No Fooling Around: Lennox Brothers Romantic Comedy Read online

  He was mine and I was his.

  And together, we were perfect.

  Chapter Thirty

  Asher

  The next morning, I watched Iola come out of the bathroom wrapped in a towel. Her hair was wet, her eyes were a deep, satisfied green, and her face was glowing.

  Her lips lifted and I had to smile back at her. In fact, I might never stop smiling. She was going to completely ruin my reputation for being inscrutable, but who cared? When she was in a towel, fresh from the shower and looking sexier than ever, nothing mattered more than exploring the deliciousness that happened to be wrapped in so very little.

  “Stop right there.” She narrowed her eyes at me even as her smile grew wider. “You have to let me put some clothes on. I let you shower and dress without molesting you, even though I was sorely tempted.”

  “You’re stronger than I am.” I drew her close, not caring her towel was damp. If I had my way, she wouldn’t be wearing it for much longer anyway.

  “I need sustenance,” she objected, laughing. “After yesterday and this morning, there can’t be a drop of moisture left in my body.”

  “I’ll get you a glass of water.” I pushed a tendril of hair from her shoulder and kissed the wet spot left behind. Then I moved my lips up to her neck, nipping at the place I knew would send shivers over her skin.

  “Mmm.” She angled her head to grant me better access. “You’d better make it a big glass.”

  There was a loud, insistent knocking at the front door. Ruff barked, and I reluctantly lifted my lips from her body.

  “That had better not be Mason,” I growled. “I told him I needed to talk to him, but not until this afternoon.”

  “It is afternoon. Well, almost.” She tilted her head back to focus her gorgeous green eyes on me. “You’re going to tell him everything?”

  We’d been lying in bed talking this morning, and I’d been wrapped in a spectacularly contented haze, which I now blamed for an uncontrollable urge to be completely truthful and transparent with everyone in my life forever more.

  I’d started by telling Iola all about Tank. After she offered to pay and I’d turned her down, I’d messaged Mason and told him I needed to talk to him. I’d decided to confess all the things I’d been keeping from him, and see if he and Kade could pay Tank and look after Dad, at least until I’d managed to sell my house and business.

  But that conversation could wait.

  I had far more important things to do first.

  “I’m going to tell him to go away,” I said, giving her forehead a kiss and heading to the door. “He can come back after lunch, like I told him to do in the first place.” Ruff lumbered behind me to the door.

  “No, Mason should stay. You need to talk.” Iola moved into the bedroom, shutting the door behind her. “I’ll put some clothes on.”

  I wanted to object, but she was right. Iola and I would have plenty of time to spend in bed.

  That thought made me smile to myself, and feel a whole lot better about the difficult conversation I was about to have with my brother.

  Mason called impatiently as he knocked again. “Asher! You there? Open up.”

  I counted to ten to give Iola more time to dress, then I opened the door. “Why didn’t you use your key?” I started to ask.

  But it wasn’t just Mason standing outside. Kade was beside him, grinning at me. They both held a coffee in each hand, four coffees in all, and Mason thrust one at me as he charged inside.

  “I didn’t want to let myself in if you and Iola were both here. Who knows what you’d be doing or where you’d be doing it?” Mason clapped me on the back as he went past, his swing so hard I almost dropped my coffee. “Hey, what is this animal? Is it a dog or a dinosaur?” He stopped to pet Ruff’s head.

  “What are you doing here?” I asked Kade.

  “Nice to see you too.” Kade shouldered past me as well, following Mason into my living room. “Hey Ruff,” he said, petting the dog as he went by.

  “I take it Iola’s here?” asked Mason.

  “In the bedroom.”

  Mason shot Kade a smirk. “Told you.”

  Kade grinned and clapped me on the back in the exact spot that was still sore from Mason’s enthusiastic welcome. “Congrats, Ash. You got something right for a change.”

  The bedroom door opened, and Iola emerged wearing jeans and a T-shirt, with her hair still wet. Her face was glowing and she looked fresh and gorgeous, even with her hair leaving wet marks on her shirt.

  “Hi Iola,” said Kade. “Got you a coffee, but we weren’t sure whether you took cream or sugar, so it’s black.”

  She took the cup from him, her eyes wide with surprise. “Thanks. Black is great. How did you know I was here?”

  “Last I saw Asher, he was running after you,” said Mason. “I was hoping he managed to catch up, and didn’t mess things up again.”

  “I thought you were going to be in LA for a few more weeks,” I said to Kade.

  “Yeah,” my brother agreed. “Funny story as to why I’m here. But first, we both want to know what you wanted to tell Mason.” He dropped his car keys onto the coffee table and flopped onto the couch, waving at the other living room chairs. “Sit down. Let’s talk.”

  Mason moved to sit next to him, and Iola chose one of the single chairs, sinking onto the edge with her back straight and her coffee in both hands, as though she were still a little nervous around my brothers. I took the chair next to her.

  As I sat, I glimpsed movement from underneath the coffee table next to the couch. One black paw slowly extended from beneath the table. A claw soundlessly hooked the car keys Kade had put down, drawing them off the edge. Nobody else seemed to notice the keys disappearing under the table.

  Nobody but Ruff. He lowered himself onto the floor. Dropping his head mournfully onto his paws, he gazed longingly at Nemesis as she slunk away, the keys dangling from her mouth, headed for the hallway.

  Ruff let out a heavy sigh and closed his eyes.

  I considered telling Kade-the-prankster his keys were vanishing, seeing as I’d promised to be one hundred percent honest from now on.

  Oh well. Ninety-nine percent would be close enough.

  Mason leaned back, spreading out on the couch, and fixed me with a forceful look. “So, Asher. You wanted to tell me something?”

  Iola shifted in her seat. “Maybe I should make like a prom dress and take off. This should be a family meeting.”

  “Stay,” I said. “You’re family.”

  A smile spread over her entire face, making her luminous eyes shine. Her expression was everything I’d hoped for, and I only wished I could have kissed her. My brothers should have let us take the couch.

  “Welcome to the family.” Kade gave her his most charming smile. “I’ve always wanted a hot sister.”

  Mason frowned impatiently. “Talk, Asher. What do you have to say?”

  I gave an inward sigh and paused to take a steadying sip of coffee, because telling my brothers I needed their financial help went against every instinct I had.

  “As you know, Mason, Dad has a large, overdue medical bill. I had intended to pay it. I also have to pay off a guy called Tank, who was feeding me information about the cartel while you were undercover.” I sounded stiff, and the words were reluctant, but at least they were coming out, and meeting Iola’s steady gaze gave me the resolution I needed to keep going. “Unfortunately, my plan was derailed, and I need to ask for your help to cover the payments.”

  Mason frown deepened. “Your plan that was derailed. That was the one that involved you buying Santino’s house?”

  I nodded. “I was going to tear it down and build apartments. Now, because I can’t do that, I have some urgent financial difficulties.”

  Kade leaned back, spreading his arm across the back of the couch. “Let me get this straight. You’re in big financial trouble now?”

  “That’s right.” I let a little irritation leak into my voice, because though he sound
ed sympathetic, his body language was telling a different story. Could my brother be stifling a grin?

  Kade and Mason exchanged a look I couldn’t read.

  “Sounds like you got yourself into some seriously hot water.” Mason didn’t seem upset either.

  “Are you two happy about this?” I stared from one to the other.

  “Don’t get riled up.” A smug smile spread over Kade’s face. “The only thing we’re happy about is that we bought the house for you.”

  “What?”

  “Kade and I bought it.” Mason looked just as smug as my twin.

  “Mason called me from the auction,” said Kade. “The auctioneer was hustling for the last bids, and I had to made a split-second decision to go in with him on the house.”

  “Two million, forty-three thousand dollars,” added Mason. “Way too much for me to cover, even with the big bonuses I have squirrelled away. I needed Kade’s help or I could never have done it.”

  Kade nodded. “It was the strangest phone call I’ve ever had. Mason was gabbling something unintelligible, and I could hear the auctioneer in the background. I said yes without really knowing what I was buying. So after I spent way more money than I’ve ever spent on anything, I thought I’d better hustle my ass down here to find out what was going on.”

  My brain had kicked back into gear, but all the gears were spinning at once. I had too many thoughts rushing through my head, which was almost as bad as not having any.

  “You had no idea why I wanted the house,” I said stupidly. “Why’d you take such a big risk and buy it?”

  Kade shrugged. “Because it seemed important to you and we knew there had to be a good reason, not that you like to share any of your plans.”

  “He’s already getting better at that,” Iola said with a smile. “That’s why he called you.”

  “Seeing as Kade and I don’t want the house for ourselves, we’d like you to buy it from us.” Mason leaned forward, frowning. “You can do that, right? Because if you say you don’t want it anymore and we’re stuck with it, Carlotta’s not going to be pleased with me.”

  Kade held up one hand, his grin growing mischievous. “Hold on a moment, Mason. I like the house next door. I haven’t decided if I want to let the place go.”

  Mason glowered at him. “That’s not funny, Kade.”

  Kade wrinkled his nose. “Actually, you’re right. I don’t want to have to move in and share a house with you and Carlotta. No offence, but you two don’t seem to be able to keep your hands off each other, and nobody should have to see that, let alone live with it.”

  The cogs were slowly clicking into place in my brain, and my thoughts were starting to regain some kind of traction. After the auction, it hadn’t been easy to adjust to the idea of being broke. Now I was adjusting to the idea I was going to be wealthy again. It should have been easier, but it was taking a few minutes for my mind to realign.

  “You’re going to buy the house from us?” Mason raised his eyebrows, waiting for my answer.

  I tapped my cheek, trying to focus. “Of course, but maybe there’s a way we can avoid playing the closing costs twice.”

  Iola cleared her throat. “I’m no expert, but may I throw in a suggestion? What if you two kept ownership of the house, and the three of you became business partners so you all had a share in the deal?”

  Kade and Mason turned their frowns onto her, and I realized I still hadn’t explained to them what an exceptional financial windfall it was going to be.

  By buying the house, they’d made sure our futures would be bright. The leap of faith they’d taken had been huge, but I should have guessed my brothers would have my back. Iola was right. It was only fitting they should share the rewards.

  “A brilliant idea.” I smiled at Iola, happy I’d be able to show her how much I appreciated her genius as soon as we were alone. “My company will build the apartments. The work is fully costed and the plans are approved. Completing the building works will take a year, but we’ll pre-sell the apartments so we can walk away with guaranteed money in our pockets. And if we’re partners, we’ll split the profits equally.”

  Kade pushed his lips to one side. Mason frowned, tapping his fingers on his coffee cup. They looked at each other for a long moment, then at me.

  “I have to run it by Carlotta,” said Mason. “As long as she’s okay with it, I’m in.”

  “And you know I’m in.” Kade waved his hand as though it went without saying. “Have you named the new building yet? Because The Kade Lennox Enormous Erection has a ring to it.” He shot Iola an apologetic glance. “Sorry, Iola. Please excuse my rudeness. I think I’m a little excited.”

  “Stop it, Kade.” Mason turned back to me. “How much profit do you think the building will make?”

  Iola made a muffled sound, clearly trying to suppress a delighted laugh. “You really don’t know? Neither of you?” Her eyes were shining, her face alight. She was so stunning, my heart constricted and the breath stopped in my lungs.

  I was the luckiest man alive.

  Leaning forward, she shot me an eager grin. “Can I tell them? Please?”

  I smiled back, well aware that I probably looked as besotted as I felt. Nobody had ever been as happy as I was at that moment, with the woman I loved about to tell my brothers they’d made the best decision of their lives. I couldn’t wait to see the expressions on their faces, and judging by Iola’s grin, neither could she.

  “Go ahead,” I said. Then I sat back to enjoy the show.

  * * *

  Dear Wonderful Reader,

  Thank you for reading Asher and Iola’s story! I hope you enjoyed it.

  Please join my newsletter to receive a special bonus scene - dinner with Edward Lennox and Trixie Watson. The entire Lennox family will be there, and shenanigans are guaranteed!

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  Now read on for a taste of Kade’s story, coming up next in No Funny Business…

  No Funny Business

  Chapter One

  Kade

  Apparently, I’d become a chef who couldn’t cook. Which made me about as useless as a T-rex on a tightrope.

  Standing in front of the stove, I was grimacing at the disgusting taste of the quinoa I’d managed to turn into gloop when my twin brother Asher walked in. He stopped on the other side of the kitchen island and swept his gaze across the plates, food scraps, and cooking utensils piled up on the counter.

  “Something smells good,” he said.

  “No, it doesn’t.” I lowered my fork. “And if it does, it’s a lie. Because this.” I used the fork to point at the quinoa. “Is anything but good. If this dish were music, it’d be a beginner’s bagpipe recital. If it were an insect, it would be pubic lice. If it were email, it’d be trying to sell you a penis enlargement. If it—”

  “Let me taste it,” interrupted Asher. He held out his hand for the fork. “Maybe it’s not that bad.”

  “It’s terrible.” Ignoring his hand, I dropped the fork into the sink. “Only good for the trash. Unless you’d like to invite a mortal enemy for dinner?”

  Asher leaned against one of the kitchen bar stools and folded his arms. My twin, who sometimes liked to remind me he was precisely fourteen minutes older than me, had darker hair and eyes than I did, the lines of his face were sharper, and he wore black jeans and dark shirts, while I preferred brighter colors. He was also very happily shacked up with his girlfriend Iola, while I was just as happy being a bachelor.

  Scratch that, I was happier. Being a bachelor meant no potential for heartbreak, which was a big plus as far as I was concerned.

  “I take it you won’t be including this recipe in your show?” Asher asked.

  “If I did, I’d have to change the show’s name. Instead of Kade Cooks, it’d be Kade Congeals.”

  “What if you can’t come up with enough recipes for the new season?”

  “Then it’ll be Kade Cries. Or more likely, Kade Gets Canc
elled.” I wrinkled my nose at the quinoa gloop. “I need thirty six new dishes. So far I’ve come up with four.”

  Asher wasn’t one for dramatic reactions, but he did give an extra long blink, which in Asher-speak meant he was shocked.

  I clattered dirty dishes into the sink more roughly than I strictly needed to. “Sometimes I miss the days when I worked in a restaurant. Life was simpler.”

  “How can you get inspired when you’ve barely left the house? You’ve spent so much time in that kitchen, you may as well still be in LA.” My brother made shooing motions toward the door. “Go for a walk. Clear your head.”

  “You’re right, I need to get out of here.” I turned to the far counter to collect the rest of the dirty dishes for washing. When I turned back, Asher was standing over the stove, sampling the quinoa. My brother could move as fast and silently as Nemesis, his sneaky, thieving black cat.

  I piled the pans on top of the mess in the sink and watched him try not to grimace.

  “How much do they pay you to make meals like that?” he asked.

  “They pay me not to make meals like that.”

  “Then they’re not paying you enough.”

  If we’d been twenty years younger, I would have stuck out my tongue. Instead, I folded my arms and shot him a glare. “I was experimenting with flavors. Sometimes it works. And sometimes I get to poison stubborn family members.”

  I dumped the quinoa in the trash and by the time I’d tidied the mess in the kitchen, Asher had gone, probably looking at more houses with Iola. His house was about to be demolished, and they were hunting for a place they could move into together.

  Still, I took his advice and headed out into the bright sunshine. Though I rarely walked in LA, San Dante was a small town with wide sidewalks, quiet streets, and plenty of palm trees for shade. The road ran along the beach, so there was a nice view between all the expensive, luxury houses.

  Turning at the next intersection, I made my way up Calle Colina, walking away from the sea. The houses were sprawling and palatial at the ocean end, but became regular-sized as I got further from the beach. They were mostly familiar, but a surprising number had been renovated or replaced since the last time I was in San Dante.