Hopeless (5 page)

“You’re right, but I wouldn’t trade my
relationship with Mike for anything, and he knows it. He’s a pain in the ass
most of the time, but he’s my brother, and I love him, no matter what.”

Victoria wondered what it would be like to
have someone love her with their whole heart. She’d accepted that would never
happen. When your mother leaves you on a stranger’s doorstep as a screaming
infant, it’s tough to believe in happily ever after. “It sounds like you guys
have a good relationship. The perfect family, huh?” She wasn’t surprised. Jay
was one of those guys who seemed to have everything together: a successful
business, an active social life, the respect of his peers, maybe a girlfriend
waiting for him at home…

“Hardly. My parents divorced when we were
kids.” He shrugged. “It sucked, but they’re good friends now. They’ve both
moved on, and they’re happy, so I guess it worked out for the best.”

She admired his ability to see the best in
a bad situation. She’d never quite mastered that skill. “So, how’d you get into
karate?”

“My old man was into it when I was a kid. I
used to go with him on a Sunday afternoon, you know, just to watch. As soon as
I was old enough for the Little Dragons program, I was all in.”

Victoria grinned as she absently skimmed
her fingernails across the back of his neck. “I bet you were an adorable dragon.”

He chuckled. “My mom thought so. I thought
I was fierce.”

“You certainly are now… fierce, I mean.”
She’d seen him in action. He was as intimidating as hell, which shouldn’t turn
her on, but it did. “I love watching you. In fact, the few times I’ve seen you
demonstrating your form, I’ve been mesmerized.”

He surprised her by brushing his thumb
across her bottom lip. “Mesmerized, huh? I know the feeling.”

“Jay… I…” He looked like he was getting
ready to move in for a kiss, but suddenly the music stopped and he let her go.

She felt cold and more alone than she had
in a long, long time, which was crazy because she was used to being alone. She
wanted
to be alone. Didn’t she? “Thanks for the dance.”

“My pleasure.”

Jay was going to kill his brother with his
bare hands. Mike may have a gun strapped to his waist, but Jay knew he could
take him down before he even had a chance to draw his weapon.

He walked by the booth and grabbed a
handful of Mike’s shirt. “Outside. Now.”

Mike grinned. “Excuse me,” he said to Karen
and Brad. “I think I’m being paged.”

Jay was in no mood for his brother’s
asinine jokes. If he thought for a second Jay was going to stand by and watch
him use and discard Victoria as he did every other woman who passed through his
pathetic excuse for a life, he clearly wasn’t firing on all cylinders.

He was already stalking the sidewalk by the
time his brother made his way outside. “What the hell do you think you’re
doin’?”

“Uh, I think I’m havin’ a beer before I
head home.”

“Don’t be a smartass. You know what I’m
talkin’ about. Why are you makin’ a play for Victoria?”

Mike shrugged. “I didn’t think you’d mind.
She’s your employee after all, and I know you don’t mess around with your
employees. Unless you’re plannin’ on makin’ an exception for this one.”

Jay knew his brother was just trying to
bait him, but as much as Jay hated to admit it, he was right. “No, I’m not
gonna date her, but you shouldn’t either.”

“Listen, she’s a beautiful woman. If you’re
not interested, I sure as hell am.”

Jay was interested, too interested. Therein
lay his problem. Damn his professional ethics. He knew dating an employee was
just asking for trouble, but the thought of his brother going out with her
tomorrow night infuriated him. “She’s a sweet girl. I don’t want to see her get
hurt.” It was true, but he knew Mike wouldn’t believe that was the only reason
he was interfering.

“She’s not gonna get hurt. She knows the
deal.”

Jay took a step closer, trying to rein in
his anger. He hadn’t come to blows with his brother since they were kids.
Martial arts taught him his hands were lethal weapons. He would never instigate
a fight, but he would defend himself and the people he loved to the death if
anyone tried to cross him. “So, you’re just plannin’ on sleepin’ with her?”

“I don’t know what’s gonna happen, man.
Bottom line is we’re both single, consenting adults, so what happens behind
closed doors is our business, not yours.”

Jay shoved his hands in his pockets. It was
the only way he knew to keep from striking out at his twin. “If I asked you to
back off, would you?”

“Hell no! You said yourself you don’t plan
on datin’ her. There’s nothing between you two, never has been. Guy code
doesn’t apply here.”

“You’re crossin’ a line, and you know it.
If the situation was reversed, and you asked me to back off, you know I would.”

Mike rolled his eyes. “Yeah, you’d back off
because you wouldn’t give a shit one way or the other. When was the last time
you actually cared about a woman, and don’t tell me Lily, ‘cause we both know
you were just killin’ time with her.”

Jay’s gut clenched, not because Mike called
him out, but because he was reading something he didn’t like in his somber
expression. “Are you tellin’ me you think there could be something between you
and Victoria?”

“Look, I told her I’m not lookin’ for anything serious, and she isn’t
either. But I’m not getting any younger. I wanna settle down and have kids
someday
,
don’t you?”

“Yeah, sure.” But he sure as hell didn’t
want to entertain the idea of inviting Victoria into his family as his
sister-in-law or the mother of his niece or nephew. “But…”

“But nothin’. Look, I’m not in the habit of
analyzin’ every girl I go out with. I’m taking her out for dinner. Whatever
happens, or doesn’t happen, is none of your business, so back the hell off.”

Jay watched his brother walk back into the
bar, but he didn’t trust himself to follow. Not when he was closer than he’d
ever been to lashing out in frustration. He was the calm one of the two. Always
in control… disciplined… focused. What the hell was wrong with him today? Ever
since Victoria walked into his studio, he’d been on edge, acting out of
character.

The reason for his distraction stepped out
of the bar and smiled up at him.

Damn. The woman was gorgeous. No wonder he
couldn’t think straight. He had no doubt he and his brother weren’t the first
men to nearly come to blows over her. “Hey, you headin’ out already?”

“Yeah.” She stepped closer. “Is everything
okay with you and Mike?”

“Sure, why wouldn’t it be?” If he told her
the truth, he couldn’t stand the thought of her going out with his brother,
he’d have to tell her why, and he wasn’t prepared to cross that line.

“I don’t want to cause any problems, Jay.
If you’d rather I not go out with him, just say the word.”

Jay knew he had no right to dictate who she
went out with; he was her boss, not her lover. “You can date anyone you want.
Just be careful with Mike. Like he said, he’s not lookin’ for anything serious.
I just hope you’re not one of those girls who assumes she can be the one to
change a guy.”

Her eyes pooled with tears as she shook her
head. “No, I learned the hard way you can’t make a person love you, no matter
how much you might want them to.”

“Hey…” He took a step toward her as he
struggled with the urge to reach out and touch her. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay. You didn’t say anything wrong.”
She pasted a smile on her face as her bottom lip trembled. “You don’t have to
worry about me. I’ve been taking care of myself forever.”

“I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

Victoria tipped her head to the side, as
though she was trying to read him. “You don’t even know me. Why do you care
whether your brother does a number on me?”

Jay had always been the more compassionate
of the twins. Mike claimed his job made him cynical, but Jay knew he’d been
like that long before he’d donned the uniform. He’d noticed a change in his
brother around the same time his parents’ marriage started to fall apart, but
he never questioned it. He knew Mike was coping the only way he knew how: by
shutting down and shutting people out to protect himself.

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it.” His
eyes mapped her face, taking in every soft angle and subtle curve. The long
eyelashes most women would have played up with mascara were natural, and her big,
dark eyes looked sad, haunted, as though she was hiding a secret too horrible
to share.

“I should go.” She smiled, effectively obliterating
the sadness.

Strangely, he was disappointed to see her
replace the mask. He’d sensed he was getting a rare glimpse behind the veil she
used to conceal the truth, and he didn’t want her to retreat again. “How ‘bout
I bring the coffee in the mornin’? It’s gonna be a long day.”

“I’m not afraid of hard work.” She winked.
“So long as you supply the caffeine.”

She surprised him by extending her hand. He
thought they’d passed the point of resorting to formalities when he held her in
his arms in the middle of a crowded dance floor. He took her hand in both of
his, grateful for an excuse to touch her.

“Thanks for giving me this opportunity, Jay,”
she said quietly. “I promise I won’t let you down.”

He couldn’t imagine ever being disappointed
in her. “I know you won’t. We’re gonna make a great team, no doubt about it.”

Victoria looked at him a long time before
responding. “Thank you for believing in me.”

Her words were so heartfelt he felt
something shift inside his chest. “You’re welcome.”

She slipped her hand from his and looked
both ways before crossing the parking lot to her late model, compact car.

Jay couldn’t tear his eyes away from her as
he watched her open the door and climb inside. The overhead lighting allowed
him a glimpse into the car’s interior. She fastened her seatbelt and gripped
the steering wheel, staring off in the distance before she finally started the
car and eased her vehicle out of the tight parking space.

He raised a hand as she drove past him,
wishing she didn’t have to go home alone. He’d give anything to have her safely
tucked inside his truck, heading back to his place, where they could spend the
night wrapped in each other’s arms. It had been so long since he’d felt such a
powerful connection with a woman in such a short period of time. He cursed when
he remembered this time tomorrow night, she could very well be wrapped in his
brother’s arms.

When he got back inside, Mike was nowhere
to be seen, and Brad and Karen were slow dancing to an old Garth Brooks song.
He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned, hoping Victoria had a change of
heart and decided to come back because she wasn’t ready for their night
together to end.

“Hey, stranger.”

Oh God. Lily. She was the last person he
wanted to see tonight. “Hi.” He didn’t invite her to sit down, but she did
anyways. “How’ve you been?” Not that he cared.

“Okay.” She sighed. “I’ve been thinking about
you, a lot. I thought about calling you…”

He wanted to say he was glad she hadn’t,
but he couldn’t be rude. “I’ve been pretty busy with the new studio.”

She rolled her eyes. “You’re always busy
with work, Jay. When’re you gonna learn to relax and have a little fun?”

Maybe I will when I find someone worth
blowing off work to spend time with.
“What can I say? It doesn’t feel like work when you
love what you do.”

“Haven’t you missed me?” She took his hand
in hers. “Not even a little?”

“Excuse me.”

Jay looked up to see Victoria staring down
at them, a question in her eyes. He quickly withdrew his hand. “Hey, you’re
back…”

She didn’t even spare Lily a glance. “I
didn’t mean to interrupt, but I seem to have forgotten my cell phone.” She
pointed to a Blackberry sitting facedown on the table near the wall. “There it
is. Could you pass it to me, please?”

“Sure.” He pressed the phone into her palm
and barely resisted the urge to hold her hand just a little longer. “I was just
leavin’. Let me walk you out.”

“Jay…” Lily said, her tone warning him to
stay put unless he wanted her to make a scene in front of his
friend.
 “We
weren’t finished talking. I’m sure she can find her way out to the car just
fine without your help.”

Lily did not need to know Victoria could
easily take down any man who crossed her path. “I’d feel better if…”

“It’s okay.” Victoria held his gaze a few
seconds before she said, “You don’t have to worry about me.”

What was it about this woman that aroused
all of his protective instincts? He knew she could take care of herself
physically, but something told him someone had already hurt her heart beyond
repair, and he wanted to make sure no one else got close enough to do it again.
“Fine.” He didn’t want to let her go, but she wasn’t giving him a choice. “I’ll
see you in the morning?”