No Love Allowed (Dodge Cove Trilogy #1) Read Online Free
Author: Kate Evangelista
country club that inspired your afternoon dip? Weren’t you supposed to meet up with Amber today?”
The beginnings of his humor disappeared. So much for some light banter. He had completely forgotten that he’d told Nathan about his lunch plans.
“Amber fell in love with me,” he said simply.
“Considering the meat market we live in, you, my dear, are a porter house steak. How could she not want a taste?”
“And you’re prime rib.”
“I see myself more like filet mignon,” he replied with a laugh. “And I’m fabulous.”
“That you are.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
But when Nathan sighed, Caleb knew he was in for some lecturing. He braced himself by sitting up and resting his elbow on the door frame so he could lean his thrumming temple against his
fingertips. Closing his eyes and sending a silent prayer that his buzz would last, he gestured for his cousin to proceed with the flogging.
Instead Nathan said, “Do you want to talk about it?”
His eyebrows rose. “What? Nothing on how I should stop dicking around and find a girl to settle down with?”
“Hell no. We’re way too young for that. I say Amber had it coming. You know I never liked her.”
Relief came on swift wings. Caleb would have taken a bullet for Nathan. Having him in his corner had saved him from the deep pit of misery the death of his mother had plunged him into that first
year. Being an only child, Caleb hadn’t had anyone else to count on. At least Nathan had his sister Natasha and their parents. When Caleb’s father had traded common sense for defensive
walls so impregnable he had no time for his kid, there had been days their fridge had nothing in it but cheese and ketchup. His uncle hadn’t hesitated to bring Caleb home like a stray pet
after discovering what he was living on.
The twins and their friends had been responsible for keeping him sane. Saying he owed them was an understatement. Nathan and company had come to his rescue so many times he had stopped
counting.
“I say good riddance,” Nathan added.
“Good to know,” Caleb mumbled as his eyes drifted to the rearview mirror, where he could see his Mustang, driven by their friend Preston, following closely.
“Speaking of filet mignon, let’s move on to better, more productive topics of conversation.”
At this, Caleb sat up, because he knew what that grin on his cousin’s face meant. His freedom. If he reached out, he could almost touch it. “I read your e-mail last night. The list
of places is growing.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Nathan’s brow furrowed as he sent a scrutinizing glare Caleb’s way. “You asked for a European adventure, and I will give you the
best damn European adventure any guy can have. I don’t do things half-assed.”
“Balls to the wall, and no looking back.”
“The continent won’t know what hit it. The Parker cousins are on their way.”
“I say a week per country and no less.”
Nathan tilted his head as if considering it, but Caleb knew better. “I say leave the option of extending to two in case we enjoy ourselves too much. The legal drinking age is eighteen,
after all.”
Caleb threw his head back and howled. “I like the way you think.”
“Shame if you didn’t. We start in the UK, landing in London—”
“To say hello to the queen,” Caleb interrupted, feeling his excitement from the gut.
Nathan laughed. “That we will. Then we make our way up to Ireland and Scotland and make a U-turn back to London before France. . . .”
Twenty minutes into the trip planning, Nathan drove down the tree-lined driveway of their family estate. The stone monstrosity had been one of the original structures built
during Dodge Cove’s infancy. The place had history, passed down to the eldest Parker child of every generation. This meant Caleb’s father took ownership of the sprawling property with
its twenty bedrooms, multiple-function rooms, balconies, terraces, an expansive garden . . . Simply
The beginnings of his humor disappeared. So much for some light banter. He had completely forgotten that he’d told Nathan about his lunch plans.
“Amber fell in love with me,” he said simply.
“Considering the meat market we live in, you, my dear, are a porter house steak. How could she not want a taste?”
“And you’re prime rib.”
“I see myself more like filet mignon,” he replied with a laugh. “And I’m fabulous.”
“That you are.”
“Don’t you forget it.”
But when Nathan sighed, Caleb knew he was in for some lecturing. He braced himself by sitting up and resting his elbow on the door frame so he could lean his thrumming temple against his
fingertips. Closing his eyes and sending a silent prayer that his buzz would last, he gestured for his cousin to proceed with the flogging.
Instead Nathan said, “Do you want to talk about it?”
His eyebrows rose. “What? Nothing on how I should stop dicking around and find a girl to settle down with?”
“Hell no. We’re way too young for that. I say Amber had it coming. You know I never liked her.”
Relief came on swift wings. Caleb would have taken a bullet for Nathan. Having him in his corner had saved him from the deep pit of misery the death of his mother had plunged him into that first
year. Being an only child, Caleb hadn’t had anyone else to count on. At least Nathan had his sister Natasha and their parents. When Caleb’s father had traded common sense for defensive
walls so impregnable he had no time for his kid, there had been days their fridge had nothing in it but cheese and ketchup. His uncle hadn’t hesitated to bring Caleb home like a stray pet
after discovering what he was living on.
The twins and their friends had been responsible for keeping him sane. Saying he owed them was an understatement. Nathan and company had come to his rescue so many times he had stopped
counting.
“I say good riddance,” Nathan added.
“Good to know,” Caleb mumbled as his eyes drifted to the rearview mirror, where he could see his Mustang, driven by their friend Preston, following closely.
“Speaking of filet mignon, let’s move on to better, more productive topics of conversation.”
At this, Caleb sat up, because he knew what that grin on his cousin’s face meant. His freedom. If he reached out, he could almost touch it. “I read your e-mail last night. The list
of places is growing.”
“And that’s a bad thing?” Nathan’s brow furrowed as he sent a scrutinizing glare Caleb’s way. “You asked for a European adventure, and I will give you the
best damn European adventure any guy can have. I don’t do things half-assed.”
“Balls to the wall, and no looking back.”
“The continent won’t know what hit it. The Parker cousins are on their way.”
“I say a week per country and no less.”
Nathan tilted his head as if considering it, but Caleb knew better. “I say leave the option of extending to two in case we enjoy ourselves too much. The legal drinking age is eighteen,
after all.”
Caleb threw his head back and howled. “I like the way you think.”
“Shame if you didn’t. We start in the UK, landing in London—”
“To say hello to the queen,” Caleb interrupted, feeling his excitement from the gut.
Nathan laughed. “That we will. Then we make our way up to Ireland and Scotland and make a U-turn back to London before France. . . .”
Twenty minutes into the trip planning, Nathan drove down the tree-lined driveway of their family estate. The stone monstrosity had been one of the original structures built
during Dodge Cove’s infancy. The place had history, passed down to the eldest Parker child of every generation. This meant Caleb’s father took ownership of the sprawling property with
its twenty bedrooms, multiple-function rooms, balconies, terraces, an expansive garden . . . Simply