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

by Amanda Siegrist

  That sounded lame when she processed everything she said. How pathetic she needed him to forgive her once again.

  He walked back to the bed and sat on the edge—close enough where she could reach out if she wanted to wrap her arms around him and beg him to stay. By the fierce frown on his face, she was afraid he was seconds away from leaving.

  Then his expression loosened, yet the pain still lingered in his eyes. “Stop crying, Gabriella.” He wiped another tear from her cheek that she hadn’t realized escaped.

  “I can’t help it. I’ve never met a man who made me want to cry like this. In fact, I don’t cry. It’s…it’s for the birds.”

  A low masculine chuckle trickled from his lips. “That’s not a saying I’ve heard before.”

  She shrugged. What could she say? Nonsense came out of her mouth, especially when she was agitated, upset, or nervous. “I don’t want you to leave. I want this,” she waved her hand at the bed, “to be more than just a romp between the sheets.”

  His eyes followed her hand gesture. “I…” He hesitated.

  No. She needed him to finish his sentence, but she was afraid to interrupt as the emotions flitting across his face looked intense.

  He looked from the bed, then to her. “I want that, too. But not if we can’t trust each other. I would’ve never slept with you if I hadn’t forgiven you.”

  “I know. I know that.”

  She hiccupped, hating that she couldn’t stop the water leaking from her eyes.

  “Stop crying. Are you waiting for me to say please? I hate seeing this.” He brushed a few more tears away, the anguish clear in every feature. “Please stop crying, sweetheart.”

  Before she could tell him that she didn’t need to hear the word please, he kissed her. So sweet. So soft. So full of tenderness, it melted her heart. All the tension slipped away.

  Sure, a bit of tension still swirled around them, but the tension hampering her heart diminished. Her tears slowed down and died away. She wrapped her arms around his neck, putting everything into that simple kiss. She needed him to feel how sorry she was. To know how much she cared for him. Not just for a warm body in her bed.

  She opened her mouth, savoring the taste and texture that she would always attribute to Dane. He didn’t hold back, something she feared he would do. He tangled his tongue with hers, keeping the steady pace she craved.

  She never wanted to end this kiss. If it ended, she was afraid of what would happen next. Would he still walk out? Was he still mad? He didn’t give her much reassurance that he forgave her. Or maybe he did. She was on the verge of creating a new fiasco when it wasn’t necessary. Why did she always do this to herself?

  She felt him pull away, making her tug on his bottom lip before he extracted himself from her lips.

  “You know what happens when I kiss you. If I don’t stop now, I’ll never leave this bed.” He leaned his head farther back but didn’t move his body away from hers.

  “I don’t understand.”

  He sighed heavily and gestured toward the door. “I threw the condoms away. I was about two seconds away from whipping all our clothes off and diving deep inside you without a condom. That’s what you do to me. You distract me. You have since the moment I met you. Here I am again, not mad anymore. Just one tear had my anger crumbling to pieces. I would’ve never walked out if I would’ve seen one tear. You didn’t even yell at me. What kind of way is that to fight? You should either yell or cry. Don’t do this blank expression business. I don’t like it.”

  She couldn’t help it. A tiny laugh escaped. She laughed a little bit more when she saw the corner of his mouth tip up into a devilish grin. “Maybe you should dig in that trash can.”

  “Do I look like the diving dumpster type?” he asked with a mock grimace.

  She playfully slapped his shoulder. “Does it look like a dumpster?”

  He stood up, grabbed the condoms from the trash, and set them on the nightstand next to her. He resumed his seat and grabbed her hand. “Gabriella…”

  Oh boy. No sentence ever turned out well when someone said her name with such anguish without saying anything else.

  Since she was afraid of what he would say, she didn’t say anything. What could she say? If he wanted to leave, she couldn’t stop him. And as much as she wanted to beg, she had never begged a man in her life for anything, and she wasn’t about to start now.

  Although she was tempted. Dane seemed worth a little begging.

  “I still think the air needs to be cleared. I thought we cleared it well enough before we even hit this bed the first time. But...we didn’t.”

  She cringed inside. Oh, here it comes. The same damn question. She wasn’t sure if she could answer it. She wanted to. It burned deep inside to let him know. But how would he react?

  “Champ’s younger than me by two years. He’s always been the golden boy. He thinks our mom favors me while I know our dad favors him. I always tell him that evens everything out. He floats through life like it’s one big joke. He’s never had to work for anything in his life. College… Yeah, I’m pretty sure he paid other people to do his work. Sports… Always handed the best position even when he didn’t work hard enough for it. Job… Our dad retires and hands over the reins when he barely lifted a finger in the company beforehand. I work my ass off at that company, and that’s the respect I get. I’m the oldest.”

  He wove his fingers through her hand, clasping tightly. “I’m not jealous, even if I made it sound like I am. I like working hard. I don’t want anything handed to me. It doesn’t feel right. He can have it. His behavior will come back to bite him in the ass someday. I’ll be there to laugh and say, ‘I told you so.’ I don’t hate Champ, but I barely respect him. I’m not even sure how the distance between us happened. I think it was always there from the beginning. I remember when I was about five. Champ was three and was throwing a ball back and forth with our dad. He was catching them with ease and throwing back as if he was born to do it. I remember my dad saying, ‘That’s my champ. That’s how’s it done, son.’ Then he looked at me and said, ‘Why can’t you be like your brother?’ That’s not the only time my father has said those words to me. I’m not very athletic.”

  “Champ’s not his real name, is it?” she asked softly, almost afraid to interrupt him. She wasn’t sure why he was suddenly sharing all of this information, but she wanted to hear it. Soak it up like a sponge.

  “It’s David. My dad called him champ one day, and it stuck. My mom supports me and loves me and encourages me to do whatever I want. My dad…I don’t know. I think he wishes Champ was the oldest son. He seems to have more pride in him than in me. But that’s okay. I’m happy. I love my work. That’s what matters.” He shrugged. “So, that’s the issue between my brother and me. Nothing spectacular. I’m sure other people have it worse. It’s rare, but we have moments where we get along.”

  “I know you love your work. What I don’t understand is why you stay there. You could build your own company and create your own success. You’d never have to nicely ask your secretary to bring your brother files.”

  She smiled, hoping a little light teasing would elicit a small smile from him. She was rewarded for her efforts.

  “You’re the only one I ever asked. I made everyone else do it without arguing with me.”

  “Of course, you did, you hardass,” she said with a laugh.

  “I don’t know why I’ve never branched out on my own. Maybe I’m still hoping one day my dad will say how proud he is of me.” He looked away, releasing a lame laugh. “How’s that for sharing my feelings? I’ve never said anything like this to any woman before. You make me want to share, to make this relationship work.”

  His words lingered in the room like the aftereffects from a loud bang of thunder in the distance.

  Her heart started to pound. Giddy, yet frightened.

  He met her gaze, his lips tilted up in a sweet, adorable grin. “That’s what I want. A relationship.”

  She
grabbed his face, his scratchy stubble melting her insides. So rough on the outside, yet so tender on the inside. She wanted to rub her cheek against his. Feel him everywhere. Soak up every part of him, inside and out.

  “Me, too. I want that so much.” She inhaled and let out her breath gradually. “Thank you for sharing. And I meant what I said. You should start your own company. You’d do wonderfully at it. I know it.”

  He leaned forward, kissing her. She dropped her hands from his chin to wind around his neck. Before she could dive in and truly claim his mouth, he pulled away. “Imagine how much more I would be working if I started my own company. I’d never see you. My mind is always focused on work that I’m trying to figure out how to even see you now.”

  She gave him a stern look. “Mister, you better make time for me. I will not compete with your job. I know you would never cheat on me…with a woman. That doesn’t mean you wouldn’t with your job.”

  “Give me a smile.” He cracked his own silly grin. “I hate the look you’re giving me right now. I won’t cheat on you with my job. I will make time for you. I promise, Gabriella. I want this to work. I’m sorry for the things I said earlier. I don’t want to leave tonight.”

  Her expression changed from serious to sultry because she didn’t want him leaving anytime soon, either. “I’m sorry, too. Makeup sex sounds fun.”

  “Is it fast and dirty?” His eyes glittered with mischief as he let her hand go and stood up.

  “For you, I’ll be as dirty as you want me to be.” She bit her lip coyly as she ran a finger down her stomach and stopped at the edge of her pants.

  His eyes flashed with desire, and a delicious grin etched across his face as he took his clothes off again—everything except his boxers. He nodded his head to the other side of the bed. “Scoot over, sweetheart. You’re sitting on my side. Don’t make me spank your ass.”

  Her eyebrows lifted, considering her options. Spanking might be fun. But then she decided to move when his eyes said he wasn’t joking. She had upset him—twice. He might spank her hard, and she wasn’t sure if she was into that kind of dirtiness.

  She moved over, the happiness in her heart starting to drop back to normal. Ten minutes ago, she thought she lost him forever. Now, here he was climbing back into her bed, almost gloriously naked.

  She removed her pants and dove under the covers. Two could play this game. He hadn’t taken off his boxers, she could tease him by hiding part of herself. She shifted closer when he joined her under the blankets. His arms reached around her, pulling her close.

  “This is much better. I don’t like fighting with you.”

  She leaned her head on his chest, inhaling his wonderful scent. “I don’t either.”

  She felt his intake of breath, then a heavy sigh escape. She was almost afraid to ask what that meant. Turned out, she didn’t need to ask.

  “So, whenever you’re ready to tell me the answer to the question that started everything earlier, I’ll be ready to listen. No pressure. I want you to know there’s nothing that you can say that will make me leave this room again. I’m right where I want to be.”

  She had her doubts about that. Maybe she would let him spank her.

  It’d be better than confessing.

  8

  Dane wanted to hold his breath as he waited for her to say something. But he knew that would be foolish. He’d die of suffocation, waiting for her to answer that burning question.

  He opened himself up to her. He said things he had never told another soul. It felt good to release all that pent-up emotion. To unload about his brother. Because he bottled up way too much about his brother. He could never stand Champ’s antics.

  Sure, his other reason for sharing would be so she felt comfortable sharing with him.

  But he also wanted to tell her.

  If it came to the point where he introduced her to his parents, he needed her to know why it might be awkward. His father didn’t keep his opinions about Dane to himself. He had no problem praising Champ and excluding Dane as if he didn’t exist. His mother always tried to bridge the gap, but it never worked.

  On second thought, maybe it wouldn’t be the wisest decision for her to meet his parents. He was embarrassed, simply thinking about it.

  He kissed the top of her head. The silence was starting to become deafening, but he wasn’t sure what to say. He wanted her to say something first. Anything. Even something like, “Let’s get this party started under the sheets,” and he’d be happy.

  Of course, he would drop the subject if that’s what she wanted. For now, anyway. He wasn’t sure he could drop it altogether. He wasn’t made like that. When something bothered him, it festered like an infected wound. Nothing would solve a problem by letting it continue to fester.

  Was it selfish of him? Probably. When he wanted something, he did everything in his power to obtain it.

  They held each other for the longest time. The minutes ticked by as silence reigned. It wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. He could’ve lain there all night holding her. He liked her in his arms. It was a very unfamiliar feeling. Foreign, yet wanted. He couldn’t remember the last time he relaxed and enjoyed the silence—enjoyed the presence of another person. A woman. A very beautiful, enticing woman. It had been a long time since he had the urge to do something more than just work. Work was the furthest thing in his mind. He wanted to hold Gabriella, let this strange feeling—contentment, perhaps—soak into his veins and settle into his heart. He could get used to this.

  But should he?

  He shivered when her lips caressed his chest.

  Soft, tender touches like that told him, yes, he could get used to this. He wanted more. So much more. By her simple gesture, she was telling him she wanted more as well. At least, at the moment.

  He stopped brushing his fingers on her back, bringing them down her arms and to her waist, where he grabbed the hem of her tank top. He didn’t need any further signal about what she wanted.

  She didn’t want to talk. That was fine with him. They had all the time in the world to talk later.

  He pulled the tank top over her head, immediately clamping his mouth over a hard nipple. She moaned in delight, her body instinctively reaching for his cock. That small contact lit his body on fire. He pushed her to lay on her back and slid down her body as he removed her panties.

  “I want you, Dane. Nothing else right now, please. Just you inside me,” she whispered, grabbing at his hair when his mouth started to glide to her hot center.

  He glanced up at her with a scorching grin. “Later, then. I want to taste you again later.”

  And he would. He had to. His need for her was all-consuming. A strange, yet intense feeling he couldn’t get rid of. That he couldn’t control. Look at him, not even working. That should tell him how much control she had over him.

  He threw off his boxers, grabbed a condom, and ripped the package open with quick precision. Sheathing himself, he entered her in one smooth move. For one glorious moment, he let himself enjoy the feeling of her. Wet. Hot. And ready for anything he was about to dish. Fast and hard? Or slow and sweet? He wasn’t sure how he wanted this joining to go, even though they had teased it would be fast and rough.

  She stared back at him, smiling with one of her gorgeous smiles he loved. She grabbed his ass and gave him the cue to start moving. He could’ve held that position for a bit longer, enjoying the sweetness that surrounded him, but he also understood her urgency. The desire coursed through his body as well. He needed her like he needed his next breath.

  They moved in a rhythmic pattern—thrust after thrust of delightful joy, perfectly in sync with each other.

  Slow and sweet it was.

  Neither made a move to do anything but connect their bodies as one—no kissing, no moving of their hands, just a simple embrace as they moved together. That spoke louder than any other action could have done.

  The joining should have frightened him. He felt more connected to another human being than he ev
er had before. This wasn’t like the other times with her.

  This was more.

  This was intense.

  This was…love?

  He wasn’t sure he wanted to think that yet, but it ventured through his thoughts as he held her eyes and moved deep inside her with aching patience.

  This did more than relax him. It relaxed his soul. He needed this connection. He needed to feel love for once.

  There it was again. The feeling of love. Could he love this energetic, smart-mouthed, strong woman already?

  Her lips twisted with bliss, her eyes sparkling with what looked like the same thing he was feeling.

  Impossible.

  They barely knew each other. Only one week had passed. He shouldn’t be feeling such emotion. Neither should she.

  He had to be mistaken. This was only intense lust. That’s what it had to be. Pure lust. He could handle lust. But love? He wasn’t sure he could handle love at the moment. He knew a relationship with Gabriella would not be easy. She hadn’t made anything easy for him since the moment he met her.

  He wouldn’t take her any other way either.

  Their pace increased as if they both needed to ignore what was floating between them.

  The heat increased. Hot and erotic. Each time he thrust into her, he swore he saw the same emotion he felt reflected in her eyes. That only made him increase the movements. They couldn’t be feeling anything but good sex. Yet, the way she devoured him with her eyes made him even hungrier for her. He had to remind himself a few times that what he saw was lust, not love. It couldn’t be love.

  They suddenly both exploded into ecstasy together. His body stiffened as she clenched around him. He almost wished the condom would magically disappear so he could feel her skin to skin.

  A slice of disappointment hit him. The moment was over. He didn’t want it to end.

  His mind trailed to the box of condoms sitting on her nightstand. Thank the heavens he bought the largest pack he could. He planned on using quite a few more before the night ended.

  What an idiot he’d almost been. He almost left her place filled with anger, just as he had arrived.