Picture Perfect (28 page)

“She’s gone,” Brayden rasped. “She’s gone.”

“Yes,” I said, barely able to muster enough sound to talk. “She is.”

Brayden sank to the floor, and I went with him. I didn’t let go of his arm because he was still too unstable, but my grip lessened a fraction.

“I didn’t have anyone there for me,” Brayden said, his face haunted. The loneliness in his eyes crushed my heart. “Everyone crowded around you. That’s why I made your life a living hell. I wanted you to feel as alone as I’ve felt.” He glanced at me sidelong. “I was the one who suggested the restraining order - not Dad.”

My breath caught. M
y gaze sharply swung to our father, who watched us with shining eyes. “Is this true?” I asked.

His Adam’s apple bobbed. “I let you believe it was me because I knew you already hated me, and I didn’t want you to hate your brother. You hated so much then, Allen.”

My breath caught at the sound of my first name, the name I’d gone by during my childhood, when the world was more innocent. I could never go back to being Allen, not now. Not after all that had happened.

“I couldn’t stand to look at you after that,” Brayden said. “Delia and I always had each other when Dad or Mom was paying you more attention. You always outshone us, Devin. We couldn’t seem to keep up. Nothing I ever did was good enough.
I didn’t feel like such a screwup with Delia around. She made me feel okay to be me. She appreciated me.”

I went very still. “I’m so sorry, little brother.”

Brayden took a deep breath and ran a hand through his wet, disheveled hair and over his face. “I spent a lot of time hating you, even before Delia died. But it was hard to be jealous of you because you were so damn nice. Then you and Dad started fighting, and Delia and I watched you get angrier and more unstable. You became a wreck and started doing hardcore drugs. And she adored you. She went with you without question.”

I saw her now, in my mind. My baby sister’s adoring eyes. I’d noticed it back then, but I hadn’t realized how much she looked up to me. But Brayden saw. All he’d ever wanted was someone to look up to him.

“Brayden,” I said, “I don’t know what to say.”

Brayden turned and fixed
his bloodshot eyes on mine. “Say you’re sorry and really mean it. But don’t say you loved our sister more than me, because that’s a lie.”

“Say you’re sorry.”

I rose, going to my bedroom and digging through my dresser drawer. The wad of cloth was easy to find. Coming back out into the living room, I knelt before Brayden and handed him the cloth. He took it, brows furrowed in confusion.

“I’m sorry,” I said as he unwrapped it. “I’m sorry for taking her away from you.” My voice thickened with emotion. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you like I should have been. And I’m sorry I never said this before now, but I love you, Brayden. Please forgive me for being a shitty brother?”

Brayden’s eyes went wide as the crystal cross gleamed up at him. He stared at it for a small eternity, holding his breath. A single tear fell down his cheek, and he looked at me and smiled.

Every darkness I’d known for the past year shattered, leaving me feeling complete inside. I reached out and hugged my brother, and he hugged
me back. I didn’t say anything and neither did he. We didn’t need to. Hugging him felt like finding repentance for what I’d done, for the pain I’d caused him all this time.

I don’t know how long we hugged before parting. Dad stood quietly to the side, co
ming to help us both up and giving us a smile. For the first time in a while, I smiled back.

DAD AND BRAYDEN STAYED about a half hour longer, sitting and talking and reminiscing. It was nice. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt like I had a family. By the time they left, I was in such a hyper, raw emotional state that I nearly jumped out of my skin when my phone buzzed. Seeing Erik’s number, I punched
talk
and pressed the phone to my ear. “Hey,” I said brightly.

“Devin, where are you?” came Erik’s frantic voice.

I frowned. “At home. What’s going on?”

“It’s Angel. Tammara called me and said when they went to get her things out of the club, Curtis attacked them.”

I forgot how to breathe for a second. “What? Is she hurt?”

“They’re both fine. Angel’s pretty shaken up. Tammara asked me to call you.”

That dead feeling returned. So Angel hadn’t asked him herself.

The thought of someone hurting her was too overwhelming. Grabbing my keys, I headed for the door. “I’ll be there in ten.”

“That a boy.”

We hung up, and I raced down the stairs, my heart hammering in my chest, pumping hot anger through my veins.

CHAPTER 31

Devin

I SPED THE WHOLE
way downtown, weaving in and out of traffic and honking if they didn’t move. All I could think about was Angel, and that sick bastard laying a hand on her.
I swear to God, if that son of a bitch put so much as a bruise on her, I’ll kill him.

Cop cars with streaming red and blue lights filled the parking lot as I pulled up and threw the car into park. I was out and racing forward toward the security line before the engine had died.

“Sir, you can’t come in here,” a cop said as I came up to the club.

“Try and stop me,” I growled, easily towering over him by half a foot and fifty pounds of muscle.

His eyes went wide, and I marched past him toward the ambulance and a familiar head of black hair.

“Erik,” I said, coming up behind him. He stood next to Tammara, who was being looked over by a medic. “Where is she?”

He gestured with his head. “Over there, with the other EMTs.”

I started walking before he finished, searching the crowd for red curls.
Come on, baby. Please be okay. Please -

I stopped, and damn if my heart didn’t as well. There she was, my muse.

Our eyes met, and her mouth dropped open. We stared at each other, me drinking in every inch of her, searching for any sign she was hurt. Without waiting for the medic’s permission, she rushed forward and threw her arms around me.

I clung to her, wanting to hold her as close as possible but holding back because I was afraid I’d hurt her more. “Are you okay?” I breathed against her neck, kissing her there.

She nodded. “I am now.”

“I’m never letting you out of my sight again. Ever. Do you hear me?”

She nodded again and clung to me tighter.

I didn’t want to let go. Even when she at last pulled away, I let my hands linger on the small of her back. “I didn’t mean to scare you earlier, when I grabbed you and kissed you,” I said.

She shook her head, pressing a finger to my lips. “If anything, I should apologize. I have some issues to work through. I thought I was stronger, that I was over them, but I guess I’m not because they still get the better of me.”

“It’s okay.” I ran a hand through her messy curls, relishing the feel
of her silky strands against my fingers. “Our fears make us human. You’re perfect. You’re beautiful, you’re passionate.” I pressed my forehead to hers. “And I wouldn’t have you any other way.”

She closed her eyes, smiling softly. “I love you.”

My eyes flashed open. I hadn’t realized they’d closed until she said it. Hell, I couldn’t even be sure she’d said it. The words were whispered, like a prayer.

Heart pounding, I took a shaky breath. “I love you too.” It was the goddamn truth. I’d been afraid to admit it for fear of the consequences love brought me in the past, but hearing her courage in saying it made me want to be strong for her too.

Her eyes opened then, shining like emeralds. “I’d forgotten how good it felt to hear that. I thought maybe you had too.”

My mouth twitched into a smile. “You know what’s even better?”

“What?”

“An ‘I love you’ with one of these.” I planted my mouth on hers, plunging deep, and she responded instantly. Her body pressed against mine as her hands tangled in my hair, our tongues searching, desperate to know the other existed, that this wasn’t some bullshit fairy tale we’d wake up from in a minute. The taste of her cherry-flavored lipstick on my mouth assured me this was real, and it wasn’t until cameras started flashing that I broke the kiss.

Angel rested her head on my shoulder, and I wrapped an arm protectively around her waist as the paparazzi closed in. “Mr. Thompson, Ms. Davis, can we have a word?”

“Yeah, you can have one.” I stuck my middle finger up at the cameras, and the reporters abruptly shut up for a split second, glancing at each other.

I turned my attention back to the goddess on my arm, a wicked glint to her eyes. “What do you say we get out of here?” I asked.

She leaned forward, her lips brushing my ear. “I’d say we’d better hurry up so we can get naked and have that glorious makeup sex everyone talks about.”

The thought of her writhing, moaning body beneath me made me flush with heat, and I took her hand. “I won’t let anyone hurt you again.”

She squeezed my hand. “Ditto.”

We wove our way through the crowd, the police holding back the hungry reporters as we disappeared into the night, hands twined the whole way.

EPILOGUE

Devin

I paced the length of the art gallery, unable to stand still. I’d barely seen my muse these past two weeks because the semester crunch was closing in on us, and school and outside life demanded every second of our goddamn time. Sneaking in rare moments - lunch or dinner together - was the highlight of my week, becoming scarcer the closer graduation and the end-of-the-year exhibition approached.

I wiped my sweaty hands on my freshly pressed pants. I didn’t know why I was so nervous for her to finally see my project, to see what I’d been hiring her for. I was used to people viewing my work, but it was different with her. Her opinion mattered. I needed her to like it.

Finishing it had nearly exhausted me. I’d spent all day and most of the night these past two weeks putting it all together. Stark had been thrilled. Even my father said I’d done good. He’d brought my mother along, and hugging her after all that happened at my party had felt incredibly rewarding. Brayden even stopped by earlier while the judges were making their rounds and congratulated me. It felt good to be on amiable terms with him again, or at least, on speaking terms. We weren’t exactly having anymore bleeding heart conversations, but it was a start, the first step on a long, winding road to healing our relationship. I hadn’t realized how much I’d missed having him as my brother until I had him back.

I glanced at my watch, my foot tapping. The gallery closed in fifteen minutes. I hoped Tammara had remembered to bring my muse. She said she was heading home to get her when she and Erik swung by earlier. That had been an hour ago.

Fishing in my pocket, I retrieved my phone. My thumb hovered over Angel’s speed dial when the soft click of heels jump-started my heart. I swung around, looking for my goddess as the footsteps approached.

Angel

I don’t know why I was breathing so hard. It wasn’t like I had been running, though I had practically sprinted up the long, marble steps to the gallery because I was running late. Every click of my heels sent my pulse into a frenzy. It was exciting and scary, like when I first posed for Devin all those weeks ago.

Calm down. It’s only Devin. Your heart knows him.

As I rounded the corner and saw the tall, handsome stranger I’d fallen fast for, my heart did anything but slow. If anything, it sped up. As I’d developed a habit of doing, my eyes raced over his features, tracing the outline of each muscle, imagining him naked beneath the starched shirt and pants.

Clearing my throat as I felt my face heat, I started forward, trying to act cool. “Sorry I’m late. A representative from my mom’s care facility called.”

His face immediately drew tight with concern. “Is she all right?”

I nodded, stopping before him. “Yeah,” I said quietly, glancing at the beautiful sculptures and paintings around us. “She said my mom had heard the news of the attack and wanted to make sure I was okay.”

I glanced at him as the last word left my mouth. Understanding dawned in his eyes. He knew my mother hadn’t shown she’d cared in forever. The fact she’d been worried enough to ask someone to check in floored me. My mind was still reeling with it. What did it mean? Did I dare call her and try to talk to her? I still hadn’t made up my mind yet.

Devin thankfully didn’t push the issue. “Walk with me?” he asked, pushing his hands in his pockets.

I smiled, blinking a few times to clear my mind. “Sure.”

We casually strolled down the massive hallway, the only people around except for a few staff flitting about cleaning up after the day. I worried my lip. Devin’s pace was slow, leisurely, even. Wasn’t he concerned they’d kick us out before I got to see his work?

“I bet you’re glad the media is starting to leave you alone,” he said.