Accidentally Wild: An Accidental Marriage Romance (The Wilder Brothers Book 2)

by Nicole Elliot

  “Well, at least we know he’s dirty,” I said.

  “In all of the best ways,” Jessica said.

  Getting to my hotel room was a trip. All of us took the same first-class flight out and even though the trip was only six hours, I would’ve thought we would’ve been traveling the entire day. The snacks were anything but. Miniature shrimp cocktails and endless drinks on the flight. Hot towels to soothe myself with and cool-gel pillows to help me sleep. There was a steak lunch offered on the plane right over and I almost groaned out loud from how good it was. And the second we got to the hotel and I pushed through my room door?

  My jaw hit the floor.

  The rooms were beyond decadent. The massive bed was covered with silky sheets and the beautiful jet bathtub was carved from this incredible swirling marble. And the best part was that the tub overlooked the Vegas Strip. It was the weirdest set up for a room, and somehow it fit perfectly. I could sit in the tub with my bubble bath, turn on the flat screen television mounted to the wall, and sip champagne while gazing out onto the most magnificent view of Vegas the city had to offer. It was something I was going to do before I left.

  Not only that, but there was a private chef and butler. Yes, a butler that went around to all of the rooms on the top floor of the best hotel in Vegas and asked us if we needed anything on a regular basis. It was the most insane thing I had ever witnessed. And as far as the kitchen downstairs went, the guys had apparently hired a full-time five-star chef to hang around and cook whenever we called down. I quickly came to realize that these men were absolutely loaded down with money.

  “Another drink?” the busboy asked.

  I looked down at my empty glass and my eyes widened.

  “I guess so,” I said, giggling.

  “Here you go. And if you want to change your drink order, you just let me know. Otherwise, I’ll be back in thirty minutes with another one.”

  “Could you make the next one an appletini?”

  “Of course, ma’am. I’ll make note of the change.”

  “Thank you. And I mean that. Thank you for all you’re doing for us.”

  He gave me a genuine smile before bowing his head, then he went back to his post. It was weird, having someone serving us the way they were at every turn. It was as if the guys had hired someone to tend to us for every level we might be on. I was almost scared to try the spa services. It felt weird being around all this decadence and extravagance. My entire life had been spent working hard for the money I did get. Especially after the poverty I grew up in. Throwing money like this around went against everything I had been raised with. Everything I knew.

  “How are things going at the tavern?” I asked.

  “We’re missing you, that’s for sure,” Jessica said.

  “Well, no offense, but I do not miss working there at all.”

  “So things are going well at the youth center?”

  “They’re not going the best, but they’re going. I’m keeping the place afloat. That thing is my heart and soul, and I enjoy what I do. That’s more than I could say for the tavern.”

  “Trust me, I know what you mean. But, Bianca and I do miss our trio shifts.”

  “We drove our bosses mad, you know that?” I asked, grinning.

  “And that was the best part!”

  I used to work at the tavern with her and Bianca. It was my second part-time job while I was helping with the youth center when I first moved into the Charleston area. I needed the second job to pay my rent and keep my head above water. But when Mr. Wilson passed and left the youth center to me, I quit the tavern and focused all of my energy into keeping his dream—and mine, really—going strong in the middle of the city.

  “I wonder if I’m doing my best with that place sometimes,” I said.

  “No, Andrea. This weekend is all about focusing on things that aren’t work. That aren’t stressful.”

  “Well, I can’t help it. I don’t do a lot of thinking on my ‘on hours’ because I don’t have many ‘off hours.’”

  “Try to relax. This vacation is for relaxing and having a good time.”

  “So, I can’t even talk to one of my best friends about what’s on my mind?” I asked.

  “Does it have anything to do with work or your parents?” she asked.

  “Fine,” I sighed.

  “Good. Now, I want to talk to you about how Everett keeps staring.”

  “Who?”

  “Everett Wilder. The one standing over there with the blonde hair and the blue eyes?”

  “Oh, you mean the jerk off.”

  “Seriously. You’re going to hold a chance encounter with a well-placed invitation against him?”

  “He had a smug grin on his face and reached around my entire body to slip it into my back pocket. He’s a player, Jessica. And anyway, what did I tell you about this weekend? No sex and—”

  “No getting drunk and marrying you off. Gosh, you’re no fun,” she said, grinning.

  “So I don’t care if he’s staring. He can stare all he wants. He had his chance at a first impression and he blew it.”

  “At least we aren’t talking about your parents,” she murmured.

  I understood why Jessica didn’t want to talk about them. Or work. Or anything, for that matter. This was just as much her needed vacation as it was mine. But when things got silent and responsibilities got thrown out the window, my mind always wandered.

  And it was wandering.

  I wondered what my father was up to. My mother died when I was very young. I hardly remembered her. And for a while, my father took great care of me. Raised me to be strong and independent. Worked as hard as he could and consistently went without meals to make sure I had enough to eat. But the depression of losing my mother and the frustration with never having enough got to him, and the alcohol drinking started and it never stoppedThe man I worshipped suddenly became the man I wanted to get away from.

  He was never an angry drunk. Just an absent one. He’d drink until his stomach was full, then he’d zone out and stare at a rundown television until he fell asleep. Sometimes, he’d be so drunk he would piss himself, and I would be stuck cleaning up the mess unless I wanted to wake up to the smell of urine. He worked hard enough to feed me, drunk himself into oblivion, and paid one of our bills. That usually meant I was choosing between electricity and water every month. I interchanged them to make sure we didn’t default too badly on any of our payments.

  I finally got fed up with his antics in high school and realized I couldn’t fix my father. I couldn’t fix his sadness at my mother’s death and I couldn’t fix his anger at our poverty, so the only thing I could do was leave and make a better life for myself. Some days I hated him more than most. Some days I couldn't stand to call him my father. And other days I understood. Because I was sympathetic to his plight.

  But that didn’t mean his alcoholism didn’t rip my father from me.

  In essence, I had lost both of my parents. I hadn’t talked to my father since I left for Charleston after college, and I didn’t plan on it. I had no idea how he was doing. What he was up to. Hell, I had no idea if the man was still alive. But if he didn’t want to help himself, I was no longer going to help him.

  “Andrea?”

  “Hmm?” I asked.

  “You okay?”

  “Yeah, yeah. Just thinking and relaxing.”

  “You don't look like you’re thinking about anything good.”

  “You know my mind wanders when I don’t have anything to do.”

  “Can we focus back on Everett again then?”

  “No. I’d rather think about my father,” I said flatly.

  “I’m sorry, but I refuse to believe that.”

  “You can believe whatever you want to. I’m not talking about Everett, though.”

  “You aren’t even going to give him a chance?”

  “What chance? I told you about my two hard lines for this weekend. Why are you already wanting to toss them out the window?”


  “Because it’s better than thinking about your father?”

  I shook my head and finished off my second drink. And right on cue, an appletini was set at my side. I thanked the man who brought it to me before picking it up, then lounged my chair back a little further. The least I could do was work on my tan. I tipped my drink up to my lips as my eyes scanned the beautiful salt water pool we were at, and my eyes fell onto him.

  Onto Everett Wilder.

  Despite the asshole encounter we had with one of his parties when he invited me, I didn’t know much about the man other than the fact that he gave off a very significant player vibe. He was handsome, though. I’d venture to say more handsome than Lucas. His wild blonde hair framed his face perfectly and his striking blue eyes glistened from across the pool. He was tall. I mean, he towered over everyone else. Loomed, almost. Like a building or a skyscraper. And his muscles.

  Sweet heaven on earth, those muscles.

  They were chiseled and toned. I could see every ripple and sinewy vein he worked hard on. His washboard abs would get my clothes clean any day and his swollen chest dumped into ferociously strong arms. Probably from hauling wood and painting walls and generally getting soaking wet with sweat while on the job.

  “You’re staring,” Jessica said, grinning.

  I cleared my throat and settled back into my chair.

  “The man’s got muscles,” I said.

  “They all have muscles,” she said.

  “Doesn’t mean I want to have anything to do with him.”

  “Uh huh. Should I give you some alone time tonight with your jetted bathtub?”

  “I don’t even want to know what that means.”

  Jessica giggled beside me before she dove headfirst into her third mango margarita.

  “Are those any good?” I asked.

  “Oh, they’re splendid. I’m actually about to go swim some of it off just so I can justify having another.”

  “Well, don’t drown yourself.”

  “Can I convince you to come in for a swim?”

  “Actually, no. I’m working on my very uneven tan right now. How do I look?”

  “Like someone spilled brown paint on a while wall,” she said, laughing.

  “You’re a bitch. But I love you.”

  “You’re a bitch, and you need to get laid.”

  “Somehow, I think my sentiment was sweeter.”

  “Cannonball!”

  Jessica tossed back the rest of her drink before she leapt from her chair. Lucas whipped around in the pool and held out his arms, like he had been waiting for just that specific moment. She leapt into the pool with her hat on her head and landed right into Lucas’ grasp. The two of them went under, making the biggest splash alive, and when they came up their lips were locked. She wrapped herself around him and he held her close, and I couldn’t mistake the happiness in both of their eyes.

  They really were enjoying one another, and I was happy for them.

  I shook my head as I took another sip of my appletini, but my eyes began to wander. Back to Everett, to be exact. I hated that I wanted to look at him. I hated that I felt as if I was rewarding his piggish behavior. But something about his body called to me, and it was hard to resist. Those long legs. Those throbbing thighs. His beautifully-tanned skin dripping with the sweat of the Vegas sun.

  I licked my lips before I took another sip of my drink.

  His eyes connected with mine after I was done ogling him. The grin that crossed his face told me he had been watching. I cleared my throat and looked away, taking in the rest of the people by the pool. Some were making out, one couple was practically having sex in the hot tub. I looked up into the sky and took in the blue expanse and the lack of clouds. I even turned around and looked back at the hotel facade.

  Anything to keep my eyes from falling onto him again.

  Then, I heard a low, commanding voice at my side.

  “Care to get a drink inside?”

  EIGHT

  Everett

  The second she appeared at the airport, I knew exactly who she was. I remembered her from our brief encounter on the street. I called her “the disappointment,” mostly because of the first look she gave me when she saw me, but partially because of our first encounter. I remembered it like it happened yesterday, though it was over two years ago. I ran into her on the street and thought she was absolutely stunning, so I personally invited her to one of our parties. I pulled the move that always worked on the women I encountered. I smiled down at her, slowly inched forward, then slipped my arm around her and put the invitation in her back pocket. I could still remember the way her breath smelled. The beautiful emeralds of her eyes. The way her wild dark hair framed her face with a jungle look that throbbed my cock. I looked for her all night at that damn party, knowing she’d show up. But she never did, and I never saw her again after that.

  Flynn teased me the entire plane ride over. I kept stealing glances of her over on the other side of our first-class seating. I told him about our encounter. About how I searched for her at that damn party to no avail. Flynn kept jabbing his elbow into my side every time he caught me staring. It made me angry that he kept breaking my trance.

  “You look like a desperate dog,” he said.

  “She’s beautiful. Not my fault I want to look at her.”

  “She’s going to slap you before this weekend is over. I can tell just by looking at her that your stereotypical moves won’t work on her.”

  “I know that now. After over two years. But what does work on a woman like her? I don’t even know what kind of woman she is.”

  “Then ask her out to drinks and figure out the kind of woman she is.”

  Flynn probably thought I wouldn’t take his advice, but I was seriously considering it. I lagged behind her when we got to the top floor, clocking which room she was in. And as luck would have it, she was in the room next to mine. She kept her eyes to the floor before she shoved her way into her room, but the gasp she let loose before the door closed behind her made me grin. Good. I was glad she was impressed with the room. Something told me a woman like herself worked too hard to enjoy the finer things in life.

  All of us headed down to the pool to unwind from our jet lag, and my eyes had been on her ever since. She and Jessica came walking out of the hotel and my jaw practically scraped along the damn concrete. Her body was luscious. Toned legs. Flat stomach. Thick breasts that barely held themselves together in the red-and-gold stringed bikini she donned. Her hips blossomed and I could tell she kept up a gym regimen. At the very least, she kept herself active.

  I wanted to run my tongue along the lines of her stomach.

  Her dazzling red hair was piled underneath a hat I wanted to rip off her head. Her red hair boasted of so many kinky, coily curls. It matched the dance the sun did in her green eyes. She lounged next to Jessica and the two of them talked while they ordered drink after drink on our dime. Normally, something like that would bother me. Lucas was all about spoiling his women, but I didn’t enjoy doing that. I never knew if a woman wanted me for my wallet or my heart that way. But as I watched Andrea smile and laugh with Jessica, I could tell she wasn’t that kind of woman.

  At least, the kind of woman that would stick around simply for money.

  “You’re staring again,” Flynn said.

  “Can’t help it. The woman’s beautiful.”

  “And off limits.”

  “Why?” I asked.

  “Because she hates you. I can see it in her eyes whenever she looks over at you.”

  “She’s looking over at me?”

  “Really, Everett? Come on. You’re not that guy.”

  “Why can’t I be that guy?”

  “Do you want to be that guy?” he asked.

  “Now you’re just confusing me. Shut up with all your questions, Flynn.”

  “Look, if you want to talk to her, go over and talk to her. But don’t stare at her like a lost dog all afternoon. You’re going to make her uncomf
ortable. They’re here to have a good time. Not to be ogled by men who want to dick them once and get over it.”

  “Ever the romantic,” I said.

  “I just don’t do the one-night stands like you guys do.”

  “I don’t do one-night stands.”

  “You did one two weeks ago.”

  “Nope. That was Cayden.”

  “Is that why he isn’t on this trip? Because he caught something from his one-night stand?”

  “I don’t know why Cayden isn’t here and I don’t care. All I care about is the fact that she’s now staring at me.”

  “What?” he asked.

  It was true. Andrea’s eyes had locked onto my body and she was blatantly scanning me. They drifted up my legs and over my abs. Her gaze slowly trickled over my chest and down my arms. She made an absolute show of it. There was no denying what she was doing. The heat that rose of the back of my neck set me on a course that would alter my life forever.

  Our eyes connected and for a split second, I thought there was a smile on her face. Deviousness in her eyes. She called to me. She pulled me into her orbit and refused to let me go. Her emerald eyes attempted to swallow me whole as her body laid out on that lounge chair. Spread out for the taking of anyone who walked by.

  But no one else would have her.

  No one except me.

  “Everett!” Flynn called out.

  I shooed my brother away with my hand as I started on my path toward her. I walked around the pool while Andrea tried to play off the fact that she hadn’t been staring. She looked over at Jessica and Lucas making out in the pool. Over by the gross couple in the hot tub. She even looked back behind her at the hotel. Or the bar. Or something else other than me. I grinned as I approached her as I replayed Flynn’s conversation with me on the plane in my head.

  Then take her out to drinks and get to know the kind woman she is.

  “Care to get a drink inside?” I asked.

  She whipped her head around to look up at me, her big sunglasses staring back. I cocked my head and stood there, trying so hard not to caress her darkening skin with my eyes. She was a dream. An absolutely breathtaking woman. Her tan called to my fingertips and her thighs begged me to sink my teeth into them.