The Wrong Brother (a perfect for you novel Book 1)

by Amanda Siegrist

  He kissed her again. “I want to toss this condom away, grab us some beers, and have round two—slower this time. I want to love your body as slowly as I possibly can, savor every single minute. Because I like exactly where I am.”

  Oh.

  Wow.

  This, at times, arrogant, thoughtless man, who could work her until her feet wanted to fall off, could also be the sweetest, kindest man she had ever met. Every time he said such wonderful words, it broke a part of the impenetrable wall she had built a long time ago to keep from getting hurt.

  Because keeping people outside of the wall was always easier than letting them in.

  This wonderful man was creeping his way inside her walls.

  She bit her lip as a smile appeared. “I like exactly where you are, too.”

  7

  Dane swirled his fork around the noodles as he peered at Gabriella out of the corner of his eye. She looked cute and delectable in only a tight white tank top and black lacy panties. He still couldn’t believe how the night was going. Not that he had expected any of this to happen. When he left his office after pacing from one end to the other until he thought he’d explode from more questions than answers, he knew he needed to see Gabriella. He hadn’t known what he’d say to her, but this… This hadn’t been on his agenda when he left his office in a huff.

  Of course, he wasn’t complaining.

  They had used both condoms, then left to get food and a refill of condoms. They stopped at a small Chinese restaurant not far from her apartment that had him concerned. The place had looked like a dive. Would the food even taste good? But she had smiled at him and said, “Trust me.”

  And he did. When she smiled like that, it was hard not to listen and follow her instructions. But should he trust her? She had lied to him.

  When he looked at her beautiful face and sweet smile—oh, that smile did something to his heart—he trusted her.

  The more everything rolled around his mind. The heartache on her friend Mia’s face. His asshole brother. He understood why she had done what she had. He did.

  But he felt like he was missing a piece to the puzzle. Like, why would she do anything for her friend Mia? Every time he tried to ask, she clammed up and refused to tell him. It only made his curiosity worse.

  Which made him think she could still be lying to him.

  “So? It’s good, isn’t it? Really, really good, huh?” she said with a devious smile, nudging him in the shoulder.

  “I already told you it was. No need to rub it in anymore. Even cold, it tastes delicious.” He took another bite, winking at her.

  “Well, mister, it wouldn’t have been cold if you didn’t distract us first.”

  “You distract me so easily.” She distracted him more than he cared to admit. “I couldn’t help myself.” He thought back to the new box of condoms they bought. He didn’t waste any time opening it up and putting them to good use. He couldn’t seem to keep his hands off her.

  He didn’t know yet if that was a good or bad thing.

  “I like distracting you. I have this strange feeling you work Saturdays. Don’t you?”

  He paused, twirling the noodles around the fork and frowned. “There’s a lot that needs to be done. There aren’t enough hours in the day.”

  A warm hand caressed his cheek. He couldn’t resist leaning into it. “How many times do I have to tell you that you work too much? Life shouldn’t be so serious.”

  He turned toward her and kissed her. “You’re starting to convince me.”

  Which he also couldn’t determine if that was a good or bad thing. Work was very important to him. It was his livelihood—his sole focus.

  “We’ll never get this food eaten if you keep distracting us.”

  He nibbled on her bottom lip. “You’re the distracting one.”

  He was about to set his food down on the nightstand and start another round between the sheets when her phone went off. A low groan slipped out before he could stop himself. Her eyes twinkled with a bit of mischief and confusion as she set her food on the nightstand and grabbed her phone.

  Yeah, he should’ve kept his groan to himself. His emotions were all jumbled and confused. He wanted her, yet he wasn’t sure if he should leave and keep his distance. And any interruptions weren’t going to help the tangled emotions raging a war deep inside him.

  “It’s Jaxson. I’m going to grab this quick and make sure Mia’s okay.”

  She answered the phone and walked out of the room. His mind started to wander. Why did she have to leave the room to take the call? Had he misinterpreted Jaxson’s feelings toward Mia? Should he be jealous?

  He frowned, hating the confusion swirling inside his veins. He liked to be in control and in charge. Right now, he was nowhere near either of those things. Well, he liked to be in control and in charge of things that were right in front of him. He knew he’d never have control of his father’s company. No matter how much he fought and demanded control—not that he even tried—he’d never be better than Champ. Not in his father’s eyes.

  He took a few more bites of food but lost the taste for anything. This was why he didn’t put in the effort to date anymore. Too complicated. Too much time worrying about why she did this or why she did that. He had too much to worry about at work and in his family to waste his time worrying about a woman as well.

  He set the food down on the nightstand. His eyes caught a glimpse of her black lacy bra adorning the floor. The erotic image of extracting the lacy garment from Gabriella’s gorgeous body flooded his mind after they returned to the apartment. He knew right then why he wanted to make a small effort to date a woman again.

  She was worth it.

  Or was she?

  Was she still lying to him?

  Did she like her partner as more than just a friend?

  His mind fought a brutal battle back and forth.

  She had so many endearing qualities that he had never seen in a woman. She had a sense of humor. He had been having fun tonight teasing her. And it always elicited one of her sweet smiles he adored. She spoke her mind without effort. He knew he would never wonder where he stood with her. That was refreshing. That should ease his mind some. Yet, it didn’t. She still held back part of herself.

  Especially the part about her friend Mia. Why couldn’t she open up to him? He asked, and she dodged. Perhaps she thought they needed to know each other a little better.

  Glancing around the bed, he thought they knew each other pretty well now. Physically, anyway.

  And maybe that’s all it would ever be. The thought saddened him. He wanted to know more about her. He wanted to know her inside and out. He wanted to know her fears, her dreams. What made her happy, and what made her sad. He wanted to know her favorite movie and how she liked to spend her spare time.

  Or did he?

  Maybe it wouldn’t be smart. She had lied to him in the beginning.

  He shivered from the directions his thoughts were taking him. He always kept it light with women. He should continue to do so.

  He sat up straighter, thinking it was time to leave. There was a lot of work waiting for him in the office.

  The door shut, erasing his decision to leave. He grinned as Gabriella rounded the bed with her own sweet smile.

  “Whew. She’s fine. I trust Jaxson, but I still worried.” She hopped back in bed, taking a sip of her beer.

  Wow. What did that mean?

  “My brother’s an asshole, but what did you expect to happen? He wouldn’t physically hurt her.”

  Dane may not like his brother much, but he knew Champ would never physically harm a woman. Destroy her heart and leave the pieces without a backward glance? Yes. Throw a punch or push her or slap her or any number of physical traits? No. He was offended she thought so.

  She shrank back from him, knitting her brows in confusion. “I never thought that. Mia may not look fragile, but she is. I didn’t want her to break down in tears again. Jaxson said they were in and out of his apa
rtment without an issue. He said Champ glared at him the entire time and that he barely said a word to Mia. When Jaxson dropped her off at home, she seemed fine. That’s all I meant.”

  “Why is she so fragile? Why would you do anything for her?”

  She still hovered away from him, irking him further each second she stayed that way. Why was she pulling away like that?

  “She’s my best friend. Do you need another beer?”

  “What I need is for you to talk to me. You keep avoiding the question. Why?”

  She set her beer down, scooting farther away from him. Damn it. The more she kept pulling away in such a manner, the more the decision cemented in his brain that leaving was the best option. She clearly only wanted something physical between them and nothing else.

  Her lips were in a tight line, matching his stern features.

  “Why do you hate your brother?”

  “I don’t hate him.”

  And why in the hell was she turning the questions around on him? Why couldn’t she answer a simple question about her friend Mia?

  She laughed, almost sounding like a hoity-toity woman he dated once. And damn, once was enough after hearing the woman’s obnoxious laughter for two hours straight. “Yeah, right, and I’m a fairytale princess. Cue the singing animals.”

  “He’s my brother. I don’t hate him. I don’t always like him, but I would never hate him. My mother would disown me if I did.”

  “There’s more to it than that. You don’t want to talk about it, then don’t expect me to talk about my friendship with Mia.” She stood up and stalked to her dresser where she pulled out a pair of drawstring pants.

  “I asked my question first. Answer my question, and I’ll tell you anything you want to know about the issues between my brother and me.” He stood up from the bed, wondering whether he should shove his clothes back on as she was rushing to do.

  Hadn’t he wanted to flee a few minutes ago? She was giving off the vibe they were done.

  Yet, it proved to have the opposite effect on him. Instead of wanting to leave, he wanted to forget this conversation and make sweet, slow love to her.

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  What doesn’t matter?

  He didn’t matter? The issues between his brother and him? Her friend? He hated that she refused to open up. He hated that he wanted to forget this happened and pull her into his arms and hold her tight. Because it felt like she was slipping away, and he didn’t want that. Sure, he had been confused before. Hell, he was still confused by his swirling emotions. But his heart was telling him that leaving was the wrong move. The rapid beating, the erratic pace—he knew walking away would gut him.

  “Why are you getting dressed? A few questions you don’t want to hear, and you run. What is this?” He whipped his hand to the bed. “We sleep together, but we can’t dig deeper than that?”

  “What do you want from this? I’m still trying to figure out why you forgave me so easily. Is this what you wanted? A romp in the sheets and ‘see you later, babe?’” she fired back.

  “Did those words come out of my mouth? Because I, as sure as shit, don’t remember them.” He growled with frustration as he dragged a hand through his hair. “You didn’t believe anything I said earlier. Maybe I was wrong about you.” He grabbed his pants from the floor and whipped them on.

  A man could only take so much. He could only take so much. The anger fueled inside him. It didn’t take long for him to get the rest of his clothes on.

  “So, you’re just going to leave?”

  He looked up from the words that left her mouth tonelessly. “You started to dress first. And it doesn’t feel like we have anything left to say to each other. You don’t seem to trust me, and I’m beginning to think that I shouldn’t have trusted you in the first place. You lied to me from the moment I met you.”

  “See, you’re still mad. You never did forgive me.”

  He stared at her for the longest time.

  Trying to gauge what she was thinking. Trying to figure out how this situation spiraled out of control. Trying to understand how he could want to walk away without another word, yet also want to grab her and never let go.

  No matter how long he stared at her, and she stared back, he couldn’t determine what she was thinking. No expression marred her face. Most women would either be yelling at the top of their lungs or crying in hysterics. She was doing neither—just a blank expression.

  “Why did you sleep with me?” Her whispered words broke his heart. That she even asked such a question ripped his soul to shreds.

  He clenched his jaw. So many things wanted to spew out. Angry words. An apology. A bit of begging. He couldn’t believe what he was hearing from her. Why would she ask him that? Didn’t his touch tell her why he slept with her?

  Yet, she was reducing what transpired between them to nothing but sex. Nothing special. Nothing momentous. Nothing where he thought she might be the woman of his dreams.

  He grabbed the box of condoms behind him and tossed them in the trashcan near the door. “I don’t think we’ll be needing those anymore.”

  There was work to be done. He had enough of this bullshit.

  Heading for the doorway, he stopped before stepping into the hallway. “I’ve never been dishonest with you. Never. And I never would be. That’s not who I am.”

  The moment she heard her front door slam, the tears rained down. She glanced at the bed, the rumpled sheets laughing at her. She wanted to rewind the last few minutes and go back to the lighthearted teasing and fun-loving Dane. She didn’t like the side of him she witnessed.

  Although he had never raised his voice, he hadn’t needed to. Every time he spoke, it came out with venom laced in each word.

  She dropped down on the bed and curled into the side he had occupied. Her tears fell as the silence threatened to choke her.

  What happened? How did they go from the sweet bliss of lovemaking to fighting with each other?

  She believed him. She should’ve never said that she didn’t believe he forgave her. Of course, he wouldn’t lie to her.

  He was an honorable man. She knew this. Only working one week with him told her that. He worked hard. Sure, he treated other employees abruptly. Yet, with underlying respect. She didn’t think he was being rude on purpose; he was simply too focused on his work that his words came out clipped.

  And the clients. If they asked a difficult question that would not help in his favor, he still answered with honesty. He would never lie to a client to make his way in the business. The few phone calls she had been a part of—dictating every word said—she could hear the awe and respect in the client’s voice at his honesty.

  Her eyes started to hurt, her nose stuffy and snotty. She couldn’t stop the tears. A sharp ache in her head formed. Why had she screwed everything up?

  Always screwing things up, especially with men. This was why she never managed to maintain a healthy relationship. She either dated losers or screwed it up in some way that could have been prevented. She had no one to blame but herself.

  She could’ve just told him about Mia. She should’ve.

  But she had her reasons. One being it was too painful to talk about. Another being it wasn’t her story to tell. And those reasons for the first time had proved to be disastrous.

  The people who knew always looked at Mia differently, even her at times. They judged. They condemned. It was a natural reaction for most people. Or they felt pity. The pity was the worst for Mia. She hated it.

  A loud hiccup echoed in the quiet room. She should call Jaxson. He would be over in an instant. He would comfort her and tell her she didn’t need that jerk. That it was none of his business.

  But if she expected things from Dane, he would expect things back. That made it his business when he asked.

  How would he react if she told the whole story? Her reasons why she always—always—did anything for Mia.

  She feared his reaction. She feared it so much, she let him walk ou
t without fighting for him.

  Jaxson was the only person she knew, besides her parents, who hadn’t reacted with anything but support. He didn’t judge. He didn’t show pity. He barely said a word, which had helped when she explained everything. But he had shown her in one simple look that none of it mattered.

  She jumped when a hand touched her shoulder.

  Oh, that touch.

  She never thought she’d feel his soft touch again. Relaxing, a low sigh escaped as she relished in Dane’s solid hand doing nothing but holding her softly. She turned toward him, tears still silently streaming down her face.

  “Why are you crying?” Dane asked in a whisper as he moved his hand from her shoulder to wipe the tears from cheeks.

  “I thought you left. I heard the door slam.”

  She tried not to let another needy sigh escape as he caressed her cheek again. “Why do you always dodge my questions?” He dropped his hand to his lap, a deep frown tarnishing his handsome face. “I realized I forgot my phone.”

  He grabbed his phone from the nightstand and stood up. He shoved the phone in his pocket as he started walking toward the door.

  What was she doing?

  Here was her chance. She couldn’t ruin another chance when it was in her reach to fix things.

  “Don’t leave. Please.” She sat up, wiping at her cheeks, trying to clear all the ugly tears away. Oh, she had to look ugly. Red, bloodshot eyes. Snotty nose. Rosy cheeks from the tearstains. Her head still pounded from all the ache she had shed. She grabbed a tissue from her nightstand to erase part of her embarrassment.

  “I was crying because of how bad I screwed up. I know you would never lie to me. It’s not easy answering the question you want the answer to.” She watched the rigidness in his body start to relax as he turned around in the doorway. “I say things sometimes that slip out. You should know this by now. Call it a nervous tic. I know you didn’t lie. I know you forgave me. Please, Dane. I’m sorry. Please, forgive me…again.”