Hidden Truth (The Benson Brothers Book 2) Read online

  My heart lurched. I didn’t want to go into it. Not now. I had already exposed too much to Parker.

  “I have my reasons,” I told him.

  He snorted as he looked at the books on little shelves I’d made out of a wooden crate.

  “Remarkable,” he said. “I guess I get why you don’t want to call the police. You don’t want them talking to your parents or discovering where you are staying.”

  I nodded. “Exactly.”

  “And that is why you were hiding from Mrs. Crawley. You were leading her away from this place.”

  Like I’ve said, Parker was smarter than your average boy. I nodded.

  He spun around again looking at everything. Suddenly, I realized we were alone. No one knew we were here. A strange tingly sensation washed through my body.

  After another perusal, he sighed and looked at me. “I can see if …”

  “No,” I interrupted. “I don’t need you helping me. I am fine here.”

  “Until someone finds out.”

  I shrugged my shoulder. “What are they going to do to me? Kick me out? I would end up on the street anyway.”

  He grimaced “There has to be something better.”

  His positive attitude pushed one of my buttons. “Really, Parker. This is fine. Better than fine. I’ve got all I need.”

  He continued to frown. His large body took up a big chunk of my room. He made me feel small, dainty almost.

  “Sit down,” I said, pointing to the couch. “Do you want something to drink?” I asked as a nervousness filled me.

  He shrugged as he sat down on my couch. “A month?” he asked as he accepted the bottle of water I had gotten from the cooler. “And no one knows?”

  “You’re the first,” I said as I sat down on the opposite end of the couch and brought my legs up underneath me.

  He thought for a moment then nodded. “Okay, if that’s the way you want it. But I swear there has got to be a better way. I mean, I guess you could come live with us. My mom would be okay with it.”

  A nervous fear filled me. The thought of living in the same house as Parker Benson was terrifying for some unknown reason.

  “No,” I told him. “I don’t think so. And after what happened with your brother and that Karla girl. I don’t think your mom would be so willing.”

  Parker laughed. “What, are you worried about falling in love with me?”

  My stomach clenched up. “Get over yourself,” I told him. “You are most definitely not my type.” But deep down, that and a thousand other questions raced through me.

  He placed a hand over his heart and pretended to be offended. “So, what then? What’s the long-term plan?”

  All I could do was shrug. “Get a job, get an apartment, finish school, get a life. You know the regular stuff people do.”

  He nodded as if he understood. He might not agree, but he understood.

  “And you? Everyone knows your plan. “Get a scholarship to Harvard or Yale. Then what?

  He dipped his head indicating I was correct.

  “And then what?” I continued. “Make a bunch of money. A wife and one point five kids?”

  He hesitated for a moment then smiled slightly. “Politics,” he said with a sheepish look. “I’ve never told anyone that. But I’d like to get into politics. It’s the only way to really help people.”

  My mouth dropped open as I fought to believe what I was looking at. “God, Parker,” I said. “You are too good for the rest of us. You know that, right? This whole good boy thing gets a little much.”

  He laughed and shrugged it off. Then, slowly, a sad frown broke out on his face.

  “What?” I asked.

  Parker shrugged again then said, “People say stuff like that. But it isn’t an act. I chose to be this way. When my dad died. My mom … It really broke her up. Jake, my older brother was a jerk about it. I saw what it did to her. I decided not to be a pain. To try and make her life better. Let’s just say it became a habit.”

  I cringed inside. I had forgotten that his dad had died about three years earlier. I suddenly realized that in some ways, Parker had experienced much worse than I had. He had lost a parent that he actually cared about.

  “I’m sorry about your father,” I said. One of those meaningless things we say to paper over an awkward moment.

  He smiled sadly at me then shrugged. “Hey, you never know what life is going to do to you.”

  We fell into a moment of silence as we both thought back to the past, and the hurt we had felt. That naturally led me to thinking about the alley earlier that night and how close I had come to being raped.

  A cold shiver ran through me as I fought to stop from shaking with fear.

  “Are you thinking about earlier? The alley,” he asked softly.

  I nodded, unable to bring myself to actually saying the words. Suddenly a sad, terrifying fear filled me.

  Parker looked at me for a moment then opened his arms and raised an eyebrow. As if saying. I’m here if you need me. Without thinking, I scooted across the couch and into his arms as a sob escaped my throat.

  It all came out. The fear, the shame, the loneliness. That one sob led to others as I buried my head in Parker’s shoulder and cried. A heavy, ugly cry. I let it all out. The month of worry. The life of shame about my parents. The alley. Everything poured out of me and onto his strong shoulder.

  His arm wrapped around me like a comforting blanket. Holding me in a safe, warm embrace. “You’re safe,” he whispered. “I’ve got you. You’re safe.” Over and over again as he held me tight.

  Chapter Five

  Parker

  Jade smelled of strawberry and coconut. I took a deep breath as she lay her head on my shoulder and cried. A sweet soft scent that was so perfect for her. Delicious, pure.

  God, what a crappy life, I thought as a sadness filled me. That and an anger that demanded I fix things. But how. She wouldn’t let me. So typical of Jade, she demanded to do everything on her own. No help from anyone, ever.

  Taking another deep breath, I fought the urge to try and fix it. Instead, I concentrated on making her feel better. Slowly rubbing her back. Whispering softly. All to make her feel safe and normal.

  At last, the sobs tapered off. I thought she would pull back, wipe her eyes and continue on. But she remained buried on my shoulder.

  Slowly, the soft scent of her hair, the feel of her curves next to me. I slowly began to remember that this was a beautiful girl in my arms. Like every guy in the history of guys. My mind wandered to things it shouldn’t be thinking about.

  I swallowed hard and pushed those thoughts away. The one thing I knew for sure. Jade McDonald did not need an idiot like me making a move on her. Especially not tonight.

  “This feels good,” she mumbled into my shirt as she snuggled closer.

  The girl was not wrong. It did feel good. Unbelievably good. The two of us, alone, in her hideaway. A guy could get to enjoying this feeling of protectiveness. This feeling of knowing he was in the right place.

  Jade sighed heavily but remained in the crook of my arm. I examined the room again while I waited for her to compose herself. She really had made it nice. A rag rug on the floor. The upturned crate made into shelves. A picture of sunflowers on the far wall.

  She had made it into a home. Taken something from nothing and made it livable. Truly remarkable.

  As I continued to hold her, I examined a dozen different solutions. She had been right. Mom probably wouldn’t be pleased with the idea of her moving in with us. She would do it. But she wouldn’t be happy. My brother Buck wouldn’t have been happy either. We’d have to share a room again.

  For the first time in our lives, we had our own bedroom. No, he’d have been pissed off, to say the least.

  If not our place? Then where? Social services? Foster care. She was eighteen and wouldn’t qualify. And how had she ended up in this situation?

  As I pondered these and a thousand other thoughts. I slowly came to realize
that Jade’s breaths were slowing down as she fell asleep in my arms. I couldn’t help but smile. She needed this, I realized. After what she had gone through this day of course she was going to crash after the adrenalin rush.

  Eventually, when she was fully asleep. I used my free arm to reach over and grab the quilt folded on top of the back of the couch. I was very careful to drape it around Jade without waking her. She moaned with contentment and snuggled in closer to me.

  All I could do was smile with satisfaction and lean back to enjoy the moment. Hey, there are a lot worse ways to spend a Saturday night than to have a beautiful girl fall asleep in your arms. Sighing, I closed my eyes and slowly allowed myself to fall asleep also.

  A movement to my side brought me out of a dream about a beautiful blond girl running through a field of sunflowers. I turned and caught Jade as her eyes fluttered open. She stared up at me for a long moment then at the quilt around her shoulders. Slowly, recognition and understanding crept into her awareness.

  “Oh, My, God,” she yelped as she pushed away from me, quickly wiping at her mouth, obviously terrified she had drooled in her sleep. All I could do was laugh gently.

  “Morning, Princess,” I said as I stretched. Sleeping all night sitting up had put a crick in my back.

  “Oh,… Did we …”

  “Did we just sleep together?” I said with a smirk.

  “Yes, … No. You know what I mean,” she said as she quickly scanned the room desperately looking for a way to escape.

  I laughed again. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone if you won’t.”

  She stopped her frantic movement to study me for a second. “Will you stop teasing. This is serious.”

  “Why?” I asked. “I mean, why is it serious, not why should I stop teasing.”

  She sighed heavily. “I don’t know. It just is. Besides, you have to be careful. No one can see you leaving. That would ruin everything.”

  I couldn’t help myself. “You mean, people discovering that you spent the night in my arms.”

  “No,” she hissed. “And you know what I mean. They can’t learn about this place.

  “You mean it is okay to tell people that we spent the night together? That is good to know.”

  She groaned under her breath and shot me an evil stare.

  A wide grin crossed my face as I stood up. “I don’t have a lot of experience leaving a girl’s apartment after spending the night together. Am I supposed to promise to call you later? What are the …”

  “Parker,” she cried as she slapped my arm. “Will you just go.”

  I couldn’t stop myself from laughing. For some reason, I really enjoyed teasing her. Then a sudden awareness washed over me. I would be leaving her all alone here in her boiler room. She wouldn’t have anyone. The picture of last night’s alley flashed into my mind and sent a shudder through my entire body.

  “Are you sure you will be okay?” I asked.

  She frowned for a second then nodded. “Yes, unless someone sees you leaving.”

  “It feels wrong somehow. Leaving you alone like this,” I said.

  Jade stared up at me for a long second then said, “I’ve been alone my whole life. Today is no different than yesterday or tomorrow.”

  The sadness of her words pulled at me. I should tell her some pithy comment. Something about how she now had me. But I held back. Jade didn’t need nor want rescuing. All she wanted was to be left alone.

  I nodded, accepting her choice and started for the door.

  “Parker,” she said quickly as she reached out to hold me back for a moment. Our eyes locked, then she reached up to kiss me on the cheek. “Thank you,” she said. “For everything. The alley. Holding me through the night. And just everything.”

  All I could do was nod. That was me, the good guy. But deep inside I realized I wanted more. Jade McDonald had awakened something inside me. Ignited a physical need that could not be denied.

  I gave her a serious stare and said, “No problem. But the next time we sleep together it won’t end with just a friendly kiss on the cheek.”

  Her face turned red as she quickly looked down at her hands then she looked up into my eyes. “Don’t hold your breath,” she said but I could tell it was not said with a strong sense of surety. There was doubt in her voice and my heart jumped. It appeared I hadn’t been the only one to have thoughts last night.

  “Take care, Jade,” I said as I reached to open the door.

  The morning sun was just coming up over the distant mountains and no one was about. Seeing the coast was clear, I gave her one last look. My heart turned over. She was so appealing. A small elfin girl, blond with blue eyes. A tight body built with all the right curves. A girl in distress and all alone.

  How could I not be drawn to her? Every part of my soul demanded that I stay. But I pushed the urge away and left her there by herself. With each step, I felt like I was deserting my responsibility. It might not be politically correct but that didn’t stop the feelings from being there.

  When I got home, Mom met me in the kitchen in her robe with her hands wrapped around a cup of coffee. She raised an eyebrow, silently asking where I had been all night.

  “I had to help a friend,” I said as I poured my own coffee.

  She pursed her lips then shook her head. “What happened to your eye? Have you and Buck been wrestling again? I thought you two had outgrown that stuff.”

  I shrugged my shoulder. No way was I telling her the truth.

  She stepped closer to examine the cut under my eye then grinned.

  “She has a nice perfume,” she said.

  I blanched for a moment as I realized Mom was right. I could smell the strawberry and coconut on my shoulder. A warm feeling washed through me and I couldn’t stop from smiling.

  Mom stared at me for a moment then said, “Be careful Parker.”

  I laughed, “You know me, Mom. I’m always careful. Don’t forget. I have a plan. Nothing will get in the way. I promise.”

  She frowned slightly and took another sip of coffee. I could see the doubt in her eyes. Then slowly, her eyes grew misty.

  “What?” I asked.

  She swallowed then said, “You look so much like your dad. Out of the three of you, you look like him the most. Sometimes …”

  The sadness in her eyes tugged at my heart. All I could do was open my arms and pull her into a hug.

  She hugged me back then pulled away, wiped at her eyes and grabbed her coffee cup as she left me in the kitchen.

  “Mom?” I asked. “Did Dad ever regret not following his dreams? I know he wanted to join a band and travel the country. Do you think he ever regretted not doing it.”

  She looked at me strangely for a second then shook her head. “I know he didn’t. We talked about it once. He said that having you boys was better than anything else could have ever been. That no dream could have lived up to what having a family meant.”

  A sadness filled my heart. My dad had been my hero. My friend. And most of all my father. God how I wished he was here so I could talk to him about Jade. He would know what to do. When it came to helping people, he had always known what to do.

  And If anyone needed rescuing, it was Jade McDonald.

  After Mom left to get dressed, I went into Buck’s room and kicked his bed. “Wake up idiot.”

  My little brother opened one eye and peered up at me.

  “If Mom asks, you gave this to me,” I said pointing to the cut on my face. I knew Buck, he’d keep my secret. We had too much on each other.

  He nodded then said, “At least tell me the other guy got it worse.”

  I laughed, “They both did.” Then I turned to leave.

  “Hey bro,” Buck said from his bed. “If there is going to be a rematch, I’m available to watch your back.”

  A warm feeling of gratitude filled me. That was my brother. We might fight like dogs. But no one was allowed to mess with one of the Benson Brothers. It had been Jake’s rule and it looked like my li
ttle brother had picked it up.

  “No problem. But thanks. If I need someone. You’ll be the first I call.”

  Buck grunted then turned over to go back to sleep.

  I looked at him for a moment. He was a cornerstone of my life. Both he and Jake. Solid rocks that I could always depend on. Did Jade have anyone like that? No. Probably not. She faced the world alone.

  A feeling of sadness washed over me as I tried to imagine going through life like that. No. it wasn’t right.

  Chapter Six

  Jade

  My heart fluttered as the door swung shut behind Parker. Already a sadness and aloneness filled me at the thought of him being gone.

  How had I allowed this to happen? I had built such tight defenses. No one was allowed in. That is the only way to survive when you have a screwed-up family like mine. I had learned early not to have friends. Parents didn’t like their little darlings playing with the crazy woman’s daughter.

  A drunk father just made it even more important that little Suzy or little Marcie not associate with me.

  No, I learned early not to rely on other people. To not share anything. That was the path to heartbreak. Believe me, I knew.

  But then, Parker Benson waltzed through my defenses as if I had never built them. Those wide shoulders, that silly smirk of his. He had wormed his way into my life.

  Of course, saving me in the alley hadn’t hurt. How couldn’t I not become weak in the knees at the thought of my own personal hero protecting me?

  “No,” I said to myself as I started folding the quilt. No, I would not let him in. It had been one night. One moment of weakness. How couldn’t I, just once, let my guard down? What girl wouldn’t have?

  The memory of those strong arms holding me filled me with a warm memory. A memory that I knew I would recall in my old age. That feeling of safeness. As if the world was good and there was a place in it for me.

  “Oh, Jade,” I muttered to myself. “Do not fall for Parker Benson. It would ruin you forever.”

  Needless to say, I spent all of Sunday trying to forget about Parker Benson and failing miserably. No matter what I did he was there.