BOYFRIEND MATERIAL (Billionaire Romance)

by Mia Carson

  “You sure that was a good idea? Roughing him up like that?”

  “Probably not,” Alec said and stared at his target compared to Jenson’s. “At least if he comes after me, I know he can’t shoot straight.” He grinned, but August didn’t join him, and for once, his brother actually looked worried. “I’ll be fine. He’s not going to come after me. He can’t.”

  “Yeah, he can, and you know what’s worse? He can go after Iris,” August said. He picked up the guns to take them to the back room as Alec followed him. Once their head and eye gear were off, August sat down at the table to clean the Glocks. “Listen, I did some asking around while I was out on the town today.”

  “If it’s anything else about Iris, I don’t want to know,” he said, checking over their revenue for the day. “She’ll tell me everything herself when she’s ready.”

  August grabbed a cleaning kit off the shelf and shrugged. “What if it’s not just about her?”

  “Spit it out,” Alec grumbled.

  “Jenson and Iris dated for years—something like three or four, a really long-ass time—and it wasn’t always good,” August said. “A couple of guys used to be friends with Iris and Jenson back in the day.”

  “Yeah, and then her parents died and he poisoned the town against her,” Alec filled in.

  August hesitated and didn’t meet his brother’s eye. “I think it’s worse than that.”

  Alec paused what he was doing and sat down across from August. “Tell me.”

  “Look, all the guys know is a year ago, Jenson tried to get her back. She wasn’t doing well, and I guess he thought she would fall into his arms. He went over to her house one night, and the next day, his friends said his right hand had three broken fingers, all bruised up and smashed. No one saw Iris for a week after that.”

  Alec stood so fast he knocked over his chair and stormed towards the door. August yelled after him and tried to drag him back, but Alec shoved his brother away. He was nearly out the door when August tackled him to the floor to keep him from getting outside.

  “Get off me!” he yelled, but August held on tighter.

  “You can’t go after him, he’s a cop!” his brother argued. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have told you, but that guy’s dangerous, man, and I really don’t want my brother to get shot.”

  Alec’s body stilled, and after he was sure Alec was calmer, August let him get up. “He hit her,” he growled, his hands fisted so tightly the veins in his arms bulged. “I’m going to repay the favor.”

  “How about you just keep away from them both,” August suggested. “What is it with this girl, anyway? You just met her, and you’re ready to take a bullet for her?”

  “I don’t know,” Alec whispered and stalked around his shop.

  He did know, but his brother would just blame it on Nikki and say he was looking for a rebound, someone to distract him from his broken heart. Since he’d bumped into Iris that first day, though, she’d been the one on his mind. Nikki only crossed it when she called him three times a day, though he never answered. Iris was more messed up than he was, and she needed someone to help her put the pieces back together. Alec didn’t have that when Nikki first ruined his life, which was just a broken relationship.

  What Iris was going through was ten times worse and she had no one, not even the support of the people she grew up with. She needed someone strong to help her, and if he could be that person, then he would do it. Being with her kindled something to life deep within him, a warmth he hadn’t felt in years and wasn’t even sure he’d ever felt with Nikki. There was nothing fake about this woman—not when she was around him—and it was refreshing, for a change, to be with someone who fought so hard to hold onto what was important in her life, even if she faltered now and again.

  But if he messed with Jenson, what was to say he wouldn’t retaliate by taking it out on Iris or even Sam? Alec hung his head as he came to a stop, glaring out the windows of the shop at the empty parking lot. Maybe August was right and he should keep his distance.

  His cell buzzed in his back pocket, and he pulled it out, expecting another pleading message from Nikki, but when he saw Iris’s name, he grinned and his heart lightened. She said she looked forward to seeing him tomorrow after work and thanked him for the lilies. What he wouldn’t give to be with her, kissing her deeply and chasing away her worries about Jenson and the rest of this damn town.

  “Sorry, August,” he said when he faced his brother again. “Guess I’m just attracted to trouble.”

  August’s eyes rolled heavenward, and he muttered under his breath, “Then God help you, you stupid idiot, if Jenson comes after you.”

  “I’ll be ready,” he assured him. “I’m not letting her go. Not this easily.”

  Chapter 8

  The pictures on the wall tilted the second Iris stepped off the ladder, and she grunted, annoyed, as she quickly climbed back up to shift them on their nails again. She swore the walls weren’t square, but Joe assured her that morning it was just her eyes. He’d chuckled and told her he was going out for the day. When she asked to do what, he grinned and held up a tackle box.

  “You’re paying me this much money so you can go fishing?” she’d asked.

  “Fishing is a very important part of my heritage,” he said seriously, but his eyes twinkled and he laughed. “I will return before closing.”

  “I think I can manage,” she’d said, and he left. Six hours had passed since then, and closing time was an hour away.

  Her cell buzzed in her pocket, and she stood at the top of the ladder, glaring at the picture on the right as it tilted slowly again before slipping and falling completely out of place. “Whatever,” she told it darkly. “I’ll fix you, don’t you worry.”

  She checked her cell and grinned at the message from Alec. They had texted back and forth all day, mostly about little things and how Sam was doing. This time, however, he told her what a great view he had at the moment. She frowned and texted back, “What view?” After she hit send, she shoved her cell back in her pocket and leaned forward to adjust the picture when it buzzed again. Giving up on the picture, she checked the message. “It just got better,” she read out loud. “What is he talking about?”

  The bell over the front door chimed, and she glanced up but a large stack of crates on top of the shelves blocked her view. “Be with you in a minute,” she called out as she texted her question to Alec. A few seconds after she hit send, she heard a chime echo somewhere in the shop and her eyes narrowed. “Alec?”

  “Damn it,” she heard him mutter, and his head popped around the shelf. “I meant to turn that on silent.”

  She laughed and tucked her cell in her pocket again, watching him stroll closer from her perch on the ladder. “What are you doing here? Our date isn’t until later.”

  “Ah, so you’re calling it a date now,” he said and leaned back to stare at the pictures behind her. “I think those are crooked.”

  “Thanks, Sherlock. I thought it was the wall.”

  He smiled, and her stomach fluttered at the warmth pooling within her over that damn smile and the light in his rum-colored eyes. “Want some help? Though I must say, I was rather enjoying the view from the front window.”

  “Oh? And what view might that be?” she asked with a raised brow, licking her lips slowly.

  Alec shifted, and his jaw clenched. “Just let me hang the damn pictures for you.”

  “Nope, I got this,” she said and turned back around. She tried readjusting the one on the right again, and when she had it perfect, she leaned back, grinning. “There, see? Just needed a special—damn it! I give up!” she yelled when the picture mocked her by slipping sideways again. Alec chuckled below her, and she stomped angrily down the ladder. “Fine, if you’re so great, you get your ass up there and fix it.”

  He bowed to her and hurried up the ladder. “You just have to give it a little love,” he muttered as he took the picture off the nail and rehung it. He let go, and Iris expected it
to move, but it remained perfectly straight.

  “I hate you right now,” she grumbled as he climbed down the ladder after fixing the one on the left, too. “Really, passionately hate you. Know how long I’ve been working on those?”

  “Actually…” he said when he reached the floor looking sheepish.

  She smacked his arm, laughing as she did so. “Well, I’m glad you enjoyed staring at my ass for an hour straight.” She walked through the shop, picked up a stack of old books, and moved them to another shelf so they could be seen better.

  “That and your frustrated face—it’s quite attractive how your brow gets all furrowed and your eyes gleam, like you’re going to murder the pictures. I was worried for their lives. Had to step in.”

  Iris hadn’t smiled this much in so long, and she had Alec to thank for it. “Well, I’m sure Joe will appreciate you saving the pictures.”

  “Where is your new boss?”

  “Fishing,” she said, and he laughed with her. “Should be back soon, though, to close up.”

  “Then I guess I’ll just have to keep you company,” he said, and she didn’t have to turn to feel him move closer.

  Iris set the last book down as she sucked in a shaky breath. His presence was comforting and familiar, so familiar after only a few days together that she couldn’t even begin to understand it. She worried she’d fallen for him so quickly simply because it had been so long since someone was this nice to her, or kissed her, but when his arm wrapped solidly around her waist, pulling her back against his hard body, Iris knew the roiling emotions inside her were too complex to be so easily explained. He held her, just held her and breathed her in, and her eyes slid closed. She wanted to stay wrapped up with him forever.

  “How did you manage to come into my life at just the right time?” she mused quietly.

  She felt his shrug as he turned her around so their eyes met. “Been asking myself the same question about you.”

  Iris’s hands fisted in his shirt, and she pulled him down until their mouths met. The kiss was sweet at first, gentle, but the heat building between them sprang to life, and suddenly, they were desperate to have each other. Her lips parted on a sigh, and his tongue dove in, exploring her mouth until she moaned for more. His hands gripped her ass hard, and insane desire flashed through her. She wanted to feel his bare skin on hers, hear his harsh breathing, touch and explore every inch of his body. Her arms wrapped around his neck, and they walked through the shop, their lips never leaving the other’s as she maneuvered them towards the back shop and out of view of the windows.

  Alec turned her, lifted her, and set her on an empty table. His kisses moved from her lips down her neck to the hollow of her shoulder, and Iris’s head fell back, her fingers digging into his shoulders as passion overwhelmed her. She and Jenson had never had moments like this, filled with such heat, such desire, that she was dizzy from it. Hell, when they did have sex, if she could call two minutes of him groping her ass and climaxing before she even really got started, she never once climaxed with him. Not once. It was disappointing, to say the least, but the idea that Alec could be the first to send her over that edge into oblivion sent a thrill through her body.

  When Alec’s hands lifted the edge of her shirt, Iris breasts grew heavy with sudden want. Her nipples hardened before he even touched them. He tossed her shirt to the side as she fumbled for his, yanking it up, desperate to see the hard lines of his muscled chest. When it was free of his body, several strands of his hair fell from his ponytail, and with a soft touch, she pushed them back from his face and the look in his eyes pulled a gasp from her throat.

  The hunger in his eyes reflected the same burning want coursing through her veins, but it was what lay beneath that gave Iris a deeper glimpse into who this man was. Protectiveness, possessiveness, and a fierce desire to do both at the same time. He didn’t just want her for a night, but for so much longer and for so much more. A hint of doubt crept into her mind, knowing she couldn’t give him everything he deserved in a girlfriend, or anything more than that, but when he cupped her cheeks gently and leaned in to brush his lips over hers, his touch told her he would take whatever she was willing to give.

  The bell above the door chimed in the shop, and Iris cursed. “Iris! I’m back, caught quite a few fish,” Joe called out.

  Iris hopped down from the table, both of them stifling their laughter as he handed over her shirt and she tossed him his. They got themselves clothed and their hair straightened, stepping out of the back room just as Joe reached the counter.

  “That’s great,” she said breathlessly and shoved her hair out of her face.

  Alec was right behind her and waved. “Hey, Joe, just stopped by to check on Iris.”

  Joe set his tackle box on the glass counter, his eyes narrowing on them, and Iris felt her face grow raging-inferno hot. He was going to fire her, she knew it, but the older man let out a booming laugh and held out his hand for Alec’s.

  “I knew I liked you, son,” Joe said. “Hoped you would be good for her.”

  Alec grinned and nodded. “I’m going to try to be.”

  “You’re… you’re not mad?” Iris asked, mentally kicking herself for opening her mouth.

  “Why would I be? Because you’re finally acting like any normal woman your age?” Joe asked. “The shop looks much better, by the way,” he added as he walked past them towards the back room. “I’ll close up if you two want to head out!”

  Iris stared after him, her mouth opening and closing until Alec reached out and, placing two fingers under her chin, lifted it up.

  “I think we should take him up on that offer,” he suggested and leaned in to kiss her again.

  Her toes curling and eyes sliding closed from his touch, Iris nodded. “Let me… let me grab my purse.” She moved to the other end of the counter to grab it when the photograph of the Lundy’s caught her eye. She picked it up and asked, “Hey, Joe? When did you move this here?”

  “Move what where?” he called back.

  “This photograph? I could swear it was on the wall the other day.” As always happened with the photo, the woman’s eyes drew her in. She stared at it, running her fingers over the picture and wondering about the woman staring back at her.

  “You look just like her, you know,” Alec said, and she jumped, forgetting he was there.

  “I can’t, we’re not related,” she told him.

  “You sure?” Alec asked.

  “Pretty sure. The Newtons had nothing to do with the Lundy family,” she said, clearing her throat, not sure why the words wouldn’t come. “Though it is weird.”

  “What’s weird?” Joe asked as he poked his head out of the back room.

  “How did my parents get those heirlooms if they were hers?” she asked.

  Joe shrugged. “Perhaps they were gifted to a relative at one point or another, or maybe there’s more to the story.”

  “I still don’t see those items in the shop,” she said pointedly. “Joe, I sold those to you so you could sell them for yourself.”

  “I’m having them cleaned,” he explained, but the mischievous look in his eyes said he was doing anything but that. “Now go, get out of here and enjoy your date.”

  She wanted to argue with him more but not with Alec there. He was already looking at her curiously, and she knew there would be more questions at dinner. After another glance at the photograph, she walked to the door, hand in hand with Alec, loving every second of his body so close to hers.

  ***

  Alec’s imagination wouldn’t stop drifting to what might have happened if Joe hadn’t walked into his shop when he did. His lips still felt the soft skin of Iris’s neck, her shoulder, wanting to seek out the mounds of her breasts and lower still. Watching her from across the table in their booth, he undressed her, piece by piece, until she was naked before him. Thank God they had chosen a table to sit at tonight so he didn’t have to try and hide the bulging erection in his pants. He shifted again on the seat,
trying to ease the strain, but when Iris sipped her beer and licked a few drops from her lips, it grew worse and he cursed.

  “Problems?” she asked with a crooked grin.

  “Around you, always,” he grunted and took a drink from his beer. “So the other day, when you were talking to Joe, I overheard him say something about a shop you used to own.” Her shoulders sagged and she nodded, playing with the label on her beer. “What happened to it?”

  “That closed-down store next to Joe’s place? That was it,” she said quietly. “My dad’s antique store. He loved that place, loved finding treasures from all over the northern states and bringing them to Lundy. I was always a lot like him.” She stared past Alec towards the windows, and her eyes took on a faraway look. “We both wanted to discover what was out there. He was easier, though. He just wanted to find and save antiques. Me, I wanted to go out and dig them up myself.”

  “Why aren’t you out on some dig then?” he asked. “Finding mummies or whatever.”

  Her smile was sad and quickly turned bitter. “Sam got cancer while I was in college, and it hit us all hard. I stayed to help run the shop and the museum so they could be there for him, but when they died…” She choked on the words and wiped at her eyes. “When they died, I took over the shop and did my best to keep it running, but I just couldn’t do it.”

  Alec reached across the table for her hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry,” he said, and she covered his hand with her other one.

  “I hated that damn shop, hated that I was trapped here because of my brother, because of them, but now that it’s gone, all I want is to have it back.”

  “If you need a loan or something, I could help you,” he offered. “The gun ranges bring in a hefty profit, and I have a huge trust fund I’ve barely even scratched the surface of.”

  “No,” she said firmly, her eyes hardening. “I won’t take charity.”

  “It wouldn’t be,” he argued gently. “It’d be a loan of some sort. We could work out a partnership. Please think about it.” He felt her pulling away and reached across the table to turn her back to face him. “It’s not charity, Iris. Not even close.”