Inheriting a SECRET (Corrigan & Co. Book 7) (24 page)

“He’s won. The man
has won it all. Everything,” Audrey responds.

“Stella,” I say.

“Yes, Darcy?”

“That is so you up
there on the stage.”

“I may have had
something to do with the hair, makeup, and clothing choices. Now shut
up and let him serenade you.”

It hits me then that
that’s exactly what’s happening. He’s serenading me. Oh God.
It’s both hilarious and romantic at the same time. He starts
walking towards me, and I can’t help but smile at him. As he sits
down on my lap—yes, people, he really does that—and caresses my
face while singing, I blush and sing along. It’s pretty freaking
epic.

* * *

7.
Master an American sport

Darcy

Miles has apparently
been working with Brayden, teaching him how to play baseball like a
pro. Well, I’ve heard he’s far from pro status, but they’re
going to let him throw out the first pitch at the local baseball game
tonight. It works out perfectly since Storyside is singing the
National Anthem. Everyone is here for the show, even the mentors.

Brayden is practicing
his pitch on the side of the dugout. He’s away from where the real
pitchers are, but I think he may be a little too close to the guys
warming up their arms by swinging their bats. I’m worried that
he’ll get hit, but what happens next is…well, I have no
sufficient words for what it is.

Right as Brayden
throws, the player closest to him swings his bat around. They connect
and the ball flies at full speed towards Storyside as they walk out
onto the field. It takes everyone a moment to notice and then they
yell, but it’s too late. That ball hits Wayne square on his
forehead and he goes down hard.

“Jesus, Mary, and
Joseph. That boy went right down,” says the lady sitting next to me
in the private box. A close-up of Wayne pops up on the screen and her
tone changes. “Oh. He’s hot. Do you think he needs mouth to
mouth?”

I fall out of my chair
laughing. I can’t help it. It was funny enough seeing Wayne just
tip over, but this cougar next to me just sent me over the edge of
sanity. Oh dear God. My boyfriend is seriously going to be the end of
us all, and here I am laughing. I can’t help it, though. Mallory is
looking down at me like I’m a crazy person, and maybe I am, but
that was funny as hell.

* * *

Brayden

Oh fuck, I think I just
killed Wayne. I mean, it wasn’t me. I wasn’t the batter. Who the
hell am I kidding? It’s me. I’m the menace. The cursed one.

I run over to him, and
get there just as he is struggling to sit up. I thought he was
knocked out, but I think he was maybe just resting. I’d rest, too,
if a ball hit me at around a hundred miles an hour. I step back as
his eyes meet mine.

“You? You did this?
What the ever loving fuck, man? Did your cousin put you up to this?
Or was it just another of your hare-brained schemes gone wrong?”

“Jen had nothing to
do with this, I swear. It was an accident.”

“You seem to have a
lot of those,” Gary Griffin tells me. “More than any human being
should be allowed to have. Maybe you need a companion. Like a sober
companion, but for you it would be an accident companion.”

“I don’t need a
companion. I just need to be able to do something right.”

I look around, and my
eyes land on Ryan Griffin. I smile, and he looks horrified and starts
backing up. “No. Uh-uh. Fuck to the no. All I need is for you to
bring one of my buildings crashing to the ground.”

“Isn’t that a
little harsh, Ry?” his brother, Luke, asks him.

“In regards to him?
No. I think I’m being nice.”

“I’ve got a
replacement task for you. It’s one you’ll enjoy, and no one else
will be injured by it. At least they shouldn’t be,” Miles tells
me. His smile is a little too calculated, but beggars can’t be
choosers.

* * *

8.
Miles’ addition to the list

Darcy

“Knock, knock,”
Ellie says, walking into my office.

“Hey, El, what’s
up?”

“I thought you should
know that Brayden’s in the cafeteria, holding court with a bunch of
the women who work here.”

“Foundation here, or
C&C here?”

“C&C. He’s,
well, he’s flirting pretty hard.”

“Are you fucking
kidding me? He refuses to touch me, and he’s off flirting with some
chicks?”

“Yeah, but I think it
may be one of his test thingies.”

“How would flirting
be a test to win me over?”

“I don’t know, but
Miles looked like he was enjoying the show. Nate, Jake, and Aiden
were laughing, too.”

“Idiots. They’re
all a bunch of immature morons,” I say, practically running to the
elevator.

Well, as fast as I can
run in heels. I’ve been trying to look a little more ladylike, even
though I know Brayden fell in love with me for who I am. Today I have
on a fitted t-shirt over a black leather skirt that has layers of
fringe. I turn into the cafeteria and it’s just like Ellie said.

Brayden’s in full on
playboy mode, cocky smile and all. He’s not the one I’m here for,
though. He may have been stupid enough to fall for whatever line he
was fed, but I’m after the ringleader. Who just happens to be
making it a little too easy for me.

Miles is laughing and
leaning back in his chair when I tip it all the way back. He crashes
to the floor and starts to say something. Until he’s sees that it’s
me standing over him. The other guys quickly shut up, too. In fact,
you can hear a pin drop in the cafeteria.

“It was a joke, DC. I
mean, come on, you saw what he did on the baseball field. That’s my
sacred place. I just wanted a little payback and he made it too
easy.”

“Go take care of you
man, Darcy. I’ll take care of my husband, or rather, I won’t be
taking care of him,” Alex says, coming up beside me.

“What? Baby, come on.
It was a harmless joke.”

“Shut up, Miles.”

I walk over to the
table, noting that Brayden is looking a little green. “What did he
say to you?”

“That American women
like it when their man flirts with other girls because they like to
know that he’s desirable.”

“And you believed
him?”

“I-I…yes?”

“Have I
ever
given you the impression that I’d like to see you flirt with other
women?”

“No?”

“No.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t
be so uptight, and then he wouldn’t have to flirt with us.”

I start to turn towards
the voice, but then stop myself. Instead, I take a deep breath and do
something I’ve been wanting to do all week. Something that’s much
better than punching a silly girl. I grab Brayden by his lapels, pull
him to his feet, and then kiss the fuck out of him. He tries not to
react, but when I move my hands to his hair, he’s done fighting. He
grabs my waist, and pulls me up against him, kissing me back like I
knew he would. I kiss him for a good minute before pushing back just
a little to whisper in his ear.

“Hurry up and finish
these damn tests. My vibrator’s just not cutting it.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, that’s what
I need, so please make it happen soon.”

“Just two more
things,” he says, nodding. “It should be more since I keep
failing, but my hand’s not cutting it either.”

I give him one more
kiss, and then I walk out, making sure to give the guys a double one
fingered salute on my way out. I love my boys, but they’re not
doing me any favors lately. My girls—oh yeah, they’re rocking it,
but the guys? Not so much.

* * *

9.
Learn how to be a cowboy

Brayden

I’d be lying if I
said I wasn’t a little scared of this next test. I know how to ride
a horse, I mean I play polo for God’s sake. But cowboy style, while
trying to rope a steer? Yeah, no. Where did Caleb even get a steer?
He said he borrowed it, but isn’t that weird? I guess it’s just
an American thing.

Tegan said if I was
going to play cowboy, I had to look the part. I have on jeans, a
checkered shirt, chaps, boots, spurs, and a cowboy hat. I thought it
was a bit much, but she insisted, and there’s no arguing with any
of these women when they set their mind to something. Caleb hands me
my gloves as I climb onto the horse. I almost forgot those, which
would have been very bad—rope burn is not fun. I know, because I’ve
been practicing throwing the rope all week. Today is just the main
event. Caleb thinks I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Which is
probably not at all. Here goes nothing.

Caleb releases the
steer, and then we’re off. Everything seems to be going well, and I
swing the rope over my head at the same time he does. I even manage
to get it over the head like I’m supposed to. That’s when
everything goes to hell. While Caleb easily jumps off his horse and
starts tying the steer’s legs, I somehow get my leg caught in my
reins as I climb off and then I’m down. I roll away from my horse
hooves, and almost get kicked by the steer. He realizes I’m no
longer in control, and starts bucking.

“Hot damn,” Caleb
says, jumping back and running for his horse. He easily jumps on and
then turns back towards me to see what happens.

I just stand there,
unable to move, as the steer struggles to his feet. “Run, Brayden,
Run.”

I hear Darcy yelling,
but I still can’t move. Where’s the rodeo clown when I need him?
Oh yeah, this isn’t even my first rodeo. It’s just the corral
outside of a high tech secret spy lair. Just when I think it’s all
over for me, Caleb comes riding back and reaches out his hand. I take
it and throw myself onto his horse behind him. We make it into the
gate with seconds to spare, as the steer crashes into it right behind
us.

“I don’t even know
what to say,” I tell Caleb.

“I don’t really
think there’s anything
to
say. You’re a nice guy, Brayden, but I’d suggest you abandon the
idea of becoming a cowboy.”

“Yeah. I figured that
out already.

* * *

Darcy

I saw that steer
getting ready to charge Brayden and my heart almost stopped.
This
has to stop. All of these crazy tests of his. I think if he tried to
slay a dragon, he’d probably be safer. I can’t even laugh this
time, because I was so scared.

He’s climbing down
off Caleb’s horse when I stomp over to him. “Enough, Brayden
James. This is it. No more.”

“I’m a failure.
I’ve failed. I’ll never be an American guy.”

“Because you’re
not
an American guy.”

“I know. I’m just…I
don’t even know what I am.”

“Let me tell you
then. You’re the man who gave up his throne for me, and then
thought he still had to prove his worth. You’re smart, sexy, and
romantic. That’s what you are.”

“I need you to know
you come first.”

“I know that. You’ve
more than proven how much I mean to you, but it has to stop. You’re
going to hurt yourself, or someone else again.”

“I didn’t swing the
bat.”

“That would not have
happened to anyone else.”

He hangs his head. “I
know. I’m cursed.”

“You’re not cursed.
You just need to stick to your skill set. Or at least ease yourself
into a new one.”

“I have one more
thing I need to do.”

I groan. “Seriously?”

“Yes. I promise no
one will get hurt. You might cry, though.”

“I seem to do that a
lot lately. When I’m happy,
and
when I’d sad.”

“These will be happy
ones.”

“When is this taking
place?”

“Tomorrow night. A
dress will be waiting in your apartment.”

“A dress?”

“Yep. We have a
special ball to attend,” he tells me with a wink.

10.
Remind her that we’re already married, and ask her again
with a special ring.

Darcy

As promised, I have a
dress waiting for me when I get back to my apartment. It’s off the
shoulder, pale blue lace, with some shimmer to the fabric. I love it,
because it’s something I would’ve picked for myself. I’m not
surprised when the doorbell rings the next afternoon, but I
am
surprised to see all the women who stream into my place. It’s all
of the Society women, the Griffin wives, Alex, Sierra, and Jenysis.

“What are you all
doing here?” I ask.

“We thought it would
be fun to get ready together,” Stella tells me.

Outside of training,
I’ve never done anything like this before. It feels right, though.
“Oh, okay. And thank you for my dress.”

“I had nothing to do
with your dress. That was all Brayden.”

“He picked it out?”

“Yep. It’s pretty
hot, huh? I love it when Kace dresses me.”

“Um, yeah, it kind of
is.”

“Let’s put on some
music and get this party started.”

I have more fun in the
next two hours than I ever thought I’d have with a group of women.
Reina orders in food, and we drink champagne while we all pitch in to
help each other with hair and makeup. I see Jen and Sierra chatting,
and go over to hug them both.

“Thank you both for
being here.”

“I wasn’t going to
miss this. This is one of my cousin’s more brilliant ideas. Noah’s
here, too.”

“He is?”

“Yep, and some other
special guests.”

“I know I’m
excited,” Sierra says.

“We’re going to
find us some hot men, and get properly pissed.”

“Totally.”

I can’t seem to pry any
information out of anyone, so I just give up. I’ll find out soon
enough. We pile into limos and head towards downtown. I’m happily
surprised when we pull up to the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health.
The Frank Gehry building is a favorite of mine, and I’ve been to a
couple of events in the ballroom here before. Brayden’s standing at
the door waiting for me. The sign next to him has me stopping to
place my hand over my mouth as my eyes well up.