Breanna (25 page)

Brea couldn’t remember ever sleeping better. She was warmed on both sides, and the occasional straying palm made her giggle in her sleep. She dreamt of the villa on the coast and throwing bursts of water at the stone walls, laughing and learning.

Occasionally one of them curled around her and she sighed, snuggling down and drifting deeper. Maybe because of her visit to her grandfather, she was more tired, golden lashes blinking and trying to clear the sleep blur so she could see the clock.

Definitely past wakeup time, she thought, stretching and wiggling back against the palm on her behind.

Then two hands tightened on her ass, keeping her from moving.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Jase’s gravely, sleep filled voice rippled next to her right shoulder.

Brea lifted her head, palms brushing the hair aside and elbows propping her up.

“Wanna see what I learned?” She whispered like a kid at a sleep over. She listened to two deep groans but felt them turn their faces toward the center.

She held both palm up, out in front of her and grinned at the golf ball sized bundles of water swirling there, one in each palm. Carefully, she rolled to her back, keeping her palms up and eyes focused on her game.

A loud squeal echoed in the room when a palm came from both sides and 310

cupped a breast with a teasing tweak of her nipples.

Her focus went out the window and the water bubbles spilled down on her.

“That was…..different,” Nick laughed, wiping at the water that splattered over them all.

“I think I’ll go make some breakfast. I have orders to confirm and a couple ovens to see installed,” Brea shoved hands out of the way, and swiped her palm over her face.

“It seemed to work better earlier,” she mumbled, ignoring their laughter.

“And should we ask where that skill came from?” Nick shoved his legs over the side, stretching and reaching for the pants he worn the night before crawling into bed.

“Grandfather. He thinks you make good pets,” she tossed over her shoulder, gathering up clothes and straightening the room, laughing at the growls behind her. “I think he’s a little like my father….tormenting you both will become a hobby.”

“Did she just say…..” Nick gaped at the closed door.

“She sure as hell did,” Jase sighed and took his clothing toward one of the empty bathrooms.

Brea had plates of cut up fruit, fresh coffee, tea and French toast on the table when her mother and father came in the kitchen door.

“You two look so cute together,” Brea went and hugged them both, waving them at the table. “Oh! Look what I learned!”

She held up her palms and repeated her trick, giggling at the balancing little balls of water in her palms. She knew Nick and Jase had come into the kitchen from the main room and stood behind her, watching.

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“Figures she’s a water elemental,” Rey said, pouring himself coffee and sipping gratefully. “Had to run that child down buck naked on her way to the ocean every other day once she learned to walk.”

“That’s a nice visual,” Nick murmured, reaching for a plate and some of the thick, coated French toast.

“Is it too impossible to ask you let us know before you go visit him?” Jase phrased his question carefully. He and Nick had talked about it. They knew they wouldn’t be able to stop her, hell they couldn’t even follow her.

“No,” she looked up at him when he came behind her, his mouth down softly on hers for a brief few seconds.

“Sweet,” he teased, reaching for a large mug for his coffee.

“I just don’t always know it’s going to happen. He showed me his house the other day,” she announced excitedly, busy finishing cooking and unaware of the paled features on her parents. “It’s a marvelous villa overlooking to Aegean Sea. All white and huge rooms. He has pictures of you when you were little….and pictures of grandmother,” she said, her voice falling off. “He didn’t know you’d been attacked and he’s very angry about it.”

Rey sighed thickly, pouring more coffee.

“That’s not going to be good for someone,” he said, his head shaking. “My father was never one to let people slide.”

“Why haven’t you talked to him?” Brea waited, her head tipped and eyes wide.

“You’re both so stubborn….and he wonders who I take after,” she slammed the cabinet 312

and stormed from the room.

“Rey, if Brea is right and…..we’ve blamed him for things that weren’t his fault,” Hannah whispered, agony in her tone.

“Brea is convinced that a lot was done using his name,” Nick said quietly, weighing whether or not to involve himself in the family issue until he met Jase’s expression. This was their family now.

“This isn’t….”

“Don’t go there,” Jase said flatly. “If it hurts her, it hurts us. Can you honestly look into either of their eyes and tell me it’s not our business? Trust me, being called Brea’s fucking pet isn’t my idea of fun, but she loves the old man.”

“And somehow….being our daughter….she’s managed to get through a wall he’s thrown up for years.” Hannah said softly.

“You have our numbers if you need anything, Hannah,” Nick stood and followed Jase from the room, the sound of papers and briefcases clicking heard before the front door opened and closed.

Neither of them was surprised to see Brea waiting in the front seat of the SUV, her own case on her lap and a pair of sunglasses on her face. They exchanged looks.

She’d never worn glasses before and they had a suspicion why.

“I’m making lunch…..new stove…I’ll let you know when it’s finished,” she told them with a deceptively perky smile before disappearing into her shop.

They could hear her chatter through the open doors, the workmen answering and laughing at something she said.

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“Explain to me again why she’s pissed at us?” Jase tossed his case to the top of his desk and glared at the calmer Nick.

“I don’t think she is,” Nick grinned. “Go over and tell her you forgot to kiss her and ask….she talks readily enough. I think she’s just…..plotting,” he saw the momentary panic in Jase’s eyes. “Yeah, my thoughts exactly.”

“Be back in a few,” Jase decided maybe he needed just a little sample of their mate.

He walked into the shop, instantly aware that the workmen looked at him with just a little suspicion.

“Stores not open, buddy,” one of the older, large men told him, taking a step toward him as if to stop him. “You need to leave.”

“You going to make me?” Jase asked, his tone level. For the moment. Then Brea came around the corner from what he guessed was a store room. She wore an apron and smelled like coffee and sugar. “Hey, babe. Something I can help with?”

“Jase, yes, in here,” she snagged his palm and gave a little tug without even noticing the territorial battle that had been about to start. Brea stood at the side and gestured to a couple boxes the delivery people had put up too high. “I wasn’t here when my supplies were delivered and I don’t have a ladder yet. Would you put them on the floor for me? Please?”

Jase stepped forward, easily lifting the four cartons to the floor, one of them making him frown, it was that heavy. Then he continued stepping forward, boxing her into the corner.

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“Nice storage room,” he murmured, leaning into her and licking along her throat.

“You taste like coffee and sugar,” he nibbled and bit until her fingers were curled into the front of his shirt.

“Jase,” Brea shoved her hands into his hair, pulling his mouth to hers. It never stopped amazing her how having one or both of them near had a serious effect on the sex kitten in her. “Goodness…..did I forget to tell you good bye?” She teased, thinking of their rule of making certain they always said good bye when one of them left. She thought it was sweet and corny and even funny.

“Actually….you stormed off like you were pissed at us,” Jase wasn’t interested in subtle. If something needed fixed, he had to know what it was first.

“I did?”

But he saw the honest surprise on her face. Nick was right. She was just thinking.

“I’m sorry. I was thinking of the weekend coming up and trying to remember to check the weather and some really good marinade for ribs…” her smile brightened and her lips moved to his again. “Thank you for reminding me.”

“And your father and grandfather?” Jase saw cold calculation enter his mate’s eyes and, yeah, Nick was right, scary.

“I have coffee to sort and bag,” she said with only a little pout.

“Hmm….want me to tote these somewhere for you?”

“Oh, no, thank you. I just needed them where I could label and empty them later,” Brea did a little jig of happiness, twirling on her sneakers. “Two weeks!” 315

Jase laughed and was still laughing when he went back to his office, after casting a warning snarl over his shoulder at the workmen.

“You’re right. She’s plotting and distracted,” Jase sunk into his chair and looked over the list they had for appointments and the applicants due in.

“The shop?”

“The shop and she’s pissed at her father. Not sure about the grandfather yet, though. We can pry information from her at lunch,” Jase said with a nod, the sound of someone in the outer office sending them into professional mode.

Brea had the table all set up when she heard them coming over from the other office. She’d half watched candidates coming and going from their office all morning, some looking happy at the end, some looking less so.

The two men looked at one another when they heard the stern voice.

“If you don’t behave, I will not feed you,” she said clearly, a low snarl making Jase grin until he rounded the corner.

The sweet scent of the seafood soup she’d made seemed to suddenly vanish.

“Gentlemen,” Sullivan Moore greeted them with the finesse he’d garnered through the years, his palm extended to Nick. “My granddaughter tells me we share an avid interest in the stock market. Sullivan Moore.”

“Nick Gaines,” Nick said slowly.

“And since we all wish to keep her safe and unharmed, we share that, as well,” he offered his hand to Jase.

“Jase Bishop.”

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“Now…..that wasn’t so difficult. Sit down while I slice the bread and you can go ahead and start. I know you have appointments late,” Brea bustled from the dining room and into the kitchen.

She relaxed a little, conversation about stocks and companies filling the room as they served themselves. She spread the fresh, crusty bread on the table and added the butter before scowling and going back for the pitcher of iced water.

“Are you joining us, child?”

“Hazards of being a hostess,” she smiled and took the seat between Jase and Nick, ladling the soup into her bowl and inhaling deeply.

“It’s delicious, Brea,” Nick told her. “You plan on spoiling us until the shop opens?”

“I hope she plans on spoiling us longer than that,” Jase said with a chuckle.

She answered questions from her grandfather about the shop and the things she would be selling there.

“Since the spot is so much larger, I’m going to make it a daytime meal place.

Certain items, not generally random. Changing each week. But I’ll close by four, so I can spend the evenings at home,” she explained her plan, talking about the licenses she had applied for and the people she had returning that had worked for her before.

She shouldn’t have been surprised when Jase asked about the threats, but it made her stomach clench.

“I have people searching out answers for me,” Sullivan said carefully, his head shaking. “I have to admit to being less than involved with my own community for too 317

long a time. It seems there are organizations now in existence that believe we can be cured. Repaired, as it were,” he said, the seething, quiet anger unmistakable.

“And they want her blood for that?”

“What I’ve been able to uncover so far, is there are two different factions at work. One that tried to eliminate your parents,” Sullivan forced his hand to release the glass he held, his fingers had tightened and he felt the glass almost shatter. “The other to bring you to some other location, to be used at their discretion.”

“Used?” Brea looked from one to the other. “Me?”

“Then why leave her on the beach?” Nick listened intently. Two different groups made more sense. He couldn’t find a pattern to the lumping them all together.

“I haven’t got all the answers yet, wolf,” he snarled. “I could start ripping out throats, but it wouldn’t end this and it wouldn’t provide answers,” he looked over at the abruptly quiet, wide eyes and sighed, his head shaking. “Like her grandmother,” he was up and around the table, his lips brushing her forehead. “Thank you for lunch. I must return. I’ll be in touch, child. Gentlemen,” he nodded and was gone before they could respond.

“That was interesting,” Nick said in the quiet, watching Brea swallow and nod before getting to her feet and beginning to clean up. He knew from listening to her that she intended to thoroughly test all the new equipment in her kitchen and both him and Jase felt the pure happiness in her when she’d continued talking to them about her menus.