Hell no!
But that was reality, and it shredded his guts like a thousand dull razors. McCall had proposed, and she’d said yes. Jesse was happy, if his smile in the picture was anything to go by. Kimber’s picture was in profile, but she had to be happy. This was the realization of her little white lace, virgin-girl dream. While he… Hell, he’d been a fucking pissed-off wreck ever since she’d left, wrenching his heart out with her tears.
“She wasn’t ours,” he managed to croak out. “This just proves it.”
“Kimber might have stayed if you’d been decent to her. She offered you her—”
“I wasn’t taking her virginity. It didn’t belong to me, just like she didn’t!” The fact that the girl and her virginity belonged to the smiling crooner in the picture didn’t exactly thrill him. Correction: it made him want to tear McCall apart slowly, with his bare hands, and inflict maximum pain.
Lord knew the army had trained him to do it.
Luc pointed an accusing finger in his face. “You made her believe she didn’t belong with us. If you had admitted your feelings and just made love to the girl—”
“Yeah, then what? How long before she wound up like Heather?”
“She’s not Heather,” Luc insisted. “Kimber is stronger and she would have survived. I think she loved you.”
Bittersweet. That possibility made joy burst through his chest, even as fear gripped his belly and yanked hard. Damn, he was one fucked-up bastard. He wanted her, but couldn’t have her. If she’d stayed, it was only a matter of time before he would have taken her virginity. Too many risks. Too much at stake. He’d made the right choice.
It just hurt like hell.
“And then what?” Deke barked back. “Would she have married one of us? Why the fuck do you persist in this stupid fantasy?” Deke grilled his cousin. “And what about…later? I know you want her to have our babies so we could all live happily ever after. And you know how I feel about that. Besides, no woman wants to lie between two men every night and wonder which is the father of her children. We can leave petty jealousy out of a simple screw, but out of a committed relationship?
Luc, it’s a goddamned fantasy.”
“It’s no more fantasy than imagining you can fuck your way through the rest of your life with a bunch of nameless whores and not care about anyone. I want more.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “With Kimber, I know you wanted more.” Shit, Luc knew him too well. “She’s gone. And that’s it.”
“You don’t think we should fight for her?” Luc looked incredulous.
“How? She’s going to marry a superstar she’s wanted for five years. I don’t see her dropping all that just because we come knocking on her door. We need to get on with life.”
The words seemed to knock Luc on his ass. “Get on with it, just like that?” He snapped. “Pretend she was never here and that we never cared about her?”
“We tutored her. Period.”
“I adore her. You do, too. In fact, I think you love her.” He hesitated. “I don’t.”
“Liar. That’s why you were so vile to her. Anything that might make you vulnerable and force you to face the past has to be destroyed.”
“Fuck off!”
“That’s going to solve it all, right? When all else fails, yell at Luc. You know what, you’re right. Let’s get on with life.” Luc stormed across the kitchen, lifted the cordless phone, and walked out of the room.
What the hell was Luc doing? Deke almost didn’t care, given the fury bubbling in his belly. And the pain, it seared like acid on bare skin at the thought of Kimber in McCall’s bed, in his life. But he’d get over it.
He had to. What other choice did he have?
Five minutes later, Luc stomped back into the kitchen wearing a smug grin. “I hope you don’t have plans today other than to get on with your life.”
“No, it’s Sunday. What have you done?”
“I called Alyssa Devereaux and charmed her. I convinced her to fuck us. She’s expecting us at three. Get dressed.”
With a sharp pivot, Luc left the kitchen and marched down the hall. A moment later, pipes clinking told Deke that his dear cousin was in the shower.
And Deke was stunned speechless.
Holy shit. Alyssa Devereaux. Blonde bombshell, strip club owner, with legs encased in sexy stockings and naughty garters that made grown men salivate and beg. She was going to fuck them. After enduring her cutting tongue and apparent disdain, she’d agreed. For Luc, of course. She’d always wanted him. But as a perk, he’d get to sink into that tight, golden body, too. Immerse every inch of his cock into her warm, suddenly willing pussy.
Deke looked down, staring at his surprisingly unresponsive penis through his pajama bottoms.
Shock. It had to be shock. Alyssa was a walking wet dream.
Once he got near her, got her topless and those luscious tits in his face, he’d be ready. More than ready.
Right?
Four hours later, Luc pulled up in front of a little white house with climbing roses and southern charm in a residential side of Lafayette, Louisiana.
Deke frowned at his cousin. “We’re not meeting at Sexy Sirens?”
“She said to come here.” Luc got out, refusing to say another word.
Palms sweating, Deke followed.
How long had he had fantasies about nailing Alyssa Devereaux? A couple of years, at least, since his business partner and friend, Jack Cole, had introduced her to him.
He’d tried to entice her. The alpha routine had gotten him nowhere. His nonexistent charm got him knocked on his ass even before hello.
Sparring with her got him shut down every time. Usually just the sound of her name got him hard.
Today… Well, it wasn’t showtime yet. His slow response must be because he still had big, unanswered questions floating around in his brain. Like, what the hell had Luc said to get her to agree to this? And for as many times as Luc had maintained that he had no interest in Alyssa, he was suddenly really eager to be here.
Why?
Deke had no answers—to any of his questions—as he filed up the little brick walkway, past rows of colorful flowers blooming like crazy.
“Gorgeous azaleas,” Luc murmured as he rang the bell.
What the fuck is an azalea? Why were his palms sweating?
Alyssa opened the door wearing a classic black skirt with a slit to the thigh and a lace-edged, off-the-shoulder top that showed just a hint of cleavage.
“Hi, guys. Come inside.”