Strictly Research (Bad Boy MFM Romance)

by Terry Towers

  “I’m not that girl anymore,” she coached herself, nervously patting down the front of her dress, smoothing out any wrinkles. She had a week before their parents came back to accomplish her plan. Once they were back she doubted she’d have the opportunity to get both Ethan and Trey together – alone. Ethan would be back living at his place and she’d have failed her mission.

  The motors of the bikes shut off and she sprang into action, rushing to the kitchen fridge waiting for the moment to open, bend over, displaying her bottom, while she pretended to look for something inside. She smiled to herself; despite her nervousness she could barely wait to see the look of shock on their faces. The few people she’d seen in town who had known her before she left didn’t even recognize her now.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Ethan

  “After last week, it’s good to have a few days off to relax.” Ethan placed his motorcycle helmet on the table next to the door and rolled his shoulders. He was severely cramped up. With one of the worst heat waves in history baking Portland, the amount of forest and field fires that had taken place over the past week had also been at a record high, keeping him, Trey and the rest of the men at the fire station insanely busy and pushing them past their limits of exhaustion with all the overtime they’d had to put in.

  “Yeah. Two weeks without a day off fucking sucked,” Trey agreed, placing his helmet next to Ethan’s. “I need a beer, don’t suppose your folks have…”

  “Yeah, I stocked up the other day.”

  “Maybe we should head to the clubs tonight. It’s been a while. I could use some serious stress relief.”

  Ethan’s hand shot out, stopping Trey from proceeding around the corner and into the kitchen. He placed his index finger against his lips. Trey frowned, but nodded his understanding. He heard movement coming from the kitchen. Suspecting it was an intruder he motioned for Trey to cover his back as he slowly and silently rounded the corner and peered into the kitchen. His eyes immediately caught sight of a slender woman with her back to him, bent over and rummaging through his parent’s fridge. The short dress she was wearing had pulled up and was an inch from revealing her in her entirety to him.

  What in the hell is going on? I’m sure I locked the door this morning. Even better question who in the hell breaks into someone’s house and raids their fridge? Crazy people, that’s who.

  “Excuse me. Miss…” He cautiously advanced on the woman, not sure what to think of the female intruder, but not taking any chances considering she may be some crazy woman. Trey was hot on his heels as the woman straightened up, a bottle of water in her hand and spun around, her long auburn hair whipping into her face as she turned. She raked her fingers through her hair, pushing it back out of her face and his heart stopped a moment.

  “Ivy?”

  He could barely believe his eyes. If it hadn’t been for her emerald green eyes and how her lips curled up into a wide smile of greeting he wouldn’t have recognized her.

  A wave of guilt washed over him as his mind flashed back to the day before she left for college. She’d told him she was in love with him and he’d rejected her. That was the last time they’d spoken. He tried calling her numerous times over the past year, but she refused to answer any of his calls or text messages; she wouldn’t even come home from college for the holidays. They’d been so close before that moment and went from being good friends to strangers, and the guilt tugged at him knowing he was to blame for it.

  “Well, hello Ethan.” She looked past him and smiled at Trey. “Trey. So nice to see you again.”

  “Wow. Ivy, you look… Smoking.” Trey stepped up from behind him and walked over to Ivy.

  Her green eyes lit up at the compliment. “Thank you Trey. It was hard work, but this is the new me.”

  “I love the new you,” Trey responded with a wide smile spreading across his face.

  Placing her bottle of water on the counter, Ivy slid her arms around Trey’s neck and hugged tight to him. Ethan’s jaw clenched and a surge of jealousy raced through him as he watched his best friend and Ivy embrace. Trey lifted her off her feet and she squealed with delight.

  Ivy remained extremely close to Trey even after the hug ended and he placed her back onto her feet.

  “Geez man!” Trey motioned toward Ivy. “Don’t you think you should pay little step-sis a compliment?” Trey’s eyes moved up and down the length of Ivy’s body. “She’s turned into a goddess.”

  “I would have if you’d have given me a second, jackass.” Ethan attempted to simmer his temper. Trey didn’t have to make him look like a douche. “You look really good, Ivy. I’m really glad to see you again.” He stepped up to her and gave her a hug, but she was tense in his arms, not hugging him with the enthusiasm that she had Trey.

  I get it, she’s still pissed. He sighed as he separated from her.

  As soon as she separated from him, she turned back to Trey, virtually ignoring him. “So Trey, I hear you’re both firefighters now.”

  “Yeah, yeah. It’s been a long couple weeks. Lots of fires.”

  “I bet.” Ivy’s green eyes remained on Trey’s dark ones, ignoring Ethan. “So Trey, any new girlfriends?”

  “Nah. Not for a while. Ethan and I are both having a bit of a dry spell.”

  Thanks a lot man. I’m an asshole and having a dry spell, you’re making me look more appealing by the second. As soon as the thought came to mind he frowned. He’d made his choice over a year ago. He’d told her he wasn’t interested, so it’s not like it mattered anyhow. Over a year of her ignoring his numerous calls said everything he needed to know. But dammit, she could have at least given him an opportunity to explain, to apologize, to smooth things over. But nothing. As soon as he said he couldn’t return her feelings she’d taken off and locked herself into her room, refusing to talk to him. And that had been it; the end of their friendship and dammit he’d missed her.

  “Listen Ethan, I know since I’m here now you really don’t have to, but I was hoping since mom and your dad are away for the week you could hang out at the house with me. It’s quiet and so empty, compared to the dorms, ya know?” She turned to Trey and added, “Both of you really. We could catch up.” She gave Trey a side hug.

  Anger and jealousy surged through Ethan again. Not cool.

  “Yeah, I guess. I’d still need to drop in each day to check on your mother’s parrot anyhow. Pepper is on a special medication and needs to be hand fed the medicine anyhow. And, well, you two don’t seem to have the greatest of relationships. Do they even know you came home?”

  “Yeah. They’ve known a while. And for the record that parrot had it out for me from the moment Mom brought it home. Nasty bird.”

  Ethan’s frown deepened. “They didn’t tell me.”

  “I told them not to.”

  “Why?” As soon as he asked the question he growled at himself. He didn’t want Trey privy to what went down between them. He shared virtually everything with Trey, but her professing her love for him was the one thing he’d kept to himself. “Never mind,” he grumbled under his breath, cutting off her chance to answer.

  Ethan looked at his friend, wanting to ask Trey to leave so he could talk to her in private. But what good would it do? She may be mad but at the same time maybe it was his overactive imagination, maybe he was the one still fucked up over what happened. Hell, looking as she was now, he imagined she had every frat boy on campus falling over himself to be with her. She was the package: a wonderful person, too smart for her own good and now drop-dead gorgeous to boot. There’s a good chance she was over him now and if he were to even bring up the idea of them together, she’d be the one rejecting him and he’d look foolish and conceited for thinking she carried a flame for him.

  “I was thinking that I could make us all some supper. Maybe we could all spend the evening catching up?” Ivy walked back over to Trey and gave him another quick side hug.

  Three hugs in less than ten minutes, seriously, what the fuck! Ethan seethed, then grow
led at himself for the foolishness of his emotions.

  “What do you say? I’ve learned some amazing recipes. Low fat and delicious! And it looks like there’s a case of beer chilling in the fridge.”

  A wide smile spread across Trey’s lips and he nodded. “That would sure beat the pizza we were planning on ordering.”

  “So, yes?” Her expression turned hopeful as she looked from Trey to Ethan and back again.

  “Yeah.” Trey nodded to Ethan. “How can we pass up an offer like that, huh?”

  Ethan’s eyes narrowed at Ivy. She had never taken this much interest in Trey before and she hated beer so he suspected she had planned this out already. What was her game? She’d never been like the girls they went to high school with, she wasn’t one to play games. Had that changed as she lost the weight? That would be such a damned shame, she had so much to offer a man she didn’t need to play games. Or it could just be his ego running wild again.

  If she had so much to offer then why did you turn her down? a voice at the back of his mind chimed in. He had no answer for that question, only guilt and regret. His mind quickly went back to the question: What was her game plan?

  Now she has a game plan? Man, get over yourself. Chances are she’s well over you, his conscience argued with him.

  “Yeah, that sounds wonderful,” Ethan confirmed, a little more dryly than intended.

  Chapter 2

  Ivy

  Despite it being over a year and her transformation, just seeing Ethan again sent Ivy’s emotions whirling. The hurt, the fear, the attraction and even the love came rushing back. He’d always been well-built, but he appeared to have gained even more muscle. He’d matured into a man even more attractive than he’d been, although she’d never have guessed it possible. She hated him for it, but hated herself even more for how much she still wanted him; how much she wanted him to want her…

  But he doesn’t, she silently reminded herself as she pulled the pan of chicken breast from the oven and set it on top. Nothing has changed.

  “Need any help?”

  Ivy froze as she heard Ethan’s voice behind her. Closing her eyes she slowly counted to five before reopening them, pasting a smile on her face and turning to face him. “If you don’t mind grabbing a strainer and getting the pasta ready that would be great. The sauce is done and waiting in the saucepan.”

  She turned back to the cupboard, reached up and pulled down three plates. To her dismay her hands shook ever so slightly. I’m not that girl anymore.

  Ethan stepped up beside her with the pot of spaghetti and gave her a little hip bump. “I got this, if you can grab some beer from the fridge and set the table.” She attempted to worm her way back to the spot she’d once been, but he gave her another nudge with his hip.

  “Stop it!” Laughing, she bumped him back. “Bully.”

  He chuckled. “Your part here is done, little sis. Now go get that beer. And I’m not a bully, you’re just in the way.”

  Looking up, Ivy’s eyes caught his rich blue ones. For a brief second, time rewound to before she proclaimed her love to him and they were friends again goofing around while preparing supper. During that moment, she contemplated dropping the whole thing and settling for just having her friend back again. The thought was a fleeting one.

  “What’s a guy gotta do to get some food around here?” Trey asked, walking into the kitchen. “Something smells delicious.”

  Ivy pulled her gaze from Ethan’s and looked over her shoulder at Trey. “As a matter of fact it’s done.” Turning away from Ethan, Ivy walked over to the fridge and grabbed three bottles of beer, opened them and set them onto the table as the men plated up the food and set it onto the round four-person oak table. Normally she’d steer clear of alcohol, but she decided to make an exception for the week.

  The men sat down with Ivy between them.

  “So what’s this sauce?” Trey asked, swallowing the first bite of whole wheat spaghetti. “It’s amazing.”

  “It’s a secret,” Ivy replied, giving him a wink. “And it’s low fat.”

  “And what’s a guy got to do to find out that little secret?”

  Ivy’s eyes locked to Trey’s and she saw something there. It wasn’t simply friendship like it always had been. There was a definite interest. While she’d thought she’d felt a spark with Ethan before she went away to college, this was the first time she’d ever felt any type of spark with Trey. But then again they weren’t as close as she had been with Ethan. See Ivy, there you go. He didn’t have any interest at all when you were Ethan’s fat stepsister, but all of a sudden now that you’re thin he’s flirting with you. Coincidence? Doubtful.

  “That’s a secret as well.” A saucy smirk spread across her lips.

  Trey groaned, rolling his eyes at her before thrusting another forkful of spaghetti into his mouth.

  “How is school going, Ivy?”

  Ivy turned her attention back to Ethan. “Good.”

  He raised a brow at her, clearly wanting her to elaborate.

  “It’s challenging. Much harder than I expected to be honest.”

  “But you’re doing well?” He stopped eating and focused all of his attention on her. She shifted uneasily in her seat. She’d already had this conversation with their parents, she had no desire to have it with Ethan too. She’d been so focused on creating the “new her” that her studies had fallen to the wayside.

  “I’ve had a lot on my plate. Going away to college is so much different than high school. With so much going on at campus, sometimes it gets hard to focus.”

  “But you graduated with high honours, Ivy. You’re fucking smart and study hard, you’re on a scholarship for shit’s sake, you should be breezing through.”

  Ivy stabbed at the spaghetti with her fork and twirled the pasta on her plate, her face flushing slightly. “I still study hard, but maybe not as much as I should.”

  “Why?”

  Ivy frowned, anger bubbling to the surface. “Jesus Ethan, you sound like Mom. Lay off. So I like having a social life for a change. Maybe it’s nice to actually get to go out on dates and have guys interested in me.”

  “So it’s a guy. You’re going to let some asshole screw up your future?” His eyes were burrowing into her. If she didn’t know better she’d have thought she saw a flash of jealousy in his blue eyes.

  “God, Ethan, you’re like a dog with a bone!” She cringed as she heard her voice rising with each word. This wasn’t at all going the way she wanted it to go. “I’m just supposed to remain a virgin the rest of my life? Maybe instead of going to college I should have joined a convent and not bothered working my ass off to lose all the weight I did.”

  “I expect you to respect yourself more than to go ‘girls gone wild’ at some university and throw your future away.” Their gazes locked, neither one willing to break. Ivy gritted her teeth; how dare he!

  Trey clearing his throat uneasily pulled Ivy’s gaze from Ethan’s and she looked back down at her plate, thankful for the diversion. “I think maybe you’re overreacting a bit, man. Ivy’s always had her shit together; I doubt she’s throwing her future away. Just chill.”

  Looking over at Trey, Ivy shot him a smile of gratitude. She never expected Trey to swoop in and rally for her. “Thank you Trey. I’m just getting my footing.” She shot a look at Ethan. “That’s all.”

  Reaching over to her, Trey placed a hand on her leg, just below the hem of her dress, and gave her leg a little squeeze. Catching her lower lip between her teeth she tried to ignore the heat that formed under his hand and crept up her leg to ignite the need within her. There was no mistaking it now, there was definite chemistry with Trey.

  ~*~*~*~*~

  Ethan

  Ethan gritted his teeth as he looked over at Ivy and then Trey as they shared a look. He knew the look Trey was giving her, knew it all too well, and it was pissing him off. Trey had no right to look at her like that. He’d never had an interest in Ivy before. Her future was important, dammit
. Maybe Trey didn’t give a shit, but she wasn’t his stepsister.

  Stabbing at the chicken he thrust a piece into his mouth and chewed fiercely, not really tasting the food, but attempting to pull his thoughts from the idea of Trey and Ivy together. The idea of the two of them naked, together, limbs entwined, Ivy moaning his Trey’s name flashed into his mind. It was driving him near insanity.

  The thing was that it wasn’t so much the fact that he didn’t want Trey with Ivy, but it was the fact that he was the one Ivy was supposed to want. But instead, she was arguing with him and giving Trey the sweet sexy smile that was supposed to be for him. Him dammit!