Miller's Time (Southern Charmers 2)

I expected this. Pierce and I may not share the same twin bond that connects Darby and Evin, but we’ve got a strong relationship and a no bullshit policy. Therefore, he’s not letting this go.

I lock eyes with him, gulp my whiskey, and admit, “You’re right.”

He doesn’t flinch. I pour another healthy dose of liquor and lean back, studying my brother. All our lives we’ve been close, and when his life fell apart, I was scared to death I wouldn’t be able to help him. For years, it was me who did whatever it took to help him live through his hell. Nothing got between us until Darby returned and shared her secrets.

It pissed me off beyond belief until I finally saw the lengths he would go through to get her back. Seeing Ashlyn again set the ball in motion, but this week with her gave me a true understanding of Pierce’s motivation.

“That’s all you’re going to give me?” he asks impatiently.

“You’re right. She’s not the kind of woman you leave behind. She’s not the woman who sits next to you in a bar for hours and you let her leave because she gets a goddamned phone call.”

“I know this shit.”

“Ashlyn Rhodes walked into that bar in Chicago, wearing a black cocktail dress that clung to every one of her curves, twelve-hundred-dollar shoes, with so much beauty and class that every man turned his head to get a look at her. She sat down next to me, ordered a martini, and the second the tip of her tongue rimmed the glass my dick went hard. Game over.”

“What the hell happened?”

“I’m not sure you can understand.”

“Try me.”

I blow out a breath, scrubbing a hand through my hair and shooting back another swallow. “One time wasn’t enough. Twice wasn’t enough. I needed more. One night turned into the weekend. There was something there between us, something I never experienced before. For those days, she owned me. I was so wrapped up, I missed the clear signs something wasn’t right. Our conversations were light, and every time a personal detail slipped in, she cut it off. The last night together, she was sprawled on top of me, and I knew I wanted more. We fell asleep. The next morning, the bed was empty and there was no sign of her but a fucking generic note. Lily ghosted me.”

“Who is Lily?”

“Lily was the fictitious name known as Ashlyn Rhodes.”

This gets a reaction. He bolts up, his eyes bulging. “No fucking way.”

“One and the same.”

He has the decency to drop his chin to his chest before his shoulders shake with his hilarity.

“Not sure what’s funny.”

He doesn’t look at me, his body shaking harder until he’s bent over.

“You’re an asshole.”

He nods in agreement, chuckling louder. “I am a total dick, but please tell me you heard yourself. I’ve had to put up with you calling me pussy-whipped for years. It feels good to finally throw it back.”

“No one said anything about being pussy-whipped.”

His blue eyes slice to mine, and my fist clenches with the urge to punch the arrogant smugness off his face.

“Seriously, Miller? You didn’t get any details on her life in days?”

“Did you hear the part about shutting me down when personal details came up?”

“Yeah, I heard it, and it proves my point. Pussy-whipped.”

“It would suck for Darby to be a widow when this baby comes.”

The threat doesn’t stop him. “Don’t you see the irony here? You spent all your life with a shield up when it comes to women. One look at Ashlyn, you’re totally into her, and she plays you at your own game. I gotta say, you’ve met your match.”

It’s not his humor that gets to me; it’s the fact he’s right. I’ve met my match, in more ways than one. My irritation fades, and I crack a smile, thinking about having her around full-time tomorrow night.

“Now I completely understand your reaction the day we went to scout her house.”

I let the answer linger, trying to decide exactly how much more to share. He picks up on the silence. “There’s more to this story. I may have missed the signs once, but the instant I saw her again, I knew something was wrong. She walked out of her house and instantly there was a tightness in my chest. She put on a strong front, but she was a shell of the woman I spent the weekend with. I made it my mission to find out why.”

“Did she tell you?”

“Like I mentioned last weekend, something happened at the law firm that set her on a path to change things. Whatever it was blew up that night and sent her straight to the bar and to me. She used a fake name and put a strict guard in place to escape her reality. We’re slowly going through the details.”