Stupid Love: A Friends to Lovers Romantic Comedy (The Prescotts Book 1)

by Tara Wyatt

  “Hey! I meant things like snowboarding and how to cook the perfect steak, but if you’re gonna be rude about it, fine. Ugh, watch them grow up to be skiers. Gross.”

  “They’re going to be spending most of their time in Texas and Southern California, so I think your fears are unfounded,” said Javi, shaking his head a little.

  With Lauren’s hand in his, seeing Aerin so deliriously happy with her fiancé and impending motherhood, Theo couldn’t help but wonder if he could be that happy, too. If he could have what Aerin had—love, support, happiness, a future filled with the promise of even more love, especially with not one but two babies on the way. And while that kind of future was still a giant if, he knew that the only person it was even remotely possible with was Lauren.

  “Hey, look who it is,” said Bastian, holding out his hand and pulling their cousin Noah into a man hug. Noah’s brothers Hudson and Levi trailed close behind. Noah, Hud, and Levi were the sons of Caleb Prescott, their father Quentin’s only brother. Quentin and Caleb couldn’t have been more different—where Quentin was driven by wealth and power and used people the way a painter used a brush, Caleb had been selfless and dedicated to his community. He’d walked away from the family business and the wealth that came with it in order to join the NYFD. Sadly, he’d died while rescuing others on September 11, 2001, leaving behind his wife and three young sons.

  “This is my cousin Noah,” he said introducing Lauren. “And my cousins Hudson,” he said, gesturing to the fair-haired guy with colorful tattoos poking out from beneath the collar of his shirt and the cuffs of his sleeves. “And Levi.” Levi, as usual didn’t smile, just nodded. His grumpiness was probably why he and Max got along so well.

  As they shook hands, Theo added, “Noah’s a firefighter, Hudson’s a tattoo artist, and Levi’s a paramedic.”

  “We’re the normal Prescotts,” said Noah, flashing a grin at Lauren.

  “Yeah, the ones who don’t have sticks up their asses,” agreed Hudson, pushing a hand through his hair. “Well, two out of three of us, anyway.”

  “Hey, I told you I’d let you tattoo me, but you wouldn’t do it,” said Bastian, frowning.

  “Because I wasn’t going to tattoo ‘YOLO’ across your hand.” Hudson shook his head. “I only do quality tattoos, not dumbass tattoos people will regret in a year. Or less.”

  “But YOLO will always be true,” said Bastian, rolling his eyes and making Noah laugh.

  Aerin pointed at him. “Fun fact: Noah was on the cover of the NYFD charity calendar last year,” she said, grinning mischievously.

  Noah rubbed a hand over the back of his neck. “I will forever regret sharing that with everyone. Next time I do anything for charity, I’m keeping it a secret.”

  “One, you suck at secrets,” said Levi, grinning into his beer. “And two, you do everything for everyone all the time, so good luck there. You are a walking, talking charity.”

  “Look, someone’s gotta look after Gramps and it’s not like you have the money to invest in Hud’s shop, so…”

  “There you all are! I’ve been looking for you. The lighting in here is so dim, I can hardly see my own hand in front of my face.” Even though he hadn’t talked to her in a long time, Theo instantly knew the sound of his mother’s voice. His shoulders tensed and Lauren gave his fingers a squeeze. He plastered a neutral expression on his face as he turned to her. Her blond hair was perfectly styled in artful waves around her freshly nipped and tucked face, but her blue eyes—the same blue as Theo, Max and Bastian’s—were as icy and cutting as ever.

  “Hi, Mom,” he said, not moving in for a hug or a kiss, which she didn’t seem to notice. She sipped her glass of wine and then moved forward to give Aerin a peck on the cheek.

  “And you must be Javier,” she said, eyeing Javi, judgement coming off of her in waves.

  To the man’s credit, he simply smiled and met her eyes. “I am. It’s nice to meet you.”

  “Hogging all the attention, as usual, Adelaide,” said Theo’s dad from the other side of the group, sidling up and sipping at his drink. A woman at least a few years younger than Lauren had her hands draped around his arm. His dark brown hair had faded over the years to a salt and pepper shade, but aside from a few more lines on his face, he still looked like the same man who was incapable of loving anyone other than himself.

  “Where did you find this one, Quentin? The playground?” Adelaide’s voice dripped with disdain and Theo swore he felt his blood pressure go up.

  “Better the playground than the graveyard where they keep ghouls like you.”

  “He only hates me because I took half his money and ruined his life,” said his mother sweetly, her laugh a little too loud and brittle.

  Quentin turned to the men, his back to Lucian, freezing him out as usual. “Let that be a lesson: never get married to a heartless—”

  Aerin held up her hands. “Okay, great! So nice to have the whole family back together. Why doesn’t everyone take their seats for dinner? It should be served shortly.” She took her mom’s elbow and started guiding her in one direction. “Your seat is over there, Mom, and Dad, you and your date are sitting over there.” She pointed to the far side of the restaurant.

  As soon as their parents were out of ear shot, Theo turned to Aerin. “I don’t understand why you invited them.”

  She gave a little shrug. “Because inviting them was easier than dealing with the drama if I didn’t. I’d have been hearing about it for years. Not worth it.”

  The dinner itself was uneventful, and Theo was happy to sit and chat with Lauren and his brothers, although he was a little concerned about the amount of scotch Bastian was putting away. The food was delicious—a green salad with dried fruit, nuts and crumbled blue cheese, stuffed chicken breast served with a creamy, buttery sauce, cinnamon-infused baked sweet potatoes, and sauteed vegetables, and an assortment of cookies and pastries for dessert. Once everyone had eaten their fill, they all stood to mingle and refresh their drinks. While Lauren chatted with Aerin on one side of the room, Theo made his way to the bar to order another drink. He’d successfully avoided his parents for the remainder of the evening; if he could steer clear them until he was safely back in New York where he had avoiding them down to an art form, he’d be golden. Staying away from them wasn’t optional; he’d only been around them for a few minutes and he already felt tense and angry and completely uncomfortable. It was as though with every single second he spent around them, he lost sight of the best parts of himself, little by little.

  As he waited for his order, he checked the time on his phone, wondering how much longer he’d have to stay to be polite and not disappoint Aerin. All he wanted to do was to drag Lauren back to their room and bury himself inside her. He needed the anchor of her body under his, her mouth, her hands, her moans, her laughter…

  “You know, you always were the smart one,” said his mother from beside him, a hint of a slur to her words. Everything inside him tensed up, but he forced himself to stay perfectly still. She was like a predator, and if she smelled fear, she went in for the kill. It was the only way she knew how to communicate.

  He fought the urge to roll his eyes. “We’re all smart, Mom. Well, maybe not Bastian, but the rest of us…” He shrugged, trying to inject a little humor into the situation.

  She laughed, but it was a mirthless sound. “Ha. Well, I’m not so sure about Aerin. I thought she was smart for leaving Eric. Smart for starting her own agency. But getting remarried? Maybe she’s not as smart as I gave her credit for.”

  Something inside Theo went cold as he remembered having nearly identical—although less meanspirited—thoughts about Aerin getting remarried. He could feel his mother’s influence wriggling around inside him, like worms eating a rotten piece of meat. He wanted so badly to excise whatever of her was in him. If he could find a way to do that, maybe then he could be the man that Lauren deserved. But she was a part of him and he didn’t know how to change that. He couldn’t alter his DNA an
y more than he could rearrange the planets. So he simply picked up his drink and took a sip. His mother did the same and he suddenly didn’t want his drink anymore.

  She sighed, leaning her slender arms on the bar. “Well, at least this Javier fellow’s rich. I’ll give her that much.”

  Something inside him snapped and he turned to face her. “That’s a shitty attitude to have about your only daughter’s wedding.”

  She laughed, but she wasn’t laughing with him—he’d have to actually be laughing for her to do that. No, she was definitely laughing at him, the peal of her laughter almost mocking. “Oh, please. Take off your white hat and get off your high horse. I’d have thought by now that you know how the world works. You’re a divorce lawyer, for Christ’s sake. Money matters, and women like money. Women crave money—trust me, we all think that way.”

  Theo glanced across the room to where Lauren stood with Aerin and shook his head. “No, you think that way. I doubt very much that womankind has authorized you to speak on their behalf.”

  “You’re so naïve, my baby boy.” She shook her head sadly. “It’s all a game. All of it. Women want money, or power, or whatever. We want something, and we know that men want sex with pretty women. To get what we want, we play the game. We scheme. We manipulate. It’s past time you grew up and realized that.” She nodded in Lauren’s direction. “You think your sweet little redhead isn’t playing games with you to get what she wants?”

  Theo frowned, and he knew he should just walk away from the conversation, but he couldn’t. He felt compelled to defend Lauren, even though he knew his mother’s opinion wasn’t worth a damn. “Lauren’s not like that. I’ve known her for ten years, and she’s not anything like the type of woman you’re describing.”

  His mother laughed again and patted his arm. “She’s obviously very good at the game if she’s got you fooled.”

  “She’s not playing games with me. She’s always been honest with me, and she’d never manipulate me. She’s not like that.” He opened his mouth to say more, but then decided it wasn’t worth the time or energy. “Good night, Mom. I’ll see you at the wedding tomorrow.”

  “Keep your eyes open, Theo. The innocent-seeming ones are always able to cut the deepest.”

  He scowled at her and shoved away from the bar, making a beeline for Lauren.

  18

  “Get on the bed, now.” Theo’s voice was low and rough as they stepped into the hotel room. Lauren could feel the tension radiating off of him, and she knew it had everything to do with seeing his parents tonight. She’d only witnessed snippets of their dynamic, but if that was what Theo had grown up with…she couldn’t even imagine. Her heart ached for him, and even though his commitment issues sucked, she felt like she maybe understood them just a little bit better. It made her so angry to know that he’d grown up with those two self-centered jerks raising him, angry to the point of wanting to scream at them. How could they have done that to him? How dare they make this amazing person feel like less than?

  Apparently she’d hesitated too long, because he snaked an arm around her waist and started walking her backwards through the room towards the bed. He dipped his head and tugged on her ear with his teeth. “Get on the bed now before I fucking make you.”

  She melted at his rough tone and she scrambled backwards to get on the bed, wanting to be whatever he needed right now. She couldn’t change his crappy childhood or his toxic parents, but she could give him this. She could give him the oblivion he was so clearly needing. He needed to work through whatever it was that he was feeling, and if a little rough sex was his way of dealing, she was more than game.

  As she moved up on the bed, she watched him undress, shedding his shoes, his pants, his shirt, his boxer briefs with quick, precise movements until he was completely naked, his cock already hard and thick. He picked up his discarded tie, tilting his head as he considered her. Then, he cocked an eyebrow, sliding the tie through his fingers. Butterflies erupted in her stomach as he slowly climbed onto the bed.

  “Undress for me.”

  It was a simple but thrilling command, and one she hurried to obey, shrugging out of her dress, her bra, her panties, until she was completely naked, her nipples hard, her pussy wet and throbbing. There was an intensity about him right now that promised all kinds deliciousness.

  He took one of her hands, dragging the silk of his tie over her wrist. “The idea of you bound for me, completely mine…I can’t stop thinking about it. I almost can’t handle it, it turns me on so much.”

  She held her other hand out. “I’m yours, Theo. Do whatever you want with me. Use me. Take me.”

  “Fuck,” he ground out, but he took her wrists and started binding them together with the tie. He sat back for a moment, admiring her, and she could only imagine how completely debauched she looked right now, naked and bound for him. Then he leaned down, his breath feathering against her ear. “If you want to stop, say ‘Ross Gellar.’”

  She bit her lip, hiding her smile. “A mood killer, for sure.”

  His kiss was surprisingly gentle when his mouth found hers, and she whimpered, lust pounding through her as he teased her with little licks into her mouth. He moved down her body, kissing her throat, her collarbones, her breasts. He tormented her nipples with little bites and hard sucks, making her moan and arch into his touch, begging for more. More than anything, she wanted to soothe him with her body. Wanted everything he was about to give her.

  He licked a path from her breasts up to her neck and finally took her mouth again in a hot, deep kiss. “You’re so goddamn beautiful, Lo. So fucking sweet. I wish—” He cut himself off and kissed her again, stopping himself from saying whatever he’d been about to. Guilt pulsed through her, twisting and tangling with her lust.

  She hadn’t told him about potentially moving to California. She wasn’t ready to face whatever that conversation would bring yet. After the wedding, she’d tell him and they’d talk about it, but she already had a sinking feeling she knew how it would go.

  He’d tell her to go to LA. And she would. And that would be it. He wouldn’t beg her to stay. He wouldn’t give up his hard won promotion to come with her. And so she’d be left with a choice—a maybe-relationship with Theo, or her dreams. And it felt massively unfair that she’d be the only one with a choice to make, because she was pretty sure he’d never actually choose her. He’d never made her any promises, and she’d told him she was okay with that.

  She’d lied. Because she wanted it all—the commitment, the promises, the security of a future.

  “Spread your legs for me, gorgeous,” he said, his voice husky. When she did, he let out a low chuckle. “Good girl.” Then he traced his fingers over her lips, exerting just enough pressure that she knew he wanted her to open. She did, and he slid two fingers into her mouth, groaning when she sucked him eagerly, savoring the salt of his skin on her tongue. He withdrew his fingers and then circled her clit with steady, firm strokes. Her hips arched up to meet him, his touch setting her on fire, just like it always did. He slid one finger inside her, stroking her and stretching her, and then he pulled it out, raising it to her mouth and tracing her lips with it. “See how fucking good you taste?” She moaned and sucked his finger into back her mouth, reveling in tasting herself on him. He pulled his finger free and kissed her again, a hard, deep, claiming kiss that only stoked the flames of her arousal higher.

  He slipped his hand between her legs again, stroking and massaging her aching, throbbing clit. “I love how wet you get for me, Lo. Fuck, I need to taste you.” He moved down the bed and settled himself between her legs, inhaling deeply. “I’m going to make you scream my name, sweetheart.” He nipped at one of her outer lips, the sharpness of his teeth balancing right on the edge between pleasure and pain. “I’m going to make you come so hard you forget how to breathe.” He licked her then, one slow sweep of his tongue from her entrance to her clit, making her hips jerk. “Whose pussy is this?” His voice was practically a growl, the s
ound of it rippling through her, making her spine arch.

  “It’s yours, Theo. It’s all yours.” He could claim her heart, too, if he wanted it. It was his for the taking.

  He moaned against her as he started to eat her in earnest. “Such a good fucking girl, my Lo.” His tongue swirled over and around her clit in a way that had her insides clenching and her breath coming harder and faster. He pushed her legs up and back, spreading her even wider for him. “Keep your legs there, baby. Don’t move.” He closed his lips over her clit and slid two fingers into her, sending pleasure spiraling through her, making her feel like she was floating a few inches off of the mattress. Her legs started to shake and she tightened around his fingers as the first sparks of her orgasm flared to life.

  But then he slid his fingers free and lifted his head. “No coming yet, sweetheart. I’m going to make you beg for it.” She bit her lip, loving this dirty, controlling side of him. It was such a sharp contrast to the sweet, funny goofball she’d fallen in love with. He sat up and moved up on the bed. “I want your mouth on my cock.”

  The tingling agony of her denied orgasm still pulsing through her, she rose to her knees—a little awkwardly thanks to her bound wrists—and straddled one of his legs, grinding herself on him. He gave her ass a smack, the grin on his face so wickedly sexy she felt her pussy spasm in response. “If your lips aren’t around my cock in the next three seconds, you’re going to be sorry.”

  Deciding she wanted to play with fire, she reached out and stroked his cock with just the tips of her fingers, teasing him. She ran her fingers through the bead of moisture at the head of his cock, playing. Provoking. He shivered under her touch, his muscles taut. But then he let out a growl and suddenly she was on her back with her head hanging over the edge of the bed. He stood in front of her—or was it behind her? With her head upside down, she wasn’t sure—his cock in his fist. Then he bent and whispered in her ear, “Squeeze my hand three times if this gets too intense for you, okay?” She nodded and took his hand between her bound ones while he used his other to feed her his cock, sliding it between her lips and pushing deep into her mouth. She moaned around him, swallowing his thick length as best she could. She pulsed between her legs as he slowly fucked her mouth.