Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Briar

I know I'm on the Plain Daisy Ranch, but other than that, I'm lost.

My car rounds a corner, and my headlights shine down the small one-way road that supposedly leads to Ben and Gillian's house, which they just built. However, I don't see any houses other than the white family house I passed after driving under the arches.

I stop and turn on the interior light, then try to find my phone in my purse to call my sister and ask for more specific instructions other than to turn left after the fourth tree that's missing a limb. But my phone must have fallen out and slid under the seat when I had to slam on the brakes when a deer ran out onto the road.

I'm sure I passed their drive, but I'm not sure I can just turn around without going off the road, and since it's dark, I'm not one hundred percent sure I won't go into a ditch or something. I put the car in drive and press on the gas, but a big figure shines in the headlights with his hand held up.

I slam on the brakes. "Shit."

Ben taps the hood of the car and walks around to the driver's side with that easy smile of his. Must be nice to have everything you ever dreamed of in your life. Farther down the road is another broad figure, and my stomach clenches.

Emmett Noughton, the party boy, take-life-as-it-comes, immature jackass. Why doesn't he just go inside his house?

"Hey, Briar," Ben says, standing outside my window. "Turned around? We're back that way." He points as if that vague direction is clear.

"Yeah, does this drive go all the way around the lake?"

He chuckles. "No. Just to Jude's, and he spooks easily with Sadie being pregnant, so better to stay out of that driveway."

"I don't want to run over the grass," I say, pretending I don't see the tall figure standing in the distance, even though I can feel his eyes on me.

If I gave Emmett the time of day, he'd probably stop acting as though my hatred toward him is some kind of flirtation when it's actually real and true hatred.

Ben looks around at either side of us, hemming and hawing. He turns toward Emmett and mumbles something under his breath. "Yeah, go down to the next drive and turn around. Then we'll get you to the house." His shoulders sink.

I point in front of me. "That way?" He can't be serious.

"Yeah." He releases another deep sigh. "Roll up your windows and lock the doors." His voice is strained, and he doesn't crack a smile.

"Is the boogeyman going to come and get me?"

He mumbles again, but I don't catch it. "Just ignore any of his antics."

I ease off the gas and inch my car toward where Ben wants me to turn around, which I'm guessing is Emmett's place. That's the reason he's still standing there.

Emmett steps to the side of the road as I turn my car into his drive. "Get lost, Goldilocks?"

That's when I remember I never rolled up the window like Ben told me to.

"Wrong story." My hand moves to roll up the window.

He leans in, crossing his arms on the edge of my car door, his head coming past the line of appropriate distance. "But my brothers and I are like the three bears, and only one of us would be just right for you." He grins at me.

I shift the transmission into reverse to get out of here even if I have to run him over. "Red Riding Hood was the one lost in the woods."

"Oh, I like that better. I'm the big bad wolf, and you're the lost innocent girl?"

"You're more like a yappy Chihuahua."

He draws back for a moment. "Honey, I'm a Doberman."

My eyes narrow on him. "I'm curious, what kind of mirrors are in your house?"

He leans in further, closing in on me. "Why? Are you interested in watching me fuck you?"

"For the one whole minute you'd last?" I press my finger on the window button.

"One night with me, and you'd be ruined for life."

"Emmett!" Ben's voice rings out in the night air.

Emmett laughs, having no choice but to step back or get pinched by the window. Once it's closed, I start backing up to turn around, but my passenger car door opens. I slam on the brakes.

Emmett climbs in, placing a bag on the floor by his feet.

"What are you doing?"

"Being a gentleman and showing you the way." His tone is as if he said duh, what do you think I'm doing?

"A gentleman? You?" I put the car in drive to get this over with because I've met men like Emmett, and rarely do they listen to anything but what their tiny little brains tell them to do.

"Yeah." He shrugs and points ahead of him. "Continue this way."

"No shit."

He rolls down the window, and when we get to Ben, I stop. Emmett hangs out of the window, both arms stretched toward the ground. "I'll show her the way. See you there."

"Bullshit." Ben moves for the handle of my two-door car, and Emmett slaps it away, locking the car manually.

"Emmett, I'm tired, and I don't wanna deal with your shit today," Ben says.

I've never heard Ben with so much anger or annoyance in his tone. Then again, I only briefly knew him when I was younger, and he dated Gillian. They reunited after he returned to Willowbrook when he retired as a pro football player.

"We'll see you at the house," Emmett says. "I'll take good care of my sister."

"Emmett…" Ben's tone is like a warning, but even I know Emmett is going to get off on him being mad.

"Ben," he mimics his brother's tone, rolling up his window. "Go ahead, sweetheart."

"Don't call me that."

Emmett turns toward me, and I purposely drive slowly so Ben can keep up. "Everyone likes me, everyone but you."

"That's what your ego tells you."

His laughter rings out in my small car, grating on my nerves. "Turn right here." He points, and I follow his directions. "You think I have a big ego?"

"You know you have a big ego." I head down a winding road, and the house comes into view. It's big and beautiful and what Gillian's always deserved.

"A big ego to match a big?—"

I slam on the brakes, and Emmett catapults forward, hitting his head on the dashboard.

Gillian stands in the middle of the road, her arms crossed.

"Shit." Emmett touches his forehead and pulls his fingers away, examining them as if he expects to find blood.

My sister's eyes are focused solely on Emmett. Then a fist knocks on the window. Ben stands outside.

Emmett opens the car door and steps out. "Damn it, Gilly Bean."

She walks around to Emmett, disregarding him and sliding into the passenger seat before shutting the door and locking it.

"Hey," Gillian says kindly, as though she didn't just resemble a crazy serial killer from the movies about to chop us into pieces.

"Um, hi."

"Go ahead and keep driving. I'll direct you on where to park." She gestures with her hand.

I do as she says because she's always had that disciplinary mom persona. After my mom took off, I knew what Gillian would let me to get away with and what she was really firm on. When she was younger, before she had Clayton, I could manipulate her emotions about not having my mother figure in my life, and she'd loosen the reins on me a little, but those days are long gone.

"Park over there."

I park my car. I didn't really want to come here first when I rolled into town, but Gillian said she wanted to see me and give me the key to her house in town that she's offered to let me stay in until it sells. After that, I'm not sure where I'll go.

We both slide out of the car.

"Go home, Emmett," Ben says as they walk toward the car.

"You're playing two against one, calling Gilly Bean on me." He's still holding his head. What a baby.

"Emmett, I don't have food for you," Gillian says, hooking her arm through mine and leading me toward the stairs.

"I just ate. Which reminds me, I have to get my food out of your car."

"Good, do that, then keep on walking back to your house," Ben says.

"We have a guest. I wanted to welcome her back to Willowbrook."

"You're not the Willowbrook welcome crew," Gillian says over her shoulder, climbing the stairs with me in tow.

"Uncle Emmett!" Clayton comes out of the house and tosses a football to the person closest to his mental age.

"Shit, Clay, give me some warning," Emmett says.

"Thanks, kid," I say and dislodge from Gillian to accost Clayton with a hug.

"Aunt Briar," he whines as I splash kisses all over his face like I used to when he was two years old. "Come on."

"Oh sorry, I heard you had a girlfriend. Is she the only one who can kiss you now?"

He squirms out of my hold.

By the time I'm done, Gillian and Ben are inside arguing about Emmett being here—Ben's saying he can't control his brother, and Gillian's saying he better try. So I'm caught off guard when Emmett overthrows the ball, and Clayton has to jog away to get it.

"Tell me why I'm jealous of a fifteen-year-old boy right now," he whispers in my ear, causing a rush of shivers to race up my spine. Damn him.

"Because you both only think about the same thing every second of every day."

"Come over to my house, and I'll show you exactly what I'm thinking."

"I'm done babysitting five-year-olds," I say, opening the screen door so it hits him square in the nose. "Whoops, sorry about that."

He groans and grabs his nose. "You Adams women are dangerous."

"You're best to remember that." I walk into Gillian's house, hoping like hell Emmett takes the hint and goes home.

If only my mind would shut off the image of him taking me to his house and fucking me while I watch in the mirror. I have way too much going on in my life to entertain any kind of attraction to Emmett Noughton.