15. Up In Flames

Chapter 15

Up In Flames

Noah

What good was having an older brother to get advice from if you don’t immediately ignore all of it?

I’d had the best intentions when I followed Jade back to her house, but her playfulness and the way she looked at me told me that pulling away from her was the exact opposite of what I should do.

So I didn’t.

And now Gabriel was shooting laser beams at me from across the table as we sat down to eat. His advice had seemed genuine, but perhaps it was laced with a bit of concern for Badden Apparel too. He didn’t want me involved with her, especially when things were already so complicated.

For someone in a relationship with his nanny, he really had no place to tell me who to date .

“These look delicious, Noah.” Jade lifted her first rib to her mouth and took a bite. “Wow!” She had a bit of barbecue sauce at the corner of her mouth, and it was almost impossible not to lick it off right in front of everyone.

“Daddy, why don’t we have ribs at home?” My niece Delaney had already polished off one and was now on her second. The kid had good taste for a five-year-old, unlike her father, who didn’t like meat with bones.

“They aren’t my favorite.” Gabriel visibly shuddered as he cut the meat off his rib ever so carefully as to not have any veins or gristle on it.

Lex barked out a laugh. “Who’s the kindergartener here?”

Delaney raised her hand excitedly. “Me! I’m in kindergarten!”

“How was your first week?” I hadn’t asked her, because going to school was a big step for her with her separation anxiety.

“The bestest! I got to paint with my fingers!” She wiggled her barbecue-sauce-covered fingers. “It was messy, just like ribs!”

“We’ll have to finger paint one day and add some glitter before the paint dries.” Josie smirked.

“Yes!” Delaney was bouncing in her seat, and I watched on in amusement.

When Gabriel made a growling sound, we all laughed. My brother hated messes and especially glitter.

Once everyone was finished eating, Lex jumped up to clear the dishes. “I’ ve got this.”

Gabriel stood too, grabbing one of Delaney’s messy hands. “Let’s go get you cleaned up, sweetie.”

As they disappeared into the house, Josie turned to Jade with a grin. “I wanted to thank you for sending that barrel of lube and box of products.”

I nearly spewed my beer across the table, coughing and spluttering. Jade patted my back, looking confused that Josie had just brought up sex toys and lube so casually. There hadn’t been much of an opportunity for them to talk about their careers with little ears present.

“I’m sorry, what?” Jade’s back pats turned into soothing circles. Maybe I needed to swallow wrong more often.

Josie’s eyes widened. “Oh, I thought... I’m Sarah Swoon. I assumed Noah would have told you.”

Jade looked at me in surprise. “You didn’t think that me knowing she was Sarah Swoon was important information before inviting me over here?”

I held up my hands in defense. “It wasn’t my place to tell anyone about her secret alter ego.”

Josie was the woman behind a very viral and popular adult puppet show on YouTube.

“Wait, I thought you were Gabriel’s nanny…”

“Oh, I am.” Josie waved it off. “It’s a complicated story.”

“That’s the understatement of the century.” I shook my head, still remembering how out of sorts Gabriel had been when he realized he was falling in love with his daughter’s nanny.

“Anyway… your products are so high quality. And the lube?” She made an appreciative noise. “Gabriel and I?—”

I cut her off, not wanting to hear the details of my brother’s sex life. “Okay, I think that’s enough sharing for one night.”

Jade smirked at me. “What’s the matter, Noah? Can’t handle a little girl talk?”

“Oh, I can handle it. I just don’t want to think about Gabriel handling anything.” I made a gagging noise.

Josie and Jade burst out laughing, and I couldn’t help but join in. Seeing Jade relaxed and with a smile on her face gave me a rush. Her joy was something I wanted to be a part of every day for the rest of our lives.

Wait, what?

Clearing my throat, I stood, nearly bumping into Lex, who was walking behind my seat. “I’m going to let you two talk about sex toys and orgasms and whatever.” Quickly, I grabbed a few plates that Lex hadn’t grabbed yet.

“Well, if you’re going to take over my job, maybe I’ll stay and talk to the ladies.” Lex pulled out his chair, and I shot him a glare. “Or not.”

Was I about to have a panic attack? My chest felt all fluttery, and my hands were shaking.

Lex followed me inside, shutting the door behind him. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I set the plates in the sink, surprised Lex had already rinsed the rest and put them in the dishwasher. “Just…”

I turned to face him as Delaney ran from the hallway, Honeybun hot on her heels. “Daddy said I can go swimming again one last time before we go home for bedtime!”

She didn’t even spare us a glance as she heaved open the large sliding door and went outside. I really hoped she didn’t puke in my pool.

Gabriel came out of the hallway a few moments later. “Did she already…” He looked out back, where Josie and Jade were both getting into the pool with Delaney.

“She’s doing really well.” Lex leaned against the counter. “You doing okay, Daddy?”

Gabriel scowled, but then his face softened, like it did anytime he talked about his daughter. “Everything is great. Josie is amazing, and I honestly don’t know where we’d be if she hadn’t come into our lives.”

Lex made a gagging noise before setting his attention back on me. “So you and Jade are for real now?”

I shoved my fingers through my hair as I started to pace in the kitchen, my eyes catching glimpses of Jade every time I passed the window above the sink. “I think I love her.”

My brothers were silent. It was sudden and fast and completely unlike me. I’d always been the most openly emotional one out of the three of us, but this was probably outside their brotherly job descriptions.

“You went from fake dating to real dating, to needing to back off a bit, and now you’re in love with her?” Gabriel did not sound pleased.

“Fire me if you feel it in any way jeopardizes the business.” I couldn’t believe those words had just come out of my mouth. Badden Apparel was my life, just as much as it was his, and to not have it anymore would suck.

But not as much as missing out on what my heart wanted.

Gabriel had every right to fire me, since he was the CEO. Sure, Lex and I were major shareholders in the company, but Gabriel was the head honcho.

His eyes narrowed as he processed my statement. “You know I would never fire you, Noah. But this…” He gestured between me and the direction of the backyard. “This puts me in an incredibly difficult position.”

“I get that, man, I do.” I ran a hand down my face. Was I crazy for feeling the way I did? Maybe, but... “You can’t tell me what to do with my personal life.”

“When it affects the company, I absolutely can.” His voice took on that firm, authoritative tone he used when brokering multi-million-dollar deals. “We’ve already discussed what could happen if this blows up in your face. We had a hard enough time convincing William that the previous owner made the right decision by switching to our company.”

Lex cleared his throat. “Maybe we should all take a step back and make a pros and cons list.”

I shot him a look. As much as I loved my little brother, he was the last person who should have input into business or matters of the heart. “I’m not just going to walk away from Jade because of some theoretical ‘what if’ scenario. That’s not fair to either of us.”

“Fair?” Gabriel barked out a humorless laugh. “You want to talk about what’s fair? What about the thousands of employees who depend on us to make smart business decisions? The families who rely on the paychecks we provide?”

I knew my actions had consequences that extended far beyond just me. But damn it, this once, I wanted to be selfish and chase after what I wanted. And what I wanted was Jade.

Gabriel must have seen the conflict playing out on my face, because his expression softened slightly. “If her father was anyone else, we wouldn’t be having this conversation. We have to be smart about this.”

I scoffed. “You’re dating your nanny.”

Gabriel recoiled like I’d hit him. “That’s different, and you know it.”

“Is it, though? If things go south with you and Josie, you’re interfering with your biggest client, your daughter.” Though it was a low blow, it was true. The only difference between the two of us? I actually supported him.

Lex sucked in a sharp breath. “That was out of line, man.” He looked between Gabriel and me, his eyes pleading for us to let this drop for now. “How about we go join the ladies?”

Without another word, Gabriel turned and walked out of the house, the look in his eyes the only indication he was pissed at me.

“That went well,” I muttered, grabbing a dishwashing pod from under the sink and popping it into the dishwasher.

“Better you than me.” Lex clapped me on the shoulder. “It looks like I really am turning over a new leaf.”

I rolled my eyes. “He hasn’t even given you a project yet.”

Lex’s smile faltered. “You don’t have to be such an asshole.”

And for the second time in one night, one of my brothers turned his back on me and walked out of the house.

“That was nice. I’m glad I came over.” Jade played with the hair at the nape of my neck, her legs wrapped around me as we floated in the pool.

My fingers traced the string tied at her neck, my mind on my disagreement with my brother. No one had seemed to notice the tension between us, but he’d left with Josie and Delaney not long after we went back outside.

“You’ve been quiet.” Jade’s voice was gentler than I’d ever heard it. “What’s wrong?”

I sighed, pulling the bikini string free from her neck, so only the one around her back remained tied. “Just Gabriel being Gabriel. He’s worried I’m going to fuck things up with you, and it will screw over the company in the long run.”

Jade bit her lip as her top fell and her breasts sprang free. “Even if you did fuck things up, I’m not going to go crying to my father. I honestly don’t know why he wanted to have brunch and now have us go to this game. He never cared who I dated before.”

I knew she wouldn’t run to him, but men like William Dalton had appearances to keep, and I’d bet my left nut he’d marry Jade off for business connections if he could. He probably hadn’t cared who she dated before, because they were losers. Me? I was a winner.

I captured one of her peaked nipples between my lips, flicking it with my tongue as I sucked. She arched her back, gasping as I gently tugged on her piercing.

“Noah…what are you doing?” Her nails dug into my shoulders as I switched to the other nipple.

“Mm.” I kissed up to her neck, and she tilted her head to give me better access. “I want to make you feel good. ”

“In the pool? What if the dog peed in it?” She giggled as I reared back. “As much as I want to have pool sex, I just… what if the chlorine causes chemical burns in my vagina or something?” She’d never had sex in a pool?

Never once had I considered chlorine affecting anything. “Well…I guess I’ll just have to put you on the ledge and eat your cunt instead.”

Her eyes flashed with heat, and I pulled her closer, taking her mouth in a passionate kiss. If all we did was kiss the rest of the night, I’d be more than satisfied.

Seeing her interact with my brothers and my niece had cemented that this woman was meant for me. Her apprehension and fears were warranted, but hopefully, in time, she’d let go of them and allow this thing between us to fully take off.

Her hips rolled against me, and I groaned as she slid along my hardened cock. If she didn’t stop, I was going to come in my shorts.

I suddenly pulled back, sniffing the air. “Do you smell that?”

Jade looked at me in annoyance. “Now is not the time for corny pickup lines.”

“No, not a pickup line.” I sniffed the air again, my brow furrowing. “It’s smoke.”

Before Jade could respond, the sound of shattering glass pierced the air, followed by the incessant beeping of a smoke alarm. We both whipped our heads toward the direction of Jade’s house.

Smoke came from somewhere along the side, billowing into the night sky, but I couldn’t see from where. I untangled myself from Jade and swam to the edge of the pool, hoisting myself out.

“Stay here.” I slipped on my flip-flops as she climbed out after me.

“What’s happening?” Her voice was panicked, like she hadn’t yet processed that her house was on fire.

I didn’t answer, instead sprinting as fast as I could along the back of my house until I got to the corner and could see hers.

Fuck.

There were flames and smoke shooting out of an upstairs window, and my stomach dropped. “Call 9-1-1!” I didn’t know if she had her security connected to her smoke detectors, but calling wouldn’t hurt.

“That’s my closet!” Jade froze in place as I ran back past her and yanked my water hose out.

“Jade.” I stopped in front of her. “Go get your phone off the patio table and call 9-1-1.”

She blinked at me, then gasped. “Captain!”

I grabbed her around the waist before she could make it past me. She didn’t have any shoes on, and there was glass from her window that had blown clear over to my side yard.

“It’s a big house and the fire just started. Go call 9-1-1.” I turned her toward the patio and gave her a slight push in the direction she needed to go.

She thankfully listened and ran to the patio as I rounded the side of my house, aiming the jet of water at the window. I didn’t think it would help much, but I couldn’t just stand by and watch .

Jade returned only seconds later, the phone to her ear. Tears streamed down her cheeks, and her eyes were pleading.

I cursed under my breath. At the very least, I could kick her front door open and hope Captain would get out. “Keep this pointed at the window. Don’t you dare walk any farther without shoes.” I gave her the water hose and took off down the side of the house.

Had I pushed the boxes in front of the pantry door? I’d been so wrapped up with Jade that I couldn’t remember.

I already heard sirens in the distance. I really hoped they were headed our way.

As I rounded the hedge, the house didn’t appear to be engulfed or anything, but fire spread quickly, and if Captain was still inside, smoke might be an issue. Who knew how long the fire had been going before it busted the window.

Once on the porch, I wished I’d taken the extra few seconds to grab a pair of actual shoes. It was going to hurt like a bitch to kick in a dead bolted door while wearing flip-flops.

My first and second attempts were unsuccessful, and my foot stung from the impact. I was about to try my shoulder instead when a meow came from behind me.

Turning, I nearly started crying in relief. Captain was sitting in the middle of the walkway, his ears nearly flat against his head and his pupils large.

“Oh, buddy.” I carefully approached him, hoping he didn’t run. “It’s okay. I’ve got you.”

He let me pick him up and hold him against my chest. He didn’t struggle but was trembling as I walked to the end of the driveway where the first fire truck had pulled to a stop. Firefighters jumped out, springing into action.

Now to tell them that they would be dealing with a closet filled with dildos.