“Is that what you really want? To have amazing experiences and no one to share them with?”
His words echoed in her ears, as if she heard them for the first time. Until now, the idea has always seduced me. “I don’t expect you to agree with my choices,” she said, looking away, hating how defensive she sounded. He was pushing her, as she’d pushed him innumerable times, and damn it, he was right.
“I’m trying to understand them, and why you sabotage yourself. I care for you, Alexa.” He crooked his finger under her chin, lifting it until their eyes met. “Do you care for me?”
“Yes,” she said, before her common sense warned her not to.
“Good. That’s a start, isn’t it?” He lifted her hand to his mouth, kissing her knuckles. “Until you’re comfortable, I’ll take whatever I can get.”
Her hand trembled in his. “What if I’m never comfortable?” she said out loud, enunciating each word to make sure they both understood. She licked her dry lips and swallowed down the fear. Did he mean he’d go with her as far as she wanted in the future? No one had ever made her such a proposal. She’d never let anyone close enough, granted, but she also didn’t get hurt. The plan to live abroad and become someone else wouldn’t hurt her if he suddenly woke up one day and realized he didn’t want to be linked to a madam.
He kissed her hand, then pulled her closer, brushing his forehead against hers. “Then I’ll let you be.” She let out a sigh, unsure of which outcome would hurt her less in the end.
…
“All good?” Brooks fixed his mother’s pillow, and she nodded enthusiastically.
In the morning, he’d brought her home, and Alexa had been with him every step of the way. What she’d said last night about quitting her job kept ringing in his ears. She’d be a lot safer, without dealing with unsavory types, and maybe he could convince her to move to Texas instead of Spain. Hell, they could vacation in Spain as much as she wanted. Maybe that would sway her—knowing he’d meet her halfway. He knew he’d have to take baby steps with her, but the gleam of hope was enough to put him in a good mood.
“I’m so happy you came. Why do you have to leave tonight?” his mother asked.
Vanessa had mentioned his father would arrive today, so he didn’t want to accidentally run into him. Besides, he needed to get his head straight and check back with Liam to see if there was a way to hire a hacker to get more intel about the man who’d purchased Pamela’s virginity. A part of him didn’t want to let go of that last lead to what happened—even though he questioned his own sanity in doing so.
“I have some business to attend, Mom. But I’ll call you and check up on you. And if anything happens, Vanessa knows how to get a hold of me.”
Alexa, who’d been sitting next to his mother, had brought her a stash of lifestyle magazines. Of course, his mother had liked her even better then.
His mother faced Alexa. “How about you, dear? I hope I’ll be seeing more of you in the future,” she said, winking.
“You never know.” Alexa smiled coyly. “I’ve been told I’m hard to get rid of.”
“I sure hope that’s true. I keep telling Brooks I want to be alive to play with my grandbabies,” Claire said.
“Mom, enough.” He lifted his hands in clear demand and she made a show of zipping her mouth. Alexa shrugged, flushed, probably done being badgered for the day. He mouthed, “sorry” to Alexa but she waved him off.
“Hey, I was just—”
The door swung open, and his father marched in, like a dark shadow. With his face set into hard lines, and more creases around his eyes than the last time Brooks had seen him, Craig huffed. “What’s going on here?” Craig Taylor gazed at Brooks before he focused on his wife. “I called and Vanessa said Brooks brought a damn prostitute to meet his mother.”
“Take that back,” Brooks said between his teeth. Anger thundered through him, and he curled his fingers into a ball. Alexa withdrew, and his mother shifted her attention from his father to him and, finally, to Alexa.
“Craig! Show the lady some manners. What are you doing storming in here like this—”
Craig’s jaw clenched. “I’m making sure our son doesn’t drag our family name in the mud.”
Blood pounded in his veins, thick and hot. Every part of him warned him to stand back, to be reasonable because of his mother’s presence, but Brooks didn’t waver. His father had been an asshole through and through, and if his mother had acquiesced because of her old-fashioned education and lack of self-esteem, so be it. He wouldn’t let Craig insult Alexa. “You have no worries there, Papa,” he said sarcastically. “You’ve done a good job yourself.”
Craig squinted his eyes, tilting his head. A red color spread across his face. He shortened the gap between them, with an ironic shimmer in his hard eyes. “You have some nerve to show up here with this high-class hooker to introduce to your—”
Brooks launched at his father, punching his fist into his cheek. His father nearly lost balance, swaying back, and Brooks was about to land another one when shouts from the two women in the room slowed his roll.
“No,” his mother screamed.
With his breath labored, he turned to his mother, who had both hands on her cheeks, tears forming in her eyes. “What’s going on? Oh my God. Don’t hit your father.”
His father surged to his feet, smoothing his hand over his clothes, then touched the reddening cheek. “What the fuck—”
“I’ll wait for you outside,” Alexa said quietly, with
