Ice In His Veins Read online

  Cael winked. “I can always use more money and better living arrangements. Hey, if Uncle Reinhart could spot me a few bills, that would be great too.”

  “You—”

  Chevelle swatted Cael’s arm. “You like to joke. I saw that in you right off, Cael. But I know you’re serious, Reinhart, and I’ll be the first to tell you Arik’s not for all that. He doesn’t like anything handed to him that he didn’t work for.”

  Reinhart looked past Chevelle. “I’m offering a business deal, Arik.”

  “Business?” Arik sneered. “If this is how you conduct business, I’m surprised you’ve done so well. Maybe you haven’t.”

  Reinhart colored and seemed to fight with his emotions for a few moments.

  “In the middle of all these strangers, you are saying it’s a business deal to convince me to get married and have children. According to your specifications, of course.”

  “I’m just trying to drop a… How do you say it?—a bug—to get you to talk with me and not leave before you’ve made a decision.”

  “Nothing you say can change my mind.”

  Karina tried sidling past Chevelle to get close to him. Why couldn’t the woman read the party’s atmosphere? The entire thing had gone sour. The musicians weren’t playing as loudly as before, probably in an attempt to hear the argument, and the guests were all openly listening.

  “Marriage?” Cael croaked. “Oh, no, uncle. No can do. I’m having too good a time being single.” He moved to Arik’s side and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “So, big brother, maybe you can give me a job, huh? I’ll take an executive position since we’re blood and all. I fully expect a good salary and favoritism.”

  Arik narrowed his eyes at him. “Call Chevelle on Monday.”

  Cael whooped, and Arik sighed. He was painfully immature. Being only two years younger, he should have his head screwed on better than this. Arik wouldn’t be giving him an executive position, but he would give him a job.

  Is it because he looks like me?

  “What about you, Brand?” Arik asked his other brother.

  Brand rocked on his heels. His blue eyes might have reflected the same chill in Arik’s from what others had told him of himself. “Why would I need you to help me? Or Reinhart? I can take care of myself, and I’m comfortable where I am.”

  “I can respect that. What kind of work do you do?”

  “Does it matter?”

  Arik spun away. “No, it doesn’t. He walked to the door, but Chevelle ran to catch up with him. She moved in his way, and he frowned at her. “Move aside, Chevelle.”

  “Come on, Arik. Can’t you try a little harder with Brand. I know he wants to get to know you and Cael.”

  “Wishful thinking on your part. If you don’t move, I will pick you up and move you myself.”

  She raised her chin. “I’m not scared of you, buddy, so don’t try that threatening junk on me.”

  He felt himself wavering.

  “Come on, Arik. The party might not have been the right environment to get to know each other, but you can give it another try. Lord knows how your uncle made a success of his business. They must do things differently in Norway. He just keeps his foot in his mouth.”

  Amusement had Arik suppressing a grin. She was right. Perhaps it was the difference in language and culture that made Reinhart rude. He might not know he came off as such. Meanwhile, Chevelle had too much influence over him. He needed to rectify it.

  “All right, dinner,” he said. “You arrange it, Chevelle. Feel free not to invite Reinhart.”

  She squeezed his arm and grinned up at him. “I’m on it. Thanks for coming out, and thanks for giving them a chance.”

  He let his gaze rake over his brothers and Reinhart. “Don’t get your hopes up. We are from different backgrounds, and none of us are motivated to make this work. Not the way you’re imagining. Keep your heart out of it, Chevelle.”

  “Don’t be a spoilsport.”

  He spun away from her. “I’m leaving.”

  “Fine. Just let me say goodnight.”

  He kept moving, regretting his weakness. The dinner was as far as he would go, and he would make Chevelle see that once and for all.

  Chapter 6

  “Okay, Chevelle, you’re going to get up in this store and exchange the dress. Nothing else. You got it?” She strode toward the department store from the parking lot, knowing good and well she would be looking through everything they had. The dress she bought was a little tight around the boobs, and she hadn’t noticed when she tried it on last week with Shawnita. She’d decided she would exchange it for one of the other dresses she didn’t buy, but shopping was a weakness, one she didn’t want to cure.

  In twenty minutes, she had what she was looking for and had made the exchange. The exit leading to her car was in sight, but temptation took hold.

  Resist, Chevelle.

  “A few more minutes can’t hurt. Arik’s in a meeting the rest of the afternoon anyway.” She threw restraint aside and began systematically canvassing the store for interesting finds. It didn’t matter if the item was clothing or bedroom accessories.

  Near the children’s section, she stopped to check out a pair of jeans. “They must have bumped their head. I’ve seen this same style for much less.”

  A deep male voice caught her attention. “This is impossible! How do I know which one to get? Why couldn’t she tell me?”

  Chevelle looked around to find a handsome African American man standing in front of a rack of kids’ clothing and trying to decide between one outfit and another. From what she could see, one dress was several sizes bigger than the other. He was already wrong, and she felt sorry for him.

  “Neither,” she said, walking over.

  He looked up and appeared startled at seeing her, but the surprise was overplayed. That told her he’d known she was nearby the whole time and was looking for an excuse to talk to her. Oh well, maybe he was trying to get her attention since he was clueless. She’d dealt with it countless times.

  “Let me ask you something,” he said with hope in his expression. “Which of these outfits do you think a little girl would like for her birthday?”

  Chevelle’s heart softened even more. “Your daughter?”

  “My niece. I’m not married.”

  Crap, she sounded like she was fishing, which she wasn’t. Not that he was bad looking. In fact, the man had a lot going for him with hazel eyes and nice waves in his coal black hair. He wore jeans that looked good hanging low on his hips, a casual T-shirt, and sneakers—a real down to earth kind of man.

  She pointed to the dresses. “You realize you have two different sizes there?”

  He looked embarrassed. “Damn, I hate shopping for kids, but I love my nieces.”

  She laughed. “Okay, calm down. It’s not that serious. This one is really cute. If you know her size, I would say get it.”

  He sighed in relief. “Great. Thanks. I’m Eli Silver by the way. What’s your name?”

  “Chevelle Taylor. Good to meet you.”

  “Likewise. Man, I’m so glad you came over. I forgot about the size stuff. Normally, I just get whatever my sister-in-law tells me. Up till now it wasn’t clothes. I guess I should learn better if I want to have my own family someday.”

  She examined him, wondering about that statement and then grinned. He was sweet. “That’s good. A lot of men don’t care. Okay, I’ll give you a quick few tips because I shop for my niece and nephew all the time. I love to shop!”

  They chitchatted some more, laughing and joking about his ignorance and her finding any excuse to keep working the store. When he made his final purchase, he stopped her before she could walk away.

  “How about letting me buy you a cup of coffee?”

  She eyed him. “A cup of coffee?”

  He rubbed the back of his head, looking adorably embarrassed. “I would buy you lunch, but I figure you already ate this late in the day.”

  “You’re right.” Sh
e chuckled. “I’m just giving you a hard time. Sure, we can get a cup of coffee, and you can tell me some more about your nieces. I love kids.”

  “You don’t want to know more about me? I’m crushed.”

  She shook her head in amusement. He was flirting hard, but so far she hadn’t shot him down. She wasn’t interested because the only man that could do it for her was Arik. The truth was, she didn’t want to see that look of disappointment in Eli’s eyes and have him cut her off because she was taken. They could probably be great friends because he was easy to talk to. It always felt so comfortable talking to a man without having interest in him that way.

  They left the store, and Chevelle suggested a nearby coffee shop. When they arrived, she allowed him to buy her favorite, prink drink topped with passion tea. She found them a seat and dumped her bags on the seat next to her. A text came in as Eli sat down across from her. She felt his gaze on her face but concentrated on the phone.

  “Reschedule my four o’clock. Cael knows nothing of business.”

  She grinned. If anyone knew Arik it was her, and she could tell he’d taken an instant liking to Cael. Maybe it was because he looked just like him, which was pretty vain, but Arik wouldn’t admit it. He’d given Cael a chance, and Cael, thank goodness, had shown up bright and early on Monday morning for work. That didn’t mean the man wasn’t a kid at heart though and that he wouldn’t drive Arik insane. She found it funny.

  “Will do when I’m back in the office. Did you want to move up the next one?”

  She waited and glanced at Eli.

  “Work?”

  She nodded. “Yeah, sorry. Technically I’m supposed to be in the office right now.”

  “I don’t want to get you into trouble with the boss man.”

  “Not possible.”

  He gave her a curious look. She didn’t explain.

  “So how about dinner tonight?”

  Disappointment hit her. Before she could answer, another text came in.

  “You’re not here?”

  “I took a longer lunch to handle some business.”

  “Take as long as you need. Everything is set up for the meeting, I’m assuming.”

  “What’s my name?”

  “Unemployed-drea.”

  She burst out laughing. Sometimes Arik could unbend enough to be hilarious, but she knew he would never joke like that with anyone but her.

  Eli leaned across the table grinning. “What’s so funny?”

  She waved a hand. “Oh just my boss. He’s feeling funny today. So, about dinner…”

  He sat back. “I get the feeling you’re not interested.”

  “It’s not that.” She bit her bottom lip. “I like you. You seem like a nice guy.”

  “But?”

  “I’m seeing someone. I’d like to be friends.”

  He winced. “Friend-zoned in the first hour? That’s painful.”

  “It’s not like that. I was seeing someone from the first moment.”

  “Is it him?”

  She froze in surprise. “Huh?”

  He pointed at her phone with his chin. “The boss man. Sounds like you two have a special thing.”

  She frowned. “He’s my boss.”

  “Who makes your voice soften when you talk about him being funny.”

  Her teeth clicked as she snapped them together. “He’s my employer, and he happens to be a friend as well. Not a big deal.” Why the hell was she denying it?

  He didn’t fight her on it. “Okay, would you consider going to dinner with me—as friends?”

  “I can do lunch. Let me check my calendar.” They made arrangements and talked some more until she had to stop testing Arik’s patience and get her butt back to the office. Eli gave her his cell number, and she gave him hers.

  As she climbed into her car, she wondered about her decisions regarding Eli. She couldn’t count the number of times a man tried to be “just friends” when she knew he was interested in her. Turning them down was easy, and she had done it in a heartbeat. If the interest on their part was there, it was just a matter of time before they pushed, trying to get her to make them more than a friend.

  With Eli it was different. She was the one that didn’t want to back off. Not that she wanted to do anything behind Arik’s back. What woman in her right man would ever need more than Arik as a lover? It just didn’t make sense. But maybe she was coming to the end. A spark of hope rose inside. She might be growing strong enough to walk away from Arik if he couldn’t love her.

  The thought hurt like hell, but a part of her welcomed it.

  Chapter 7

  Arik slammed his cell phone on the desk and thought better of doing it repeatedly. There was no sense in destroying the phone over his foolish brother. He grumbled under his breath as he left the office and strode down the hall past several employees.

  “Good morning, Arik.”

  Arik gave one of the engineers a cursory nod.

  “I was wondering if—”

  “Get on my calendar.” He kept moving.

  “Hey, Arik. How’s it going?” This was another too friendly employee, too damn early in the morning. Arik hardly afforded him a growl. He supposed they were all used to him by now.

  At the end of the hall, he opened a door and passed into the area of the building he leased from a larger company. They weren’t his competitors. Rather sometimes he collaborated with them for projects that needed expertise his firm couldn’t provide. He’d pulled a few favors to get Cael onto that side because his company was too small and already fully staffed to create a job for Cael. Besides, he had no idea how good a worker his brother would be.

  “I shouldn’t have risked it,” he grumbled as he took the stairs two at a time. The elevator wouldn’t provide enough exercise to work off his agitation. Two levels up, he shoved the door open and made his way toward the rear of the building.

  He was getting to know Cael better and about his character, but he continued to wonder about Brand. His middle brother didn’t say much to him at the party. Nor had he confirmed with Chevelle that he would be at the dinner she was arranging for them. They hadn’t spoken once since last week. He supposed his brother was busy, and so was he. That hadn’t stopped Reinhart from calling often.

  Thinking of the older man, Arik ground his teeth. Somehow he couldn’t make himself like the man calling himself his uncle. Even in his own head, Arik refused to acknowledge him. He knew it was unreasonable. Reinhart didn’t look like his mother. At least he didn’t think so, not the image he had burned in his mind. Regardless, Reinhart was a sharp reminder Arik didn’t welcome.

  Voices reached him as he approached the end of the hall. “He’s a hardass, isn’t he? Made of ice? I don’t know how you guys deal with him.”

  Arik could have cracked a molar he clenched his jaw so tight.

  “Arik is a decent boss,” one of the others said. “He’s not the friendliest man, but he’s fair.”

  Cael chuckled. “Come on. Aren’t we supposed to trash the big guy and bond or something like that?”

  “You’re his brother,” someone else said.

  By then Arik was in position behind Cael and saw his shrug as he laced his fingers behind his head. The others saw Arik, and no one warned Cael. His younger brother rocked back and forth on his heels, and Arik could almost imagine the stupid grin on his face.

  “Kidding. Big brother’s cool. I like him. Maybe I’ll love him before long. Wonder if I can get a raise.”

  There were several gasps, and the people gathered around Cael drifted away. Arik said nothing, and Cael must have sensed him there. He turned around, taking his lazy time to do it.

  “Hey, big bro.”

  “You’re not answering your cell.”

  “I was only kidding about trash talking you.”

  Arik jerked a thumb over his shoulder, and the two of them started back the way he came. “I don’t care if my employees talk behind my back. If it bonds them, so be it. They work better toge
ther that way. I’ll be the fall guy. I do care that I recommended you for the position you’re holding, and you’re being an idiot. I told Guy to start you in the mailroom.”

  Cael looked horrified. “I’m your brother. Why should I start in the mailroom?”

  “Because you have no idea what the hell you’re doing. I should have handled this better. Have you ever even held an office job—of any kind?”

  Cael seemed to consider it, which pissed Arik off even more. “Once about three days.”

  He swore. “You’re fired.”

  “What? Hang on, big bro. I—”

  “From this job. You’re coming over to my side, but I’m only paying you enough for incidentals. You move in with Reinhart if you can’t pay bills.”

  “Big bro.” Cael sounded more hurt than angry.

  “Call me Arik.”

  “Big bro, you can’t be serious. A man has expenses.”

  Arik ignored him. “Tonight, you’ll come to my house for dinner. You’ll explain to me how you could have been adopted and turned out like this.”

  His brother threw an arm about his shoulders, grinning. “Does Chevelle like the way you’re overly controlling?”

  Arik glared at him.

  “Just asking, big bro, because I don’t mind, I guess. So long as you reconsider the salary.”

  Arik shook Cael’s arm off. “You are free to do whatever you want, work wherever you like. If you work for me, I’ve set the terms already.”

  Cael wobbled with dramatic flair and covered his eyes with one hand. “If Mama only saw the way you’re treating me…”

  “Don’t mention her.” Arik pushed the words between clenched teeth. “You know nothing of that woman.”

  For once, Cael grew serious and looked at him. “I’ve always wondered about her.”

  “You won’t learn from me.”

  “Arik.”

  Arik pushed through the door to the stairs and headed down. He had nothing more to say to this particular conversation. Cael seemed to sense this wasn’t the time to harass Arik about it, so he followed in silence. Arik thought about his youngest brother. Normally, he wouldn’t put up with insubordination. Cael’s comments pushed the other workers to think negatively about Arik, which might give rise to discontent. At the same time, Arik could tell it was ignorance that drove Cael and not malice. His youngest brother was like a kid. How he reached thirty-two and was still so immature was a mystery.