Loving War Read online

  “Mav, this has nothing at all to do with Rain,” Kode adds, running his hand down my back. “This is mine and Tria’s relationship. No one else has a say in it.”

  Maverick pushes off from the wall he’s leaning against, and comes to stand nearby, his eyes moving down to where my hand is now on Kode’s wounded stomach. When he looks up, his eyes connect with Kode’s.

  “So when you told Dane you would move Tria into one of your empty condos—”

  “I moved her in with me,” Kode finishes, as though he’s helping Maverick piece together the puzzle.

  “What about the pool in Vegas?” he asks, his brows arching.

  Kode shrugs, and in true jackass form, says, “She was talking to some douche. Thought I’d break them apart.”

  This time Maverick’s lips twitch.

  “And when you went missing after that, you were actually—”

  “With Tria,” Kode says to finish his sentence again.

  “When did this start?”

  Kode grins, looking down at me for a second. “That bar. The one where I disappeared on you guys after playing pool with the brunette.”

  Recognition crosses the eyes of the other Sterling, and he asks, “Tria was the brunette?”

  Kode nods.

  “That’s why you were acting like a fucking weirdo,” he says under his breath.

  What?

  “I didn’t realize she had dyed her hair,” Kode says, snickering as though there’s a secret I’m missing.

  “Damn. So all this time that you’ve been blowing us off has been to spend time—”

  “With Tria,” Kode says, still grinning.

  Maverick takes a deep breath, his head dropping back as all the world stops spinning in the right direction.

  “Wow. Head trip. So is it cold in hell now that it has frozen over?”

  Kode groans while wrapping his arms around my bare midriff, covering me as though he doesn’t want Maverick’s eyes seeing any more of me than he already has.

  “Think you can keep your mouth shut until after the wedding?” Kode asks him.

  “Yeah. I can do that.” He sighs like he wants to say more, but he apparently changes his mind. “So this is legit? Like you two are an actual item or whatever?”

  This is actually a question I’d like to hear the answer to, so I remain silent and still in Kode’s arms.

  “Definitely legit. So legit that it’s pissing me off that you’re seeing her wearing very little. Probably should go.”

  I grin as Maverick snickers, still seeming to be taken aback by this revelation. Then his eyes narrow on Kode. “That asshole knows, doesn’t he? That’s why he and you have been talking in code lately—no pun intended.”

  I have no idea what he’s talking about, but Kode laughs while nodding. “He figured it out at the club the night you were passed out and snoring at the table.”

  Oh. Corbin.

  “Son of a bitch. I knew he was keeping something from me. If you’ll excuse me, I have an ass to go kick. Since you’ve already had yours handed to you, I’ll give you a free pass.”

  Kode grins while flipping him off—his favorite gesture by far. Maverick gives me an uneasy smile before heading out, and Kode inhales a fresh breath. When he winces again and clutches his side, I almost cry. This is my fault.

  “Maverick took it better than I expected. He and Rain are tight. At least the second worst one is out of the way,” he says with a lopsided grin, trying his best to keep my mind off his wounded body.

  Not happening.

  “Pete did all this?” I ask, lifting his shirt over his head. He’s forced to bend in order for me to get it off him, and I gasp when I see the numerous bruises around his shoulders and arms as well.

  “Nah. I could have killed Pete with barely any effort. The douche did run from four girls. He had friends today that helped out. No worries. Cops got there in time.”

  My eyes water again as I trace the outlines of the proof they didn’t get there in time. He wouldn’t have been touched if they had gotten there in time.

  “Stop worrying, Tria. You’re killing me with those sad eyes. This is a good thing. Pete can’t touch you from inside a cell. Since he violated the terms of his parole, he won’t get out on bail either. He’s gone.”

  Like a bomb explodes under me, I launch myself up and crash my lips against his. He quickly picks me up, even though it has to hurt, and settles me on the counter in the kitchen. Stepping in between my legs to draw me closer, he kisses me like he can’t get enough.

  “I see you’re not as bad off as I was expecting,” an unwelcome, but friendly voice says, causing us both to jump and me to squeal in surprise.

  Dale Sterling is standing there, his buzz-cut looking freshly groomed, and his arms crossed over his chest as he stares at us.

  “Fuck,” Kode groans, reluctantly turning away from me to glare at his cousin.

  “How many people have a key to your place?” I whisper, squirming uncomfortably.

  “Too damn many, apparently,” he mutters under his breath. Then he addresses Dale in a tone that echoes my own exasperation. “Go ahead. Get going with the bullshit about how I’m doing this to get at Rain and Dane so I can argue and then be with my girl. It’s been a shitty day, and I’d like a break—if you don’t mind.”

  His girl. He called me his girl. Yeah… I’m grinning like an idiot over something that stupid.

  Dale just grins instead of saying anything right away. He seems more amused than pissed, like Maverick was.

  “You know, it’s amazing how you and Dane seem to think I’m oblivious. He acted the same way when I confronted him about his feelings for Rain. I’ve known there was something going on between you two since you couldn’t take your eyes off of her at Dane’s house before we went to Vegas. By the time we were in Vegas, you were watching her like a possessed man on a mission, and then you flew off the handle because she talked to some guy. You two sit by each other, and you might as well be eye-fucking one another. You’re not as clever as you think. The others just don’t pay as much attention.”

  Kode sags against me, while I still sit here thinking about the fact he called me his girl. Nothing Dale is saying really matters because I’m stupidly obsessed with that one piece of the conversation.

  “Corbin and Maverick have both figured it out. The only two we don’t want knowing are Rain and Dane. Not until after the wedding,” he tells Dale, whose eyes widen in surprise.

  “Corbin and Maverick figured it out? Damn. I’ve been carrying this secret around like I was going to explode.”

  Kode snickers, and I wrap my arms around his waist as he leans his back against me, remaining between my legs. It’s a small act of intimacy that proves how comfortable he is with me.

  My stupid grin only gets bigger.

  “I just came by to make sure you were okay. Dane said your phone got fucked up during the fight. Is this thing with Mercer over?”

  His phone got messed up? That’s why he didn’t call me.

  “Yeah. For quite a while. He’s about to learn how stupid it is to fuck with me.”

  Dale’s wicked grin doesn’t match his usual mature manner. He seems to be happy with the fact that Kode is going to destroy Pete.

  “You need me to grab you a phone?” Dale asks.

  Kode shakes his head. “Nah. Got one of my tech guys programming one right now.”

  “Well, I’m about to head out. Unless you need anything.”

  Kode groans, looking over his shoulder at me like he’s torn about something. But I’m still grinning uncontrollably. This thing between us means a lot more to him than I realized, and nothing feels better than knowing that.

  ***

  KODE

  As much as I don’t want to leave Tria right now, I’ve still got an errand to run. I also had some work to do, but I guess that shit will have to wait.

  “Actually, I need you to go somewhere with me,” I tell Dale. “Just give me a minute with Tria, and I
’ll meet you outside.”

  Dale shrugs while heading out, telling Tria bye, but she doesn’t respond, and I turn in her arms to face her again. She seems a little dazed for some reason, and her beautiful smile infects me, forcing me to smile for no real reason.

  “What’s that grin for?” I ask her, leaning in to kiss her soft lips gently, trying not to get myself too riled up.

  “Nothing,” she says shyly while shaking her head, her smile only getting bigger as a light blush creeps up her neck. “How long will you be gone?” she asks.

  I’m thankful she isn’t asking where I’m going.

  “Not long. We can call in some takeout when I get back if you want to.”

  A night in with Tria sounds great after this hellacious day that is only going to get worse before it can get better.

  “I’m cooking for you. Something different,” she says with a shrug.

  I love it when she cooks for me. There’s something sexy about being in the kitchen with her while she strives for perfection. I prefer it when she fucks something up because she’s pretty damn cute when she’s pouting.

  “Don’t start cooking without me. I’ll help.”

  Her grin seems to be permanent, and I don’t want to say anything at all to take it away.

  “I won’t. Where are you going?”

  Shit. If I tell her, that grin will be lost, and she’ll have to deal with a reality she doesn’t deserve. But I can’t just outright lie.

  Fortunately, inspirations strikes.

  “Our New York trip is back on for this weekend, so I need to take care of a few things. They called before my phone was obliterated. The meeting was rescheduled at the last minute for Saturday. We’ll leave in the morning so we can be in New York tomorrow. Then we’ll spend the night tomorrow, Saturday, Sunday, and come home Monday. Unless you’ve got any meetings or anything else going on here. I can have you back sooner.”

  She wraps her legs around me, and I try not to get distracted by the fact her tits are barely encased by a tight sports bra and nothing else. Unfortunately, it feels like fucking forever since I was inside her, and right now I’m hating the fact that I need to go.

  “I don’t have any meetings until next Tuesday,” she announces.

  She looks so damn happy, and it makes me hate her fucking father that much more for pulling me away.

  “Then I’ll be back soon. Pack your stuff.”

  I kiss her while pulling her closer, letting her feel how much I’m affected. She tugs my bottom lip between her teeth, biting down just hard enough to make my erection painful, and I silently curse while forcing myself to release her.

  “Hurry,” she says while I adjust my cock against the painful zipper of my jeans.

  “Believe me; I will.”

  I wink at her while backing away, but she hops off the counter and grabs my hands, her eyes going down to my battered knuckles. Her eyes soften as her smile fades, and she pulls my hands up to her lips, placing delicate kisses on all the scrapes.

  It’s an affectionate action that has me breathing in rasp, shallow breaths. Concern and care goes into each kiss, and I watch, fascinated, as she finishes.

  “I’ll see you when you get back,” she says while getting on her tiptoes and pulling me down by my neck to kiss me again.

  This kiss is different, carrying with it meaning beyond a simple send off. Waves of conflicting emotions gather inside me, swarming me and confusing the hell out of me. When she finally steps back, I lean forward, almost feeling as though gravity is pushing me closer to her.

  “I’ll pack your stuff, too. Since you’re going to be busy. That way you can just spend the night with me without worrying about it.”

  I battle with myself, trying not to fucking grin like a damn girl. “Two suits. The rest can be casual.”

  She turns on her heel, swishing that glorious ass that calls for my attention on her way to the bedroom. I have to literally shake my head to snap out of my daze, and I stagger like I’m drunk on the way out the door, pulling my T-shirt back on as I go. Everything feels off balance, yet exactly right, but I have no idea why.

  When I get outside, Dale is propped up on my car that I left in the driveway. His silver Rolls-Royce Phantom is parked beside my black Audi R8 Spyder.

  “You can wipe that dopey look off your face if you don’t want me gagging in your car,” Dale says with an amused grin.

  I shake my head again, still trying to get my head around what’s wrong with me. All she did was offer to pack my shit. It shouldn’t have triggered anything this weird.

  He gets in on the passenger side while I climb in on the driver’s side, my mind still fuzzy. I go through the motions of cranking the car and pulling out onto the road, driving without focus.

  “Dane said you’re leaving for New York tomorrow. Taking Tria with you?”

  “Yeah,” I mumble, still neither here nor there.

  He laughs as though something is funny. “I know that look.”

  “What look?” I ask, though it’s merely a reflex. No true coherent thought is forming right now. Did I drink vodka instead of water earlier? No. It was water. Why the fuck do I feel drunk?

  “It’s called a sucker punch,” he says randomly.

  “A what?” I hate it when people try to confuse me.

  “It’s when your life makes perfect sense one day, then suddenly you’re knocked on your ass. Everything you thought you knew becomes irrelevant and nothing makes a damn bit of sense anymore because your life is uprooted and shifted on its axis. A sucker punch. Some people call it love.”

  If this is a sucker punch, I’d hate to know what a knockout feels like. Damn her.

  “I wouldn’t say love,” I grumble, shifting in my seat uncomfortably and earning another mocking snicker from the jerk. “We haven’t even been on a real date yet.”

  “Have to say, Kode, never thought you’d take the time to realize Tria had a thing for you, considering you were too wrapped up in Rain.”

  That has me swivel my head so fast that I almost run off the road.

  “Christ!” Dale gasps, clutching the door and seat like he’s scared shitless. I quickly regain control as he relaxes a little.

  “What the hell does that mean?” I ask, trying to pay attention to the road. Maybe he should be driving.

  “I mean you always looked at Rai—”

  “Not the part about Rain,” I interrupt, impatient and annoyed. “I meant about realizing Tria had a thing for me. She fucking hated my guts—like most people.”

  He laughs that condescending laugh he has, and I give him a sideways glare, half watching the road while silently prompting him to elaborate.

  “Tria was into you when we were kids. You just got too stuck on Rain to see it. You always griped about everyone looking around you to see Dane, but you never noticed Tria looking around Dane to see you. How else do you think you could have gotten her after all the shit you’ve done to her in the past? That girl has had a thing for you that probably had her questioning her sanity. I know I always wondered why she was into you.”

  My stomach clenches as my mind tries to pull forth any memory that would backup his ridiculous theory. But I can’t think of anything, because I’m a blind, stupid jackass.

  “But I didn’t see her because I was too busy looking around her to see Rain,” I grumble, losing the euphoric high I had only moments ago.

  “It’s a bitch, isn’t it?”

  “What? Irony? The fact that I did to her what I hated to have done to me?”

  Yeah, it’s a bitch.

  “Well, yeah, but I meant hindsight. Could have saved everyone a lot of trouble if you had just realized which Noles sister was really meant for you instead of chasing the wrong one all these years.”

  His words are like a knife twisting in my gut. For the first time since everyone found out about what I did to Rain and Dane, I feel a sickening amount of regret. Bile rises in my throat when I see things from a whole new perspective. Dane should
have hit me harder. He held back when he came at me. I sure as hell wouldn’t have.

  “Since you look a little pale, how about telling me where we’re going instead of focusing on all the bullshit that still hasn’t been fully resolved.”

  I nod numbly, trying not to let my mind continue traveling in the current direction it’s going.

  “Edward’s house.”

  His eyes go wide with surprise. “Rain and Tria’s father? Why are we going to see that son of a bitch?”

  Shifting in my seat, I turn on the next road, the last road until we get there.

  “Because he needed shit from his house, but wouldn’t go get it. Eleanor didn’t want to see him—and her sisters didn’t want her to see him—so Melanie asked Rain to deliver it. Corbin didn’t want Rain to face him, so—”

  “So he asked you to ask Tria, since he knew you two were together. That’s a dick move. I suppose he underestimates how much Edward hurt Tria.”

  Right now, Dale is my favorite cousin.

  “No. His loyalty just lies with Rain, so he didn’t even consider Tria’s estranged relationship with the bastard.”

  “But now your loyalty lies with Tria, so here we are. I get it. So is there a lot of heavy stuff? Because your car is rather small, and I don’t see anything.”

  “Files. In the trunk. Just three boxes.”

  “Then why did you need my help?” he asks, confused.

  “I just need you to keep me from killing the asshole if he says anything that pisses me off.”

  Dale’s laughter booms out, and he nods as though he finally understands. It’s a relief to have them all know about Tria and me—all but my brother and Rain. I’m still dreading Dane’s reaction, but I deserve whatever he says or does. In the end, it has nothing to do with him or his fiancée.

  I pull up to the beach house that is just outside the city limits, and Dale joins me at the trunk. It’s much smaller than Edward’s home with Eleanor, but it’s still bigger than most on the street.

  Dale grabs a box while I grab the other two, and we make our way to the front door. Since he has a free hand, he’s the one to knock. Of course a maid opens the door, even though she’s not as sexy as Edward’s usual preference.