Any Time, Any Place (Billionaire Builders #2)(74)

Her father had been right. Dalton had carved his way inside her heart, and she needed to follow the path put in front of her. It didn’t make logical sense. He terrified her on many levels. Yet he fulfilled her in ways that should be fictional—a romantic love story of film or book only a lucky few were able to experience.

But if it’s your road to follow, take it.

She had no other choice.

Raven went back to the kitchen and fished out the hammer and nails from the junk drawer.

Then she hung up her father’s paintings.





chapter twenty-three




Raven stood before the massive carved door, feeling like she was going to be sick.

The plan had been simple: tell Dalton about their shared past and try to work things out. Instead, he’d texted her about some building emergency with Cal and Morgan’s house and said he’d pick her up for dinner with his family.

She didn’t want to tell him over the phone, so she’d insisted she’d drive over and meet him there. Raven came up with over a dozen excuses to cancel, but the thought of Dalton’s pained face stopped her each time. This was important to him, and somehow it had become important to her, too. It was time to get to know the Pierce brothers on a deeper basis and see the place where Diane had made her home. She intended to invite him back to her house after dinner and confess the whole story then.

But her feet were still glued to the porch, unable to gather the courage to ring the bell.

“Is the bell not working? Sometimes that happens, you can just walk right in,” a strange voice said behind her, with a touch of a Latin accent.

She spun around. A dark-haired man grinned at her. He held a bottle of wine and a white box tied with string, which looked like it was from the bakery. He was average height, with large, soot-colored eyes and gorgeous brown skin. “Oh, I’m sorry, I just got here. Didn’t try the bell yet. I’m Raven.”

“Nice to meet you, Raven. I’m Brady. I’m the architect at Pierce Brothers.”

She shook his hand, liking his firm grip, and hoisted up her case of Raging Bitch. “Guess we should go in.”

He gave a deep laugh and pushed the door open. “I better go first. Don’t want the crazy mutts to topple you over with their enthusiasm. You’re okay with dogs, right?”

“Yes, I love them.”

“Good, don’t be worried, they should—Balin, Gandalf, down!”

Raven tried not to laugh at the elegant man ahead of her flailing his arms to stave off the licking tongues and scrabbling paws. Shifting her weight, she stepped from behind Brady and snapped her voice.

“Balin. Gandalf. Sit.”

Joy flitting over their faces, they stopped midflight and slammed their asses to the floor, wriggling madly but staying put.

Brady’s mouth dropped open. “You did not just do that. Oh, my God, are you from the Animal Planet channel? Did you come to finally train these goofballs?”

Dalton strode into the room, dressed in khaki shorts and a hunter-green T-shirt with the Pierce Brothers logo, with freshly damp hair and bare feet. Those delicious biceps flexed, as if tempting her to take a bite. Dear Lord, Magic Mike strippers had nothing on the man, who had the finest arms in the land. “Raven is a dog whisperer,” he said, stopping in front of her to press a firm kiss to her lips. He greeted Brady and took the case of beer from her arms, his blue eyes twinkling with pleasure. “She’s the only one they seem to listen to.”

Raven dropped to her knees, watching the dogs shake with the exertion of being good. “Good boys,” she crooned, rubbing their heads and bellies. “Such good, good boys.”

“Does it work for men, too?” Morgan asked, trailing behind Dalton.

Brady groaned. “Men are easy. It’s women who have so many layers they make onions seem one-dimensional.”

“Kind of like Shrek, huh?” Raven tossed out.

Morgan burst into laughter at Brady’s look. “Watch out, Mr. Dominant. You may have finally met the woman to put you in your place.”

Brady scoffed. “Since Raven is definitely not my woman, she’s completely safe. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to take care of my lover, and I can do that much better if I set the rules. Women don’t seem to know what they want anymore. Is it wrong to want a relationship with no stress, complications, or dishonesty?”

Raven shared a look with Morgan. Fascinating. Though his name didn’t fit his obvious Latino heritage, Brady seemed quite focused on a submissive type of woman. She rose to her feet. “Well, since I’m nobody’s woman but my own, I’d have to wish you luck on your hunt for the snipe.”

Brady frowned. “What’s a snipe?”

“The mysterious fictional creature from the movie Up.”

Morgan giggled. “I love Up! I watched it with Sydney’s daughter, Becca. I cried.”

Cal strode into the room with Tristan. “She did. Also cried at The Lion King, Inside Out, and The Good Dinosaur. We don’t allow Disney movies in this house any longer if anyone dies.”

Brady shook his head. “See, I’m confused already by this change of topic. I think it’s time for a beer.”

“I think you’re right,” Cal agreed, linking his fingers with Morgan’s.

“Make that wine and I agree,” Tristan piped up.