by Aria Ford
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Brooklyn
I sat at the kitchen table, looking around with a peaceful contentment. Upstairs, I could hear Parker playing with her new Christmas gift. It didn’t seem possible that it was Christmas already, but it was. I couldn’t forget about last time.
“Look at it go!” she called out.
“Yeah! It’s great,” a low male voice replied. Trust Riley to be even more excited about it than she is. The smile lifted the corners of my mouth. I leaned back in the chair and listened to the happy sounds of my house: Parker giggling, birds in the trees. Someone’s footsteps, coming down the stairs.
“Brooks?” the low voice said behind me. I hung my head backwards.
“Yes?”
Riley bent over and planted his lips on my own. I shivered at even that small contact with him.
“There you are,” he said. “I was just looking for you.”
“Mm?” I twisted round so I could look into those stunning dark eyes. The eyes that had got to me from the first day I saw him—if I was honest about it.
“I wanted to ask if you’re sure about our decision.”
I blinked at him. “You mean, the one about the profits? Of course.”
His grin looked relieved. “Good.”
I laughed. “Riley, my dear…it’s your business. I don’t pretend to have any say in what you do with it.”
He sighed. “But sweetheart—you’re the reason it could happen. We’re all equal partners. That’s what I said in the beginning.” It was—when he put up my property as collateral, a year ago. But things have changed so much since then, and he hadn’t known then about Cliff being involved too.
“I know,” I said gently. “Riley, you’re able to pay back the loan with your own share, now. Anything else you do with the money from your business’s your choice.”
“I know.” He bit his lip. “But I feel bad, leaving you out. You’re the main shareholder.”
I laughed. “I didn’t do anything besides let you use my credit rating and my property for your loan. It’s not like I invested…not exactly. Besides,” I added, with a sudden small stab of pride. “Sugar and Spice Cafe is doing well.”
He beamed. “I know.”
I leaned back as his hands stroked my hair. I felt so proud. My cafe—the business I had yearned for all my life—had just started breaking even.
Looking up into his eyes, hearing Parker running her toy car over the floor, I could barely believe that this time last year I hadn’t known about any of this.
Then, I was a miserable woman in a secretarial job that wasn’t rewarding, doing my best to recover from a broken heart; also doing my best to be a mother when I’d lost sight of the most important bits of it—the bits that need tenderness.
Now, I thought with wonder, my life was different. I was the owner of a cafe, set up slowly but exactly the way I wanted it; and I was married. Really married this time.
“Brooklyn?” Riley asked, coming to stand behind my chair with his hands on my shoulders.
“Mm?” I asked.
“Your aunt—is she coming for New Year?”
“Aunt Sheena? Apparently,” I said with a smile. “She’s bringing someone with her—a new boyfriend. Name is Connell. Sounds like a good guy.”
“Your aunt’s dating? Great.”
I smiled. “It is. Good to see her happy.”
He grinned into my eyes as I tipped my head back to look up at him. “You know,” he said. “If it wasn’t for her being away last year…”
I laughed. “You mean we wouldn’t be here, together, like this?”
He nodded, eyes sparkling. “I can tell you—I wouldn’t have had the courage to invite myself to Christmas dinner, or anything else for that matter.”
“Well,” I grinned. “I think I might have invited you anyway. But we’ll never know.”
“Really?” He looked incredulously at me. “I thought you hated me!”
I sighed. “Well, I thought you infuriated me. But really, I think it was just your attractiveness that infuriated me. I didn’t want to find you sexy.”
“What?” he was grinning broadly, those warm brown eyes I loved so much sparkling with mirth. “You thought I was sexy? No way!”
I stood, and, laughing myself now, wrapped my arms around him, drawing him to me. I looked into his eyes, my own body flaring up as I felt his hard body on mine. “Yes way.”
He laughed again. “Well, I have a confession to make—me too.”
“You thought I was sexy?” I asked.
He made wide eyes at me. “How can you not know that? Woman,” he growled as he held me close. “You’re the sexiest thing I ever saw.”
I felt my heart race and I wasn’t sure how steady my voice would be when I spoke. “You flatter me,” I said.
“No,” he insisted. “Really, I don’t.”
He kissed me, his lips soft and tender on mine, tongue lapping softly at the line of my mouth. I leaned back and put my hand on the back of his neck and drew him down toward me. We were pressed so close I could feel the hardness in his trousers and my own body ached to feel him inside.
At that moment, the oven timer went. We looked at each other.
I grinned. “Dammit.”
He chuckled. “Well, we can’t really ignore that, can we?”
I shrugged. He laughed.
“Pudding!” Parker exclaimed, appearing in the kitchen. Her soft hair was tousled and she looked up at us with blue, shiny eyes.
“Okay, okay,” I said, extricating myself gently from Riley’s tender hug. “Let’s check it.”
“It’s ready!” Parker insisted from staring through the oven door as I went to fetch a toothpick to stick in the cake as a tester.
“I hope so,” Riley said, eyes twinkling.
“Oh, Riley,” Parker said, with a long-suffering air. “Of course it is.”
We both looked at her and laughed.
“Well, as it happens, you’re right,” I told her, passing her the toothpick for inspection. “See? No crumbs and things on there, are there?”
“No,” Parker said, satisfied. “Okay. We can eat.”
We all laughed. I took the cake out of the oven to cut it, watching with a lump in my throat as Parker and Riley chatted at table as if they’d known each other always.
“And my car will go faster than Stella’s. Won’t it, Riley?”
“Should do,” Riley nodded. “It’s a lighter design.”
“Uh-huh,” Parker agreed succinctly. “And hers is silly—it only has one battery inside.”
“Well then,” Riley nodded. “There you are.”
“Here we go,” I said, putting full plates before Riley and Parker, then taking mine to the end of the table. “And wishing for a very happy year ahead.”
“It’s not New Year’s yet, Mommy,” Parker pointed out succinctly. “There’s another week.”
I laughed, delighted. “Yes, you’re right. But we can still wish each other good wishes for then.”
“Good wishes!” Parker agreed, lifting her cake fork to carve off a monumental piece.
“Good wishes,” Riley agreed. He was looking at me, his eyes holding my gaze. I blushed. Without having to ask, I knew he shared my thoughts.
If this coming year is anything like the last one, it’s going to be awesome.
I never would have thought there was so much happiness coming my way. All I had to do, it seemed, was to be ready for it; open to it. Sitting in my kitchen with the warmth and friendliness surrounding me, with the sound of Parker and Riley joking together and the scent of spices and baking in my nostrils, I would not ever have imagined my life could be so full, or so happy.
All you have to do, I thought with wonder, is to open your heart to love and happiness. And when you do, they will be sure to arrive.
WET
A Brother’s Best Friend
Chapter 1
Tanner
Lindsey Scott seemed to be bored out of
her mind, sitting at the table we had procured in the busy club.
“Do you want another drink?” I asked her.
I wasn’t trying to get her drunk, but I wanted to prove to her I wasn’t a jackass. I knew she thought I was more than a little self-absorbed. Shit, she had told me enough times.
She smiled at me. “That’d be great. Rum and Coke, please.”
God, she was fucking hot. I had known her forever and literally watched her blossom practically overnight. My best friend, Brian, was a little overprotective of his little sister, but even he could acknowledge she was very pretty.
I brought her drink back. “Here ya go,” I said, delivering it to her.
“Thank you. I swear, this is going to be my last one.” She giggled, talking loud to be heard over the thumping music.
I winked. “Sure it is. It’s okay to let loose once in a while.”
She rolled those beautiful brown eyes. “Yeah, yeah, Mr. Big Shot, best trainer in the state,” she teased.
I leaned in close to her, our shoulders touching. “You know I’m the best—at everything.”
Her head went back, and she opened that perfect mouth and laughed. Her long, bleached-blond hair cascaded down the back of the chair, and her slender neck was exposed. I fought the urge to dive in and lick all that tanned skin.
“You’re—”
“Don’t you dare say it!” I held up a hand. “Who just bought you a drink?”
Another sweet laugh revealed all those perfectly straight white teeth, “You’re right. You have grown, Tanner Brown. Look at you, all gentlemanlike, getting a lady a drink, knowing damn well there’s no hope you’ll get laid later.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Are you sure about that?”
Brian glared at me. “I’m sure about that,” he snarled, only half-joking.
“He doesn’t fool me, Brian,” Lindsey assured her big brother. “Tanner is the world’s biggest flirt who has this idea women will fall at his feet if he flashes that sexy little smile and turns those smoldering green eyes on them. I’ve seen this guy cry when he fell off his bike. His tricks don’t have the same effect on me.”
Brian nodded but looked at me. “Back off my sister, dude. There are about a million girls in here. Go flirt with them.”
I laughed, pretending it was all a joke, but deep down, I knew different. Lindsey was gorgeous, smart, and a kick-ass swimmer. Her body was rocking, and I could see myself getting to know her much better than I already did. It wasn’t the first time I’d noticed how attractive she was, inside and out.
“I gotta take a piss. I’ll be back.” Brian scanned the room before standing and leaving our small table.
“Have you seen Brittany?” Lindsey asked, scanning the room for her wayward best friend.
I shook my head. I’d been a little too absorbed in my best friend’s sister. “Nope, not since she hit the dance floor with that dude.”
She nodded, looked only a little concerned, and took another drink from her straw.
“How’s training going?” I asked, genuinely interested.
She put a hand to her forehead. “It isn’t.”
“What? Aren’t you trying out for the Olympics this year? You’ve been busting your ass for this for too long to give up,” I began lecturing.
She shrugged, “My trainer gave up and moved last week. No warning, no nothing. Just gone. I am so screwed.”
“I’ll train you,” I said without thinking. Could I handle it? I was beyond attracted to her and seeing her parade around in the typical one-piece bathing suit of a professional swimmer would probably leave me with a constant erection, but I wanted to do this for her. I could handle it, and she deserved a shot at making it to the top.
She smirked. “Yeah right.”
“I could. You know I could. I’m the best, after all. I’ll bust your ass into shape and make sure you get your spot on the team.”
She looked serious for a second before she waved a hand in the air, essentially waving away my offer. I knew she could afford my rates. Well, her family could. They were very wealthy, and because of them, I had found a way to make myself quite comfortable as well.
“Uh-oh,” she muttered, staring over my shoulder.
I turned to see Brian and another guy I didn’t recognize. Their noses were almost touching. I waited to see if it was going to erupt into a fight or if they would posture a bit before cooling their jets. The two men separated, and Brian made his way toward us.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“That dude is a douche. I bumped into him, and he wanted to fight me,” he said with disgust.
“Uh, Brian, he’s coming this way,” Lindsey interrupted.
I turned, and sure enough, big meathead followed by a couple of his buddies was headed to our table. Fucking awesome.
One of the guys stood directly behind me, effectively locking me in my seat at the table. His chest was pressing into my back. The guy Brian had squared off with was standing in front of him. Brian stood and got back in his face. Mr. Tough Guy’s buddy was standing behind Brian.
“Get the fuck off me,” I said, throwing an elbow back, landing it in the guy’s solar plexus.
He didn’t move.
I shoved back and spun around as I jumped off the barstool. I wasn’t a pussy, and no dumbass meathead was going to push me around.
“Guys, back off,” Lindsey said in a voice full of warning.
Before I knew what was coming, Tough Guy took a swing and hit Brian in the jaw. Brian swung into action and pushed the guy before throwing a punch and landing it in the center of the dude’s face. Blood erupted from what was probably a broken nose. Before I got the chance to do anything, the bouncers were on our table, surrounding Brian and the bleeding tough guy, dragging them both out of the bar.
I looked at Lindsey. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Yeah, but I think we better get out of here.”
When I looked around, I could see Tough Guy’s buddies were hanging out and looking mad as hell. They were eyeballing me. Sure, I was always up for a good fight, but Brian would kick my ass if I got kicked out and left Lindsey in here alone.
“Finish your drink. They aren’t going to run us out of here.”
She picked up her glass and swallowed the contents in a long guzzle. That was going to go straight to her head and give her a nice buzz.
“Not exactly what I meant, but it works.”
I picked up my beer and took a long drink before putting the bottle down.
“We better make sure Brian isn’t getting jumped out there by himself,” I said, realizing the bouncers wouldn’t do anything once the men were outside.
“I need to find Brittany,” Lindsey said, jumping off the stool.
The tiny, tight pink skirt she was wearing had ridden up her thighs, revealing those perfectly shaped, muscular legs. I watched as she tugged it down before tugging down the fitted black shirt she was wearing. It, too, had ridden up, and her flat tummy was exposed just a hint. More tanned flesh. She looked up, her eyes met mine, and I knew she could see the desire. I couldn’t hide it.
“Stop,” she said, shooting me down.
“You’re hot, and you know it,” I told her with a grin.
She rolled her eyes. “Come on, let’s find her.”
“Text her and tell her to get her ass outside. I don’t want to try and find her in this mess.”
She nodded, and we made our way to the door. I placed my hand on the small of her back, gently guiding her through the crowd.
Once outside, we looked around and found Brian leaning up against the wall of the bar. “Took you long enough,” he grumbled.
“How’s your face?” I asked.
“Guy barely touched me, but we need to get out of here before his buddies come out and want to start more shit,” he grumbled.
Just then an obviously drunk Brittany walked out the door with a guy pressed behind her, his arms around her waist and his head buried in her neck. She was g
iggling and clearly enjoying the attention.
“We need to go, Brit,” Lindsey said.
“Go ahead, I’m going to hang out with—” she looked up at the guy draped on her back, “What’s your name again?”
“Dustin,” he mumbled, his mouth still on her neck.
“Dustin. Dustin and I are going across the street to get a drink,” she laughed.
“Whatever,” Lindsey said. “Be careful. Text me later. Dustin?”
The guy removed his face from Brittany’s neck, looked at Lindsey and gave her a lecherous grin that nearly made me hit him, “Huh?” he asked.
“Don’t do anything that makes me sick,” she threatened, “or I, because I can, and I will kick your ass. Got it?”
Dustin grinned, his eyes slightly glazed from copious amounts of alcohol. “We’re just having fun. I promise I’m a nice guy.”
“Whatever.” She turned to me and then looked at Brian. “Let’s go.”
We all watched Brittany stumble across the street to the other bar.
“You sure she’s going to be okay?” I asked Lindsey, feeling like I should somehow be the hero that saved the girl but not really caring all that much to step in tonight.
“She’s fine. It’s a typical Saturday night for Brittany, trust me.”
Chapter 2
Lindsey
“Blah, blah, blah.”
That’s all I could hear. My psychology professor was droning on about something, but my brain couldn’t focus. All I could think about was swimming or the lack thereof. I hadn’t been in the pool in three days. Sure, that wasn’t a big deal for some, but for me, it was career ending. I had to do something quick or my hopes of making the team and winning an Olympic gold medal were going to evaporate.
Why my trainer up and left me hanging was anybody’s guess, but I wanted to kick him in the kneecaps or maybe somewhere else a bit more painful. I couldn’t do this. Sitting in a classroom was not fixing my situation. I needed a trainer—now. I checked my watch, fifteen minutes before class would be over. I got the gist of it.
I walked out, doing my best to be as sneaky as possible, but knowing I was completely failing. Nothing I could do about it. The professor can get mad, but I had bigger problems.
