For Eric's Sake (14 page)

I won't think about that
, she told herself, looking down at Eric, who was beaming. He understood enough to know he didn't have to go home with Uncle Louis and Aunt May, at least not for a while, and that was enough for him. He did not have to worry ahead to the future the way Brandy did.

Shaw returned and slid behind the wheel. His nut-brown hair was plastered to his forehead from the sweat that had gathered there.

"What did he say?" Brandy asked, wondering if Wilgus could work magic.

"He'll take care of it," Shaw assured her.

Brandy sighed, accepting his word as simply as Eric would have done, and relaxed back in the seat for the drive home.

Shaw pulled up in front of the apartment building, explaining he had work to catch up on and would probably be late coming in. Brandy slid out of the car as Eric skipped into the lobby of the building.

"Hey!" Shaw shouted, as Brandy turned to follow Eric.

She stopped and walked back to the car window, leaning down to hear what he had to say.

"Come around to my side," he said, and Brandy did as he asked. "Don't I get a goodbye kiss? Sort of a thank-you for today?"

Brandy hesitated, the mere thought of touching him filling her with delight and a dangerous awareness of her own increasing susceptibility to him.

"I might as well start working on my new image." He grinned. "Don't you think?"

Brandy smiled, wishing she could impulsively throw her arms around his neck and kiss the daylights out of him.

"Come on." His raised eyebrows invited her closer. "I can't do anything in broad daylight in a parking lot with you outside of the car and me inside of it. And think what good publicity it'll be if someone comes along."

He was right, Brandy decided, and he certainly deserved something. She had to admit that she wanted to kiss him. She bent down, her hands on the door intending to give him a peck on the cheek, but as soon as her head came near his he reached out and caught her neck, imprisoning her lips against his own.

He took his time kissing her, drugging her with the taste of him, teasing her into a response that had her catching her breath and clutching the door to keep from fainting from the weak feeling invading her body.

He finally drew back and looked at her. Why did they have to be here in the parking lot? she wondered. He could make her want him so easily. "Shaw?" she hesitated.

"What?" His eyes smoldered as they looked at her, pleased with what they saw.

Should she tell him what she was thinking? she wondered. Should she try to hide her feelings from him any longer? His eyes continued to hypnotize her. She opened her mouth and whispered, "Try not to be too late tonight?"

His hand slid from behind her neck to caress her cheek. If she wanted to believe in fairy tales, she could say he was actually looking at her with love at that moment. It's only because that's what I want to see, she reminded herself. He smiled, and his eyebrows rose. "I won't be long."

She stood in the middle of the driveway looking after him until the car was gone from sight. Was he acting? Or had she actually glimpsed some concern for her in his eyes? Or was she simply clutching at straws because she wanted him to love her? It would be so simple if he did, because she knew now she could give her heart to him, if he wanted it. If he loved her, and she fell in love with him, then Eric would not have to be uprooted again. But could it be she loved him—
just
for Eric's sake?

Brandy remained in a daze after Shaw's sultry kiss. As she and Eric rode the elevator to Shaw's penthouse apartment, she was oblivious to the boy's monologue. Opening the door, she stepped into the living room with her fingers over her lips, still conscious of the feel of his mouth on hers. Was she falling in love with him? Or was she just simply attracted to him physically?

She wandered over to the wide picture window looking out into the distance at downtown Atlanta, the towering silo of Peachtree Plaza and the hazy shapes of the Omni Complex easily recognizable. Where was Shaw at that moment? she wondered. What street would he be driving on? What effect had she had on him? Was he still remembering the kiss, or had he forgotten her the moment he had put the car in gear and driven away?

Because she had him so heavily in her mind, she thought she heard his voice say, "Well, hello." Brandy turned, still in a dream, and stopped at the sight of a man standing in the doorway of the kitchen. Eric, who had plopped down on the couch when they had come into the apartment, stared with widened eyes.

Brandy tried not to panic. She didn't want to alarm Eric. "Who are you?" She took a step toward Eric, mentally looking around the room to remember what would be the nearest thing she could use as a weapon. That lewd brass bust that Shaw kept on the bookcase would be perfect, not only because of its weight, but also because she'd enjoy breaking it.

"I might ask the same of you," said the man, leaning casually against the kitchen doorframe as if he owned the place.

"How did you get in?" She stepped back toward the bookcase.

"With a key, same as you." He smiled.

Brandy's entire body was tense, but she tried not to let it show in her voice. He didn't look like a burglar. In fact, there was something vaguely familiar about him. But that was no reason to trust him. He had no right to be here. "Yes, but this is where I live. I have a right to have a key."

"So have I." The smile widened.

Brandy took another step toward the bookcase. Two more feet and she could reach out and grab the bust—but could she turn and hurl it quickly enough to do any good with him so far away across the room? "Have we met?" she asked cautiously.

"I would have remembered." He pushed himself off the doorpost and stepped into the room. "Shaw never mentioned you to me either, so this is quite a surprise… in a way."

"Shaw?" Brandy breathed a little easier. He had a key and he knew Shaw, but a burglar could have just as much information as access. She wouldn't ease her guard completely. "My husband never mentioned you to me."

"Husband?" He stopped short. Then he laughed. "Shaw? Your husband?"

"Yes. What's so funny?"

He laughed a moment longer, then stopped, his eyes from Brandy to Eric. "Oh, I get it. Husband—for appearances sake."

"No," fumed Brandy. "Husband for legality's sake. Just who are you?"

"I still can't take this in." He started walking across the room. Brandy took that last step backward. "Shaw is the last person I would have expected to find married."

"Nevertheless, it's true."

He laughed. "I have to admire his taste, but then he always did have the cream of the crop at his feet." He scratched his head. "But this is kind of sudden, isn't it? He never breathed a word to me. So you two must still be on your honeymoon. Hmmm." A frown creased his forehead. "I wonder why he invited me here now?"

"Who are you?" Brandy asked again as he kept walking toward her.

"Well," he stopped, folding his arms across his chest, "I guess you could say I'm your brother-in-law. I'm Marcus Janus." He took the last few steps toward her, and held out his hand.

Brandy clutched it, relief making her knees weak. That was why he looked so familiar. It was the shape of his forehead and those eyes. They held the same sensitivity as Shaw's but were gray instead of green. "I thought you were a burglar." She laughed, nerves making her sound giddy. "Shaw didn't tell me you were coming."

"That makes two of us, then, who are surprised. How long have you been married?"

"Not long," she admitted, and as she glanced at Eric, introduced the boy, explaining briefly who he was.

"An instant family," said Marcus, echoing words that Shaw had said to her in anger not long ago. "I can't believe this. Have you known him long?"

"Less than a month," Brandy admitted, blushing at the admiration in his eyes. He was such a contrast to Shaw, tame compared to his brother's almost unruly manner, the kind of man she could feel comfortable around, the kind of man she should have married instead of Shaw. "Oh, excuse me," said Brandy, realizing she had been staring at him and letting her mind wander. "I'm forgetting my manners. Can I get you anything? Coffee? Or something to eat perhaps?"

He laughed, a nice chuckle that was innocent where Shaw's would have been suggestive. "Thanks, but I've already made myself at home. I hope you don't mind, but as I said, I wasn't expecting the likes of you."

"That's perfectly all right." Brandy smiled. "I'm sure Shaw would have wanted you to feel comfortable. I'm sorry he's not here, but he should only be gone a few hours. Will you be staying long?"

"I don't know." He shrugged. "Shaw just wanted me to come. I have no idea why."

"Oh—oh, then you'll be staying the night? Or—"

He grinned again. "I suppose so until I find out what he wants. Who knows? Maybe longer."

"Oh," said Brandy, trying to figure out where everyone, mainly Shaw, would be sleeping while they had company. "Of course you must stay as long as you like." Suddenly she was nervous again, realizing that her tenuous thoughts of inviting Shaw to bed were becoming more of a reality, and in spite of her feelings a few moments ago as Shaw had driven off, she was not certain if she was ready to face the reality.

She looked up at Marcus Janus and wondered if he would understand. She could tell him the truth about how she married Shaw, for Eric's sake, and how Shaw had been sleeping on the couch and she in the bedroom. But should she? They had won the first battle in court today. They needed to do everything they could to reinforce their position as a family. Could she risk telling anyone the truth—even someone as close as Shaw's family? Or should she continue to pretend that they were a loving couple—the perfect parents for Eric.

One thing she knew for certain, Louis and May would go to any lengths to find a chink in the armor— and they wouldn't stop short of using Shaw's relatives if they could. Brandy barely knew Shaw, and she knew nothing about his brother, although she wanted to think he was trustworthy. Still, to play it safe, she decided to pretend to be the loving wife.

"I think I'll fix some coffee." Brandy stepped past him to go into the kitchen. "Then we can get to know each other a little better before Shaw arrives home."

He grinned, a smile that on Shaw would have been a leer, but on Marcus was simply friendly. "There's nothing better I'd like to do than get to know my sister-in-law better."

Brandy learned a lot about Marcus Janus that afternoon as they waited for Shaw to return. He was in some ways very much like his brother; in other ways, they were poles apart. Marcus was younger, just three years older than Brandy. Because of the great difference in his and Shaw's age, Marcus had practically been raised as an only child. Many of the things Brandy told him about her upbringing were familiar to Marcus, also.

She told him all about Eric, and of how she and Shaw were trying to gain permanent custody of him, but she didn't go into detail of how she had tricked Shaw into marrying her. As far as Marcus knew, it truly had been love at first sight for both of them.

Brandy told him all about her hopes and plans to become a top model someday, but confided the difficulty she was having getting jobs. When he seemed disbelieving, she explained that most models were much taller than she, and that she also needed a new composite, but didn't have the money to hire a good photographer. She tried to explain how she wanted to be independent and not make Shaw pay for her expenses, particularly since he did not approve of her career. Then, astonishingly, Marcus offered to loan her the money she needed.