Heidi Rice - Bedded for His Pleasure - Bedded by a Bad Boy / In the Gardener's Bed / The Return of the Rebel

It was worse than sneaky not to tell everyone about their relationship. It was dishonest. But what could she do, seeing the insecurity in his eyes? He was worried about his relationship with his brother and, however misguided his suggestion might be, she couldn’t stand in the way of him building a better bond with Linc. The two of them had been robbed of that in their childhood. She would not be the one to put a spanner in the works now.

‘Okay, Monroe, I won’t say anything, but just for a little while.’

Monroe pulled her into his arms, so she couldn’t see the sadness in his eyes. ‘Thanks, Red,’ he said, knowing a little while was all they had.

‘SO, WHAT have you and Monroe been getting up to while we’ve been away?’

Jessie’s fingers stopped dead on the garment she was busy folding into Ali’s dresser drawer. ‘Sorry, what did you say?’ She could feel the heat creeping up her neck as she stared down at the newly washed T-shirt.

‘Hmm,’ Ali murmured from the soft leather armchair by the master bedroom’s French doors. ‘From the fantastic shade of red you’re going, I’d say it’s quite a lot.’

Jessie turned slowly to face her sister. She was trapped. That was the problem with having red hair and fair skin. She couldn’t keep a secret from Ali if her life depended on it.

‘Don’t look so mortified, Jess. You’ve been here two weeks alone together and it was obvious the night of the barbecue there was an attraction there. I’m not all that shocked you guys went for it.’

Jessie stared at her sister, keeping her feelings a secret now seemed pointless. ‘Actually, it’s a little more than just sex.’

Ali studied her sister for a moment, then her eyes widened. ‘My goodness.’ She hauled herself out of the chair, waddled over to Jessie. ‘You’re in love with him.’

The depth of emotion in Ali’s eyes made Jessie’s own begin to water. ‘Yes, I think I am.’

‘How does Monroe feel?’

Jessie looked down as she closed the dresser drawer. ‘We haven’t talked about it.’

‘Why not?’

‘I don’t want to pressure him.’

‘But, Jess, you have a right to know how he feels, don’t you?’

‘He cares about me. I know he does.’ He had made love to her so carefully, so tenderly the night before, it had to be true.

‘What’s the problem, then?’ Concern tinged Ali’s words. ‘You don’t look happy, Jess.’

‘I…’ Jessie paused, feeling guilty. She’d already broken the promise she’d made to Monroe. ‘He didn’t want you and Linc to know about us.’

‘Why?’

It was such a simple question. Why did she find it so hard to answer? ‘He says it’s because Linc warned him off. Told him not to touch me.’

‘That’s ridiculous. Linc wouldn’t say that.’Ali sounded so sure, Jessie’s confusion increased.

‘I know,’ Jessie replied softly. ‘After I thought about it for a while I came to the same conclusion. I mean, I know Linc can be a bit overprotective, but I’m sure Monroe got the wrong end of the stick somehow.’

‘There’s a very simple way to sort this out.’Ali headed for the bedroom door. ‘We’ll go and ask Linc what he said.’

‘No.’ Jessie caught up with her sister, held her arm. ‘You can’t ask him. I don’t want Linc to know about this.’

Her sister stared back at her for a moment. ‘I can’t believe you and Monroe think you’ll be able to keep it a secret. It took me about ten seconds to figure it out after we got back this morning.’

‘Yes, well.’ Jessie could feel the heat in her cheeks again but soldiered on. ‘I don’t think Linc’s quite as astute as you are. He didn’t spot a thing.’It had been almost comical, the way Monroe had been so careful not to touch her or look at her when the family’s car had pulled up in the drive that morning.

‘Linc was nervous,’ Ali said. ‘After what happened at Emmy’s party. I told him to ring Monroe and talk to him while we were in New York. But he wouldn’t do it. You know what men are like. They’d rather saw off their own tongues than talk about their feelings. But he’s desperate to make things right with Monroe.’

‘Monroe wants to sort it out as well, Ali.’ Jessie pleaded with her sister. This she understood. ‘That’s why I don’t think we should tell Linc about Monroe and me right now. They’ve got so much baggage to get through already. This will just cloud the whole thing. And anyway, we’ve only been an item for two weeks.’

‘But you’re in love with him, Jess.’

‘I know, but it’s still new. They’ve waited over twenty years to become brothers again. I don’t want to make it more difficult.’

Ali plopped down on the bed, her eyes clouded. ‘Did Monroe talk to you about their family, then?’

‘Yes, he told me about their mother. What she did to them. What happened to him in prison. He’s had such a tough life, Ali. He’s had to overcome things I couldn’t even imagine.’

Ali watched her for a long moment, then patted the bed beside her. ‘Sit down, Jess.’

Jessie perched on the bed. She could see the worry and regret in Ali’s face.

‘All right, Jess,’ she said. ‘I won’t tell Linc about you two.’

Jessie let out an unsteady breath.

‘But I still think you’re wrong about this.’

‘Why? I—’

‘I know you’re doing it for all the right reasons,’Ali interrupted her. ‘You’re warm and you’re giving and I think you’ve been waiting a long time to have someone to love.’

‘Do you think I’m being a romantic fool?’

‘No, I don’t, Jess.’Ali’s words were heartfelt. ‘I don’t think you’re a fool at all. But,’ she continued, ‘Monroe is a very complicated man. He’s not going to be an easy man to love.’

‘I know that. But, Ali, he really needs me. And I think he’s worth the effort.’ How could she explain to her sister how special he was? ‘He’s such a wonderful person in so many ways. He’s tender and caring and so careful with me. He’s also fun and exciting and…Well, you already know how gorgeous he is. And, Ali, he has the most amazing talent. He paints, portraits, landscapes. In oil, mostly. But, Ali, he’s got this incredible way of putting the emotion there on the canvas. I wish you could see his work. But he’s sort of shy about it.’ Jessie’s heart felt as if it were going to beat right out of her chest. It was so wonderful to be able to talk to someone at last about how she felt.

Ali put her arms around Jessie, gave her a tight hug. ‘I’m glad for you, Jessie. And Monroe. He’s a lucky man, but I’ve got one word of warning.’

Jessie stilled her features, the concern in Ali’s eyes stemming her euphoria. ‘I’m listening.’

‘By not telling Monroe how you feel about him. By not telling Linc about the two of you because Monroe has asked you not to. You’re putting his needs above your own, Jess.’

‘I know, but it feels right at the moment.’

‘Fine, but it can’t go on for ever. What you need is just as important as what he needs. Remember that.’

‘Hey, you want a hand with that?’

Monroe looked up from the lawnmower to see his brother walking towards him across the freshly mown grass. He wiped his forearm across his brow as he stood up.

‘All finished,’ he said. ‘I’m just gonna haul these clippings over to the garage. The garbage truck will get them tomorrow.’

Drawing level, Linc grabbed one of the sacks. ‘Let me take one.’

Monroe bent to tie up the other. They walked in silence across the lawn with the cumbersome garbage bags in their arms. Monroe waited for his brother to speak. He could feel the sweat trickling down his back. It was a hot day; the mid-afternoon heat was a killer. He should have waited until evening to mow the lawn, but he’d been antsy ever since his brother and his family had got back from New York.