Whisper (4 page)

So I should just say no and leave right now.

“Okay, five dates,” she agreed. What was she thinking? “You can’t be skimpy in taking me out and letting me have fun. We get to do whatever I want, and you don’t push for more, or get happy with your hands.”

“Deal.” There was that smile again. Goodness, if she wasn’t careful, she’d give it up tonight.

“Okay, tell me about you,” she encouraged him to distract herself.

His knowing look said volumes. The man was too confident. She’d love to knock him on his ass and make him fall madly in love with her.
Ha
ha. Real fantasy, Whisper.

She listened as she continued eating her food. Alec wasn’t just some pretty boy more into his next lay than anything else. She found herself enjoying his stories and him, and that was dangerous.

“Max and I are twins,” he said. “I’m older by two hours.”

Whisper gaped. “Two hours? I thought you were about to say two minutes.”

He chuckled. “I’m sure my mother would have loved it that way, but Max is stubborn. He likes to give everyone around him a hard time and do things his way. I guess he was starting early with all the trouble he gave my mother. I have a younger sister who is married with children. She lives with her family in Maine. That’s where Max and I moved down from after…”

She saw pain in his expression, but he masked it and went on. Whisper wasn’t sure whether to acknowledge it or let it go, trusting that if he wanted to share he would. In the end, she let him decide.

“He lost his girlfriend recently, a woman who for all intents and purposes was to be his wife. To have her in his life was a big deal for Max. To lose her was more than he could bear for a while.”

Whisper made a sympathetic sound. “Sounds like it was hard for you, too.”

He gave her a startled glance. “Yes, we all loved her. Sarah became like one of the family. Anyway, I was used to looking out for Max, used to smoothing over whatever feathers he’d ruffled. Things got touchy where we were, so I decided we both needed a change of scenery. We moved here to Virginia.”

“Wow, big change. Maine must be really cold in winter and mild during summer? Here it can get hot in summer.”

He winked. “I think we can handle it.”

For some reason, she blushed. “What do you do for a living?” She didn’t figure it paid that much since he lived in her same apartment building.

“We both work in real estate. I wanted to get into the area to be sure of various locations and the best possible place if we decide to buy a house here.”

“That makes sense.” She hesitated. “Are you planning on always being together? And what do you do naked in the woods?” She slapped a hand over her mouth, eyes going wide. The question just slipped out because she didn’t even realize she’d been thinking about it right then.

Alec laughed. He didn’t appear to be offended. “No, we’re not always going to be together.” He raised her hand to his lips and planted a light kiss on her knuckles. She shivered. “Trust me, when I have you, I won’t want my brother anywhere around.”

“
When
?” She sucked her teeth. “You’re pretty confident, but don’t get excited. I’m firm about where I am in my life.”
Lies
,
all lies. Girl, who are you
fooling?

“I’m hopeful,” he said and released her.

Alec went on to discuss all the hair-brained schemes his brother had gotten him into, including the purchase of a money pit of a house—their first—and forged Alec’s signature on the paperwork.

“Are you serious? Didn’t you want to kill him? Or did you try?”

Alec’s gaze clouded a bit as if he recalled just what he’d done. “We have our ways of getting even.”

“Hm, I don’t like that way that sounds. Remind me not to get on your bad side.”

“I wouldn’t hurt a beautiful woman like you, Whisper.” His tone dropped so deep and rumbly, she shifted in her chair and tried not to think of the state of her panties.

When he went on not answering about the naked woods running, she mentally set a key and lock to her heart. No sir. Sexy was crazy, and she wasn’t going down that route. She’d made stupid mistakes in the past with glaring road signs that showed she was headed in the wrong direction. Not again. The dates would be fun for a change because she’d had a long dry spell and was lonely for male companionship. After that, it was over, and Alec could be the stuff of her dreams when she was alone taking care of things with her hand.

She tilted her head to the side and studied him. “Okay, tell me more. Entertain me.”

And he did.

Chapter Five

Whisper woke up with her eyes burning. She hadn’t slept much the night before because her mind was filled with thoughts of Alec. After dinner, he’d taken her to see a movie. She couldn’t have said what the thing was about because she was busy stealing glances at him. Every time she did, she found him looking back. Eventually, he took her hand, and they laced their fingers together. He whispered in her ear, low enough for no one else to be disturbed. She felt like a schoolgirl with a crush, but no matter how hard she fought it, the man charmed her.

“This is why he’s so confident,” she complained on the way to the bathroom. In the mirror, she frowned at herself. “How many women were right here arguing with themselves to get a grip before it’s too late?” Maybe she should cancel the date three days from now. Yeah, she’d been surprised last night at his insistence that they make the next of the five dates as soon as possible. Whisper had had to put up some resistance and suggested three days. Now that she thought of it, maybe three was too eager on her part.
Damn it, I should have said a week.

An hour later, when she arrived at work, her stomach knotted. She hadn’t spoken to Mr. Peters since the night before when he’d been pushed into a corner to allow her to leave with Alec. For all she knew, he’d be pissed and make her life more miserable. She drew in a deep breath as she approached his office and made to pass by with a mere wave and a smile.

“Whisper, come in here a minute,” he called.

She stopped cold, and the pain in her belly increased.

“Shut the door,” he instructed.

Whisper did as she was asked and took a seat. If she didn’t get support under her now, she’d collapse. As she waited for Mr. Peters to finish signing a few papers, she did a running tally of her bills in her mind and tried to determine how long her savings would cover them until she found another job.

Mr. Peters looked up from his papers. “I’ve decided to restructure your schedule.”

She blinked. “Come again?”

“Your schedule.” He stood up and moved from behind his desk. Whisper assumed he was going to do his usual, like sit on the edge of his desk way too close to her, or drop a hand on her shoulder and squeeze. Instead, he stood at the window with his back to her and peered out. “I’ve been unfair to you, Whisper. Just because you don’t have a family doesn’t mean your time isn’t precious to you like the rest of us.”

She didn’t bother correcting him on the family part. What he said blew her away.

“You’ll work until five and not a minute over, Monday through Friday. I insist on it.” He smiled as if he’d just done a good deed and was proud of himself. In a way, she guessed he had. “There’ll be no need for Mr. Macgregor to miss you unless that’s by your choice.”

While her boss kept talking, enjoying listening to himself speak, Whisper went over what happened at the office the night before. Alec showed up, and she said his name. Did she say his last name? Of course not. That would be stupid and unnecessary. Who said their supposed boyfriend’s last name when they saw him? So how did Mr. Peters know his last name?

“Um, I don’t want to interrupt you, Mr. Peters, and I definitely appreciate you cutting out all the overtime for me. Trust me, I can use the extra time for…um…some important things.” She decided not to tell him about school. “But how did you know Alec’s last name? Did you talk to him?”

Her answer came in Mr. Peters’ face going red and a look of fear and horror coming into his eyes. “I-I-I,” he stuttered.

She watched him open and close his mouth like a fish and fidget with his shirt collar. Whisper recalled Alec saying he had a way of influencing people when he wanted to. She couldn’t help wondering if he’d contacted her boss and threatened him. No, that couldn’t be it. He wouldn’t know how Mr. Peters would react. Besides, it was just a few dates they had agreed to, nothing serious enough to contact her boss over.

“He or you must have said it last night when he picked you up,” her boss lied. She always knew when he wasn’t telling the truth. “Anyway, I have a lot of work to get through today, so if you’ll excuse me, I’ll let you get to yours.” He dropped into his chair and mopped his brow with a tattered tissue. “Shut the door on your way out, will you? Thanks.”

She had no choice but to leave. She couldn’t beat him over the head and demand he tell her what really happened. All day, she pondered it, but no scenario gave her peace. In the end, she decided she was jumping to conclusions and forced herself to let it go.

That evening, Whisper stopped by the school she’d wanted to attend and picked up some information. Her heart beat a rapid tattoo, and she couldn’t keep the smile off her face as she entered her building. After going through everything, she would probably find out how to register for classes online. This reprieve in her schedule couldn’t come at a better time. She only had a short wait for the next semester to start, and she’d be on her way to a better life.

Stepping out of the elevator on her floor, Whisper hummed as she walked and thought of all the new career opportunities that would someday be hers. She rounded the corner to where her apartment was and bumped into the broad back of the man just coming out of his place. She winced at the pain to her nose.

Max turned around and looked down at her with concern in his eyes. For some reason he appeared a tad less manic today, although she was still struck by how much he looked like Alec. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Fine, thanks.” She rubbed her nose. “I wasn’t looking where I was going, so it’s my fault. No harm done.”

She started to go around him, but he seemed inclined to talk. “You were humming. Good news?”

Whisper studied him. This was the dude who liked to drive his brother nuts and get him into trouble. Still, he was someone to talk to. She grinned. “Yes, my boss just told me that I don’t have to work overtime anymore. That means I can go to school like I’ve been longing to do forever. I’m so excited.”

“I see.”

The twinkle of amusement in his eyes made her somehow wish Alec was there. She hated that feeling since it had no place in her heart. Thinking of Alec, she frowned. “I’m wondering if Alec had something to do with it because my boss mentioned his last name. There’s no reason he would know, even though Alec came to pick me up last night.” She was rambling. She clamped her lips together and pressed them tight.

Max’s grin spread over his face. “Ah, my brother is becoming more protective of his mate.” Max nodded as if it was all matter of fact. “He’ll get worse before he gets better. Hopefully, he’ll open his eyes to what’s really happening before he pisses you off and you tell him where to go.”

Okay, and now he’s crazy again.
She sighed. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You said that mate stuff before. Alec is just wanting to date…well, a little more than that. I’m looking to date. He just wants sex.”

She had no problem admitting the truth to his brother. With any luck, Max would repeat it to Alec, and it would give her a greater shield. A suspicion in her gut told her she was still fooling herself, but she ignored it.

Max leaned a shoulder against the wall and folded his arms over a broad chest. “Tell me. Was your boss getting a little too friendly with you?”

Her eyes widened. “How did you— I mean, what does that matter?”

He chuckled. “Instincts. You’re his mate, so he will do whatever it takes to protect you, even stoop to the levels I’ve been known to use. My brother is for the most part straight-laced, but with a mate nearby, a man can lose his sanity.”

Max’s gaze grew cloudy, and she almost felt his pain. She rested a hand on his arm when he didn’t appear to know she was there anymore. He shifted his shoulders and focused on her.

“My brother has never felt it, that sense of being with the right one. He’s been with plenty of women over the years.”

“Great to know. Thanks.”

“No.” Max lifted her chin when she turned away. “You are different.”

“Oh, that’s original. Listen, I’m not looking to get married, so don’t even worry about it.”

“It’s deeper than that. I can’t explain or he’d have my hide.”

Max sighed and tweaked a lock of her hair. The touch was the affectionate kind a brother would give a sister, but they didn’t know each other, so it seemed out of place. For some reason, she wondered where the leopard was. Would he deny they had one if she asked to come in and see it?

“Hey, girl.”

Whisper froze when she heard Sheila’s voice. They’d exchanged keys to each other’s places in case of emergencies, but her friend used it as a reason to drop over whenever she wanted. Whisper almost never dropped in on Sheila simply because she didn’t like it done to her. Even though she’d asked Sheila a million times to call first, her friend never took her seriously.

“Hey,” Whisper responded and put space between her and Max, even though they hadn’t been up to anything.

The moment she spotted Max, Sheila’s eyes lit up, and she forgot about Whisper. “Hello, there,” she said to Max and sidled up to him.

Max towered over her shorter, much tinier friend. Sheila couldn’t look more fragile or in need of male protection. In contrast, Whisper felt like a cow that could break his toes if she made one false move. Max didn’t do more than nod, so she figured it was up to her to do the introductions.

“Max Macgregor, this is my friend, Sheila Tate. Sheila, Max is Alec’s brother.”

“Really?” Sheila cooed. “You’re finer than your brother. I know people have told you that.” She put her hand in Max’s and waited as if she expected him to kiss it. Max held a half grin, but Whisper couldn’t tell if he was attracted to Sheila or put off by her. He didn’t kiss her hand but raised it to inhale at her pulse. Sheila giggled and simpered, making Whisper want to hurl on her. “I’m free for dinner tonight if you want to grab a bite.”

Talk about eager. Whisper was beginning to think all Sheila’s experiences with men weren’t about how much hotter she was than Whisper, but rather how forward she was. Whisper didn’t know why she’d never noticed before. The woman was over the top.

“Interesting,” Max murmured. This time his expression went from amusement to open lust. He let his gaze explore at its leisure over Sheila’s form, and her friend practically primped for his inspection. Whisper rolled her eyes.

“If you’ll excuse me, I have to get going,” she said. “Sheila, I’ll catch you later, girl.”

Neither of them answered her, so she strolled across the hall to her apartment and let herself in. She kicked the door closed with more force than necessary. She didn’t know why the scene outside pissed her off so much. Max wasn’t her man, and she wasn’t interested in him in the least. He wasn’t her type. As she stripped out of her work clothes she considered it. Maybe it was the fact that Sheila was so damn confident, and men always responded. After all, hadn’t Alec when they were in the laundry room? He’d denied anything was going on, and she believed him for the most part. That didn’t mean Sheila
couldn’t
be seduce him, and that irked her. Sometimes she thought it was just a matter of time.

In her bra and panties, Whisper considered whether she wanted to take a shower now or wait until closer to bedtime. She glanced at her cell phone tossed on the bed and thought of Alec. She really wanted to see him, but it was too soon. Running into him in the hall instead of his brother would have been nice, but no, she had to keep a strong grip on her emotions. Lay low for a bit, and everything would be fine.

While she considered what else she might do—read or watch TV—a scratching at her balcony door caught her attention. She went to investigate and grinned when she saw the leopard. Without hesitation, she yanked the door open to let him in.

“You take a lot of risks, you nut. Someone could have seen you.” She dropped to her knees when he was inside and scratched beneath his chin. “Hello, baby, how are you today?”

The cat purred under her caress, but then she paused. An odd sensation came over her. She had only seen Max the leopard a few times, and by no means did she think she knew every inflection of his beautiful, soft coat, but still, she was almost certain there was something different about him.

The leopard nuzzled its wide head into her cleavage, and she shoved him back with all her strength chuckling. “No, it’s you. Still frisky, I see.”

A frustrated mewl was the response, and then the cat seemed agitated, turning his head a little to the side as if to ask her a question. Whisper couldn’t believe how humanlike he was. Maybe that’s why Alec kept him as a pet.

“Oh, you’re saying you don’t remember licking my butt when you spent the night, huh? Well, keep that tongue in your mouth this time, big boy, or out you go. We won’t tell Alec you stopped by if you leave early. Is it a deal?”

She stood and padded to the kitchen. Maybe she had a can of tuna she could feed the cat while she made dinner for herself. Having him there made her a little less lonely and the longing to see Alec a dull desire.

“Max, do you want tuna?” she asked him. The angry mewl made her glance over her shoulder from the cabinet where she was searching for his dinner. “What?”