High Stakes (The Kingdom Book 2) (24 page)

“You’re most welcome.”

The look in her eyes almost makes me want to cry. There’s a lot that has happened to this family since their dad died, and despite the heartache that is clearly still set firmly in their hearts, they are still pulling together strong and I admire that.

I open the door to Lottie and Spike. I texted them and invited them over, with the thought that it would be good for Tara to have some family time, and some girl time all mixed together.

“What’s with the dude on the door?” Lottie barks, flicking her head over her shoulder and motioning to commando two, I think.

“Oh. There was a bit of trouble yesterday. Spike didn’t tell you?”

“Spike didn’t know. Spike had a very rare day off yesterday,” Spike grumbles, and the look on his face tells me that it’s obviously a touchy subject.

“Well, you had better come in then, hadn’t you?” I say, holding the door wide. As they enter, I watch commando checking out Lottie’s ass in the very cute hot pants she’s wearing. I raise my brows at him in stern questioning, and he snaps his head back around to look straight ahead. If he knows what’s good for him, he won’t check out any of our asses. That would result in him being fired and probably beaten up.

“We brought Chinese food!” Lottie announces, holding up bags as she enters the lounge. She may be small but she’s a huge presence, and she likes it to be felt. I’m pretty sure she would like to enter every room accompanied by music and crowds cheering, much like a boxer walking out to the ring before a match.

“Arianna. You can help me sort this lot out in the kitchen,” she says, looking at me pointedly.

“Sure,” I laugh.

She takes all the cartons out one by one, and bangs each of them down angrily on the countertop. “What the hell is going on, Ari? You’ve forgotten how to use your cell?”

“There was just a bit of trouble at the boutique yesterday. Nothing big. Denham over reacted and we have … bodyguards, I suppose you’d call them.”

“
We
have bodyguards?”

“I … I have bodyguards. It sounds so stupid. I don’t even need them.”

“Ari.” She stomps her foot. “Why do you need a freakin’ bodyguard? What the fuck happened?”

“Someone has been sending me roses.”

“What?”

“Every day. I thought it was Denham. One would appear in my bedroom, every damn day. Then yesterday, some guy on a motorcycle delivered one to work.”

“Shit. Is it
him
?” The tough Lottie exterior drops. She knows how serious this could be.

“Yes,” I whisper. “But I’m trying to play it down. After what happened with Tara today, Denham doesn’t need any more to worry about. You should have seen him today, it’s like he aged in front of my eyes from worry.”

“Yeah, there’s a whole load of shit surrounding Tara. Remind me to tell you another time. She’s a good kid but she’s really done some stupid fucking stuff.” She rolls her eyes and shakes her head. “So if he has sent you roses every day, did he send one today?”

“Well, not exactly,” I hesitate, wanting so badly to tell her but stupidly thinking that if I don’t say anything it will magically go away. I also feel bad for not telling Denham about it yet. I will, just not today when he’s had enough to deal with already.

“Ari,” Lottie warns when I don’t continue.

“Hey, you girls keeping it all to yourselves or you gonna share with us starving people out here?” Spike calls from the lounge.

“Coming right up,” I call back, gathering the plates and deflecting Lottie’s impending interrogation.

“This conversation is not over, Arianna,” Lottie chastises. “You are not keeping it all to yourself this time.”

I smile sadly at her and nod. I know I have to tell someone. I want to tell her, to tell all the guys here. But, I look around at their happy family, already marred by grief and bad luck, and I just don’t want to add to it. I’ve already brought Denham a whole heap of trouble to his door, and if I can deal with at least some of this on my own and stand tall on my own two feet, then I will.

We eat, chat and laugh. Tara seems to look much better as the evening goes on and eats well, which I’m pleased about. She smiles in my direction several times, and I’m glad we have gotten off on the right foot, and that she doesn’t hate me for invading their lives. Lottie also looks in my direction often. She doesn’t smile so kindly though. She knows I’m not telling her something, and she looks at me with a mixture of pissed off and worried expressions. I know I should probably be more worried than I am, but really and truly, with all the protection Denham has for me, how can anything really awful happen to me? I’m stronger. I have an amazing amount of support. Jonny can only hurt me if I let him.

“Okay, whose drinks need topping up?” Lottie bounces up from her cross-legged position on the floor.

“Can you grab me a beer, babe? D- man, you want a beer?” Spike asks.

“Nah. Think I’m going to have me a scotch.”

“Ooh yes, I’ll have a scotch too,” Tara says, placing her plate on the low table and rubbing her hands together.

“No way, T,” Denham answers immediately. “She’ll have a soda, thanks Lottie.”

“D! I am not a fucking teenager,” Tara grumbles, throwing her hands in the air to show her displeasure.

“No? Then stop fucking acting like one. When I see that you can act your age, I’ll treat you like an adult.” Denham sounds like a stern parent, and the look on his face tells her his decision is final.

She actually sits back and pouts, which doesn’t help her argument for being an adult. But I actually feel a little sorry for her. If she’s being honest in what she said about not doing anything last night, then she doesn’t deserve to be punished for a situation where she’s actually the victim.

“Right, well. We will leave you boys to your scotch. Tara, Lottie and I have some girlie pampering to do,” I say, piling all the plates together and taking them into the kitchen. Denham follows and is soon wrapped around me from behind, nuzzling into my shoulder.

“I’ve missed you so damn much today,” he mumbles.

“I missed you too,” I reply, swallowing the lump in my throat that is carrying the events of today.

“I want everyone to leave. I want you to myself,” he says resting his chin on my shoulder and trailing his fingers lightly up and down my upper arm.

“Now who sounds like a teenager?” I laugh. “Are you pouting?”

“I may be.”

“Well don’t. You’ll have me in your bed tonight.”

“Is it time for bed yet?”

“No, I want to do girlie stuff with Lottie and your sister.”

“What do you mean?” he asks, turning me in his arms so our fronts are pressed together and we are facing.

“I texted Lottie to bring girl stuff. Face masks, foot scrub, truffles … I thought Tara could do with some cheering up.”

Denham takes a deep breath. “You’re so fucking special, do you know that?” It’s a rhetorical question, so I just answer with a smile. I’m not really anything special, I’m just very grateful to have found and to be accepted by such a wonderfully crazy family.

He cradles my head with his fingers wrapped around my nape, and pulls me into him so we can’t actually get any closer.

“Tomorrow night, they can all piss off. I want you to myself. I don’t want to share you with anyone.”

“You sound like a spoiled child.”

“I know. But I don’t care. I’m going to show you just how special you are. First with my fingers, then my tongue, after that I’m going to make you scream in pleasure with my c—”

“Do I have to come in there and peel you two apart?” Lottie’s voice breaks through the room and Tara chuckles. “D, you can stay in the kitchen and sort out the dishes until that tent in your trousers goes down.”

“Lottie! Ewwwww,” Tara shrieks, disgusted at that thought of her brother.

Both the girls gather up the bags of goodies that Lottie brought with her and head to the bedroom. “Arianna,” Lottie calls as she walks off.

“Okay, okay. I’m there.” I reach up on my tiptoes and kiss Denham on the nose. “Couple hours, max. Okay?”

“Take all the time you like, Stunner. Tomorrow, you’re all mine.” He grins.

Face masks with the girls is fun. We all look like mad women, lying back on the bed in a row. Me on one end, Lottie in the middle and Tara on the other end. We have green avocado face masks that smell good enough to eat, separators between our toes to let the nail polish dry, and a box of delicious champagne chocolate truffles being passed back and forth between us.

“You know, we really need to get booked into the spa on Saturday. Think you can get out of work early, Ari?” Lottie asks

“Why? What’s happening?”

“Duh … only the biggest summer ball in Las Vegas. Remember?”

“Oh, yes. I’d forgotten. Maybe. I’ll have to ask Beth.”

“Well, Beth will be going also, so she might even want to leave early too.”

“Tara, will you be going?” I ask

“Hell to the yes! I wouldn’t miss the summer ball for anything. It’s the best night of the year.”

“We don’t even have dresses, Ari. We need to sort that, pronto,” Lottie reminds me.

“I guess we do. But I don’t know when, I’m working all week.”

“Arianna,” Lottie says sternly. “You work in the best boutique in Las Vegas. You have designer dresses at your fingertips.”

“I know, but I don’t want Beth to think …”

“Stop right there,” Lottie instructs, sitting up and pointing a red talon my way. “You have to look awesome. You will be known for working with Beth at Chique. She will be more than happy to give you a damn dress for the evening. Aaaaaaand she won’t want your sidekick to look out of place, either”

“Yeah, maybe,” I muse. “Tara, do you have a dress?”

“Oh yeah, baby. I’m all set.”

“I’ll speak with her tomorrow and get it sorted, okay?”

“You better. I’ll call in and remind you,” Lottie says, and we all settle back on the bed in a comfortable silence. I’m just glad the boys haven’t come in and seen us like this.

“So are you going to marry my brother, Lottie?” Tara says casually, out of the blue. Poor Lottie sits up so fast she almost chokes on the truffle she’s just popped in her mouth.

“Erm, no. Where did that question just come from?” she replies, kind of panicked.

Tara grins from her still lying down position and doesn’t even open her eyes at Lottie’s knee jerk reaction. “I don’t know.” She shrugs. “You love him, he loves you. Just thought you guys might have talked about it.”

“Well, we haven’t. We don’t even live together.”

“Don’t you love my brother?” Tara asks. She asks it in a deadly serious voice but sneaks a look in my direction and winks.

“Of course I love him,” Lottie snaps back. “What fuckin’ stupid questions are these?”

“Well, is there something about him that makes you not want to live with him or marry him? Is there something wrong with him?”

“No! There’s nothing wrong with him at all. He’s adorable, he’s kind, and he’s funny. I do love him.” She flops back down on the bed, her head hitting the pillow with a thud. “I do want to live with him,” she whispers.

Tara starts to chuckle, which sets me off.

“What’s so damn funny?” Lottie asks in a grumpy voice with the frown to match.

“Oh, nothing babe.” I slip my arm around her shoulder and kiss the side of her head. “You’re so damn stubborn, do you know that?”

“Yes, I know that,” she snaps.

“Well, does Spike know you want to live with him?”

“No.”

“Why not?” Tara probes.

“Because I keep telling him I don’t want to.”

“Lottie! Why?” I say, already knowing the answer before she replies.

“Because, he loves me because I’m strong and feisty. If I admit that I need him, even that I want to need him, that I like needing him, he’s going to think that I’m weak, then he won’t love me anymore.” She throws the words out fast, all in one breath and drops her shoulders, shoving her head into her hands when she’s finished.

“Lottie,” I say softly.

“What?” she mumbles into her hands