Noah took a slug of his coffee like he desperately needed it before he said, “I think you have to give her credit for breaking her relationship off with him. And for wanting a different kind of life.”
“I do,” I admitted. “It’s one of the things I really like about her. She’s unique and trying so damn hard to find her individuality, even though it’s pretty damn clear to me that she’s already her own person. Maybe she just needs to learn to let go, laugh, have a good time without everyone around her judging her for it.”
Noah eyed me suspiciously. “This is about a hell of a lot more than having fun, Seth, and you know it.”
Shit! Sometimes I really hated that Noah knew me better than most other brothers would. From an early age, he’d felt responsible for all of us, even though Aiden and I were only a few years behind him in age. I wasn’t going to go as far as saying he was exactly a father figure. At least not for me or Aiden. We were too close in age. But he definitely considered himself the patriarch of the family.
“She’s thrown in a no-sex rule,” I admitted unhappily. “And I’m not allowed to put my hand on her ass.”
I frowned as Aiden let out an evil laugh.
“So you’re going to date, you’re attracted to her, but you can’t touch her?” Aiden snorted. “That sounds like self-inflicted torture, man.”
I pushed my empty coffee mug aside and crossed my arms over my chest. “Don’t sound so damn amused,” I grumbled. “I’m pretty sure Skye didn’t give in to touching at the very beginning, either.”
Bastard! Aiden was obviously enjoying all this.
“She didn’t,” Aiden confirmed. “But at least I knew I had a future with her if I could convince her that we belonged together, which I did. And we were always going to have Maya connecting the two of us. But Riley has already told you she’s not interested in anything long term.”
I lifted a brow. “Maybe I’m not, either,” I said defensively.
Noah butted in. “You are, and that’s what concerns me. I don’t want to see you get destroyed by this woman. You’ve never really dated, Seth. Why her? Why not somebody who could make you happy in the future?”
I shrugged. “There’s no such thing as guaranteed happiness when you start dating anyone, and there isn’t another woman I want to date. They’re pretty much after the money now. Hell, women who didn’t even see me before I inherited are suddenly finding me fucking irresistible. I think I’d rather be with Riley. At least I know she’s not after the dollar signs.”
Aiden shot me an assessing look. “She doesn’t need to be, since she’s wealthy herself. Is that the attraction?”
I shook my head. “No. I’ve been attracted to her ever since she rescued me the very first time in the Coffee Shack. And I had no idea she was rich at the time.”
“You’re screwed,” Noah informed me.
“I think I can convince her that not every guy is a major control freak,” I informed my brothers. “Okay, yeah, I’ll admit that I want to protect her from some of the bad things she’s experienced in her life, but I’m sure as hell not going to criticize her for being exactly who she wants to be. It wasn’t just her fiancé who messed with her head. Her mother is a piece of work, too. I don’t think Riley has ever had anyone who actually supported her.”
“Maybe you should go for it,” Aiden said thoughtfully. “If you’re that attracted to her, it might be worth it.”
“I’m not so sure about that,” Noah said skeptically. “Most women are basically trouble. Some worse than others, I suppose. But I’m not so sure any woman is worth the hassle.”
Aiden shot a disappointed look at Noah. “Some are worth it,” he argued.
I could tell my younger brother was defending his own marriage to the woman who had held his heart for his entire adult life.
Noah gave Aiden an apologetic look. “I didn’t mean Skye. She’s a rare exception. And you wouldn’t have Maya if she’d never existed.”
I smirked. Noah adored Aiden’s daughter, just like every single person in our family did.
Aiden let out a bark of laughter as he looked at Noah. “You adore my wife because she drops you off dinner all the damn time. She’s so damn sweet that she worries about your workaholic ass.”
“I didn’t ask her to do that,” Noah said gruffly.
“She does it because she sees you as family, and she worries about the fact that you rarely come out of your office.”
“Like I said, she’s an exception,” Noah said grudgingly. “But Riley is a complete unknown.”
“I care about her,” I said. “Yeah, I’m attracted to her. But I actually like her, too. She’s pretty damn gutsy.”
I was still thinking about how Riley had wrenched Easton’s child prey away from him, and taught Penny to value herself.
Problem was, who had ever been there for Riley? Nobody had rescued her. She’d had to figure shit out on her own.
Maybe she was close to her brothers, but by her own admission, she’d rarely seen them growing up.
“Just be careful,” Noah insisted. “From everything you’ve told us, this could have a very unhappy ending if you get too attached.”
“It’s just dating,” I asserted. “It’s not like I’m ready to propose or something.”
“I have to add my warning, too,” Aiden said regretfully. “I’m starting to think that when a Sinclair finds the right person, that’s pretty much the end of the road. There isn’t anybody else, ever. I fell in love with Skye a decade or so ago, and I never forgot her. Jade fell in deep with Eli in a short period of time, and there had never been anyone else for her. Same with Brooke and Liam. And from what I understand, all our half-siblings were the same damn way. I think we’re loyal once we fall for someone, even if we don’t want to be after they’re gone.”
I scowled at Aiden. I didn’t want to think about Riley ever walking away from me. But Aiden might have a point about a Sinclair only having one shot once they fell hard for someone. “Wasn’t I the one who told you not to judge Skye until you knew the whole truth?” I asked him.
“I’m not telling you not to date her,” Aiden considered. “I’m just adding my advice to use caution. You’re pigheaded, so I have no doubt you can sway her opinions on men if she ends up feeling the same way you do. But like you said, there’s no guarantee.”
“I don’t think you should date her,” Noah said glumly. “Better to avoid a possible disaster.”
I glared at my eldest brother. “So do you plan on being single your entire life?”
“Yes,” Noah responded immediately. “I’ve raised my siblings already, and I have zero desire to have any more kids around. I’m done. So why bother with marriage? But this isn’t about me, Seth. It’s about you.”
Aiden shot me a grin, and I was pretty sure we were thinking the same damn thing . . . We both hoped that Noah would fall hard for a woman someday, so he’d deviate from his workaholic tendencies. Fuck knew my oldest brother deserved his own life and happiness now that all of his siblings were grown adults.