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In my world, people didn’t protect each other unless they were getting something out of it. I’ve never been good at talking about my family life with anyone, though. It’s always been more business with them than hugging and affection, or anything like a few of my friends growing up described. My dad’s a great man, don’t get me wrong, he’s just worked long hours my entire life, and life with my mother has been more of a reality show. Fake, and for the benefit of everyone else.
“He just worries and lectures me, trying to make all my decisions for me, so nothing bad happens. That sort of thing.” She laughs.
“Well, I can relate to having my decisions made for me, my entire life, in fact. Probably why I tend to get myself in trouble and embarrass my family.” I say the last part dramatically with air quotes, mocking my parents like a juvenile, but it makes her laugh.
“Do you make a habit of doing things that embarrass your family?”
“It’s not that I seek out things that would embarrass them. I’ve just been told what to do and how to do it for so long, the only way I could shake the feeling of being someone’s puppet was doing crazy things.”
“Like what?” Her smile is devilish, and I love it.
I think about her question for a moment, considering which story to tell her since I have far too many. “Like taking my family’s jet with a dozen friends to party on my island home, and one day, while island hopping, my friends and I got caught by paparazzi in a bar fight with the locals because they accused us of stealing their drugs.”
“That is incredibly irresponsible of you, Mr. Alexander.” She laughs.
I love the way she says my name and almost growl. We’ve both stopped what we’re doing and make our way outside to sit on the curb. I can’t help but watch her as she pulls her hair in a group of stands on top of her head. Her hair moving up her toned stomach and showing me more of that enticing artwork. I watch like a total creeper as she smooths the loose strands together and whips them into a messy bun. My eyes roam up, and I’m pretty sure she’s not wearing a bra; I can just barely see her nipples peak in the black t-shirt and groan internally at the predicament I’ve gotten myself into. I force myself to turn away before the straining bulge in my pants becomes embarrassingly noticeable.
“Sometimes it’s fun to not be an adult. To just let loose a bit and think about how much fucking fun it would be to get shit-faced and dance your ass off in a country where no one knows your name,” I say, brushing some glass off a cushion, hoping for a distraction from the near-constant fantasies I’ve been having of her.
When her eyes meet mine, we’re so close I can see a small freckle under her right eye and smell a hint of my woodsy bath wash. I love my scent on her.
“Do you ever want to let loose sometimes, Willow, not worry about the stress of running your own business? Or the consequences?”
She nods, and a long moment passes between us. I don’t know if it’s her or me leaning, but I feel like we’re moving towards something we’re going to regret, and still, I can’t stop the pull of her lips to mine. I can feel her soft breath on my mouth and yearn to taste her lips that hover just below mine as her body leans into me.
The clearing of a throat has us jerking upright like a couple of teenagers. A huge guy in a blue and black plaid button-up stands in front of the shop with a small woman at his side. She’s grinning like the Cheshire cat as he scowls at me. Fuck my luck. I clear my throat and stand to meet her brother Cole and his wife, Lyla, who now seem distracted as they look over the disastrous mess in the shop. Before I take a step up on the woodpile mess between us, Willow pulls me down to whisper in my ear.
“Listen, I have a weird favor to ask. Would it be cool if we let my brother assume we’re a couple? When I called him protective, I wasn’t kidding. The guy can be a clingy house cat, but for primitive reasons, he seems to chill out when I’m dating someone. So, if he thought you were helping me, he wouldn't jump into super brother mode. Please? I’ll totally owe you one. Well, more than one, at this point.”
I smile, seeing my plan unfold perfectly. “Baby, I’m here to help.”
I offer her my best smolder, and I know it has its desired effect by the look in her eyes. She clearly feels it because she gives me that grin of hers from the night we first met. The look that tells me she wants to fuck me, that if some things weren’t in her way, she would be naked underneath me right now. She bites her lip to prove my point, and I take her by the hand and kiss her forehead for good show. I help her make it over the debris to where her family stands, obviously confused at the display.
Once we’re face to face, she introduces us, and when Cole shakes my hand, squeezing extra fucking hard, I think my knuckles crack, but I don’t let the pain show. Fuck that. I know this game, and I always win. Even brothers eventually love me; it’s only a matter of time.
Cole’s wife is lovely and far friendlier, but it’s Willow I’m physically aware of. She’s moved into my side after hugging them both hello and has coiled her arm around my bicep as she explains what happened. She tells them she’s staying with me until everything gets sorted and looks at me with hesitation. This is far too perfect, and I look down at her, nodding in agreement while tightening my arm around her. She seems to relax against me while Cole asks a million questions about the accident with a grim expression.
“I hate this for you, Willow. You’ve only been up and running a year, and I know this will set you back, having to be closed.” He lowers his voice and asks her if she needs any money, and her face instantly turns beet red as she clenches her jaw.
“I absolutely don’t need money, Cole. I single-handedly ran a successful business and not only have plenty of savings, but insurance too. Just like a real grown-up,” she scoffs.
“I just thought I’d offer.” He throws up his hands in defense, and I’m glad I didn’t go with offering to pay her to go along with my plan, she might have killed me. It’s obvious that she is fiercely independent. The way Cole looks at her portrays his worry, but he keeps any more comments to himself.
Lyla graciously changes the subject, but the focus is back on me.
“So, you’re staying at Archer’s? How long have the two of you been seeing each other?”
It’s a loaded question, and for the first time since I have known Willow, she looks at me with uncertainty. She suddenly seems like a totally different woman, unsure of herself. I take the chance to come to the rescue.
“Not long, but I’m glad we have this extra time together, under the circumstances. She’s been working so hard for so long, and as much of a setback as this might be, I personally think it’ll be a good time to look at expanding,” I say, looking down at her, and I’m happily rewarded with a grin. She probably realizes that I was actually listening to her this morning when she told me about the plans she had before the crash. This also seems to impress her brother and sister-in-law, which again plays out perfectly. Tonight, I decide, will be the perfect time to ask her for a favor in return.
