Her Best Friend's Brother

by T. J. Dell

  “You weren’t together!” Anger laced through Tony’s voice. “That’s not what it looked like when you were sharing a wardrobe with him last summer!”

  “At the risk of repeating myself—Parker and I are just friends.” Libby tired to keep her voice even. This was none of his business.

  “So you were what? Friends-with-benefits? A way to pass time when he was in town? I should kil him.” Now that kind of pissed Libby off. “No you shouldn’t do anything Tony! Because you aren’t responsible for me; you aren’t my big brother. Even if you were I am an adult and old enough to know which, and what type of friends I want in my life.”

  “I know how old you are Lib.” Tony ground out.

  “Sorry. I just. I don’t want to see you hurt Libby.” It sounded like he was calming down.

  “Parker has never hurt me.”

  Tony winced. He knew he had been the one to hurt Libby, but things were different now. “So Parker has Penny and you…?”

  “And I am happy for them.”

  “Okay. When are you finished classes?”

  Libby was relieved that Tony had changed the subject. She realy didn’t want to have to discuss her relationships with Tony. She gave him the dates of her final exams (which were stil several weeks away) and when she expected to return to North Carolina. They talked for awhile about how it would be strange for her to be going

  ‘home’ to Stuart’s town house instead of the building where she had grown up. And when Tony could hear her yawns through the phone line he sent her to bed.

  Chapter Eleven

  Tony was waiting for her when she got to the bakery the morning after she returned to Lindstown. He was leaning against the back door with his arms crossed over his chest and a mile wide grin split across face. This was a new smile. Not quite her coveted only-for-Libby smile. Somehow it was more chalenging, and a little predatory, but that had to be her sleep deprived mind playing tricks on her.

  He lifted her into a long tight hug. “I missed you Lib.” His soft whisper fel into her hair just above her ear, and Libby felt a thril she hadn’t alowed herself to indulge in since high school.

  “What a surprise.” She managed to speak when he had set her back down and she was able to get the key into the door.

  Tony folowed her inside, and watched her silently as she began preheating ovens and getting ready for the business day. It took al his self control, not to kiss her senseless. It was only 5:00 in the morning; her hair was puled tightly into a ponytail and there wasn’t a trace of makeup on her face. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. But he wanted to be cautious -- no more assumptions or misunderstandings. Tony was going to get this right and that meant keeping his libido in check for awhile longer.

  “Okay, are you going to tel me what you’re doing here?” Libby broke the silence.

  “I told you—I missed you.” Tony flashed her, his most charming smile.

  “At 5:00 in the morning?”

  “Especialy at 5:00 in the morning.” His smile grew a little suggestive. “I’m in town for a couple of days. I would have been at Stuart’s yesterday, but I thought your mom might want you to herself.”

  “Actualy, Mom and Stuart did have a big dinner waiting when I got there. They had some pretty amazing news too.”

  “I have some amazing news myself.” They had moved into the dining area, and Tony wordlessly joined her in lowering chairs off tables onto the floor. “Wel some of it is news and I have something else I want to talk to you about.”

  “What’s that?”

  “Wel first… Jack sold Thrills! It is a smal run, but they are talking a multi-book contract based on some sample chapters from the Isaac Raines books. It is a big deal…” Tony didn’t get to finish talking because Libby rushed him, throwing her arms around in a warm uninhibited hug.

  For a second Libby was embarrassed at her actions, but Tony’s arms circled her waist without hesitation. He crushed her body to his, and lifted his big hands to frame her face. His mouth took hers in a passionate hungry kiss. Rough skinned fingers trailed down her neck, his hands opened and skimmed down her back.

  Heat from his skin burned a path down her spine through her thin tee shirt. When she felt the tips of his thumbs brush the underside of her breasts she gasped. Tony growled into her kiss; his tongue explored her mouth with abandon.

  her kiss; his tongue explored her mouth with abandon.

  Gripping her waist he easily lifted her onto a stool.

  Instinctively Libby parted her knees—inviting him closer.

  He stepped into her, gliding his hands down past the hem of her shorts and massaging the bare skin of her exposed thighs. Lifting one of her legs to wrap around him, Tony ground his hips into her.

  Heat pooled in Libby’s midsection. She could clearly feel Tony’s arousal even through the material of their clothing. Drunk with the power she had over him, she scraped her nails lightly down his back and when she reached the waist band of his jeans she urged him to press harder and closer. Slipping her hands under the hem of his shirt she gave herself access to al of his heavenly hard muscles. She mapped him with her palms as she pressed hot open mouth kisses down his neck until she was nibbling his colar bone.

  “Unghh, Libby!” Tony rasped. He had one hand buried in her hair, the twister long since tugged loose and discarded, and the other wrapped around her knee holding her tight to him. Libby had never known how wonderfuly erotic a touch to the back of her knee could be. “We have to stop” he managed through his panting breaths.

  “No way.” Libby nipped at the skin on his neck, and lifted her face for another taste of his lips.

  “Stop.” Tony wrenched his hands from her beautiful soft smooth skin. He gripped the counter behind her caging her in his arms, but no longer touching her.

  Libby felt a cold rush over her at the loss of his skin against hers. “Right, just friends.” Libby looked everywhere but into his eyes.

  “No Sweetheart.” Tony’s voice was husky and tender between panting breaths. “I just didn’t mean for that to happen.” He chuckled a lightly. “You do have a history of messing with my plans. You know?” Libby looked confused. “There is a wal of windows behind me. I was this close taking you right on that stool.” Tony whispered into the curve her neck between dropping kisses there.

  “Okay, let’s go in the back.”

  “I’m tempted sweetheart, but that isn’t how this should happen. Hard and fast between your mother’s ovens? That isn’t you.”

  Libby thought it probably could be her.

  “We have a bad record with communication, you and me. We should talk first.”

  Oh. It was a little clearer now. Briefly she regretted alowing him to believe that she and Parker had had a sexual friendship. He was making sure she didn’t have any expectations. That was fair, she thought, since he lived 1100 miles away from her. Fair didn’t make it hurt any less. “Okay. Talk.”

  Tony pushed off of the counter and rocked back on his heels. He ran a hand over his face, and through his hair.

  Libby loved when he did that. “Just give me a moment to reboot my brain. I don’t want to get this wrong—

  communication problems remember?” A smile played at the corner of his mouth. “Talk to me Libby. Distract me.”

  “Okay.” Libby slid off her stool, and smoothed her clothes back into place. “Wel. My bedroom in Stuart’s house is the size of a postage stamp. He says he is going to switch it with his home office, but he hasn’t gotten around to it. There is barely enough room for my bed.”

  “Libby!” Tony’s eyes were dark with heat, but he balanced his expression with a laughing smile. “About something other than a bed, please.”

  “Oh.” Color flushed her cheeks. She busied herself loading the display cases with fresh muffins. “Wel Mom and Stuart did have some pretty great news. They are sending me to Rome.”

  “What? You’re going to Italy? Like a summer vacation?”

  “No, for school. Th
ey are paying for year abroad.

  I guess Stuart feels bad about excluding me, uprooting me…” A roling motion with one arm showed that he had many reason and she wasn’t realy concerned with what they are. “So I am going to Rome.”

  “For a year? You are leaving for—a year.” Tony was floored. Here he had been about to lay out his heart to her. Declare his intentions, so to speak. And she was leaving. He was nothing more to her than Parker had been.

  When had he ever thought he would be feeling bad for Parker? But now he was. She had cast him aside just as she would be doing to Tony at the end of the summer…

  when she left the country.

  His silence seemed to encourage her so she kept talking as she unlocked the front doors, and finished her morning routine. “I told him it wasn’t necessary, but he was determined. And I realy want to go, so I gave in pretty easy. There is a cooking school an hour or so away from the colege with a great pastry program, and I could be learning from the best about biscotti, budino, and tiramisu, and al while I work on my business degree. I think I realy needed to do something like this. I mean you have your writing, and Mel has her designs, and Parker’s forever going on about law school choices…”

  “I don’t want to talk about Parker!” Tony was angry

  “Ok—ay” Libby drew out the word thoughtfuly.

  This was ridiculous. Here she was blabbering on waiting for him to screw up the courage to ask for no-strings sex? No way. “Listen, we’re good Tony. This was probably a bad idea. We aren’t that kind of friends, right? We just got caught up in the moment, forget about it.”

  “Of course. You’re right Lib. I gotta go okay? I’l talk to you tomorrow, kay?” Tony strode quickly out the front door, and when he got to his car he puled out his cel phone and caled the Talahassee News Journal to cancel his job interview.

  Tony was gone 20 minutes before Libby realized that he hadn’t gotten around to teling her his ‘something else’.

  Chapter Twelve

  “Oh my god! I can’t believe you are leaving!” Mel gushed at the airport. Just like she had gushed in the car on the way to the airport, and like she had gushed on the phone when Libby had tried to tel her it was sily for her to come al the way home just to ride to the airport.

  “We can talk al the time Mel—the marvel of modern technology.”

  “It won’t be the same!”

  “Okay babe—give her a hug and let her get through security. We don’t want her to miss her flight.” John tried to calm Mel down. Sily John. Mel lived for this stuff. “Have a good flight Libster; cal us when you get settled.”

  “Oh! I almost forgot! Tony said to wish you good trip too.” That got her attention. Libby hadn’t seen Tony since the day of the bakery incident.

  Apparently he had gotten a cal that afternoon to go to a meeting with some people from his publisher about the Isaac Raines books and had left that night. They had talked of course and emailed. But things felt weird between them.

  They both determinedly avoided discussing the kiss in the bakery, but Libby guessed it would take some time before the weirdness could dissipate. She was glad anyway— she was wiling to accept that Tony was okay with casual sex.

  That was fine, but she would be damned if she was going to be his warm and willing body. Al week, al summer realy, after the kiss at the bakery Libby’s brain had battled with her hormones. At the time she had wanted him more than she had wanted her next breath, but she only needed to remind herself of Mel’s graduation party when he had explained about not being able to help how his body reacted. Explained to her that his only reactions to her were physical. That hurt she had felt at being nothing more than an itch to scratch had lasted months and she wasn’t wiling to go through it again.

  “Tel him thanks for me, and I’l cal him… you know after I cal you.”

  Mel snorted. “Yeah sure right after you talk to me. Listen Lib, do yourself a favor. Find some hot Italian guy and work my idiot brother out of your system. Have a hot and steamy European adventure.”

  “I am not going to Europe to have a fling!”

  “Wel you should be. I know al that higher education wil take up a lot of time, but surely you can spare a few nights over the next year. Think about it—they wil al have accents!”

  “Okay I wil think about it.” Libby had no intention of doing any such thinking, but this was the best way to deal with her best friend when pressed for time.

  Libby and Mel hugged tightly. And Libby set off with the mob of people headed for metal detectors.

  Glad things are going well. You should mail me some Italian style chocolate chip cookies!

  Only 5 weeks left until Thrills is released. I am so stoked. You won’t be able to buy it in Italy, but I will mail you a copy.

  -t-

  I preordered my English copies on Amazon last month! But maybe you could mail me one anyway—

  signed. And when I am old I can sell my first edition signed Marchetti for eight million dollars.

  Rome is beautiful. The school arranged for a lot of tours when we first got here, but now that I am making friends I am seeing all the local stuff too.

  -L-

  Dear Libby,

  I never know what to say in these things! Miss you Lib! So does John. How is the Italian man hunt coming?

  Love, Mel

  Dear Mel,

  So far the well is still dry

  Love, Libby

  When Libby got Tony’s package in the mail, she tore it open right in the elevator of her building. She couldn’t wait. Inside she found two copies of Thrills, by the up and coming author Anthony Marchetti. When she opened the first book she found Tony’s familiar but messy handwriting inside the cover.

  Thanks for never doubting me! Love, Anthony Marchetti

  I just got your package! The book is perfect! Not that I thought it wouldn’t be, but it is. I passed a copy (not the one you signed that I am saving to fund my retirement) around my friends. One girl complained she wouldn’t sleep for a month. High praise.

  -l-

  Ps: is it weird that I want to tell you I’m proud of you?

  She didn’t go home for Christmas. She went sking with a group from the university. She missed her family, and her friends. But she loved Rome, and her new friends. A feeling deep in her bones told her that she needed this time.

  She needed her European adventure even if wasn’t going to be hot and steamy.

  Dear Libby,

  I’m glad skiing was great. And thanks for the bolt of Italian leather! I can’t tell you how excited my distributer is about Italian leather belts and wallets.

  Merry Christmas, Mel

  Dear Mel,

  Here it is just leather! Glad you liked it.

  Love, Libby

  I signed the deal today on Isaac Raines. And they are ordering a second run of Thrils .

  I am thinking of relocating. What would you think of me moving back to Lindstown?

  -t-

  Dear Libby,

  I can’t wait for you to come home. How is the fling coming—any prospects?

  I don’t think it is serious, but Tony brought a girl to Easter dinner. Just so you know.

  Love, Mel

  Libby didn’t cry. She wanted to, but the urge to sob wasn’t as strong as she thought it should have been.

  So instead of crying she went to a party. Conjuring Mel’s fashion advice from her memory, Libby dressed with purpose. Her red dress molded to her body until it flared at her waist. Spinning in front of her mirror Libby admired the way the material moved with her body, and lifted teasingly with a wiggle of her hips. Strappy black heals and a ful-on makeup application completed her look.

  Lena, an Italian friend of Libby’s from the culinary institute, had invited her to the party. Originaly she had declined thinking she would be out of place as the only tourist there, but staying home with her textbooks wasn’t a good idea. In the cab, on her way to the club, Libby had second, third, and fourth, thoughts. A p
art of her was afraid that when the shock of Mel’s news wore off depression would settle in. Of al the ways that evening could end, a teary public meltdown was Libby’s least favorite scenario.

  Less than a year in Italy had given her enough Italian to order a meal, go shopping, and ask for a restroom. That was not enough to survive an evening at a local party. It was likely that most of these dancing, drinking, laughing people spoke better English than Libby, but she loathed being the ignorant American. Lena introduced her around, but soon Libby found herself sitting at the bar sipping her wine, and wondering if she could politely cal herself a cab. She had come to the conclusion that having a fling was better in theory than in practice.

  “Balare?”

  Libby turned to find a man tal dark and gorgeous enough to satisfy Mel’s fling requirements. He was probably too old to be a student. Although there was a wide range of ages attending the culinary institute, so she couldn’t be sure. His dress shirt was roled up past his elbows, and unbuttoned at the colar in deference to the heat of the room. A spray of chest air showed through the opening of his shirt. And that solve an age old debate between Libby, and Mel: chest hair or no chest hair. Chest hair was unquestionably sexy.

  He cocked his head waiting for an answer.

  “American?”

  “Si. Yes I am, sorry.”

  He seemed to find that funny. “You are sorry that you are American?”

  “No. I am sorry that I didn’t understand what you said. I am stil learning.”

  “I asked you to dance with me.”

  “Oh! Umm sure… yes. Thank you.”

  He thought that was funny too. Standing up they walked closer to the other dancers. Tal, this man towered over her even in her dancing shoes. Despite being dressed in a relatively loose button up shirt she could tel he was muscular. Big solid forearms bulged below his roled sleeves, and his shoulder was hard beneath her hand. He was a wonderful dancer. This was lucky for Libby as she was not-- and two poor dancers together are always a disaster. They danced two or three songs, and he held her close enough to smel his cologne the whole time.

  “Would you care to take a walk with me? Mia Belezza?” He had to lean down and speak directly in her ear, because the music was much louder on the dance floor. Hot breath tickled her neck.