Couldn't Ask for More, page 21
Scott’s raggedy truck rattled by, then turned into the hilly driveway before coming to a stop.
Alexis frowned as Scott’s face came into view. He was tall and tan, with dark hair and piercing blue eyes. If he weren’t such a jackass, she would have considered him handsome.
When he climbed out of the truck and saw Maxwell standing there, he glowered. “What the hell is going on?”
Alexis could hear Scott shouting as she and Kelsey buckled their seat belts. Maxwell simply stood with his arms folded over his chest, calmly answering Scott’s rude demands. She started her engine when she saw Scott turn and stalk in their direction. She put the car in drive and tried to pull out of the space but wasn’t fast enough.
Scott pounded furiously on the closed passenger window. “Kelsey! Get out of that car and get your ass back in the house!”
Tears coursed down Kelsey’s face as she looked at him and shook her head.
“Where’s my son? You can’t do this!”
Tired of Scott’s crap, Alexis prepared to hit the gas. If she took off his foot, so be it, but she wasn’t going to let her sister be subjected to any more trauma at his hands.
Just as she touched her foot to the gas, two tall, dark figures appeared behind Scott. The look of shock on Scott’s face was priceless as Bryan and Xavier each grabbed him by an arm and roughly dragged him away from the car, still cursing and red-faced.
Alexis smiled as she guided the car away from the curb. I hope they bust his ass.
Kelsey released a long, slow breath. “Max’s frat brothers?”
Alexis nodded, still smiling. “You know they stick together like glue. No worries, Kelsey. They’ll set him straight.”
As she drove her sister toward freedom and safety, Alexis thought of all the ways she would thank Bryan for what he’d done, the first chance she got.
* * *
Lying on the weight bench in his home gym Tuesday evening, Bryan lifted the one-hundred-pound barbell above him, then lowered it. When he’d completed the last set of ten reps, he brought the weight down slowly, letting it rest on his chest before sitting up and setting it aside. He’d performed three sets of ten reps, and while he felt good right now, he knew his arms and shoulders would be screaming tomorrow if he didn’t take proper care to prevent it. He ran through his upper-body stretch routine to recondition the muscles he’d just punished.
He moved from the weight bench to his gray yoga mat. Once he’d gotten into the proper stance, he started his gluteal routine. After fifty squats, he flopped down on the weight bench again, wiping the sweat from his brow with the white towel he’d slung around his shoulders earlier.
Later, as he stood beneath the hot stream of his shower, Alexis came to mind. When he closed his eyes, he could still see her lying in front of him, taking everything he had to give. She’d been so responsive, and she’d felt like heaven wrapped around him. His body reacted to the memory of her warm tightness, and he willed the beast back to sleep, vowing to call her once he got out of the shower.
Dressed in a fresh pair of boxers and striped pajama pants, he strode to his valet to retrieve his cell phone. He hadn’t heard from Alexis since the previous day, and he wanted to check on her. He’d seen the satisfied smile on her face when he and Xavier carried away her sister’s idiot boyfriend but hadn’t spoken to her so far today. It was around seven in the evening, so he assumed she would be home from work by now. He strolled barefoot through the house, dialing her number as he reached the kitchen. There, he activated the speaker phone and set the device on the kitchen counter while he grabbed a sports drink from the fridge.
She picked up on the third ring. “Hey, Bryan.”
He smiled as her voice filled the room, twisting the cap off the bottle. “Hey, baby. What are you up to?”
He could hear the smile in her voice as she answered him. “Not much. Just crashed on the couch in front of the TV. You?”
“Just worked out, took a shower. Will probably read the paper.”
She laughed. “So why’d you call? You miss me already?”
“Yes. But I wanted to see how you are and how your sister is after what happened yesterday.”
Her tone became more serious. “That’s really sweet of you. I’m fine, really. As for Kelsey, she’s staying in the mother-in-law suite at our parents’ house until she decides what she wants to do next.”
He exhaled. “I’m glad to hear that.”
“Did Scott give you much trouble?”
“Not after you left. When we hauled his ass across the street, he tried to square up with your brother. Maxwell knocked him out.”
She sounded shocked but pleased. “Seriously?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled as he thought back on the encounter. “Maxwell made sure to tell him to stay away from your sister first. After Scott was out cold, we sat him in one of the chairs on his porch and bounced.”
The next sound he heard could only be described as a guffaw. “Oh my God.”
He smiled, picking up on her amusement. “You all right?”
Between chuckles, she answered. “Yeah. I just…I know I shouldn’t laugh, but…”
“Don’t feel bad. Did I mention Scott did a face-plant on the sidewalk after your brother whupped him?”
Peals of laughter erupted from her mouth. “Stop, stop!”
By now, Bryan was laughing, too. “I don’t think you lose points with the good Lord for laughing at somebody who got what they deserved.”
“I hope not, because I couldn’t help it.” She giggled one more time, then took a deep breath. “I never really thanked you for what you did. I’m so glad you and Xavier showed up to help us out.”
He smiled at that. “You know Theta brothers always look out for each other. And since I knew you were there, I wasn’t about to stand by and let anything crazy go down.”
“So you were protecting me?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” He answered without a second thought, and it occurred to him how much his perception had changed when it came to her. He’d gone from thinking of her as his best friend’s baby sister to a client to a lover. He’d started wondering what it would be like to have her as his wife, but he wasn’t ready to mention that to her yet.
“You’re so sweet.” Her tone indicated her rising emotions.
“Alexis, I told you I love you. And I meant what I said, baby.”
There was a pause before her soft reply. “I love you, too, Bryan.”
Hearing her words touched his heart. He didn’t think he’d ever tire of it. “Listen. There are some things we should discuss, and I’d like to have a talk with you.”
“We’re talking now. So what’s up?”
If only it were that simple. “No, baby. I want to talk to you in person. This is important.” Inside, he kicked himself for not having this discussion with her from the beginning. He’d bet good money that everything he had to tell her would have been much easier for her to digest back then before their feelings were involved. Now he’d simply have to hope she could accept things as they were.
“Where do you want to meet? The coffee shop downtown? Dinner?”
He thought about it for a moment and concluded that he didn’t want to discuss this with her in public. The conversation would likely go smoother without the prying eyes and listening ears of strangers surrounding them. “Why don’t you come over to my place? I’ll make something great.”
“You cook?”
He chuckled. “I dabble a little.”
“Oh, I gotta see this. It’s a deal.”
“Can you come over on Friday?”
“No, I’m going out with Sydney that night. What about Saturday?”
“That’ll work. So I’ll see you Saturday at seven.”
“That seems so far away. But I’ll be there.”
After he disconnected the call, he leaned against the counter to finish his sports drink. When he thought of the night he had in store for Alexis, his lips flexed into a broad grin.
It’s time to seal the deal and make her mine.
* * *
With the large plastic tote balanced in his arms, Maxwell walked up the narrow stairway that led to the mother-in-law suite above his parents’ garage. Kelsey walked ahead of him, carrying her purse and a large stuffed animal.
He watched his sister as she stopped at the door, using the key their mother had given her to unlock it. Once she swung the door open and walked inside, Maxwell followed her. He had to do a bit of maneuvering to get the wide plastic tote through the door, but he finally made it in and set the tote on the floor by the long buffet table. The buffet was loaded down with their mother’s dust collectors and old family photos, and he was careful to avoid knocking anything over as he used his foot to scoot the tote out of the way.
Kelsey set her purse down on the short-legged coffee table and tucked the giant, pink stuffed rabbit against the arm of the sofa. Turning to him, she asked, “Are you going to let me help bring the rest of my stuff up here?”
He shook his head. “Do you need to ask? Have yourself a seat, and let me bring in the rest of your things.”
She pursed her lips. “Maxie, I’m not helpless. I can at least help you—”
He put up his hand, effectively cutting her off midsentence. “Kelsey, I know you’re not helpless. But will you just humor me? Now go sit down, relax, and let your big bro take care of you, okay?”
She sighed, but it was accompanied by a smile. “If you insist.” Apparently resigned to her fate, she plopped down on the couch and tugged the stuffed rabbit into her arms.
“Thank you.” A satisfied Maxwell turned and went back down the stairs. Taking a turn in the hallway at the bottom, he passed through the door into the three-car garage where he’d parked his SUV.
While he grabbed another of Kelsey’s plastic totes from the open hatch, he thought about the events of the past few days. Monday had been the day he, Alexis, and his fraternity brothers extricated Kelsey from Scott’s control, and Maxwell was relieved to have her home. Now, on this balmy Wednesday morning, he’d come over to their parents’ house to help Kelsey move her things into her temporary space. Doing this now would mean going in to work at his architectural firm about an hour later than normal, but since he was the boss, no one was going to check him about it. As far as he was concerned, the rest of his day would simply have to wait. His first priority was making sure that Kelsey was comfortably settled in.
Wrestling the tote up the stairs and tucking it inside Kelsey’s suite, he made several more trips up and down the stairs, lugging her totes and cardboard boxes. They varied in weight, filled with clothing, shoes, and other personal items, and by the time he’d brought up the last box, he could feel a sheen of sweat beginning to form on his brow. Since he’d be heading straight to his office after this, he’d donned his usual business attire—a gray suit with a white shirt and red tie. He’d had the good sense to taken off his sport jacket before he started hauling Kelsey’s things and left it in the passenger seat of his truck.
“Whew.” He flopped down on the couch next to his sister, taking a moment to catch his breath. He grabbed a tissue from the box on the side table and wiped his brow. “That’s everything.”
“Thanks, Maxie. Bet you wish you’d let me help now, huh?” She playfully punched him in the shoulder.
He chuckled, shook his head. “Nah. I’m a little winded, but I don’t mind it at all.” He paused, looking at the pile of boxes and totes. As he realized they’d need unpacking, he grimaced. “You will have Mom and Lex help you put all this stuff away, right?”
She nodded. “Yeah. Mom hates for things to be out of place, so I’m sure she’ll be up here before the day is out to help with that.” Her eyes swept over the space. “I can’t believe how much crap I have. I just hope I can find places to put it all.”
“You know what they say. You never realize how much you have until you have to move it.” He clasped his hands together in front of him.
She looked away then, and for a moment, she seemed to be studying her stuffed rabbit.
Maxwell watched his sister intently, sensing the sudden change in her mood. “Kelsey? What’s wrong?”
She blew out a breath. “I’m just…frustrated, I guess. Here I’ve put you and Alexis through all this inconvenience the last few days, to help me move my stuff and all.”
He reached out, touched her shoulder. “Come on, Kelsey. It’s not an inconvenience. We love you, and we’re just glad to have you safe and back home.”
She sniffled, her arms tightening around the rabbit. “I know, and I love you guys, too. I just wish I’d left sooner. I shouldn’t have let you and Lex and Mom and Dad worry about me for so long. I’m really sorry.”
He scooted closer to his sister, gathering her and her stuffed friend into his arms. “Kelsey, there’s no need to apologize. What happened to you wasn’t your fault. It was Scott’s. That dude is an asshole of the highest order.”
Tears were streaming down her cheeks, but her lips turned up into a smile. “You’re right about that. Thanks for punching him, by the way.”
Maxwell shook his head. “I’m not proud of that, but he squared up. I’m not saying he didn’t deserve the business end of my fist, but I didn’t go over there looking for a fight.” He gave her shoulders a squeeze. “But I would have done anything, and I do mean anything, to get you out of there.”
She brushed away her tears with the back of her hand and turned to look into his face. “Thank you, Maxie. Thank you so much, for everything.”
He could feel his chest tighten with all the love he felt for her. “Hey, that’s what big brothers are for. Who knows what kind of shenanigans you and Lex would get into if you didn’t have me to look out for you?”
Her teary smile brightened. “You’re right. We do need you to have our backs.”
“You’re a smart girl, Kelsey. Now if I could just get Lex to admit that, I’d be golden.” He winked.
She snuggled close to him. “You know Lex is too stubborn to ever say that.”
He chuckled. “Keep hope alive, Kelsey. Keep hope alive.”
He sat there with his sister in his arms, determined to stay with her until she was ready to be alone. He and Alexis had been in and out of the house over the past day and a half, checking in on Kelsey to see how she was holding up. Their parents had been looking in on Kelsey as well, an easy feat since she’d returned to her childhood home. She’d been through quite an ordeal, and everyone in the family wanted to make sure she had the smoothest possible transition to being on her own again.
He looked down at his sister, resting in his embrace, and smiled. His mother and his two sisters were the most important women in his life, and he assumed it would remain that way until he found the right woman to settle down with. Parts of him wondered if that would ever happen, because he was loath to give up his freedom. Could I really give my heart to someone and be okay with having her keep tabs on my whereabouts? He didn’t know the answer to that.
What he did know was that if he ever found the right woman, he’d treat her a hell of a lot better than Scott had treated Kelsey. After all, what was the point of being in a relationship if you weren’t going to do it right?
No, the woman he ended up with could expect to be treated like a queen. Because if he was going to give up his freedom, he’d settle for no less.
Chapter 21
Alexis climbed the stairs toward the second floor of her parents’ house, her bare feet sinking into the carpet. At her mother’s request, she’d shown up with her overnight bag about an hour ago, prepared to spend the night in the suite over the garage. It might seem odd to anyone else, this impromptu sleepover on a Thursday night, but Alexis didn’t mind. She’d do anything to see Kelsey’s bright, bubbly personality return.
Now, wearing a pair of red silk pajamas, she found herself bopping her head. The narrow stairwell vibrated with the sounds of the hip-hop music her sister was pumping, and by the time Alexis reached the top step, she was ready to do the cabbage patch. Finding the door to the suite ajar, she poked her head in.
“Kelsey?”
“Come on in,” came the shouted reply.
She eased inside, shutting the door behind her. Even though this part of the house went unused most of the time, Delphinia Devers’s decorating scheme continued here. The walls in the room were painted a muted shade of pink, and the plush beige carpet beneath Alexis’s feet was protected by several strategically placed Oriental rugs. On the wall hung a hand-selected assortment of old family portraits and paintings, mainly landscapes featuring ocean scenes. The space was furnished with expensive but simple pieces—overstuffed beige leather furniture, oak tables, and ceramic and crystal decorative pieces. The scent of their mother’s favorite cinnamon potpourri hung in the air.
Finding Kelsey in the small kitchenette, she gestured to the stereo system on the counter. “Is that The Hamilton Mixtape?”
“Yeah. You know I love it.” Kelsey bopped across the room, setting a tea kettle on one of the two burners on the small stove. “Want some tea?” She was dressed for bed as well, in a Ro James tee and a pair of black cotton drawstring pants.
“Yeah.” Reaching over, Alexis turned down the stereo system. “Sorry, but I don’t want to have to yell so you can hear me.”
“It’s cool.” Kelsey set the temperature on the stove, then went to the small, circular table and sat down in one of the two chairs.
Alexis claimed the seat across from her. Taking in her sister’s face, she could see the remaining vestiges of anxiety painting her expression. Kelsey smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes, and Alexis knew it would take time for her sister to adjust to her new reality. “Listen, if you want to talk, Kelsey…”
