Angel of Redemption (38 page)

Logan
coughs loudly, causing me to look over at him. He
’
s shooting daggers at his brother.
This confirms that he
’
s hiding stuff from me, which I already expected. But what
concerns me more is this interaction between him and his brother. I knew
something was off when Matty told Dean about Logan sneaking out, and now he
’
s provoking his brother to his face.

“
No, you
’
re not. And I appreciate that,
”
Dean states.
“
But the fact remains that you
’
re in deep trouble at school and
unless you shape up, you
’
re going to be sent to remedial classes.
”

“
What are those?
”
Matty asks, furrowing his brow.

“
The basics, Matthew,
”
I chime in.
“
Like how to read and write and do addition and subtraction.
”

“
That
’
s stupid. I know all that crap.
”

“
So show them!
”
Dean barks.
“
Kayla and I have to sit in a meeting next week and tell
them why we don
’
t
think you need special education. How are we supposed to do that if you blow
everything off?
”

“
Fuck that! I
’
m not going into special ed.
”
Matty is not one who swears much
—
at least not in front of adults
—
so I know we
’
re finally getting through to him.

“
Then start making an effort!
”
Matty rolls his eyes, but I think he gets it. At least I
hope he does.

“
Are we done?
”
he mumbles.

“
Yeah. Do you have homework?
”
Dean asks.

“
I have a report on Romeo and Juliet due on Monday.
”

“
Go work on it.
”

“
I
’
m on dinner duty tonight.
”

“
That
’
s fine. I
’
ll come get you when we
’
re ready.
”

Matty
gets up and mopes out of the room. Logan gets up to follow him.

“
You just here to enjoy the show?
”
Dean bites.

“
Whatever,
”
Logan snorts.
“
He
’
s my little brother. I want to know what
’
s going on with him.
”

I
’
m about to ask him about Matty
’
s accusations when a loud knock stops
me, and I turn to see a strange guy standing in the doorway.

“
Shit,
”
Dean grumbles under his breath.

“
I was told there
’
s someone here I should meet.
”
His eyes flash toward me and he gives
me a wide smile.

“
Well, that
’
s my cue.
”
Logan slithers past me and out the door. The guy walks toward
me and holds out his hand.

“
Simon Waterford.
”

“
Kayla Brooks.
”

He
tilts his head.
“
Nice
to meet you, Kayla.
”

I
feel Dean come up behind me. Simon briefly acknowledges him before focusing on
me again. He
’
s
still holding my hand despite the fact that I
’
ve tried to pull it back a couple of
times.

“
So, you
’
re the Davidson boys
’
caseworker?
”

“
Yes, I am.
”

“
What
’
s their deal?
”

“
Simon,
”
Dean growls.

“
I
’
m going to leave it up to Dean and Aiden to give you that
information,
”
I say, trying to be polite.

“
Okay. Just thought I
’
d get it from the source while you
’
re here. I
’
m working primarily night shifts. Will
I be seeing much of you, Kayla?
”

“
You know what, we
’
ve got shit to do before Ms. Brooks has to go home,
”
Dean interrupts.
“
Did
you get everything I needed you to get?
”

Simon
finally lets go of my hand.
“
Yeah, man, I did, but the hardware store you sent me to
closed at five. Who the hell closes at five? I had to run all over town. And
you have about two tons of coffee in the pantry. You really didn
’
t need any more.
”

“
Huh. Go figure.
”

I
don
’
t
even need to look at Dean to know he
’
s smirking. He puts his hand on my back, guiding me away
from Simon.

“
It was nice to meet you, Kayla Brooks. I look forward to
working with you.
”

I
smile and nod.
“
You,
too, Simon.
”

Dean
pushes me a little harder. When we get to his office and he shuts the door, I
flip around.

“
Ms. Brooks?
”
I ask. He shrugs.
“
That was not sly at all,
”
I laugh.
“
Did you send that man on a wild-goose
chase to avoid introducing me to him?
”

“
Are we in professional or personal mode right now?
”

“
Personal.
”

“
He
’
s a dick, Kayla. I was trying to spare you. He was hitting
on you.
”

“
He was not,
”
I scoff, rolling my eyes but secretly thrilled that the
idea of someone hitting on me irritates Dean.

“
Yes, he was.
”

“
Well, thanks for being so thoughtful.
Why
’
d
you hire him?
”

“
He was the least of all the evils
…
and Aiden and Emily were tired of me picking apart all the
candidates.
”

“
Well, you know me. I like to see who
’
s going to be around my boys. Besides,
I
’
m going to have to work with him
occasionally, right?
”

“
Not if I can help it,
”
he grumbles. I have to admit, I
’
m a little happy about what
’
s happening here, although I
’
m not sure if he
’
s jealous or simply being protective.

“
I have news for you,
”
I say, leaning against the corner of his desk.

“
News?
”

“
I found out that Jax is in an RTC.
”

“
Shit! Which one?
”

“
You know better than that,
“
I scold. Dean takes a couple of steps
forward so that he
’
s in front of me and looks down. I take notice of the way
he
’
s
hovering.
“
He
’
s okay. That
’
s all I can really tell you.
”

“
That
’
s all?
”
he asks, his voice low and gravelly.

I
nod and smile up at him.
“
That
’
s it.
”

“
Fine,
”
he says, backing up. His lower lip is sticking out a
little, which makes him look like he
’
s pouting. Hell, maybe he is.
“
You
’
ll keep an eye on him for me?
”

“
Of course. But you know I can
’
t tell you much.
”

“
I know. I appreciate it, though.
”

I
stand up, putting my hand on his arm and pulling him down a little to kiss him
on the cheek.

“
I gotta go home. I
’
ll see you later.
”

“
Later,
”
he repeats.

Opening
the door, I let out a squeak. Simon is standing on the other side.

“
Oh, hey, I was just about to knock.
”

Dean
scoffs a little behind me.
“
Sure you were. Come on in.
”

“
Bye, guys.
”
I wave and wink at Dean. He pretends to scratch his
forehead, but he
’
s
inconspicuously flipping me the bird. I laugh and turn to leave, catching a
glimpse of his sexy smile on my way out.

As
much as I
’
m
enjoying the friendship that
’
s growing between us, I have to remind myself
—
and my hormones
—
that
’
s all it is. Friendship.

Kayla

“
Finished.
”

“
You think Maria will like them?
”
I ask, staring at the computer
screen.

“
Yeah, I think she
’
ll be happy. She wouldn
’
t have asked me to do it if she
thought it
’
d
be shit.
”

“
I actually enjoyed that,
”
Sara giggles, sipping on her red
wine.

“
You would,
”
I snort.

“
Great!
”
Emily cheers.
“
Can I send her your way for Christmas?
”

“
I would love that.
”
Sara
’
s eyes widen in excitement.

We
’
ve been designing the invitations
online for about three hours. The wine certainly didn
’
t help the pace of our creative
endeavors.

The
door shuts loudly, and we hear laughing.

“Hey, I have a house full of beautiful women. What
did I do to deserve this?” Aiden grins as he walks into the room with Dean by
his side.

“
You married me,
”
Emily coos, jumping up to give her husband a kiss.

Dean
makes a gagging noise and is immediately backhanded by his brother.

“
Where are the kids?
”
Emily asks, looking behind the guys.

“
Sleeping. Dean was on such good behavior tonight that Mom
was generous enough to let them spend the night.
”

“
Shut up,
”
Dean laughs.
“
They fell asleep watching some princess movie. Mom told
Aiden to leave them.
”

“
Well, hell, let
’
s
go do something!
”
Emily cheers.

“
Sugar, I have to pick up the kids at the asscrack of dawn.
”

“
Then you can be the DD.
”

“
Yeah, brother, you can be the DD.
”
Dean slaps Aiden on the back. I feel
Sara nudge my elbow. She nods toward Dean.

“
Oh. Uh, Dean, Aiden, this is Sara.
Sara, Dean and Aiden.
”

“
Hi,
”
Sara says shyly.

“
Nice to meet you,
”
Aiden says, smiling. Dean
’
s
eyes dart to me first and then to Sara.

“
Yes, nice to meet you,
”
he purrs, offering her a sexy smile.
I feel a stab of jealousy. I want to yell
“
He
’
s mine!
”
but he
’
s
not. He
’
s free to flirt with whomever he wants.

“
So, are we going out?
”
Emily asks.
“
There
’
s a brew pub not too far from here. They have live music on
Tuesdays and Fridays, right, babe?
”
Emily looks up at Aiden, who is whispering to his brother.
“
Aiden?
”

“
What?
”

“
Whatever. Let
’
s go.
”

As
we
’
re heading out the door, I stop in
front of Dean.

“
Are we okay?
”
I ask, shoving my thumbnail between my teeth. He looks down
at me and then wraps his long fingers around my wrist, pulling my hand away
from my mouth.

“
We
’
re
fine.
”

“
Are you sure?
”

His
expression is so blank, I can
’
t figure out what he
’
s thinking. Then he smiles.

“
Yes.
”

I
wait for him to say more, but, per usual, Dean leaves me wanting. He puts his
hand on my back to lead me out. I think I feel it slip down over my butt
slightly, but then it
’
s back up on my shoulder and I can
’
t be sure it wasn
’
t
just my own overactive imagination.

We
all climb into Aiden
’
s car. Dean opens the back door for Sara and me, and I
’
m about to get in when she pulls me
back.

“
I want the window.
”
She grins at me and climbs in. I follow her and Dean is
the last in. It
’
s
cramped. Even though Sara and I aren
’
t big girls, Dean is forced to rest his arm behind my head.
Not that I
’
m
complaining.

The
brew pub is packed. They
’
re still serving food, so I
’
m hoping some of the people will go
away, but I doubt it.

“
Jesus Christ,
”
Dean gripes as we push through the mass of bodies. I feel
like I
’
m
about to be swallowed alive by the crowd when I feel his warm hand grab mine.

“
Stay close,
”
he yells over the noise. I turn around and grab Sara
’
s hand as well and we train our way to
the bar.

At
ten thirty the food service shuts down and the band starts warming up. We
’
re able to snag a high top when a
group leaves. It
’
s
still really loud, and I
’
m having trouble hearing the conversation between Sara and
Emily, but I
’
m
not sure I could concentrate on it anyway. Dean
’
s mouth is right next to my ear. I can
feel his warm breath against my neck. It almost feels like he
’
s whispering something.

“
Are you whispering dirty things in my ear?
”
I ask, teasing. I just can
’
t seem to help flirting with him. Dean doesn
’
t seem to mind. He laughs loudly.

“
Yeah. That
’
s exactly what I
’
m doing.
”

“
Oh, okay. Proceed then,
”
I grin. He smirks but doesn
’
t continue. The band starts up and all
conversation is halted.

We
drink and laugh and flirt. Dean seems so laid-back. I catch Aiden staring at
his brother a couple of times, but Dean ignores him and brings more drinks. It
’
s getting hot and my ears are ringing.
I realize I
’
m
quite drunk.

“
I need some air,
”
I breathe, a little too close to Dean
’
s face. I stumble off my stool, and he
catches me.

“
I
’
ll go with you.
”

“
I
’
m okay! I
’
m okay.
”

“
Yeah. I
’
m still going with you,
”
he insists, grabbing our coats. He
helps me put mine on before we go outside. I guess that
’
s a good idea.

He
opens the patio door, and a cold blast of air hits us. I shiver, zipping up my
coat. Dean reaches into the inside pocket of his jacket, pulls out his hat, and
tugs it roughly over his head.

“
Dean, as much as I love that hat, you just ruined the hair!
”
I can hear the slight slur in my
voice. I think I
’
d better stop drinking.

“
Ruined the hair?
”

“
Most men would die for that mess you
’
ve got up there,
”
I explain. I don
’
t think he has a clue what I
’
m talking about.

“
It
’
s hair, Kayla.
”

“
It
’
s sex hair.
”

“
Huh?
”

I
reach up, ignoring his customary flinch, and pull off his hat.

“
Here, hold this,
”
I demand, shoving the hat back into his hand. He
’
s looking at me as if I
’
ve
lost my mind. I move closer and lift up on my tiptoes. Dean looks a little
dazed and confused.

Wrapping
my arms around his shoulders, I run my hands through his hair and grip. He grunts
a little at my tugs.

“
When a girl does this, over and over again in the throes of
passion,
”
I whisper, pressing my cheek against his.
“
The result is sex hair. And you
’
ve got it all the time.
”

I
feel Dean
’
s
jaw move and turn my face to see him smiling. I smile back, giving him a quick
peck and pulling away.

I
lean against the railing, watching people walk around. Dean stands next to me
silently. I
’
m bumped into a couple of times by
some guys who are much more drunk than I am. Dean puts his hands up to keep
them from knocking me over, but finally he gives up, caging me in his arms
against the railing.

“
Well, this is cozy,
”
I giggle.

“
Mmhmm,
”
he hums.

The
rough-housing guys hit Dean full force, bumping him into me and crushing me
against the railing.

“
Owwww!
”
I cry. Dean
’
s weight disappears as he whips around and starts yelling.

“
Dude, calm down.
”

I turn and see Dean staring down the dickhead who
must have bumped into us. Another guy stands between them. Dean’s clearly
pissed.

“
Come on, come on, come on,
”
I beg, grabbing his arm.
“
I
’
m fine. Let
’
s go back inside.
”

“
Yeah, man. Listen to your woman. It
’
d be a shame for you to get hurt. I
might have to take her home for you, and I can
’
t guarantee I
’
ll return her in the same condition.
”
His eyes scan over my body.

“
Fuck you!
”
Dean yells at the guy as I pull him away. We make it
inside, and I turn to face him.

“
Why are you always getting into fights for me?
”

“
He was an asshole!
”
Dean defends.

“
They
’
re all assholes.
”

“
Then I guess I
’
m going to be getting into a lot of fights, huh?
”
He looks so serious, and I
’
m so drunk. I burst out laughing. Dean
rolls his eyes and puts his arm around my shoulder, leading me back to our
table.

* * *

“
I have a favor to ask,
”
Dean says as we
’
re sitting at a burger joint on our way
back to Wyatt House the next day. After Sarah took a cab home early from the
bar, I passed out in Aiden
’
s car. I woke up in the guest bedroom,
although I have no memory of how I got there. Dean was still asleep on the
couch when I wandered into the kitchen to find Aiden and a very strong cup of
coffee.