“Like run over dog shit.”
I frown. “Why aren’t you at home in bed?”
She removes her glasses and throws them down on the front counter and starts to walk toward the back. “Because my brother never came home last night so I figured he’d be here.”
I follow her to the back office. She shoves the door open, and it’s empty. “I’ve been here for an hour, and I haven’t seen him.”
She sighs, running a hand down her face before she looks up at me. She’s washed her face clean of the makeup from last night. Falling down into the chair behind the desk, she rips her hat off her head. “Who did this?” she asks.
“The Mason brothers,” I answer.
She hangs her head but doesn’t say anything to that. I highly doubt she knows who they are. “You need to go home,” I tell her.
Her eyes narrow up at me. “I need to be here.”
“There’s nothing you can do right now. I’ve had the place cleaned, and the contractor was just here. It could take a couple of weeks before it’s ready to re-open.”
She slams her fists down on the desk. “I’m going to fucking kill him.”
“I’ve taken care of it.”
“I wouldn’t need your help if he hadn’t gone and fucked someone over!” she yells.
I change the subject. “How did you even get here?” Her car was at Kingdom last night when we left in mine.
“Jasmine took me to get a new phone since my screen was shattered. Then to Kingdom to get my car,” she growls. “And why did you have her stay with me?” She arches a dark brow. “I didn’t need a babysitter, Grave.”
She did. But I’m not telling her that. I watched her deck her brother like he was nothing, so I don’t want her jumping over that desk and coming at me. One, she’d hurt herself, and two, I was raised that you don’t hit women, even if they punch you.
Thankfully, the sound of the bell ringing gets me out of having to lie to her. She gets up from the desk and runs out of the office.
“Where the fuck have you been?” I hear her demand before I even make it back to the front of the shop.
Ethan stands there with a black eye and busted lip. He looks around and sighs. “Did I tell you I was sorry?”
“Your words don’t mean shit!” she snaps at him.
I walk up behind her and place my hands on her shoulders. She shrugs me off and steps into him. “You will pay Grave back for every penny.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He nods.
I cross my arms over my chest, expecting him to tell her that I already told him that, but he doesn’t.
“And you will be here at Roses working every day the moment we open back up,” she adds.
He nods. “Yes, ma’am.”
“Your ass will be home by nine o’clock every night, and you will always inform me where you’re at!” He opens his mouth, but she goes on. “And you’re no longer allowed at Kingdom. You’re too goddamn young to be there anyway!”
He nods once again. “Yes, ma’am.”
With that, she spins around and heads back to the office, slamming the door shut.
APRIL
It’s been a week since I found out my brother owed the Mason brothers. I feel bad about how I yelled at Ethan the morning after. I had become a mom to him, no longer a sister, but I feel like he’s making poor life choices that are going to get him killed. If that means being his enemy, I can live with myself.
So far, he’s held up to his word. He’s at the shop helping me get it back up and running. And home every night. He doesn’t speak much to me, but he can hate me all he wants as long as he follows the rules.
I exit my shower and wrap a towel around my chest, tucking it into itself and see Grave at my sink brushing his teeth. I don’t get to see him very much. Kingdom takes up most of his time. At least, I hope that’s where he is and not with Lucy. The question is always there on the tip of my tongue, but I’m too chicken to ask. I lean up against the counter and look at him. “This is my fault,” I admit. Shame washes over me. It reminds me that I’ve failed Ethan. I could have been better. It’s my fault that we’re in the mess we’re in anyway.
He rinses out his mouth and sets the toothbrush down. “Well, if you weren’t so tempting, I could get to work on time.” He yanks the towel free of my body. His blue eyes instantly dropping to my legs.
“No.” I slap his chest. “The fact that Ethan is in trouble.”
He sighs, running a hand through his dark hair. He doesn’t like to talk about it. Every time I bring it up, he changes the subject. As if he’s taken care of it, and it’s over. But it’s not.
“He wanted to move back home when our mother passed, but I wanted to stay. I shouldn’t have been so selfish.” There was nothing there for us. Seattle was depressing. I thought a life in Vegas would be better, but I was wrong. “Too many things are readily available, making it easy for him to get in trouble. They don’t call it Sin City for nothing.” And he’s still two years away from being twenty-one. What will happen in years to come when he realizes he doesn’t need me and my strict rules?
“Listen.” He grips my hips, then spins us around to where he’s leaning up against the countertop, and I’m standing between his legs. “I have it under control. He’s not going to get into any more trouble. Not while I’m around,” he adds with a smirk.
I’ve noticed that Grave doesn’t take much seriously. When the situation starts to head that way, he makes jokes. “And how long is that for?” I ask, biting my lip nervously. I owe him so much already. How can I ask him for more? He’s quickly becoming someone that I like having around.
His eyes scan my face as he reaches up and places a few strands of wet hair behind my ear. “However long you want me to be.”
I wrap my arms around his neck and lean up on my tiptoes to press my lips to his. He’s right about one thing—I’m always making him late. It has been so long since I’ve had any sexual release that I crave it from him. Need it. He’s so fucking good at it.
“Are you coming back over tonight?” I ask when I pull away.
“No. I’ll be at the Airport tonight.” He frowns at that thought, running his finger down my chest bone.
Why would he be there? “Doing what?”
His cell starts to vibrate next to him where it sits on the countertop. Bones flashes across his screen, and I step back so he can walk out of the bathroom to answer it.
I haven’t brought up his mother or the fact that he ordered her flowers. His reasons aren’t any of my business. I just hope that whatever he needed from those flowers, he got. Everyone grieves differently. And there is no timeframe on how long you can mourn a loved one.
I start my morning after-shower ritual when he comes back into the bathroom.
“What were we talking about?” he asks, walking up behind me.
“You blowing me off tonight.”
He pulls my wet hair off my shoulder, and his eyes meet mine in the mirror. “It’ll be late.”
“You can wake me up.” I offer.
He spins me around, grips my hips, and sets my ass on the cold counter. “How would you like me to do that?” he asks.