Taste for Trouble (32 page)
“Oh.
Well, that’s different.” Drew turned his reproach on Will. “What were you
thinking, Will? Kissing James’ girl. Geez.”
“I’m
not James’ girl.” Bel felt honor-bound to point it out.
Drew
scratched his head. “Are you sure?”
Bel
didn’t know how to answer that one.
Audrey
snorted. “Well, she’s not
his
girl.” She jerked her chin toward Will. “I
have too much respect for her taste to believe that.”
“Thank
you,” Bel murmured while Will suppressed a flinch.
“Just
quit making trouble, Will. Okay?” James took Bel’s elbow again. “We actually
have kind of enough.”
“Besides
this?” she asked, the first trickle of alarm surfacing. Had he been this grim
before
he’d witnessed Will’s unauthorized kissing?
“Besides
this.” He gave her arm a bracing squeeze. “But I think it would be best to talk
about it—”
Will
said, “No.”
James
frowned. “What?”
“I
said no.” Will gave a jerky shrug. “You told me to stop making trouble and I’m
saying no.”
James
opened his mouth then closed it. “Why?”
“Because
I’m a shitty brother.”
“True
enough. And I’ve penciled your punching into my calendar, okay? Now shut up for
two minutes so I can—”
“No,”
Will said again, and his voice was terrible. So hollow and grave. Goosebumps
raced up Bel’s arms into her hair, and she took James’ hand without thinking. “For
Christ’s sake, James, I moved on
Bel
. I know how you feel about her and
I moved on her anyway.”
Bel
suppressed a snort. Like Will knew how James felt about her. He thought she and
James were enjoying a perfect, perfect love, if memory served.
“Yeah,”
James said darkly. “I got that.”
“So,
what, you’re going to stand there like nothing happened?” He huffed out a noise
that was more snarl than laugh. “For Christ’s sake, James, do you love her or
don’t you?”
James’
fingers curled around hers but he kept his eyes on his brother. “I love her.”
Bel’s
heart hammered painfully in her chest. Well. That was unexpected. He
loved
her? Since when? Will gave Bel a wan smile over James’ shoulder that said
Told
you so
.
Drew
muttered, “Foul. I called dibs weeks ago.”
Audrey
cocked a brow. “You called dibs on a
person
?”
“Sure.”
He gave her that knock-out smile of his. “But it’s okay. Nobody ever pays
attention to me. I saw you first, too. But try telling that to Will.”
Color
leapt into Audrey’s cheeks and she rolled her eyes.
“For
fuck’s sake, James!” Will snapped. “If you love her, then act like it!”
“How?”
James asked.
“Swing
at me!” Will thrust forward his chin. “Throw me out! Fire me! Something! Anything!
But, Jesus, don’t
forgive
me!”
“Amen,”
Audrey muttered.
“I
might could toss you out,” James said slowly. “If I thought you meant it.”
Bel
frowned. “Meant what?”
“The
move
,” Drew hissed. “The kiss.” He had pulled up a stool and was watching
the byplay with avid enjoyment. Audrey stood frozen beside him, her eyes fixed
on Will, disgust written plainly on her exquisite face. “Shhh, now. This is
getting good.”
James
went on. “And maybe I don’t have your great big brain, Will, but it doesn’t take
a super genius to see that you don’t want Bel any more than Audrey does. Not
really.” He cut a look at Audrey. “You don’t want Bel, do you?”
She
shook her head.
“There,
see?” James gave him a lopsided smile and Will closed his eyes as if in pain. “Now
I don’t pretend to understand why you decided to move on Bel when you don’t
want her. But you’re my brother and she’s my—” He paused and Bel’s heart
hammered in her chest. What? She was his
what
? “—well, she’s just mine. And
I’ll be damned if I let you make her our Yoko Ono. I don’t know why you’re
trying to make me choose between you but I’m not going to do it.”
Bel
gaped at James, her fingers and toes tingling like she was considering passing
out. She might do just that, actually. She was
his
? He
loved
her?
Had he really said all that? Like it was nothing new? A forgone conclusion?
A
brilliant joy gushed up inside her, mixed with a blinding panic and a healthy
helping of dismay. What the hell did it mean, James’ version of love? What was
she supposed to
do
with it? She didn’t believe in love. Didn’t—no matter
what her stupid heart might say—even want it.
“So
you’re not going anywhere,” James said to Will. “You’re staying right here and
we’re working this out. Just like always.”
“For
pity’s sake.” Will dropped his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Just...let
me go, James. Please.”
“No.”
James dug a hand into his pocket. He pulled out the jeweler’s box Bel had given
him earlier that night and shoved it at Will. “Here. Open it.”
“No.”
Will shook his head and backed up. “And stop
giving
me shit.”
“It’s
not from me.” James cracked the box and put it into Will’s hand. “It’s from
Bel. Now tell me what that is.”
Will
lowered his eyes reluctantly to the cufflinks in the box. “It’s the Blake
family crest,” he said slowly. “And...is that Gaelic?”
“Yep.
It says family first,” James told him. “She had them made special for us. There’s
a set for you, one for me and one for Drew.” Will stared at the box in his hand,
stricken, and Bel realized suddenly how much he looked like James. They were
such different people; the more she knew them, the less she saw the resemblance.
But there it was—the same fair hair, the same broad shoulders, the same long
legs. The same extraordinary air of fluid competence, though James’ stemmed
from his lean-muscled grace while Will’s depended on his nimble mind.
“God,”
Will said finally, his voice strangled. He lifted his hands and let them flop
back to his sides like helpless birds. James took him by the shoulders and
kissed both of his cheeks, first one, then the other.
It
should have looked weird, Bel thought. Men kissing men in the kitchen? Not
something you see every day. But it didn’t. It felt...biblical. Like Will
really was Judas but James was reversing the traditional symbol, forgiving with
a kiss rather than betraying.
“You’re
my brother,” James said simply. “I want you to be happy. Whatever’s making you
so angry, so poisonous? We’ll find it and we’ll fix it. And the rest of it can
go to hell because I’m not letting you go. Not now, not ever.” He smiled that
sunshiny smile of his. “But I’m still punching you later. Nobody kisses my girl
for free.”
And
with that, Bel stopped resisting. Stopped fighting. This aching desire, this
dangerous yearning? It was love—no use denying it—and she finally, finally let
herself fall.
Because
for the first time, she understood James. Or maybe she didn’t understand him
completely, but at least now she believed him. She trusted him.
This
was a man who said what he believed, then lived it. Because lots of people
said
family was the most important thing in their lives. Lots of people
talked
about love like it was some precious miracle. But she’d never—not once—seen
anybody actually live the words out. Not like James just had.
Will,
for reasons unknown, had backed his brother into a corner and issued the
perfect ultimatum: Love or family? Lust or loyalty? Bel or me? But James—good
heavens—James had come up with the third alternative. He’d chosen them both. He’d
declared his love for Bel while simultaneously proving his love for Will by
refusing the betrayal. He simply refused to accept that Will was capable of
hurting him in such a profound and fundamental way. Logic dictated, therefore,
that Will must have reasons of his own—twisty and incomprehensible, yes, but
reasons nonetheless—for kissing Bel in the kitchen. For some reason, he
wanted
James to reject him.
And
the amazing thing? Bel thought James might just be right about that.
She
gazed at him in pure wonder. He might say Will was their brain, Drew was their
heart, and he was simply the muscle but now Bel knew better. James was their
courage. He was a soldier of the first order, a knight in shining armor who’d
pledged himself to his family and would do whatever it took to keep that
pledge. To uphold his own sacred truth.
He
was a throw-back. An honorable man. The kind Bel had simply assumed no longer
existed. The kind she didn’t think had ever really existed in the first place.
But
she’d been wrong. Dead wrong. And the thrill of witnessing that kind of courage
and loyalty in action had zapped clear through all the protective layers of
jaded disbelief she’d accumulated over the years and arrowed straight into the
vulnerable heart within her. The heart that longed to join the circle of family
James was willing to protect with everything he had. Everything he was.
The
heart that wanted—more than safety, more than security, more than comfort—to
belong to him.
It
was what she’d always wanted, honestly. To be part of a family that worked. She’d
just never expected to find one. Had never expected it to look like
this
even if she did. But life was just full of surprises, wasn’t it?
A
thrill of optimism sparkled through her. She was going to make this work. No
matter what it took, she was going to make this work.
She would
have her family, finally.
And
it would be James.
“Everything
all right, Bel?”
James
turned to find the caterer hovering at the edge of their tense little circle.
Bel’s
hand twitched in the folds of her skirt but she gave the woman a reassuring
smile. “Of course, Lillian. Something just...came up.” She didn’t so much as
look at Will.
“Not
the food?” Lillian asked.
“No,
of course not. The food’s been marvelous. Everybody’s raving about it.” She
smiled. “Mrs. Vernon-Smithe asked for your card.”
Lillian
pressed a hand to her generous bosom. “Not
the
Mrs. Vernon-Smithe?”
“The
very one.” Bel’s smile spread into something more natural. James’ chest
loosened a bit at the sight. That smile of hers was one of God’s good gifts. The
dimples just sealed the deal.
Not
that the beast inside him wasn’t still out for blood. But something about Bel
soothed it. Soothed him. He didn’t know if it was that square, serious face of
hers, the smile that transformed it into something exceptional, or just her implacable
conviction that decent people exercised self-control. Whatever it was, it
propped up his badly shaken better self, and reinforced his determination to do
the right thing.
“Anything
I can do to help out?” Lillian asked Bel now. “With your, uh, situation?”
Bel
shook her head. “I don’t think so, Lillian. There’s not much we can do tonight
anyway.”
“Then
y’all get out of my kitchen and enjoy the party.”
James
smiled at her. “Smartest idea I’ve heard all night.” He turned to his brothers.
“We’ll talk in the morning.”
“Sure
thing,” Drew said. Will just shook his head.
“You,
too,” he said to Audrey. “This is going to be an all-hands-on-deck sort of
event at Blake House.”
She
nodded, her exotic face drawn. “I’ll be there.”
“But
for now,” James said, “all of you need to get back out there and act like
you’re having the time of your life. And you—” He pointed at Will. “—avoid the
bar.”
“I’ll
babysit,” Audrey said grimly.
“We’ll
double team,” Drew said.
“House
arrest,” Will said. “Awesome.” He threw up his hands under the weight of four
different stares. “Fine. Whatever. I’ll sit next to Bob. He can share his tonic
water and lime and tell me about the benefits of his new fish and seaweed diet
or whatever.”
James
watched them leave the kitchen. He looked back at Bel and found her beautiful
face turned up to his, her honey-colored eyes cool and unreadable. Crap.
“So.”
He tried a smile. “We probably need to talk about, um—”
The fact that I just—Jesus—threw
love
on the table
.
Unless, of course, you’re too busy running for
the hills to chat it out
. “—about what happened here just now.”
“James—”
She bit her lip, then tumbled the words out in a uncharacteristic rush. “God,
James, I’m so sorry. I swear I didn’t do anything to encourage—”
“Geez,
Bel, I know that.” He put out staying hands. “I know you didn’t. I never even
thought it.” Which was true. He trusted Bel absolutely. He had no idea what was
wrong with Will, let alone how to put it right. But at this moment, with Bel’s dear
face tight with worry for him—for
him
when she was obviously the injured
party—he didn’t care. “We’re okay here, Bel. You and me? We’re good.”