Combust (The Wellingtons #1) (33 page)

All of a sudden, I’m being wrapped up in Charlie’s arms and she’s squealing. “I freaking love you!” she exclaims before pulling back from me, her brown eyes dancing with amusement. “The last thing this family needs is a timid little mouse, and it’s obvious you’re anything but that. You’re just what I need to deal with the Wellington brothers. But feel free to keep the experimenting to yourself,” she tells me with a wink.

I’m pretty sure Charlie’s about to break out into Train’s Hey Soul Sister when Cohen pulls me away from her. His lips hover over my ear.

“You think my six-pack is sexy?” he grumbles, sending shivers down my spine.

Turning to him, I look up and meet his eyes. “Every single thing about you is sexy. Even your love for petri dishes.”

Before he can respond, I hear a throat clear behind us. Cohen keeps his arm firmly around my waist, but I pull back to see the new arrival. I nearly do a double take when I spy a gorgeous, rugged, sexier-than-sin man filling the kitchen doorway. As he holds on to the top of the doorframe, his shirt rises up to expose a rock-hard eight-pack, and I have to force myself to look up so I’m not ogling him. He’s clearly one of Cohen’s brothers, as they have similar coloring and facial features, but his eyes are different. Instead of Cohen’s deep green, his are dark, intense, and broody as hell. They don’t leave my face as he studies me, and it’s unnerving. We’re in some sort of stare down, and even though I don’t know why, I refuse to look away as he continues to size me up.

Charlie crosses to him and places an arm around his waist as she also pokes him in the stomach. She leans up on her tiptoes and whispers in his ear. His eyes soften just a little bit, and I wonder what she told him.

“Andi, this is Knox. Knox, this is Cohen’s girlfriend, Andi. Let’s not scare her off on the first day with brooding stares and silent intimidations, okay?” she warns, and I almost melt when a slow smile spreads over his face as he looks down at her.

She rises on her toes and gives him a quick kiss on the lips before she pulls away and pushes him towards me. Cohen’s hand tightens on my waist, but I pull from his grasp and take Knox’s hand as he extends it out in front of him.

“Hey. Like my woman said, I’m Knox, Cohen’s older and much better-looking brother,” he tells me, shooting me a smile that I’m sure has melted even the coldest of panties over the years, and I can see that Cohen favors him. He takes my hand and pulls me a little closer to him before leaning down, a teasing glimmer in his eye. “Just so you're aware, I taught that kid everything he knows.”

I reel back and look around him to where Charlie is watching us, her lips twitching as she tries to hide her grin. Giving her an apologetic look, I sigh. “I’m so sorry to hear that,” I offer with a fake grimace. "So, so sorry."

She and Amelia look at each other and then back at me. Apparently meeting the family causes my foot-in-mouth syndrome to flame up, because even though I was joking, it probably was the wrong thing to say the first time meeting these people. I’m about to apologize when Charlie busts out laughing for the second time since I met her. Okay, maybe my jokes aren’t so bad. Knox smiles down at me and shakes his head as Cohen comes up beside me, slipping an arm around my waist.

“That’s not what you were saying last night,” he whispers loud enough for his brother to hear.

The two men exchange high fives, and flames cause my cheeks to flush.

“Okay, you two. Leave the poor girl alone,” Amelia says, and I’m thankful for the interlude.

“I like her, kid.” Knox nods his approval to Cohen, and warm butterflies fill my stomach. I know Cohen admires and looks up to his brother, so his stamp of approval is just as important as his parents’.

Cohen nods, and just like that, all the tension of meeting his family melts away as Amelia beckons me over to the island in the middle of the kitchen, where Charlie meets us. Knox and Cohen start up a conversation about who knows what, and I try to tune them out as Amelia asks about my family. I’m relaxed as the atmosphere becomes comfortable, and the more I interact with his family, the more I like them.

Just as Cohen comes up behind me, I turn to see another tall, dark, and extremely handsome man stumble into the kitchen. At first, he doesn’t seem to notice that anyone else is in the kitchen, and everyone falls silent as they watch him drink straight from the orange juice carton in the fridge. Note to self: politely decline the OJ at brunch.

Knox clears his throat, and the new stranger quickly looks up, his gaze flicking around the room until he sees me next to Cohen. His eyes lock on mine, and I can’t look away. His stare is examining, and I feel dizzy under his scrutiny, more so than Knox’s. This must be the other brother. The one who put a wedge between the family all those years ago.

“Who’s the chick?” he asks in a gruff tone before taking his eyes off me and turning back to the refrigerator to pull out a beer. He pops the top and takes a long swig, and I fight the urge to check my watch. “Let me guess. Another Wellington’s down for the count? Perfect. Just be careful, little brother. Those redheads can be feisty. Remember what I told you,” he says to Cohen in warning, and I make a mental note to find out later what exactly that means.

Cohen’s about to respond when Amelia beats him to it. “Branson! Leave the girl and your brother alone,” she scolds.

He shrugs his shoulders as he gives her an apologetic smile, but when he turns back to me, a smirk forms on his lips just before he takes another drink and walks out of the room, leaving as quickly as he came.

Before I can ask Cohen what he meant, a man who looks like a carbon copy of Knox, just twenty-plus years older, enters the room. He gives both Amelia and Charlie a kiss on the cheek before he notices me with Cohen. A warm smile covers his face as he moves closer to us.

“Ah, so we get to meet the girl who was finally able to pull you out of the lab?” he asks Cohen in a pleasant and only slightly teasing tone.

Clearly Cohen’s family has no idea that he hasn’t exactly been lacking female companionship throughout his college career, and for some reason, the thought makes my heart warm. His dad extends his hand out to me, and I place mine in his, giving him a firm shake.

“It’s nice to meet you. As you can tell, I’m the old man around here. Call me Knox,” he offers and my eyes flick to Cohen in confusion. He mouths that he’ll tell me later and I let it fall from my mind as I introduce myself to his dad. I take a moment to study him, and hell, if this is what Cohen’s going to look like later in life, I’m going to be hard pressed to ever let him go. He’s handsome, and just like Amelia, his eyes are kind and he has a Southern gentlemanly charm.

As we move into the dining room for brunch, I proceed to spend more time dutifully answering questions than I do eating, but I don’t mind. His family is extremely pleasant, and even Branson manages to crack a smile from time to time.

“So, Andi, what do you plan on doing after graduation?” Charlie asks.

Cohen shifts in his seat, looking away, and I wonder what he’s thinking. This isn’t anything we’ve talked about, and to be honest, I’m not even sure what the future holds for me.

“I’m still trying to figure that one out. Grad school’s always in the back of my mind, but I’ve applied for a few journalism internships that I’m still waiting to hear from, so I’m not making any drastic decisions just yet. I figure I have a few months before I’m thrust into the real world.”

“Internships?” Cohen asks, looking at me quizzically. I’m not sure why there’s surprise in his voice. Even though we haven’t discussed our post-graduate plans, I’m ninety-nine percent sure he’s going off to med school.

As if on cue, Branson clears his throat and chimes in. Pointing at Cohen with a piece of bacon, he eyes me. “Have you two talked about what’ll happen when Cohen goes off to medical school? Yeah, he may be a little chemistry genius right now, but it’s going to be a whole different ballgame when he gets to Memphis. Long hours, even longer studying sessions, exhaustion—the works. What happens then?”

I don’t think Branson’s trying to be a jerk. The look on his face is sincere, and I think he’s truly just thinking of his brother’s best interest, but Cohen doesn’t seem to see it that way. He jumps on the defensive.

“Jesus Christ, Branson. We’ve been dating for all of a week. Graduation is months away. Of course we haven’t discussed this, and we’re not going to, so drop it.” His tone is gruff, and I see the surprise in Branson’s eyes.

Branson simply nods and sits back in his chair, but he doesn’t take his eyes off us.

Fortunately, Amelia changes the subject, and for the rest of the meal, the conversation is light. Cohen is still tense beside me, and I bring my hand to his bouncing leg, hoping to relax him. Glancing around the table, I see that no one is paying attention to us, so I lean in close and steal a quick kiss.

“Calm down, babe. He’s just looking out for you. It’s not a big deal.”

He lets out a deep sigh, the rests his forehead on mine. “You’re the only person who’d give Branson an excuse when he’s just trying to be an ass,” he says, but he smiles, and I know it worked.

His shoulders relax and he sits back in his chair. Then he takes my hand under the table as he engages in conversation with Knox. I steal a peek at Branson, and I catch him still looking at me with what looks like interest and perhaps acceptance. A small smile seems to be playing on his lips, and instead of letting it form, he’s quick to take another sip of his beer. With a quick nod in my direction, he scoots away from the table and disappears in the direction of the kitchen without a word.

BRANSON’S QUESTION about the future puts me on edge, and I’m not sure why. It’s way too soon for us to be thinking about it, let alone discussing the issue. Just because things are going well now doesn’t mean that, in four months, we’ll still be together. The thought of not being with her sends a quick pang to my heart, and instead of examining it, I lash out at Branson. It’s not until Andi’s hand lands on my thigh, her lips on mine, that I calm down. Forcing the thoughts of the future out of my brain, I try to concentrate on my conversation with Knox.

After brunch, Mom and Charlie steal Andi away with promises of showing her all the embarrassing photos from my childhood. I try to protest, but Charlie waves me off, calling it a Wellington girlfriend rite of passage. Knox slaps me on the shoulder.

“Dude, she’s right. You were there when Mom insisted on showing Charlie the photo from the time I used her lipstick as war paint. You’ve avoided it for a long damn time, but now, it’s your turn,” he tells me, and I chuckle at the memory. He looks around and then leans in close. “Come on, kid. I’ve got something to show you.”

As he gets up from the table, he gestures towards the front hall. I follow him out the front door and down to his car, joined by Branson, who was outside nursing his beer. Knox leans into his car and then looks around before standing up. When he holds his palm out in from of us, I see a small, square, black box resting in the middle of his hand.

“Holy shit,” Branson breathes, and I echo his sentiment.

Knox rolls his eyes at us and lifts the lid to show off the huge rock sitting inside.

“Holy shit,” I repeat and let out a low whistle.

Knox grins at both of us, looking like a frickin’ idiot. An idiot in love, that is.

“Is this what I think it is?” I ask.

He nods then reaches over and slaps me on the back of the head. “I guess you’re not as dumb as you look, kid. As long as you think that’s an engagement ring, then yeah, it’s exactly what you think it is. I’m asking Charlie to marry me.” The smile on his face is wider than I’ve ever seen, but while I’m happy for him, I can’t help but question it.

“Already? You’ve only been together for, what, six months?” Don’t get me wrong. I love Charlie, and I don’t think Knox will ever find a better woman than her, but this seems pretty damn sudden.

“It may be soon, but I’ve learned there’s no timeframe when it comes to love. And I love the hell out of that girl. Less than a year ago, I was in the hospital—alone—and it made me realize I wanted more out of life. Sure, we might not have started out on the right foot, but Charlie’s given me my life back, and I know I’m going to spend the rest of it with her. And I want it to start as soon as possible.”