Never

by Lulu Pratt

  “She’s put a spell on your ass, that’s what. I’ve never seen you with a chick for more than one night,” he continues as we make our way up the residential area leading to the more sprawling estates.

  It’s easy enough to ignore him until he takes his final jab.

  “I can’t believe it,” Gabriel grumbles in awe. “You’re pussywhipped.”

  “Watch it,” I warn as my beach house comes into view. I spot an unfamiliar Range Rover in the driveway and assume it must belong to Lilah’s friend, Charli.

  When I stop walking, Gabriel has no choice but to do the same. I take a moment to size him up. He’s a couple inches shorter than my six-foot-three-inches but still tall by most standards.

  I’ve known him since I was a kid but we only became close once our parents shipped us off to Columbia University ten years ago. His business degree made his dad a lot prouder than the fine arts degree I showed my parents on graduation day.

  Now, he spends his days as an executive for his father’s marketing empire in the City. But our friendship had always remained solid no matter the different paths we took in life.

  “Look,” I say, kicking at the gravel under my running shoes. “Just act like you have some sense when we get in there. Her friend is going to be here too and I don’t need you scaring them off.”

  Looking amused, Gabriel shakes his but agrees while clapping me on the back. “Whatever you say, boss. How did you two meet again?”

  “She’s my financial advisor,” I fill him in as we start walking again.

  This time he’s the one to stop walking.

  I pause and look at him. “What?”

  “Your financial advisor?”

  “Yeah,” I nod.

  “I’ve been trying to get you in with my guy for the past year and some chick with a pretty face is all it took?”

  Chuckling, I head for the house again but not before I hear him mutter something laughingly under his breath.

  “Son of a bitch.”

  ***

  Lilah’s voice reaches me before I see her. We’ve just stepped into the house, but I make a beeline for the sliding backdoor when I hear splashing and laughter.

  Gabriel’s right on my heels, his shower forgotten.

  Body glistening with tanning oil, Lilah is stretched out on a lounger with oversized glasses covering her face. Her bikini is barely there, the thin red straps crisscrossing dangerously and hardly covering anything.

  I need to have a seat before I announce to everyone present just how excited I am to see her.

  I’ve almost reached Lilah’s chair when movement from the corner of my eye steals my attention.

  A petite woman in a yellow swimsuit is sitting at the edge of the pool with her feet dangling in the water. Charli.

  She smiles and waves at me as if we’ve met before. The woman stands and starts walking to us when Lilah looks up at me from her lounging position.

  “Hi,” she greets, shooting me an inviting smile.

  I drop onto the seat near her feet and instinctively pull her feet into my lap.

  “How was your trip, Cupcake?”

  She twists her lips in a wry smile just as Charli appears at her side.

  “Don’t you dare complain about my driving,” the small woman warns making Lilah laugh.

  “I wasn’t going to say a thing about your lead foot,” Lilah jokes. Then she turns to me to make the introductions.

  “So you’re the guy my best friend won’t shut up about,” Charli says, extending her hand in my direction.

  Surprised, I stare at Lilah only to find her blushing. Even under the clunky sunglasses, her red cheeks are visible.

  On my feet, I hug Charli and welcome her to my home.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Charli. I’m glad you could make it with Lilah. Thanks for getting her here safely,” I say with an easy smile.

  “Thanks for having me, but we’ve met before,” she informs me.

  I frown and instantly look to Lilah for help but she ignores me. Payback for laughing at her secret.

  “At the bar. But it’s no surprise that you don’t remember. You only had eyes for Lilah. Much like right now,” she teases.

  The only thing I remember about that night is Lilah and that damn cupcake. Everything else is a blur…

  I’m just about to apologize for my flightiness when Gabriel clears his throat from the door.

  Shit.

  I forgot all about him.

  He steps forward and nods politely at Lilah after I make introductions. Then his eyes are trained solely on Charli.

  As the two of them chat, I drop down into the oversized seat with Lilah again. Taking in her oiled body is going to be my undoing.

  “You’re killing me with this bikini.” Reaching up, I tug gently at the strings knotted at her hip bone.

  Lilah shivers in response before recovering and giving me a coy smile.

  “Oh, do you like it?”

  Groaning at her playful tone, I gaze at her unblinking. “More than like it.”

  Tossing a furtive glance in the direction of the pool, Lilah seems to weigh our options before speaking.

  “Show me,” she dares, her legs rubbing across my lap in open invitation.

  Before she can finish, I’m standing with her thrown over my shoulder.

  Her squealing draws the attention of Charli who looks on amused as I walk back through the double doors. And Gabriel is too busy gawking at her to notice us.

  “What about Charli? I can’t leave her alone in a strange place!” Lilah says, smacking at my legs once I reach the staircase.

  “She’ll be just fine without us.”

  Twenty-seven

  LILAH

  A heavy weight is thrown across my abdomen waking me.

  It’s Andrew’s arm pulling me to him.

  Opening my eyes, I take in the lavish décor of the bedroom and remember where I am. Andrew’s beach house in the Hamptons.

  Last night is a blur as my eyes adjust to the sunlight streaming in through the open bay windows in the corner of the room. I can hear the waves breaking against the sand because his backyard opens up to a private beach.

  Talk about heavenly…

  Despite the house being situated on the beach, there’s still a pool and Jacuzzi near the back of the place. It’s absolutely breathtaking and so different from his extravagant estate back in Connecticut.

  Not surprisingly, I find that this house is a better fit for his laid-back personality and artistic lifestyle. When he told me he only comes out a couple times a year, I was floored.

  I’d pack up my life in a second if I owned a place like this…

  “What are you up thinking about so early?” Andrew grumbles from behind me.

  His already deep voice is sleep laden and even sexier than usual. I swear if my body wasn’t so exhausted from last night’s marathon session, I’d probably be rubbing up against him like a cat in heat.

  “Good morning,” I say, rolling onto my back to look up at him.

  Waking up beside him feels way more comforting than it should. I’ve grown so used to sleeping alone in my bed that it catches me by surprise how acclimated I’ve gotten to having him with me in such a short period of time.

  “How did you sleep?” he asks, burying his head in my neck.

  The stubble on his chin tickles my sensitive skin, making me squirm before I sigh blissfully at the hot kisses he presses against my throat.

  “You taste good,” he murmurs as his tongue sweeps over the exposed flesh.

  Melting into the plush mattress, I feel the pulse reignite at my center.

  His fingers make a lazy trail down my naked torso and dance over my abdomen. Suddenly I’m awake and on fire under his touch.

  So much for me being tired.

  Just as I let my legs fall open under the cool sheets, there’s a knock at the door causing us both to swear under our breaths at the unexpected intrusion.

  “Sorry to interrupt y
ou two lovebirds,” Charli sniggers through the door, indirectly informing us that she heard our muttered curses loud and clear. “But I need to speak to Lilah.”

  Andrew’s grin is proud as he slips out of bed naked and heads for the connecting bathroom on the other side of the suite.

  I hop out of bed when he closes the door. Slipping into his discarded button-up from last night, I hurry to the door.

  “Charli, this better be good.”

  “Chill out, this will only take two seconds,” she promises, hiking an oversized beach bag up on her shoulder.

  That’s when I notice the rest of her getup. Her untamed curls are perfect and she has on a bikini under an off-the-shoulder top and denim shorts. Flimsy flip-flops complete her look.

  “Where are you running off to?”

  She can barely contain her radiant smile. “Gabriel is taking me surfing for the day. I just wanted to tell you before I disappeared.”

  Smirking, I vaguely remember them getting cozy last night before the wine had taken its toll. Gabriel couldn’t keep his hands off her and she seemed to love every second of it.

  After our dinner for four, they were ducked off in a corner of the room all night sharing secret glances and secret words.

  “There’s a beach in the backyard,” I point out, my grin growing wider.

  They’re trying to sneak off and while I think it’s cute as hell, I’m still going to give her hell for it.

  “I know that,” she tells me, growing exasperated. “But he says Ditch Plains is much better for beginners like me.”

  “Mhmm,” I hum knowingly. If I know anything it’s that she definitely won’t be getting a lot of surfing in today. Not if Gabriel has anything to do with it.

  Luckily enough, he seems like a nice guy. Not her usual asshole type at all. The moment he’d been introduced to Charli, he’d only had eyes for her. And I can admire that.

  “Bye! Don’t pretend that you’re not excited as hell to get rid of me. I know I probably interrupted sexy time for you and you know who,” she says, eyebrows dancing on her forehead.

  There’s no denying that one so I don’t even bother blushing. After telling her to be safe, I close the door and venture back into the suite to see what Andrew’s up to.

  ***

  After our indulgent morning in bed, Andrew agreed to act as my tour guide.

  The shops lining the streets in Montauk are adorably quaint yet exclusive.

  As he shows me around the town where he spent most of his summers growing up, I feel undeniably closer to him. I realize it’s the first time I’m getting a glimpse of him in this light and I don’t take it for granted.

  He doesn’t come right out and say it, but I’m realizing he’s more of a rebel than I thought. He’d been raised to follow a certain path and his art career is way more than a slight detour.

  I always thought his unapologetic attitude was hot, but now he’s damn near irresistible.

  When he pulls me into a boutique with opulently dressed mannequins in the window, I lift my brow at him but he just kisses me erasing my confusion.

  I’m practically drooling over a caftan style dress I just found when someone comes up to Andrew and starts a conversation. It’s happened so much since we’ve been out that I think nothing of it.

  Until I hear the silver-haired man ask him a question I’m not expecting.

  “What about that brother of yours? How’s he doing these days?”

  It’s impossible to miss the palpable tension that stiffens Andrew’s shoulders as he gives his terse response.

  “Fine as far as I know.” Then he discards the shirt in his hands. “It was good seeing you again, Mr. Brennan.”

  Next I feel a hand at my elbow pulling me in the direction of the door.

  “Let’s go, Cupcake,” he says tightly. Even with the use of my playful nickname, he sounds on edge.

  Once we’re on the street, I stare up at him trying to read his closed-off expression.

  “Is everything okay?” I want to know.

  “Fine,” he responds, not meeting my eyes.

  “That man,” I say, using my thumb to gesture behind us. “He said something about a brother. I didn’t know you had siblings.”

  Andrew pushes a frustrated breath through his nose and stops walking when I say this.

  “I have a brother. We’re not close,” he provides tersely.

  Now I stop walking and stare at him waiting for elaboration. When it doesn’t come, I take matters into my own hands.

  “You have siblings? I didn’t know that. How many? Where does your brother live? What’s his name? Wh—”

  “Just the one,” Andrew interrupts, fixing his gaze on something over my shoulder. “Last time I checked, he was living on the west coast and his name is dickwad.”

  I open my mouth to fire another round of questions at him, but he shuts it down in a heartbeat.

  “Let’s go. I’m starving.”

  Twenty-eight

  LILAH

  When Andrew said he wanted to take me to a small barbecue with some of his friends, I wasn’t expecting a mansion teeming with people. Not to mention the backyard full of people skirting the pool in their overpriced threads.

  And I’m one of them. The dress I fell in love with when we were out shopping was magically delivered to Andrew’s house a few hours after we got back.

  I try not to think about the fact that I’m wearing one month’s salary on my back as I move through the crowd with Andrew’s hand firmly around my waist.

  I can’t lie and say I don’t like the effect this dress is having on him. His hands haven’t strayed too far from me all night. Everywhere he goes, I inevitably go because he won’t let me out of his sight.

  Charli appears out of nowhere, a glass of Champagne in her hands and a grinning Gabriel not too far behind her. They’ve been inseparable all damn day and I’m happy for her.

  Even if this is just a vacation fling, my friend deserves at least a sliver of happiness after that guy she met on a yacht ended up being married with two kids.

  According to Andrew, Gabriel isn’t married or hiding a secret girlfriend in a different state. So he passes my preliminary test.

  “Hey lovebirds,” Charli gushes, a radiant smile playing about her ruby red lips. “You look hot, Lilah!”

  “I could say the same about you,” I shoot back at her. And it’s the truth.

  She’s wearing all white this evening, the color accented by her bold accessories and popping lip color. She looks amazing, but that’s no surprise. With her petite hourglass frame and beautifully rich skin, she could make a rug look like high fashion.

  As Gabriel and Andrew fall into a side conversation, Charli beams at me as she prattles on and on about the number of celebrities she’s spotted so far.

  “Girl, I owe you for life for bringing me! Anything you need for the rest of your days, just say the word.”

  Before I can tell her that her generous offer isn’t necessary, I feel Andrew step closer to me.

  His silky baritone blankets my skin in chills as he speaks to Charli.

  “Hey Charli, I need to steal Lilah for a second,” he says, his strong hand snaking around my waist, pulling me firmly against the front of him.

  I can’t see his face, but the heat of his body pressed into mine is enough to tell me his intentions are far from pure. A flash of naughty excitement ripples through me.

  Charli looks all too happy as she gives me a knowing look and sashays back over to Gabriel.

  Not a single word is exchanged between us as Andrew leads me from the throng of people into a separate, unoccupied wing of our hosts’ sprawling mansion.

  Our light footfalls against the marble flooring become louder as we get further and further away from the party.

  “What’s in here?” I ask, finally breaking the silence as he pushes open one of the doors along the infinite hallway.

  His eyes are an electric shade of blue that I’ve never witnessed befo
re and the desire swirling in them fixes me to the spot. It isn’t until his tongue bathes his soft bottom lip that I realize I haven’t moved.

  “After you, Cupcake.”

  Inside, my eyes have trouble focusing on anything but the smug look on his face. However, I do take in the plush carpet under my feet and the massive bed in the center of the room.

  When Andrew takes a seat on the edge on the bed, I stare at him expectantly awaiting his first command.

  “Come here.”

  The rough tenor of his voice beckons me before I can even tell my feet to move. The dress I’m wearing shifts along my legs, the deep slits at each hip drawing Andrew’s unwavering gaze. The material of my dress parts at each hipbone leaving my legs on full display.

  I can’t describe the nervous excitement running through me but it’s addicting.

  “You’re incredibly enticing in this dress,” he tells me, running his hand along the length of my exposed leg.

  Shivering, I watch him watching me and want to moan at the tortured look covering his handsome face.

  Why is everything he does to me so damn sexy?

  “I want to taste you,” he says casually, knocking the wind right out of me.

  His expression is impassive as if he just told me he wants to try a new diner on the way home.

  I can’t find words as his hands slip under the material of my dress and to the waist of the nude thong I’m wearing.

  “Open your legs,” he instructs just before tugging at the flimsy underwear.

  A dam of moisture is unleashed at his words, but I shift in front of him, spreading my legs so that stepping out of the panties will be easier.

  “You’re already wet for me?” Andrew asks, his voice cloaked in awe after stuffing my panties into the pocket of his slacks.

  Again, my mouth won’t work. I don’t even know how I’m standing on my own two feet right now. Words are something that I just can’t form at the moment.

  Of course this only seems to spur Andrew on.

  Roughly, he pulls me forward until his mouth is directly in line with the lips of my aching sex.

  “I asked you a question.”

  Damn him. He knows exactly what he does to me and still needs to relish in the fact that he leaves me speechless.