Page 10 of One Night Rebellion (Bellehaven Hotties #10)

J T

Last night was one of the longest ones of my life. But when I told Addie I was ready for a lot of things, I meant it. Which is why I'm parking in front of Malcolm's real estate office the next morning.

Grabbing my cell, I go to my email and set up an away message to let any of my clients know I'll be coming in later in the day. Once that's done, I get out of my car and square my shoulders.

"Hey, JT," Rachel greets me as I walk through the front door.

"Hey, is Malcolm here? Thought I saw his SUV outside." I hitch my thumb back toward the parking lot.

"He is. He doesn't have anyone if you wanna head back there." She raises her eyebrows. "I kind of think I know what you're here about, and I'll make sure no one comes to bother y'all. Addie deserves someone who isn't ashamed to be seen with her."

"Yeah." I run my hand through my hair. "I've never been ashamed to be seen with her."

"And that's why she's been waiting on you." She winks. "She just didn't know it yet."

I flash her a relieved smile and then walk slowly back to Malcolm's office. When I get there, I knock on the door and then stick my head in. "Hey, you mind if I talk to you?"

"Sure, what are you doing here? Don't you have work?"

How do I explain to my best friend that I have feelings for his little sister, that if a member of Bellehaven PD didn't pull up last night, I would've fucked her in the back of my dad's SUV?

I figure there's no other way than to come right out.

"We've known each other most of our lives, and I've never lied to you.

I'm not about to start now, which is why I'm here. "

He sits up straighter. "Am I going to like this?"

"I don't know, but I'm gonna say it either way." I reach up and palm my chin, rubbing at the stubble there. "I've got feelings for Addie, and I don't wanna hide it anymore. I'd like to date her with your blessing."

His eyes flash. Malcolm might be polished and sitting behind a big desk with his hair brushed back and an easy smile on his face, but that's not who he is.

Not at all. And I'm ready for it. He gets up, stalks around the desk, pulls me up by the collar of my shirt, and shoves a fist against my chin.

I don't fight it. I let it happen, and I go down.

"Fuck, that hurt," I growl as I open and close my jaw, shaking my head to clear it. "You still pack a goddamn crazy punch."

"Had to. You know that."

Within a minute he's got the lid back on his emotions and his breathing under control. Reaching down, he offers me a hand and helps me up. "I know you did."

"My sister though? You motherfucker." He goes back behind the desk, gripping the edge. "You could've had anyone in this town."

"I know, but she's the only one I've always wanted. I just kept it quiet."

Malcolm stares at me for a long moment, his knuckles white where he's gripping the desk. The silence stretches between us, heavy with years of friendship and the weight of what I've just confessed. Finally, he lets out a long breath and sits down hard in his chair.

"Jesus, JT." He runs both hands through his hair, messing up that perfect style. "How long?"

"Since high school, if I'm being honest. Maybe longer." I settle back into the chair across from him, my jaw still throbbing. "But I never acted on it. Never even let myself think about it seriously until recently."

"What changed?"

I think about last night, about the way Addie looked at me in the moonlight, the way she felt in my arms. "She did.

I did. Hell, I don't know. Maybe I just got tired of pretending I didn't want her.

My knee fucking up, and taking me away from here, and then everything bringing me back. Maybe it was for a reason."

Malcolm leans back in his chair, studying me with those sharp eyes that remind me so much of Addie's. "You know what I'm going to do to you if you hurt her, right?"

"I'd expect nothing less."

"No, I'm serious, JT." His voice drops, takes on that edge I remember from when we were kids and someone picked on his little sister.

"I'll destroy you. Not just beat your ass, though that's a given.

I'll ruin your job, make sure no one in the area will work with you.

I'll make your life hell in ways you can't even imagine. "

The threat should scare me, but instead it makes me respect him more. This is Malcolm protecting his family, the way he always has. "I know."

"And if you think you can just have some fun with her and then move on to the next girl?—"

"I'm not going to hurt her, Malcolm." I lean forward, meeting his stare head-on. "I know you think I'm just some player who can't settle down, but that's not what this is. This isn't some game to me."

"Then what is it?"

The question hangs in the air, demanding an honest answer. I take a deep breath, knowing that what I say next will change everything between us, maybe forever.

"It's everything," I say quietly. "She's everything. I know that probably sounds like bullshit coming from me, given my track record, but it's the truth. I've been running from this for years because I knew once I admitted it, once I let myself feel it, there'd be no going back."

Malcolm's expression softens slightly, but his jaw is still tight. "She's not like the other girls you've been with."

"I know that."

"She's been hurt before. That asshole from Georgia I told you about that…"

"I know about Derek." The name tastes bitter in my mouth. "And I know what you told me he did to her back then. What he made her believe about herself."

"Then you know she doesn't need another man in her life who's going to make her feel like she's not enough."

The words hit harder than his fist did. "Is that what you think I'd do?"

"I think you've never had to work for anything when it comes to women.

They just fall into your lap, and when you get bored, you move on.

Addie's not going to be like that. She's going to make you work for it, and when things get hard, when the novelty wears off, I need to know you're not going to bail. "

I stand up, feeling the need to pace, to move. The small office suddenly feels suffocating. "You think I don't know that? You think I haven't been asking myself the same questions?"

"And what answers did you come up with?"

I stop pacing and turn to face him. "That I'm tired of being the guy everyone expects me to be. That maybe it's time I became the man she deserves."

Something shifts in Malcolm's expression, the hard edge softening just a fraction. "And you think you can be that man?"

"I don't know," I admit. "But I want to try. For her, I want to try."

The silence stretches again, but this time it feels different. Less hostile, more considering. Malcolm studies me like he's trying to read me, looking for any sign of deception or half-truth.

"She loves you, you know," he says finally.

The words hit me like a physical blow, stealing the breath from my lungs. "What?"

"She's loved you for years. I've watched her turn down good men because none of them were you. I've watched her light up every time someone talks about you, then try to hide it. I've watched her heart break a little more each time you posted on social media with another woman on your arm."

Guilt crashes over me in waves. "I didn't know."

"Of course you didn't. You were too busy running from your own feelings to notice hers.

" He stands up, coming around the desk again, but this time there's no violence in his posture.

"But here's the thing, JT. If you break her heart, if you make her feel like she was just another conquest, I won't just destroy your reputation in this town.

I'll destroy you as a person. I'll make sure you never forget what you threw away.

She and I were the only thing that kept each other alive when we were younger, and she means everything to me. "

"I won't," I say, my voice rough with emotion. "I swear to you, I won't hurt her."

"You better not." He extends his hand to me. "Because despite everything, despite the fact that you're about to start sleeping with my little sister, you're still my best friend. And I don't want to have to choose between you and her."

I take his hand, gripping it firmly. "You won't have to. Are we good?"

"We're good." He pulls me into a quick, hard hug, the kind men give when emotions are running too high for comfort. "But, JT?"

"Yeah?"

"If she comes crying to me about something you did, I'm not going to ask questions first."

I can't help but grin at that. "I wouldn't expect you to."

He claps me on the shoulder. "Now get out of here and go make my sister happy. And for God's sake, try to be discreet. I don't need the whole town talking about my best friend's sex life with my sister."

"I'll do my best," I say, heading for the door. "But I'm done hiding this, Malcolm. I want everyone to know she's mine."

"Just remember what I said about being discreet."

"I heard you." I pause at the door, turning back to look at him. "Thank you. For your blessing. For not killing me. For everything."

"Don't thank me yet. Ask me again in a year when you're still together and she's still happy."

The drive to Addie's feels like it takes forever, even though it's only ten minutes across town. My heart is pounding so hard I can hear it over the radio, and my hands are actually shaking on the steering wheel.

I've got Malcolm's blessing. One of the people I respect most in the world has given me permission to pursue the woman I've wanted for years. The woman I'm pretty sure I've always loved, even when I was too scared to admit it to myself.

When I pull into her driveway, I can see her car is here, which means she's working from home today. Perfect. I take a deep breath, trying to calm my racing pulse, but it's no use. I feel like a teenager about to ask out his crush for the first time.

I walk up to her front door and knock, bouncing slightly on my heels as I wait. When the door opens and I see her standing there, a smile on her face, her hair pulled back in a messy bun with a few strands framing her face, I lose all ability to think coherently.

"JT? What are you?—"

I don't let her finish. I push through the front door, backing her against the wall, and capture her mouth with mine. The kiss is hungry, desperate, full of years of pent-up wanting and the promise of everything that's about to change between us.

When we finally break apart, both breathing hard, she stares up at me with wide, startled eyes. "What's happening?"

"I got the okay," I say, my voice rough with desire and emotion. "From your brother. From one of the people I respect most in the world."

"You talked to Malcolm?" Her hands are fisted in my shirt, holding me close even as she looks uncertain.

"I told him how I feel about you. I told him I want to date you, that I'm done hiding this thing between us." I cup her face in my hands, stroking my thumbs across her cheekbones. "And now I'm about to lay claim to you so that everyone in Bellehaven can see it."

Her breath catches. "JT..."

"No more sneaking around, Addie. No more pretending we're just friends. I want the whole world to know you're mine."

The uncertainty in her eyes melts away, replaced by something hot and wanting that makes my blood sing. "Then show me," she whispers.

I don't need to be asked twice. I scoop her up in my arms, her legs automatically wrapping around my waist as I head toward her bedroom, both of us already lost in the promise of what's about to happen.