London Falling (Falling #2)(27)
“No, no, no! Not again. Do not use this dinner party to put the moves on some tart you’ll toss away after one night of shagging.”
Nate had the presence of mind to look a tad trite. “You’re a funny one to talk. Isn’t that exactly what you are doing with the lovely Ms. Kelley? Trying to woo her?”
“Yes, but I plan on keeping this bird around. You, on the other hand, change bedmates more than you change your jockeys!”
He waggled his eyebrows. “Jealous?”
I rolled my eyes. “Hardly. I just…look, let’s try and make this as civil as possible. She means something to me. I can’t explain it.”
Nathaniel put his large hands out in front of him which mimicked the universal sign for “say no more.” “Alright, we’ll have it your way. No sexy vixens to keep me company.” He pursed his lips then pulled out his phone hitting a sequence of buttons. “Aspen love, how are you this fine chilly day?” The beat of my heart seemed loud against my chest. “Yes, well, I was wondering if you and the gang would fancy a dinner party at my flat this weekend?”
He waited a moment, drumming his fingers against his pant leg. After what seemed like eternity he clasped a hand over the speaker portion. “She’s asking Oliver about her schedule,” he whispered to me, taking the edge off a bit.
“Why?” I ask.
“He is her assistant and her best friend. I told you, they are two peas in a pod.” He rolled his eyes then smiled into the phone. “Brilliant, love! Dinner it is. Do you think it would be possible to invite your sister, London? She’ll be redesigning my flat after your wedding and I’d love for her to get a quick run through prior to the move in.”
Ecstatic didn’t begin to explain how I felt. I was amazed at how easily Nathaniel was able to come up with something so clever to bring the black-haired beauty around. At the same time I fought a deep seated anger all at once. I’d forgotten his plan to have her design his flat.
That was not going to happen. Over my dead body would he be in a confined space with my Beauty for any length of time. That tidbit of information could be discussed at a later date. First priority, get the bird to dinner. Next, get the woman in my bed. Lastly, convince her to give us an honest shot at something more.
“All sorted.” Nathaniel pocketed his phone and stood. I held out a hand. He shook it and smiled. I gave him one of my own.
“Dog’s bollocks, brother.”
“As the Yanks would say, now don’t screw it up!”
“I don’t intend to.” I looked at my desk and took a seat as Nathaniel reached the door. He held onto the door-handle and stopped.
“She’s special this one. True?”
I slid on my spectacles, clasped my hands in front of me, elbows on the lacquered surface and looked over the rims of my glasses at Nathaniel. He wasn’t only my brother, he was my best mate. His tall built frame filled the space, though the daily swimming he did kept his body from being too bulky. He waited for my response. I took a deep breath and let the air flow slowly through my too dry lips.
His gaze met mine. A hundred thousand words were said, ones only brothers, kindred spirits, could express without speaking. The word slipped from my lips, heavy with a deeper meaning.
“True.”
Chapter - 7
Aspen yanked my hand so hard she almost pulled my shoulder out of socket.
“Ouch! Stop it already!” I tried and failed to smack off the vice-like clamp she had on me.
Her grip tightened on my hand as we made our way into the sitting room in my parent’s mansion, a posh and prestigious nightmare of social grace. Everything perfect, nothing out of place in the Bright-Reynolds home. The couches were sparkling white. The type that made you afraid to sit on them if you weren’t careful. Holding a glass of wine or cookie from the gold tipped china plate bought to show off mother’s expensive taste was a risky move, one I constantly enjoyed making. I loved freaking mother out. Grabbing a cookie as I sat, I made a point to bite hard, allowing the crumbs to fall onto the floor. Her perfectly sculpted brows knit together in clear disdain. Point one for me.
My sister slowly sat next to me, crossing her long pale legs with grace. Her blond hair hung like a golden sheet across her back. Aspen was a magnificent woman, not only in beauty but in all things. Her stature was strong, she was poised. Her gray-blue eyes assessed our mother with a twinge of distaste. One of the things we had in common was our dislike of our she-devil mother. The woman was insufferable. But today was the day I was waiting for. Aspen was going to drop the bomb and I couldn’t wait. I was barely able to contain my glee. Mother would flip over this information.
“Mother, I have news.” Aspen adjusted her suit, carefully pulling the blazer over her swelling breasts and stomach. Tension rippled the air around her. Poor thing. Even though mother was a bitch on wheels, Aspen still wanted to please her. She had always hoped our mother would give a shit about someone instead of social niceties and the who’s who of New York City. Fat chance. Nothing my wildly successful and model-beautiful sister could do would change Vivian Bright-Reynolds.
“You’ve come to your senses and dropped the silly relationship with that construction worker?” She sipped her tea and tipped her chin up, a mocking gesture if I’d ever seen one. She held her pinky out as she drank, the pale pink polish of her manicure catching the light for a moment.