Page 40 of Nothing to Win
Swallowing her anger, her fingers shook.Holding onto her irritation in Brogan’s home was important.This wasn’t the place to start a family disagreement.
“I think you should go now,” she said.
“Gia, you don’t get it.You don’t understand what he’s like.”
“Really?”she asked.“Because by your own admission, I’m the only one in the room who’s been intimate with him.I think if either of us have the right or the authority to talk about Brogan Spurn, it should be the one of us who’s bared their body for him.Don’t you?”
He surged to his feet.“Gia!”
“Don’t raise your voice at me,” she hissed.“I want you to leave.Now.If you make me raise my voice, Brogan will come back down here.There’s too much conflict between you both already.I don’t want to be the cause of more bad feeling.This isn’t the place to argue.You don’t want me to be with him, I understand.I appreciate your concern.Like I told Daddy, I’m old enough to make my own decisions.”
They stared into each other.“Gia.”
“Please leave.”
Squeezing his lips together, he was clearly not happy with her request.It wasn’t easy to stand her ground.Huffing, Bram stormed past, almost bowling her over.She followed to watch him go into the elevator.When he turned, his eyes met hers, and he kept on glaring until the doors closed.
THIRTEEN
MUCH AS SHE’D LIKE to forget the ordeal with Bram altogether, he’d played into her paranoia.She ascended the stairs to find the guys.Julius’s bedroom was open and empty.She had to shower and get ready for the day but passed by her own bedroom door too.
The other doors hid whatever was inside.Where should she look?Opening random doors would be rude.Who knew what might be behind them?
A laugh came from up ahead.Target sighted.
Assuming both men would be in the same place, and that they were the only ones here, she went to the door and knocked on its distorted glass panel.
It opened just a moment later.
“He’s gone,” she said to Julius who held the door.
Brogan stood in the center of the room in front of a windowed far wall.
Julius glanced back at Brogan who nodded once.“Come here a second, Irish.”Julius slipped past her to leave.Entering slowly, anxiety leveled up.“Close the door.”
Closing the door gave her a welcome distraction.Welcome at least until the large bed got bigger.This was his bedroom, her pulse kicked up.
“Are you okay?”he asked, scrutiny narrowing.
“I’m sorry he showed up unannounced.”
He slipped his hands into his pockets.“We were prepared for it.Your family and friends are welcome here, Gia.Providing they don’t venture up to this floor, we don’t have to make any explanations about sleeping arrangements… Though if you keep walking around the apartment naked, people will make their own assumptions.”
Tucking the edges of her robe tighter behind the tied belt, she smoothed her hands over it.
“I’m sorry,” she said.“I just wanted coffee.I didn’t think—”
“I told you to never apologize for our relationship to anyone, that includes me… If you’d spent the night in my bed, would you be apologizing?”Rolling her lips into her mouth, she moistened them as her gaze wandered to the bed.“What are you thinking about?”
The bed was broad, sumptuous, luxurious.She could imagine herself lost in those sheets with the man currently inspecting her.
“Women wouldn’t be allowed to gallivant around my parents’ house dressed like this… I don’t know why I thought it was okay here.”
“Because I give you the freedom to do what your parents forbid.”
Gia forced herself to look at him.“There’s another man in the house.”
“Julius is acceptable,” he said.“I would trust him with my woman.But he’s the only one… I can’t stress how important it is for you to be comfortable here.”
