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  “Just making sure you’re decent,” he responded, before pushing the door open and strolling in. Nevealise’s stomach dropped as Langston and Jarred followed close behind, piling into her dressing room.

  The knot in her stomach felt as if she’d swallowed a brick. Ah, hell, she thought, as she saw Jarred standing there staring at her with a smirk on his oh-so-handsome face. Nevealise never really cared for bearded men, but Jarred wore his well. His was light, neatly trimmed and seemed to complement his thick eyebrows, honey-brown skin tone and those hazel eyes that seemed to look straight to her soul. If she wouldn’t appear childish, she would have rolled her eyes at the self-assured oldest Manning brother. Instead, she turned her megawatt smile onto Brice.

  “Brice,” she said, standing to embrace him with a gentle hug. “You didn’t tell me that the Brothers Three would be gracing me with your presence tonight.”

  “That’s because I didn’t know. Spur-of-the-moment thing. On top of that, I didn’t know you were in town. You didn’t call,” Brice said. “It’s been too long, Nev.”

  Nevealise backed out of his embrace and looked him in the eye. “Like you—spur-of-the-moment thing.”

  “How long will you be in town?” Brice asked. After graduating from MIT, Nevealise had stayed on in the area, making Cambridge, Massachusetts, her home.

  “Not sure.” She looked over Brice’s shoulder at Langston. He had been the more laid-back one, she remembered, and he’d always been nice to her. Compassionate and patient. She knew his referral to her as Nerd Girl was not malicious. In fact, most times he’d pulled her ponytail when he’d called her that. She hadn’t seen Langston in years. Or Jarred, for that matter.

  Brice must have noticed her eyes flittering about the room, because he said, “You remember my brothers, Langston and Jarred?”

  “It’s been a while, but of course I remember them,” she said.

  Langston held out his hand. “You have a beautiful voice. I really enjoyed the show.”

  Nevealise shook it. “Not the ‘Nerd Girl’ you remember,” she teased.

  Langston had the nerve to blush. “Yes, about that. We were young and full of ourselves,” he said, clearing his throat.

  “No worries. It never bothered me. I was and still am a nerd and proud of it. Well, not at the time.” She chuckled.

  Nevealise was surprised when Brice pulled her into the crook of his arm. She turned her face up and gave him a questioning look. He just winked at her. What in the world is he playing at?

  “I’m Jarred,” she heard his other brother say. The seductive timbre of Jarred’s voice captivated her, compelling her to look at him. His hand was outstretched, so she had no choice but to extend hers. He grasped her hand as if it were a lifeline and glided his thumb over her knuckles.

  “I didn’t know you and Brice were an item,” he said smoothly.

  Nevealise was caught off guard by him having his way with her hand, and then by his assumption that she and Brice were a couple. She was stunned to silence until she felt the firm squeeze of Brice’s palm on her shoulder.

  “You still don’t,” she gathered herself enough to say. “Brice and I are friends. Not lovers. He’s more like a brother.” Nevealise didn’t know why she felt compelled to explain their relationship. She didn’t owe anyone an explanation, least of all Jarred Manning. “Can I have my hand back now?” she said, trying to pull it from his grasp. He refused to let go.

  “If we were an item, I believe I would take exception to you holding my woman’s hand as if you were waiting for an opportunity to bed her,” Brice chided. “I believe the lady asked for it back.”

  “Uh, bro, you can’t hold her hand hostage,” Langston interjected with a chuckle.

  Nevealise darted her gaze from one brother to the other, all the while trying to disengage her hand from Jarred’s. Langston apparently thought it funny, but Jarred’s eyes were not so happily fixed on Brice.

  “We are not a couple,” Brice stressed. Nevealise could hear the smugness in his voice. “I told you, Nev and I are friends.”

  The brothers had had a conversation about her? When? And more importantly, why?

  “What’s going on, Brice?”

  “Nothing, Nev. Just my big brother being his normal presumptuous self. Are you performing all weekend?”

  “I haven’t decided yet. Playing it by ear at this point.”

  “Have you spoken to your father yet?”

  Nevealise tensed. “No, and I hadn’t planned on it,” she said easily.

  “Maybe you should,” Jarred interposed.

  Her father was a sore point with her, and she didn’t appreciate Jarred trying to tell her what to do.

  “As I said, I don’t plan on speaking to him. And let go of my hand,” she snapped, finally snatching it out of his grasp.

  “Do you have real daddy issues, or are you just throwing a tantrum?” Jarred asked.

  Nevealise’s eyes flashed fire. “Excuse you! Throwing a tantrum! What am I, three? You don’t know me, so I suggest you keep your comments to yourself, especially where my father and I are concerned.” Nevealise breathed hard. The rapid rise and fall of her chest was a telltale sign that she was angry. No, she wasn’t angry. She was furious. Her father was a touchy subject, and for this know-it-all to assume she was the problem had her enraged.

  “Calm down, Nev. Jarred’s just upset about the situation,” Brice said.

  “Jarred, she’s right,” Langston interjected. “You have no business making assumptions about her and her father. You owe Nevealise an apology.”

  “What situation?” Nevealise asked, perplexed. She was trying her best to follow the conversation, but couldn’t. What were they talking about? Apparently, whatever it was had something to do with her father. If so, she didn’t much care. As long as she wasn’t involved.

  “What am I supposed to think when her father has left us with his mess of a company?” Jarred said.

  “Wrong.” Brice shook his head. “Dad had a choice and he made it.”

  “What mess? What’s he talking about, Brice?” Nevealise huffed. Oh, how she hated secrets. Hated them with a passion.

  “I’ll explain later. This is not the time nor the place. Can you come by my house tomorrow? I’ll explain everything,” Brice stated.

  “We’ll explain,” Jarred said.

  Before anyone could say anything else, there was a loud knock on the door. “Nev, is everything okay in there?” Norman’s booming voice sounded through the panel.

  “Everything’s fine, Norman,” she said, rushing to the door and pulling it ajar. Norman pushed the door open farther to peek inside. He glanced over at Brice, nodded and closed the door, apparently satisfied that she was, indeed, fine. When she turned back to her guests, she noticed Jarred looked as if he was rearing up for another altercation with Brice. And he’d accused her of acting like a child? Go figure.

  Nevealise crossed her arms and looked at Brice. “I have a full morning and I’ll probably be back here tomorrow night. What time should I come?”

  “Why don’t we make it Sunday, so no one has to rush?” Jarred suggested, cutting in.

  “Sunday’s better for me, too,” Langston said.

  “Brunch on Sunday. How’s that?” Brice asked her. “My place.”

  “Sunday brunch is okay with me.” Nevealise shrugged. “Just know that if this has anything to do with me helping my father in any way, I’m not listening, nor will I help.”

  “We’ll discuss this further on Sunday, Nev. That’s the point of the brunch,” Brice snickered.

  “I’m just saying. You know my stance on my father, Brice.”

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah. You say it often enough. Are you going back on tonight?” he asked, changing the subject, for which she was grateful. She didn’t feel like another
showdown with Jarred.

  “Maybe. Maybe not.” She smiled. “In any event I need to change out of this gown. Getting kind of sticky,” she said, wiggling her hips.

  “I can take a hint. She’s trying to get rid of us. Come on, you two, let’s give Nev her space,” Brice said. He placed a kiss on her cheek, then walked over to the door and opened it.

  “Nice seeing you again, Ner—Nevealise,” Langston said.

  Nevealise chuckled as he caught himself. “You too, Langston. And for being such a gentleman, you can call me Nerd Girl for as long as you want. No offense taken.” She grinned. “If you aren’t comfortable with that name, my friends call me Nev.”

  “Thank you, Nev. See you on Sunday.” Langston flashed his pearly whites again.

  “What can I call you?” Jarred asked.

  “I don’t know. However, I have a few choice names I want to call you,” she retorted.

  “Fair enough. I apologize for my earlier assumptions. There, is that better?”

  “I don’t know, is it? How do you feel?”

  Nevealise heard Brice and Langston snickering in the background. Her eyes were still fixed on Jarred.

  He cast a glance over his shoulder at his brothers. “I’ll meet you two outside,” Jarred murmured.

  “Why?” Brice asked.

  “I just want a word. I believe we got off on the wrong foot and I want to set it straight,” he responded.

  Nevealise noticed Brice’s eyes seesaw between her and Jarred. She felt the change in the atmosphere. There was tension, but not the angry, frustrated strain that was present before.

  Jarred turned back to her. His stare was bold and presumptuous, but she felt drawn to him. She hadn’t seen him since she was a teenager, so why was he affecting her in this way?

  Nevealise didn’t like it. At all. On stage she was bold and vivacious. She was Nev. However, offstage she was nerdy Nevealise, who liked numbers and playing on her computer. She was not comfortable with how Jarred made her feel.

  “Come on, Brice. Jarred needs to apologize for acting like an ass,” Langston said. “Honestly, I think he’s met his match.”

  Nevealise watched as Brice reluctantly walked out the door, Langston right behind him, and closed it after them. Her heart raced uncontrollably as she turned to face Jarred. He had this look on his face, a look that clearly said he wanted her.

  He walked over and stood in front of her.

  “So you never told me what name to call you,” he smirked. The handsome devil knew he was getting to her. Nevealise’s breath hitched in her throat as he reached out, grabbed a lock of her hair and twirled the curly strand between his fingers. “Still no answer.”

  Nevealise cleared her throat. “Nevealise. You can call me Nevealise,” she whispered.

  “Nah, I don’t think so.” He gazed into her eyes.

  “Nev then,” she murmured, and tried to back up a little, but his arm snaked out and pulled her closer to him.

  “How about I make up my own name for you? I like Nevea. How about you?” he whispered.

  “Whatever works for you. Listen, I have to change,” she breathed.

  “Are you finished for the night?”

  “Like I said before, maybe, maybe not.”

  “Have it your way. See you on Sunday, Nevea.” He released her hair and then leaned down and brushed his lips across hers.

  Then he simply turned and walked out, leaving her standing in the middle of the room staring at the closed door.

  “Well, alrighty then,” she said to the empty room. But her lips lifted in a slow smile.

  * * *

  Jarred walked out of the club and met his brothers.

  “That meeting on Sunday has been shifted to my place. Call her tomorrow to inform her of the change,” Jarred told Brice as they walked toward their cars.

  “Do I look like your secretary? Why can’t you call her?” Brice snorted.

  “I don’t remember what my secretary looks like, Brice, since you messed with her head and she took leave. And I can’t call Nevea and change the venue because you and I both know she wouldn’t come.”

  “So what makes you think she’d come if I ask her?”

  “She seems to like you,” Jarred grunted.

  “She’d like you, too, if you weren’t so grumpy.” Langston chuckled.

  “You seem to be all giggly tonight, Lang. What in the all-out hell is so funny?” Jarred demanded.

  “You are, brother. You’ve pissed Nerd Girl off, and now she won’t come out and play with you,” Langston teased.

  “She was steamed at him. I thought she was going to hit him at one point. Never seen Nev that mad before,” Brice taunted.

  “For one thing, dogs get mad, people get angry,” Jarred said.

  “And if she were a dog, she would have bit you on your arse,” Brice countered. He was doubled over with laughter.

  Evidently, his brothers found him funny, since they were both laughing like hyenas. But they weren’t there to witness his and Nevea’s sizzling exchange when they were alone. He’d leave the two knuckleheads with their assumptions. Suddenly, things seemed a whole lot brighter.

  But Langston would not be deterred. “I distinctly remember you saying before we left the office that you didn’t want to be around any ‘touchy-feely’ people. Yet there you were, trying to take Nev’s hand with you,” he joked.

  Jarred needed to shut these two up quickly. He had a feeling he’d be seeing a lot more of Ms. Nevealise Tempest. A whole lot more. Had he driven himself, he would have stayed longer, and left Langston and Brice to their own devices. Besides, wasn’t that the point of their outing? To relax, have fun and enjoy the company of a beautiful woman? His brothers were still ribbing him. They were having just a little too much fun at his expense. His lips lifted in a slow smile. Let’s see who has the last laugh.

  “Be that as it may,” he said, “who’s coming in to work tomorrow? We still have a lot to do before the meeting next month with the board of directors.” Jarred smiled at their collective grunts. Ha! Who’s laughing now? They reached the cars. “Y’all want to grab a bite to eat at one of those all-night diners?” he asked.

  “Sure,” Langston said.

  “Count me out. I have a few things to take care of. You two know how to get out of here, right?” Brice said.

  “Of course we do,” Langston responded.

  “You okay, Brice?” Jarred asked.

  “Good as gold.” His remote started the car, but before he got in, he turned back to Jarred. “Since you apparently have the hots for Nev, I take it you want this meeting to be private. That being said, I will see you two at the office on Monday. Maybe.” Brice got into his car and drove off.

  “Something’s up with him,” Jarred said.

  “I believe so, too. He’ll tell us when he’s ready. Let’s go get some grub,” Langston said.

  Jarred got in on the passenger side, put his head back and closed his eyes.

  “I’ll GPS the closest diner,” he heard Langston say, but his thoughts were still on Nevea. He found himself willing Sunday to come fast.

  Chapter 4

  Jarred lay in his king-size bed and looked over at the bedside clock. Six in the morning. He’d gotten very little sleep last night, and the night before. Usually, it was the trials of the office that kept him awake at night, but not this time. No, this time it was something sexy and tantalizing. Nevealise Tempest. Ever since he’d laid eyes on her Friday night, Jarred hadn’t been able to get her off his mind.

  She didn’t know it, but he’d gone back to the club on Saturday, sat in the back away from the stage and watched her work her magic with the crowd. Jarred was surprised that she hadn’t made it big in the music industry. She was just that good. According to Norman, p
eople came from all over to see her perform, but she wasn’t interested in the fame. She just loved singing and the atmosphere of Heavens. Norman had gone on to say that everyone in the club was surprised that she hadn’t been around for almost a year, and then suddenly, two months ago, she’d appeared out of the blue, better than ever.

  “What kept you away from the place you so obviously love, Nevea?” he asked in the semidarkened bedroom.

  Jarred pushed the covers off and swung his legs over the bed, his bare feet touching the floor. He walked to the bureau, grabbed a pair of gym shorts and pulled them on over his boxer briefs. Then he put on a pair of socks and his sneakers and went into his en suite bathroom, where he washed his face and brushed his teeth. Jarred quickly grabbed his cell phone and then made his way to his basement, which housed his basketball court and gym.

  Jarred went through a few warm-up drills before grabbing his basketball and running up and down the court, shooting baskets. Basketball was his game in high school and in college. He still loved the sport and played as much as he could. Not being able to get out to play with the fellas because of his demanding hours, he’d had his basement renovated into a full court.

  He played for about an hour and a half before finally stopping and sitting on the floor, his back against the padded wall, his breathing heavy. He’d needed that workout.

  “Oh, man. Jarred, either you’re getting old or you need to get back in shape,” he groaned, his arms on his knees and his head bowed, trying to suck in as much air as he could. Pushing up off the floor, he walked over to the bench where he’d placed his cell phone, and left the gym.

  Brice hadn’t phoned yet to say if Nevea was in fact coming, so it was basically a waiting game. An impatient waiting game. Jarred made his way to the master bathroom, showered, then dressed in sweatpants and a T-shirt from his alma mater, Howard University.

  Next he needed a cup of coffee. Just as he was leaving his room, his cell phone chimed. He rushed to grab it from the bureau and looked at the caller ID. It was Brice.

  “Man, you owe me big time and I plan to collect soon,” his brother said.