Acceptance (Club X Book 5) Read online

  “She thinks you’re stepping out on her. She told Olivia. I guess she knows you’ve been lying to her about the phone calls you’ve been getting. Pretty sloppy, if you ask me, Kane.”

  He winced and took a deep breath, blowing the air out slowly. “Well, that explains a lot.”

  “I told you this whole thing was going to be trouble.”

  “I didn’t think it would start affecting my marriage, for God’s sake.”

  I smacked him on the shoulder as I stood up to get myself a cup of coffee. “The road to hell is paved with good intentions, Kane. You should know that better than anyone else, I’d think.”

  Stefan appeared once again, this time dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and made a beeline for his morning coffee. “Hey, Kane. Thanks for agreeing to ruin my fucking Sunday. You want to remind me again why I should care one fuck about this whole thing?”

  “Nice to see you too, Stef. Are we alone?”

  Looking around in confusion, Stefan poured milk into his mug and nodded. “Like it would matter? I don’t see Shay dialing up Abbi to share whatever we say. Anyway, she’s gone already, so yes, we’re alone to have our little boys club meeting.”

  “Are you going to be this cranky the whole time?” I asked as I sat down next to Kane, amused at how irritable waking up a few hours early made our younger brother.

  He took a gulp of coffee and pointed at the two of us. “Go to hell, Cash, yes I am, and screw you and your whole thing about family being so important that we have to deal with this at all, Kane.”

  I looked at Kane and laughed. “I love it when we get together for these talks with him. Interventions go better than this.”

  Kane smiled and nodded as Stefan joined us in his living room. He took another drink of coffee and raised the mug in the air. “At least with an intervention it would involve me enjoying myself. Nothing about this whole brother thing has been fun in the least. So if we could get this moving since you got my ass out of bed early, I’d really appreciate it.”

  The time had come to do something about our problem.

  Chapter Three

  Stefan

  My brothers looked over at me like I had some answer to solve our problem. Who the hell was I? The March Family therapist? As if I knew what to do.

  “Don’t expect me to start this. I’m still on the fence about if I even want to be involved.”

  Cash’s face brightened at my words and he nodded his head. “See, that’s what I’m saying. This isn’t something we need to get wrapped up in, Kane. Best to leave sleeping dogs lie.”

  “This isn’t a dog, Cash. This is family.”

  As usual, Kane had a way of saying very little but enough to make the situation seem far more serious than I preferred. Cash didn’t seem to appreciate Kane’s succinct summary of the issue either.

  “Maybe, Kane. Right now, all we have is some guy claiming to be the son of our father,” Cash said, practically dismissing the idea of this stranger being anything close to family.

  “You mean like I was way back when?” Kane said sharply. “I was in the same place this guy is, so I know how he feels. He’s just reaching out to us probably because he wants to get to know his brothers.”

  Rolling his eyes, Cash sat back on the couch. Kane did seem particularly sensitive about this topic, I had to admit. I guess I could understand. Sort of. I’d always known who I was, just like Cash. We were Cassian March’s sons. For the first two decades of my life, we were the only sons. Then Kane came into our lives and to get our father’s money, we had to work together. It had been rocky for a while at first, but eventually we saw him like we did each other.

  As a brother, pure and simple. No half attached. Just our brother.

  The problem is we were younger when he came around. And if we were being truthful, we had a good reason to accept Kane. Now there was nothing making us take a chance on yet another child of our father’s.

  “I wonder if it’s that innocent, Kane,” I said, still not sure how I felt about this brand new family member who wanted to get to know us.

  He looked at me and then Cash and frowned. “What are you two afraid of? Maybe he just wants to get to know the people he’s related to.”

  Cash screwed his expression into a grimace. “And maybe he thinks he’s found the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow and plans to cash in on having our father’s DNA. That’s assuming he’s even our real brother. I just don’t see any upside to this for us.”

  “His name is Sebastian. Maybe we should start calling him by name if he’s going to be family,” Kane continued, clearly undeterred by Cash’s reluctance to even meet with the guy.

  “Fine. Let’s just go get him, put him in the spare bedroom at my place, and we can all be one big happy family,” Cash snapped.

  Assuming a rare role between my two older brothers, I tried to diffuse the situation before Kane launched at him and tried to convince him that way. “Whoa, let’s keep calm, okay? Cash, I’m sure Kane doesn’t want Sebastian to move in with you or even be that big a part of our lives right from the get-go. And Kane, I think you can understand why Cash is hesitant to open this can of worms with someone we don’t even know. Maybe we should just calm the hell down, okay? Deep breaths, guys.”

  Both of them leaned back on the couch, their arms folded across their chests and frowns on their faces. I had a sense that while they weren’t barking at each other, they weren’t exactly seeing eye-to-eye yet on this newfound brother of ours just yet, even after hearing my wonderful brotherly advice.

  Cash took a deep breath and slowly let his arms fall away to his sides. “Fine. What do we know about him? Maybe we should talk about that first. If I knew something about him, I might not be so dead set against meeting him.”

  “What do we know about Sebastian?” Kane asked, subtly jabbing Cash with the fact that he still hadn’t even called the guy by name yet.

  “Fine. What do we know about Sebastian?”

  Looking over toward me, Kane sat up and eased his own body language. “Okay, we know his name is Sebastian Thorne and his mother is someone named Sandra Thorne. Other than that, I don’t know much yet. My guy is still checking him out. So far, he hasn’t found anything that says he’s a gold digger, if that’s what you’re worried about, Cash.”

  “What I’m worried about is upending my life, my very happy life with Olivia and my son, because our father may have fathered this person.”

  Cash certainly didn’t have any problem explaining what bothered him.

  “What else did you find out, Kane?” I asked, suddenly curious about this Sebastian guy. “What’s he like? Where’s he live? How old is he?”

  My interest surprised him, and for a moment he looked a little shocked to hear me say anything, probably because I hadn’t taken a side one way or another since this whole new brother thing began almost two weeks ago. Unlike my older brothers, I preferred to take time to think things over.

  “Well, this is all I know so far. He looks like Cash and me. Black hair and blue eyes. I guess he got our father’s genes in that. My guy says he’s twenty-six and works as a bartender at a place in Dade City. He lives with a girl, but from what my guy has seen, he’s not exactly the loyal type.”

  I chuckled at Kane’s description of the guy. “He sure as hell sounds like one of us. Well, not you, Kane, but Cash, you have to admit he sounds like us.”

  Cash gave me a sneer. “Being a manwhore doesn’t mean he’s our brother, Stef.”

  “I didn’t say it did. I just think maybe we should find out more before we put the kybosh on this whole thing. This Sebastian guy might be okay.”

  “And he might be a money-grubbing gold digger who thinks he’s found three ATM machines ready and willing to cough up money,” Cash answered.

  Kane’s frustration boiled over, and he nearly launched from his seat on the couch. Storming toward my balcony, he mumbled something about needing some air and left. Nothing had caused a rift between the three of us like this th
reatened to since our early days at the club, and I wondered if this thing with some supposed long-lost brother was going to tear our family apart.

  For his part, Cash didn’t seem to be swayed by Kane’s rare show of emotion about the subject. Shaking his head, he sighed and said, “You know, I get why he feels this way. I do. He sees a lot of himself in this guy, and maybe that’s right. You and I have always known from the time we were born that we were dad’s kids. There was never any question, and nobody had to give us the title of Cassian March’s sons. I just worry what this Sebastian could do to the lives we have now.”

  “What could he really do, though?” I asked, unsure what some stranger could change about our lives. “It’s not like acknowledging he’s our brother is going to mean we have to do anything for him.”

  Worry etched into Cash’s face. “I don’t know, but I worry. The last time we found out about a brother, we had to work with him, even though we didn’t want to then. That it turned out good doesn’t change the fact that our lives were turned upside down for a while. I’m not sure I want that to happen again.”

  “Cash, that was different. Dad’s will forced the three of us to accept each other. It was his way of making things right, and even though it was hard in the beginning, look at us now. I think it could be okay to find out if this Sebastian is really our brother, and this is coming from the youngest who would have to give up his cherished spot as the baby of the family.”

  My attempt at lightening the mood failed, and Cash asked a question I hadn’t thought of before. “Why didn’t Dad ever mention another son in anything on his death? The will doesn’t say a thing about him. He obviously wanted us to know about Kane, so why not another son?”

  I heard the glass door to the balcony close behind me, and before I could answer Cash, Kane spoke up. “I don’t see what our father mentioning in his will has to do with anything. It doesn’t mean Sebastian isn’t our brother.”

  Afraid of another clash between them, I answered Kane before Cash had a chance to speak up. “It might mean he isn’t our brother at all. It does seem like a pretty big oversight to not remember a fourth son when you remember a third, don’t you think?”

  He didn’t answer. Instead, he sat down on the couch and crossed his arms again. That breath of fresh air hadn’t changed much, it seemed.

  When he finally did begin to speak again, he wasn’t as eager to fight as a few minutes before but still wouldn’t let go of the idea of finding out all we could about our new potential brother. Running his hand over the top of his head, he spoke slowly, like he was choosing his words carefully.

  “I admit it seems odd that our father chose to acknowledge me and not another son he may have had. I’ll give you that. But I don’t see the harm in just finding out about the guy. If he isn’t our brother, then we’ve lost nothing. If he is, though, I don’t see why he shouldn’t have the chance to at least know he’s got family in us.”

  Neither Cash nor I said anything in response for a long moment. Looking over at him, I knew he had something to say, though, even if he was trying not jump all over Kane’s suggestion.

  Taking a breath, Cash nodded and smiled. “All I’m worried about is the potential damage he could do to our lives. That’s all I’ve been saying. I just don’t trust the fact that some guy out of the blue begins contacting you wanting to know if we’re his brothers. I don’t need some relative looking for a handout instead of truly wanting to know us. Or even worse, I don’t want some stranger bringing shit into our lives. Family’s a dicey thing, Kane. Adding someone new to the dynamic, someone who comes with their own baggage, isn’t something I’m looking to do right now.”

  We seemed to be at an impasse, but I couldn’t say I completely agreed with Cash. I wasn’t sure I wanted some strange guy’s shit being dumped into my lap either, but I was curious enough to want to know more before I walked away from this Sebastian person.

  Pursing his lips, Kane looked like he wanted to start arguing again, so before he did that and those two came to blows, I said, “Cash, I feel your problem with this, but I’m with Kane. I say we feel this thing out a little more. If it turns out bad, at least we found out the truth.”

  My support surprised Kane, but I saw by the look in Cash’s eyes he was disappointed with my decision. He stood to leave and said, “Okay, but I’m going to stay out of it until I hear something that makes me believe he’s really our brother. If you can give me proof, and I mean real proof that he’s one of us, I’ll decide then how much I want of him in my life. Until then, I want no part of this.”

  He left without another word. Kane sat staring at me, still shocked I’d sided with him. What could I say? Curiosity got the best of me.

  “I didn’t think you’d want to find out if Sebastian is our brother, Stef. To be honest, I thought you’d be the one I had to convince since you hated finding out about me in the beginning.”

  Kane wasn’t wrong. I resented him so fucking much when he came into our lives. Suddenly, I’d gone from being one of two sons of Cassian March to one of three, and even more, I was the one who seemed to matter the least. Then when our father decreed that for us to receive any of our inheritance we had to all work together to be successful at some business, I hated Kane. If it wasn’t for him, Cash and I would’ve just gotten what we’d been promised and lived happily ever after.

  But that’s not how it went, and all these years later, I couldn’t say I was unhappy about that anymore. Sure, there was a lot of ugliness along the way, but we came out of it all as brothers, like my father had hoped.

  “Yeah, well, I’ve grown up a lot since you came on the scene. I’m not saying I want another brother, but I’m not saying I don’t. All I’m saying is let’s see what he’s all about.”

  “Why is Cash so against this, though?”

  I wasn’t sure of the exact answer, but I had a guess. “Cash is a businessman, first and foremost. He thinks in money terms more than we do. He only sees the potential liability some new heir of our father’s could present us. Security means a lot to Cash.”

  “I don’t want this to affect Abbi and the kids in any way either, so I’m not that different from him. I just can’t understand not even finding out.”

  Standing, I patted Kane on the shoulder as I passed on my way to the kitchen to get more coffee. “You see yourself in this. This guy is where you were all those years ago.”

  He thought about what I said before heading toward the door to leave. “So what do you see in this?”

  “I’m not sure, but my curiosity is piqued so I’m on board with it. If it turns out like Cash is worried it will, I’ll walk away from this whole thing and not look back. My issue isn’t security. Mine is dealing with bullshit and drama, neither of which I need in my life. If that’s what this Sebastian comes with, he best stay away because I’m past that.”

  A slow smile spread across Kane’s face. “Where did that punk ass guy I more often than not wanted to pound the shit out of go, Stef?”

  “He grew up, jackass. Tell Abbi we said hi and bring those kids with you next time. I like them.”

  Kane smiled in that way I knew was genuine. “Tell Shay I’m sorry I didn’t get to see her this time.”

  As the door closed, I couldn’t help but notice the difference between what I said about Abbi and what he said about Shay. Cash was right about family. It was a dicey thing.

  *

  “Stefan, you home?” Shay called out as she came into the apartment.

  I looked up from the couch where I was lounging out like I should on a Sunday afternoon and held out my hand to grab her as she passed. “Right here, baby. You’re back early.”

  She smiled and came over the back of the couch to lie on top of me. After a sexy kiss that made me want to forget about any more talking, she said, “I was actually done much earlier, but I didn’t want to interrupt the March brother pow-wow.”

  Sliding my hands down her back to cup her perfect ass, I pulled her against my qu
ickly hardening cock and groaned. “I don’t know why. Cash and Kane would have been fine with you here while we talked.”

  “Well, I figured I’d let you guys have your man time,” she teased while she pushed her hips forward, pressing the front of her jeans into my cock.

  “I prefer this kind of man time. What do you have planned for today?” I asked as I slid my hand up under her t-shirt to unhook her bra.

  “Not sure. Why?”

  “Because I’m in the mood for some easy like Sunday afternoon fucking.”

  Shay gave me a wink and sat up on my legs to wriggle out of her t-shirt and bra. Throwing them onto the nearby chair, she cupped those gorgeous breasts of hers in her hands and smiled down at me.

  “Hmmm, I think I might be able to fit you into my schedule. I have two others this afternoon, but I’ll make room for you.”

  I pulled her down on top of me and kissed her hard. “Two others? I don’t share well with others, baby.”

  She rubbed against my hard cock and giggled. “I guess I’m going to have to tell them I can’t service them then because my boyfriend is being difficult.”

  Hooking my thumbs in the waist of her jeans, I pulled them down her legs and she kicked them off onto the floor. I made quick work of her silk panties, nearly tearing them off her body, so she was naked against me.

  “You can tell them I’m very difficult. It’s one of the reasons you love me.”

  As my finger slid through her wet slit, she moaned, “Uh huh. Very difficult.”

  Her mouth pressed hard against mine as I continued to finger her, and she flicked the tip of her tongue against my tongue in that way that never failed to make me go crazy. Quickly pushing my jeans and boxers down so my cock was free, I grabbed her hips and held her tight as I slid into her hard and fast.

  My desire to fuck her took over, and I pumped into her as she rolled her hips against me and kissed me like my mouth held the only thing she ever wanted. Even after all our years together, Shay and I were still the same two people who couldn’t get enough of one another, even on a lazy Sunday afternoon.