No Fooling Around: Lennox Brothers Romantic Comedy Page 17

  “But this is Santino’s home. It’s bad enough if I can’t buy it back for him, but you want to tear it down?”

  “I need to do it.”

  “But why? Why would you do that when you know how much this place means to me?”

  Her green eyes had clouded, and the hurt in them buried itself deep inside me and clenched a cruel fist around my heart. All I wanted was to pull her into my arms and tell her I’d changed my mind, that she should have the house for herself.

  But as difficult as this was, everything was riding on my building project. Not just my father’s medical bills, or my financial survival, but I’d need a lot of money fast if Tank came through. The only way to get it was by revaluing the land. There was too much at stake to stop now.

  “I didn’t tell you before because I wasn’t sure how you’d react,” I said. “I had to make sure Benedict was taken care of before I complicated things.”

  Her frown deepened and she turned back to the windows. I could see she was thinking that through.

  I’d promised myself I’d also tell her I’d gotten Santino arrested, but first she needed a little time. If I could soften the information, give it to her one digestible chunk at a time, maybe she wouldn’t hate me.

  Or maybe I was just being a coward.

  There was a sharp knock at the front door. Ruff lifted his head and barked, but didn’t get up.

  Iola glanced over her shoulder at me. Her frown had turned worried. “I’m not expecting anyone. You don’t think it could be Benedict?”

  “I’ll handle it.” Striding to the door, I flung it open.

  The man looming on the step was huge, with wide shoulders and a face that bore a strong resemblance to mine. The scars on his neck and arm were old, but the nasty-looking bruise on his temple was new. I was so surprised to see him, it took my brain a moment to process the information, and for my shock to turn to joy.

  “Mason.” As relief coursed through me, my feet carried me forward so I could throw my arms around my brother.

  He hugged me back fiercely, his grip as strong as ever. So strong, he all but winded me by squeezing the air from my lungs.

  “What are you doing here?” I managed to ask when he let me go. “You’re back from Houston? How did you know I was at Iola’s house?” Drawing back to study his bruise, I added, “Did somebody hit you?”

  Considering my brother was built like a weightlifting giant, anyone who took him on was either stupidly brave, or just plain stupid.

  “I got back from Houston yesterday,” he said. “Caught a break and wrapped it up faster then I expected. It’s all over.”

  “That’s great news.” Tank had done what he’d promised. Now he’d expect prompt payment.

  “I went straight to Carlotta’s and spent the night there,” Mason said with a smile.

  “You two are together again?”

  His grin grew wider. “Most definitely. But I thought I should drag myself away for long enough to let you know I’m still alive, so I came over to your place and let myself in. I was pretty surprised when I saw you through the window.” Mason lifted his eyebrows and lowered his chin as though peering at me disapprovingly over a pair of imaginary spectacles. “What are you doing in Santino’s house?”

  Iola came down the hall toward us and stopped in the doorway.

  “Mason, meet Iola,” I said.

  From the front step, my brother offered his hand to Iola. “Pleasure to meet you.”

  I imagined how he must look to her. Bigger than most men, with scars and bruises. Shaking his hand would be like having hers wrapped in a warm meat slab. If we’d been alone, I would have reassured her he wasn’t dangerous, at least not for anyone who stayed on the right side of the law. Mason had an overdeveloped sense of right and wrong, in spite of the fact he’d had to steal food and money when we were in Mexico. Or, more accurately, because of what he’d been forced to do.

  “Hello Mason.” Her eyes were wary but she let his hand swallow hers.

  “I expected this house to be empty.” My brother gestured inside. “I guess it’s been a while since Santino was arrested. Are you staying here, Iola? Are you renting it through an agency?”

  I winced. Mason meant well and I couldn’t blame him for being curious. He had no idea he’d just barged into a minefield.

  “Iola is Santino’s sister,” I said.

  Shock flashed over his face, and it took him a moment to arrange his features back into a polite smile.

  Iola’s eyes narrowed. “Actually, I’m going to buy this house. Apparently it’s going up for auction soon, and I’m planning to bid on it.” She leaned against the doorframe in a clear act of ownership, her arms folded and her chin lifted, like she was considering barring us from entering.

  I gave an inward sigh. If I could make her happy by giving her anything else in the world, I’d find a way to do it. But the one thing she wanted was the one thing I couldn’t afford to let her have.

  Sometimes life really sucked.

  Naked curiosity burned in Mason’s eyes. “Have you got time to catch up, Asher? I thought you might want to go to Dad’s place with me. He doesn’t know I’m back yet.”

  I hesitated, hating to leave Iola with so much between us still unresolved.

  “It was nice to meet you, Mason.” Iola’s voice was crisp. “I’ll see you later, Asher.” Before I could protest, she stepped back and shut the door, leaving my brother and I on the front step.

  Mason punched my upper arm with his meaty hand. “What’s going on?”

  “Come on.” I led the way next door to my house, trying to shake my urge to barge back into Iola’s and demand we talk things through. She needed time to think about what I’d told her, and I needed to speak to Mason, to find out if he was back for good or he’d have to go back undercover.

  We were barely in the door before Mason said, “You’re dating Santino’s sister? Does she know I was on the team that arrested her brother? Does she know Carlotta was conned into working for that piece of shit?”

  I dragged in a deep breath and let it out again in a sigh. “I’m going to tell Iola everything.”

  Frowning, he clenched his jaw. “Asher, what are you—?”

  “Iola knows we watched Santino get arrested. I’m working up to telling her the rest.”

  The irony was that Mason didn’t know all my secrets either. I hadn’t told him I’d been paying Tank to spy on the cartel all these years, my role in the arrests, or my plans for Santino’s house. He wouldn’t appreciate the way I’d manipulated the situation for my own ends. My brother was far too honorable, and his strong views on right and wrong weren’t flexible. He’d find it hard to accept how badly I’d wanted Santino to suffer, or the things I’d done to make it happen.

  “You’d better tell Iola the truth before she finds out from someone else,” he growled.

  “I will.”

  Once I bought the house, I’d have to come clean with everyone. Including him.

  My phone rang, and I tugged it out of my pocket. Though Tank’s name wasn’t programmed into my contacts, I could tell it was him.

  “I need to take this,” I said to my brother. Going into my bedroom, I shut the door before answering the call.

  “It’s me,” I said quietly.

  “You’ve seen Mason? Now I want my money.”

  “You worked a lot faster than I thought. I need four weeks to get the money to you.”

  “What?” Tank’s voice rose. “No way, man. Send it now.”

  “There’s an extra hundred grand in it for you.”

  Tank fell silent, thinking my offer over. I had to convince him, because I couldn’t afford for him to make the wrong decision.

  “These last few years, have I ever been late with a payment?” My voice was hard, like I was pissed at him for doubting me.

  “No, but—”

  “Then I don’t think you heard me right, or you’d already be celebrating. A hundred grand for four weeks of doing nothi
ng is the easiest money you’ll ever make.”

  He puffed out a breath. “All right.” He sounded reluctant. “Four weeks, not a minute more.”

  “Not a minute more,” I agreed with relief.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Iola

  The next day, I knocked on Asher’s door.

  I was nervous after the way we’d left things yesterday. It hadn’t been a fight, exactly, but I was upset he hadn’t talked with me earlier about wanting to buy my brother’s house. He was used to playing things close to his chest and I understood he found it hard to open up, but it still hurt.

  Ruff was on his leash next to me, sniffing the door, waiting for it to open. He seemed eager, and was looking around like he was searching for Nemesis, but the cat was nowhere in sight.

  When Asher opened the door he didn’t exactly smile, but his eyes lightened and the tension left his expression. It was an Asher-style smile, and I could tell he was pleased to see me.

  My heart lifted without my permission. I may not be happy with him, but there was little I could do about feeling like my world was brighter with him in it. I wanted to smile in return, but that would be premature.

  “I have something to tell you,” I said instead.

  He opened the door wider. “Come in.”

  “That’s okay, I can say it from here. I get why you didn’t tell me you wanted to buy the house, but I still hate that you kept the information from me.”

  “I understand. I’m sorry.”

  “You’re going to bid for it at the auction?”

  “I am.” His voice was as matter-of-fact as ever.

  “Well, so am I. So we’ll just have to see who wins.”

  “You’re going to bid against me?”

  “I am.” I tried to say the words the same way he had.

  He nodded slowly, as though accepting my decision. “I won’t enjoy outbidding you, but I’ll still have to do it. I have no choice. I need that house.”

  I lifted my chin. “Then we’ll have to see who wins on the day.”

  “That’s fair.” He gave another short nod as though the matter was settled. “I’m having dinner with my family tonight. You should come.”

  I blinked, surprised he’d accepted my decision so easily. I’d thought we’d argue, and he might even be angry. But I should have known he was too pragmatic for that.

  “Um.” I tried to get over our disagreement as quickly as Asher seemed to have done. “I can’t crash your dinner at the last minute.”

  “You can. I’d like you to be there.”

  “I’m nervous of your family. You all seem really close and they might not like me.”

  “They’ll love you. I’ll pick you up at six thirty.”

  “Okay,” I found myself saying. Then I smiled. “I had some other great news today. The prison’s letting Santino have visitors. I’m finally going to see my brother.”

  Asher’s face went still and I could tell he wasn’t happy about my news. Probably because he was sticking to his misconceptions about Santino and didn’t believe my brother was innocent. But I was too happy and excited to dwell on it. I couldn’t wait to see Santino again, and Asher would realize the truth when Santino’s appeal was successful and he got released.

  I told Asher I’d see him later, and went home to work on my portrait. Asher had made it seem like it was okay for us not to agree, and it wouldn’t change things between us. Bidding against each other at the auction would still be difficult, but Asher was so level-headed, I had a feeling we’d get through it. When I bought the house, I was pretty sure he wouldn’t hold a grudge.

  In fact, he was pretty much the polar opposite of my ex-husband. If only I’d met him instead of Benedict, my life might have been very different. But seeing as I didn’t have a time machine, I’d just have to make sure my future was a whole lot better than my past had been.

  Not that I expected to have a future with Asher.

  Did I?

  No, I couldn’t justify those kinds of expectations. How could I start another relationship when I was still dancing on the corpse of the old one?

  Even if I was falling for Asher, I needed to be cautious and take it slow. No matter how tempting, I should hold myself back from leaping into something I wasn’t ready for.

  Only I couldn’t stop thinking about Asher’s expression of pure determination as he leapt off the trapeze platform, and how his courage had made me brave. He made me feel like I could do anything, and that feeling was so addictive, I didn’t want it to stop.

  I spent way too much of the day deciding what to wear, wishing I’d asked Asher if dinner would be formal or casual. Finally I hedged my bets, and met him out front in a fitted red dress and strappy heels, with my hair carefully curled, and matching red lipstick for luck.

  When Asher saw me, he went completely still. His gaze raked down my body, then returned to my face. His eyes glinted, and when he slowly licked his lower lip as though he were deciding whether to eat me now or later, I decided he approved of how I looked.

  Still, I asked, “Is this okay?” because I’d spent so long dithering over different outfits, I wanted to be sure I’d made the right choice.

  “You’re stunning.” His voice was low and grumbly. When he stepped forward to tuck a curl behind my ear, he looked possessive. His expression made a warm, tingly feeling grow low in my stomach, and I couldn’t help smiling at him.

  He dropped his face to the side of my head and murmured, “You smell as good as you look.”

  I thought he was going to kiss me, but at the last minute he drew back and just grabbed my hand for the walk to the car. He probably didn’t want to smudge my red lipstick, I told myself, but I still had to swallow a few times, because he hadn’t kissed me since the trapeze.

  With any other guy, I’d suspect he was holding a grudge because I wanted to bid against him at the auction. But if that was what had upset Asher, I was pretty sure he’d be direct with me.

  No, something else had to be wrong. But as much as I simultaneously dreaded and needed to know what it was, I didn’t want to think about it on the way to see his family. I was nervous enough already.

  His father’s house was only a few streets away, and last time I was there, seagulls had been doing their best horror movie impression. Now it was quiet. As Asher escorted me to the door and rung the bell, my stomach was churning. What if his family hated me? Or I made a fool of myself?

  Asher took my hand and squeezed it. “Don’t be nervous.”

  I licked my dry lips. “Never go to war against a octopus. It’s too well armed.”

  “They’ll love you. I promise.”

  I caught a whiff of a scent that made my mouth water. Someone was cooking something that smelled delicious.

  “Two snowmen next to each other,” I muttered. “One turns to the other and asks, do you smell carrots?”

  The door opened.

  The man I’d met yesterday filled the doorway. Asher’s older brother Mason. He towered over me, and his shoulders were wide enough for two men. He had scars on his neck and arm, like he’d been carved up with a knife.

  “Hey.” His start of surprise when he saw me made my nervousness rush back. “Nice to see you again, Iola.”

  “Thank you,” I said, swallowing a little as he stepped forward and offered his hand. “It’s a big pleasure.” I had to let go of Asher’s hand to take Mason’s. “Really, a giant-sized pleasure,” I added as his huge hand enveloped mine. “I hope I haven’t muscled my way in here. The only part of me that’s ever worked out is my push-up bra, but I guess you hit the gym pretty regularly, huh Mason?”

  Asher’s brother gave me a bemused smile. He was looking at me like I was odd, but at least it didn’t seem like he was sizing me up for a straitjacket. At least, not yet.

  “Mason’s harmless,” muttered Asher in my ear. “Big, but friendly.”

  “Hi there,” called a woman from behind Mason. He took up so much of the hallway, I could barely see
more than a glimpse of blonde hair and a wide smile. “Mason honey, why don’t you make some drinks?”

  Mason retreated down the hallway, letting Asher and I come in, while the woman squeezed past him. She was so pretty, I was glad I’d worn a nice dress and taken some extra time with my makeup.

  “I’m Carlotta.” Instead of shaking my hand, the woman hugged me. “It’s so lovely to meet you, Iola.”

  It was the woman who’d come to Asher’s house the other day, asking about Mason. They were clearly together now, so things must have worked out.

  “You remember seeing Dad’s neighbor, Trixie?” Asher asked. “Carlotta’s her daughter.”

  I frowned, thinking of the small woman with the wild gray hair. “Trixie with the water gun?”

  “You met my mother?” Carlotta raised her eyebrows, looking from me to Asher.

  “Not exactly,” said Asher. “We watched from the car while she fought with Dad.”

  Carlotta groaned. “When is their war going to end?”

  “Iola!” Another gorgeous man crowded into the hallway, this one grabbing me in a hug. “Great to see you again!”

  I laughed as he squeezed me. “Hi Kade.”

  “Kade? What are you doing here?” Asher’s tone changed. “Put Iola down,” he ordered. “Stop manhandling her.”

  “Hey, I dated Iola first, remember?” Kade let me go with a wink, his charming smile on full display. “If Asher doesn’t treat you right, let me know. I’ll take you out again anytime.”

  “Kade, stop it.” Asher’s voice was a growl, but I knew him well enough now to recognize there was no anger in it. I couldn’t believe the twins would ever get seriously angry with each other.

  Still, when Asher put his arm around my shoulders, claiming me as his while making shooing motions at his brother, I couldn’t help but laugh. He was more relaxed and animated around his brothers than I’d ever seen him. Hopefully during the course of the evening, I’d be treated to at least one of his devastating smiles.

  “Come and meet Dad.” Asher led me into the living room where the man with enormous hairy eyebrows I’d last seen with a water gun was sitting at the table with a magazine open in front of him. The headline of the article was so big, I could read it upside down from across the room. It screamed: Did Hitler’s Alien Army Steal Jeffery Epstein?