Daniel can’t see it or he’ll get ideas.
Ideas even I don’t want to entertain.
I end up taking a long shower, allowing the muscles in my body to loosen up.
Once I’m done, I throw on a cotton robe, dry my hair with a towel, then step out of the bathroom.
The flat is eerily calm and I suspect that Daniel had enough of my brother’s antics and left.
But that’s not the case.
Jay is sleeping on the sofa, his limbs flailing in all directions.
Daniel is on the floor in front of him, and his shirt sleeves are pulled to his elbows, revealing his strong forearms. His tailored jacket that must’ve cost a couple thousand dollars is currently being used by Lolli as a pillow.
He doesn’t seem to care that it’s covered with hair, though, because he’s way too focused on Jay’s textbook. I’ve only seen him this concentrated on work-related stuff.
I must make a noise, because he starts to lift his head. “What’s this bollocks they teach kids these days…”
He trails off when his eyes fall on me. He takes me in from my feet, slowly dragging his gaze up to my waist and stomach, then lingers on my breasts before his eyes clash with mine.
They’re dark blue—a dangerous blue that makes me squirm—something I haven’t done for over a decade.
“Our education system is different from the American one,” I say in a hopeless attempt to disperse his attention.
“Everything is different here—bigger, louder, and less stuck-up than in London.”
“I still miss it. London.” I don’t know why I say it, and I resist the need to fidget under his scrutiny.
“Why did you leave it then?”
My gaze silently flits to Jay.
“Right. You were running away and still are apparently.”
Not knowing how to reply, I go to the kitchen, grab two beers, and offer Daniel one.
“I assume you don’t have premium whiskey here,” he says while examining the can of beer with distaste.
“You should be thankful there’s even beer.” I sit across from him, tucking my feet underneath me.
“That dire?”
“Don’t pity me.”
“I have a lot of twisted emotions toward you, but believe me, pity is not on the list.”
I gulp a mouthful of beer, sinking my nails into the can. I want to ask him what those feelings are, but I can’t.
Not after I said what I said on the balcony.
“I couldn’t raise Jay in England,” I whisper, reverting the subject back to my brother. “He…was neglected by his father to the point of abuse. He got asthma from the conditions he was kept in. So when social services came knocking on my door, I couldn’t say no. He was a few months old at the time.”
“That’s why you dropped out of Cambridge.”
It’s not a question, but a declaration.
“I had to use the rest of my trust fund to raise Jay, so I couldn’t afford Cambridge anymore.”
“You could’ve asked Uncle Henry for help.”
A ball the size of my fist clogs up my windpipe. “Uncle Henry hated Mum more than he hated the devil.”
“But he didn’t hate you.”
“Yes, he did. He couldn’t even look at me after she was arrested. I reminded him of her and it hurt him. It’s why I avoided his advances. I couldn’t just ask him for help to raise another child my mother gave birth to.”
I stare at Jay, thankful he’s a deep sleeper.
Daniel jostles the can of beer, then takes a small sip. “Did you know I was in New York before you came?”
“No. If I had, I wouldn’t have come here.”
A sadistic smile tips his lips. “I never took you for a coward who would run away from their past.”
“I’m not a coward. I just don’t like unnecessary confrontations.”
“So I’m unnecessary now? Not a very good sales pitch to get back into my good graces.”
“Does such a place even exist?”
“What?”
“Your good graces.”
“It does.”
“Shocker, considering you’re pickier than royalty.”
“I can be reasonable.”
“Not even if you were hit on the head with that word.”
He smiles a little, or more like smirks, before he takes another sip of beer.
Silence falls between us, heavy with unsaid words and vindictive thoughts.
We’ve been at each other’s throats so much that it feels wrong to have this small moment of peace.
But I don’t break it.
Don’t try to fill it.
Because I might have been drawn to his charming side, but I enjoyed Daniel’s silence as much as his words.
What I didn’t enjoy were his actions. Each and every one of them.
And he’s watching me as if he’s contemplating the best way to make me agree to his less than subtle offer.
Problem is, I can’t stop thinking about it either.
Even though I’ve completely closed myself off to that side of me.
But I could never close myself off to Daniel.
16
DANIEL
I think I made a mistake.
No, it’s not a probability.
The fact that I’m even thinking about it is a clear indication that I did make the fucking mistake.
And I’m in the middle of an even bigger mistake.
Grabbing an empty glass of water, I stare over my kitchen counter.
If someone had told me I’d witness a scene such as the one in my living area, I would’ve paid their therapy bills.
Maybe this is an indication that I should start with my own therapeutic session. The reason is simple. As strange as the view is, it feels…fucking right coupled with all the wrong emotions I shouldn’t entertain.
Nicole, who graduated from multitasking school with flying colors, is helping Jayden do his homework while going through her pending assistant tasks.
Her brother, Jayden.
A nine-year-old little fucker of epic proportions. He’s almost like a younger Nicole but with more bite and less snobbishness.
As much as I hate to admit it, the little fucker has grown on me since I first met him a week ago. Not only is he as allergic to stupidity as I am, but he has a sassy mouth that nearly rivals his sister’s.
Almost.
It’s part of the reason why I opened my home to them. I told Nicole I wouldn’t be driving back and forth to her shabby flat for dinner and demanded she bring it to me.
Although her place should be listed as a noise, danger, and life hazard, that’s not actually the real reason I no longer want to go there.
The thing is, I couldn’t keep seeing her in her skimpy robes and then have to get up and leave with a hard-on bigger than Mount Everest.
Naturally, she gave me a piece of her mind and blathered about how not everyone can afford a luxurious flat. She has this annoying tendency where she likes to express whatever’s on her mind.
She usually goes red at my biting replies, though, so we’re basically pushing and pulling with no strings attached.
Anyhow, after she agreed to bring me dinner every night—correction, after I gave her no choice—I provoked Jayden so he’d suggest that he’d tag along. I wouldn’t have said it myself if I were on the brink of death.