Braden closed his eyes, and Kane glared at the ceiling. Now she understood why Kane didn’t come in her room before she moved in.
It was more than the lullabies he thought he still heard, and it wasn’t the song in her voice he imagined. It was the memory of a life-changing discovery, the image none of them would ever shake.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered against Kane’s chest but she looked from Braden to Evan. “I never knew or heard those stories.”
“Of course not, but now you know and since you do, you might understand why I wanted to help you but why I didn’t want whatever it is that’s going on between you and Kane and maybe even Evan and you, to happen. History often repeats itself, Peyton, and the sins of fathers can fall like a gavel upon their children.”
Kane held her closer, tighter. He needed her. She felt it in the strength he used to hold her there against him. She refused to pull away even with Braden’s warning.
“Peyton, you need to understand something. It’s not that I would fear what we would do to one another. I fear what a relationship, with more than one man, could do to a woman, what it might do to you. It’s hard to explain but I think in a lot of ways, my mother ended up very lonely even though she had three men who loved her so much they ultimately died because of her.”
“Maybe she didn’t find happiness because she refused to tell the men in her life how she really felt. It had to be hard on her if she had a relationship with three married men. Maybe all she wanted was the security found in the arms of someone she knew loved her enough to stay with her forever.”
Evan managed a grin. “You’re a romantic. Just like every other woman in the world, a hopeless romantic.”
Peyton sat up then, dabbing at her eyes. “No, I’m not a romantic, Evan. I was raised without a father. My mother refused to date. I don’t know romance from a good romp in the sack.”
Immediately all eyes fell to her breasts, lust filling each pair of eyes on her then.
“What do you know about a romp in the sack?” Braden asked.
“Well, nothing now, no thanks to you.”
He chuckled. “Somehow I expected a note of thanks.”
“You might get your ass kicked if it happens again,” Kane grunted.
Braden let it slide. “Peyton, I signed on to raise you into a woman who could take on the world. I wanted to help a woman-your mother-because she once helped me.”
“My mother helped you?”
“She pretty much saved my life when I was a wild teenager.”
“Braden ran with the wrong crowd, wanted to be a wild ass after Mom died,” Kane said.
“And every morning, I ate breakfast at the diner and every morning your mother reminded me of why life is good, why it’s a gift, one we only get to unwrap once.”
“Yeah, she always said that about life and about a woman’s virginity too, by the way.”
“Peyton…” Kane raised an eyebrow. He most likely feared she was only testing the waters before she dove into an outright seduction.
Braden cleared his throat. “Let’s make a deal, want to?”
Kane stuck his thumb in her side. She wasn’t sure if he did it to let her know he was horny or to shake her enough to tell Braden ‘no deal’ regardless of what he hoped to pitch.
“What’s on your mind?” She stood up, carefully walked over to Braden and sat down on his lap.
Kane chuckled, Evan snickered too and Braden sat there motionless for a few moments. After only a minute passed, she bent her elbow and hooked it around Braden’s neck. “I’ll make any deal you want me to make but on one condition.”
“What?”
“I can regard it like I do any other rule.”
Braden reached behind his neck and tried to loosen her hold. “Which means?”
Evan clarified. “What she means is rules are made to be broken. If it’s a deal she can’t live with, she won’t hold up her end of the bargain. Right, Peyton?”
Peyton moved her mouth to his ear. “And speaking of rules, Braden, I only break them when I’m feeling naughty.” She licked his earlobe, took his hand and added with a wink. “Wanna feel how naughty I am right this minute?”
He stood up and dropped her ass right on the floor. “Nope, I don’t. Did you not hear a word I just said?”
“Yes, I did, but-”
“Peyton, I want you to make deals, and keep them. Follow rules and respect them and until you graduate from high school, I want these two to keep their hands to themselves. Do you understand?”
She groaned. “Yeah, I got it.”
“Well?” He reached for her and pulled her up with one hand, the gesture seemingly close to a handshake. “So we have a deal?”
Pressing her breasts against his chest, she kissed the tip of his nose. “We do until we don’t.”
Braden growled. “Which means?”
“It means, ten seconds and counting, then all bets are off.” Kane clicked off the time holding up ten fingers while allowing them to fall one by one.
Chapter 9
An outside hitter, Peyton’s starting position on the varsity volleyball team wasn’t easily earned but it was hers to have. If anyone doubted it, they only needed to look a little closer at what she’d achieved. On and off the court, Peyton played hard and worked for everything she accomplished.
She maintained a high grade point average, generally over a three point seven, and she’d been on the varsity volleyball and basketball teams since the first day she walked into Mountain High School. Most believed she had a full ride waiting at some of the biggest and best colleges. Those scholarships meant very little to her now. While she wanted to go to college, she realized with each passing day, a wave goodbye to the Cartwells meant leaving a piece of herself behind.
Peyton searched the crowd and didn’t see them. She assumed Braden might show up late because of an afternoon meeting but Kane and Evan rarely left the gym when she was on the floor. She couldn’t find them in the crowd.
By the time she saw Kane and Evan sneak in the side door, the girls stood ready on the court. Peyton watched them until they took a seat front and center on the second row of bleachers.
She gave them a guarded smile. This was a big game, the conference championships. Whoever won this game headed to the state championships, and she wanted to go. The team needed to go. This was their last year to prove this team had the ability. The whistle sounded out, and Peyton moved into position. She served first and within seconds, the game was well underway.
“Where’s Braden? She keeps looking up here, and I know she’s looking for him.” Evan looked around to see if he spotted his older brother.
“I have no idea but he’s here. He’s taping the game somewhere, I’ll guarantee it.”
“He acts like her father one minute and a jealous husband the next,” Evan complained.
“And we don’t?” Kane watched as Peyton’s fifth serve glided over the net. Actually, she slammed it. Pride took over and he stood up and yelled, “yeah” so loud he was heard over the rest of the crowd.
“Easy boy,” Evan whispered. “Right now you look like a proud boyfriend, if not a dog in heat.”
Kane turned around and searched the crowd. He spotted Braden right then. “No worse than he does.”
Evan stared up at the very top of the bleachers and saw Braden with his camera equipment. He proudly wore the school colors and Peyton’s number on his cap.
He waved at her a few times trying to get her attention and when she finally spotted him, she waved back.
