The Firefly Cafe (Billionaire Brothers, #1)(10)

What was he doing, making out with this woman in her kitchen, with her kid right upstairs, and this huge lie between them? This was not a woman to be toyed with and cast aside, Dylan knew.

“Penny,” he said hoarsely, “there’s something I have to tell you.”

The sound of a throat being cleared had them leaping to their feet instead, untangling their arms and legs in a disheveled flurry. Matthew stood in the doorway, angular face dark with anger.

“I knew it,” he said, pointing an accusing finger at Dylan, who could only be grateful that the close shave with spilling the truth about his identity had killed his erection.

“Mom, what are you doing with this guy? Tell him to get lost!”

Shooting Dylan an apologetic glance, Penny hurried forward. “Now, honey. I know this is probably weird for you, but Dylan and I … it was only a kiss. Not anything for you to worry about.”

Matt twitched away from her, sidestepping so he could keep his glare focused on Dylan, who stood there feeling helpless and crappy. “I never meant to cause any trouble, here.”

“Well, you are, so why don’t you f*ck off!” Matt shouted.

“Matthew!” Penny looked as if she ached to grab the kid by the scruff of the neck and shake him. “There’s no call for that kind of language! Apologize to Mr. Workman, right this minute.”

“I’m not apologizing,” Matt sneered, though his lips trembled. “And if he’s staying, I’m leaving.”

He turned to go, and a note of iron entered his mother’s voice. “If you walk out of this kitchen right now, you’re grounded for the next month. End of discussion. No second chances, Matthew.”

Dylan winced, reading Matt’s answer to that in the defiant set of his rigid shoulders.

“So what,” the kid snarled, eyes unnaturally bright with unshed tears of anger. “You think I care about being grounded? I don’t have any friends on this stupid island, anyway. I hate it here. I wish we’d never moved away from Charlottesville. I wish I could go back and live with Dad instead!”

Penny gasped and fell back a step as if her son had planted a hand in the center of her chest and shoved her. Frozen into pale silence, she watched Matt turn on his heel and run from the kitchen. He bounded up the stairs, and the slam of his bedroom door made her flinch as if she’d been slapped awake.

She started after him, but Dylan caught her wrist, heart hammering and guilt churning in his belly. “Let him cool down, and tomorrow … I’ll talk to him, man to man. It’s my fault he’s so upset, let me try to fix it.”

A sharp tremor ran through her. “It’s not your fault, it’s mine. I don’t know how to deal with him when he’s like this. He’s so angry, all the time, but if he knew the truth…”

Dylan frowned, the phrase tugging at his memory. There was more to the story of why she’d taken her kid and run from her ex, but this wasn’t the time to dig deeper. “If I’m going to stay here, even for a few days or weeks to finish off your to-do list, Matt and I need to come to an understanding.”

Penny bit her kiss-swollen bottom lip, clearly torn between the need to make sure her son was all right, and the hope that Dylan would be able to get through to him. “Okay, but I apologize in advance for how rude he’ll probably be. And Dylan?”

She grabbed his hand and brought it to her mouth, pressing a shaky kiss to his knuckles. He felt it like a brand.

“Thank you,” she said.

She wouldn’t be thanking him with stars in her eyes if she knew he’d been lying to her since the moment they met, Dylan thought, heart sinking. But maybe getting to the bottom of whatever was troubling Matt would cancel out his deception, or at least balance the scales enough that Dylan would be able to face himself in the mirror.

And even though he knew he didn’t deserve Penny’s gratitude, he had to admit it felt good to be looked at like that, to feel like he was helping her. The way she made him feel like there was hope for him yet, like he could be a better man—it was addictive.

Even if it was all built on a lie, Dylan wasn’t ready to give it up.





Chapter 6



“Heads up, burning hunk of man meat has entered the building.”

Penny nearly fumbled the pitcher of ice water she was pouring from. Her friend, Greta Hackley, shielded her lap with the Firefly Café’s laminated menu and gave Penny a mischievous look. “Careful, there. I know it’s been a while since either of us had access to a man we didn’t go to kindergarten with. The fact that he’s ridiculously sexy—and dropped a bundle of cash on top-of-the-line tools at my store—as well as mysterious is just a bonus, really. But I’m not so overheated about it that my crotch needs an ice bath.”

“Keep your voice down,” Penny hissed, using a corner of her apron to mop up the water she’d dribbled onto the table. Without even turning around, she knew who Greta had seen walk through the café door.

She didn’t need to turn around … but she couldn’t quite help herself.

Sure enough, a quick glance over her shoulder showed Dylan at the hostess stand in his dark jeans and white T-shirt, his hard jaw rough with just enough stubble to make him look like he’d rolled out of some lucky woman’s bed. His bright blue eyes scanned the restaurant, and Penny tilted her head in the direction of the corner booth where Matt was hunched over a book.