Just One Night Carly Phillips (good books for 7th graders .txt) 📖

He nodded and she scooped up the mug.

“How long are we going for?” she asked, and he released the breath he’d been holding. At least she wasn’t going to let his actions last night get between them going forward.

“For as long as it takes to convince Aurora she has family who want her.” He paused. “Jordan?”

“Yes?”

“You’re really coming?”

Her gaze locked with his. “Have I ever not been there when you need me?”

“No. You’re my rock.” Though he’d been given a taste of her, he still wasn’t about to lose her or screw up their relationship by mixing sex into the equation. No matter how much he wished he could.

*     *     *

After leaving Jordan’s, Linc headed home to shower and clean up before going to see his mother. Since there’d been no way to adequately prepare her for the news about his father’s bastard daughter, he’d just called and told her he wanted to come for a visit. His mom lived an hour from the city on what his father had liked to call the Kingston Estate, a pompous way of describing the family home in Brookeville, set on four acres of land.

Of course, his dad had kept an apartment in the city he’d used as a place to sleep when he worked late or, as Linc presumed, a way to sleep with his mistresses without his wife finding out. Wanting nothing to do with his father’s illicit love nest, Linc had put the apartment on the market within a week of the man’s death.

As he neared the exit on the highway, his phone rang, and he took the call on speakerphone. “Hello?”

“Hi,” his sister Chloe said.

“Hey. How are you?” Although she worked with him, doing the decorating and staging of the model apartments in the buildings they bought and rented out, he didn’t think she was calling to talk about business.

A heavy sigh echoed across the line. “I’m okay, I guess. Still processing,” she said.

“Aren’t we all?” Memories of how he’d shown up at Jordan’s drunk last night came back to him, not that they were ever far from his mind this morning.

The exit came into view and he flipped on the signal.

“Where are you?” Chloe asked.

“Going to break the news to Mom,” he said, turning off the exit.

“Why didn’t you tell me? I’d have gone with you.” Chloe sounded put out.

He gripped the leather steering wheel of his Range Rover. “Because it’s going to be upsetting and I thought I’d spare you.”

A frustrated sound came through the speaker. “Linc! You don’t need to protect me! I’m a grown woman. I’m getting married soon, remember?”

He winced. He didn’t need the reminder of her engagement to the asshole she’d been dating. There was something he disliked about the man. Everything, really. Not to mention, a guy who couldn’t give another male a strong handshake was weak, and his sister deserved better.

At thirty-two, Linc was the oldest of the siblings. Then came Xander at twenty-nine, Dash at twenty-seven, and Chloe, the youngest, was twenty-five. Despite his parents’ fractured marriage and his father’s behavior, clearly they’d had no problem in one area of their lives. Something Linc did not want to think about.

But because of Kenneth’s disinterest in the children he’d sired, Linc had always felt like it was his job to look after his siblings.

He shifted his attention back to his sister. “You were upset about the news, and I didn’t think you needed to see Mom’s reaction. Are we still on for tonight?” he asked, changing the subject.

“Yes. I’ll see you at eight,” she said.

He’d asked Chloe, Dash, and Xander to meet him at his apartment to discuss Aurora and her place in the family. Dash would go along with whatever they wanted. Their rock star brother was always chill, and Linc didn’t sense he’d get an argument from Xander. Chloe definitely wouldn’t mind making sure their new sister was provided for.

His phone beeped, indicating another call was on the line. “Gotta take this, Chloe. See you later.” He disconnected and switched over, talking to a business associate for the rest of the ride to his mother’s.

He had a huge deal pending to buy property on Central Park South and develop an exclusive collection of tower condominium residences he hoped would be one of the most exclusive in the city. The project was Linc’s pride and joy, and nothing would stand in the way.

The accountants were going over the properties his father had been involved with, and Linc expected a summary soon. His old man had always been a wild card, doing his own thing and not giving Linc a heads-up on his plans. As a result, the man’s death had left Linc with a lot of unknowns and dangling projects he needed to consolidate. His plan was to place Kenneth’s deals under Linc’s umbrella. Once he had a grasp on everything, then he could assign deals to their managing directors.

He pulled up to the house and stopped the car in front of the gate, punching the code into the keypad. The large metal enclosure opened slowly, an annoyance, as always. But with his mother alone in the house but for the help, Linc appreciated the security the gate provided.

He pulled around the circular drive, parking in front. Then, steeling himself, he climbed out of the SUV and strode to the front door.

To his surprise, his mother answered in person instead of her latest housekeeper. Her dark hair pulled back with a clip on one side, her face made up as always, she looked well. Although she was mourning her husband’s death, they hadn’t been close nor had they slept in the same bedroom for years. Linc doubted she was truly devastated over his sudden death.

“Linc!” She pulled him into a hug, the scent of her familiar perfume washing over him.

“Hi, Mom.” He stepped back and walked inside.

She shut the door behind him and, once in the marble-floored entryway, waited for her to direct him