Playing Favorites: A Reverse Harem Romance Read online

  Playing Favorites

  A Reverse Harem Romance

  Scarlet West

  Copyright © 2019 by Scarlet West

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. Grayson

  2. Kelsey

  3. Kelsey

  4. Grayson

  5. Kelsey

  6. Donnell

  7. Kelsey

  8. Grayson

  9. Kelsey

  10. Kelsey

  11. Grayson

  12. Kelsey

  13. Heath

  14. Kelsey

  15. Grayson

  16. Kelsey

  17. Grayson

  18. Kelsey

  19. Grayson

  20. Grayson

  21. Kelsey

  22. Grayson

  23. Grayson

  24. Kelsey

  About the Author

  Prologue

  I opened the silk curtains and looked down across the view. I smiled, delight sinking into every bone in my body. I was home.

  My childhood home—Fulton.

  That was what my father always called it. Fulton, after himself: his dream home with Regency pretensions. I had to love my dad: Not content with making a fortune in the transport industry, he also had to pursue his dream of making beautiful places to live all over the country. Fulton was one of those.

  Mom’s artistic eye had helped with that, of course. When they agreed to separate amicably—Mom returning to Miami, where the light was better and her art career flourished—he kept everything as beautiful as they made it together years ago. It was a reminder of their love.

  “Ms. Fulton?” Rochelle’s familiar voice called up.

  “Yes, Rochelle?” I called. She was the lady who cleaned for us. I stretched, feeling my biceps ache after the gym training the day before yesterday. I heard someone knock on the doorframe.

  “Your clothes—I just brought them in off the line,” Rochelle said, indicating my clothes, freshly dried.

  “Wow. Thanks. Put them there, please,” I said, motioning towards the bed. She smiled at me as she left.

  “It’s good to have you back.”

  “Thank you. It’s good to be back.”

  It was weird. Last time I was here, I was nineteen. I caught sight of myself in the mirror as I turned back. I was grown up, I thought with a smile. I couldn’t help noticing how my profile was exactly like my dad’s now. Long, straight nose, high brow, smooth jawline. I had my mom’s full mouth and wide eyes, for which I was grateful.

  And Mom’s skin too.

  Dad was quite wrinkled for sixty. I noticed a tiny wrinkle at the corner of my eye and smiled.

  Not bad, for twenty-eight.

  I had just come back from completing my MBA. I stretched again, the white, summery dress I wore clinging a little in the heat. It felt like a holiday, in this summery weather, but I wasn’t just here for a holiday: I was here for work.

  Colorado, my home state, was where I’d landed my first job. I was the financial manager of a small hospitality franchise and I was mega-excited to get started. Not only was my new job a great opportunity, it also let me return to my home.

  And memories.

  I reached for a brush and combed my pale hair, recalling being eighteen and sitting here. Then, I’d been obsessed with Jeremy Hammond, the son of my dad’s investor. I pulled a face at myself in the mirror, remembering that. I had been a shy, awkward sort of teenager, and nothing had ever really happened between us, though I reckon now it might have, had I been less innocent.

  So many guys since then. But none captivated me. I had dated a lot in college. Footballers, mostly. Because they were hot and because my girlfriends dared me into it.

  I guess I also never wanted to pursue guys I could seriously fall for.

  I never went for guys who touched me emotionally. It was something I’d never understood, but it seemed that way. At least, I thought, reaching for my makeup bag, I couldn’t come up with a better explanation for Chris than that.

  My most recent boyfriend. Chris would have been perfect—similar background to me, similar interests, nice smile—except for one tiny quality—his character. Intrusive, jealous, and fault-finding; Chris could have been the death of me.

  In any case, I was grateful I had finally been able to just step away. My new job made the perfect excuse—the excuse I was grateful to have been granted. If I had stayed with him for another day on top of the three years we’d been together, I would have gone insane. Now I have a chance to start again.

  And besides, I thought to myself, imagine if I did settle down. What if I was somewhere far away, tied down by family obligations, and Dad needed me? He was all alone now, and getting more reclusive by the year.

  He might need me.

  I stared at myself. That was the answer. No wonder I never wanted to get over-attached to anyone. I didn’t want to choose someone I’d ever feel as emotionally close to as I did to Dad.

  Hell.

  The knowledge hit me like a truck.

  Well, now I know.

  What to do about it, I had no idea. But it was six P.M. in Denver and I knew one thing. My job started on Monday, and it was Friday and I was here to have fun. I slid my new high-heels on, heading downstairs down the stone staircase. When I reached the bottom, I smiled at Rochelle.

  “I’m going out,” I said.

  “Oh? Well, call the house if you need to—I’m always here.”

  “Thanks,” I smiled.

  I wasn’t intending to go far, though. I drove into town, heading to the nicer part of downtown. I found a place to leave the car and walked down the sidewalk, looking for my favorite cafe, Folio.

  That was when I saw him.

  Them.

  Two of them most stunning guys I had ever seen.

  Both of them were tall and built. One had sandy hair, one had dark. They were both looking at me and they were stunning, though very different. They both smiled.

  “Hi,” one of them said.

  I smiled back. It looked like my evening had just got better. I had met the two most stunning guys I had ever seen.

  1

  Grayson

  I stared at the girl. Then I turned and looked at Heath. I had to wonder, sometimes, if my older brother was as wise as he said he was.

  The girl was stunning.

  “Heath?” I said.

  It wasn’t like I could say something them, but in my experience, it’s not a smart idea to go up to stunning girls on the street and greet them. Either someone will bust your nose for you, or they’ll just find some way of making you seem stupid.

  There was, however, no telling Heath.

  “Hi,” he said casually. “I’m Heath Bradford. Are you new here?”

  I winced as her brow went up. She had white-blond hair over stunning hazel eyes. I couldn’t quite believe she was real. She also looked like she was about to say something mean.

  “No,” she said. “Depends what you mean by new.”

  Heath frowned. He looked about as stumped as I felt

  “I mean, I haven’t seen you before,” he explained.

  She laughed. “Well, Denver’s not small.”

  Heath doesn’t blush. I have known him all my life and can vouch for this absolute fact. If he could, though, he’d have been blushing.

  “No, it isn’t,” he agree
d carefully.

  See? I wanted to say. Bad idea. In my experience, beautiful girls like her are usually mean.

  But Heath wasn’t about to listen to me. “It isn’t, but I’ve lived here a while,” he said.

  The girl smiled. I felt my chest go funny. Without a smile, she was stunning. With the smile, it seemed like she shone.

  “Well, as it happens, I’m back home after ten years,” she said. “So yes, I’m new.”

  Heath grinned. “Or old. Not so you’d notice, mind you.”

  I felt my eyes about to fall out at the audacity. I expected she’d blow up at him. But she didn’t. She laughed.

  “Well, thank you, er…Heath? That makes me feel better.”

  Heath laughed. “I’m glad.”

  “I’m Kelsey,” she said with a smile. “Kelsey Fulton.”

  I stared as the vision of loveliness shook his hand.

  Heath had been rude to her, more or less—at least, I would never have spoken to a girl like that. Why was she being so friendly? I must have looked pretty dumbstruck—I certainly felt it.

  I felt something at my ribs. Heath, or more precisely, his elbow.

  “Yes?” I said.

  The girl was looking at me.

  “I’m Kelsey,” she said. “Pleased to meet you.”

  “Yes,” I said. Then I went red. Unlike Heath, I blush. “I mean, I’m Grayson.” Stupid, Grayson. Stupid.

  “Nice name,” she said.

  I felt my heart melt. In a family of brothers comprised of Heath, Clark and Donnell, I had always felt stupid about my own name—the only name in the family that wasn’t time honored and strong. I was touched.

  “Thanks,” I said. “Kelsey’s a nice name too.”

  When she turned to face me, I felt sure I’d said something wrong.

  Our eyes met. She smiled. I blushed again.

  “Thanks,” she said.

  She didn’t look away, and neither did I. My eyes held hers.

  Hers were hazel brown, with little flecks in them. I stared into them and felt something weird happen inside me. My eyes wandered down to her pink lips and then the pale skin of her chest. My insides heated up.

  She wore a low-cut white dress, just low enough to show cleavage. I stared lower, marveling at the way the dress complimented her gracefully curved body. She was stunning.

  “Well?” Heath said, smiling at her again. “You want to join us?”

  She shrugged. “Who’s us?”

  I looked round, searching for an escape route before Heath said it. I didn’t find one.

  “Well, all of us Bradfords.”

  “Your family?” she inquired.

  He laughed. “My brothers. Me, Grayson here, and Donnell and Clark.”

  “Oh?”

  She didn’t look at us like we were weird. Which many people did, when we said we all lived here together.

  Instead, she looked interested.

  “Okay,” she said. “That sounds like fun.”

  Whew. I let out a long breath. That was good. No condemnatory looks.

  And she was coming to join us.

  I shot a look at Heath. He smiled.

  We followed Kelsey into the café.

  Inside, the air was cool—a pleasure after the warmth of the street. I was sweating in my T-shirt, sweat beading my brow. We found a table by the window, crossing the new wood-finished floor, breathing in air scented with expensive air freshener. Heath pulled back a chair for Kelsey. She smiled and I felt my throat tighten.

  “Tequila sunrise, everyone?” Heath asked. We all usually had one when we went to this cafe. I frowned as she smiled and nodded.

  I am not going to be jealous of Heath.

  I didn’t want to believe I was jealous of Heath. I wanted to think that I’d outgrown my stupidity. It was stupid. Just because he had everything and Dad had trusted him implicitly, didn’t mean that I shouldn’t put childishness aside.

  Heath was my brother and I should forget everything else. I watched him place the order and then looked at the table, trying to calm down and forget about the past.

  “Grayson?” he said to me.

  I felt my eyes widen in surprise. “What?” I said. Had someone said something while I was elsewhere in my thoughts?

  “Kelsey was just asking what you did.”

  “Oh.” I went red for the third time. “Um, you tell her,” I said to Heath. “You’re the CEO.”

  Heath smiled. “Okay,” he said. “Well…we’re part of a renovations company.”

  “Oh?” she smiled.

  “Yeah. Bradford Solutions. We fix houses,” he explained.

  “How interesting,” she said.

  She thought it was interesting! I felt a little blip of surprise. She wasn’t acting either. Or, if she was, she was a really good actress.

  “Yeah,” I managed to say. “We’ve managed the company together since Dad died five years ago. We’re all in it—me, Heath as CEO, Clark and Donnell.”

  “Which reminds me,” Heath said, frowning. “Where the heck are Clark and Donnell?”

  “They said they’d be five minutes,” I said, recalling their text from earlier. “They were just stopping by the store.”

  “Oh,” Heath shrugged. “Well, then,” he said to Kelsey. “You’ll meet them soon.”

  “That’s nice,” she said.

  The waiter appeared just then without drinks. This time, I wasn’t sure if she meant her friendly comment. She sounded a little hesitant. I saw her look at Heath and felt my heart sink. It wasn’t so much that she wanted to avoid my brothers, but that she wanted to be alone with him.

  “Well?” Heath smiled. “What do you do?”

  “I’m the financial manager of Harrington Holdings.”

  “What?” Heath stared at her. “The hotel people?”

  She smiled. She looked, if anything, complimented by his reaction. “Yes,” she replied.

  She had such a sexy voice. It had the effect on me that being stroked with a grass-stalk has on a person—soothing and ticklish. I felt my insides throb.

  “Hell,” my brother whistled. “That’s awesome.”

  “Thanks,” she said. “It’s a nice job.”

  “I can imagine,” Heath said.

  In our company, Donnell organized the finances. Which was weird, since of us all he was the one I would have pointed to in high school and said: “most likely to start a gang.” Donnell was crazy—the kind of guy who went parachute jumping for fun, not the kind of guy to spend eight hours a day behind a desk, being an accountant. But he did.

  “Speaking of finance,” I said to Heath, “where’s Donnell?”

  “He’s there,” Heath said.

  I looked over at the door and, heart sinking, noticed that, indeed, Donnell was there. Wearing a black cutaway shirt and black jeans, with his biceps (big ones) on display. I glanced sideways at Kelsey. She was looking at him. Not looking. Staring.

  Oh, damn.

  I could only imagine one of two reactions: Kelsey would take one look at Donnell and politely leave, or that Kelsey would take one look at Donnell and never look back.

  I glanced around, looking for Clarke. He and Donnell had been together—if anyone could lighten the situation, it would be Clarke. He did our HR work, and never a friendlier person did you meet. I was just clearing my throat to ask Donnell where he’d got to.

  “Grayson?” the most-stunning voice competition winner—Kelsey—said to me. There was a slight frown on that beautiful face and I felt my heart crimp. She was drinking and the straw touched her lip. I felt the pain in my insides become an ache.

  “Um, sorry?” I frowned. She’d asked me something, clearly, and I hadn’t heard a word.

  “I just asked what you do in the company? Donnell was just telling me about his role as financial manager.”

  “I do organization,” I said.

  “Oh,” she said.

  Those dreamy hazel eyes didn’t seem too impressed with that. I felt stupid. Why w
as she so interested in Donnell? I saw her turn back to him with a big smile.

  “You must also really get stressed in September,” she said.

  “You mean—end of the fiscal year? Nah,” Donnell smiled. “I never stress.”

  I wanted to kick him under the table. Unfortunately, it was true. Donnell did never stress. He was cool, calm and collected. Just how I wished I was.

  “Well,” Heath was saying. “You want to order something, Donnell? And anyone for anything else? I guess I should have let you see the menu?” He handed it courteously to Kelsey.

  “Oh, thank you,” she said with a big smile. I felt dumb.

  Grayson, you could have thought of that. Where did your manners suddenly get to?

  I scraped a stray lock of dark hair out of my eyes and tried not to look too crestfallen as she turned her stunning face to Heath.

  “So you guys have lived here always?”

  “Yeah,” Heath nodded. “We were all born here. Went to the local high school. Left for college, but now we’re back.”

  “Me too,” Kelsey said.

  “You were born here?” I asked.

  “Yes,” she said. She smiled at me. “I lived here until I was eighteen.”

  “Oh?” Heath said. “Say you didn’t go to South High School?”

  She paled and looked at the table. “I…um, no,” she said. “I didn’t.”

  “Oh?” Donnell asked. “Where did you go then?”

  “The Berkshire School.” she said. Her voice was tight.

  Donnell whistled. “You did? No way.”

  The Berkshire School was one of the most high-priced schools in the country. I suddenly felt awkward too, like we shouldn’t be sitting here at the same table as Kelsey anymore. I would have said something, except that she looked like she was going to burst into tears.