House Rules

by Rebecca Brooke

  The longer I sat there, the silence engulfing us until the air became thick and difficult to draw in, the more infuriated I became at his behavior. Eventually, my temper let loose.

  “Why drag me out if you’re just going to be a dick?”

  His head snapped up and after only a millisecond, his eyes narrowed. “Because I won.”

  I slammed my hand down on the table. Not one of my finer moments. I should have been giving Miller the impression that he had no affect on me. “You’re an asshole. Let’s eat and get the night over with.”

  Miller opened his mouth, when a waiter appeared with a tray of drinks. We hadn’t even ordered anything yet.

  Saved by the bell.

  “Mr. Hawes, compliments of your brother. He says you might need it.”

  Miller smirked and even not knowing him, I could tell he was trying to hold back a laugh. Whatever had happened between the two of them earlier had obviously blown over. “Thank you, Dustin.”

  Miller raised his glass in the direction of the bar. I glanced over my shoulder to see Ashton return the gesture, before they both took a sip of their drinks. What it must be like to be in a family where people forgave stupid arguments instead of continuing to yell louder. Maybe if things ran that way in my life I wouldn’t have wound up in this mess.

  Miller downed half of the amber liquid and perused the room. The silence continued as he contemplated the menu, swirling the rest of his drink around in the glass. After few moments, he set it down and looked at me.

  “I don’t mean to be a dick. It’s been a long few weeks. I know you don’t want to be here, but if you can push that aside, I know we can have a fun evening together.”

  ? I kept my focus on him. I wanted to know if he was serious, or if his words were just a ploy to get into my pants. There was nothing in his features to indicate he was lying, but from what I’d seen of Miller Hawes so far, he knew how to bluff when needed. Every instinct I had screamed at me not to trust him. Then again, it was only dinner, right? This softer side of Miller intrigued me. I might be a lamb being led to slaughter, but I couldn’t stop myself from following his lead.

  Something told me there was more to Miller. Maybe what happened with Ray was just business—not that I knew anything about that. As a poor college student, my life revolved around school work and finding a way to pay my tuition. The one thing I couldn’t get out of my head was the way he’d interacted with his brother. Those weren’t the actions of a heartless man. There was a puzzle wrapped around this man, and my desire to find out more took hold of me.

  “Okay.” I lifted the glass of wine that had been set in front of me to my lips.

  Miller sat back in his seat, appearing to relax for the first time all night. The sweet flavor of the wine slid across my tongue.

  “This is delicious.”

  Miller smirked. “My brother knows his wine.”

  With my eyes on him, I took another sip, enjoying the fruity taste. Many wines were so bitter that I couldn’t drink more than a sip. This one went down so easily, I knew I’d need another glass of it before the night was over.

  “Right now, he should be getting ready to make our dinner.”

  “You said he was the owner. He’s the chef, too?”

  “Not usually, but he owes me, and he’s the best chef here.” He winked.

  If this lighthearted, playful man had been the one I’d met earlier, my reaction to going with him would have been much different. This was a man I could see myself meeting in a bar and dreaming about for nights on end. But his mercurial nature, the ease with which he switched between good-natured and intense, was enough for me to keep my guard up.

  I finished my first glass of wine and almost instantly it was replaced with another. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I needed to stop at two. Any more and I’d end up doing something I’d regret.

  “Since I know you’re not a gambler like Wasden, what is it you do with your time?”

  I felt my cheeks flame, the reminder of all I hadn’t known about Ray rushing to the surface. My eyes found the table. “To be honest, I didn’t even know he gambled as badly as he obviously does. I thought he was in a weekly poker game with his friends. When he asked me to come with him tonight, I had no idea we were going to a club with a secret back room.”

  He reached over and covered my hand with his. “Let’s not worry about him. Let’s talk about you.”

  The way his fingers caressed the top of my hand scrambled my brain. I couldn’t put a sentence together if I tried. I even wanted to blame the sudden heat racing through me on the wine, but deep down I knew that wasn’t true.

  “I’m taking classes in nursing. And I work at one of the clothing boutiques in town. The money isn’t great, but it pays for my books and rent.” I sighed. I didn’t want to think about the mess I was now in. Stuck living with Ray. I’d need to find a way to get him out.

  Miller watched me with narrowed eyes. “What’s wrong?”

  I shook my head. “I was just thinking how I’ll have to find a new roommate. No way am I letting that asshole back into the apartment.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to find someone. If not call me and I’ll help you.” For a moment he looked shocked that the words had left his lips but to his credit, he didn’t try and take them back.

  “I’m sure there is someone in the program who needs a place to live. I’ll stick a notice up on the board on campus tomorrow.”

  “You like nursing?”

  “I do.” I took another sip of my drink, surprised at the ease with which I was about to share information about myself. Not normally one to run my mouth, I liked to play my cards close to my chest—poker pun unintentional—but the dialogue seemed to fall effortlessly from my lips. “I like the idea of helping people. There’s no better time then when people are at their most vulnerable. If I can do something to make them less afraid, then all the school and time was worth it.”

  He smiled. “Noble. It’s not often you meet people in the world whose sole purpose is to improve the lives of others. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you seem much older than your typical college student.”

  His hand remained on mine. It made me feel safe, protected; an emotion that seemed silly under the circumstances. That didn’t stop me from continuing to open up to him about my life, or most of it at least. No one, not even Ray, knew exactly why I’d left home after graduation. And no one needed to. “I am. It took me a few years to decide exactly what I wanted to do. Plus, I needed to save up the money to pay for school.”

  “Good. I was afraid I’d robbed the cradle.” He laughed, the sound warm and rich, pulling me in even further.

  “No cradle robbing here. I’m twenty-five. What about you? You own the club, right?”

  He fidgeted in his seat, but kept his gaze on me. “I do. I actually own two different bars. Orbit, the one we were at tonight and a sports bar across town. I also work for my dad at his car dealership.”

  I was about to ask more questions when Ashton returned to the table with two plates, wearing a typical chef jacket and pants. He set a plate down in front of each of us.

  I couldn’t hide my surprise. “I completely forgot, we never ordered.” I’d been so wrapped up in the easygoing Miller and his willingness to talk to me, I’d forgotten all about it.

  “I made you something that isn’t on the menu, but one of my favorites.” Ashton winked at me and I noticed Miller frown at his brother out of the corner of my eye.

  The meal looked delicious. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d had a meal that didn’t require a microwave or came from a chain restaurant. Picking up my fork, I tasted the chicken. My eyes almost rolled into the back of my head at the savory taste that burst across my tongue.

  “This is delicious.”

  Ashton looked between the two of us and smiled. “Thank you. Enjoy your meal.” He nodded at Miller and left the table.

  As I devoured my food in the most ladylike way I was able, I deduc
ed that Ashton was definitely the sweeter of the two brothers. However, after chancing a glance up at Miller and catching him watching me, his eyes flickering, his tongue darting out across his full bottom lip I realized that sometimes sweet wasn’t what a girl needed.

  CHAPTER 3

  Miller

  She touched her lips to the glass of wine—her third, I realized—and I couldn’t stop myself from watching their full shape and the smooth column of her throat. I played with my food while I wondered whether her skin tasted as sweet as I imagined. Ashton had made my favorite meal, but even that couldn’t take my mind off the bounty before me.

  When he pulled me away from the table earlier, I thought we were going to come to blows. The first words out of his mouth were to accuse me of bringing my pussy for the night to his restaurant. He lost his mind, telling me he didn’t need that shit, and where did I think she was going to come looking when she got pissed at being used.

  After a bit of arguing, I’d finally convinced him that I was on a date, something he was more than happy to help with, given that his girlfriend wanted nothing more than for me to find a woman I could call my own and Ashton would do anything to make Elena happy. He offered to make dinner and sent over drinks to “settle my nerves.” It wasn’t my nerves that needed settling. The wine seemed to be doing the trick, though.

  By glass number two, Tess, a name she still hadn’t given me permission to call her, was opening up about her life. I got the feeling there was more to her story, especially when she told me about saving up money for classes. Not that it mattered. After tonight, I’d never see her again.

  Tess glanced up from her meal. I still hadn’t touched my food. Sitting back with a glass of wine watching her was much more satisfying. Slowly, she set her fork down, her eyes darting around the room before coming back to me.

  “You’re not hungry.” She gestured toward my untouched plate.

  “You’re beautiful.” The words slipped from my lips before I could stop them. I’d never bothered to pay compliments to my bed partner before. I’d never had to. Besides, they would only be empty words to get a woman in my bed and I let my looks and money take care of that.

  A pink tint raced up her cheeks. “Thank you.”

  “Why are you embarrassed? Let me guess—the slimy bastard you came to the club with tonight never told you that.” The more I learned about Wasden, the more I wanted to call Dean and have him break more than his arm.

  Tess scoffed. The waiter set another glass in front of her. Glass number four. I indicated to Dustin that this should be her last one. Any more than that, and she’d end up passed out on the table.

  “Not really,” she answered. “At least, not in a long time.”

  “Why were you with him?” Nothing about it made sense. She was gorgeous and he was a little shit.

  She shrugged. “We’ve been together forever—were together. I guess there was a level of comfort in that.”

  “The sex can’t be that good. No one that big of a pussy could be good in bed.”

  Tess burst out laughing. It was a beautiful sight to see; the way her chest moved up and down, the way her eyes sparkled. All of it combined took my slightly hard dick and made it rock solid. Discreetly, I reached my hand beneath the table and adjusted myself. Not once in my whole life had I gotten hard that fast, and because of a laugh, of all things. A woman’s lack of clothes normally did the trick. Yet there Tess sat, with more clothes on then any woman I’d been with in the last few months, and I wanted her with ferocity I’d never experienced.

  Her laughter died down and I knew I had to have her. Nothing on this earth would prevent me from taking her home tonight. She smiled. This wasn’t the smile she’d given Ashton earlier when he brought our meals. This was something entirely different. Something I needed to explore in the privacy of my own home. It was a risk, but I asked anyway.

  “It’s still early. Would like to head back to my place for a drink? That will give Wasden more time to get out of the emergency room and head back to your place to pack a bag?”

  I wouldn’t mention it also gave me more time with her, alone. What the hell was wrong with me? Never in all my life had I needed to trick a woman to come back to my place. Normally women threw themselves at my feet, begging to come home with me. That wouldn’t stop me from doing it. Not only was Tess incredibly sexy, the mystery surrounding her intrigued me. Most woman were vapid, self-absorbed bitches, and I treated them as such.

  Not Tess. She was hiding something. It was unlikely I’d find out tonight, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try.

  For a moment it looked like she was going to say no. Her body tensed and she looked at her hands. “I should—”

  “Don’t say you should go home.”

  She rolled her eyes. It was obvious glass number four had caught up with her.

  “I was going to say that exactly.” I opened my mouth to argue, but she held up a finger. “But I was going to add that I didn’t want to go home . . . yet.”

  “Then let’s not waste any more time.”

  Dustin chose that moment to stop by the table to see if we needed anything else. I took the opportunity to slip him money for a tip. I’d deal with Ashton for the bill later. The sooner I got Tess out of there, the less time she had to change her mind. I placed my napkin on the table and stood. Her eyes moved up my body, a visual caress, her gaze lingering longer than necessary. She drained the rest of her wine, before taking my proffered hand.

  I guided her to the front of the restaurant, applying gentle pressure to the small of her back. Her cheeks were flushed and there was a slight tremor to her hands. It could have been nerves, or the alcohol. Either way, I’d do anything to make her comfortable and want to stay, for a little while anyway.

  Why I couldn’t let this woman go? Why in the hell was I working so hard to keep her attention? She was a prize. Part of a poker pot. Yet none of that stopped me from craving her like no woman I’d ever met.

  Ashton appeared by the bar, redressed in his suit. He gave me a slight nod on the way out, a smirk lifting a corner of his lips. I knew exactly what was running through his head. I wanted to groan or growl at him. Something to make it very clear that his little fantasy of me and this woman together was just that: a fantasy. Telling him I lied would have probably been better than whatever he was going to go home and tell Elena, which, in turn, she would tell Mom and then the two of them would be screaming to meet “the new woman in my life,” even though there wasn’t one.

  Heat seeped through her dress into my fingertips, and suddenly thoughts of my family and the pressure to settle down flew from my brain. The only thing I could focus on was what her skin might feel like when I had her beneath me. I was determined to have her. I’d never coerce her by using the bet, that didn’t mean I wouldn’t try to convince her to get naked between the sheets with me with whatever arsenal I had.

  Lust poured through me all the way to the car and the entire ride back to my place. Tess fidgeted in her seat and practically jumped from the car when I pulled into the driveway. I adjusted my dick and stepped out.

  “This is beautiful,” she said, staring up at the two-story home.

  “Thank you. Would you like to see inside?”

  I’d purchased the house two years ago. It was older and needed a few repairs, but I knew enough people to have them done for very little money. It was private and secluded. All the better for me.

  “I’d love to.” She smiled and followed me up the steps to the front door.

  Normally I would enter the house through the garage, but you only got the full effect by coming through the front door. There was a soft gasp behind me as we walked in and she took in the large sunken living room, leading to a grand staircase to the second floor.

  “Let me get you a drink,” I said, leading her to the sofa closest to the recessed bar.

  She shook her head. “I don’t think I need another.”

  “One won’t hurt.” I looked for the bottle of
wine Ashton had brought me before. I uncorked the bottle and poured two glasses.

  I turned back toward where she sat and noticed the soft highlights in her hair; the way it fell in waves down her back. Her lips had a natural pout and I couldn’t help but wonder what they would feel like pressed to mine . . . or wrapped around my dick.

  The simple thought brought with it a new round of lust. I pushed it back and forced myself to take a seat on the couch beside her.

  “Here.” I handed over one of the glasses and took a sip from my own.

  She looked at it for a moment before bringing it up to her lips. “This is the same wine as earlier.”

  “You liked it.”

  She cocked her head. “You paid attention.”

  “I always do. Now tell me more about you. What do you like to do when you’re not going to school?”

  She giggled. “You mean when I don’t have hours’ worth of homework.”

  Her laugh was infectious. That, or maybe it was the alcohol in my system finally starting to take effect. “Okay, when you don’t have hours’ worth of homework?”

  “I don’t really know. I like to read. I enjoyed the show Ray took me to not too long ago. He won tickets, although, probably not through a contest, like he claimed. Asshole.”

  Unable to stop myself, I took her chin between my thumb and forefinger, forcing her gaze to mine. “You deserve better than him. He’s a bastard and doesn’t know how to treat women. He’ll probably spend the rest of his life jerking off in the shower. You’re beautiful and sexy. Don’t for a second think that you can’t find a better man than him.”

  Something softened in the depths of those blue eyes. Fear morphed into trust, which then became something else entirely. Her focus flicked to my mouth and back again, her tongue darting out to wet her lips, and all thought and reason fled my brain. The only thing I was focusing on was the taste of her lips on mine.

  Without giving her a chance to protest, I bent my head and captured her mouth. She gasped and I used the opportunity to deepen the kiss, the taste of wine lingering on her lips as I slipped my tongue between them. My body moved, trying to get as close to her as possible, her own body mimicking my movements until she was flush against me and every inch of her body touched mine, her soft curves and full breasts more than any man could resist.