The Blame Game_A Brook Brothers Novel Read online

  She nodded but didn’t offer up any further comment.

  “That must have been hard on you,” he said when she remained silent, her teeth grazing her bottom lip as she stared into the flickering flames of the fire.

  “You have no idea,” she finally said, her voice full of bitterness.

  He curled his fingers around her clenched fist and squeezed. “I’m a good listener.”

  She paused as yet more emotions made her face twist with pain. Indie had very expressive features, although they were sometimes difficult to read.

  “Let’s put it this way: we weren’t as lucky as you. Dad died penniless.” She tugged her hand from his and turned away, gazing into space with an empty stare.

  Jax refilled her glass, but she barely acknowledged him. The tip of her middle finger absentmindedly circled the top of her wineglass. After several minutes scraped by without either of them speaking, Jax broke the silence. “I’m sorry if I’ve brought up bad memories.”

  She swept a hand over her face and sighed heavily. “Do you mind if we talk about something else?”

  Jax removed her wineglass and placed it next to his on the hearth. He stood and held out his hand. “Come on. I’ll show you how much we’ve done in the ten days since you were last here.”

  All the pain that had been twisting her features evaporated. She smiled warmly and got to her feet, slipping her hand inside his. “I can’t wait.”

  Her hand felt so petite inside his much larger one, but the heat that flowed through her palm made his insides fizz with excitement. Every minute spent in Indie’s company made him fall further under her spell. Instead of fearing the loss of control, he was thrilled by it.

  As they arrived on the second floor, Jax opened the nearest door and waved Indie inside. “We’ve gotten all the rooms partitioned off on this floor, and the bathrooms have been finished.”

  She poked her head inside the bathroom. “Now, that’s a tub I could spend hours in. Salts, candles, glass of wine. I’m all set.”

  He winked. “Room for two?”

  “Uh-uh,” she said, waggling her finger at him. “Soaking in a bathtub is a luxury to be indulged in alone.”

  Jax chuckled as he walked up to the next floor. “We’re not as far along here. The rooms are pretty much shells. I might have to knock down a wall in one of them to make space for the type of bathroom I want installed. The top-floor penthouse is still no further along, so there’s no point showing you tonight. Maybe next time—if there is a next time.”

  She gave him a look that made his body throb with need. “If there’s an invite, there will be a next time. You can count on it.”

  Jax stuck his hands in his pockets, mostly in an effort to stop himself from putting them on her. “Seen enough?”

  She nodded. “I can’t believe how much you’ve achieved.”

  Jax laughed. “I’m pushing the builders hard, although even I’m impressed at the progress they’re making, especially as I only got the keys three weeks ago. I set a tough deadline, but so far, they seem up to the task.”

  When they arrived back on the first floor, he refilled their wineglasses.

  “What did you do before you decided to run a hotel?” Indie sat down, covering her thighs with a blanket.

  “After my parents died, I did nothing for a while. My head was spinning, especially given the suddenness of their passing. I wasn’t prepared for the responsibility that fell onto my shoulders. Then we kind of settled into a routine. Three years later, Calum headed off to college. Cole joined the NYPD as a cadet and was pretty self-sufficient in no time at all. I only had Nate to worry about, and he was at school or out with his friends most of the time. So I started an online business.”

  She inclined her head. He noticed she did that quite a lot, and he found it utterly adorable. “What kind of business?”

  “Buying and selling. I’d trawl online auction sites and dig out the bargains. Then I’d sell them at a profit. It was a really solid grounding in the ins and outs of running a business. And then when the idea of buying a place and turning it into a boutique hotel came to me, I did a course in hospitality.”

  She blinked slowly. “You’re quite something, Jax, do you know that? A lot of men would have crumbled beneath the kind of pressure you’ve had to cope with. Yet here you are. Successful, self-reliant. And sane,” she added with a grin.

  “I wouldn’t say successful yet, and sane is debatable, especially having Calum for a brother.”

  Indie laughed. “I can’t wait to meet your brothers.” She clapped a hand over her mouth. “Sorry, that was presumptuous of me.”

  Jax captured her hand and brought it to his mouth. “Not presumptuous at all,” he said, trying like hell not to let on what the feel of her skin against his lips was doing to his insides. Their eyes met, and the air around them crackled.

  Jax leaned in, cupping his hand around the back of her neck. He was desperate for another taste of her, but given that the last time they’d kissed, she’d panicked and run, he wasn’t too sure what response he’d get. But when Indie parted her lips, her tongue sweeping over the plump bottom one, a groan eased from his throat. He covered her mouth with his own, his stomach doing double backflips as she met his kiss with an eagerness and passion that sent a thrill of excitement speeding through him. His cock thickened inside his jeans, but as much as the urge possessed him, he resisted easing her onto her back and covering her body with his. Indie was a dichotomy. At times she came across quite forward and pushy. At others, she could be withdrawn and distant.

  A commotion in the hallway made Indie pull away. Jax inwardly cursed as Calum appeared in the doorway, his arm flung around the shoulders of a woman Jax hadn’t seen before. Still, that wasn’t unusual. Calum rarely dated the same woman twice.

  “Oops, sorry,” Calum said with an exaggerated wink. “Don’t let us interrupt you.”

  Jax got to his feet. “What are you doing here?” He shot daggers across the room at Calum, the air snapping with the height of his annoyance.

  “Showing Sheri around,” he said, giving his blond companion a smile that was as false as they came. Sheri wasn’t any the wiser, though. She giggled, gazing up at Calum with unveiled adoration.

  “You must be Indie.” Calum strode across the room and thrust out his hand. “I’ve heard a lot about you. I’m Calum, by the way.”

  Indie got to her feet and shook his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

  Jax stood beside Indie and curved an arm around her waist, his thumb brushing her hip. “You’re leaving,” he said, scowling at Calum.

  Calum leaned over and picked up Jax’s wineglass. He took a swig before grabbing the bottle and filling it up. “Don’t be like that, bro.” He swung the bottle in Sheri’s direction. “Come on in, sweetheart. Have a drink.”

  Sheri took a single step. Jax stopped her with a look. She chewed the inside of her cheek and bobbed from foot to foot, looking from Calum to Jax.

  Jax met Indie’s gaze. Fortunately, she looked amused, her lips curving at one corner as she watched the scene unfold before her.

  Jax snatched the wine bottle from Calum’s grasp. “Get out now before I put you on your ass,” he hissed.

  Calum tried for a faux-aggrieved expression that fell way short. “You hurt me, brother. You’ve been raving about this girl so much that I thought the least I should do is make sure she’s good enough for you.” His eyes slid over to Indie, whose face held a barely contained grin. “My assessment? She’s way too good for you.”

  Furious, Jax got up in Calum’s personal space, his face mere inches from his brother’s. “I’m going to fucking kill you if you don’t leave. Right now.”

  Calum chuckled, not even remotely bothered by Jax’s annoyance. He never was—that was the problem.

  “Come on, sugar,” Calum said to Sheri. “I’ll take you up on the roof.” He smirked at Indie. “Literally.”

  He swiped the wine bottle out of Jax’s clenched fist and, with a casual
swagger, crossed the room before disappearing into the hallway. Sheri trotted after him like a well-trained puppy. Jax waited until he heard their footsteps growing faint before turning to Indie, his face hot with fury.

  “I’m sorry—”

  She burst out laughing, cutting off his apology. “Your brother is fantastic. Although I see what you meant earlier about you not being sane. He’d drive a saint to distraction.”

  Jax’s irritation began to melt away. A grin edged across his face. “He will, of course, pay for his appalling behavior later.”

  “I’m sure.” She sauntered over to where he was standing by the fire, the heat from the flames burning his lower legs. When she was two feet away from him, she crooked her finger, and Jax took a step forward. “Was he telling the truth?” she said.

  “It’s Calum, so probably not,” Jax said. “Which particular bit are you referring to?”

  “The part where he said you’d been raving about me.”

  “Oh, that.” Another step brought him up close. He flicked her hair over her shoulder. “I may have mentioned you once or twice.”

  She curved her hands behind his head, her fingers feathering the back of his neck. “Kiss me,” she murmured.

  Desire licked through him. He captured her mouth and buried his hands in the soft, silky threads of her hair. Her body trembled against his, and she knotted her fists in his shirt and yanked him closer. Her tongue slipped inside his mouth, tentative at first, then more demanding with a need that rivaled his.

  Then a violent shudder racked her. She tore away, her bottom lip wavering, her eyes failing to meet his. He had to work really hard to withhold a frustrated groan that threatened to break from his throat. She was running—again.

  “Indie,” he said tentatively, nudging her chin up with his thumb. “Talk to me, please.”

  She looked at him, her face swirling with emotions he couldn’t read, but it was the guilt in her eyes that had him really confused.

  “I’m sorry, Jax. I can’t do this.”

  “Do what? Kiss me? You asked, Indie. I’m glad you did, but you asked. What went wrong? What’s going on?”

  Her thumb brushed against his bottom lip. He resisted the urge to pull it deep into his mouth, even though his mind was screaming for him to. Instead he closed his eyes and drowned in the way her touch made him feel.

  A tortured sound broke from her throat. His eyes flew open to see her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

  “Jesus, Indie,” he muttered, folding her inside his arms, relieved when she went willingly. Her vulnerability tore him apart. He wanted—no, needed—answers, but instinct told him he wasn’t going to get them. Not at that moment at least. Maybe not ever. In his arms was a woman who he sensed was a key part of his future, but beneath the strong, professional veneer lay a frightened girl. Whether it was because she’d been orphaned at such a young age—like him—or because there was a deeper issue, he couldn’t know.

  But Indie called to him like no other woman ever had. She evoked a deep-seated need to protect—one he hadn’t felt so strongly since his parents died and he had to break the horrific news to his much younger siblings. Their fear of what would happen to them had strengthened his resolve to always put them first, but Indie was chipping away at that belief. She was making him want something he hadn’t thought possible—a life for himself.

  She broke away from his embrace and dug around in her purse, pulling out a tissue. She blew her nose. When she’d finished, he took her hand and encouraged her to sit. She did as he asked, trembling. He grabbed a blanket and draped it around her shoulders.

  “Do you want to tell me what that was about?” he said, trying to keep his tone easy and light.

  She gave him a glimmer of a smile, followed by a grimace. “I can’t. I’m sorry, Jax.” She let out a heavy breath through her nose. “My life is complicated.”

  Her gaze fell to the floor, and she smoothed her eyebrow with her fingertips. She looked so sad and forlorn, like she was lost at sea with no hope of a rescue.

  “Do you want to go home?”

  She nodded.

  “Shall I take you?”

  The grateful look she gave him made his heart squeeze. “Are you sure you don’t mind? I can easily call a cab.”

  “Not at all. The walk will help me come up with a suitable punishment for Calum.” He winked in an effort to lighten the mood. It worked, because she laughed.

  “Poor Calum.”

  Jax snorted. “Believe me, there’s nothing poor about that one.”

  He went to get her coat. She followed him, groaning as she tugged on her boots. “I wonder at what age the desire for comfort wins out over fashion.”

  Jax grinned. “Maybe I should call that cab.”

  He held out her coat, and she put her arms inside. He slipped it over her shoulders. “If I can borrow an arm to lean on, I’m sure I’ll be fine,” she said, buttoning up her coat.

  He held out an elbow. “It’s all yours.”

  She stuck her hand inside and they proceeded through the door. He pulled it closed and locked it from the outside. Then he chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?”

  “Calum doesn’t have a key, so he’ll be stuck here until I get back. I might take the long route home.”

  “He looked like he would be busy for a while.”

  Jax shook his head. “I know Calum too well. As soon as he’s… finished, he’ll want to get as far away from his latest conquest as quickly as possible. Except now he’ll actually have to talk to her.” He began to laugh. “Serves him right.”

  “Sounds like you’ve come up with the perfect punishment.”

  “Doesn’t it?” He set off with a spring in his step.

  Indie tugged him back. “Wait, though. What if there’s a fire or something?”

  Jax shrugged. “Calum’s a big boy. He’ll easily break a window. An elephant could fit through the ones on the first floor.”

  They walked the rest of the way to Indie’s apartment in virtual silence, but the earlier droop to her shoulders had lifted, and she was definitely standing taller. This time, she allowed him to ride with her in the elevator up to her floor. As they drew to a halt outside her apartment, she reached into her purse for her key.

  Instead of putting it in the lock, though, she turned and looked up at him, her teeth grazing her bottom lip. “I’m sorry. About before.”

  “You don’t need to apologize.” I’d take an explanation over an apology, but I don’t think I’m going to get one.

  She shrugged one shoulder.

  He bent his head and brushed a soft kiss to her cheek. “’Night, Indie.”

  He was beginning to walk away when she called after him. “Do you want to come in for a coffee?” When he hesitated, she said, “Just coffee.”

  He gave her a wry grin. “As opposed to the ‘real’ meaning of coming in for coffee,” he said, accentuating his point with air quotes.

  She gave him a smile that made his insides turn to liquid. “I think I can trust you to read the signs correctly.”

  She inserted the key in the lock and twisted it. As she pushed the door open and walked inside, he followed, but when she drew to a halt without warning, he almost crashed into the back of her.

  On her sofa was a man, his shoes kicked off, feet up on her coffee table, and a bottle of beer in his hand that he was swinging back and forth by the neck.

  “What the hell are you doing here?” she said, her response telling Jax the man wasn’t a stranger.

  “Hello, little sis,” the man said. “I’ve been waiting for you to get home.”

  Chapter Eight

  Phil. Just what she didn’t need, especially after what had happened at Jax’s earlier. She’d let her guard down and made a complete fool of herself. She needed to make amends, to come up with some bullshit story so Jax wouldn’t ask too many questions. Yet now she had to deal with her damned brother.

  She stomped across to where he was sitting and
knocked his feet off her table. “How did you get in?”

  He tapped the side of his nose. “Call me a genius.” He peered around her to where Jax was standing by the door. “Aren’t you going to introduce us?”

  Her eyes flashed venom in his direction. He knew exactly who Jax was, but something in his expression told her he wanted to see her squirm. She didn’t know why. Maybe he’d sensed her growing feelings for a man she was only supposed to hurt, or maybe he really was a sadistic bastard who got off on other people’s pain. Regardless, she wasn’t going to play his stupid games.

  She turned to Jax. “Rain check?”

  He nodded. “Of course.” As he stepped outside, she followed him, pulling the door to behind her.

  “I’m sorry. It’s my brother. I’m sure you can guess I wasn’t expecting him.”

  Jax frowned. “Are you going to be all right? I can stay if you want.”

  She shook her head. “No need. I’ll be fine.” She stood on tiptoes and kissed his cheek. “I’ll call you. I promise.” And before he could say another word, she reentered her apartment, closing the door behind her.

  She tore open the buttons on her coat and threw it over a nearby chair. “What the hell are you playing at?” she hissed, keeping the words under her breath in case Jax was hovering outside, listening. The walls in her apartment building weren’t exactly soundproof.

  Phil raised one eyebrow. “Rain check? I fucking told you to take it slow.”

  “I was inviting him in for coffee,” she said, forgetting to keep her voice down as anger swirled through her body, making her fists clench and her heart pound.

  Phil got to his feet. He crossed the room, his steps slow and deliberate. He stared down at her, his gaze cold and intimidating. He looked like a stranger rather than her own flesh and blood.

  He grabbed her wrist in a viselike grip—the same wrist that had only just healed from the last time Phil had almost broken it. Pain lanced through her, making her wince and squeeze her eyes shut. When she opened them, his face loomed large in hers.

  “Coffee equals fucking, you stupid bitch.” He spoke quietly, menacingly.