“So- uh- unfortunately I only invited a couple people. A few friends from work and their girlfriends, but they canceled on me. Shane says he’s sick, but he’s probably just hungover. Sam had to go do some emergency plumbing for his mother and Howie got called into work. Better him than me though.” A slow, bad boy grin spread over Rone’s face, as though he was perfectly aware of what his little bit of information had just done to her.
Turned her into a pile of jelly. God, he couldn’t have planned this better if he tried.
Heather slowly looked up into Rone’s face. He had a beautiful face, which was at odds with the hard, chiseled planes of his body. Dark, soulful eyes the color of the softest velvet stared back at her. He had the longest, darkest lashes she had ever seen on a man. His nose was fine, straight, not large or too small. His cheekbones were high for a man, his lips strong, his jawline angular. A thick growth of black stubble covered his chin, probably just his five o’clock shadow showing up early. In high school, Rone had lost most of his hair. She didn’t know if it was genetics or what was happening, but he’d started shaving his head at sixteen. He was the only man Heather had ever met who looked good like that, without any hair at all. It somehow suited his face, gave him a tougher, harder look to match the rest of him.
“Maybe I should go then… I mean, if no one else is here. You probably don’t want to get the pool ready just for me.”
Rone’s eyes changed, the softness vanishing. The slow burn of fire took its place, the flames burning Heather right where she stood. Her insides melted and clenched and her entire body started an uncomfortable aching and chaffing from the inside out. A strange warmth traveled up her thighs and settled right where it shouldn’t have.
“I already cleaned it this morning. It’s ready to go. You have no excuse to leave now.”
“My brother…”
He stepped forward and Heather felt so much smaller than she normally did. She looked up when she spoke to a lot of people, but Rone looked like a giant. He was well over six feet and lord, did she feel tiny. She actually found, to her astonishment, that she liked the feeling. She liked feeling like he could do anything to her, anything at all that he wanted.
Her eyes came abreast with his golden chest. He’d shaved the hair there and the skin was glistening, bronzed from the sun. Unfortunately for her, he’d left the trail of black, wiry hairs that circled his navel and trailed lower, disappearing below those trunks. God, she wanted to rip those off and stand back and just look at the rest of him. Is that creepy as hell? She admitted that she didn’t want to just look. She might want to touch as well.
“Your brother,” Rone said softly, his words underscored with dangerous emotion, “Is not here. He doesn’t have to know.”
“He’ll find out that I was here, somehow. Alone with you. That we-”
“That we what?” Rone blinked, smoldering heat growing in his eyes.
Heather’s face burned as hot as the rest of her body. “That we- swam. Alone,” she finished lamely.
Rone laughed. “Is that cause for him to kick my ass? If so, I need to find a better best friend. This isn’t the damn eighteen hundreds.” His eyes raked over her, making her feel wobbly all over. “So are you going to stay, Heather, or are you going to leave?”
It finally registered with her, why Rone was looking at her like that. She never thought, after years of having a crush on him, after years of being in love with him, that he’d ever be more than politely interested in her. She never thought she’d be anything but Heather, Jay’s kid sister, but the way he was looking at her… he was looking at her like she was a woman.
She was as shocked as if someone had just stuck her with an electric prod. Okay. Shitty analogy. She felt the electric current pass between them, the zap that turned her insides into a twisted mess. He looked at her with a rich warmth in his eyes, like he craved her. Like he was starved for her. The naked admiration in his eyes, the raw desire, was something she had never seen before. At least not when he looked at her. He’d always been so careful. Just like she was. Or maybe it was new? Maybe all that masculine need had sprung up in the last few minutes. No. Not possible. The way Rone was looking at her, it took years to develop. She realized it probably mirrored the way she was looking at him.
“I… I should go. This- Rone, we both know we can’t.”
“Can’t what?” His voice was equally as deep and husky as hers, every word honeyed and seductive. “Have a good time?”
“Is that what this is? A good time?” Her voice shook. The air crackled and sparked between them. He was less than a foot away. All she had to do was reach out and run her finger down that impossibly broad chest. His lips twisted into a smirk that melted her inside. She wanted those lips on her own. No, she wanted those lips everywhere. On every inch of her skin.
“I promise it would be a good time. But no, that’s not all this is.”
“How long?” Heather panted. “How long have you felt like this?” Her head felt like it was going to float off her shoulders. Was she really standing there with Rone, questioning him about a mutual attraction? It was everything she’d spent most of her life dreaming of. She thought it was always going to be just that- a fantasy.
“How long?” He frowned, his forehead knitting together. His eyes burned straight through her, bordering on wild. “Forever.”
The flare of heat in that word, the way Rone said it… it was too much. Heather’s legs nearly buckled. That word rang through her head, over and over. Forever. It echoed in every single one of her rapid heartbeats. She could feel her pulse jumping in her throat.
“What do you mean?” She gasped. She stumbled back a step, but Rone just took another one forward. This was so not how she had seen the pool party going. She thought it was going to be innocent. Hang out with some people she didn’t know, have a few drinks, maybe relax by the pool for a bit, hopefully get an eyeful of Rone, half naked and wet from the pool, go home and fantasize about it for the rest of her damn life.
It isn’t supposed to be like this. Everything she’d ever wanted, from the words Rone was saying to the way he was looking at her hit her square in the chest. Her breath came out in a long rush, like she truly had been hit with something physical.
Rone blinked those long, dark eyelashes. “Just what I said. For as long as I can remember wanting someone, it’s been you. I’m a big believer in leaving things until the right time. I don’t think it was an accident I bumped into you at that shop. That out of all the places I could have walked into, it was you at the front desk. I don’t think it was an accident that you were put in my life. I haven’t been too blind to see it- I just…”
“My brother. I know.” Heather had to look away. “So was it fate too, that all your friends canceled or are you lying to me? Maybe you didn’t invite anyone at all? Maybe you just wanted to get me here and see what it was like to do the one thing that we were never allowed to do. Maybe it’s just a fantasy of your own, having your best friend’s sister.”
Rone’s step forward was so quick and fluid that she didn’t register the movement until it was too late. He loomed over her, dwarfing her with his massive size. She backed up again, which was a mistake, she realized, as soon as her back hit the front door. She hadn’t even taken off her shoes. She’d literally walked in and suddenly they were talking about everything that remained unspoken between them for so long. Far too long.
One strong hand came up and gently, so very gently, landed on her jaw. His fingers curled into her cheek, cupping her face. The heat in his touch was unmistakable. Heather couldn’t help herself. She lost whatever battle she’d been fighting. That one touch was all it took to unravel years of restraint and self-control.
“No. Never that,” Rone said huskily. She almost forgot what he was answering and then she recalled her accusation. His hand moved to her hair where he tucked a long strand back behind her ear. He caressed the dark strands for a moment, running the end down between his thumb and index finger. A low
growl erupted from his throat and they both started. “You might be my fantasy, but what you said, that’s not part of it. My fantasy is you under me, straining, naked, soaking wet, screaming my name. It’s never been my desire to take you.” He bent his head and whispered thickly in her ear. “My fantasy is to give you absolutely everything.”
Chapter 4
Nothing More Than A Dream
Rone
It wasn’t how Rone planned it would go when he finally told Heather how he felt. He’d hoped for this day to come but was never certain it actually would. She’d always been out of reach, nothing more than a dream. She truly was a fantasy and fantasies were just that. They never really came true.
Yet there she was, her glorious body an inch away from his, her delicate pink lips parted to draw in raspy breaths, dark lashes fluttering up and down, a delicate blush of desire dancing over her cheekbones.
Did I really just say I wanted to give her everything? Surprisingly Heather didn’t pull away. She made no move to punch him in the face or knee him in the groin. She didn’t call him a pervert or shove him back. The way she was looking at him, it made his entire body tingle. She looked at him like she wanted him as well and it wasn’t just the kind of passing fancy, the promise of an afternoon of pleasure or an illicit escape. It was like a veil dropped from her eyes and he could see the echo of his own desire there. Is it possible she’s wanted me too? All these years?
“So?” he had to ask. “Are you going to let me show you what’s possible between us?” His lips tingled when he looked at her mouth. His groin was so damn painful it was a miracle his cock wasn’t tenting his shorts out. He was so hard, it was standing straight up against his stomach, flat. He was still grateful Heather was looking up at his face and not down.
Those glorious lips parted, but no sound came out. Her pink tongue darted out, wetting her lips as though she knew just what it would take to drive him absolutely crazy.
“Rone, I… you’re my brother’s best friend. You were always off limits. Nothing has changed. You’re still Jay’s friend. You work together. You’re like a member of my family. I can’t do this with you and ruin everything.”
“Who says it would ruin anything? Nothing has to change.”
“Everything would change,” she protested sharply. He liked the fire burning in her eyes, the darkening of her features, the spitfire she was. Lord, he wanted her in his bed. She could use up all that energy trying to tame his.
“So what if it did?” He shrugged. He leaned in closer and inhaled deeply. The scent of Heather’s perfume filled his nose and his senses went wild, firing on full alert. His entire body went rigid and he nearly groaned at the sweet temptation she presented. “Would it really be the worst thing that ever happened?”
“Yes. Jay would- well he could- he would kill you.”
“I doubt it.”
“He would hate you.”
“He might. If he found out. We’re both adults, Heather. We both know what we want. It doesn’t have to be any of your brother’s business. Just ours. Me. And. You.” He leaned in even closer, bending his head so that his lips grazed the sweet heat of her temple. He was barely able to keep himself from turning her face into him and bruising those lush, tempting lips.
“It’s not right.” Her protest was feeble, her voice shaking.
“Oh, I’m well aware that it might not be right. On the other hand, I’m sure nothing will ever feel as right. I’ve wanted you since I was a teenager. You made it so I couldn’t even think straight. Ever since you turned into a woman, you weren’t just Jay’s sister to me. You were this goddess, this sensual being that was so far above me. You were always my greatest temptation and my darkest dream.”
“Stop it.”
“I can’t stop. Because I can tell you don’t really mean it. I can tell that you want me as badly as I want you.”
She glared up at him, challenging him, though the light of passion burned bright in the gray depths of her eyes. “There is a difference between want and need.”
“Not right now there isn’t.”
Those light gray eyes that he loved so much kept staring at him, kept challenging him, searching him, trying to figure out if he was real or not or if he was stringing her along. He was nearly as shocked as she looked when she let out a long sigh. Her shoulders wilted just a little as she backed down.
“Here it goes, Rone. Here is the confession of the year. No, of a lifetime. I’ve wanted you since I was like, I don’t know. Ten. Twelve? Whenever it was possible. I knew this would never happen between us because it can’t. There isn’t a scenario in the entire world where we are happy together and in love and our families are happy for us. You know how protective my brother is. You’re his best friend. It would be the lowest of low blows.”
He pushed up closer. Heather’s back was already up against the wall. When he leaned in, he parted her legs easily, stepped close and let her feel what she was doing to him. Her eyes widened in shock. He bent his head again and whispered hotly in her ear.
“Jay doesn’t get to decide how we live our lives. I don’t want to hurt anyone, but I’m not going to let him stand in the way of this. I want you as well. I’ve wanted you for over a decade. This is our time. Right here. Right now.”
She shuddered violently against him and he could literally feel the heat of her thighs pressing into his knee as the hem of her dress rode up. When she finally looked up at him, her eyes were deep and misty, overcast with clouds. “It’s not the right time.”
“Is there ever going to be a right time? I swear, I can’t wait any longer.”
“We’ve waited all these years. We always knew this was never going to be our reality.”
“Then let’s change it. Let’s make it real. Even if it’s just for today.”
Heather actually laughed. It was soft and lost sounding. “We both know it would never be just for one day. I can’t even believe we’re standing here saying these things.”
“The fact that we are proves that we’re ready. We’re ready to move past what everyone else wants and says. I never knew you felt the same way or believe me; I would have done something about this much, much sooner.”
“I can’t break up my family. I love my brother.”
“Jay is like a brother to me too. We’re closer than blood. He doesn’t have to know. Or maybe, later, we could tell him and he’d understand. Maybe he’d come around. We’re both adults. Like I said, old enough to make our own decisions. Don’t you think he would respect that?”
Heather hesitated. “I don’t know.” She bit her bottom lip, worrying it with her top front teeth. “What if we do this and it’s a mistake? What if we don’t like it? What if it’s not all we made it out to be? That’s how it usually goes. You meet your heroes or something you thought was going to be amazing and it turns out just to be not at all what you thought it would be.”
“Oh, I promise this would be everything you dreamed it would be and more.”
“What if I’m not what you really want? What if we destroy everything for five minutes of passion?”
“Five minutes?” Rone choked. “God, what do you take me for? Five minutes!” Heather’s slow, answering smile melted him inside. He might be all hard on the exterior, twice her height and probably five times her overall size, but she was the one who slayed him.
“You know what I mean.”
“Well, we’re both adults. I think that we could do this and not ruin anything at all. This is between us. It’s always been between us and that doesn’t need to change. Right, wrong, I don’t even know what that means anymore. Not when you’re here, like this.”
“You wouldn’t feel guilty about going behind my brother’s back?”
“Jay isn’t my keeper. He’s my friend and he’s always going to be, but I’m not going to let him tell me who I can and can’t have feelings for.”
Heather’s throat worked hard as she swallowed. Her eyes widened and became luminous. “And do you? Have
feelings for me? Or is this just about the fact that you think I’m hot?”
Rone released the groan he’d been holding back. “I have feelings for you. I can’t just drop the L bomb because I don’t fully even know what it means. I’m not going to lie to you or trick you into thinking something that I’m not. I’m a guy. I can’t express what I feel as freely as you do.”
“So you think that if we do this, we could actually just go on with our lives like nothing happened.”
“I never said that.” He leaned in again, giving her a taste of just how affected he was. Her face changed, awareness flooding her features. God help him, he wouldn’t have done any of it if he couldn’t tell that she wanted him as badly as he wanted her. “I’m not trying to push you into making a decision. I’m just telling you how I feel and what I think.”
“Why? Why now?”
“Because it’s long overdue. I knew the minute I saw you in that shop that you were brought back into my life for a reason. I might have behaved before and let you go, but I can’t do that again. Not without telling you, not without taking a chance.”
“So you really didn’t invite anyone else over here, did you?” Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“No. I mean yes, I did. They really did all cancel, but you came. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.”
Heather rolled her eyes. He thought she was going to shove him away and walk out the door, despite what she felt, despite the current in the air between them, despite the shivers that raced up and down her body, the shivers that he could feel since he was pressed right up against her. He thought she’d deny herself, deny them both, as she always had. As he should have continued to do. He knew he was out of line. Far out of line.
Hot Ink: All 3 Tattoo Shop Romance Books + 2 Exclusive Bonus Stories Page 27
