Restrained and Willing (25 page)

Standing in the massive living room of the sprawling home
Pierce had been raised in, Heather laid light fingertips onto his thick wrist.
The emotional chasm between them seeming to widen with each day that passed.
“Are you going?”

“Yes, I’m going to see my mother. It’s time to lay the past
to rest.”

She hesitated before asking, “If you’d like, I’ll go with
you.”

“No.”

She winced, his abrupt refusal shooting a barbed arrow
straight through her heart. He didn’t even look at her. Just stared down at the
flowing-script letter in his hand as if it was a coiled rattler poised to
strike.

“I don’t need handholding.”

Yes, he did. More than he knew. And I want to be the
woman who provides it, damn it.

“Besides, I don’t know what I’ll be walking into.”

Didn’t he know it didn’t matter what he encountered, she
merely wanted to be there for him? Sure, he was tough, but even the strongest
man had his vulnerable spots. Whether Pierce realized it or not, his mother was
his weakness. “But—”

“Please, Heather. Leave it alone.”

He glanced her way. Finally. She was careful to turn down
the wattage of sympathy she knew would be gleaming from her eyes to what she
hoped was only a glow of deep concern. If there was anything that had imprinted
itself on her brain from their childhood, it was that Pierce had zero tolerance
for being pitied. “I—”

“Look, I know you’re trying to help. But I think it’s best
if you leave now.”

No soothing quirk of his full lips to soften the blunt
request. No affectionate
brat
tagged on the end. Did he even know how
long it’d been since he’d used her pet name? She did. The day they’d left the
countryside. It had been three weeks since his father’s funeral and he was
still being surly and distant despite the efforts of those who loved him to pull
him out of whatever dark funk he was in. The man she’d given herself to so
unreservedly a few weeks ago was gone and she desperately wanted him back.

She took a deep breath. “S…sure.” She squared her shoulders.
“Call me if you need anything. Even if it’s just to talk.”

She left the room, entered the hall and let herself out
quietly, shutting the large black front door behind her. She didn’t go to her
car right away. Out on the wraparound veranda, she took several huge, calming
breaths and unclenched her fists. She tried to excuse his abrupt rejection. He
was confused. His well-ordered world had just spiraled into a whacked-out
tailspin. But it was just so hard to get past the hurt of his rejection.

She hadn’t told anyone that one of the owners of the marketing
firm she’d worked at in New York had called earlier today with an offer to
return. He’d said they’d give her time to think it over, and when she was ready
to talk, they’d arrange everything.

She wouldn’t make any rash decisions. She didn’t want to give
up on Pierce, but if things continued the way they were going…

She drew another breath, let it out slowly. It didn’t help.
Her vision blurred, and through watery eyes, she hurried down the four tiered
steps that spilled onto the curved brick drive, barely making it to her car
before the first tear fell.

Pierce tossed the letter from his mother onto the
smudge-free glass coffee table and raked a hand through his hair. He didn’t
know what the hell was wrong with him and the last person he should be taking his
frustration out on was Heather. Before his father’s death, all the puzzle
pieces of Pierce’s life seemed put together nice and tight. Now the foundation
he’d based his opinions on was totally fucked up. And he didn’t know what was
right or wrong anymore. And until he figured it out, he felt it was best to
keep everyone at a distance.

It might sound horrible, but he really didn’t give a flying
fuck his father was gone. He hoped the emotionless, mean-spirited bastard was
toasting his old withered balls in Hell.

He walked over to the ornate mahogany sidebar and poured
himself a hefty amount of Crown Royal. His first swallow from the weighty
crystal glass emptied it by half.

As sole heir, he’d inherited everything. Including some of
the headaches his father had left behind. Like the now-shaky partnership of the
business empire he’d built because the self-centered prick had been screwing
his partner’s wife for the past ten years.

Pierce ran a thumb over the intricate etching on the glass
he held and shook his head. Poor Bruce. But his father’s business partner and
friend had always been a fair, reasonable sort and once he’d dealt with the
issue of his wife’s betrayal, Pierce was fairly certain he and Bruce would work
well together to make the company solid and its employees secure in their jobs.
Had it been only his old man’s face he’d be spitting into, Pierce would just
break the company down and sell it off, but the people who worked there and
their families didn’t deserve to end up on the losing end because there was no
love lost between his father and him.

Wealthy in his own right, Pierce had arranged for his share
of the company to go into a trust for his children. In love or not, he’d always
thought to marry one day and have kids of his own. Presently, that elusive
dream seemed more attainable. And he knew his feelings for Heather, confused as
they were, played a major part in making that distant plan a reality.

His mind settled in that regard, he turned his attention to
the more immediate problem. His mother.

He’d never confessed to anyone that prior to graduating high
school, she’d contacted him. Asked to see him. Wanted to explain the
circumstances behind why she’d left without taking him with her. And Pierce had
been close to saying yes until she’d started rambling on about him getting to
meet his three half-siblings, especially the oldest girl, Janis, who she’d had
a little over two years after she’d left. At the time, it had hurt like hell to
think she’d replaced him so soon after leaving him behind, so he’d hung up on
her.

A dumbass, immature thing to do. But he hadn’t realized
until years later when he’d had a little life experience under his belt.

He took another sip of the smooth Canadian whisky and moved
to stand in front of the large bay window overlooking the impeccably groomed
side garden.

Five years ago, he’d gone out on a bid for a major house
renovation. The house’s owner had turned out to be an old friend of his
mother’s. When he’d gotten back the signed agreement for the job, there’d been
a slip of paper clipped to the first page that contained his mother’s email
address.

After a couple of weeks and some very serious thought about
what he’d say, he sent her an email containing an apology for hanging up on her
and a request to reconnect. He’d never received an answer, so he assumed she
must be content in her new life without him and gave up trying to get in touch
with her.

Now, a week after his father’s death, he’d received a letter
from his mother. Immersed in a ton of paperwork and legal details regarding the
transfer of all his father’s various holdings and assets into Pierce’s name, he
hadn’t had time to consider answering. And hadn’t shown the letter to anyone
until today when Heather had stopped over and he’d shared the information with
her.

Taking another sip of his drink, he walked over to where
he’d tossed the letter and picked it up. At the bottom of the page, his mother
had included her phone number.

Downing the rest of the Crown Royal, he set the empty glass
on the table with a click and dug his cell phone out of his pocket.

* * * * *

Five days had gone by since Heather had spoken to Pierce in
his living room. Since then, not a word from him. She’d learned from her
brothers he’d left the day before to see his mother.

Staring at her cell on the kitchen counter, she wrapped her
arms around herself to stave off the temptation to call him.

She turned. Her spiraling staircase to the second floor came
into view.

She thought back to when they’d last made love. The night
he’d taken her anally.

She momentarily closed her eyes, blew a dejected stream of
breath through her nose and then turned back to the black screen on her cell
phone.

Would that be the last memory she’d ever have of them making
love?

Determined it not be, she snatched up her cell, tapped the
screen a couple of times and waited for Pierce to answer. “Hi.”

“Hi, Heather.”

Was it her imagination or was his voice a bit flat,
resigned? Like someone who wasn’t exactly thrilled to be talking to the person
on the other end. “Ummm. Quinn told me you left to see your mom yesterday. I
was just wondering how it’s going.”

“Actually, I haven’t gone over yet. I spent the night in a
nearby hotel. Needed to do some thinking about what I want to get out of the
encounter.”

“The offer to go with you is still open. It’s not too late
for me to drive up. Join you. It’s only a few hours’ drive.” She bit her lower
lip, hoping she didn’t sound as desperate as she felt.

There was a long pause. “Actually, I already called her and
told her I’d be over in about fifteen minutes.”

And of course he couldn’t call his mom and say he’d be
over later.
“No problem. Hope the visit goes well.”

“Thanks. Well. Better get going.”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

Heather disconnected and carefully placed her cell back on
the counter. It was either slow, controlled moves or fling it at the wall.

Guess the last memory of them making love would be when he’d
unexpectedly showed up at her door.

So what was she supposed to make of that?

A grief fuck? Hated or not, the elder Layton was still his
parent. In some hidden corner of his brain Pierce might harbor a tiny speck of
affection for the old prick. The chances were slim, but not impossible.

A mercy fuck? Some unfinished ass-fuck business for Pierce?

Whatever the hell it was, it had all the markings of a
farewell fuck.

* * * * *

Visiting an old acquaintance who worked in a hair salon not
far from University Circle, Heather decided to grab a coffee and pastry at one
of her favorite hangouts, McLafferty’s coffee shop, before heading home.

As she walked toward the entrance, she did a double take.

Yep, that was Pierce. But who was the young attractive woman
he was sitting with at one of the corner tables?

Jealousy spiked.

Heather’s heart clenched. He didn’t want to be with her, but
he had time for other women?

No. No. No. I am not going to get unhinged like one of
those dimwitted heroines in romance novels that went off half-cocked and blew a
perfectly good relationship because of a dumb misunderstanding.

That thought in mind, she opened the door and stepped into
the warm interior and took a deep breath of strong aromatic coffee and
fresh-baked pastry.

Her stomach growled as she walked past the cashier with a
friendly wave. Heather had barely turned the corner that led into the seating
area when she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight of the woman leaning over
to put her arms around Pierce.

“I could get to love you,” the woman said sweetly. The
proclamation loud enough, even in the crowded shop, to carry to where Heather
was standing. Their backs to her, they couldn’t see her. But she had a clear
view of them over one of the few empty tables in the room.

Swallowing her heart, and bucking up her courage, determined
to cling to her faith in Pierce and that he’d never hurt her this way, she took
a hesitant step forward.

“Amazingly, I think I could get to love you too, sprite.” He
wrapped his arms around the woman and returned her affectionate squeeze.

Heather spun on her sandals, nearly slipping out of one and,
with as much dignity as she could muster, walked out the door.

Time to seriously consider the job offer in New York.

Hong Kong would’ve been better.

Sure, she’d miss her dad and brothers. A lot.

She sighed heavily, blinking away tears. The wind cool
enough to excuse her watery eyes as she headed down the street where she’d
parked her car. Not that she cared who saw her crying as long as it wasn’t the
cheating asshole in the coffee shop. But was it really cheating when they
really had no firm commitment. She shook her head. Okay, she was royally mad at
Pierce, but more pissed at herself. She’d known what she was getting herself
into, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt like a sonuvabitch.

She reached her candy-apple-red ‘Vette, took another bracing
breath, settled in and cranked the engine over. Fighting the urge to peel away
from the curb, she eased out into the late morning traffic. Getting pulled over
by a cop and paying a hefty fine would only add insult to injury and she sure
as hell didn’t want to fuck up the day more than it already was.

Once on the road, she activated her Bluetooth and placed a
call to one of the founding partners at The Halo Group in New York.

After leaving McLafferty’s, Pierce barely opened the door to
the construction company’s office and guided his sister Janis across the
threshold when he caught a right cross to the chin that set him on his ass.

“Mother fuck!” He shot a quick “
Sorry
” his sister’s
way and glared up at Justin who stood over him with fists clenched and face set
in angry lines. “What the hell was that for?” he demanded as he gripped the tip
of his chin and tentatively worked his sore jaw to make sure it still
functioned.

“One stipulation,” Justin spat, nostrils flaring. “We gave
you one goddamn stipulation. Don’t hurt our sister. You’ve got a lot of damn
nerve bringing that…” He jabbed an angry finger at the petite woman standing
silent in wide-eyed shock. “
Her
here. Heather told us about seeing you
two at McLafferty’s coffee shop. All cozied up. Talking shit like deepening the
relationship. Get the fuck up.” As Pierce had done before, Justin tossed an
apology in the female’s direction. “Now that I’ve had my turn, Quinn can take
his shot at your worthless unreliable ass.”

Pierce held up a hand. “Just hold up a minute, asshole.”

“Jesus.” Janis’ shocked feminine voice drew the men’s
attention. “I thought you said they were the brothers you never had. No wonder
you decided to come see your
real
family.”

Justin glared at her. “Stay out of this, you…you—”

“Sister?” Hands on well-rounded feminine hips, she stepped
over Pierce’s legs to plant herself protectively between him and Justin.

Had he not been so pissed, Pierce would’ve laughed at the
shocked expressions on the other two men’s faces as they stared at the
five-foot-four pissed-off pixie glowering at them.

“Sister?” Two deep male voices rose in shocked unison.

“Yeah, you dumb asses. My sister.”

“Holy shit.” Quinn grimaced. “Sorry.”

“Yeah, sorry, dude.” Justin looked as if he’d been poleaxed
as he eyed the little tigress staring him down.

“Yes,
Sister
,” she confirmed with clear drawn-out
enunciation. “And if you attempt to lay hands on my brother again, I feel it’s
only fair to warn you I have a black belt in taekwondo, and as I have a match
coming up in a month, I wouldn’t mind a little practice taking out a couple of
kneecaps. So back the hell up, buster.”

She swung a fierce gaze Quinn’s way next. Pierce noted the
man was trying very hard not to smile. A good sign that the tension in the room
was easing up a bit.

“And you.” She jabbed a finger in the center of Justin’s big
chest. “Take a single threatening step toward my br—”

“Whoa, little lady,” he said, for which he got a further
narrowing of her eyes. “Just a small misunderstanding.”

“Small?” She took a menacing step forward.

Justin took a step back.

“Hey, hold on. Sorry,” Quinn said as the brothers threw up
their hands in supplication.

“Yeah. It’s all good.” Justin glanced down at Pierce. “Just
a light tap. Right, buddy?”

Smarting chin aside, Pierce fought hard not to laugh. Janis’
black belt claim was a whopping exaggeration, since she was only a green belt,
but as state champ in her division, she was on the fast track to getting her
coveted black belt. “I’d heed her warning if I were you.”

When Janis shot a quick look his way, he worked his jaw in
an exaggerated manner, gaining a look of sympathy and earning the other two men
another hard glare.

Oh, he could so play this up. Those two big knuckleheads
deserved to squirm—
Wait.
He frowned, doing a quick rewind of what
Justin had said right after he’d slugged him. “What was that about Heather
being at McLafferty’s and hearing— Fuck!”

Pierce quickly rose to his feet, his sore jaw fading into
oblivion. “No wonder she won’t return any of my calls. Not being able to get a
hold of her is the reason I returned earlier than I’d planned. I was going to
drop Janis off and let you three get acquainted while I headed over to
Heather’s apartment.”

The brothers shared a look that gave Pierce a distinctly
uneasy feeling.

“Well…” Quinn rubbed his shaved head.

Not a good sign, especially since he did it whenever he was
uncomfortable about something. “Well, what?”

He drew the kind of fortifying breath someone took before
delivering bad news. “She’s not at her apartment.”

“Where is she? I’ll go there.”

Justin shrugged, looking even more uncomfortable than his
older brother, if that were possible.

A
very
bad sign, considering he was the
never-let-much-bother-him kind.

After a prolonged moment, the younger brother tentatively
supplied, “New York.”

“What the mother double-fuck—” He winced. “Sorry again,
Janis.” He turned back to his partners. “What is Heather doing there? And you’d
better not tell me she’s hooking back up with that pussy-whipped gynecologist
she almost married.”

“Hell no!” Justin rolled his eyes. “Give her more credit
than that. The place she worked for, The Halo Group, called with an
over-the-top offer a few days ago. She had no intention of taking the offer
until she saw you two at the coffee shop. Stuffed some things into a carryon
and stopped here just long enough to tell us she was catching the next flight
out. They’re so anxious to get her back, they told her it didn’t matter how
late she got in they’d arrange a meeting for negotiations.”

Pierce set his sights on the company’s main computer, since
it was always running, reached it in six angry strides and began beating away
at the keyboard.

“Whatcha doin’?” Quinn asked as Janis moved behind Pierce to
look over his shoulder.

“He’s looking for flights,” his sister supplied.

“Won’t do any good,” Justin said.

“Why not?” Pierce looked up from the airline schedule he’d
pulled up.

“She left on a commercial flight, but after the
negotiations, they’re returning her on the company’s private jet. No telling
how long the talks will take or when she’ll be back. Your chances of catching
her are nil to none.”

“Fuck me.” He turned to his sister. “Sor—”

“Dammit. Will you
all
stop with the apologies
already? I’m a realtor, for God’s sake. I’ve been around enough construction
workers to hear plenty of vulgarity. Picked up a few choice favorites of my own
it might surprise you to know.” She huffed.

Smiling, Pierce wheeled back from his desk, not missing the
sharp interest in the men’s eyes at her disclosure. Always on the lookout for
potential business contacts, she’d definitely snagged their attention. It was
more comfortable for him to believe that than to acknowledge the sexual
interest he’d noted earlier in Justin’s eyes. Oh, hell. His friends hadn’t been
hypocritical about their sister’s sexual preferences and he could do no less
where his sister was concerned. Janis was old enough to make her own decisions
as far as men were concerned. The irony of one of
them
hooking up with
his
sister wasn’t lost on him.

Shaking his head, he covered and squeezed the sympathetic
feminine hand that landed on his forearm. “Don’t worry, Tink. Everything will
work out.”

His sister wasn’t thrilled with him calling her the
shortened version of Tinkerbell, so his not receiving her usual retaliatory
hard pinch showed her level of concern over the situation.

“Well hell, man. We sure as hell hope everything turns out
okay.” Justin’s statement was thick with frustration. “No way do we want to be
stuck working with your moping mug all day for God knows how long. You’re
badass ugly when you sulk and a bitch to work with.”

Pierce scoffed. Apparently Justin’s sarcastic humor had
returned full force. Not a bad thing from Pierce’s perspective as he took in
the comforting familiar sights and smells of the office. The odor of strong
coffee and a hint of ink from the blueprints, some rolled, some flattened
across various surfaces.

It was comforting to know the men’s attitudes were veering
back toward normal. Especially since the most important part of his life was
going to be a lot harder to get back on track.

“Gotta plan, bud?” This from Quinn as the brothers planted
themselves expectantly in front of the desk.

“Yeah. I think. Either of you dick wads have a key to
Heather’s apartment, know a good locksmith or someone good at picking door
locks?”

“She hadn’t gotten around to making us copies of her key,”
Quinn answered.

The delicate clearing of a throat drew the men’s attention.

Pierce quirked an eyebrow at his sister. “Since you don’t
have a key, which of the other two?”

A mischievous grin spread across her lips. “I can…pick.”

“No way!” Shock from Justin.

A short gruff laugh from Quinn.

Janis shrugged her slender shoulders. “Former boyfriend—”

“All righty then, little sister.” Pierce pushed up from his
chair, causing her to take a hasty step back or risk the chair wheel cruising
over her foot. “I’d rather not know the details, but I’ll take the help.” He
ruffled the hair on the top of her head, something he knew aggravated her. But,
hey, what good was having a kid sister if you couldn’t tease her. He had a lot
of time to make up for. “And your tools of the trade are…?”

“In my purse.”

He rolled his eyes.

“Hey! Ya never know when they might come in handy. Say
someone accidently locks a baby in their car. Or a friend leaves her house key
at the bar,” she said with a twinkle in her cat-golden eyes.

“Hmmm. Drunken, forgetful girlfriends. When can I meet
them?” Justin asked with a shit-eating grin.

“Pfft. Introduce
you
to my friends? Never.” She
scrunched her nose.

“Hey, I’m not such a bad guy once you get to know me.”

“Yeah. Right. And you can get me a great deal on a bridge
too.”

“Okay, children. Let’s go before another fight breaks out.
Or you,” Pierce lightly grasped his sister’s arm, “start snapping kneecaps.”
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Justin was hanging back, well out of
kicking range. He wasn’t about to tell him his sister was all bluff and, like
Heather, had the heart of a softy and would pick up an injured mouse or even a
snake off the road and actually had. Thank God,
Melvin
wasn’t a damn boa
constrictor, just your everyday average garter variety that still lived in her
backyard. The mouse she’d rescued lived safely inside, contained in an
elaborate hamster habitat. The chipmunks and other small rodents wandering into
her well-tended garden from the woods behind her house…not so lucky.

“Gosh, bro, you sure are a party killer. What’s the loss of
a teeny kneecap between new
friends
? You’re always so…so… I don’t know.
Vanilla?”

The Thompson brothers simultaneously let loose those guy
indefinable laughs that fell somewhere between a snort and a huff.

Pierce gave them a warning look before addressing Janis.
“Whatever. Let’s go.”

“Hold up.” Arms crossed over his chest, Quinn blocked their
path with his sizeable bulk as they turned in the direction of the door.

“You gonna try stopping me?” Pierce took up a defensive
stance, both surprised and somewhat hurt since the three of them had always had
each other’s backs, no matter the circumstances. Then again, Heather was their
sister. But he’d gladly give his right arm before he’d ever hurt Heather. Quinn
should know that. He winced at the mental anguish he’d already caused her. A
hurt he had every intention of making up to her.

“No, I’m not going to stop you. Just wanna know what you
intend before you go off half-cocked with some wild-ass idea. Dig yourself into
a deeper hole. Just need to know if I have to send Justin over to one of the
construction sites to grab up a shovel to bury your sad ass when Heather’s done
with you.” The slight grin on his face made Pierce relax.

“Hey. So not fair,” Justin whined, or what would pass for a
whine coming from a six-foot-tall dude with supersized muscles. “I always end
up doing the grunt work.”

“Relax, moron.” If he weren’t so upset, Pierce might’ve
laughed at the peeved expression on the younger man’s face. “No shovels needed.
I’m just gonna wait at your sister’s apartment until she gets back and explain
about me and Janis.”

“What if she’s accepted the job?” Quinn, ever the voice of
reason.

“Then she damn well will have to call them back and tell
them she changed her mind.”

“Uhhh.” Janis tugged on his shirt hem. “I don’t know Heather
personally. But from what you’ve told me I doubt if she’ll be inclined to
forgive you if you go about this in gorilla mode.”

He smiled down at his sister and affectionately stroked her
cheek. “Don’t worry, Sis. I know some major groveling will be involved, as I’m
sure seeing us isn’t the only thing on her pissed-me-off-royally sheet. And
once I get her back into my arms, I’m going to tell her how much I—”
No!
He wasn’t going to tell anyone before he told that stubborn woman of his that
he loved her. With every beat of his newly unchained heart. Hmmm, chains. That
kicked up some interesting thoughts. Too bad he hadn’t brought any. He gave
passing thought to stopping at his place, but not sure how much time he had
before Heather came home, he didn’t want to risk not being there when she
arrived. Maybe he could find some rope at her place. Might as well indulge in
some snooping of his own while he waited for his gorgeous brat to get home.

* * * * *

She was lucky enough to get a parking space right in front
of her building. Heather grabbed her small travel bag and purse from the car
upon exiting, and pressing the
lock
remote, she trudged up the steps to
the front stoop and unlocked the door. Inside, she re-secured the lock, and
with a tired sigh, continued her trek up the long flight to her loft.