Edge (Gentry Boys #7) (21 page)

Eventually Conway gingerly lifted me to my feet.  He took my hand almost shyly.

“So what do we do now?” I asked. 

He grinned.  “For starters, you can kiss me.” 

I smiled back and slipped my arms around his neck.  “I have a better idea, Gentry.  Why don’t you kiss me?” 

CONWAY

“Why Creed?” Roslyn asked when I told her where I was going today. 

The toaster dinged. I grabbed the two whole-wheat pieces of toast, put them on a plate and set the plate before Roslyn.  She groaned and made a face. 

“None of that,” I told her firmly.  “You know you’ll feel better if you get a little something in your stomach.” 

“I’ll try but you’d better steer clear of the sink in case I need to barf.” 

“Just a few bites,” I coaxed.  “And drink your ginger tea.” 

Roslyn scowled but she picked up a slice of toast. 

“Quit hovering,” she grumbled.  She took a dainty bite, chewed slowly and swallowed with a grimace, chasing it with a sip of tea as I watched. 

“Good girl!” I exclaimed. 

She set her mug down, still cranky but with a trace of a smile playing on her lips.  “I’m not a dog, Con.” 

“Of course not.  You’re a gorgeous, glowing mother-to-be.”  I bent down and kissed her cheek.  “Now eat a little bit more.  You’ve got to leave for work in about fifteen minutes.” 

“Are you still going to look at rentals this afternoon?” she asked as she nibbled her toast. 

“Yeah. Deck put me in touch with an agent friend of his and he’s got some good leads in decent neighborhoods.  I’ll send you pics if I come across anything worthwhile.” 

Roslyn nodded and looked around the apartment.  She sighed but it sounded like a happy sigh.  We were kind of living in limbo right now.  After Emily moved to San Francisco last week I abandoned the Hotel San Gabriel for good.  I ditched the few pieces of furniture I had and almost everything else was occupying a handful of boxes in Roslyn’s living room.  There was no point in unpacking because her lease was up here next month and we were looking for a place together.   Somewhere with a yard and enough space for a kid.  Babies might be small but I’ve heard all their accessories can take up a lot of space.  I was still adapting to the idea of being a dad but the more I thought about it the more excited I got. 

“Conway?” Roslyn said.  She was watching me in the curiously cute way she had where she tilted her head slightly and played with a lock of hair.  “You still didn’t answer my first question.  Why go to Creed instead of Chase or Cord?  From what you’ve told me it seems like you get along with them much better than Creed.” 

I considered that.  Even though I’d already given the matter some thought it was tough to put it into words.  “Actually I thought about getting the three of them together and telling them all at the same time but I don’t know, the whole grandiose reveal thing seems tacky.” 

“It
is
quite a revelation though.  You think Creed will be mad or something?” 

“No, not mad.  I mean, I guess he might be annoyed because I’ve known for years and haven’t seen fit to tell them.  Still, I kind of doubt that will bug him.  But Creed is a straight talker.  If he doesn’t want me as a brother then it’s going to be hard for him to hide it. And that moment ought to be a private confrontation between the two of us, rather than something that’s going to get between him and Cord and Chase.” 

Roslyn stood, walked over and slid her arms around my waist.  “In that case, here’s a hug for good luck.” 

As she pressed close my body responded instantly.  She felt it and leaned in for a kiss.  It didn’t take long to get real worked up; my tongue in her mouth, her hand stroking my dick, my fingers sliding inside her panties. 

Then she pulled away with a groan and glanced at the oven clock.  “Damn, I’ve got to go.” 

I held on to her stubbornly.  “Can’t you be five minutes late?”

She smirked. “When do you only take five minutes?” 

“Not for me,” I murmured, turning her gently until her sweet ass was pressed against my dick.  “I want to make sure you start your day off right.” 

“What-“ she started to ask but I stopped any further inquiries by hiking her skirt up and pushing my hand between her legs.  I didn’t waste any time getting to the right spot and I enjoyed every second as she moaned and squirmed and shuddered and came under the spell of my fingers. 

“That was nice,” she breathed as I helped her get her skirt back in place.  She turned her head and grinned at me.  “I really do have to go but I promise to return the favor tonight.” 

“Believe me, honey, I know you will.  And you’ll fucking love every second.” 

She shouldered her purse with a blush.  “You’re so cocky, Conway.” 

“You’re so amazing, Roslyn.” 

She paused at the door.  “I’ll miss you all day.” 

“I’ll miss you too.  Here, don’t forget your lunch.” 

I kissed her one more time and then let her go.  Tonight would be something worth looking forward to but right now I needed to take care of this pesky urge so I could have a clear head.  I visited the bedroom, indulged in a pleasant jerkoff session with a pair of Roslyn’s black panties, then showered off and left. 

When I talked to Deck yesterday he said he thought that Creed arrived to work at the club he was managing by around ten, although he wasn’t sure.  If he was curious about why I wanted to talk to Creed alone he didn’t ask. I’d give Deck all the details soon enough.  Stone and I were already meeting him for a lengthy strategy session tomorrow afternoon to discuss the garage venture.  When I’d mentioned the idea to Stone he was enthusiastic and wanted to be part of it.   Of course Stone would have been enthusiastic about just about anything that would put me on a lawful road but he seemed genuinely thrilled at the idea of working with me. 

I was thrilled too. The Gentry brothers, together again. 

There was enough cash for initial startup but I’d need a cosigner to lease a space because in the legitimate world I wasn’t all that good looking on paper.  Deck had stepped in and offered to do whatever he could to help. Cord pretty much ran Scratch these days and Deck had been looking for another business opportunity.  At least that’s what he said.  I knew it was probably just one more favor he was doling out but I planned to work as hard as I could to make it worth his while.  I still mourned the fact that my friend wasn’t here to help make this happen, but the thought of working with Stone and Deck was something to get excited about. 

A weird surge of nerves overcame me when I pulled into the parking lot of Creed’s club.  There was no reason to be nervous.  This was just Creed Gentry, just a man who’d always assumed he was my cousin. And he might not have any solid reason to like me at this point, but he didn’t have any reason to hate me either. 

I remembered that he was driving a blue Ford pickup these days and sure enough there was one sitting in the lot with a handful of other cars.  The back door of the club was open and no one was manning it so I just walked right in.  A few burly guys were moving furniture in the bar area. When I stopped one of them to ask if he knew where Creed Gentry was he squinted at me for a second, then called to the other side of the room. 

“Hey boss, looks like another interview is here.” 

Creed emerged from the shadows.  “What interview?  I don’t have any interviews lined up this morning.” 

“Well, I don’t know what the hell this guy wants then.”  The big man turned to me with suspicion now.  “Hey, what’s your business here, buddy?”

“It’s okay, Jerry,” Creed said quickly.  He was looking at me now, with an expression that managed to fall somewhere between curiosity and shock.  “I know him.” 

“Hey, Creed,” I said, extending a hand. 

He looked surprised but shook it.   “What’s up, Conway?” 

It was always slightly intimidating to stand beside Creed Gentry. He was huge and he was all muscle.  Plus he carried himself in a way that declared a low tolerance for bullshit. 

“I was wondering if we could talk real quick,” I said quietly.   

I thought he’d be skeptical but he shrugged agreeably and jerked his head, indicating I ought to follow him.  He pointed to the man I’d talked to a moment ago. 

“Jerry, why don’t you and the guys take ten?” he said. 

Jerry nodded.  “Kind of early, but sure.”  He whistled sharply and led three other men out the back door.   

“Have a seat,” Creed said as he settled himself on a barstool. He watched me as I climbed on the seat beside him. 

“Sorry to drop in on you like this,” I said.  “How’s club business?”

“It’s good.  On live talent nights we have to start turning away at the door by nine o’clock.” 

“That’s great.  I’ll have to bring my girlfriend here to check it out one of these days.” 

“You do that.  Just let me know when and I’ll leave word to let you in.  Now how can I help you, Conway?” 

He didn’t ask the question to be rude.  I couldn’t really blame him for being guarded.  There’d been a time when I was something of a thorn in the side of the Gentrys.  Since Stone got out of prison I’d started to make amends with Deck and the triplets but there was still a complication that we never mentioned.  At one point they’d all straddled the edge between the shadows and the sun but every one of them had crossed over to the good side. 

I hadn’t, not yet, not until now. 

“I don’t know how to say this, Creed, so I’m just going to spit it out.  I’m your half brother.” 

Creed didn’t respond right away so I kept talking to fill the silence. 

“Hell, everyone probably knew my mother ran around on Elijah.  He raised Stone and me as his own but he always knew we weren’t.  My mother got herself plastered and blurted out the whole truth one night before she kicked me out.  She’d had an affair with Chrome Gentry.  I guess she thought they were in love. She thought if she got pregnant that it would be enough to keep him around.  But after Stone was born and Chrome wasn’t real interested in being a daddy, she turned to his brother, Benton, in revenge.  So like you, and like Cord and Chase, I’m Benton Gentry’s son.” 

Creed stared straight ahead and nodded slowly.  “There was always talk,” he said quietly.  “We never knew if it was true though and you never came to us.”

“I know.”

“So why didn’t you come to us sooner?” 

I swallowed, trying to figure out how to explain this properly.  “You guys have always been kind of like my idols.  I’d made a habit of fucking up my life for so long I guess I didn’t believe I had much to offer you.  Honestly, I didn’t think you’d want me as a brother.” 

Creed turned his head and gave me a piercing stare with eyes that were exactly like the ones I saw in the mirror every day. 

“You thought wrong,” he said flatly.

Then he stood up and crossed his arms.  “You hear that?  You thought wrong, Conway.  I would have loved to call you my brother.  I still would.  And I don’t like to speak for Cord and Chase but I’m pretty sure they would feel the same.”

“I’m sorry,” I said softly, wishing I’d done this much sooner.  I should have had more faith in them, more faith in myself.  “I’m really sorry, Creed.  I should have been straight with you a long time ago.” 

Creed slapped a strong hand on my shoulder and kept it there.  

“Don’t be sorry,” he said and it was the first time I had ever heard his voice crack with emotion.  “Don’t dwell on all the things you should have done differently and let it drag you down.  Christ almighty, if we all did that we’d never get up in the morning.  You’re here now.  And if you’re interested in being my brother I’m damn glad to have you.”

Honest words from an honest man.   

“Well, shit,” I said, trying to choke out a laugh.  “You’re gonna make me cry here.” 

“Cry if you want to.  Then stand up and suffer through a hug.” 

“Never assumed you were the hugging type.” 

“We’re Gentry men,” he said indignantly.  “We’re required to hug now and then.  Get used to it.  Chase will probably tackle you to the floor when he hears.” 

I stood up and accepted my brother’s embrace.  He patted the back of my head in the way that Stone used to do when we were kids and were suffering through some trauma.  He would whisper ‘Strength in brothers,” and wait for me to repeat it back.  I was lucky, so lucky to have these men in my life. 

Creed really wanted me to hang around and get some lunch but I had an appointment to look at rental houses with Deck’s agent friend.  He asked me when I planned on enlightening Cord and Chase and I quickly stated I’d like to do that as soon as possible. 

“How about dinner at my place Friday night?” he suggested.  “Plenty of room in the new house and I’ll make sure the whole Gentry tribe is there.” 

I grinned.  “I’d really appreciate that.  There’s a lot of news to share.” 

“More news than this?  Don’t tell me there’s another goddamn Gentry brother out there.” 

“Not another brother that I know of but there
will
be another Gentry.” 

Creed scratched his head and looked confused.  “Huh?”

“I may as well tell you this now.  My girlfriend, Roslyn, is pregnant.  I’m going to be a father.” 

Creed paused and then raised an eyebrow.  “This is a good thing, right?”

“Yeah.  This is a good thing,” I said, smiling as I thought of Roslyn, remembering the way I’d gently placed my hand over her belly last night as she slept.  The rush of love and fierce protectiveness was almost too much to bear. I had kissed the place where my child was safely growing, tucked the blankets around its mother and slept at her side until morning.