“Kelly,” he greeted as he embraced his younger brother in a backslapping hug.
Ah, so this is the loner.
“It’s good to have you home, my brother.”
“Good to be home.”
They broke apart and Kelly turned to Sam. He leered at her with faintly sinister amusement while she tried not to bristle under his scrutiny.
Whoa. That expression should be photographed and put in the dictionary under the word smolder.
“Well, hello, pretty lady. I see you’ve come with the wrong brother, but I’d be glad to remedy that for ya and make sure you come again.”
Braydon shoved his brother out of the way. “Kelly, this is my girlfriend, Samantha.”
“Braydon, don’t interrupt me when I’m speaking with the lassies. How long are you here for, beautiful?”
Sam wasn’t sure if Kelly realized he was pissing his brother off, but she didn’t really want to get in the middle.
“Three weeks.”
He made an expression that Sam could only describe as disappointment.
“That, love, is a shame. Three weeks with this lot and you’ll be crazy as a loon by the time you head home. I can’t be exposing myself to anymore crazies.” He leaned in a theatrically whispered, “You see, they all know I’m the McCullough with the biggest cock and, the crazies, well, they don’t like to share.”
This time when Braydon shoved his brother Kelly actually stumbled and landed in a kitchen chair. “Shut up, moron. She’s not one of your trollops.”
Kelly laughed. “Oh, now Bray, it isn’t kind to call your friends’ mothers trollops.”
“I don’t even want to know what friends you’re referring to, but I hope they kick your ass when they find out you’re diddling their mums. You’re disgusting. Samantha, I’m going to get our bags. Kelly, try not to repulse or corrupt her within the next three minutes.”
“Oh, come on now, Bray. I’m not you. Give me a little credit. I cannot corrupt a beautiful woman in three minutes. With stamina like mine I’ll ask for at least an hour.”
Braydon rolled his eyes heavenward in clear frustration. Truthfully though, Sam was having a hard time not laughing. As Braydon walked toward the door he turned and said, “You know what, Kelly?”
“What, big brother?”
“Take that big cock you’re so proud of and go fuck yourself.”
With that he stomped out of the house.
Kelly turned back toward Sam and was smiling at her as if they shared a secret. She finally gave into her smile and said, “You’re mean.”
He laughed. “Not mean, smart. You’ll see. Everyone around here kisses Bray’s arse. I make sure he doesn’t get ahead of himself and grow too cocky.”
“Ha! And you’re not cocky?”
He gave her a wicked half smile and said, “Samantha, love, I thought I already made it clear, out of all the McCullough men, I’m the cockiest.”
Braydon walked in and dropped the bags onto the wood floor. “You ready to head up to bed, Samantha?”
“Where am I sleeping?”
“In my room with me.”
It took her a minute to find her words. Kelly was distracted with making some kind of sandwich, but Sam was certain he wasn’t missing a single word. “Braydon, I cannot share your room. This is your parents’ house.”
“So?”
“So it’s rude and not proper.”
“They won’t care.”
“Well, I’m sorry, but I care. I’ll sleep on the couch, but I can’t sleep in your bed with you.”
“Samantha, that’s ridiculous. I’m twenty-three. They know I’m not a virgin. They probably assume we spend the night together all the time at school.”
She gasped. “Well, we don’t!” Realizing she wasn’t telling Braydon anything he didn’t already know she turned to Kelly and affirmed, “We don’t.”
He smiled as he prepared to take a bite of his sandwich. “Don’t get your knickers in a bunch over what I think. I don’t judge. I am a gentleman though, so I will say, if you don’t want to share Bray’s bed you can use mine.”
She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. “Let me guess, you’d be willing to keep me warm too.”
“Samantha—”
“Ah, love, my bed’s never cold.”
Before things got heated Sam held up her hands and interrupted them both. “Look, I’m not sharing anyone’s bed. Kelly, since you have room in yours I’m sure your brother would appreciate half of it. I was up late writing papers all week, I’ve just traveled all night, and it’s well past two in the morning. I’m going to bed. Braydon, we can work out better arrangements in the morning, but for now I’d appreciate it if you showed me to your room.”
Kelly must have found her speech very amusing. He smiled grandly and said, “Dear God, Braydon, if you don’t marry her, I will. You must be amazing in bed, aren’t you, love?”
She groaned. “Braydon, show me where your room is.”
She scooped up her larger suitcase as she left the kitchen and followed Braydon up the stairs. The wood creaked as they climbed the steps. The second floor was as dark and silent as a tomb.
“I can’t believe you’re sticking me with Kelly,” Braydon whispered.
“Well believe it. I can’t believe you expected me to share your bed under your parents’ roof.”
He let the comment go, but Sam could tell he was irritated.
She didn’t think she was being irrational. His family didn’t know her. She was here for the duration of the next month. How difficult would it be to sit across from them at the breakfast table if they were all thinking about what a whore she was? No, she could not share his bed. Tomorrow she’d see if there were better arrangements for him, but for her first night this would have to do.
Braydon opened a door and flipped on a light. The room was painted slate gray with matching bedding. The furniture was modern with sharp geometric angles. The only thing inside the room that remotely complimented the style of the house was the gray and white fur blanket at the foot of the bed and a skull with six points of antlers hanging from the wall. There was a large gray metal cabinet with a lock taking up a good portion of the room.
“What’s that?”
“Gun safe.” Braydon was obviously being short with her.
“You hunt?”
“Everyone hunts around here.”
“Did you kill that?” she asked pointing to the antlers hanging on the wall.
“That was my first big kill. Got it with an arrow when I was thirteen.”
Samantha had a hard time assimilating the Braydon she knew from Villanova with the Braydon who cursed in an Irish tongue and shot animals with a bow and arrow. She suddenly longed for the comfort she experienced earlier in Maureen’s presence, because up here in Braydon’s bedroom she felt very alone and confused.
Braydon placed her bags at the foot of the bed and opened a drawer to pull out some clothing Sam assumed he’d sleep in. Without looking at her he briefly opened up a door on the right side of the bed.
“Here’s your bathroom. It has a shower and everything you need. The closet’s over there if you want to hang anything up. Kelly’s room’s two doors down the hall if you need anything. I guess I’ll see you at breakfast.”
He began to walk out into the hall and Sam felt the weight of guilt.
“Braydon, wait.”
He paused and looked at her.
This was his room. She was being selfish. He invited her here so she wouldn’t spend her break alone and now she was forcing him out of his room and into a room with a brother who clearly irritated him. But his presumption that they’d go from a few shared kisses and dates to sharing a bed took her off guard and she didn’t want him to assume too much.
“I…” Yet she still didn’t want to give his family the wrong impression. Maybe Maureen would understand, but she had yet to meet the other nine hundred McCulloughs. Who knew what they’d think of their brother shacking up with her? S
he’d have to wait and see. “Maybe tomorrow you could sleep here and I’ll see about sharing one of your sister’s rooms.”
“Don’t sweat it. I’m just tired. It’s fine. Really.”
He appeared fine, but Sam suspected he was trying to keep the peace.
She walked over to him and gently kissed his cheek. “Thank you.”
He ran his hand over her ponytail and playfully tugged the end.
“You’re welcome, Samantha. Goodnight. I’ll see you in the morning.”
Don’t stop here! Keep going! Almost Priest (eBook) is FREE at all major retailers.
Other Books by Lydia Michaels
La Vie en Rose
“Heart Wrenchingly Beautiful!”
Breaking Perfect
“Delicious and Dirty!”
Blind (FREE)
Untied
First Comes Love (FREE)
If I Fall
Something Borrowed
Protégé
“Secret Kink Society!”
Simple Man
“Unexpected Baby/Fatherhood”
The Surrender Trilogy
“Drama, Betrayal, Scandal, Oh my!”
The McCullough Mountain Series
(Book #1 FREE)
The Degrees of Separation Trilogy
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The Calamity Rayne Series
(Book #1 FREE!)
Hurt
“Hauntingly Dark Romance! A Masterpiece!”
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Special Thanks
My greatest thanks go to those who helped make this book everything it is. First, I must thank my dear friend Trudy, who has dedicated over a decade of her life to building up my confidence as a writer and talking me off many metaphorical ledges. Trudy, your faith in my writing started with this story, and I plan to finish it for you. Thank you for a million x’s and o’s.
To my amazing betas, Lauren Campbell, Loren Brake, Perrin Larton, and Salima Headley, you are so incredibly insightful and supportive during the writing process, which would otherwise be lonely and full of misplaced commas. Thank you for being helpful, available, and brilliant.
Thank you to all the amazing editors on this project, especially Allyson Young and Theresa Kohler. And special thanks to all the Pimps & Bookers, especially Dawn, Tammy, Casi, and Kim!
But most of all, thank you to all the readers out there who have enjoyed my characters and come back for more. Thank you for supporting the author community by leaving reviews and telling others about books that touched your soul and ignited your mind. Without you, authors would not exist.
About the Author
Lydia Michaels is the Award Winning and Bestselling author of over thirty-five contemporary romance novels. Her favorite things are coffee, the Jersey Shore during the off-season, snuggling, and unforgettable love stories inspired by real people.
Lydia is the two-time winner of the 2018 & 2019 Author of the Year Award by Happenings Media, as well as the 2014 Best Author Award from the Courier Times. Her work has been featured in USA Today, Romantic Times Magazine, and more. As the host and founder of the East Coast Author Convention, the Behind the Keys Author Retreat, and Read Between the Wines, she continues to celebrate her growing love for readers and romance novels around the world.
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