“Oh my god, Jaxon! It’s gorgeous. Thank you.” He steps closer and gives me a kiss on the cheek, a surprisingly chaste gesture that’s actually very sweet.
“Just like you.” He takes the necklace out of the box and places it around my neck, fastening it for me. When he steps in front of me again, he’s looking at it, eyes intently focused on where the necklace lays against my chest... I think. “Perfect!” he declares, but now I’m actually thinking his gaze is lower than where the necklace is sitting because he whispers, “Promise me I get to share your bed tonight?” I nod, and he fist bumps the air. Idiot! Why do they all do this? Is it some kind of weird brother thing?
“Alright, you losers, let’s get going,” Jacinta says to everyone, breaking the emotional tension. The guys gather their jackets and put them on while I wait patiently, ready to walk out the door.
“Hang on.” Declan halts us all before we can get far. “We probably should have had this conversation before we got ready, but I guess we all wanted to forget about the drama for the moment. How are we playing this?” He gestures between me and his brothers. We all look at each other, waiting for someone to speak first, so I bite the bullet.
“As far as I’m concerned, it’s no one’s business, but I have no problem claiming you all. I will officially be Thomas’ date for this, but don't hold back from showing me affection. I’m all in, and the sooner people get used to it, the better.”
Tears well in Jacinta's eyes, and she hastily dabs them away with her fingers as she nods her approval at me. The rest of the guys look like they're trying to decide if I’m serious or not, and my stomach starts to drop with panic. Maybe that’s not what they want? Shit.
“Or we could hide it and deny it. Whatever you all want.” I try to backtrack and save face, but if they go with that suggestion, I think I will die. I can’t even meet their eyes, so I look down at my feet, suddenly finding my painted toenails incredibly fascinating. I hear a growl just before a pair of black shoes comes into view next to mine. A finger under my chin has me looking up into Kai’s fierce gaze.
“Don’t ever say that. We are all in too. None of us are ashamed, and we refuse to hide our relationship with you no matter how hard it might be until people move on to the next bit of hot gossip.” Five more voices throw in their agreement and promises, and that lump in my stomach melts away.
“Okay then, shall we go buy an airline?” Thomas steps up to me and holds out his arm. Taking it, he escorts me out of the room while the others follow along behind us.
“Listen up,” he says, and the others stop talking to hear him. “The only important people at this table tonight are Novak Dobrov and his wife Yalena. They are who we need to impress because they’ll make the ultimate decision as to who gets the airline. It was a done deal between us, but his board overruled him and said he needed to consider Urie Sokolov and the RAE as well. Some of them weren’t too impressed with the idea of an American coming in and buying the airline. At least Urie is European, or that’s the opposition’s argument, anyway. So he agreed to this dinner. In the end, if we lose, it really is no skin off my nose, outside of losing to that Russian asshole. We don't need the airline in order for our business to be successful, so let’s go down there, be polite, and enjoy a lovely dinner with our girlfriend, sister, and friend. If by tomorrow we have another airline, great. If not, then we’ve had a nice trip to Prague.” Thomas sounds like the consummate confident businessman, but I can feel how tense he is under his jacket. I don’t know if it’ll work, but I have to at least try to help him feel better.
“Now, don’t let him get to you. He’s going to try to provoke you into reacting badly, but youcannotfall for it. He means nothing, and she means less than nothing. If he brings her up, you can say how much you were hurt because loyalty is everything to your family, but that is it,” I whisper, coaching him as best I can. “You have got this. You made sure she paid for his treachery, and one day he will get his. Don't you worry, karma always bites people in the ass. Look at my mom.”
The elevator arrives, and we step in, moving to the back so all the others can join us. I feel him press a kiss to the top of my head, surprising me with his willingness to offer even that little display of affection while the others can see. “Thank you, honey,” he says quietly. With that, the elevator doors slide shut.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Thomas
Holy hell, Harlow’s dress looks amazing on her, and her beautiful eye-catching tattoos are on display. They’re usually covered by her clothes, but thanks to the halter dress, her sleeve is now very visible. The splashes of colored butterflies are bright against the grayscale of the flowers. The tattoo on her torso peeks out from the plunging neckline of her dress, and although it’s hard to make out all the details right now, I know it’s a collage in honor of her love of zoo animals. I also know that there’s a tattoo of mythical creatures, as well as a merman wearing my brother’s face, under that dress. She looks incredible, and my pants feel a lot tighter than they were before.
On the walk down to the dinner, I’m a ball of nerves. For the longest time, I never allowed myself to feel—real happiness, hope, or those “weaker” emotions like the anxiety rioting in my stomach right now—and it has nothing to do with winning or losing this airline or the fact that the Russian asshole is going to be there. What’s truly driving my system wild is that today I went on a date with a beautiful woman, who not only declared herself all in with all of us, but she spent the elevator ride trying to coach me on how to deal with this situation. She wasworriedabout me. That was her focus. Not the fancy dress or the jewels that Jaxon had given her or the fact that we were going to eat in one of the fanciest restaurants in Prague or that there were going to be a number of wealthy people at this dinner. Nope, she simply cared about how I felt and wanted to make sure I knew she was there for me.
You know, even though I was with Clarissa for over two years, I don't actually remember her ever asking me how my day was or showing any interest in anything I did, let alone concerning herself with my feelings. Now that I look back, everything was always about her, twenty-four-seven. Here I thought I was in a relationship with mutual equality, but it turns out it was as far from equal as you could get. I gave, and shealwaystook.
I gave her my heart, soul, and everything she asked for, and she took it with her grabby hands while giving me nothing in return except for a pretty ornament on my arm and an occasional dead fish in the sack. I felt more from my and Harlow's brief kiss in the car than I felt the entire time I was with Clarissa. I don't understand how I could have been so blind. Apparently I needed a taste of something real to shine a light on just how artificial my ex was.
I actually feel like a million bucks with this woman on my arm despite knowing that I will share her with my brothers. Harlow has more than proven she has enough time and love to share with all of us. Honestly, I’m kind of amazed at how well my brothers are doing with this arrangement so far. I haven't heard an ugly word exchanged by anyone during this initial courtship, nor do I expect to hear any. Sure, we will have our arguments and will piss one another off, but having others in the relationship to vent to is only going to be a benefit, not a hindrance. And, well, after only a brief taste of her, I can’t wait to see what make-up sex is like. That little sample is addictive, and I can see why my brothers’ eyes do not stray even a bit.
A tug on my arm reminds me of where we are, and I realize we’re at the entrance to the private dining room.
“Are you okay? Just say the word, and we will bust this joint if it’s too much,” Harlow fiercely whispers in my ear. I smile like an idiot. I can admit it. Besides the Summers, no one has wanted to stand up for me or protect me as much as this beautiful woman by my side. Now I just need to show her that I can keep this bullshit from breaking me, show her that I’m deserving of the care she wants to give me.
“Oh, baby, don't you worry about me. For the first time in a long time, I’m ready to play this game.” I wink and then push the door open.
A host leads us over to the large table in the middle of the room that’s fit for a royal banquet—one of the reasons this hotel was chosen. It’s long enough to fit fifty people, but right now most of the arrivals are standing around, waiting for the signal to sit. I don't bother looking around to see who else is here; my focus is on the one person I am here to see.
Novak Dobrov, the owner of the airline I want, is an older gentleman who is ready to retire, but he and his wife were never able to have children, so they don’t have anyone to pass his legacy on to. Instead of leaving the company to be run by a board, he’s made the decision to sell it all so he and his wife can enjoy everything that the money they get for it will buy.
I spot them standing off to the side while the members of their board do their rounds, chatting up the various attendees. I know there are one or two other companies here to show their interest in the company, but none of them are on the level of Neighpalm Airlines or RAE.
I beeline straight to them with Harlow still wrapped up next to me, and Novak’s eyes light up when he sees us. His wife looks between me and Harlow with a slight lift of her eyebrows before she hides her reaction. It’s not something I can’t just shrug off, so it’s no big deal. We knew we would get some kind of reaction, and considering what could have happened, that was mild.
“Mr. and Mrs. Dobrov, it’s so lovely to see you again. Thank you for inviting us to dinner. May I introduce you to Harlow?”
“Thomas, my boy.” Mr Dobrov’s heavily accented English is jovial in tone. “None of this Mr. and Mrs. Please, it’s Novak and Yalena, and it is so good to see you. It is us that are so very pleased that you could come on such short notice. I know we had planned to meet later in the week, but I’m afraid the board insisted.” He shakes my hand before turning to Harlow. “And what a pleasure to meet you, Harlow.” He shakes her hand with equal enthusiasm before letting the two women greet one another. Yalena is not as enthusiastic but still seems genuinely polite, which is a better reception than Harlow’s gotten from most of the women we’ve forced her to spend time with. Now that that’s settled, I introduce them to my siblings and Jace. “Thank you for allowing my family to attend this dinner. Dad sends his apologies, but he just couldn't get away at the moment.” They all exchange pleasantries until Novak turns back to me with a frown.
“Yes, I was sorry to hear that Brad could not make it, not to mention how the American media is dragging you through the mud over some ridiculous story.” Before I can reply, Russian asshole number one steps up with a smug smile on his face and a blonde bimbo under his arm. He’s a large man, not quite fat but not all muscle either, and he has a ruddy complexion. I always wondered what Clarissa had seen in him over me. The blonde on his arm looks bored, chewing away on her gum like it’s the only thing keeping her from falling asleep. She looks like she may be twenty, tops. I guess Clarissa taking the fall and being incarcerated for crimes against the US wasn’t enough for him to stay loyal to her.
“Surely those stories cannot be true. She is your sister, yes? But then I did not see her in a photo with you, so maybe it is only your brothers she prefers.Shlyukha, kak ni kruti.”
