Beginnings (Brady Trilogy) (16 page)

“I’ve got to know who that fucking bastard is Jake. Can you imagine if Isabel was home alone? Or happened to walk out of her house when he was there?” Luke began irritably pacing the room and running his hands through his thick brown hair.

“Well has she informed you of anything? Anyone who might be stalking her?” Jake asked. He paused for a moment before continuing. “An ex-boyfriend maybe?” He saw a cloud of rage blur Luke’s vision.

“I don’t know. She won’t fucking tell me.” He said through gritted teeth.

Jake studied his friend. He had never seen Luke this twisted with emotion. Whatever hold it was that Isabel had on him must be fierce. He placed a supportive hand on Luke’s shoulder. “We’ll figure it out. You better get out there, you’ve got more guests coming. I promise you Luke, I take it upon myself to ensure Isabel’s safety. That douche won’t get anywhere near her. Not if I have to stand outside her door every damn day and guard it myself till I catch him.”

Luke watched the ice in Jake’s eyes frost. He wasn’t surprised at Jake’s reaction. Protecting the innocent was his weakness. If he ever found a guiltless person victimized he couldn’t help but to place himself in their shoes. Jake had an obsession with shielding those he cared for from harm. If he said he’d help with Isabel’s safety then Luke trusted him. He nodded to his best friend and headed back to the ball room.

Most of the evening, Isabel engaged in delightful conversation with B. Pentagon’s clients. Still on duty, she made occasional visits to the kitchen making sure the catering service was on schedule. She noticed Luke standing with his hands in his pockets, his back towards her examining the ice sculpture. She walked towards him and gently touched his arm.

“Luke? Everything alright with Jake?” she asked. He turned around and let a wide grin spread across his face.

“I’m not Luke sweetheart. But I can if you want me to be.” He winked and laughed when he noticed the woman’s surprised face.

The resemblance was shocking and Isabel took a step back. She was staring at a man who was not Luke but had striking similarities. Though his hair was a bit lighter shade of dark brown compared to Luke’s, he still had those same gorgeous green eyes. But Luke’s eyes were intense, whereas the eyes staring at her right now were playful and mischievous. “Oh I’m so sorry.” She quickly said.

“Don’t be. A beautiful woman like you can call me whatever she wants darling.” He grinned and caused her to blush.

Luke wasn’t the only one with a deadly smile she thought. It should be illegal for anyone to have this gorgeous of an appearance such as Luke’s and this man’s. She stared dumbfounded a little longer until reality hit her hard. “Andrew?” she asked hesitantly.

He threw his head back and laughed. “I’m guessing you’ve heard about me then? Yes, Andrew Brady.” He said and offered his hand. “You can call me Drew if you like. Drew, Luke, Tom, Smith. Whatever you please sweetheart.” His eyes gleamed with humor.

Oh he’s good.
Isabel couldn’t help but laugh at his bold approach. Looks wise Luke and his brother were a spitting image. When it came to personality, they had great lengths between them. “It’s nice to meet you,” she shook his hand, “Isabel Stamos.”

“Ahh the Greek beauty all the men here are talking about.” Andrew said and earned another bashful glance from Isabel. This one sure blushed a lot. And he thought his best friend Amanda was shy.  “There goes Luke if you’re still looking for him.” He nodded his head towards the double door entrance.

Isabel turned to see Luke standing with two blonde women with stunning gowns. One had shoulder length, very light golden hair and was dressed in a silk icy blue evening dress. The other had dirty blond hair that was stylishly curled that fell all the way to her hips and was dressed in a vibrant red gown. The upper part of her dress was skin tight and became loose after her hips flowing gently to the floor with a strikingly high slit on her right leg. Isabel noticed the way Luke’s arm circled around the red dressed woman’s waist as he pulled her close and kissed her cheek. The woman didn’t flush or flutter as if a gesture like that from Luke was too commonly familiar. Luke noticed Isabel’s gaze from across the room as she stood with Drew. He hooked the hands of both women through his arms and escorted them towards her. Before they reached them, the woman in the ice blue gown left Luke’s arm and rushed into a tight embrace with Drew.

Isabel watched with amazement as Andrew lifted the woman slightly off the floor holding her waist tightly. “Welcome back angel face.” He murmured into her ear. After he released her he reached for the woman in red and kissed both her cheeks.

“Girls I’d like you to meet Isabel Stamos.” Luke smiled warmly at Isabel. He failed to mention she was his personal assistant which felt oddly comforting. As if by not announcing her as an employee he was declaring there was more between them. Both women’s attention turned to her as if they just noticed her standing there.

“It’s so nice to meet you. I’m Amanda Bennett.” The young woman in ice blue shook her hand lightly and had a genuine, pretty smile on her face. Isabel noticed her petite features, small nose, pretty mouth and light blue eyes that sparkled. She had that all American girl next door beauty.

“Likewise.” Isabel smiled back and noticed how the woman easily fell back and leaned against Andrew’s shoulder. Must be his girlfriend she mused.

“And this is Emilia, my sister.” Luke announced. Isabel noticed sea blue eyes studying her. She immediately saw the remarkable resemblance to their mother Kathryn with the blond hair, high cheekbones and perfect flawless skin. Luke and Andrew had their fathers green eyes but Emilia had deep blue irises like her mother. Amanda had friendly, twinkling eyes but Emilia’s blue gaze was mesmerizing and alluring.  Isabel felt as though she was under a microscope. After a moment Emilia’s lips twitched into a welcoming smile as she took Isabel’s hand.

“I’m glad Amanda and I made it back on time for the party.” Emilia looked around. “My mother told me you’re behind all these beautiful decorations. I feel like I’ve walked into a winter wonderland. This place looks amazing. I almost didn’t recognize my own home.” She laughed.

“Thank you.” Isabel laughed feeling a bit relieved. For odd reasons she couldn’t explain, she felt as though she just gained Emilia’s approval. “Oh and welcome back. How was Paris?”

“Ahh it was amazing. Can’t go wrong when you’re shopping on Champs-Élysées. Have you been there before?” Emilia asked.

“Twice. A long time ago though during age nine and ten. Trip with my parents for an art gallery opening.” Isabel smiled.

“That’s right I heard your mother is Vivian Taylor.” Emilia held back a smirk when Isabel took a quick glance towards Luke. She knows Isabel just assessed the fact Luke has been speaking about her to his family. It didn’t matter how many miles away they lived, Luke and Emilia were close and the way he spoke about his new assistant, Emilia recognized all the signs that her brother was involved with her. Emilia immediately wondered if the woman was worthy of her brother’s attention. And so far from what she could tell she realized that she was. She always despised the gold digging whores her brothers occasionally dated and slept with. Thank God her Brady men weren’t dumb to let some floozy get a grip on them. And Emilia was concerned about the woman who had currently been occupying her older brother’s mind. He may be years older than her but she felt just as protective over her older brothers as they did for her. But as she stood chatting with Isabel, she realized she liked her and wasn’t surprised Luke was falling for her. He hadn’t admitted this yet, but Luke’s lovesick gaze wouldn’t leave Isabel’s face. Yup, her brother was in too deep she smiled to herself.

“Amanda and I actually came across a few of your mother’s pieces in Paris.” Emilia continued. “See we met this fabulous French Duke who immediately fell in love with Amanda and invited us over to a cocktail party at his villa. Turns out he’s a fanatical art collector and had a few of your mother’s pieces. I fell in love with her
Lost Souls
piece and asked Amanda to seduce our wealthy Duke into gifting it to her but she refused.” Emilia teased and loved seeing her brother Andrew become tense next to Amanda. They all grew up together and she knew Amanda was in love with her brother though she would never admit it. And her playboy brother wouldn’t get off his high horse and just be with their best friend. But anytime a man approached their shy sweet Amanda, Andrew’s evident jealousy was written all over his face.

“So a rich French Duke fell in love with you huh?” Drew asked Amanda and watched her cheeks burn red.

“Oh it was nothing. You know how Emma likes to exaggerate.” Amanda said and sent a scolding look towards Emilia which only made her grin grow wider. Isabel continued to watch in amusement. She caught on to exactly what Emilia was attempting to do and Andrew was taking the bait.

“It was nothing?” Emilia tried to sound shocked. “The man invited you to a weekend getaway on his yacht in Saint Tropez. He was gorgeous, and I mean
gorgeous
.” Emilia cooed to Isabel who couldn’t help but giggle. 

Amanda nervously shifted and tucked a golden curl behind her ear. “Anyway.” She sighed anxiously. “Where’s Jake, Luke?” she asked desperately trying to change the subject since Andrew was watching her with his intense green eyes.

“Yeah where is Jake?” Emilia asked all too eagerly.

“He’s in the security room.” Luke informed. “He’s working.” he added when he saw his sister’s eyes shift towards the main camera knowing Jake can see her.

“Of course he is. What else would he be doing?” Emilia snickered and rolled her eyes.

Andrew was barely listening to their conversation. His mind was too riled up to concentrate. He couldn’t explain his irritation thinking about Amanda with some sleazy French guy who clearly had been trying to seduce her. So what if they were both single and unattached and she had every right to date whomever she chose? Andrew had always been protective over his sweet Mandy. Ever since he rescued her from three horrible jackass bullies when she was still in pigtails, he had sworn to himself no one would ever cause her pain again. He wondered how far this slime ball French bastard had gone. Only one way to find out he thought as he cleared his throat. “Would you like to dance angel face?” he asked Amanda and her heart melted from the endearment. The only man who could flutter her heart and he was unavailable for relationships. “I’d love to.” She smiled as she accepted his hand.

Isabel noticed Emilia’s lips twitch with amusement. “I knew he couldn’t wait to get her alone. He’s going to grill her about the French Duke.” She laughed and clapped her hands with joy. She sighed with relief while Isabel continued to giggle. Luke shook his head but remained silent. “Well I should probably go see if Jake needs any help.” Emilia announced and was just about to leave when Luke caught her arm.

“I think you’ve caused enough trouble for tonight Emma.” Luke scolded her.

“Who me?” Emilia’s shocked voice was back. “Relax Luke I’m not going to bother him. I’m just going to stop by and say hello.”

“I mean it Emilia.” Luke warned.

Emilia rolled her eyes but was finally released by Luke’s strong grip and shimmied her way out of the ballroom.

“She seems like a handful.” Isabel laughed. “I like her.”

Luke’s narrowed his eyes as he watched his sister leave the room. “Yeah she is. It’s difficult maintaining a handle on her since she has a mind of her own.” He said and finally turned his attention to Isabel. He watched her beautiful face and lightly brushed a finger across her cheek.

“Luke if you don’t stop doing that people will start talking.” She whispered but her heart accelerated from his touch.

“I don’t care. Come dance with me.” he offered his hand.

Isabel smiled and allowed him to direct her towards the dance floor. The orchestra was playing a beautifully sweet symphony and she wouldn’t mind enjoying it with Luke. They reached the dance floor and she couldn’t help but notice how closely Drew held Amanda. She still couldn’t figure those two out.

“Amanda’s in love with your brother.” She announced.

Luke looked at her amused. “You caught that did you?” he laughed.

“Yes I did. And I see that he’s not so indifferent towards her. They aren’t together though,” she exclaimed.

Luke released a small sigh. “No they’re not. They should be but they aren’t.” he confessed.

“How come?”

“Because Andrew won’t allow himself to become that way with her. He’s too much of a player. He’s probably afraid he might hurt her. I’m not sure.” Luke said as his glance drifted towards them.

“But he cares about her deeply and it’s obvious he wants her. I can tell by his body language.”

Luke’s eyes shifted back to Isabel’s. “Oh really? You can read body language huh?” he teased amusingly.

“Yup.” Isabel smiled. “See how he keeps caressing her back, kissing her shoulder and touching her face?” She continued to observe as she slowly danced with Luke. “He wants her to be his without actually claiming her.”

“And what does my body language tell you Isabel?” Luke asked as he slid his hand dangerously low on her back and pulled her close until there was no distance between them. He stared into her large brown eyes as they widened from astonishment.

After a long moment Isabel found some momentum to speak. “You want me.” she whispered. “You keep trying to deny it or push yourself far away. You’ve been doing that since we met. But you can’t fight it or control it any longer. I know you want me Luke. And I’m sure by now you’ve figured out the feeling is mutual.” Her heart was racing as she uttered the words. How bold and daring she had become with showing her sexuality with this man. He made her body yearn for things she didn’t know were possible to want. Luke came to an abrupt halt in the middle of the dance floor. His intense green eyes were burning into her deep brown. He released a struggled groan and rested his forehead on hers. She realized he did this each time he felt defeated by his own emotions.