep him away from your company, he's as good as gone. So, let me handle it."

"No, Ali. It's our company, and we'll be the ones to get rid of him. I appreciate you wanting to help. If we can't find a way to shake him, we may take you up on your offer, but until that time you have to leave it to us and keep quiet about it to your mother." I could see her gearing up for a fight, the green of her eyes practically glowed when she was angry. "I'm not Keith. This isn't a power play. It's no different than you not wanting Holden to help with the trouble at GFS. Please, Ali. The man who loves you enough to punch out his best friend over you is asking for your understanding in a difficult situation."

Ali's expression softened, and she threw her hands up. "How am I supposed to argue with you now? You don't fight fair!" She turned and stomped past the pier, head thrown back as she let out a frustrated groan. She was headed right for the large mud hole that had been left behind by some of the machinery used to re-stabilize the pier's footings. I tried to warn her. I shouted her name and put my hand out to stop her before she slipped. My fingertips just grazed her shirt, not able to grasp on as she turned toward the sound of her name... and promptly staggered back, falling ass first into the muck.

Her startled expression was priceless. She managed to keep her head from falling back as she landed but damn near every other part of her was covered in thick mud. I tried so hard to contain it but the incredulous look on her face was so goddamn comical, I couldn't help but laugh. Once I started, I couldn't stop even when she glared at me and called me an ass. The madder she got, the funnier it was. Between roars of laughter, I managed to say, "I'd offer to give you a hand, but I know how you hate people trying to help you."

The comment was met with a clump of flying mud, which slammed right into my chest. I looked down at it, surprised, and heard her chuckle. So my girl wanted to play, did she? She obviously didn't realize who she was dealing with. I gave her the most intimidating look I could muster, since I was fighting back a smile, and dove head first into the mud beside her.

She squealed and lunged to the side, trying to escape but I pinned her with one leg over her hips, hugging her to my side and scooping a huge handful of warm sticky mud onto her head. She swatted at me and retaliated by shoving a handful inside the collar of my shirt.

By the time we settled down, calling a wary truce, both of us were covered in the stuff. Our faces were mostly unscathed, but there were a few half-dried specks on her cheeks that resembled large freckles. It was so damn cute I couldn't resist pulling her in for a long, heated kiss.

I pulled back and suggested we head back to the cabin to clean up and then get dirty all over again. Ali nodded toward the lake. "Why don't we go for a dip first, so we don't ruin our interiors?"

I stood and pulled her up, our mud-encrusted hands sticking together. "We can both ride back in my truck, that thing has seen a lot worse than a little mud."

She looked at me like I was crazy. "Why not at least try to eliminate some of the dirt before we smear it all over your truck? It'll make clean-up a lot easier."

I shook my head, resolute. "I want a shower, not a swim. Let's just go." I picked a clump of mud from her chest. "Thankfully, I have your necklace in the truck, so at least it didn't get muddy. I want to get you in that shower and clean you myself, just to make sure everything gets the proper amount of attention." I winked, hoping my flirting would derail her train of thought.

It didn't.

She blushed but kept insisting. "Why won't you swim with me? We're all alone here so we can skinny dip." She squinted up at me as the trees shifted in the breeze, and the sunlight played across her adorably dirty face. "Unless you're worried about lake-dwelling monsters or something, in which case I think we're safe. The only large underwater creature that I'd be worried about is the one currently residing in your muddy jeans." She laughed and started to unbutton my pants.

I gently pulled her hand away, clutching it in my own. "As much as I'd love to skinny dip with you, I can't do it here. Okay? I don't swim here, but if you'd like to try a different venue, I'm all for it." I prayed she wouldn't push this. I couldn't explain right now, probably not ever.

Her expression was a mixture of disappointment and confusion, but she didn't say anything else about it. She just nodded once and nestled herself into my side as I made my way back toward the house, dripping mud in our wake. I felt like an ass for turning her down. No, make that a stupid ass because I had to be dumb as the dirt I was covered in to say no to a proposition like that.

I just couldn't bring myself to go into the lake.

I'd refused to jump in all those years ago out of fear, and I would stay out now out of respect.

BY THE TIME WE
made it back to the cabin, I was infinitely grateful for seat covers and rubber floor mats. The truck was filthy, but it was just a matter of doing a load or two of laundry and hosing off the mats. Ali hadn't said much for a while after we left the lake, but she eventually warmed up to me again. I worried that she was offended by my vague response and strong reaction to the idea of swimming in the lake. I didn't want her to think I was turning
her
down.

It was the lake I wanted no part of.

I made it crystal clear how much I wanted her when I dragged her into the shower with me and gave her body a thorough cleaning, and an even more meticulous licking. By the time I was done, the water was turning cold, so I shooed her out on wobbly legs while I rushed through my shower.

I emerged a few minutes later, free of dirt and noticeably deflated by the ice cold spray to find her peacefully dozing in my bed under a mountain of covers. I leaned down to kiss her head and, figuring it was as good a time as any, threw on some clean clothes and ran out to acquire the evening's libations, after tossing the soiled seat cover and mat in the driveway to be dealt with later.

The trip into town wasn't long, but it afforded me just enough time to consider the events of the day without distraction. How was it possible that all that shit had happened in the span of just a few hours? There were so many issues in my head, all warring for my attention.

I knew there was no point dwelling on the fight with Spencer, we'd both had our say, and that was the end of it. At least until the image of him sitting on the floor bleeding flashed in my mind and made me feel like shit all over again. He'd accepted my apology, so there was nothing left to say on the matter.

Of course, there was still an entirely separate reason for him to hate me; Marissa and her bullshit litigation against the company. No, against
Spencer
. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what the hell she was thinking. There had been plenty of proof that she and I had been involved, even the damn video could be misconstrued as harassment on my part if she found someone shady enough to alter the footage. So why go after Spencer? Had he pissed her off that badly when he'd driven her home that night? She had to know she'd never make the allegations stick. So what was her angle?

If all that weren't bad enough, I'd blurted to Ali that I was in love with her after I'd promised myself never to saddle her with something as toxic as my affection. I was only capable of bringing pain to those I cared about. One glance at Spencer was enough to remind me of that, not that the awareness was ever far from my mind. I knew what happened when someone tried to love me. I ruined them, hurt them; threw their kindness back in their face. It happened time and time again, so I wasn't sure how I'd ended up with such devoted people in my life. I had put them all through hell, but they'd hung on, even when I deserved them least.