Psycho Ex Boyfriend (Standalone New Adult Romance) (The Alpha Brotherhood Book 2) (25 page)

He starts staying at my place after that. We’re verging on something that could be called normal, but it doesn’t take long until the distance starts to wear on us. Business picks up for him, I get even busier at work. Sometimes he flies back to Chicago during the week and I’m so swamped at the office I don’t even get to see him except for lunch, and that always involves a quickie and leaves no time for conversation.

My trust issues come to the surface. Adam isn’t as gentle when we make love anymore, especially the first time. And when he is, I just wonder if that means he’s getting it on the side when we’re apart. I wish I had a fucking spy. He swears he isn’t doing that anymore and he frequently grills me about seeing other guys, especially men I work with, so maybe he’s not. We fight, we fuck, we make up, and then we fight all over again. At least it’s not boring.

But we can’t keep this going forever.

Sabrina

Age 27

Adam is sitting behind my desk with a smirk on his face when I come back from lunch.

I close my door quickly. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“Bree…” He flops a newspaper and a magazine on my desk. “I had to read about it in the papers?”

At home, I have a copy of the article in that same magazine that I want to get framed. It’s not every day you start a company that takes off, especially selling coloring books to adults. I bite my lip as he rises from his seat to sit on my desk. “It’s not that big of a deal.”

He shakes his head, chewing the inside of his cheek as his thigh flexes in a rhythmic tap. “Four million dollars?”

“Before expenses.”

“The timing was perfect. You were ahead of the trend. A private label in all the major bookstores before it took off.”

“Craft stores, too.”

His eyes roll back. “That was a smart move.”

“But it doesn’t really count because I had so many connections from my copyright and publishing work.”

“Stop selling yourself short. Connections fucking count.” Adam stands, his fingers circling my wrist to pull my hand to his lips for a kiss. “This is so fucking hot,” he groans.

I start to ask him why, but his tongue quickly works its way into my mouth. We haven’t seen each other in while and my hand automatically drops to his groin, searching for him.

“How could you keep this a secret?” he groans, pushing his hips forward as we slam against the wall.

“I just assumed that you knew,” I gasp as he gropes my breast, tweaking my nipple through my shirt.

“I’ve told you a thousand times. I’m being good. No more spying.”

“Really?”

“It should be obvious now,” he laughs, spinning me around to grind against my rear.

“I am not fucking you in my office.”

“Why not? It happens all the time.” He’s not wrong. Adam guides me forward, bending me over my desk and tugging up my skirt. “What are your profit margins?” he breathes.

“40%”

He groans loudly and slips inside. “And you own how much of the company?”

“60%”

“Mmmm. That’s my girl,” he moans, thrusting faster as his fingers reach around and find my clit.

I can’t help but find this amusing. I list off more facts and figures in a seductive voice as he pounds into me. It drives him crazy. His hand is kneading the flesh of my bouncing ass and he comes quickly. I’m too nervous to go with him, but he ties off the condom and tosses it into the trash, sinking to his knees to lick me. His tongue is very convincing and it’s so hard to be quiet.

“Did you fly all the way out here because of this?” I pant, savoring our embrace.

“It made me so fucking horny that I certainly would have, but I was conveniently already here.”

“Why?”

“A project with Shane. And…” He hesitates, his eyes fluttering closed as I drag my nails across his jaw. “I’m moving back.”

My heart skips a beat. “To Chicago?” I ask, squealing when he nods yes and throwing my arms around his neck. “When?”

“It will be a while. August at the earliest. Right when you get an empty nest.”

I pout at him. “I can’t believe she’s going to college already.”

“I do not share your disappointment,” he laughs. “I am going to fuck you on every surface of your house.” He kisses up my neck. “Every single one.”

“Actually, I’m thinking of buying something else.”

“Are you going to quit your job?”

“What?” I exclaim.

“Not because of me,” he scoffs. “To pursue the coloring book empire.”

“Of course not. I spent way too much time becoming a lawyer.”

“But you’re thinking of investing the profits into real estate, aren’t you?” He gives me such a lustful look for such a ridiculous reason.

I place my finger across his lips before they meet mine. “I have to get back to work,” I tell him. He lets out an exasperated groan. “Are you staying here tonight?”

“I would if I could,” he grumbles

“Next weekend?”

“Probably not,” he says, looking just as disappointed as I feel. “But the weekend after that. I don’t care what happens.”

I force a smile at him and let him kiss me. “I’ll miss you.”

“I love you.” He takes both my hand and kisses my knuckles over and over. “And seriously, if
you’re
thinking of buying a place and
I’m
thinking of buying a place… We should talk.”

“I suppose we should.”

God, I love that smile. Just before I lean in for a kiss, there’s a knock at the door. Adam smooths my hair as I tug down my shirt. Thankfully, it’s just Demi, my fellow coloring book mogul. Adam shakes her hand and leaves us to business, but I’m so distracted and she totally knows what just happened.

“Who is
that
?” Demi asks.

“Long story.”

********

There are packed boxes all over Adam’s house. I’m only out here in California for five days and he’s really busy. I don’t care. It’s worth it just to sleep in the same bed. Which is where we were because he took a half day off when his father dropped by unexpectedly.

I’ve heard so much about him and never met the man. I can’t say that I felt like I was missing out on anything. Adam tells me that I still haven’t met him and never really will. Rupert had an aneurism this spring and hasn’t been the same since. I’m not exactly sure that’s a bad thing. Adam is still holding out hope and I can’t understand why. His attachment to his brothers I understand. Hell, it would weird me out if he wasn’t. But why he harbors no resentment towards his father mystifies me.

The man shook my hand and asked me if I was Adam’s wife with a huge grin. What the hell? I would be if it weren’t for him!

They’re in Adam’s office for five minutes before I can’t resist the urge to eavesdrop.

“Why haven’t you asked her to marry you?” Rupert asks.

“Because we don’t live in the same time zone,” Adam replies. My cheeks flush as an excited smile crosses my face.

“That shouldn’t matter. Move her out here.”

“Her job is in Chicago.”

“She doesn’t have to work,” Rupert scoffs.

“She wants to,” Adam explains. I can tell he wants to change the subject. “Why are we even talking about this?”

“Women are so different nowadays. My wife never worked a day in her life.”

“You’re… You were married?”

“Of course!” his father laughs. “I was only 23. She was 19. I suppose that seems young to you.”

“Not especially. How long did it last?”

“Less than two years. Mary died in childbirth. Our first.”

Adam pauses. “I’m sorry to hear that, Father.”

“I don’t want to talk about this,” he snaps. Adam doesn’t his best to hold in a frustrated breath. “I’m old. I want grandchildren. I have 24 sons and no grandchildren. How is that possible?”

“There were
19
Goodsons,” Adam corrects him. “Only two ever married, one is divorced. You didn’t even attend the weddings. There were five children between them, who you’ve never once expressed an interest in seeing.”

“I’m old. Things change. Set it up.”

“Talk to your personal assistant,” Adam scoffs. “I doubt it will go well.”

“19 Goodsons? That doesn’t seem right.”

“Well, two of them killed themselves, so we’re down to 17 now.”

“Weaklings,” he father hisses. “Fools.”

“And one of your sons is gay, but I supposed that doesn’t mean he won’t have children.”

“Gideon is no such thing!” Rupert yells. “I didn’t raise a faggot.”

“Christ, Father. Get over it already. He’s fucking gay and nobody cares.”

“Watch your mouth!”

Adam huffs, his patience wearing thin. “Why don’t you get married if it’s so important to you?”

“Because I’m a bachelor,” he says.

“Which is what you insisted that we were. It’s your own fault.”

“I did no such thing.”

“I’ll show you the damn contracts again if you need me too. I’m tired of going over this.”

“Well, I won’t be repeating that mistake with these boys.”

“You already have.” Papers shuffle and Rupert grunts. “See? No romantic entanglements. It’s very clear.”

“Well, change it.”

“
Talk to your assistant
,” Adam groans. “We aren’t even mentoring them because you’ve kept them a secret.”

“They’re Goodsons!”

“No, they aren’t.” A fist slams on the desk, but I can’t tell whose it is. “I’m the only Goodson that knows they exist and we should probably keep it that way.”

Wait, what? Adam said there was only one more set of kids behind them and that was it. Shane is mentoring one of them now, the other two are in New York under Ian. My stomach sinks. This whole
Lord of the Flies
bullshit is supposed to be over.

“Speaking of your little brothers…”

“They
aren’t
my brothers.”

“Cousins, then. It is a new conglomerate.”

“You’re fucking right it is and I do not want to know a single detail about it,” Adam replies. “They’re your problem.” What the hell! How can he just look the other way?

“I’m not exactly at the top of my game right now, Adam. I need your help.”

“Why did you have to pick me?”

“Because you’re a leader. I got my best crop of sons because of you.”

“We are human beings, not potatoes.”

“I can’t handle this anymore. I need a second opinion.”

“Do I need to call your assistant myself?”

“My secretary can’t handle this. She’s a paper pusher and coffee fetcher! And she’s not even all that good at it, I just like looking at her ass.”

“For fuck’s sake…”

“You, Adam. It has to be you. I don’t trust anyone else.”

“Father…” Adam exhales. “Fine. Just this once. Let me see the files.”

“Two of the boys are gone for sure. But I’d like to eliminate four more.”

Adam doesn’t speak for a while. I cross my fingers and pray that he’s trying to come up with a polite way to tell his father to get the fuck out. Instead he shocks me to my core by asking, “What are your criteria?”

“You know the criteria, Adam. They’re only 11.”

“Do you have any videos of the major fights? Practice portfolios? Grades?”

“Of course.”

My mouth goes dry and the worlds starts spinning. 11 years old. Adam and his father are discussing the merits of 11 year olds. They pick each boy apart like he’s nothing but a fiscal report. I have to run away when they play the first video. I can’t bear to listen to the cheering and screaming. It makes me sick.

Adam
makes me sick. I don’t even wait for them to finish their meeting. I can’t bear to look Adam in the face, not after that. So I call a cab and rush to an airport with tears streaming down my face, which makes getting through security exceptionally difficult.

There are 15 missed phone calls by the time I land at O’Hare and turn my phone back on. Call number 16 vibrates in my hand immediately. I can’t answer right now in front of this cabbie. He’ll probably end up calling the cops. Maybe I should.

But as soon as I get home, I call him back.

“Where did you go?” he asks like nothing happened. “Were you out of service?”

“Yeah, I was,” I answer hoarsely.

“Did you drive out to that vineyard? Want me to meet you there for dinner?”

“No, Adam, I’m not at the vineyard. I came home.”

“Home? You mean Chicago?” he exclaims. “You didn’t even say goodbye.”

“You were in a meeting with your father.”

“Did something come up at work?”

“
No
,” I growl. “I listened to you.”

“You never listen to me,” he laughs.

“I eavesdropped.”

“You… Sabrina, I can explain.”

“No, you really can’t.”

“Okay, first of all, listening to my private conversations with my father is totally out of line, but—”

“You have got a lot of fucking nerve,” I snap.

“I know. I can’t fault you for it.”

“How could you?”

“What exactly did you overhear?”

“As much as I could stomach.”

“Which was…”

“Why don’t you fucking tell me, Adam? Although, why should I believe you? You already lied and told me it was over, that there weren’t any more little boys being fucking
tortured
out there by that piece of shit you call a father.”