fully
expecting his brother to do as he was told. He did.
When the black-haired man walked into the kitchen with the
remaining bags in his hands, the light music of a cell phone went off.
Alexis reached for her phone, flipping it open. “Rogets.” With a wave to
Scott, whose eyes had narrowed, she headed out of the kitchen to take
her call in private, allowing the brothers a chance to talk.
C h a p t e r T e n
“What is going on here, Scott?” Reeve asked, though Scott didn’t
let up his possessive observance of the woman leaving the room with
her phone cradled to her ear.
“I am on vacation. What are you doing here?” He didn’t even
glance at Reeve, waiting for Alexis to come back into the kitchen.
“I was at the beach house and saw you come in for the keys to
your cabin. Why didn’t you tell us you were home? We’ve been worried
about you.” The second oldest, Reeve got along the best with Scott.
“I haven’t been home that long.”
“Long enough to get a woman. Where’d you pick her up?
Granted she is a good looking piece of—”
“Brother or not, if you value your life that sentence will never be
finished.” Scott issued the warning in a deadly calm voice.
Reeve shivered at the look in his brother’s eyes. “Who is she,
Scott?”
“Her name is Alexis Rogets. And before your mind even begins
to think like that, she isn’t after my money. She is a doctor.”
One dark eyebrow arched as Reeve cocked his head. “Is this the
one from two years ago that had you off women?” That deep voice
turned teasing.
Scott wanted to snap at his brother for putting it like that, but if
he were willing to tease him about his attraction to Lex then all the
better, for it was preferable to the alternative. His family, being from old
Southern money, could have views that made Scott’s skin crawl at
times. “She’s the one.”
“A doctor?” Reeve winked. “Well, considering what you do for
a living, I guess you should have one around.”
68
Aliyah Burke
“Very funny, little brother. Keep that up and you will be glad
she is around to fix you up after I kick the crap out of you,” Scott
snapped playfully.
“Hey, I’m only speaking the truth.” Reeve sobered up for a
second. “Aren’t you breaking some sort of protocol being with her?”
“No!” His hands clenched as he bit off his response. “We aren’t
in the same command, so we aren’t breaking any rules.”
“Works for me. So, tell me, what does she see in an ugly mug
like yours? You know she is gonna want someone handsome.”
“Just keep on shoveling the shit, Charleston Reeve Kirkland
Leighton, just keep on shovelin’,” Scott dared him.
“Man, don’t call me that. You know I hate my name.”
“Truce?” Scott offered.
“Okay. I need to talk to you anyway.”
With another glance that afforded him a view of Alexis walking
back and forth in front of the large windows in the front room, he once
again turned his attention to his brother. “About what?”
Reeve also looked to make sure Alexis was preoccupied. Con-
tent that she was, he answered his older sibling. “About Marisol.”
The eldest Leighton brother froze at that name. Marisol Ander-
son was this area’s “bad girl.” Sure she was easy on the eyes, but she
could be the poster girl for the slogan, “Beauty is only skin deep.” If
anyone thought of any horrible word and were to look it up in the
dictionary, they would find a picture of Marisol right next to it.
Spite and a healthy dose of vindictiveness continually coursed
through her veins. For a long while, her sights had been set on one
Harrington Prescott Broderick Leighton, III, wanting desperately to
land a piece of the fortune that would be passed onto him.
Fortunately for Scott, he’d been dating a girl at the time and that
allowed him to see Marisol for who she really was. Evil. A doppelgan-
ger. Apparently, his warnings had gone unheeded by his
expecting his brother to do as he was told. He did.
When the black-haired man walked into the kitchen with the
remaining bags in his hands, the light music of a cell phone went off.
Alexis reached for her phone, flipping it open. “Rogets.” With a wave to
Scott, whose eyes had narrowed, she headed out of the kitchen to take
her call in private, allowing the brothers a chance to talk.
C h a p t e r T e n
“What is going on here, Scott?” Reeve asked, though Scott didn’t
let up his possessive observance of the woman leaving the room with
her phone cradled to her ear.
“I am on vacation. What are you doing here?” He didn’t even
glance at Reeve, waiting for Alexis to come back into the kitchen.
“I was at the beach house and saw you come in for the keys to
your cabin. Why didn’t you tell us you were home? We’ve been worried
about you.” The second oldest, Reeve got along the best with Scott.
“I haven’t been home that long.”
“Long enough to get a woman. Where’d you pick her up?
Granted she is a good looking piece of—”
“Brother or not, if you value your life that sentence will never be
finished.” Scott issued the warning in a deadly calm voice.
Reeve shivered at the look in his brother’s eyes. “Who is she,
Scott?”
“Her name is Alexis Rogets. And before your mind even begins
to think like that, she isn’t after my money. She is a doctor.”
One dark eyebrow arched as Reeve cocked his head. “Is this the
one from two years ago that had you off women?” That deep voice
turned teasing.
Scott wanted to snap at his brother for putting it like that, but if
he were willing to tease him about his attraction to Lex then all the
better, for it was preferable to the alternative. His family, being from old
Southern money, could have views that made Scott’s skin crawl at
times. “She’s the one.”
“A doctor?” Reeve winked. “Well, considering what you do for
a living, I guess you should have one around.”
68
Aliyah Burke
“Very funny, little brother. Keep that up and you will be glad
she is around to fix you up after I kick the crap out of you,” Scott
snapped playfully.
“Hey, I’m only speaking the truth.” Reeve sobered up for a
second. “Aren’t you breaking some sort of protocol being with her?”
“No!” His hands clenched as he bit off his response. “We aren’t
in the same command, so we aren’t breaking any rules.”
“Works for me. So, tell me, what does she see in an ugly mug
like yours? You know she is gonna want someone handsome.”
“Just keep on shoveling the shit, Charleston Reeve Kirkland
Leighton, just keep on shovelin’,” Scott dared him.
“Man, don’t call me that. You know I hate my name.”
“Truce?” Scott offered.
“Okay. I need to talk to you anyway.”
With another glance that afforded him a view of Alexis walking
back and forth in front of the large windows in the front room, he once
again turned his attention to his brother. “About what?”
Reeve also looked to make sure Alexis was preoccupied. Con-
tent that she was, he answered his older sibling. “About Marisol.”
The eldest Leighton brother froze at that name. Marisol Ander-
son was this area’s “bad girl.” Sure she was easy on the eyes, but she
could be the poster girl for the slogan, “Beauty is only skin deep.” If
anyone thought of any horrible word and were to look it up in the
dictionary, they would find a picture of Marisol right next to it.
Spite and a healthy dose of vindictiveness continually coursed
through her veins. For a long while, her sights had been set on one
Harrington Prescott Broderick Leighton, III, wanting desperately to
land a piece of the fortune that would be passed onto him.
Fortunately for Scott, he’d been dating a girl at the time and that
allowed him to see Marisol for who she really was. Evil. A doppelgan-
ger. Apparently, his warnings had gone unheeded by his
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