Beautiful Brute (Court University 3)

“Actually, I think I’ve changed my mind.” His look peeled away from the door and settled on me. If my dad bothered him before, there was no tell of that now, his hands gathering my waist and tugging me to him. His nose graced my cheek. “Don’t make me leave, Cleo. I want you.”

Good fucking God.

Internally groaning, I obviously had a weakness for guys who gave off Chris energy. A kiss to my neck and I knew I was letting him stay. What I didn’t know was how I’d make that happen with my dad on the other side of the door. I patted his chest. “Okay. Just… get in the closet or something.”

He smirked. “The closet?”

“Yes, I’ll make up an excuse or something. Get them to run to the store real quick.”

It’d buy us more time if anything else.

He didn’t move, still holding me, but him hiding was not negotiable this time. I pushed him toward the closet, and by the grace of God, he moved his gargantuan-sized legs. I opened the walk-in, pushing him inside and when I stepped back to close the door, he smiled at me ever so innocently. He also kept his clothes strategically placed over his johnson, looking freaking cute as hell, and I seriously thought I’d melt.

“Hon?” Dad called.

Gah!

I shut the door on his cute smile, knowing I’d have to do some fast talking to get my parents out.

I’d only been thanking the heavens above Brett hadn’t driven over here. We’d both taken ride shares out to the club, so when we left, we did the same back here. No way would I be able to explain a guy’s car in my driveway.

I was seriously screwed, something I knew because getting my parents out, even to go to the store, when they’d just arrived wouldn’t be easy. They’d come home early to spend time with me, and they hadn’t just come into town to see me off to school, but my stepbrother too. He was due to arrive later today and was my adoptive father’s kid from his previous marriage.

A long story, but I hadn’t actually met my stepbrother, Jaxen Ambrose, even though our parents had been married since we were both eleven. Jaxen’d chosen to stay in the Midwest with his mom while his dad obviously lived with my mom and me. I’d remembered being really sad about that when I was a kid, learning I had a step-sibling only later to find out I wouldn’t be seeing him. I guessed Rick and Jaxen’s mom had a rough divorce. I didn’t know the details, but hadn’t questioned it and definitely respected Jaxen’s decision to stick with his mom. Mine had been my rock since my own dad left.

It took me a real long time to get over that, my dad abandoning my mom and me. In fact, I still wasn’t completely over it, but I had moved on. That was made easier by the man who adopted me at the age of thirteen. Rick Fairchild had been the cornerstone of this family for a long time, and I knew he was really looking forward to Jaxen coming down here. Jaxen’d decided to come here to finish up his senior year, in college like me. We already had so much in common, and I was looking forward to meeting him.

I hadn’t had siblings in a long time.

My crap together and some clothes put on, I made it to the door, opening it up and seeing my dad’s face. He had his suit on, well partially. He hadn’t worn the jacket, but still presented as a congressman through and through. His tie was navy, an American flag pinned to it. A wide smile, and he gave me the biggest hug.

“I was starting to think something was wrong,” he said, pulling away. He had dark hair, naturally curly but always moused it back for work. The man I called my father never had a single hair out of place, nor a five o’ clock shadow on his jaw. Not even during Christmas when he and Mom didn’t have to work. He just always had things together, which had been so important for me and my mom. We needed that a long time ago, thrived on it.

I hugged him again, super tight. I missed him whenever he and Mom were away.

“Nothing’s wrong.” Much. I only had a boy in my closet. A boy I had no idea how I’d let go. I released Dad. “Sorry. Just woke up.”

This obviously surprising him, his head tilted. “My daughter sleeping past ten? Wow, are you sure you’re my Cleo?”

Chuckling, I told him I was. He threw an arm around me in response, my dress definitely lazy today. He asked about that too as I usually came out of my room in workout clothes in the morning. I liked to run before five generally.

“Late start,” I said on our way down the hallway. I’d have to send them to the store for something, but if I led with that, he’d probably push and find that weird. After all, he’d just gotten here and that would be weird. I always liked to see both him and Mom when they arrived.

For now, I decided to let him lead me downstairs. “Kit took me out, so yeah, I was up pretty late.”

Dad and Mom knew all about Kit. We’d been roommates since freshman year, and funny enough, we grew up in the same town but didn’t know about each other until we’d been assigned our living arrangements. We’d been joined at the hip ever since, the girl my best friend. Like most people, I didn’t see many of my old friends anymore when we all parted ways after high school to go to college. We still kept up with each other in one way or the other, but for the most part, we didn’t talk a whole lot. A big reason for that was me. I wasn’t really about social media so much. I was more into activism and volunteering on campus. I’d even done a mission trip earlier this summer abroad, the time of my life.

Dad and I found my mom in the kitchen reading the paper. She was in a pleated skirt and white blouse, the perfect pairing to my dad. He’d just had his dress slacks and white shirt on, but his blazer rested across the kitchen island.

“Look who I found,” Dad proclaimed, kissing the top of my head. “Sleeping in past ten.”

“Who are you and where is my first born?” she asked, still saying that. It’d been years since my brother and she still called me her first born.

The first like there were others now.

Mom’s thoughts obviously hadn’t traveled where mine had. Her brown eyes warmed, same tone as mine. We shared a bright hazel as well as our brunette hair. Mom kept hers in a bun most days. She grinned. “Should I take your temperature?”

“Mom,” I groaned. Dad dropped his arm and I wandered over to my mom’s waiting arms. “Stop. I slept in. So what.”