Say You Need Me by Kayla Perrin

Cecil’s house in Coconut Grove?” he asked.
    “Depending where he lives in the Grove, anywhere from twenty minutes—”
    “Wait a second,” Darrell said, interrupting her. “What do you mean, ‘depending where he lives’? Don’t you know?”
    “Nope,” Serena replied matter-of-factly.
    “You haven’t been to Cecil’s house?”
    “I haven’t.”
    Darrell narrowed his eyes on her, just as a shiny black Viper whipped in front of them at a fast rate of speed, pulling to a sudden stop a few feet ahead of them. The license plate read “2FINE.”
    “Too fine?” Serena shook her head.
    “No one ever accused my brother of being modest.”
    Miguel put the Viper in reverse, parking in front of them. As he hopped out of the car, he gave Darrell a sheepish grin. “Sorry, sir. Guess I got a little carried away.”
    “No problem,” Darrell said. He started for the open driver’s side door. Miguel hurried past him to the passenger door, which he opened for Serena. He closed Serena’s door and was back at the driver’s side before Darrell had fully gotten inside.
    Miguel took hold of the handle. “Enjoy your day,” he told Darrell.
    “Thank you.” Darrell passed the man the last ten he had in his wallet.
    “You’re very welcome, sir.”
    “Later,” Darrell said to Miguel. The moment Miguel closed the door, Darrell hit the gas and whizzed the Viper onto the street.
    “Whoa.” Serena gripped her seat at the edges. She’d never been in such a powerful car before.
    “Which way?”
    “Turn left onto Collins,” Serena told him, pointing to the street just ahead.
    “This is a beautiful car,” Darrell commented. “God, the lifestyle my brother leads makes me feel like a pauper.”
    “What do you do?” Serena asked.
    “I…” Darrell paused. He stopped before telling her that he owned and operated a small hotel in Orlando. Most women saw green when they learned what he did, and he wasn’t ready to share that information with Serena. “I work at a hotel.”
    “Oh.”
    Darrell turned to her. “You sound disappointed.”
    “No. Just surprised.”
    “Like I told you, I’m nothing like my brother. And I certainly don’t have his bank account.”
    Serena simply stared ahead and nodded. Darrell felt the familiar disappointment tickle his gut. Yeah, she was just like the rest of them. Hell, maybe she’d been attracted to Cecil’s flash and pizzazz, hoping he had a pretty penny. He did, of course, but he wasn’t the type to share. He was the type to take.
    It wasn’t like Darrell had a right to be upset with her—she hadn’t pursued him for his cash. Yet he was. It’s just that from the moment he’d laid eyes on her, he’d thought she was different from the other women he’d met. To learn that she wasn’t was unsettling.
    His mind went back to their unfinished conversation. “Not that it’s any of my business,” he began, “but I’m having a little trouble figuring out your relationship with my brother. You haven’t been to his condo or to his place in Coconut Grove.” Darrell paused to glance at her. “You were involved, weren’t you?”
    “You mean dating?”
    “Yes.”
    “Yes, we were dating.”
    Darrell paused. “So, he always went to your place? Didn’t he invite you to his? And if he didn’t, didn’t you find that a little strange? I mean, I’d think that would be the first clue that you should…be a little wary.”
    “I thought your brother had a small apartment in Kendall. That’s all he told me about. And no, I never went there.”
    “And you didn’t think that was weird?” Darrell asked again.
    “He invited me once, but I told him no. I liked him, but we were taking things slowly,” Serena replied. “Your brother respected that.”
    Cecil , take things slowly? If Serena hadn’t slapped him silly, he would have bet money that she’d been involved with a different Cecil Montford.
    “In light of everything that’s happened, I’m glad we did take things