All Or Nothing (The Alpha Brotherhood #2)(31)
Author: Catherine Mann

She nodded, going silent while she stared out the window at an ostrich running on pace with them at forty-two miles per hour. Her deep breath gave him only a flash of a notice that she wasn’t giving up.

“Sounds to me like your Alpha Brotherhood has morphed into a Bond Brotherhood.” She tipped her face into the wind, her eyes closed, her neck arched and vulnerable. “Troy is definitely the Pierce Brosnan Bond type, with his charm and his metro-sexual style. Malcolm is the Roger Moore type, old school Bond with his jazz flair. I only recall meeting Elliot Starc once, but he fits well enough for the Timothy Dalton slot, rarely seen but very international. The doctor, Boothe, he’s the Daniel Craig Bond, the tortured soul.”

“Who said Boothe was part of the Alpha Brotherhood?” And yes, he noticed she’d aptly insinuated they were all working for Salvatore as well, something he didn’t intend to confirm.

“Just a guess.” She glanced at him, her perceptive blue eyes making it clear she hadn’t missed the nuance. “By the way, you are absolutely the Sean Connery Bond.”

“I think you’re paying me a compliment.” He glanced over and found her staring at him with a familiar sensual glint.

He went hard at just a look from her—and the promise in her eyes.

“You’re sexy, brooding, arrogant and too damn mesmerizing for your own good. It’s not fair, you know.”

“I’m not sure where you’re going with this.”

“Just that I can’t resist you. Even now, I’m sitting here fighting the urge to jump you right here in the middle of nowhere. I’m trying to play it cool and logical because I don’t want either of us to get hurt again.”

“Can we go back to the Sean Connery discussion?” He hooked an arm around her and tugged her to his side.

She adjusted her seat belt and leaned against him. “I wonder sometimes if we were drawn to each other because of feeling like orphans.”

He forced himself not to tense as she neatly shifted the conversation again. “We had parents.”

“Don’t be so literal.”

“Don’t be such a girl.”

“Um, hello? I have br**sts.”

“Believe me.” His hand slid along the generous curve. “I noticed.”

“You’re not paying attention.” She linked fingers with him, stopping his caress.

He squeezed her hand, driving with the other hand down the deserted private road leading back to his house. “You have my complete and undivided attention.”

“Good, because there will be a quiz afterward,” she said smartly.

He nuzzled her hair, and wondered when just sitting beside her, holding her hand had become such an incredible turn on. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’ve missed you, too.” Her head fell to rest on his shoulder. “That’s what I was getting at. You have your brotherhood, but you lead these separate lives with just periodic high octane reunions. Day by day, neither of us has a family.”

He laughed darkly. “Dysfunctional is drawn to dysfunctional, I guess.”

“Not exactly how I would have phrased it, but that works well enough.” Her hand fell to rest on his knee, stroking lightly.

To arouse or soothe?

“Jayne, your dad’s a loser just like mine was.” Anger simmered in his gut over how her father had hurt her. “End of story. We overcame it.”

“Did we?” She drew circles on his jeans, her touch heating him through the denim. “Or are we still letting them control our lives?”

His hand clenched around the steering wheel. He wanted to be with her, but damn it, she needed to leave discussions of his father in the past. He’d said all he cared to say about the old man who didn’t warrant his time. This whole twenty questions game was officially over.

“If I wanted therapy I would pay a shrink.” He turned off the road, hitting the remote for the gate, which also triggered a timed release for the other layers of security along with a facial recognition program.

“Wow, Conrad,” she said, sliding back to her side of the vehicle, “that was rude.”

He reined his temper in even as sweat beaded his brow. “You’re right.” He stopped the car beside the house. “Of course.”

“If you don’t agree,” she snapped, throwing her door open wide, “then just say so.”

“I disagree, and I’m rude.” He threw his arms wide as he circled to the front of the car. “I agree, and you tell me not to?”

“I just meant disagree politely.” She crossed her arms over her chest, plumping her br**sts in the simple white T-shirt.

His hard-on throbbed in his jeans, aching as much as the pain behind his eyes.

“I just want to get a shower and some lunch.” He yanked his sticky polo shirt off and pitched it on the porch. To hell with this. He stalked toward the outside shower stall along the side of the house. “Not pick a fight.”

“Who’s picking a fight?” Her voice rose and she all but stomped a foot. “Not me. I’m just trying to have an honest discussion with you.”

“Honest?” He barely kept his voice under control. That shower was sounding better and better by the second. Maybe it would cool down his temper. “You want to talk honest then let’s talk about why you want to rewrite history so I’m some pathetic sap who blames the world for all his problems.”

She stalked closer to him one step at a time until she stopped an inch shy of her br**sts skimming his bare chest. “Conrad? Shut up and take me to the shower.”

Ten

As much as Jayne ached to find answers that would give them a path to reconciliation, clearly Conrad didn’t want to talk anymore. And to be honest with herself, the trip to the clinic had left her more than a little vulnerable. She’d seen a side to her husband she hadn’t known existed. Beyond just funding a building, he was obviously hands-on at the place, well-known and liked. The way he’d played with the kids still tugged at her heart until she could barely breathe.

She definitely needed to give them both time and space. She was a patient woman, and right now she could think of the perfect way to pass that time.

Making love to her husband.

And if she was using sex to delay the inevitable? Then so be it. She couldn’t leave the protection of this place so she might as well make the most of this time.

She linked fingers with Conrad and tugged him toward the side of the house.