I'm Holding On

by Scarlet Wolfe

  “I brought some powdered sugar in case I needed to sprinkle some on the desserts. You know how in the summer the stuff melts,” Brynlee says as she turns around with a large Ziploc bag. The next thing I see is Brynlee throwing it at him.

  “What the hell?” Drew asks, shaking his shirt.

  Brynlee throws another handful. I have to smile at how cute she looks. Her grin could light up a city.

  “Oh, that’s it, sugar. You are in for it now,” Drew says before he reaches to get the bag from her. She turns abruptly to keep him from grabbing it.

  Of course, his reach is much farther than hers so he gets a hold on it, but she pulls it away as he’s trying to keep his footing. She’s giggling, and I try to recall if Brynlee’s ever been this relaxed with me?

  She’s hunched over with the bag in her arms before she launches a handful of it backward over her head. The white powder falls on Drew before he leans his head over to shake it off.

  “You really must want trouble, young lady.”

  “That’s what you get for being a big tease!” She bursts into laughter about the time he gets the bag from her. What the hell? A big tease. Surely she’s not putting the moves on him and he’s refusing.

  This fucking hurts, and for the life of me, I can’t take my eyes off of her. I can’t stop watching this torturous scene.

  Brynlee makes a run for it, and Drew chases her around the van. She makes it to the back again and peeks along the passenger side, but he’s sneaking up on her from behind. She realizes right before he reaches her, so she spins around and lets out a loud squeal.

  Drew dumps the entire bag on her head, and there she stands, every part of her white except for those tanned, sexy legs of hers.

  “You didn’t!”

  “Oh, baby, you knew you had that coming.”

  “Not the whole damn bag.”

  I want to vomit as Drew pulls her into his arms and kisses her forehead.

  “I’m sorry. I guess that was a little much, but I think you started this to get me into the shower again,” he says.

  What the fuck? Oh, I can’t take this. He needs to get his damn hands off of her! Brynlee playfully pushes him away.

  “Wishful thinking. Dumping the entire bag on my head probably wasn’t your best move to make that happen.”

  “You need a shower don’t you?” he asks before he pulls her back into his arms.

  She wraps hers around his neck.

  “Yes,” she says with an alluring look, and I see it clearly since I’m headed straight at them. She sees me first and lets go of Drew.

  He must notice the startled look on her face since he turns around about the time I reach them. I push him right into the back of the open van. I have hold of his t-shirt as he falls. I swear I want to kill him.

  Brynlee begins screaming my name, but I can’t stop myself as I pound his head onto the van floor. I bring back a fist to hit him, and he grabs my other arm. That’s when Brynlee steps in front of me.

  Her terrified face stops my fist right before I hit her, and then I hear Isaac’s voice. He grabs my arms from behind, causing me to release Drew. He flies upward almost knocking Brynlee down before he lunges for me.

  She turns to face him and throws her arms out.

  “Drew, stop. Please, don’t!”

  “What the fuck is wrong with you?” Drew shouts. “Are you trying to hurt her? You almost punched her in the damn face!”

  “Both of you stop. I’m going to lose my business here if the manager sees this.”

  “Ian, what the hell are you doing? Get in my damn car right now!” Isaac snaps before he releases me.

  “Brynlee, I’m sorry.” I feel the pressure on my chest when I see her anguish.

  “Ian, get in the vehicle.” I glance to my brother. He’s glaring at me and pointing to his car. I go to approach Brynlee, but she backs away.

  “Please don’t do what he asked,” I say, pleading with her. I can’t think about them being in the shower together.

  “Ian, leave. We’ll talk tomorrow,” she says. I’ve fucked up. She’s angry and disappointed. I see it all over her face. I get into Isaac’s car and slam the door before he gets in and takes out his phone.

  “Dad, something’s come up. Can we move dinner to another night?” I hear him ask.

  I stare out the window, seething with anger. I still want to hurt Drew.

  Alphas, Cavemen, and Neanderthals

  Brynlee

  “Drew, are you OK?” I ask frantically. I try to move behind him to see the back of his head, but he pulls me into his arms.

  “I’m fine, Bryn. I’m sorry I pushed you. I’d never try to hurt you.”

  “If you touched me, I don’t remember. I’m worried about your head.”

  He reaches to the back of his head, and there’s a small puddle of blood on his fingers when he pulls them back down. I grab his arm and turn him around. Luckily, it’s only one cut and doesn’t appear to be deep enough for stitches.

  “Get in the van, and I’ll drive,” I say. Drew gets in and reaches in the glove box for some napkins and holds them to his head. I let out a deep breath and try to still my trembling hands as I drive. “When we get back, I’ll doctor your cut.”

  “That was crazy jealous,” Drew says.

  I glance over and see him smirking.

  “I can’t believe you’re finding humor in this.”

  “I have to, Bryn, or I’ll hunt him down, and I can’t do that since it would hurt you, too.” He pulls the napkin down, revealing a lot of blood. “And I can’t help but wonder what Isaac was thinking seeing us like this.”

  “Oh my gosh. I forgot about the powdered sugar. I don’t know how after looking at you.”

  The shop is closed, so we’re alone. After getting the first aid kit from the bathroom, I find Drew in the office. “Sit.” I point to the chair.

  “I don’t need you to take care of me. I’m sure it’ll stop bleeding shortly.”

  “Sit,” I say sternly, pointing to the chair again. He blows out a breath and takes a seat, still holding the napkins to his head. I take them and look at his cut.

  “I don’t know, Drew. I think it needs a few stitches, and now, I’ll worry about you having a possible concussion. Please let me take you to get it checked out.”

  “I’m not going to the hospital, and I don’t feel like I have a concussion.”

  “Fine.” I proceed to mumble to myself about alpha males, cavemen and Neanderthals.

  “I can hear you,” he says.

  “I can’t say I’m sorry. You two are relentless and becoming exhausting.”

  Thankfully, there are steri-strips in the kit, so I doctor him up. “These strips should work like stitches, but I want to go back to your place.

  “These don’t appear to be the best quality, so you’ll probably need more put on after you shower. Do you mind?” I look around him and see his fists resting on his knees. They’re clenched so tight that his hands and knuckles are a mixture of red and white.

  “Drew, did you hear me?”

  “What?”

  I sigh heavily. These men are making me nuts. After cleaning up the mess I’ve made, I squat down in front of him and take hold of his hands.

  “Drew, what’s going on?”

  “He risked your safety and your job, Brynlee.” He looks at me, his eyes full of rage.

  “I’m not hurt, and the restaurant may have gotten just as upset over us goofing around.”

  “You know that’s not true. They love you, and we were happy. At most, they would’ve told us to leave. Ian could’ve cost you the whole account.”

  “I could’ve lost the account when I cancelled today.”

  “Are you defending him?” Drew asks, the fury in his eyes spreading.

  “No, Drew. I’m worried you’re going to go after him. It won’t solve anything, and you said you didn’t want to upset me. That most definitely will.” I have to calm him down. “Come on. Let’s go to your place.”
>
  Ian

  Isaac parks at a bar, and I don’t recall the ride here. I’m about to be drilled. I sit at a table and run my hands down my face. He appears and slides a beer in front of me, so I grab it and take a drink.

  “Were you and your longtime friend Drew fighting over what I think you were fighting over?”

  “Yes.”

  “You better start talking, little brother. Are you looking for a felony? Your career will end before it even begins.”

  I take another drink and slam my bottle down.

  “That woman is Brynlee. She’s the one I told you about today. What I didn’t tell you is that she works with Drew, and he’s been in love with her for over two years.”

  “Why would you put a move on your friend’s girl? That’s not like you.”

  “I knew about the girl he loved, but I didn’t know it was Brynlee until after we shared three very intense dates. It was too late then. I couldn’t give her up. She belongs with me, and I’m fighting for her.”

  “Yes, I witnessed that part.”

  “After Drew saw her out on a date with me, he finally told her how he felt. She had liked him the whole time, too, so once he told her, she got confused. She’s trying to decide which one of us she wants.”

  “That’s some messed up shit.”

  “I’m working on limited time, and that’s partly why I planned to introduce her to the family Sunday. I have major catching up to do. Drew’s been her best friend for over two years.”

  “What happened tonight?”

  “I saw his hands on her and overheard a conversation about them taking a shower together. I snapped. We’re basically sharing her but without sex.”

  I take a drink of my beer. Just thinking again about him touching her has me seeing red.

  “Ian, come back to me, bro. You can’t land your ass in jail. You know you can’t touch him again. I’m not trying to be negative, but do you think you can compete with him when they’ve had that kind of friendship?”

  “We have something intense between us, Isaac. Physically, we couldn’t be more right for each other. The chemistry is almost too much for me to handle, but after seeing her with Drew this evening, I don’t know if I still have a shot, especially after that incident.”

  “I doubt that helped you any.”

  “Every second we’ve spent together has been perfect, and I thought she was carefree with me until I saw them interact tonight. I’ve never seen her that trusting. She was so relaxed and happy.”

  “Maybe she’s more comfortable simply because she’s known him longer, or maybe you’re paranoid. I imagine he’d have the same fears if he saw you two together.”

  “She told me he’s lost it a couple of times but nothing like this. He was pretty pissed one morning when he showed up at her place, only to discover she’d slept over at mine.”

  “Damn. She slept in your bed all night, and you didn’t fuck her?”

  I look away from him. I never planned on telling a soul about this arrangement.

  “I see how much you care for her. I’m not going to give you shit over this. It’s a messed up situation, and I’m real sorry it happened with the first girl you’re obviously in love with. I didn’t know if we’d see the day.”

  “I do love Brynlee, and I don’t see how I’ll let her go if I have to. Isaac, I’ve never wanted anything as much as I want her in my life, and I’m used to getting what I want.”

  “Sorry, but we don’t get to control who others fall in love with, so you’re going to have to win her over, and beating up the other guy she has feelings for is not the way to go about it.”

  “I know. Listen, please don’t breathe a word about this to Mom and Dad or Blaire. I don’t want them thinking negatively about her. She’s special, Isaac. I’ve never met a sweeter woman, and Drew and I aren’t making things easy for her.”

  “I won’t say a word, but do we even know her family?”

  I roll my eyes. “No, she doesn’t come from money, and it shouldn’t matter. Can you take me to my car? I have to apologize to her.”

  “Alright, but call her. Don’t try to see her tonight. I have a feeling she might be with him for a while, especially if you did any damage.”

  “Don’t say that shit. I can’t even think about her being with him now that I’ve seen them in action.”

  Isaac points at me. “Don’t go over there. I mean it, and don’t touch him again. I’ll beat your ass if I have to represent you in court.”

  “Fine. Let’s go.”

  Sweet and Venomous

  Drew

  I still haven’t decided if I’m going to rip Ian’s head off after I take Bryn home. I can’t even tell her all the thoughts I’m having of what I’d like to do to him. He came within a foot of punching her. I would’ve been in jail for sure had he not stopped his fist.

  “I’m going to take a shower. You can watch TV or if you’re hungry, help yourself to whatever you can find,” I say as I throw my keys on the table and head to the bathroom.

  I’ve been silently fuming since we left the shop. I’m too angry at Ian and this whole fucked up situation to talk. I get into the shower and actually smell the sweet scent from a day of helping Brynlee bake. It’s that same smell that comforts me every day.

  “Hi,” she says as her arms wrap around my waist from behind. Oh damn. I turn around.

  “How did you sneak in here without me hearing?”

  “You must’ve been daydreaming.”

  “I was … about you and that sweet scent of yours. Bryn, don’t feel like you have to do this because of what he did.”

  “I want to do this. I thought I could wash your hair for you. Maybe the steri strips will stay on better, and I need a shower since someone dumped powdered sugar on my head.”

  I cup her face and graze my greedy lips across hers.

  “I’ve never once had a dull moment with you,” I whisper before my tongue finds its way in. Bryn’s fingers trail up my back, leaving me to feel as if I’ve lain on a jelly fish, thousands of nematocysts piercing my skin, injecting me with venom.

  Since my heart beats at warp speed from her touch, I should be dead from it coursing through my veins, but instead, Brynlee’s touch brings me to life like a drug that sucks me in more, luring me into her trap. One I’ll willingly stay in.

  I don’t know how I’ll survive this shower without erupting. I jerk my lips away from hers and watch those dark pools of rapture tilt up at me.

  “Hand me the shampoo and turn around,” she says.

  After doing what she commands, I feel the stings all over again, her tentacles on my scalp. Why does it feel so much better to have her fingers wash my hair? This is not helping the situation I have going on down south.

  “OK, rinse,” she says. I do as I’m told again and trade her places. She tilts her head back under the water, and while her eyes are shut, I scan her body from head to toe, filing more images away.

  Her eyes open, and the water droplets resting on her long lashes, her hair slicked back and those pouty red lips parted make me groan.

  “Bryn, I’m going insane here. I want to touch you.”

  She gives me a penetrating look as she squirts shampoo into her hands and begins rubbing it into her wet strands.

  “Then touch me.” Her eyes close, and her head falls back under the water again. Have I died and don’t realize it? Did Ian kill me and this is the afterlife? If so, I might have to thank the man.

  Gently taking hold of each side of her neck, I glide my hands from there down the front of her chest and around each of her tits. Her luscious pair. Holding the sides of them, my thumbs circle her nipples that harden beneath my touch.

  Bryn’s mouth falls open, and her forehead wrinkles, a strained expression appearing on her excited face. She lets out the most erotic whimper. Yes, I need to thank the man. I’ll take a head beating every day if this is the end result.

  One of her nipples slide between my teasing teeth. My tongue swirls ar
ound her pink, hardened flesh while my fingers grip her ass.

  Her palm is back around my aching erection, and I can’t believe I get this twice in a few days. I feel like a teenager as I get the best hand job from Brynlee.

  My hands go from her ass to fisting her wet hair when she generates the most electrifying orgasm. My body quakes as my face buries in her neck.

  My mouth will be all over her tonight. I’ll be sure she can’t bring herself to tell me no. Like the other day, I dry her off, but I’m impatient, so she’s still wet as I carry her to my bed.

  I explore her mouth before my lips move to her ear, neck and chest. After giving her breasts more attention, my lips glide down her smooth stomach. Her erotic whimpers soon turns into moans as my tongue finds her inner thigh.

  “Drew.”

  “What, sugar?”

  “I don’t know about this.”

  “Yes you do. Tell me to taste you, Bryn.”

  “I can’t.”

  “Say it.” My lips skim across her wet flesh, my blazing breath taunting her. “Tell me to pleasure you until you scream.”

  “I won’t say that.” She’s breathless and squirming.

  “Yes you will. Even if only for this moment, give yourself to me, Brynlee.”

  Brynlee

  Screw it. I don’t want to fight this anymore.

  “Pleasure me until I scream, Drew. Do it now.” My words come out between ragged breaths and send him out of control. He pins my wrists to the bed, a guttural sound escaping his breath before his tongue is sweeping, his scorching mouth consuming. I’m paralyzed from pleasure that was sanctioned by Drew.

  Even if only for this moment, give yourself to me. His last words echoing in my head, over and over as every one of my nerves flicker.

  “Dammit, Brynlee, it’s going to take all my will not to bury myself deep inside you when this is over. You. Are. Mine. Do you hear me? You’re mine. I won’t let him have you.”

  His tongue is back on me, lapping, sucking and stroking. Inebriated from the fits of ravishment, it only takes one more nip of my bud between his teeth and swirl of his tongue to open a portal of ecstasy.