House of Payne: Styx Read online

  In less than ten minutes, the entire clan situated themselves around a linen-draped, oblong table that practically groaned under the weight of all the food. Sydney sat next to Styx, and tried not to jump when his hand, while in the process of draping a napkin over his lap, reached over to give her upper thigh a gentle—and thoroughly inappropriate—squeeze.

  Her heart slammed against her ribs and her whole body lit up like a solar flare, but when she slid a glance Styx’s way, he was reaching for a breadbasket with his free hand like nothing had happened.

  Well.

  Two could play at that game.

  Ostensibly Sydney paid attention to what was happening on top of the table. Aside from the main course and accompanying sauces, serving bowls filled with honey-glazed carrots, roasted Brussels sprouts with bacon, and garlic mashed potatoes were passed around, along with two kinds of dinner rolls.

  Beneath the table, she slid a shoe off and wrapped it around Styx’s ankle, then slid it as far as she could up his calf, then back down again.

  It was Styx’s turn to slide her a look.

  She pretended not to notice as she cut into a gorgeous slice of Beef Wellington. “Mm. Emily, this is so good. Perfection.”

  “Thank you, hon. You’re going to have to give me the recipe for the wine sauce. I absolutely love it.”

  “It would be my pleasure.” She worked her toes inside his shoe over his foot’s arch and wiggled, just a little, tickling that sensitive area.

  Styx made a sound that he turned quickly into a cough.

  “You okay?” She gave him an innocent look, and delighted in the fiery gaze he slanted her way.

  “Oh, I’m feeling way more than okay, thanks for asking.” He wiped his mouth with his napkin before replacing it in his lap, and again he reached over to her leg. This time, though, he lingered to slip his fingers through the slit of her wraparound dress and didn’t stop until he found bare thigh.

  Oh, damn.

  Not sure if she was more turned on or horrified that she was turned on while sitting at his parents’ dinner table, she gave him a little kick. His chuckle was for her ears only before he leaned sideways toward her to nuzzle her ear with his mouth.

  “I like having you where I can reach you, Syd.”

  She liked it, too. So much. “You’re impossible.”

  “I know. And I know I’m the one who started this game, so I’m going to be the one who finishes it before I lose my damn mind entirely and make you come right here at my parent’s dinner table.” He gave her thigh a long, lingering caress before his hand left her. “Behave, before I get any harder.”

  “I am behaving.” But it was almost impossible to be good when all she could think about was what exactly was hardening, and how that knowledge kicked off a needy ache to have that certain hardening between her thighs.

  Luckily both the food and the people around her provided a distraction. Dessert was a decadent mishmash of store-bought cheesecake with choice of toppings, homemade chocolate chip cookies from Tina, and a gingerbread trifle from Maeve, which, Maeve shared with her, was the one and only dessert she knew how to make. Though Sydney had no idea if she’d ever be invited back, she couldn’t help but think of all the possible desserts she could bring the next time around.

  “I can’t imagine what a Hardwick Thanksgiving must be like.” Sydney looked at the empty bowls she was carrying through to the kitchen in something like shock. “When I saw how much food was being put out, I never imagined there wouldn’t be anything left. It’s like a plague of locusts descended in the dining room.”

  “My son tells me you grew up with sisters, and that both you and your mother were ballerinas, so this doesn’t surprise me.” Emily’s chuckle held a note of satisfaction as she opened up the dishwasher. “Growing boys that turn into huge, muscle-bound men often eat their weight in food in about a week. When you cook for Terrance, you need to be prepared to basically double whatever you think is a normal serving. And if it’s chocolate or peanut butter or has some kind of apples in it, triple the recipe.”

  “Good to know.” Sydney handed Styx’s mother a large serving bowl that had held mashed potatoes, but now looked like it had been licked clean. “I’ve never actually cooked for a man before. Friends and get-togethers, sure, but never a man.” But the prospect of doing such a normal yet strangely intimate thing for Styx made her heart pound. “I’m not sure what that says about me.”

  “It says you’re particular. And that you have great taste, because the man you’re going to cook for is my son, and I approve of that thoroughly. In fact,” Emily added with a thoughtful change in her tone, “I know you and my son don’t need this in any way since you’re both adults, but I approve of you thoroughly, too.”

  Sydney almost dropped the silverware she was holding as her heart did a dizzy backflip. “Uh…thank you.”

  “I know that might seem like an old-fashioned thing to say,” Emily went on wryly before bending to jam a casserole dish into just the right spot. “Not to mention a little presumptuous. After all, we just met, and we haven’t had time to get to know one another very well. But the thing is, I really do approve of how my son lights up when you’re in the room, and how he can’t seem to stop himself from sneaking little glances at you when you’re not looking. And I definitely approve of how you make him laugh. I’m Terrance’s mother, so believe me when I say I’ve never seen my boy laugh as easily and continuously as he’s done this evening. Thanks to you, my son is happy in a way I didn’t even know was possible, Sydney. I can’t tell you how grateful I am for that.”

  Guilt went to war inside her when she realized Emily was flat-out falling for the illusion Styx was hellbent on creating. “We’re still in the early stages of getting to know each other, and I don’t know how things will go for Styx and me long-term,” she said as honestly as she knew how, while the stress of fooling such a good woman began to eat away at her. “All I know is one thing—the moment I saw your son, I forgot I needed to breathe. I can’t even put into words how completely he affected me.”

  “You affect him in just that same way, so no need to find the right words. I can see it, and it fills me with joy. And relief,” she added with her cackling laugh as she reached for the stack of plates she’d brought in. “I’ll be honest—I was never worried about Tina or Trey and how they’d wind up. They take after me, which means they’re grounded and pragmatic and, well… a bit staid. Terrance marched to the beat of his own drum right from the beginning, so I knew he wasn’t going to be a nine-to-five drone destined for a Stepford wife, two kids and a picket fence in some unimaginative suburb. The man you call Styx is just like his father—a handful of crazy at any given moment. That means he’ll never go the conventional route, but that’s what makes him the brilliant man he is.”

  “I’m glad to hear you say that.” Sydney smiled, and she could feel the relief in it. “I was raised by parents who had exacting expectations of their children. When we didn’t live up to those expectations, they were very deliberate in showing us how they lost interest in our continued existence. To know that you appreciate Styx’s uniqueness and determination to go his own way with not just his art but his lifestyle—like not settling down like Trey and Tina have—means a lot to him.”

  “Oh, I think Terrance is more traditionally minded than even he thinks,” Emily said with no small amount of glee, before patting Sydney’s cheek. “After all, you’re here, aren’t you? The very first woman he’s ever brought home to meet the family. A week ago I wouldn’t have imagined Terrance ever taming his wild streak. But after meeting you and seeing how cute you two are together, who knows?” With a bright smile, Emily went back to playing her brand of Tetris with the dishes in the dishwasher, while Sydney tried not to die of guilt.

  Chapter Twelve

  Something had happened to Sydney by the time Styx got her tucked into the ‘Vette and waved farewell to his parents. That special spark that had been in her throughout the evening had blinked out,
and he sure as hell was going to find out why.

  “That went way too well for comfort,” Sydney piped up before he could open his mouth to press her for answers. “I know the purpose of my being there was to convince your family you have a girlfriend, but I’m worried, Styx. I think your mother’s got long-term designs on us, even though I assured her that you had no intention of settling down in a conventional way like your siblings have.”

  “Did you?” He glanced at her before laughing out loud. “Pretty damn ballsy of you, Syd. I approve.”

  “I did it because I didn’t want Emily getting her hopes up when it comes to me being in your life on a permanent basis. You’re so lucky to have parents like Emily and Arthur, so I can’t stand the thought of hurting them. They’re so open and accepting of all their children, even when those children don’t take the expected path.”

  He grunted, nodding. “Like me and my art—becoming a tattooist instead of joining some branch of law enforcement.”

  “Exactly. If you were a serial puppy murderer, I don’t think it would have mattered. They would’ve still loved you.”

  “I don’t know about Mom on that, actually. She loves animals more than people.”

  “Then don’t become a serial puppy murderer. That woman is a gem, so you need to make sure you keep her in your life,” came the flat answer. “Honestly, if I’d had a mother like Emily, my life would’ve taken a totally different path.”

  Again he shot her a glance as he crossed into Old Town. “How do you think your life would be different?”

  “I wouldn’t have been forced to stop dancing, for one thing,” came the immediate reply. “Even if I hadn’t gone any further than being part of the corps in a no-name dance company, a mother like yours would have loved that, because she’s happy when her child is happy. That’s something I felt all around me tonight—that sweet, accepting happiness for you and Tina and Trey,” she added with a wistful smile that instantly kicked off a low throb in his dick. “Until tonight, I didn’t know parents could be like that. I thought their role in life was to make their offspring so miserable they’d do everything they could to leave the nest as soon as possible.”

  “Damn. That’s harsh, Syd.”

  “It’s the truth. That’s why I’m glad you invited me to join you tonight, so that I could see how wonderful family can be,” she added, and he could feel the brush of her glance as she turned her head toward him. “Thank you for a great night, Styx. Come to find out, parents aren’t so bad after all.”

  “Glad you got educated.”

  “I really did.”

  “You’re going to be one hell of a parent yourself one day, since you can obviously see the difference between your family and mine,” he went on, while the warmth over her obvious delight in his family went to war with anger over how her own was so devoid of anything good. “You won’t make the same mistakes your parents made. Everything they did wrong with you and your sisters, you are going to do right by your kids.”

  “For a long time, I’ve told everyone who’ll listen that I’ll never have kids. I didn’t see the purpose of them,” she shrugged, shocking him. “But family doesn’t have to act like a panel of judges, does it? It can be the place where you belong. Family can even be… I don’t know… kind of beautiful.”

  “Damn right it can be beautiful.” He caught her hand and laced her fingers with his. “You were meant to be surrounded by love and laughter and total, apeshit craziness. The happy kind that sends you off to sleep at night with a smile on your face, then wakes you up in the morning with the anticipation of seeing what more craziness is in store. You were never meant to be without a family.”

  “If I had a family like yours, I wouldn’t be able to wait to get one of my own started.” Then she bit her lips together, as if she wished those words hadn’t escaped her mouth. “But knowing my luck, I’d wind up with something like my family.”

  “It’s not a crapshoot, Syd.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I know. The fun part of being a parent is that you get to be the captain of that ship. You get to choose whether love and happiness is going to be your North Star, or something else entirely.”

  “I’ve always heard that we’re doomed to parent the way we were parented. What if I choose wrong?”

  “You won’t.” His tone was confident as he let her hand go to pull into his building’s parking garage. “And don’t forget, you’re not going to be alone making all those big decisions when it comes to which way your family is going to be raised. Or do you think you’re so awesome you’re going to be able to make babies all on your own?”

  “I’m aware of my awesomeness, but not even I can pull that off unless I hit up the local sperm bank.” A fluttery laugh escaped her as they came to a stop and he pocketed the car keys. “I’m also aware that you brought me back to your building instead of mine.”

  “Yeah, I noticed that, too.”

  “I thought it was decided I wasn’t in that much danger anymore, now that Grover Wilson was in custody and the Brisket Bandit posse has bigger things to worry about than me.”

  “I didn’t decide that. I’m not about to let my guard down again.” Very gently he touched the cut on her cheek, still noticeable despite the makeup she’d applied to cover it up. “I’ve got to protect you. That means you stay where I can have eyes on you at all times.”

  “At all times? Like twenty-four seven? Because that’s impossible.”

  “Nothing’s impossible when it comes to me and you.” He caught her by the nape and pulled her in for a slow, deep kiss, and wallowed in her eager response. When he pulled back to look at her, he smiled at the answering fire that had kindled in her eyes. “We can do whatever the hell we want. Thing is, what I wanna do right now is you.”

  He heard her breath shallow out. “Aha.”

  “You need to let me know if you're good with that before we go upstairs,” he went on when she didn’t say anything more. Not the most promising response he’d ever heard. “I don't want to get ready to jump your fine ass if you're in the mood to just go to sleep. Which is fine, because I’m in no rush. You and I are going to happen at some point, so I’ve got time on my side. But understand this, Syd—you give me the green light once we’re upstairs, clothes are coming the fuck off.”

  It seemed like a small eternity passed before she answered. “At first I was going to ask why wait until we were upstairs. But now I see what you were talking about when it comes to cars. The ‘Vette’s interior really is too small for sexy times.”

  Hell, yeah. “That sounded like a green light.”

  Her smile was a miracle to behold. “Green lights all the way. I guess that means it’s time to start your engine.”

  “Trust me, Fun-Size,” he said, his cock pulsing out an urgent need as he opened the car door, “that engine’s been going since day one. Race you to the elevator.”

  Anticipation. Nervousness. A giddy, borderline-hysterical desire to laugh. All that and more whirled like a tornado inside Sydney as she followed Styx from the elevator to his front door. It probably should have mattered that both she and Zemi had concluded getting sexy with Styx wasn't a great idea. Pretend girlfriends didn't have sex with their pretend boyfriends.

  That way lay dragons.

  But it didn’t matter. In that moment, all that mattered was getting Styx naked and making a glorious feast of the man she’d fantasized about from the first moment she laid eyes on him. Her legs were shaking so much and her panties were so damn wet, it was a wonder she could even walk.

  “First things first.” His voice was gratifyingly tense as he dealt with opening the apartment door, and the sound of it alone turned up the damp heat between her legs another few degrees. “You on birth control?”

  She nodded, all the while trying to calm her breathing. “Since I was a senior in high school.”

  “Just to be on the safe side, we're using protection tonight and getting tested tomorrow before I go into work. T
hen you can come with me to House Of Payne, just so I can keep an eye on you,” he added, surprising her. “You’re not working tomorrow, right? You don’t go in until Wednesday?”

  It was amazing, how he remembered the details of her life. “Right. Monday and Tuesday are usually my weekend.”

  “We’re spending every moment we can together, because I can’t see the point of living life any other way.”

  Oh, wow. “Since we’re getting questions out there in the open, there are a few things I’d like to know about you. For, instance, you mentioned you were a fan of morning fucks, but I’d like to know, uh…more specifically what you like.”

  “What I like?”

  Geez, did she have to spell it out for him? “You know, whether you like it rough and crazy, or slow and deep, or—”

  “What I like is no talk that overanalyzes shit.” He hooked a bold hand around her neck and pulled her so close her breasts flattened against his torso. “This isn’t a test, and I’m not going to dump your ass if you don’t perform perfectly. You already know what I like. I like you. You being you is more than enough.”

  No sweeter words had ever been said to her. “Really?”

  “Yeah, really. Now if you’re done talking, I need to get you out of those fucking clothes.”

  No, she’d been wrong.

  Those were the sweetest words that had ever been said.

  She flowed into his arms like she belonged there, and that was all it took it ignite the fire that had been smoldering between them all evening long. Her feet left the floor as his arms came around her hard enough to crush the air out of her, but it felt too wonderful to protest. The power of his need came through loud and clear in those strong arms and in the hungry pressure of his mouth. This infinitely sexy, funny, thoroughly amazing man wanted her, and he didn’t mind showing her that in every possible way. Blindly she stoked his desire by twining her tongue around his. At the same time, she wrapped her legs around his hips as he kicked the door shut, and she helped him out by reaching back to twist the deadbolt in place.