Sins of My Father (Black Brothers #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

stepdad and my mom would push me to use my connection to him…not that it was much of a connection. We shared a taxi twice, and he saved me from Brandon’s verbal lashing. Beyond that, I probably wouldn’t see him again. Was that disappointment twisting my stomach into knots, or just the wine hitting my empty stomach like an acid bomb?
    “I did,” he answered, lowering his voice.
    My mouth puckered like I sucked on a sour lemon. “So you’re going to do it?”
    “Shouldn’t I be having this conversation with Senator Wharton’s political team, or are you interested in shaking me down for money too?”
    “No. I don’t care about raising money. I don’t like spending time with people involved in business or otherwise with my stepdad.” My relationship with Brandon taught me to stay far away from my stepdad’s spidery fingers.
    “Why not?”
    My lungs inflated with air as I sucked in a breath, deliberating what I wanted to reveal. “Brandon is my ex and he still works for my stepdad. It didn’t end well. I don’t want to go there again.”
    “So does that mean you’re thinking about seeing me again?” His large hand rubbed the length of his jaw, then he dropped his hand back into his lap.
    “I…I don’t know.” I didn’t know how to respond. If I denied it, it’d be a lie. I did want to see him again, and not because of his wealth or influence, but because I liked talking to him. I liked how easily he defused the situation with Brandon. I liked that he offered to ride home with me.
    Turning to the side, he met my frazzled stare. His fingertip trailed from my shoulder to my wrist. Even though his touch was ethereal and almost nonexistent, it ignited every nerve ending in its wake. “You don’t know, or you’re not interested? Either way, you don’t need to soften the blow. I’m a big boy. I’ll accept your answer, whatever it is, graciously.”
    I chewed on my lip, my mind swirling like an odds maker in Vegas, calculating the pros and cons of letting Archer into my life. “I don’t know if I’m ready for anything.”
    “Not even a no strings exploratory coffee or lunch date?”
    “Maybe that’d be okay,” I hedged. What was wrong with spending an hour or two more with Archer? Nothing, right? I hated that my life had come to evaluating people based on their connection to my stepdad, but after what I learned about him, I couldn’t stand being in his sphere of influence.
    The taxi pulled to the curb, idling in front of my small two-bedroom townhome in Georgetown that I rented from my stepdad. It had broad front steps with a gray wood railing and a black metal roof portico. I loved everything about the townhome, from its narrow wooden stairs to the second story, and its ornate carved wood fireplaces in every room. At that second, I wished I lived outside of D.C. so I had a few more minutes with Archer.
    “If it makes any difference, I’m not going to commit any money to Senator Wharton’s campaign.”
    I cracked the door open. “Now or never?”
    “Never is a long time, but I don’t plan to donate any money.”
    I tilted my head to the side. “Why? You don’t share his political beliefs?”
    “Something like that.” He knocked on the Plexiglas window. “Give me five minutes and I’ll be back.”
    I stepped out of the car. “You don’t have to walk me to the door. I’m good.”
    “I’m not. What kind of man would I be if I didn’t walk a woman to her door at night?”
    “A normal one.” I glanced over my shoulder as I walked to my front door.
    “Then you haven’t been hanging out with the right kind of men.” His hand pressed into my lower back again, guiding me up the steps. Shit. My skin tingled under his splayed fingertips.
    “Obviously.” I snorted. “I can’t dispute that point after what happened with Brandon tonight.”
    His hand slid around my back to my hip as we reached my front door. He squeezed it and then released his hold on me, but he still hovered