Loving On the Edge 5-Book Collection: Crash Into You, Melt Into You, Fall Into You, Caught Up In You, Need You Tonight. Roni Loren

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      Reid’s shoulders tensed as soon as he parked his truck in the driveway and saw the kitchen lights were still shining brightly through the windows of the main house. He checked the clock on the dash. Almost three a.m. Not a good sign that someone was still up. The back door swung open before he’d even cut the engine. Aw, hell. An even worse sign. His aunt was waiting up for him.

      With a heavy sigh, he climbed out of the truck and shut the door. “Everything alright, Aunt Ros?”

      “We need to talk to you. Inside. Now.”

      Shit. We.

      He scrubbed a hand over his face and slinked inside the house, feeling like he was fourteen again. He squinted in the bright lights of the pristine kitchen. His uncle was perched on a stool next to the marble island, sipping a glass of amber-colored alcohol and his aunt was standing next to him, arms crossed over her chest and lips pressed in a hard line.

      “Nice night, Reid?” she asked, her tone cutting.

      He leaned against the counter, his gaze hopping back and forth between the two of them. “It was… fine. What’s going on?”

      She grabbed a sheet of paper off the island and flipped it over. She jabbed a finger at it. “How could you do this to us?”

      He took the few steps forward to grab the page. Fuck. The photo from the lake again—only this time with no message.

      “Aunt Ros, I—”

      “No!” she said, smacking her hand hard against the countertop. “I don’t want to hear it. I told you to stay away from her, that you’d only get yourself in trouble. Get us in trouble.” She shook her head, her body visibly quivering with her anger. “Do you know what people will say if they find out that our son—that he does this to women? We’re running on a family values platform, Reid!”

      He bit his lip, letting her get her tirade out, his cheeks burning with shame.

      His uncle put a hand on Ros’s shoulder. “Reid, it’s not just the campaign. We’re worried about you. These are very dangerous waters considering your history. Did Ms. LeBreck consent to this, uh, activity?”

      Reid jaw fell open. “Hold up. You think I raped her?”

      Patrick’s gaze dropped to his glass. “We just want to know what we’re dealing with here.”

      “Of course not! Oh, my God, you guys really think I’m that screwed up, don’t you?”

      Neither his aunt or uncle met his eyes.

      “Unbelievable.” He raked his hands through his hair. “She’s my girlfriend, all right?”

      His aunt cringed, as if him dating someone outside their social circle was just as egregious as committing a rape would’ve been.

      “Well, this has to end immediately,” she said, her words clipped. “Whoever left this picture is probably building a blackmail case and doesn’t need any more ammunition. For heaven’s sake, the girl herself may have told someone to follow you two and grab a picture so she could make a little money off your relationship herself.”

      “Don’t you dare throw accusations at her,” he said, his voice rising. “She’s not interested in my money.”

      She scoffed. “Don’t be so naive. Everyone’s interested in money.”

      His fists balled. “Just because you judge people’s worth by their bank account doesn’t mean everyone else does.”

      “Hey!” his uncle barked. “That’s enough. You’ve had your aunt in tears all night over this, and I will not have you sit here and insult her. This family has done a lot for you. You need to have respect for the people who care about you.”

      Reid deflated, his uncle’s words dousing him like a bucket of ice water. “Look, I’m sorry, okay? To both of you. I didn’t mean for this to happen. But Brynn is leaving for Austin in a few weeks, so we’ll be out of sight soon. We’ll lay low until then.”

      “We?” his aunt asked.

      Reid sighed and shoved his hands in his pockets. “Brynn doesn’t know it yet, but I’m going to transfer down to UT with her if she’ll have me. I know you guys don’t approve of our relationship. But… I love the girl.”

      His uncle downed the rest of his alcohol.

      “Oh, the hell you will,” Ros said, angry tears brimming her lids. “You are staying right here. I will not have you chasing some tramp to some state school. You are our son now, and I will not stand by and watch while you throw your life away.”

      Steam was ready to burst from his ears, but he kept his tone calm. “It’s not your decision. I’m an adult. My trust fund can pay my tuition wherever I want to go. And please don’t call Brynn names.”

      “So that’s it?” she said, tears spilling over for real now. “You’re just going to leave the only family you have? The family who loves you. Your mother wanted you to be with us.”

      He couldn’t recall ever seeing his aunt cry, and the show of emotion and mention of his mother tugged at his heart. Yes, they were the only family he had. But he sometimes forgot that he was the only child his aunt and uncle had ever had as well. Even though he’d come into their lives late in the game, they’d never treated him like anything but a son.

      Fuck. He ran his hands over his face. “Look, I just need some time to think, all right? I love you guys, too, but Brynn is important to me. Why can’t I have a life with all of you?”

      His uncle gave a world-weary sigh. “Because that’s not how the world works. Life is about the tough choices. And you need to make the right one for you, for this family, and for everyone’s future.”

      His shoulders sank with the weight of his words. For the first time since he’d met Brynn, he wished she had the pedigree of someone like Vanessa. A girl who would be accepted into the fold with open arms. Life would be a hell of a lot easier.

      But he couldn’t help who he loved.

      Now he just had to figure out if love was enough.

FIFTEEN

       now

      Stupid. So fucking stupid. Reid had seen the wince cross Brynn’s face when he’d called her his girl. Here he was, preaching about leaving the past behind them, and he had to go and say something to remind her of it. The words had just rolled off his tongue before he could stop them. God, he was an idiot.

      Sex. That’s what this was. A kinky, no-strings fuck. That’s why he’d invited Jace for a ménage. He had to make sure his own head didn’t get screwed up being one-on-one with Brynn again. But even knowing that it was for the best, Reid had still wanted to break Jace’s fingers the minute he’d touched Brynn. The girl had a way of crawling beneath Reid’s skin and flipping his “mine” switch, СКАЧАТЬ