Lila's Thunder: The Almeida Brothers, Book One Read online

  “Well if not Chase, then who? I can’t remember the last time I saw you with a man other than my kid brother. The fact that you went on a date tonight blows my mind. Who was it? Did you find another kid who has a hard on for you in that school ‘grieving club' of yours? How old is he this time? Fifteen? Sixteen?” Jack held his breath; waiting for the retaliation he knew was coming.

  Lila only blinked at him, and to both their surprises her eyes immediately filled with tears.

  The smug smirk fell from his face. The sudden panic that gripped him caught him by surprise and left him immobile as she slowly backed away from him, jumping when her back unexpectedly hit the door. The impact caused the tears brimming on the edge of her eyelashes to plummet down her face.

  Damn. Jack jammed his eyes shut and when he opened them they were faint with regret. He reached out to her, barely recognizing the hand stretched before him, hungry to wipe the tears away. “Lila. Look.” There was nothing in the world he was worse at then eating his words, but he’d never been more willing to do it then he was right then. “Look, that was way out of line—“

  “I’ll get your brother,” she interrupted, reaching behind her and pushing her door open. She stumbled through it, while slapping the tears off of her face. Before Jack could say another word she slammed the door in his face.

  For a long while Jack stared at the closed door, hands shoved deep in his pockets as his always busy mind struggled to find a way out of what he’d just said.

  ---

  Jack and Chase shared a quiet ride home that night. Words had never been a big part of their relationship since the death of their parents. Jack remembered a time when he and Chase had fun, shared inside jokes and had a bond that was rare for a pair of siblings so far apart in age. Once upon a time Chase had worshipped him. Now all Jack felt was distain every time he caught the eyes of his younger brother. As Jack’s black Lexus breezed through the streets of Manhattan, which had grown eerily quiet at 3am, he grew tired of the silence.

  Gripping the steering wheel he turned to look at Chase. He was slouched in the passenger’s seat with his head leaning against the window, staring ahead with sleepy eyes. Jack cleared his throat. “Hey, I got some take-out on the way home. Probably a little cold now but I set it out on the table for you.”

  Chase didn’t even look his way. “Not hungry,” he mumbled, absently.

  Shot down. Jack’s swallowed heavily and wondered if he should leave it alone. Accept that he and his brother were destined to live in silence for the rest of their lives. He couldn’t accept that. Before he could stop himself he was taking desperate measures. “So… How’s Lila?”

  This time Chase did look at his brother. “She’s good.”

  “Good.” Jack nodded, thrilled that he’d made a dent in the silent wall. “I know how close you guys are. I hope it won’t be too tough for you to say goodbye to her once you head off to college.”

  Chase took a deep breath and turned his gaze back to the road. He threw his older brother a look out of the corner of his eye before slouching back in his seat and staring ahead.

  Jack cursed under his breath. Too far, Jack-y boy.

  And there it was. The silent wall that Chase had spent so many years building was now fully restored and stronger than ever.

  Shot down yet again, Jack’s eyes went back to the road and stayed there. He’d taken a swing and missed. Unwilling to experience the pain of slamming into that silent wall for the third time that night, Jack let it go, and they rode the rest of the way home without another word.

  ---

  It was nearly 4am when Lila was jolted awake by the sound of banging on her door. Groggily, she rolled over and tilted her alarm clock in her direction, her eyes nearly bugging out of her head when she saw what time it was. A cold wave chilled her blood as she contemplated who the hell could be banging on her door so late at night. For a moment, her mind raced back to the man in the blue truck Chase mentioned earlier that night, and the worry she felt intensified.

  As she stumbled out of bed she silently cursed herself for never buying a gun and adjusted the tiny t-shirt and her old volleyball shorts, contemplating whether she should change. She decided not to, since she probably wouldn’t be opening the door anyway. On her way out of her bedroom she grabbed her cell, just in case an emergency phone call was in order.

  Slowly making her way toward the door she could hear the sound of heavy raindrops making music against her windows and froze in the middle of her living room when a clap of thunder shook the walls. When had it started raining? Another knock emerged. This one was softer, less demanding, as if the person on the other side somehow knew that she was on her way there. Finally, she made it to the door and stood on her tiptoes to squint into the peephole. Her mouth fell open at the sight.

  A confused frown covered her face as she swung the door open. Jack stood soaking wet with his hands in the pockets of black slacks that clung to his large, muscular legs. He was no longer wearing a jacket and his white button down shirt was nearly transparent, displaying the subtle dips and peaks of his strong chest and dark nipples brilliantly. His dark hair was a disheveled mess at the top of his head.

  Lila immediately wanted to scream at him, berate him, ask him what the hell he thought he was doing showing up at her door at this time of night after all of the things he’d said to her, but she couldn’t find her voice.

  There was a hint of surprise in Jack’s eyes when he came face to face with Lila, as if he hadn’t expected her to open the door to him. His eyes travelled her body, taking in the tiny t-shirt and even tinier pair of black shorts that adorned her body. Long, long legs stretched all the way down to a pair of small, manicured feet. She didn’t wear a bra under her white t-shirt and he was sure her nipples would have been on full display if her long, tousled black hair wasn’t falling perfectly over her breasts to cover them.

  That was it. He couldn’t take it, anymore. Not another day.

  “Jack,” Lila breathed. Before she could say another word he’d crossed the threshold of her doorway, slamming the door closed with one hand and wrapping his arm around her small waist with the other, lifting her to her toes until they were nose to nose. Lila fell back in surprise at the contact, pulling him with her until her back hit the wall of the hall closet, holding her arms up on either side of her head. Jack placed a hand next to hers on the door, using it as leverage to pull her body flush with his. He teased the open palm of her hand with the tips of his fingers before entwining them, holding his breath as his body responded to her womanly dips and curves. Her big brown eyes had grown even wider than usual, wild and stunned, but she didn’t push him away. When she stood on her toes and subconsciously pressed her pelvis to his, accepting the bulge in his pants, he knew he would never be able to go back.

  Lila’s heart pounded furiously in her chest as his freezing cold button down soaked her white t-shirt, making her nipples perk up and stand at attention. She’d never been this close to him before and as her surprised eyes held his cloudy brown gaze, cradled in his strong arms, she couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. Any anger she’d ever felt for him immediately dissipated as she lowered her hand and placed it against his chest, feeling his racing heart. She gripped his shirt where it pounded.

  Jack didn’t know what to say, where to start. He brushed the tip of his nose against hers, tightening his grip on her when a clap of thunder made her jump. Words couldn’t describe the feel of her in his arms, it was a wild mixture of exhilaration, astonishment and relief. He pressed his lips to her cheek to hide his smile when another boom of thunder made her jolt, holding her close as he spoke softly against her skin. “There’s always thunder rolling when we’re together, huh?”

  Lila closed her eyes, marveling at the surprise and the amazing confusion that suddenly gripped her as years and years of pent up tension they’d both denied came crashing in all around them.

  “You are my thunder, Jack,” Lila whispered softly, before reaching
down and taking his hands in hers, pushing them away. “But we can’t do this.”

  Chapter 2

  “We can’t do this,” Lila said.

  Jack slowly pulled back and pressed both of his hands against the closet door on either side of her, blocking her in. He knelt down so they were eye to eye and searched her face patiently as she stared at the wall over his shoulder. Eventually, she moved her eyes to his and pressed her back against the closet door to escape the intensity in his gaze.

  Taking a deep breath, Lila willed herself to calm down. “We can’t do this,” she said, again. “Think about you brother.”

  As if someone had thrown a cold bucket of water on his already soaking wet body, Jack sobered up. “I never stop thinking about him.”

  Lila turned her body to the side and leaned a shoulder against the closet door, stealing a look at him out of the corner of her eye. She searched his golden orbs carefully before closing her eyes and looking away.

  Jack leaned closer, attempting to regain her gaze. He hadn’t been planning to ravage her when he’d come over, only to apologize for what he’d said. It wasn’t until he saw her in that tiny outfit, with her bed head tumbling into her sleepy eyes that he knew why he’d really come over here in the middle of the night. Apologizing to her could have easily waited until morning, but he couldn’t wait and the reason was now clear. His eyes fell to her damp t-shirt, and darkened with desire.

  Lila saw the inner struggle going on inside of Jack’s mind even though he stood in silence before her, staring at her damp t-shirt. She licked her lips and turned to face him, tugging at the white cotton that she feared was leaving much too little to the imagination. Taking in the sight of him before her, feasting on her with his eyes in such an open and naked way that it made her ache in places she didn’t even know still ached, she knew she was in trouble. “You shouldn’t have come here,” she said, unconvincingly, staring at his parted lips.

  His mind raced, and he knew he couldn’t leave. He didn’t know how to turn back the clock after having her in his arms. Lowering his palms on the door, he leaned closer to her, eyes falling to her lips which were still stained cherry red from her date. “Chase doesn’t have to know…”

  Lila’s eyes grew hard in an instant. “So I’ll just be your secret fuck? You’ll just show up here in the dead of night, every night, get what you want and bounce? No one ever has to know? How convenient for you,” she chirped.

  Jack’s head fell and he begged for patience.

  Lila had riled herself up. “I’m not sure just what it is about me that makes you think you can come over here at 4am after what you said to me earlier today, but you’ve got me all wrong, Jack Almeida.” With every word she said it was as if a huge slap in the face was waking her up from a moment of pure insanity. She couldn’t believe how easily she’d almost just succumbed to him. “I’m not one of your paralegal bimbos back at the office.”

  Jack continued to hold his arms on either side of her, staring at his feet. After a few deep breaths, he slowly looked back up. “I know you’re not one of my paralegal bimbos.” He almost shook his head at her, but he knew better. She was a bomb ready to explode. “I don’t even have paralegal bimbos.”

  He wanted to tell her that he hadn’t been able to sleep thinking about what he’d said to her. That he admired how much she cared about those snot nosed kids she counseled. That he wished he could show his own brother even an iota of the strength and compassion that she showed other people’s children every day.

  Before he could speak, Lila crossed her arms over her chest and stonewalled him. He’d already taken enough of that from Chase. To get it from her too stole his words and he was unable to say anything, at all.

  “Jack, you know how they are at Dalton. The administration frowns on faculty being too friendly with the parents and guardians. If someone knew you were here I could be fired on the spot.”

  “If someone knew a senior had a copy of your apartment key you would be fired on the spot but that certainly hasn’t stopped you, has it?”

  “Ah.” She threw her head back, then lowered it. “There you are, Jack Almeida.” She knew he was in there, somewhere.

  Jack jammed his eyes shut and when he opened them they were hungry. For peace or for passion, she wasn’t sure. “What the hell do you want from me, Lila?”

  She took several deep breaths, then tossed her hair over her shoulder. “Nothing.”

  Jack’s nostrils flared gently. “Nothing?”

  “Nothing, Jack.” She nodded her head to the door. “I think you should go.”

  His chest heaved and his mind raced. He was a lawyer but he couldn’t find a way to talk himself back into her good graces. Just five minutes ago she’d been in his arms.

  “Yeah, maybe I should,” he agreed.

  “Good.”

  “Yeah, good.” Jack turned away from her and snatched the front door open.

  She slammed it shut behind him.

  ---

  Lake Tahoe

  Jack sauntered down the hotel hallway as he scanned the numbers of the doors, struggling to remember which one was his. His grandmother’s wedding had been rainy but beautiful, an all-day event, and he was so exhausted from socializing and smiling that he hadn’t even had the energy to ask the cute bartender he’d been talking up all night to join him in his room. All he wanted to do was sleep. As he came up to his hotel room door his mouth fell open when he caught sight of Lila leaning against the hallway wall, tears staining her cheeks. His walking slowed as he grew closer to her, then he stopped completely as a silence passed between them. The rain outside was roaring now, pounding against the hallway windows and making music in the room.

  Jack stared at her intently, fiddling with the keys in his pocket.

  Lila stared back, breathing deeply and drunkenly pulling the strap of her blue dress back onto her shoulder. Jack hadn’t missed the way that strap had been falling off of her shoulder all night and the many men she’d danced with, all of whom had been far too happy to push it back onto her shoulder for her while copping a feel of her glowing brown skin. Jack hadn’t found the nerve to ask her to dance with him. All they did was fight, after all, so why would she accept?

  Her brown skin was damp from the rain outside and the previously perfect black bun she’d worn earlier had been released and was now a gorgeous jungle of waves around her pained browned eyes. Just two hours ago she’d been having the time of her life.

  He fiddled with his keycard.

  “What happened?” he asked. The words alone made him realize that he might be capable of truly hurting whoever was responsible for the tears on her face. “Why are you crying?”

  Lila looked away.

  “What?” he pressed, hating the sight of any woman crying. It reminded him too much of his mother. “What do you want, Lila?”

  She looked back to him, watching him closely before her eyes fell to his lips.

  “Nothing,” she whispered, pushing herself off of the wall and making her way up to him. She threw an arm around his shoulder while dragging her other hand down his chest, resting on his belt buckle. She began to unlatch it. “I don’t want anything.”

  Jack was unable to move as she undid his pants, her fingers dipping into the elastic of his boxers before he could think to stop her. When she wrapped her hand around him and began a slow pump he licked his lips and took the back of her neck to pull her in for a kiss.

  Lila turned her head away, refusing him, as her hand continued to work him through his boxers.

  “Lila,” Jack gasped. He knew he should stop her and apart of him almost did, but the moment his mind fully registered that this was Lila, touching him, he couldn’t. He couldn’t stop her. “What do you want?”

  Lila took the keycard hanging from the edge of his shaking fingers and pushed him back towards the door, sliding the card and disarming it.

  “Nothing,” she whispered, pushing his pants off his hips as they fell into the open door.
<
br />   Jack’s eyes popped open and he dragged in a trembling breath, squinting softly against the morning sun that was seeping through his bedroom window before cursing under his breath. In the three pathetic hours of sleep he’d managed to get he’d dreamed about her. Typical. That night at Lake Tahoe had been nearly two years ago. It was the first and only time since last night that he’d known the feeling of her smooth skin, her touch, but it had been too short lived. Chase had come knocking on the door just minutes later, seemingly unaware of what was going on on the other side, and effectively killing the mood. Lila snuck out of the room shortly after Chase left and proceeded to pretend that none of it had ever happened. They never talked about it--not ever.

  It was a night he'd been desperate to forget for a long time, but he just couldn’t.

  He couldn’t forget.

  ---

  Lila was late.

  Even as she speed walked out of her apartment and down the street, she still couldn’t get the night before out of her mind. Had Jack really shown up in the dead of night trying to get laid after all of the horrible things he’d said to her? He must have thought she was a despicably easy woman to have even attempted it. She huffed into the warm morning air, willing herself not to think about him. The nerve. The nerve.

  She jammed her eyes shut as the feeling of him pressed hard against her stomach came rushing back to her.

  “Put some ice on it, Lila,” she grumbled, turning a quick corner and yelping when she ran smack into Chase. Covering her heart, a smile couldn’t help but cross her face when she gazed up at him. “Hey you,” she said, taking her necklace between her fingers.

  His serious, emerald green eyes shone in the morning light and dark blonde hair tumbled into them with an easy perfection. He wore all black—putting together an outfit had never been his strong suit--but it worked for him. His face was always the star of the show, anyway.