More Than Need You (More Than Words 2)

She rears back. “That’s none of your business.”

“So that’s a yes.” I grind my teeth together and work on keeping my shit wired tight. “I won’t make love to you in a place—hell, in a bed—where he’s had you. Period.”

“This is ridiculous. You think I’m going to move in with you and leave my house? Just because you don’t like what I might have done there? Just because you demanded it?”

Pretty much. “What’s your answer?”

“Never mind ridiculous. This is crazy!”

“I realize this decision involves others, so you don’t even have to know the answer right this instant.” I look at the clock. It’s nearly nine a.m. I have a mountain of work on my desk, and I can hear my phone buzzing from my office. But nothing is more important now—nor will it ever be—than Britta and Jamie. “You have twelve hours to decide. I expect a phone call at nine tonight with your decision. If you agree to my terms, I expect you to be ready to move in with me at six p.m. tomorrow.”

“I’d need at least a few days to gather—”

“The timetable is nonnegotiable.” I shake my head. “You either accept or you can sign the form I gave you. If not, I’m taking you to court.”

Her fingers curl into fists, and she looks near tears again. “You’re trying to ruin my life all over. I don’t know why I’m even surprised. So much for you changing and becoming a better man. I should never have bought your insistence that you’ve learned to be a good guy. Keeley is your bestie and she’s taught you so much about compassion and humility and kindness. Oh, I see exactly who you are now. You know what, Griff? Fuck you.”

Rob walks in and pauses in the doorway like he knows he’s interrupted something intense. He stares between us, his gaze bouncing back and forth. “Everything cool?”

“Fine,” I tell him with a bland smile. “Britta and I were just finishing a discussion.”

“Um…” Rob obviously feels the tension swirling thick and heavy in the air. “Sure.”

He knows I’m lying to him but isn’t going to challenge me. Smart man.

Without meeting my gaze, he nods and heads for his desk. “The photographer finished. The shots will be good. She’ll get back to us in a day or two.”

“Excellent.” I stand in expectation and wait for him to get busy.

He proves he’s smart again when he dons his headphones and cranks his music, then focuses on his computer and ignores us completely.

I slant my gaze back to Britta. She’s breathing hard, teeth gritted, staring at me like she wants to take me apart limb from limb.

If she thinks I’m a bastard now, she hasn’t seen anything yet. I’m on a mission. I have a goal. I won’t rest until I’ve accomplished it.

“Fuck me, huh?” I murmur to her. “No, angel. Here’s what I think is going to happen. You’re not going to be able to resist me because you don’t love that asswipe you’re engaged to. You might be angry as hell at me right now, but deep down you still love me. And I’m going to prove I love you. Once you’re ready to admit it, once all the walls are down between us? Then you’re going to be saying sayonara to your banker and I’m going to be fucking you.”

CHAPTER TEN

“You’re wearing out the carpet,” Keeley points out, grabbing the last of her stuff from the spare bedroom in my condo. “What is going on?”

I stare at the time on my phone again—8:58 p.m. Nerves are gnawing a hole into my gut. If Britta doesn’t call in the next few minutes, I have to start down a path of administrative forms and legal battles and court proceedings, all of which will net me some grudging visitation with my son. I’d rather have more. But even if she does call and agree to my scheme, there’s every chance she’ll hate me for that, too.

Makaio didn’t just set a quick wedding date. He fucking maneuvered me into a corner to see if I’d fight my way out. I’m sure I counterpunched harder than he expected. I had to. I certainly won’t underestimate him again.

As my thoughts circle, Keeley stands in my living room, waiting for an answer. If I spill the details to my best friend, she will give me a tongue whipping about the thousand and one ways I’ve totally screwed up. And my brother, who’s standing impatiently in the doorway, will help her just to speed the process along. Obviously, he’s dying to take Keeley back to his place and get her naked. He won’t let anything paltry, like my torment, get in the way.

Lucky bastard, getting to spend the night with the woman he loves.

“I’m all right.”

I have to be. What’s done is done. I can’t take the ultimatum back. And I don’t want to. So listening to Keeley tell me why I’ve fucked up isn’t helpful. She’s way better at untangling my problems once they’re deep. I’ll call her then.

Keeley’s face softens and she approaches me, left hand on my shoulder. I see her sparkly new diamond there. I’m happy for them…even as I’m worried the ring I bought for Britta will simply continue to sit in my safe and gather dust for the rest of my fucking life.

“Are you really, Griff?” Keeley asks.

“Yeah. I’ll be in a better place to talk tomorrow. Tonight, I need to get some quiet and think. Don’t worry about me. You’ve barely been engaged twenty-four hours. Think of Maxon. He’s desperate over there. Hell, think of our brotherly bonds. They’re tenuous now because if I don’t shut up and let you leave now so he can do naughty, unspeakable things to you back at his place, he may stop speaking to me.”

She rolls her eyes and laughs. “You’re so full of shit. Call me in the morning.”

“I will.” I kiss her cheek. “Do you mind if I talk shop with my brother for a second?”

Keeley looks between us, her fiery hair brushing the tops of her shoulders. She’s not fooled for a second, but like a trooper, she bows out gracefully.

With a little wave, she grabs the handle of her smaller suitcase and rolls it toward the door, pausing in front of Maxon to kiss him softly. “I’ll wait in the car.”

He caresses her face and looks at her as if she’s his world.

It’s funny. I’ve seen my brother take apart his adversaries. I’ve seen him verbally dismantle someone in under two minutes. I’ve even seen him beat the shit out of an asshole threatening our little sister in high school. But I’ve never seen him happy, tender, centered.

It’s like I’m seeing Maxon for the first time.

“I won’t be long, sunshine.”

After tossing a smile to us both, Keeley is gone.

The second the door shuts, Maxon turns to me, brow raised. “What did you do to Britta this morning?”

“You want the ‘office-friendly’ version?”

“Fuck no. I want the truth.”

“All right. I forced her to deal with me.” I explain my ultimatum.

Maxon’s eyes bug out. “You’ve got balls the size of Jupiter. The gravitational pull obviously sucked your brain from your head. Holy shit. How did she take that?”

I glance at my phone again. Straight up nine p.m. “I’m waiting to find out. But I need to talk to you about an idea… I can’t keep Jamie in my condo. Britta has valid points about why. I won’t live with her in her house. She has memories of Makaio there. I refuse to compete on what’s essentially his turf. So that leaves my options short. I mentally ran through a few and had this thought… So I called George Stowe and talked to him about the caretaker situation. He und

erstood. And he seemed awfully relieved when I