Breathless (Steel Brothers Saga #10)(11)

“Shouldn’t you…check on Jade? The boys?”

“You said it yourself. Talon is home. I’m here for them during the day, when Talon is working. He’s home now. Jade is his wife. The boys are his children. He likes looking after them.” She cupped her breasts and held them out to me, as if in offering.

I nearly exploded inside my jeans.

“What’s going to happen when Talon sees my car still outside? Won’t he wonder where the hell I am? And then he’ll see your door closed…”

She huffed and grabbed her T-shirt, pulling it over her head sans bra. “You know what? Just go, Bryce. Get the hell out of here.”

Finally, someone was talking sense. The problem? I didn’t want to go. I didn’t want to go at all.

But I would. Because it was the right thing to do. Because I couldn’t offer her what she deserved. I quickly buttoned up my shirt, barely making eye contact with Marjorie.

And I walked out.





Chapter Seven





Marjorie





He left.

He left, leaving me hornier than I’d ever been. I was so wet, so ripe, so freaking ready.

I relocked my door and shed my flip-flops, jeans, and undies. Then I lay down on my bed and spread my legs.

I rarely resorted to masturbation, but I was so turned on. And so angry.

It didn’t take long.





The next morning, after feeding the boys their breakfast and taking them to school, I sat in Talon and Jade’s bedroom, visiting with my best friend.

“And don’t tell me he’s too old for me,” I said after spilling my guts about Bryce. “You’re my age, and he’s only three years older than Talon.”

Jade had gotten up and showered but still wore her bathrobe and slippers. “I’d never tell you that, Marj.”

“He’s attracted to me. He admits it.”

“Of course he is. Who wouldn’t be? That’s obviously not the issue.”

“He says it’s my brothers, but I’m not buying.”

“They are very protective of you.”

“He also says it’s my age. He remembers when my room was decorated with pink and yellow unicorns.”

“Unicorns?” Jade laughed. “Really, Marj?”

Jade and I hadn’t met until college, so she hadn’t been privy to my childhood décor. “What was your room decorated like when you were a kid?”

“Well, four walls and the basics. A dresser, a bed, and a desk from the Salvation Army. The occasional poster I found at a garage sale.”

I shook my head. “I’m sorry, Jade.”

“Don’t be.”

My heart twisted. Despite being the daughter of supermodel Brooke Bailey, Jade and her father had lived a modest life on his construction salary after Brooke had abandoned them. Brooke, who’d been in a terrible automobile accident several months ago, now lived in a Snow Creek townhome subsidized by Talon and Jade. Brooke and Jade had seemingly made peace, despite Brooke’s abandonment of her daughter as a child.

“Just sock me in the mouth when I start playing the ‘poor little rich girl,’ okay? Promise?”

Jade laughed again. “You know I always do.”

“You need anything? Crackers? Water?”

She shook her head. “I’m feeling a little less putrid today. Let’s hope it sticks.” She stood and shed her robe, reaching for a pair of jeans in her closet. “Bryce is a mess right now, Marj. Just give him some time.”

Bryce was a mess. So was I. What would a fuck matter?

Jade went on, “Maybe try to meet someone else in the meantime. Was there anyone interesting in your cooking class?”

“Not really.”

“Then get out of this house. Go into town. Get back to the gym. Anything.”

“You guys need me here.”

She smiled. “We can spare you for a few hours a day. You need to have your own life.”

“But the boys…”

“The boys are in school most of the day, and I’m not dead. I can still be a mother even when I’m nauseated twenty-four-seven.”

I sighed, the truth ready to pour out of me. “I don’t want to meet anyone else, Jade. I want Bryce. It’s crazy, I know. Talk about baggage. No job. A psycho father. A needy mother. A kid with another woman. He looks horrible on paper, doesn’t he?”

“Talon and his brothers are going to take care of the ‘no job’ thing, I think. At least they’re going to try. But you can’t escape the other three.”

“I don’t want to escape Henry. He’s adorable and I love him. But I worry about him. Bryce doesn’t seem to be spending much time with him these days. Before all of this came to a head, I never saw Bryce without Henry. Now? He’s never with him.”

“I know. Tal and I have talked about that. Bryce says his mom needs to focus on Henry right now. But what is Bryce focusing on? That’s a big reason why the guys decided to offer him employment here on the ranch. But it’s not a charity offer. The guys say Bryce is perfect for the job they have in mind.”

“You think he’ll take it?”

“I don’t know. Talon said he talked to him about it a little last night after dinner, but Bryce is adamant that he wants a job as a hand. He wants to do physical labor, which Talon understands. He’s trying to escape from his mind through exhaustion.”