Keep Me (Rebel Hearts Heists #2) - M. Sinclair Page 0,25
a pair of grey eyes that closely match her son’s in both color and shape, I think that she could easily pass as his sister. Alicia must be in her early forties but looks two decades younger with luscious black hair, smooth skin and a body that would be the envy of a Victoria’s Secret angel. She hugs Blaine tightly and to my surprise, he doesn’t let me go when his mother surrounds his neck with her arms but actually tightens his grip on me. The embrace lasts only a short moment and as soon as Alicia takes a step back, her silver eyes land on me.
“And who’s this stunning young lady you brought with you?” she asks, extending a perfectly smooth, manicured hand but not shaking mine, it’s almost as if she expects to have her hand kissed. Who does this woman think she is, the Pope? I think in disbelief as she introduces herself.
“Alicia Montgomery De Bois Barrington, soon to be Van Der Beck.” I’m about to introduce myself when River blurts from my other side. “Well shit, that’s quite a mouthful!”
Blaine directs a withering look toward my ‘brother’ and then introduces us both to his mother. “Mom, this is my girlfriend Sloane and her brother River.”
“Oh my goodness,” she gushes, resting a hand laden with the biggest diamond ring I’ve even seen on her perfectly tanned chest. “A girlfriend? But that’s amazing! You know, my Blaine has never brought any of his girlfriends to meet his family, so having you here tells me how much you mean to him. And to be honest, I’m not surprised that he must be smitten with you, because you’re drop dead gorgeous.” I don’t reply to her comment, noticing how Alicia’s eyes aren’t at all on me but are fixed on River the whole time.
I immediately recognize the lust in her gaze and a fit of jealousy makes my blood literally boil. How dare she? I still feel way out of line being jealous as I’m with each of the guys, but as we established back in Seattle, they’re ok with letting me explore each connection right now but they aren’t interested in anyone else. I’m basically the fucking bachelorette, folks.
Blaine mumbles something about never having anyone worth introducing to his mom before me and that seems to appease her and she finally moves on. “Royce …”
She air kisses her stepson on both cheeks and he mimics the gesture but I can feel the temperature dropping by at least twenty degrees in the room as they quietly look at each other for a brief but intense moment. Royce wasn’t lying when he told me that his relationship with Alicia had always been polite but cold. But the resentment Royce harbors toward his stepmother is evident in the tick in his jaw and the rigid set of his broad shoulders.
And as if going down a receiving line, Alicia stops in front of Kaden. He introduces himself simply as Kaden Vance and when no further reason for his presence is offered, Blaine explains that he hired Kaden as a bodyguard as we’ve had some problems with a stalker.
To my surprise Alicia and her fiancé don’t ask for any further details and Casper Van Der Beck takes a step forward to shake my hand and greet the guys. I can feel the tension radiating from the brothers but I’m surprised by the tycoon’s rather relaxed attitude. He treats Royce and Blaine like two godsons rather than like the guys whose father he framed for his own crimes and whose mother he’s about to marry in a lavish ceremony in less than two weeks.
But I’m not fooled by Van Der Beck’s good manners and apparent friendliness, I see straight through it and my guts wrench with an ominous feeling: I know this guy is dangerous. How do I know? His eyes. Van Der Beck is almost as tall as Royce and almost as broad. In his late forties, the billionaire is in perfect physical shape and with his totally bald head and light blue eyes, he reminds me of Mr. Clean. He’s definitely an attractive man but I know immediately that he's dangerous from the fact that his smile doesn’t reach his eyes. And when his gaze settles on me, I recognize that same cold, glassy light that I saw many times in Pierce’s gaze.
But while my ex-fiancé could barely conceal the violence that bubbled under the surface, Blaine’s mom’s fiancé has an almost perfectly