Designer Genes - The Boyfriend Cut (46 page)

"Any place besides where you live sounds exotic to a ten-year-old."

"We can go anywhere you want, you know."

"Well
my
'trust fund' has barely seven thousand dollars, which will more than likely get eaten up in rent if I stay all four years at Cornell. I'll have to work my butt off at the clinic on weekends I go home, or find me a part time job that will work with my school schedule if I want to eat."

Jordan's expression clouded. "The Program starts paying you monthly once you're eighteen." He groaned when I shifted off his lap and sat next to him.

Automatically, I folded my knees to my chest, but tipped my head against his shoulder. "I want to pay my own way as much as I can. I don't have a choice but to let The Program foot the bill for college, otherwise, there's no way I could attend someplace like Cornell. But I don't want to rely on them anymore than I have to. I won't sell my soul to pay back the debt."

Jordan slid his arm around my waist. "Even if
I
am the debt?"

I left my head on his shoulder, but turned my face to his. "You'd never take my soul."

His thumb glided over my cheek. "You're right, I wouldn't. I'd much rather have your heart."

I pressed my hand to his chest. "It's already there, next to yours."

"I'll take good care of it, I promise." He kissed my nose. "And you, if you let me."

"I told you, I don't want your money."

Jordan lowered me onto the sand, moving his body over mine. "I'm not talking about money. I'm talking about Marli Davis, the person. You're strong, stubborn, and I get that you want your independence. All I want to do is stand next to you, not in front of you. But you've got to understand that I have this overwhelming need to protect you." He gently stroked his fingers through my hair. "If something happened to you that I could have prevented, I'd never forgive myself. I'm not good at staying in the shadows, Marli, although I'll try to not be controlling.

I rose enough to steal a kiss off his mouth; a risky move resulting with his hand smoothing up my thigh and his finger drawing a lazy line under the hem of my shorts.

"I like it sometimes when you're my superhero, but I want to share 'the cape' once in a while, okay?" I pulled his hand away and laced my fingers through his. "And take things slow."

He shook my hand in a businesslike manner. "Hi, I'm Jordan Mason." He winked. "Slow enough?"

I pulled his head so his lips rested on mine. "Faster."

26

THINGS THAT GO "BUMP" IN THE NIGHT

T
hunder rolled through the heavens stirring me awake. We'd experienced almost a month's worth of perfect weather, but things changed over the past few days. Swells rolled larger and the water turned murky from the higher tides. Air usually feeling light and smelling of summer, became muggy, the salty smell earthy from the blowing dust and dirt.

The scent of rain filtered into the breeze growing stronger as the storm approached. The usual nighttime lullaby sounding of soft waves sizzling over warm sand, transformed into something almost frightening when the angry surf pounded against the shore. I winced with a flash of lightning and braced for the crack of thunder.

Jordan whispered sleepily through my hair. "Marli, what is it?"

"Thunderstorms scare me."

He climbed off the bed and pulled the glass panels shut. "Good thing we fastened the rain covers on the boats. Looks like a bad one heading our way."

He slipped under the covers, breaking his own rule, and drew me close. Lightning flashed again and he cupped one hand over my ear, the other one gently rubbing my back as the next wave of thunder rocked.

Tonight I was grateful I agreed when Jordan asked to stay. Ever since our talk on the beach the first day, he respected my wishes and left my room at midnight, unless I made the suggestion he linger longer—meaning all night. I liked sleeping in his arms, although Jordan insisted on sleeping on top of the quilted coverlet with me under, keeping a fabric shield between our bodies.

I snuggled against his bare chest, feeling his arms wrap tighter in response. A simultaneous flash and ground shattering rumble made me jump, bumping his chin.

"Ouch, girl. You're going to knock my teeth out."

"Sorry for being such a baby."

Jordan turned on the light next to the bed and propped my pillow behind him. "Don't apologize for being afraid of something." He placed a tender kiss on my lips and gave me a rough hug. "Try to sleep. You're safe tucked in these arms."

We spent the next morning cleaning up broken tree limbs and scattered palm fronds. Jesse re-attached a couple of loose shutters and Meg swept up glass from a shattered window in the laundry room. Eva rode in the sport boat with Jordan to check the yacht for damages and reposition the anchor. I found a stray cushion in the bushes at the edge of the front lawn. Jesse met me on the porch, turning a tipped rocker over for me.

"Mars, are you sleeping with Jordan?"

His question halted me. "Define
sleeping with Jordan
?" I replied, annoyed at the insinuation and defensive of his prying into my private business.

Jesse's hands slapped the side of the house, pinning me between his arms. "You know exactly what I mean. He goes into your room every night and sneaks out at the break of dawn. What the hell is going on?" he demanded.

I ducked under his arm and opened the screen door. "I'm not having this conversation with you."

He remained on my heels as I traipsed upstairs to my room, grabbing my elbow and whirling me to face him. "Marli, I'm not just anyone. I know how close to the edge you'll go. I've been there, remember?" When I tried to shake my arm free, his grip grew stronger.

"I haven't forgotten that night, Jesse, but it's in the past. What I do with Jordan is none of your business."

I yanked my arm hard, upsetting my balance and I stumbled backward onto the bed. Jesse landed on top of me and my body tensed under his weight. My heart raced, but not the way it used to when Jesse was this close. I tried to push him off, but he held my wrists against the mattress.

"The hell it's not!" he snarled. "The thought of anyone crossing a line with you, even my own brother, makes me insane."

"Get off me!" I tried to wiggle out from underneath him, but he was too strong. "Jordan doesn't cross any line I don't invite him to, but again, not your concern." I sighed when he wouldn't budge. "What do you want from me?"

"The truth. Are you having sex with Jordan?"

Jordan raced into the room. "
No
, she's not! Now get the hell off her!" He grabbed the back of Jesse's shirt and shoved him into the wall, knocking a picture off and sending shattered glass across the floor.

Jesse punched Jordan in the stomach and I screamed, leaping off the bed and throwing myself between them. A piercing pain in the arch of my foot pulled another scream from my lungs. Jordan grabbed me just as Jesse's fist hit his jaw and consequently the side of my head, sending us both crashing to the floor.

"Jesse stop! Jordan! Marli!" The shrill of Eva's voice bounced off all four walls, bringing immediate silence. "What on earth is wrong with you!" Suddenly, she dropped to the floor and lifted my leg. "Marli! Lord have mercy, you're bleeding!" She slapped away Jordan's hands. "Don't touch her!"

Jesse sank to floor, "Shit! Marli I'm so sorry!"

"You two should be ashamed, acting like a couple of immature jackasses." Eva pushed my hair away from my face. "Marli, where else are you hurt?"

"My head," I cried. "I think I-I got a punch meant for Jordan."

"No!" Jesse wailed.

I tried to reassure him that I was okay, but it was too late. He ran down the hall to his room, slamming the door hard enough to shake the entire house.

Jordan crawled to me, taking my cut foot in his hand. Blood dripped from his lip where Jesse's fist made contact.

"Let me see your foot."

"Ouch!" I screeched when he pulled a chunk of glass out.

"You need stitches."

"No!" I cried. Eva cradled me, smoothing my hair to soothe me.

"I'll get the medical bag. I can do it." Jordan's voice sounded flat and void of emotion. "Mom, do we have any whiskey or vodka?"

"I think we have both downstairs in the liquor cabinet, but there's alcohol in the bathroom you can use for sterilization."

Jordan paused in the doorway. "It's not for sterilizing. I don't have anything to numb Marli's foot. I need to get her drunk so she doesn't notice the pain."

The rest of the day I heaved remnants of alcohol, which I'd never drank before. Jordan sat on my bed, a pillow in his lap where my head rested. His mother applied cold compresses to my face and Jordan's jaw, in between emptying soiled basins. I tried to lift my head, but the room turned sideways and Jordan forced me back into the pillow. If I didn't puke, I giggled obnoxiously. I tried talking, but my speech slurred and drool came out of my mouth easier than words.

Eva placed a cold rag across the back of my neck. "How much vodka did you put in her orange juice? I'm afraid her hangover is going to hurt far worse than her foot or head." She wiped my numb mouth, then looked at Jordan. "Let me see your lip, son."

"Mom, don't. My lip's fine and my jaw's sore, but nothing's dislocated. Just let me sit here and hold Marli. Damn, what was Jesse thinking?"

"What were
you
thinking, Jordan?" Eva scolded in return. "Both of you share the blame here. And I expect that hole in the wall fixed before we close up the house, mister."

"Sorry about the wall, Mom, but when I walked in on Jesse holding Marli down on the bed, I lost it. He had no right treating her like that." I felt his hand flex on my arm, fighting against the resurfacing anger.

"True, but I don't believe he'd ever physically harm Marli. He loves her too, Jordan. Keep that in mind. Might not hurt for you to take a moment and put yourself in his place. Maybe you'd have a bit more compassion. Remember, he is your brother—your
twin
." Eva's cool hand brushed my cheek. "All I know is that your father is going to have both of your hides for this."

"Jordan, who's your dad?" I attempted to enunciate, but the grin on Eva's face told me it didn't sound the same as it did inside my head.

"Not now, Marli. Be quiet. You need to sleep off the booze," Jordan replied in a sullen tone.

"Be quiet, be quiet. Later, later, alligator. In a while, crocodile. Oooh! Jordan can we make out? You haven't kissed me for hours. I think I forgot how." I tried to make a smacking sound, but I couldn't feel my lips pucker.

Jordan laughed and his mother fought to hide her amusement, but her small shoulders shook too hard to be discreet.

"Oh my, you have your hands full." She set an empty basin on the table next to the bed. "She hasn't thrown up in a while, so hopefully her stomach is empty, but just in case. How's her foot?"

"It's a clean slice and not deep enough to cause any damage. Strange thing, it parallels an old scar." Jordan's fingers lightly stroked the side of my face and I closed my eyes. "I guess we both have secrets."

I fought to stay awake, a battle I slowly lost. My eyelids closed, but I held on to my conscious state enough to listen to the continuing conversation.

"Jordan, are you sure? If things don't work out between the two of you, can you trust her? Our lives could depend on her discretion."

"She handled Jesse's stabbing okay, and I have no intention of letting her out of my life unless she asks to leave. I want to marry her, Mom, but I'm not sure she's ready." Jordan kissed my shoulder and even in my sleepy state, I hugged his waist tighter in response. "She's so young. I don't want to take any of her life away."

"Son, you're not exactly old. Marli may be young in years, but she's what Meg calls an 'old soul,' and the way she looks at you, I don't think she'll turn you down whether you ask her today or ten years from now. As far as telling her our secret, you may not have a choice," Eva cautioned.

"Why? What's going on?"

"Your father's on his way. I don't know how to handle this situation. He's always been better with you boys. Kate was my challenge."