Designing Woman (The Sloan Brothers Book 2) (6 page)

“This has gone far enough Mel’.  You need to be backing off.”

“I disagree babe.  You bringing that slut to my sister’s house was far enough.  You hooking up with an old flame ten minutes after we walked in here tonight was far enough.  This thing with Austin?  This is me moving on.  Just like it appears that you’ve moved on.  If you think I’m wasting any more time alone at my place waiting for my turn on the carnival ride that is Anton, then you are sadly mistaken.”

“Melody... you’re pushing a dangerous button here.”

“I’m not pushing anything babe.  I thought we had something, you and me.  It turns out I was wrong.”

“No you weren’t.  You know how I feel and I know you feel the same way.”

“It turns out that truer words were never spoken.  You feel like you can walk all over me and come in and out of my life when it suits you.  I’m gonna try and get a handle on your ‘feelings’ and see if they work for me.”

“Are you gonna sleep with him?”

“Are you gonna sleep with her?”

We were practically nose to nose and the electricity crackled between us.  If we’d been alone, we’d have been naked and deciding between the sofa and the wall.  We both knew how these moments played out between us and I could see him remembering the last time we’d been together.  It was there in his eyes just as it must have been there in mine.

His voice was low, deep, and growly.  I wiggled on my barstool.

“What if I told you I’ll be over later?”

“I’d tell you I won’t be alone.”

He leaned back and pounded his fist once on the bar making me jump.

“Damn it Mel’!”

Austin had perfect timing.  He moved around Chase and stood beside me, sliding his arm around my waist.  Anton watched his every move and his eyes darkened.  Austin never took his eyes off of Anton while he leaned down and kissed my temple.

“Is there a problem here?”

Anton wasn’t smiling when his eyes moved to Austin’s.

“You move kinda fast don’t you Austin?  You met our girl tonight and you’re already moving in?”

“Our girl?”

Austin’s eyes skimmed over Amy who was enthralled with our conversation.

“You brought a date to her sister’s house and now you’re leaving with someone else entirely.  I’ve been orbiting the same woman all night my friend.  I know quality when I see it and I’m not letting quality this fine out of my sight.”

He looked down at me and winked.  Did I say Chase was a god?  It seems I short-changed Austin. He planted a sweet, firm kiss on my lips and brushed my nose with his.

“You ready to go home babe?”

I sighed.  Yes sighed.  I was “quality” and he kissed me, then called me babe.  I was trying to decide what to cook him for dinner tomorrow night.

“Ready when you are.  Have Pierce and Ayla left yet?”

“They took off before I came in to get you.  Let’s get out of here Mel’.  I want some alone time.”

It was the way he said it.  No wait.  It was the look in his eyes when he said it.  Whatever it was, I believed it and I wanted it.

He picked up his duffel bag and handed Chase his suitcase.

“You ready to go big guy?”

Anton hit defcon four.  I stood up and was turning to follow Austin and Chase out the door.  Anton grabbed my upper arm and turned me around.

“You’re taking them BOTH home with you?”

I shrugged and winked at Amy who blushed.  Then I turned back to Anton and patted his cheek lightly.

“What can I say?  They’re both yummy and I can’t decide.  Have a nice evening you two.  Bye now.”

I sauntered out giving it a bit more wiggle than normal because I could feel his eyes on me.  I had no idea what kind of “catching up” they’d be doing back at her place, but I was willing to bet his heart wouldn’t be in it.  Not tonight anyway.

I walked them through the downstairs, explaining what I used each room for.  They were impressed with the organization and my ability to run my business from my home.  I showed them Ayla’s office, then mine, and showed them an empty room that had a desk and computer in it, as well as a locking file cabinet with the key dangling from the lock.

“If either of you needs an office while you’re here, feel free to use this one.  The computer is new and has nothing on it other than Office and the operating system.  There’s packages of new thumb drives in the desk drawer, use whatever you need.  There’s a printer and fax machine behind the desk and the door locks for privacy.  Any questions so far?”

Austin walked around the desk to check out the computer and Chase turned to me.

“Why do you have a spare office that’s obviously not being used?”

I was smiling and watching Austin boot up the computer like a kid at Christmas.

“It’s my version of planning for expansion.  I’d rather set certain rooms aside in case we need them, than have to scramble for space later.  As you can tell so far, the place is big, but I don’t have expensive art or chandeliers everywhere.  This is a home and a business.  I want it to be comfortable for everyone that occupies the space.”

“And that’s it?”

“That’s it.  There’s another office just like this one upstairs.  If you need something in the middle of the night or just want to surf the net when you can’t sleep, you don’t have to come downstairs if you don’t want to.  Every computer here has high speed internet and a secure server that’s located here in the building.  I had an expensive team of experts check everything out before I bought the place.  If my designs are leaked, it would compromise my company.  It’s all locked down tighter than the White House.”

I turned to Chase because I could feel his eyes on me and I’m all about eye contact in conversations.

“Chase, you have a key now.  I want you to know that you’re welcome here anytime you want or need to visit.  You’re one of Ayla’s oldest and closest friends and that makes you alright in my book. Please feel free to come and go as you please.  I don’t know what’s going on with her and Austin, and it’s none of my business unless they want me to know, but it doesn’t change the invitation.  Alright?”

He did something I never expected.  He smiled, relaxed and hugged me.

“Thanks Mel’.  I appreciate the offer and the open door.  I’ll probably be taking you up on it, at least until this thing is settled one way or another.  Their apartment is okay for two people, but we were noticing the pinch with three and I hate staying in hotels.  You’ve saved all of us a world of trouble.”

He released me and I smiled up at him.

“It’s my superpower.  That, and causing worlds of trouble.”

He laughed and Austin looked up from what I had a feeling would be his new favorite place in the apartment.

“Can I play games on this thing?”

I was nodding and grinning.

“You can do whatever you want.  I’ve got several in the living room as well as three different game systems.  When Sean and I get stressed out, we kill zombies or steal cars.  If you’ve got computer game discs at home, bring them next time and have at it.  There’s headsets in each desk drawer that plug in for late night game time, if you use the one upstairs.  Speaking of which, let me show you the upper level.”

We went through all four bedrooms with their adjoining bathrooms, the office, library, and then the atrium with the adjoining rooftop garden.

“Wow Mel’.  This is incredible.  This alone would have sold me the place.  It’s beautiful out here.”

Austin had his arm around my shoulder and he gave me a little squeeze in appreciation.

“It did.  I looked at a lot of places, but this was the only one that had this to offer.  The garden is inaccessible in the winter of course, but the atrium isn’t bad if you’ve got a thick bathrobe on.  I like to have my coffee out here when I have downtime.”

“Are we allowed to use this as well?”

I took a step back and looked at them both.  I’m not sure where our lines got crossed, but I had to set them straight about a few things.  I crossed my arms and gave them both stern looks.

“Okay, here’s the deal.  You’re home if you’re here.  Home.  As in, you live here.  There’s not a single room or spot in this place that you’re not allowed in.  During working hours, right before a show like now, the three of us are going to be balls to the walls busy for long hours at a stretch.  You may see half dressed women milling about because we’re sizing clothes and altering garments.  You have to be comfortable with that and comfortable here.  You have to treat it like your own home.”

I turned to Austin and he was watching me closely, looking for the catch.

“I don’t know how long you’ll need to stay, but if this is your new address for the next year or two, make sure you have your mail changed to this address.  Raid the fridge, walk around in your boxers, do what you normally do at home.  I have nothing to hide, peek in the closets and medicine cabinets if you like.”

“I won’t need to be here a year Mel’.”

“I’m making a point.  I give keys to people I consider family.  People I think I can trust.  Ayla says you’re alright, so you’re alright.  You’ve both saved my ass with Anton as well and I owe you for that.  I consider you good friends and I don’t have many of those.  I don’t trust very many people, money and the Lincoln name will do that to a person.”

“Paranoid much?”

Chase was making a joke, but he’d hit home a little closer than he knew.

“Paranoid a lot.  I have to be.  Dorothy and I learned the hard way growing up, that certain people will go to an awful lot of trouble to get close to my father or my mother.  I’m a fashion designer.  My mother was a supermodel.  You do the math.  My point is, you two aren’t like that.”

“How do you know?  Neither one of us grew up with money.  Our families barely touched middle class in the best years.  This is all a bit overwhelming Mel’.  How do you know we’re not golddiggers scamming you?”

I chuffed at Austin’s question.

“Because Ayla’s been with me for months and I’m just now meeting you, for one.  For another, I can tell.  I can smell a money hit a mile off.  That’s not to say I wouldn’t lend you money if you needed it.  I would.  My friends can come to me for anything, money included and it stays between us.  Not one of them has and that proves my point.  The people I trust have keys to my house.  With you two in the mix, you see how close my inner circle is.”

Chase had his hands in his pockets and he looked down at the floor of the atrium before his eyes came up and he scanned the view.

“I for one am grateful and glad to be included in that circle.  You’re a remarkable woman Mel’, and nothing like I expected.  You’re more down to earth than I thought you’d be.  If I wasn’t standing in your penthouse atrium, I’d think you could easily be living in a two bedroom walk up in a Boston suburb.”

“My sister and I are both this way.  Her more than me, to be honest.  I was the pampered baby.  I let my folks put me through college because I’ve never been as confident as Dorothy.  I’m learning, but I’m not there yet.  I, am a work in progress.”

We moved indoors towards the kitchen and I started pulling things out of the fridge for sandwiches.

“Who’s hungry?”

And that’s when it happened and I knew this would work.  They both came around the counter and started acquainting themselves with the whereabouts of everything.  Chase started making coffee and Austin started slicing tomatoes while I pulled out plates and cups.  We were working together efficiently.  It was as if they’d always been there and we all began to relax.  We laughed and joked and talked about our jobs and college years.  They were slipping out of their “god” statuses and sliding into “big brothers” territory.  Brothers were harder to come by and tended to stick around longer.  We were bonding.

“What the fuck!”

A large hand went over my mouth and I knew who it was.  I’d know that hand anywhere.  I glanced at the bedside clock and saw 3:12.  The hand fell away when he felt my body relax as I rolled over to face him.

“Anton, what the hell are you doing here?”

“I wanted to make sure you didn’t have to sleep alone.”

I removed his hand from my ass as he was pulling me closer.

“No, you were making sure that I WAS sleeping alone.  There’s a difference.”

“Purely semantics.  I miss you babe.  I miss us.  I miss this.”

“So you’re here for a booty call.  What happened to Amy?  She wouldn’t put out?”

“That is so far beneath you Melody.  She’s an old friend.  I told you that.”

“She’s an old flame, get it right.  Or do you always hang all over your old friends like that?”

“Mmm... I like it when you’re jealous.  It gives me ideas.”

“I’ll ‘idea’ your ass.  What makes you think you can waltz in here and climb into my bed after ignoring me for weeks and whoring around with who knows what?  Why aren’t you in Catwoman's bed?”

He gave a low and slow laugh and I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up and take notice.

“She’s not you.  Besides, I only brought her to dinner to make you jealous.  She’s nothing to me.”

I sat up and he pulled me back down onto my back, quickly rolling his body on top of mine.

“Get off of me you oaf.  What do you mean, you brought her to make me jealous?  You didn’t know I would be there.”

“Oh come on babe.  Do you honestly believe that Deacon tells me nothing?  I knew about the setup an hour after Dorothy called him.  I told Pierce to scramble up a date because I didn’t want to make what I was doing obvious.  You were great by the way.  I love it when you feel all territorial and stuff.”

I was wiggling, trying to get comfortable and he settled right in.  Hip to hip.  Inconvenient, because I always slept in nothing but a sleepshirt.  He always slept in nothing.  Our bits were getting reacquainted, but I wasn’t over being pissed yet.  Oddly enough, I couldn’t decide if I was more upset by his betrayal or my body’s.

“I’m not territorial Sloan.  You mistake my sarcasm for attachment.  You’re nothing but a distant relative by marriage.  You’ve made your position very clear on numerous occasions.  I don’t slum where I’m not wanted.”

He was moving slowly but with purpose against me and I cursed my hips for returning the gesture.

“Does it feel like you’re not wanted?  Baby, you know the score.  We both want the same things and we want it from each other.  We’re both ‘no strings’ people and that’s why we’re perfect together.”

“Perfect together?  Since when are we together?”

He tilted my hips and made his move.  It felt so good, he did it again.  Anton was like a drug to me.  I could go through weeks of rehab and promise myself that I was done with him for good, and I imagine he felt the same way about me.  But when we got together, like this, something else severed our control.  We knew it would eventually destroy us, but neither one of us could help wanting it anyway.

I wrapped myself around him and he groaned before he kissed me, reclaiming me as his.  Our tongues knew what they wanted, our bodies were one step ahead.  This was no booty call.  This was the real deal.  We both knew it but refused to call it what it was.  That was fine for now, even though it was bound to come back to haunt us later on.

He put his elbows next to my head and his hands on the side of my face, forcing me to look at him. His eyes gave me something his body couldn’t and I refused to believe what I was seeing.  He might not be able to say the words, but when we were like this, locked together in every way, it was there and there was no denying it.  His whispered words were strained and labored, we were both closing in on completion.

“Does it feel like we’re not together Mel’?  You know me baby.  Do you honestly believe that I have this with anyone else?  That you could have this with anyone else?”

My nails were digging into his back and then I threw my head back and whispered his name as his face pressed to my neck and he murmured mine over and over.

That’s how it was with us.  Every single time.  We’d let enough time go by, stretching our need for one another like a rubber band threatening to break and then we’d crash back together to ease the stress of our separation.  Was it unhealthy?  Probably.  Did we care?  Evidently not, because this had been going on for months and showed no signs of stopping.  This was us in all of it’s ugly essence.

I was on the pill and I believed him (because I knew him and his control issues) when he said that he’d never had sex without a condom.  Except with me.  We were the exception to one another’s rules.  All of them.  There was nothing we hadn’t done to one another, both physically and mentally.  And yet, we always ended up back where we were now.

“You okay?”

I was so lost in my own thoughts that I almost missed the question.

“I’m good.  You?”

He started kissing my neck and answered between licks and nibbles.

“I’m finally good.  I’ve missed you so much Mel’.”