The Rules (14 page)

“I don’t know. I have the whole day off.” Her voice sounded closer to normal, but not quite.

“We need to take advantage of it. What do you want to do?”

“Something really relaxing.”

“Like what?”

“Let’s go to a bookstore.” She wrinkled her nose, as if she expected him to reject the idea.

“Sounds like a plan to me.”

She grinned, her face lighting up like a little girl whose pony arrived as promised. “You sure?”

“If that’s what you want to do, that’s what we’ll do.” He didn’t know why she acted surprised every time he agreed to go to a bookstore or do anything equally routine, though he guessed by his answers he’d passed some kind of test.

She loved to spend a quiet night in and read, a personality trait he hadn’t expected, contradictory to the sex-kitten air she naturally exuded. Spending time with her made him wonder about himself. He couldn’t remember the last time the urge for speed or danger hit him.

Terri hopped up. “Okay, let’s go take a shower. Last one in is a rotten egg!” She took off running.

Gavin rose from the bed but didn’t follow right away. He took a long, hard look at the cucumber on the floor.

He liked to think his disposition was more like his mother’s. He admired her even-tempered handling of problems over the years and thought the only characteristic he inherited from his father was the light color of his eyes. But the truth was, he had a bit of a temper, kicked in by a protective gene ten miles wide when a woman he cared about had been hurt—very much like his father. Years ago, Gavin used his fists to teach a lesson to a slimy young man by the name of Eric who’d shopped a video of himself and Ivy having sex. His brothers had to pull him off the piece of shit.

So to think someone had hurt Terri infuriated him. If he had to guess, it was the man she didn’t want to talk about on their date at SkyCity Restaurant.

Who was he and what exactly had he done to her?

Gavin clenched his teeth.

Whoever he was, he better hope Gavin never found out.

“Pull!” The target soared above the trees. Gavin followed it with his eye and then pulled the trigger on the shotgun. The clay exploded and the pieces fell to the earth.

“Pull!” Xavier yelled to his left. He fired, but the target soared out of sight, like a bird. He swore and Gavin chuckled.

“Pull!” To Xavier’s left, Ivy lined up the shot. Gavin couldn’t see her eyes behind the shooting glasses, but she had excellent aim. When she pulled the trigger, fragments dusted the air.

They all removed their protective ear plugs and two attendants came running up to retrieve them, the guns, and Ivy’s glasses.

“I beat you, little brother,” she teased, resting an arm on his shoulder as they walked toward the back porch of the cabin. She loved rubbing in that she was five minutes older than him. “You’ve gotten rusty. You suck now.”

“Xavier’s the one who sucks,” Gavin said, tossing a glance over his shoulder.

His brother scowled at him.

Ivy ran lightly up the steps ahead of them. “Either way, I just made ten thousand dollars.” She held up all ten fingers.

“Check’s in the mail,” Gavin muttered as he climbed the stairs.

Ivy placed her hands on her hips. “Hey, don’t you dare treat me like Trenton. He never pays his debts, but I expect my money.”

He and Xavier should have known better than to take a bet with Ivy, but neither could back down from her trash talking. She was the best shot in the family and had even won a few skeet shooting championships over the years. Gavin’s skills came in a close second, and he was the only one of his siblings to take his appreciation of firearms to another level. He owned a small collection of antique handguns from the early nineteenth century, including a set of dueling pistols purchased from a collector not too long ago. In his home, he kept guns stashed on every floor, just in case.

Xavier fell somewhere behind Gavin in shooting proficiency. Cyrus Jr., their oldest brother, had never taken to skeet shooting, but he was decent. Trenton never participated because of a natural aversion to guns.

Gavin and Ivy grabbed a seat in two of the Adirondack chairs on the rear porch of the cabin. Xavier stood facing them, with his back to the greenery. The “cabin” was really a luxurious eight-bedroom home they visited more often as children. Their mother used to love to take the drive in the fall when the leaves changed, and it was an easy way to pull their father away from work for a couple of days. They piled into five sports utility vehicles with nannies and servants, forming a little caravan to escape to the Cascade Mountains for the weekend.

Gavin breathed in the cool, fresh air of late February and let his gaze sweep over the triangular-shaped western hemlock and shrubs that covered the landscape for miles. He couldn’t remember the last time he came up here. Now that the sound of gunfire had ceased, only the quiet of the woodlands could be heard.

An attendant came out and handed them each a mug of hot chocolate. Another one behind him set up a portable table and then they both removed themselves as quietly as they’d come.

“How are thing’s going at the office?” Ivy asked. She took a sip of hot chocolate and then set the mug on the table.

“Good. Last week I was down in the mail room.” Gavin dragged another chair in front of him and propped his feet on it.

“You haven’t heard him whistling in the halls?” Xavier asked.

“I’ve been tied up in legal working on the franchise project the past few weeks. The numbers look good, but my biggest concern is maintaining the same quality in the restaurants once we don’t own them all.”

“It’ll work out. There are lots of franchises out there,” Xavier said.

“True. The consultants have been extremely helpful.” She turned to Gavin. “So what’s this about you whistling in the hallways?”

“There’s nothing to tell,” Gavin said. He shot Xavier a look.

“What was that?” Ivy demanded.

“That was a don’t-tell-her-shit look.”

“Why not?”

“Because you talk too much,” Gavin and Xavier said in unison.

“I do not!”

“Actually, you do,” Xavier said.

Ivy narrowed her eyes at him. “So this is a secret you guys have been keeping from me?”

“Not really a secret, but I figured you’re on a need-to-know basis, otherwise you’ll run and tell Mother everything,” Gavin said.

Ivy crossed her arms and fell silent, but Gavin knew she wasn’t finished. Sure enough, she asked, “What if I promise not to say anything?”

Gavin shot his older brother a look. “What do you think?”

Xavier shrugged. “It’s up to you.”

Gavin pointed at his sister. “Not a word.”

“Not a word.” Ivy made a motion with her hand to her mouth and turned, locking her lips with an imaginary key.

Gavin let out a heavy breath. “I’m seeing someone, and I really like her.”

Ivy leaned closer. “Who?”

Gavin stared at her.

“My lips are sealed. I promise.”

“Her name’s Terri Slade. She’s a friend of Alannah’s.”

“Why is that name so familiar? Do I know her? Who’s her family?”

“She’s not from our circle of friends or the people we know, except for Alannah.”

“Hmm…maybe that’s how I know her. I must have met her before.”

“Probably.”

“Soooo, how long have you been seeing Terri?” Ivy placed an elbow on the arm of the chair and rested her chin in her hand, gearing up for the juicy details.

“Over a month.”

“So you must like her a lot if you’re seeing her exclusively.”

“He never said he was seeing her exclusively,” Xavier interjected.

“Well, that’s implied.” Ivy turned to Gavin. “Isn’t it?”

“I like her, okay? We’ll leave it at that.” True enough, he hadn’t been seeing anyone else. In fact, he’d even cut down the amount of time he spent with his entourage. When he wasn’t with Terri, he spent time working and learning the ropes at the family business. Xavier had him on a rotating schedule to learn different areas. At the time, he thought it was ridiculous. He hadn’t planned on staying for an extensive period in Seattle, but now, he wasn’t so sure. Every time he thought of leaving, the excitement of going off on another adventure didn’t hold the same appeal.

“Is she the reason you’ve stuck around in Seattle?” Ivy asked.

“The reason I’m still in Seattle is because I love being around my family.”

Xavier snorted.

“Yeah, right,” Ivy said. She crossed her legs. “So tell me about her. What’s she like?”

“There’s nothing to tell.”

“Come on. Stop being so secretive.” Ivy sipped the hot chocolate, waiting.

Gavin gazed out at the trees. “I don’t know how to explain it. She’s not like any woman I’ve ever known or been involved with. She’s not an actress or socialite or any of those women. She’s just real and honest and…Terri.”

He thought about her when they weren’t together, and though they hadn’t been together long, felt as if he’d known her much longer. They were so compatible. Same sense of humor and a desire to engage in the same activities. Nowadays, a fun night was laying his head in her lap while she read to him from one of the paperbacks on her shelf or the hundreds of books in her tablet. He popped popcorn for their quiet evenings at her apartment and searched out literary events they could attend together.

Their only bone of contention was her constant need to assert her independence and keep their relationship in a kind of nonexclusive limbo. She was very particular about the gifts she accepted from him. The other day, he had dozens of Agent Provocateur lingerie delivered to her apartment with a handwritten note that said
Wear this for me
attached to a jade bra with matching thong and suspenders.

When he arrived that night, she wore the pieces he had selected, and posed seductively for him in the doorway to the bedroom. The sight of the cool green against her warm caramel skin almost caused him to rip the silk from her body.

Although she expressed no unease at the thousands of dollars he spent on the Agent Provocateur garments, she stiffened when she opened a jeweler’s box and saw the gold necklace with double hearts inlaid with rubies. She didn’t let him fasten it around her neck, and he hadn’t seen it again since that night.

“You and Terri sound serious.” Ivy watched him over the rim of her cup.

Gavin shrugged. “Too soon for that. We’re enjoying each other for now.”

“When was the last time you even had a serious girlfriend?” Ivy asked. She frowned as she considered the answer to the question.

Xavier shifted his stance at the railing so he could lean back on his elbows. “Not since…the daughter of the oil guy—the one in Texas that Mother introduced you to, right?”

“We weren’t that serious.” They were together for a solid year. She was serious, he wasn’t. They parted ways because she couldn’t keep up with his schedule, being out of the country all the time. It was a tough long-distance relationship, and one he hadn’t been too interested in maintaining.

“What about Sharon?” Ivy asked.

“Wasn’t interested in her.”

“He wouldn’t put a ring on her finger,” Xavier supplied.

“Oh.” Ivy rested her head against the back of the Adirondack chair. “You must really like Terri, then,” she said quietly.

Gavin brushed dirt from his jeans. “Don’t analyze me, Ivy.”

“I’m not.” She sighed heavily. “I’m glad for any reason you’re staying home.”

“Why is that so important to you?” He watched his sister closely. They used to be really close at one time, and he missed that. He needed to rectify the situation since he created the distance.

“Besides the fact that you worry us to death when you go on your dangerous adventures? I’m just glad that we’re all here. If you come to work at the company—”

“Don’t hold your breath. I’m not ready to do that yet. Going in to work just gives me something to do to kill time.”

“Well, if you change your mind, it’ll be nice, that’s all.” She wrapped her fingers around the mug.

“I guess it would be nice,” Gavin admitted.

The minute he said that, Ivy turned her head…and smiled.

Terri followed Alannah from the building, yoga mats rolled under their arms.

“Good night,” they called to the other members of the class.

The driver opened the door and Terri slid onto the seat beside her friend.

Alannah disliked having a driver drop them off and pick them up. Terri appreciated the convenience and agreed with Trenton that they were located in a sketchy area. Parking was in the back or down the street, which meant they had to walk to their cars in the near dark. Alannah thought the “whole driver mess,” as she called it, made her look pretentious, but since most everyone knew she lived with a wealthy man, Terri didn’t see why it was a big deal.

“What’s going on? We haven’t talked much lately.” Alannah’s eyes twinkled and her lips turned up in a knowing smile.