London Calling: BWWM New Adult Romance (Chase Brothers Book 2) (22 page)

Robert’s face contorted from mild annoyance to a deep scowl as rage took over. "How dare you—"

"I promise you, I don’t have time for this. And I can smell the gin on you. Let's save the indignation for when you’re actually sober. And finally, your daughter Ebony. The Briarwood school in London has agreed to take her on as a student next year. And she'll be receiving a full scholarship so there is no burden on you."

That last part had taken a hefty endowment and pulling of several strings. That and getting her school records were a bit tricky but money was meant to be spent. And if Imani wouldn't spend it on herself, then he'd spend it on her family. Besides, he saw what it did to her to not have her sister close.

"I've also set up an account. Funds will be distributed to you weekly to cover mortgage and living expenses including anything Ebony needs for school next year. If you exceed what's in there, you're shit out of luck. But if Imani calls, you’re to tell her that you’re just fine on cash. I don’t give a fuck what you tell her. But you will under no circumstances ask her for a dime again."

The older man’s face grew red as he sputtered, "Who do you think you are?"

"I'm the man who loves her and I’m not going to watch her kill herself trying to please you and fix a situation that's not her fault."

"So you're just going to fix it for her?"

Xander curled then unfurled his fists. The anger coursing through him. He hoped he never got so defeated that he just gave up on everything including his own daughter's happiness. "I would do anything just to see her smile. To remove any hurt or worry or pain from her eyes. I'd give my life to make that happen. So yes, since I have the means, I'm going to fix it. She's worth it."

Her father staggered back. "I—I never meant..."

"Save the apologies for your daughter. They're wasted on me."

"I love my daughter."

Xander chuckled. "If you say so."

"I do. You wouldn't understand."

Xander rounded on him. "I'll tell you what. If you love her, try being a father. Get yourself together. Sort yourself out. That’s what she needs. Not platitudes you don’t mean. I'm giving you the means to pull up. Take it."

"And if I don’t accept?"

"You don't really have a choice. The counseling is a requisite of you getting any money. Silence is also a requisite."

"She didn't know you were coming to do this?"

Xander met a gaze he knew well. "Do we have a deal, Mr. Brooks?"

They squared off for several minutes. Finally Imani's father backed up. "We have a deal."

"
Y
ou're not slick
, you know."

Xander took a sip of his wine as he studied Imani and his mother chatting away happily. Lex had taken a call, so that left Abbie free to interrogate him. "I'm not sure what you’re talking about, Abena."

"Don’t think you can do that thing that you do with your brother. You can't just use my full name and make me back off."

"Seriously, is this is what having a sister is all about? Because I want a refund."

She smacked his shoulder. "Shut up. I can see how much you love her."

He gloomily stared into his wine glass. "Were you always this nosy? And I just didn’t see it before?"

Abbie grinned. "Yep. You were too busy starting at my—"

He sputtered. "Jesus, Abbie!"

She blinked with mock innocence. “Pictures. What were you thinking?"

Despite himself, he laughed. "My poor brother. He's doomed for an early grave with you."

"Yeah, but he’ll be laughing the whole way, won’t he?"

"Probably."

She shifted from foot to foot before joining him on the window seat. "She has no clue what you did for her, does she?"

Now it was his turn to pretend ignorance. "What do you mean?"

"You're really going to lie to me?"

"I think you seriously overestimate my brain’s capacity for intrigue. James Bond I'm not."

"Tell that to Alistair. And shit, tell that to Evan. I don’t think either of them will ever bother us again. Careful, Xander, people are going to start thinking that you’re the good guy. You might even be a hero."

"Bollocks. They'd be dead wrong. I'm a tosser. Completely."

"Yeah, sure you are. You’re also the tosser who set up Imani’s sister so she'd be close to Imani. And I suspect you're behind her father’s changed leaf she was telling me about?"

He glanced down at his polished shoes. "I'm not that bloke, Abbie. You can try to make me out to be the good guy all you want. But that's just not who I am. Pub crawler, yes. Roguish photography professor, yes. I'm nothing more."

She shook her head. "I don’t know why you like to pretend that you don’t have a soft heart, but I know you. It's too late now. Once I've seen that side of you, it's hard to unsee."

He drained his glass and said the one thing likely to make her drop the subject. "So you’re saying if I'd done a nude photography class first you wouldn't be unable to see that?"

Abbie sputtered and laughed. "Oh my God, you're impossible."

He took a small bow. "Where have I heard that before?" Imani laughed at something, dragging his attention back to her.

"My advice if you’re open to it. Tell her you love her. Don’t pretend with her. You deserve to be happy even if you don’t think so."

Lex joined them and the lovebirds immediately intertwined their hands. "What are you two whispering about?"

"Oh nothing, just how much Xander loves Imani and how she's already changing him for the better."

Alexi raised his glass. "And they said it couldn't be done. Welcome to the dark side, brother."

Xander liked it on this side. He liked how he felt about her. But he had to mitigate the lies he’d told or they were going to kill him. He didn’t want to lie to her. But even more he loved seeing her happy and carefree. He'd do anything to keep it like that.

I
mani wiped
her sweaty hands on her robe.
Relax, this is what you've been waiting for months. You can do this
. Three months ago if anyone had told her she'd be the lead in this showcase and dating the hottest man she'd ever seen in her life, she'd have laughed. But this was it; she was so close to her dream. About to grasp it.

Now if only she had some family out there. She shook her head and continued her pre-performance pep talk. She wasn’t going to worry about it. It didn’t matter that her father wasn’t there. In the last few weeks he’d been trying. He’d called to tell her he started an alcohol treatment program and he’d gotten another job. Facts Ebony verified.

It was like overnight a switch was flipped. She didn’t trust it. He’d disappointed her enough in the past that she was wary. But she was willing to believe in the possibility of change. He wasn’t thrilled that she was trying to move Ebony to London, but he was giving her less grief about it. So at least that was something.

She didn't have money to bring Ebony just for the weekend so her sister couldn’t come either. Both Xander and Fe had offered to bring her sister, but she couldn’t justify the cost just for her show.

She had friends and they were her family now. And Xander, he would be out there. She smiled and slid a glance at the three-dozen roses he'd had delivered. The first card had said break a leg. The second had pointed out all the places to shag in her dressing room. The final had detailed how he wanted to spread her out on the settee of her Fleet Street set and lick her until she begged for mercy.

That man knew how to make her blush and laugh and, most frequently, throw things. He'd been acting strangely for a few weeks, but when she asked him about it he said it was work with the trust. She couldn't figure out what was bugging him. He told her nothing was wrong when she asked, but clearly he wasn't his seemingly carefree self. It was more of a feeling than anything else. In bed, they'd been just as connected as always. Every time he made love to her.

Even outside of the bedroom, things were good. They dated. When he had time, he met her after rehearsal to walk her home. When he couldn't, he made sure there was a car for her. They had dinner with Abbie and Lex and their friends. Even though she knew they would eventually find Alistair and eventually have to figure their shit out.

They couldn’t just play house forever. They both had some shit to work out. But she enjoyed every minute together, not taking a second for granted. She still hadn’t told him how she felt about him, and she wouldn't be doing that anytime soon. He'd freak out and run.

But she'd tell him.
Soon
. But something was bothering him. She just wished he would talk to her. He hadn’t had any more nightmares that she could tell, but he was off in some way. It was like he was trying too hard at keeping something from her. Though she hadn’t had time to walk through it all. She'd get to the bottom of it after the performances. Right now she still had to focus.

There was a knock at her door and she called out, "Come in."

Fe and all his fabulousness sashayed in wearing a dark blazer, cashmere slacks and the loudest, brightest paisley shirt he could probably find. "Darling, you look smashing."

She rolled her eyes and hugged him tight, careful not to rest her cheek against his clothes. "Thank you for coming."

"Honestly. Where the fuck else was I going to be? You're my self-appointed little sistah."

She laughed. "But it's appreciated all the same."

"In that case you better tear the roof off of this place, otherwise I’m disowning you."

"Oh I will, and good luck with that. I hang on, spider monkey style."

"That’s my girl. Go on, tell me—any jitters?"

"Oh, you know, just the usual. Like there are hundreds of people out there come to see this and I can’t remember a single line and holy fuck, I’ll be naked on that stage."

Fe grinned. "I don’t even like women and I’m very excited about this proposition."

She smacked him. "Fe!"

He laughed and dodged another swat. "Relax, you'll be fine. You know this. You’re ready. And remember your fiancé is in the audience with another bouquet of flowers. I believe in you, and he believes in you. And you've got Abbie and the whole crew out there. They're here for you. You’re not solitary Imani anymore. We are your family. You have this. I know this is a huge stretch for you, but you are incredible."

She loved him. She could always count on him to keep her mind calm. "Thank you, Fe."

"What are best friends for? Now, there’s a very hot man out there dying to kiss you good luck. Can I send him back?"

Her heart tripped into immediate gallop. "Yeah, of course." The moment she saw him, she grinned. "I thought you were working late."

He raised a brow. "I lied. There was something I had to do. But there was no way I was going to miss this."

He wrapped his hands around her and she finally relaxed. He was here. That was all that mattered. "What were you doing?"

“I’ll tell you in a second, but first a kiss.”

One kiss from him and she’d relax…after he made her come half a dozen times. “Oh no you don’t. I know all about your kisses. I’ll be on the floor with my legs in the air before I know what’s happened.”

The Xander smile was in full effect. “C’mon, I’ll be quick.”

Laughing, she nuzzled him with her nose. “No dice. Besides, I’m all made up. I’ll take a rain check for after, though.”

He made a pouty face but tugged her close and kissed the end of her nose. “Since you won’t let me have any fun, I have a surprise for you. Though I can’t take full credit. This one is from Fe and me.”

“What is it?”

“Come on in,” he called.

When the door opened, Imani held her breath, not sure what was happening. Ebony poked her head through. “Everybody decent? Fe warned me about the both of you.”

Butterflies danced in her belly as her brain tried to reconcile what she was hearing with the truth she knew. “Ebony? What? How?”

Her sister grinned. “You’ve been withholding, big sister. You should have mentioned your boyfriend had a private jet.”

Imani turned on Xander. “You did this?”

He held his hands up. “Before you get all huffy, just know that Fe and I weren’t going to let you go on stage without your sister and your dad.”

She turned back to her sister. “Dad’s here too?”

Ebony nodded. “Yeah, he’s in the audience, but I couldn’t wait to see you. Besides, I didn’t want to take the chance you’d see us in the audience and forget your lines or something.”

“That’s a totally good call, because I would have.” She turned to Xander. “You shouldn’t have.”

“Woman, for once, just smile and say thank you. You can yell at Fe and me later. I just want you to be happy.”

God, she loved him. “Thank you. You don't even know what this means. Ebs, how long are you staying?”

She sister slid Xander a glance. “Don't be mad at him. But I have an exam on Monday, so I have to go right back. We’re leaving after the show.”

“What? But that’s not even fair. We have so much to talk about.”

“I know, but at least I get to see you. And there’s more good news.”

She didn't think she could take any more. “What?”

“I got a call from Briarwood. I’ve gotten a special scholarship that will allow me to board. Full ride.”

“Are you shitting me?”

“Nope. London is calling. Woot!”

She hugged her sister tight. “This is the best news in the world. We’re gonna have so much fun.”

“I know it.”

There was another knock at her door. "Call time five minutes."

She didn’t want them to go, but she had work to do. "Be right there."

She hugged her sister again and Ebony left the two of them alone. Xander kissed her soundly, his lips crushing hers. His tongue slipped into her waiting mouth with sure strokes and she immediately forgot to be nervous. All she felt was electricity, and energy, and humming need. He pulled back panting and his lips were covered in her red lipstick.

"I’ll get out of your hair. I just wanted to tell you one thing."

He had something else to tell her besides how much he wanted her? "Oh yeah, what's that?"

"I'm proud of you."

"Thank you, Xander."

"You have no reason to be nervous because you’re going to kill it. I fell in love with you the moment you slipped into character and the rest of the audience will too." He then kissed her on the forehead and walked out.

Her knees wobbled and she braced a hand on her chair to steady herself. That idiot had love bombed her and run.