Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76205 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
“Jesse,” Brianna finally says, her voice soft and gentle, “we will find a way. We will find a way for both of us to live our dreams.”
I sigh, shaking my head. “If only it were that simple.”
“Nothing about life is ever simple,” she says. “Even born to privilege like I’ve been, life hasn’t been simple. It hasn’t been simple for any of us.” She sighs. “I could go on and on about what my family has been through. You know some of it, now that it’s public knowledge.”
She’s right, of course. A lot of skeletons just emerged from the Steel family closet in the form of the late Wendy Madigan, who is Ryan Steel’s birth mother. The older Steels knew about her, but it was news to the younger generation.
“Gina’s having a really difficult time,” Brianna goes on.
“I know. I understand. I’m sorry this is difficult for her.”
And I want to understand. I do. But Gina Steel has a trust fund that’s worth more than everything every member of my family owns put together. Her life won’t change. In fact, nothing has changed. She thinks her genetics have changed, but her genetics were always what they were. She just didn’t know.
Brianna pushes her hair behind her ear. “There are other things too, Jesse. Things I can’t talk about. Things that aren’t my stories to tell. But my father… And my brothers… They’ve been through hell that you can’t even imagine.”
Hell that I can’t even imagine?
Dale Steel lost some of his vineyards. Our family lost all of ours.
But I don’t want to quarrel with Brianna about the tough times of her family versus the tough times of mine. There are things she will never understand.
Which is probably why I fought these developing feelings so hard.
I’ve always found her attractive. In my mind, she’s the most beautiful of all the Steel siblings and cousins. She’s even more beautiful than her mother—who’s the daughter of a supermodel.
But maybe I need to understand.
“Can you tell me a little bit?”
“I wish I could. I’m pretty sure Callie knows. Donny probably told her everything.”
Donny Steel. My rival and my nemesis for so long. Now about to be my brother-in-law.
Perhaps my sister and I need to have a conversation. But if Bree and I are in love, shouldn’t she be the one to tell me? I mean, if whatever she’s talking about involves her father and her brothers, shouldn’t that come from her? Not my sister?
But I choose to leave it.
I choose to leave it because I need a good night’s sleep tonight. I have a concert tomorrow evening, rehearsal tomorrow afternoon.
The day after tomorrow, before we leave for Glasgow, the band and I will do some sightseeing in Edinburgh.
But tomorrow I have to be on.
I need to sleep well, and while I’m relaxed after making love with Brianna, now I’m thinking.
My mind is going a mile a minute, worrying about how I can keep the band on track and still deal with these massive emotions taking me over.
“If things work out between us, Brianna,” I say, “I’m going to expect full honesty from you.”
She bites her lower lip. “Before we get to any of that, don’t you think we should figure out how to handle the rest of this tour? We need to tell the others.”
“Do we? I don’t want to mess this up for Maddie. And part of the deal with Maddie was that you would be there for her, rooming with her, seeing Europe with her.”
She sighs. “I love Maddie. Truly I do. But Jesse… I want to be with you.”
“That can’t happen. All our reservations have already been made, and I’m rooming with Dragon. I only have this room to myself because he’s still in London. You leaving Maddie for us to be together would put Maddie in a room with Dragon.” I shake my head with a scoff. “And that is not happening in my lifetime.”
I think of the talk I had with Dragon about his attempted seduction of Rory. And as protective as I am of Rory, I’m ten times more protective of Maddie, the baby of the family.
“But I need to be with you,” she says.
I need to be with her too, probably more than she needs me. I’m still not convinced she feels for me what I’ve learned I feel for her. She thinks she does, but she’s so young, and she’s worshipped me from afar for so long.
She may not love me when she comes to know the real Jesse.
The Jesse who has secrets of his own. Secrets that may affect how she feels about me.
I should have kept my emotions at bay. I could have gotten her to agree to sleep with me for the duration of the tour to ease my tension, to keep me satisfied and focused at the same time.