Loving the Wild Card (15 page)

Chapter
17

“I know our mother brought you up better than that Lux. Aren’t you going
to greet your long lost brother?”

Whatever Josh saw in her eyes caused him to tighten his grip on her arm.
Without saying a word, Lux looked down at his restraining hand and slowly
raised her gaze to meet his.

“Lux, be careful what you do next.”

Without comment, she pulled at her arm; this time he released her and
she stepped around him. For the first time since she was sixteen years old, Lux
saw her brother. Her eyes roamed over him for endless seconds. Next, she took
in every aspect of his face. Then she started over, this time to fill in the
gaps at how much he’d changed since their last meeting.

He still looked more or less the same, even though she hadn’t seen him
for nearly fifteen years. He still possessed the same high cheekbones and long
nose that was a characteristic of their mother’s Indian ancestry. The shape of
his eyes was an exact replica of her own, almost too big for his face. Their
eyes were the only distinguishable facial feature they had in common. Yet even
as she looked into their depth, Lux saw that the brother she’d once knew wasn’t
the man staring back at her. His eyes were cold. The Samuel Lee she knew
growing up was gone.

The way he dressed spoke of wealth, and Lux refused to think about how
he made enough money to dress in bespoke suits. At five foot ten, Lux observed
that Sam still looked slim and fit.

Finished with her perusal, she finally moved. Walking towards him, Lux
held his gaze unblinkingly. Without conscious thought of how it happened, she
stood so close to him that she could smell the tickle of his cologne in her
nostrils. Still in shock at his presence, nothing could stop her from giving
her brother the welcome he deserved. Without warning, she fisted her hand and
unleashed a punch directly to the middle of his face.

More pleased than she could ever have imagined at his expression of
shock; Lux knew she would always remember it. Knowing the man he had become,
she braced herself for the retaliation that never came.

As brother and sister stood glaring at each other, Josh moved her out of
harm’s way, even as he tried to pacify the situation. “We all know Lux didn’t
have a right to put her hands on you; don’t we, Lux?” Josh enunciated his voice
deadly serious.

“Don’t tell me what I can and can’t do, let go of me right now and see
if I don’t punch him again!”

“For God’s sake, Lux shut the hell up!”

“You shut up. If he thinks he's going to come in my face when he knows I
don’t want to see him then he can take what he gets!”

“Luxandria, do you know who you’re speaking to?” Sam demanded rubbing
his nose.

“Don’t ask me stupid questions,” she scoffed. “Of course I know who you
are. You’re the brother who’s dead to me and as far as I’m concerned, you’re
going to stay dead. As I don’t believe in ghosts, you can just disappear!”

“Little girl, you need to watch your mouth!”

Ducking around Josh, Lux rushed towards Sam. Josh managed to stop her
forward momentum, but the strength of his hold didn’t prevent her from saying
exactly what was on her mind.

“Or what, what are you going to do; break my heart like you did our
mother’s? Hurt her some more? Well, you’re too late she’s dead, and since I
don’t give a shit about you, you can’t hurt me!”

“But I can hurt him,” Sam threatened, his gaze locked on Josh.

The coldness in his regard of Josh stopped her from dismissing his
attempt at intimidation because it worked. Within seconds, her anger changed to
dread. Lux was in no doubt he was capable of doing exactly what he threatened,
and she wouldn’t have that on her conscience. Never for a moment did she think
to stop worrying about Josh; nor did she consider that he could take care of
himself.

“I allowed you to come here tonight because you wanted to make things
right with your sister. I gave you permission to ask a question; so far you
haven’t asked the right one,” Josh stated in a modulated voice. “For the
record, I’m over saying this to people, but I’m going to say it anyway... you
do not get to come into my house and threaten anyone, especially not my wife.
Do I make myself clear?!”

By the time he finished speaking, it seemed to Lux he’d grown in size.
Emanating from his whole body was a level of fury she’d never encountered in
him before.

“Josh,” Lux spoke his name just above a whisper.

He ignored her soft call as the men continued to stare each other down.
Without looking at her, he reached for her hand, and when she clasped his, he
held on to her.

“I think you may have forgotten who I am, Sam, so I’ll remind you.
Threaten my wife again and I’ll hurt you,” Josh finished with a smile deep
enough to show his dimples. “Now... ask your question.”

The look Sam threw her way was one Lux hadn’t experienced in a long
time, but she remembered it. Her lovely brother was back but only for a split
second.

The sound of Sam’s laughter was so scornful and laden with derision; Lux
began to tremble, wishing for the first time she’d heeded Josh’s warning to
keep her mouth shut.

Pulling his hand free, Josh wrapped an arm around her waist and drew her
into his body. The seconds stretched on in tension filled silence, and Lux
could only suppose Sam remained speechless for dramatic effect.

“Sam, this is your chance to begin to set things right. Don’t mess it
up,” Josh warned.

It was as though he’d said nothing as Sam remained motionless.

“If you have nothing further to say. I’ll show you out,” Josh offered.

“Can you ever forgive me, Lux?”

“What?” She queried. Of all the questions she’d expected this wasn’t it.

“Do I need to repeat myself?”

Unwilling to exacerbate the situation further Lux remained quiet as her
mind strove to work out why he would be asking her for forgiveness. Deciding on
complete honesty if it meant getting rid of him, she gave her response. “No, I
will never forgive you.”

“When did you become so hard, Lux?”

For the second time since their encounter, she saw the man she used to
know looking back at her. Just as before, two heartbeats later that man was
gone.

“You asked your question, she answered it, now I think you should
leave.”

Sam paid no attention to Josh as he continued to stare at his sister;
which only heightened an already tense situation. A feeling of relief washed
over her when a rap sounded on the door.

The knock immediately pulled Sam’s gaze. Josh however behaved as though
oblivious to the sound, his stare remaining fixed and unblinking.

Aware that neither man was going to move, Lux disengaged herself from
Josh to open the door. One of the twins stood outside. Which one, Lux couldn’t
tell in her relief to see another person.

“Hello,” she said in a loud voice. Standing back, she waved her hand in
a sweeping gesture, and turned back to the men who were still at deadlock. “Oh
look, it’s Jake or Jason. Do you want to come in Jake or Jason?”

The moment the twin’s eyebrow popped up, she thought it was Jake because
he smiled at her confusion. Jason probably wouldn’t have done that.

“Thank you, no I won’t come in if you don’t mind,” Jake said politely.
“I’m here to escort your brother out if his visit is completed.”

For a moment, Lux thought Sam would refuse to leave. The look he
directed towards Josh sent shivers down her spine. Still standing at the door,
she watched Sam’s approach, chilled anew by the blank look in his eyes.
Unwilling to be intimidated she pulled herself up to her full height and glared
at him.

Pausing beside her, Sam lifted a hand and Lux shrank away from his
touch. His hand dropped back to his side and for the first time in over a
decade, she wanted to reach out to her brother. Because buried deep in his
eyes, she saw pain so deep it touched her heart.

Jake spared her a brief glance as he extended his arm to indicate the
direction Sam should take. For some reason as Sam walked away, Lux was
reluctant to take her eyes off him until he disappeared from sight. A coldness
settled over her and try as she might, she couldn’t shake the feeling that this
might be the last time she saw her brother.

Lux turned back to the room, and let out a yelp of surprise that Josh
was standing directly behind her. If she was any judge of his expression, he
was majorly pissed. Why, she had no idea. After all, he was the one who invited
Sam without telling her, so what did he expect her reaction would be.

Recognizing trouble was brewing, Lux went on the offensive. Taking a
couple of steps back, she looked him up and down. “I’ve told you before, stop
sneaking up on me; you know I don’t like it!” Mentally crossing her fingers,
she executed the perfect turn ready to flounce off.

Being yanked back inside the library and the slam of the door didn’t
surprise her. Her bravado had been a last ditched attempt at leaving without
having to explain why she couldn’t keep her mouth shut.

“Didn’t I tell you to keep quiet?” Josh asked as he spun her around to
face him.

Sucking her teeth at his manhandling of her, Lux tossed her braids over
her shoulder and shrugged his hand off her arm. Then she popped her hip, folded
her arms and looked him up and down. She knew she had to play this out with an
attitude because she’d get nowhere by backing down when he was in Kingdom mode.

“If you want to kiss my brother’s ass, good luck to you. Know now that
I’m not going to join you, so deal with it,” Lux threw out having said her
piece. The old Josh would have let her go if he thought she was vexed with him.
The new Josh it seemed had other ideas.

Grabbing her arm, the new Josh was none too gentle as he pulled her into
his chest. Lux was pissed at him, but she couldn’t help thinking it was an
extremely nice chest.

That was the understatement of the year. It was a magnificent chest. It
was also probably the best chest she’d ever encountered. In all honesty, it was
the only chest she’d ever been interested in. And living on a tropical island
for the last seven years, she’d seen a lot of naked chests.

“When I tell you something this important, I want you to do as I say,”
Josh spoke through tight lips. “I want you to obey me without argument or
comment, do I make myself clear?”

His chest forgotten, her mouth hung open in astonishment at what he’d
just said. Who the hell did he think he was? The idea that she should carry out
his wishes without comment or thought was ridiculous.

As a young girl, she’d witnessed her mother deferring to her father and
then her brother. Although she loved her mother, she refused to be that type of
woman. The kind of woman who thought because a man had a dick he could dictate
her every move.

“You don’t get to tell me what to say and how to behave, Joshua Kingdom.
No man does. I’m not an extension of you. I have my own mind, thoughts and
reactions. I will do as I think best!” Lux had no idea that with every word she
spoke her voice increased in volume until she was shouting in his face.

When he finally replied, Josh did so with a quietness that took a few
moments to register with her.

“I know you’re not an extension of me Luxie. I love your independence
and that you know who and what you’re worth. All I want to do, all I have ever
wanted to do was keep you safe.”

The sincerity of his words extinguished her anger. “I’m a grown woman
and I don’t need you or anyone else to look after me!”

“Is that right?” Josh paused as he looked down at her. “So tell me, Lux,
when was the last time you relinquished enough control so that you actually
felt like the woman I used to hold in my arms all those years ago?”

At her silence, he released her, walked behind her and came to a stop.
Running a hand along her braids, he gathered them up and placed them over one
of her shoulders. Lux held her breath in anticipation of what he’d do next.
When he plastered his body against her back, she released a sigh and ran her
tongue over her lips. The feel of his warm breath against her bared neck sent
shivers down her spine.

“Ahh, Luxie, I love the way you tremble when I’m near you.”

It was true, his closeness was all it took for her to react and forget her
anger towards him.

“This feels so good, Luxie. You and I together again after all this
time.” His words pulled up memories of how his big hands felt as they roamed
her body. Resting her head against his chest, Lux closed her eyes and allowed
the seduction of his voice to wash over her.

The brush of his hand against her throat caused her heart to boom in her
chest. His fingertips brushed back and forth with a slow deliberation. Without
warning his fingers tightened around her throat. The pressure he exerted wasn’t
enough to do her harm, but it held her attention. About to pull at his hands;
he loosened his grip and moved on. Sliding a palm down the front of her dress,
he caressed and played with her breast.