“Alec, Harry, this is Rosa.”
She couldn’t miss the you’d better be nice to her or else tone of his introduction. It was clear, however, that Harry didn’t have the first clue who she was as he walked over to shake her hand. The only surprise seemed to be that Drake had a woman with him at all.
“Great to meet you, Rosa.”
“It’s nice to meet you too, Harry.”
All the while, she could feel Alec’s eyes on her. Judging. Weighing. And then deciding she came up short. Way short. Suzanne might not be worried about her brother’s new girlfriend, but Alec clearly had a problem with her.
She could feel Drake stiffening beside her and desperately wished she could defuse the situation. Unfortunately, since she couldn’t change who she was or what she’d done, the only thing she had in her arsenal was to smile and say, “It’s nice to meet you, Alec.” Before he could respond, she turned to Drake. “Why don’t I take Oscar for a walk so that you all can catch up?”
She swore Oscar could understand English, because he immediately trotted over to her side with a leash in his mouth. Where he’d found the leash she had no idea, but she didn’t care. All she wanted was to get out of the tension and let the brothers settle things. And if Alec really didn’t want her there...well, she’d figure out something. Because there was no way she was going to get between Drake and his siblings on top of all the other messes she was already dragging him into.
She’d barely left the kitchen when Drake came up behind her and put a hand over hers to make her turn and face him. “Don’t go. My brother is an idiot. I’ll make him apologize for the way he just acted. He doesn’t know you yet, but once he does—”
She put a finger over his lips. “He’s not an idiot. We both know it’s got to be a heck of a shock to see me standing there kissing you. Even without the pictures, it would have been weird. And now that he’s probably seen me naked...” She fought back a shudder. “All I’m saying is that he didn’t do anything wrong by reacting the way he did. Not when it’s obvious that he loves you and wants to protect you.” She made herself smile. “It’s exactly what I’d hope your siblings would do.”
“I brought you here so you could feel safe. Don’t run again, Rosa. Not from me.”
This morning she’d freaked out and talked about leaving, but she knew deep within herself that she wouldn’t have gone very far before running right back into his arms.
“It will go easier for you guys to talk about the situation with your father and the paintings without me here, at least at first. And I could do with some fresh air and a little quiet.” When it looked like he was going to argue with her, she put her hands on his bristly jaw and went on her tippy-toes to kiss him again. “All the good things you want for me with my mother, I want for you with your father. Maybe spending a little time talking things through with your brothers and sister will help get you closer to clearing them up.”
With that, she kissed him again, then headed outside with Oscar into the crisp, cool forest.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“What the hell are you doing with her?”
Drake sprang at his brother. “One more word and you’re going to leave here looking a hell of a lot worse than when you walked in.”
Just as Alec opened his mouth again to reply, Harry stepped between his brothers and caught Drake’s fist halfway to Alec’s face. Harry might spend plenty of hours poring over dusty tomes, but he’d managed to fit in martial arts training too.
“Cool down. Both of you.” Harry had stopped Drake’s punch from landing, but he knew better than to let him go just yet. “Someone had better fill me in fast.”
“I’m in love with Rosa.” Drake would shout it from the rooftops if he could. “She’s been through hell this week and just got slapped with a fresh round this morning. I’m itching to tear someone apart.” He snarled at Alec, “Perfectly happy if it’s you, bro.”
Suzanne stepped into the fray next, putting a hand on Drake’s arm. “That’s awesome that you’re in love,” she said first, and then to Harry, “Rosa is a reality TV star. I know you live in a box of dusty books, Harry, but you’ve got to have heard of the Bouchards.”
He thought about it for a few seconds. “Their name sounds familiar.”
“I swear, it sometimes seems like you actually live in medieval times, instead of just studying them,” she said with a roll of her eyes. “Anyway, Rosa’s family has been on TV for the past five or so years, and they’re really, really popular. Especially her. If you ask me, it’s not just because she’s so pretty, but because when you watch, you wish she was your sister.”
“You’ve got to tell her that,” Drake urged. “She’s let too many people online and in the press convince her that she’s been making trash, but even Smith and Valentina told her they like to watch her show.”