I made a promise to myself. To him. That I’d give him time to tell me. And now I’m welching?
“I’m sorry,” I finally say. “I promised I wouldn’t push. I do trust you, Braden. I know you’re a good man. I couldn’t be with you if I didn’t believe that.”
He strides toward me and pulls me to his chest. “I know you trust me, Skye. You’ve proved that many times over. You have to trust me with this as well.”
“I do.” I nod into his shoulder.
He pushes me away slightly and meets my gaze. “I will tell you what you want to know, but I need your promise that it goes no further than you.”
“I tell Tessa everything.”
“Not this. I can make you sign an NDA like you did for the club.”
“That’s not necessary. I won’t tell Tessa about the club, and I won’t tell her anything you don’t want me to.”
“Good. And it’s not just Tessa. You can’t tell anyone what I’m about to tell you. Especially not Addie or that friend of hers.”
“Who?”
“The one who owns the dog supply store.”
“Betsy? She and Addie aren’t really friends.”
“Maybe not, but she knows some of this. You can’t tell her anything more. Got it?”
I look into those beautiful blue eyes. They’re laced with a tad bit of sadness. Just a touch, but I can see it. He’s sorry he has to do this, but he’s willing to do this. For me.
“Of course, Braden. You can trust me. With anything.”
Chapter Forty-Six
I listen.
Simply listen, letting Braden’s words morph into pictures in my mind.
…
She was beautiful, if you like blondes. Braden had always favored darker hair.
“They’re both on the prowl,” Ben said to him. “And they’ve got their eyes on us. Might be a lucky night for the Black bros. We can get some high-class pussy.”
“Shut the fuck up,” Braden said.
“What’s up your ass?”
“Nothing. I’m just not in the mood.”
“Not in the mood for sex?” Ben laughed. “Fine. Have a drink. Have five drinks. I’m going to get me some of that.” He walks toward the Ames sisters.
Identical twins, both blond and beautiful. Ben began working his magic on the one with longer hair. Soon they disappeared.
The other one, though.
She was… Braden couldn’t put his finger on it. She was staring at him, trying to get his attention all night, but something was off with her.
Still…he hadn’t had sex in a while. When you worked construction six days a week in the hot sun, you were dirty as a pig and fucking exhausted the rest of the time. What little free time he had he spent researching. He had an idea—an idea that could be big. He just had to figure out how to get it off the ground. With so little time and even less money, it didn’t seem likely. Still, it was his dream, and he spent his off time working on it. No time to get dressed up and cruise for chicks. How could he find women who liked what he liked, anyway? Not all girls let a guy tie them up. At twenty-four, he was getting too old for casual sex. Ben was barely twenty-one and still liked flashing his ID at bars.
This was his scene, not Braden’s.
Ben had heard about the party at the Ames’ mansion through a friend of a friend. When he suggested they check it out, Braden finally agreed. They’d had the day off work, so he wasn’t dead tired as he usually was. While the time might have been better spent working on his ground floor idea, Ben had finally persuaded him.
The other Ames twin approached him.
Braden looked around. Shit. No escape. The house was getting crowded.
She smiled at him. “Hi there. Welcome. I’m Addison Ames.”
“Braden Black.”
“Who’s your friend? The one who went off with my sister?”
“He’s not my friend. He’s my brother, Ben.”
“Oh. So what do you do, Braden Black?”
“Construction.”
Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Construction? Do you live around here?”
He shook his head. “South Boston.”
She smiled. South Boston seemed to please her. Why? He didn’t know.
“Can I get you a drink?” she asked.
“Wild Turkey.”
“What’s that?”
“Bourbon.”
“Oh. Well, we have several bourbons. Follow me.”
She guided him to the bar. “Hmm. Buffalo Trace. Eagle Rare. Kentucky Gold. No Wild Turkey. Sorry.”
“Any of those is fine.”
“Okay.” She poured two fingers into a glass and handed it to him.
He took a drink. Nice. Smooth.
He could get used to this.
“Want to go to my room?” she asked.
He nearly spit out his mouthful of booze. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. You’re hot. Let’s get busy.”
“Exactly how old are you?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m legal. I’m eighteen. I’ll even show you my ID if you want.”
“It’s not legal for you to drink what I’m drinking, then.”
“No, it’s not. But it’s legal for me to have sex. That’s what I’m after tonight.”
He took another drink. Yeah, she was beautiful. And ready and willing. A quick fuck might be nice.
But a quick fuck had never been what Braden was after. He had more…exclusive tastes.
He finished his drink and set the empty glass back on the wooden bar. “That’s a nice offer, but I have to pass.”
Anger flashed in her eyes.
He got it. He was turning down an Ames hotel heiress, and she was pissed.
Well, she’d get over it.
“Thanks for the drink,” he said. “If you see my brother, tell him I went home.”
…
Braden had a small apartment near the rental where his dad lived. Ben still lived with their dad, but he spent a lot of time crashing at Braden’s.
“Time you started chipping in for rent,” Braden said.