Red Hot Lovers: 18 Contemporary Romance Books of Love, Passion, and Sexy Heroes by Your Favorite Top-Selling Authors

by Milly Taiden

  Finally out in the hallway, he hiccupped, found the bathroom door, and opened it. Charley let out a scream as she dove for the robe on the bathroom hook, her face as red as a beet.

  “I didn’t know anyone was awake,” Vinnie said. He wasn’t bothered in the least. He’d caught a nice glimpse of her breast and was impressed—the girl had a nice rack on her. He’d never gotten a good look before, she was always covered up.

  Charley screamed, pushing him out the door.

  “Charley, I’m sorry. I wasn’t trying to look,” he whispered at the door. Seconds later Charley cracked the door open, a face mask on. Her robe securely tied. She did her best to stare him down.

  “You do know my sister has a bathroom in her room don’t you?” she snapped.

  Vinnie held back the urge to laugh. She was so prudish for such a beautiful girl.

  “I did not know that. But I do now,” he said.

  She finally came out, rather unnerved. Vinnie had some nerve, she thought. She never let anyone see her naked, not even her sisters.

  “You have been here before, Vinnie. God, sometimes you’re nothing but a perv.” She slapped him on the arm, heading down the hall.

  Vinnie shook his head, knowing she’d be giving him the evil eye in the morning at breakfast.

  He hurried back to bed. Being in the hallway made him uneasy. All those pictures of Sandy, but no Sandy was enough to make him batty. He wasn’t a superstitious man, but he got a bad feeling being in the house.

  Pulling the covers back, he found Everly’s leg and ran his hand up her silky nightgown. He was immediately aroused. She was asleep and he wished she would wake up. He pushed her hair away from her face, kissed her cheek, and waited for a sign she sensed him. When there was no response, he continued.

  Her breathing seemed to stay the same. Every few seconds, Vinnie slid his hand up her leg a little farther.

  “What are you doing?” Everly whispered. She focused in on his face, annoyed he was even touching her as she slept.

  “I want you,” he whispered. He moved closer to meet up with her mouth only to feel a stinging slap across his face.

  “You have two hands, go jerk it in the bathroom!” She yelled, flipping over. All of a sudden she was vertical and as mad as a hornet. “My mother just died and all you can think about is getting some!”

  And with that, she flung herself back down, almost knocking him off the bed.

  Vinnie was flabbergasted. He knew she was cranky when she slept, but this was over the top. He silently stared off into the dark room, unsure of what to say next.

  “Do you see how you’re acting, Everly?” he asked, waiting for another smack.

  “Her funeral is in a couple hours and you want to have sex. Do you see how you’re acting?” she asked, enraged even more now.

  “I don’t know what you want from me. Would you rather me get it somewhere else?” he asked.

  Everly couldn’t believe he would ask such a thing, at a time like this.

  “You do whatever the hell you want. I can’t believe this is even being discussed,” she said, near tears.

  “What do you want me to do, Ev? I’m a man. I have needs. You used to as well. I’m getting very tired of the cold shoulder!” he yelled, sitting up in the bed now. He threw his legs to the floor, his back to her.

  “Vinnie, for once life doesn’t revolve around you. So deal with it. I am not going to feel bad because you weren’t able to get your way tonight, now good-night!” she screamed, loud enough for everyone in the neighborhood to hear her.

  Vinnie stood up and rushed for the door, only to stub his toe a second time. This time he screamed at the top of his lungs the vilest thing he could shout.

  “Fuck!” he yelled. He flung open the bedroom door, nearly plowing down Quinn. He grabbed hold of her arms before he trampled her, totally flustered.

  She looked up at him in shock. More than likely she’d heard the whole thing and that upset him even more. He hated anyone talking down to him, and he hated others hearing it.

  “I was going to get some cereal. I can’t sleep. Want to talk?” she asked.

  “I could use another shot, but I’ll pass on the cereal,” he grumbled.

  Quinn smiled, pleased, and pulled at his t-shirt, leading him back down the stairs. Vinnie allowed it, not bothered in the least if Everly woke up. It served her right after talking to him like she had. They’d fought before, but nothing like that.

  He watched her move down the stairs in nothing but a t-shirt and tiny little boxers with hearts on them. Her behind revealed itself just a little at each step. She had a nice body, there was no denying it. And he wasn’t afraid to look. Her t-shirt hugged her tightly, revealing just a small amount of skin. And that was enough to turn Vinnie on. It didn’t take a lot when he was intoxicated. She pulled out the milk, searched the cupboards for cereal, her hair messy and all over the place. He watched her get on her tiptoes trying her hardest to find some cereal.

  “I hate to say this, but I don’t think your dad has bought groceries in a while,” Vinnie said.

  “Yeah, me either.” She sniffed the milk, plunking a glass down on the counter.

  “A little milk can do the trick,” Vinnie said, staring off. He took a seat on a barstool.

  Quinn sat down next to him, overly confident and not caring in the least for how close she was to him.

  “Is everything okay with you and Everly?” she blurted, focused on turning her glass.

  Vinnie sighed. This wasn’t something he wanted to talk about with a kid sister.

  “She’s grieving,” he said. Quinn laughed, making him a bit cross.

  “No, I’m not laughing at that. Your pronunciation, some things you say just don’t sound right.”

  “I’ve always been told my accent was sexy,” he said, eyeing her. Quinn stared right back at him.

  He licked his lips, moving towards her, she didn’t move, just calmly blinking as he stopped short of her lips, pulling a stray hair off her shoulder. Quinn’s heart sped up at the idea he was going to kiss her, only to be sadly let down.

  “You have a hair,” he said, dropping it to the floor. She wasn’t amused in the least. And she knew it was a game to him. He knew she wanted him and he was playing hard to get. She wasn’t going to play along.

  “My sister is shutting you down. She does it all the time. I’ve seen it a million times before. That is what Everly does when she checks out. If I were you, I’d run,” Quinn explained, crossing her arms.

  “What exactly are you saying? She is tired of me?” he asked, shocked. He knew she was direct, but this was to the extreme.

  “That’s exactly what I’m saying,” she said with a nod.

  “I think there is more to our relationship than you think, Quinn. We have had our share of bumps along the way. But the thing is we always make it through them,” he insisted, looking off.

  “Well, dumb it down all you want. But it’s clear to me she checked out on you in the bedroom already. And how long can one go without sex? I know I couldn’t go for long.” She laughed.

  “You think you know it all, huh?” Vinnie asked her.

  “I know enough about men,” she shot back.

  Vinnie studied her carefully. He knew her kind of girl. He knew if he touched her face, she would pull back just the slightest. He lightly touched her face, and she pulled back, just like he’d predicted. He knew when his eyes met hers and held his gaze a bit longer than hers, she would move a little closer, and he was accurate.

  He pulled her barstool closer to him. Quinn shot out of her seat, straddling him, and she straight away attacked his mouth. Vinnie pulled her hair to direct her movement, enjoying the closeness. He really got into it, running his hands down to her backside, letting her revel in what she’d been craving since she got there He’d give her just enough before he shut her down.

  She bit his bottom lip pretty hard, she was as animalistic as he was in the bedroom, he thought as he bit at her neck. She
smacked his mouth as he tried slipping his hand into her shorts.

  “No, no, no, Vinnie,” she whispered before they started up again.

  “You’re a tease, huh?” he said back, bringing his hand to her neck. He squeezed a little, turning her on even more.

  “I never said that,” Quinn said back with a smile.

  Vinnie realized she was going to be a challenge, but he could break anyone. He stood up, pulling her off him. Quinn looked down seeing how aroused he was, and he didn’t try to hide it. She had imagined this for some time now, and she figured they could both use the ‘I was drunk’ defense if they were caught.

  “Let’s go into the laundry room,” he said, pulling her behind him. With the doors shut and locked he knew it was their safest bet, unless she was a screamer.

  She shoved the laundry off the top of the washer just as Vinnie lifted her up on top of it. He tore at her shirt, gasping she wrapped her legs around him, covering his face with kisses.

  Breathless, she continued pawing at him, using her feet to get him out of his pants. Vinnie wasted no time, pulling her shorts off and with that, they were both stripped bare.

  Ethan

  Ethan rolled over in his bed. He’d been up all night thinking about his mother. Whenever he’d asked his dad how it happened, his father had found a way to avoid the subject. Ethan wasn’t an idiot. He could read the newspaper and he could ask questions about the family. Something wasn’t right, and he was determined to figure it out.

  He’d read an article written about the man accused of murdering his mother. He just wanted someone to talk to him about it. Did his mother know her killer? Had he been one of her patients? Being a psychologist, she was no stranger to dealing with some crazies. Ethan was overly aggravated by his dad’s lack of willingness to share what he might know.

  He rolled over in bed, hearing a tapping noise. Rolling his eyes in disgust, he knew the only people in the house who’d be having sex was Everly and Vinnie. Grabbing his pillow he covered his ears, going to sleep, tomorrow was going to be interesting.

  Everly

  Everly sat up in bed, a sense of panic washing over her. She scrambled for her phone.

  “Six-thirty,” she said with a sigh, thinking she was late for her mother’s funeral. She saw Vinnie wasn’t in bed, but she wasn’t concerned enough about his whereabouts to go look for him. She knew Charley would probably be in charge of most of the arrangements, but she wanted to help with making the phone calls and getting things in order. That gave her a few more hours to rest before she had to get up.

  Everly began to wonder where Vinnie had gone. She was still mad at him for acting like a pig, but she did care about him. She wasn’t a total hateful bitch and she had compassion for those she loved and cared about. Decision made, she slipped quietly out of bed and made her way toward the bedroom door.

  Vinnie

  Vinnie stroked Quinn’s hair, admiring her smile. How quickly she lay in his arms. She didn’t act like she was too good for him; in fact, she acted like there was no place she’d rather be. He shook his head, not believing those thoughts had even crossed his mind. Damn liquor, he thought.

  “I think the sun is coming up,” he warned her. She kept her eyes shut, and began stroking his arm.

  “They won’t be up for another hour or so, just a little longer,” she said, hushing him.

  Vinnie sighed, doing his best at pretending he wanted to be there. He’d gotten what he wanted and he was satisfied. Now he just wanted to take his drunken ass to bed and get some sleep and try to find a way to overlook the fact he’d boned Everly’s kid sister. He’d have never done it if Everly hadn’t given him the cold shoulder. Everly was enough for him. She knew how to get the job done. There had never been any reason to look for someone else. He felt a small pang of remorse as he pushed Quinn off of him. The washer rattled against his back as he stood up, completely naked. Quinn admired him from the floor, not in a hurry to dress herself. He picked her clothes up first, tossing them at her.

  “You’re so rude,” she said under her breath, as she began to get dressed.

  “There is a difference between rude and cautious,” he said.

  “Right,” she said with a sigh. Judging by Vinnie’s looks, he acted less than impressed with her sexual prowess. She’d felt used, but it didn’t matter she told herself as she unlatched the laundry room door. She’d give him the silent treatment, proving he had no effect on her at all.

  “Quinn,” Vinnie called out, causing her to turn in his direction.

  “A secret?” he asked, confusing her.

  “What are you talking about, Vinnie?”

  “What went on, it’s between us right?” he asked, raising an eyebrow at her.

  She stifled the rising anger towards him. Who the hell did he think he was?

  “Of course,” she said, stalking out of the laundry room. No matter how good a man was in bed he wasn’t worth raving over. And she would never be that pathetic.

  She made it to the hallway, just in time to meet up with Everly.

  “What are you doing up so late?” Everly snarked. Quinn crossed her arms, gave a shrug, and headed up the stairs. She didn’t mean to treat Everly like crap. She just happened to be there. It would serve Vinnie right if he was caught with his pants down—literally. She turned on the bedroom light as she opened the door and proceeded to let out a loud shriek.

  “Hey babe,” Jordan said, lying on her bed, his duffel bag on the floor.

  She turned fast to hide her alarm, shutting her bedroom door.

  “Hey there,” she said, feeling a tad ill. He had sworn he would keep his word and leave her be, not do what he always did and be a good guy. He always wanted to save her, make her feel better. He always wanted to be her knight in shining armor. And that made it very hard to dislike him. He only grew on her more and more each time.

  “Come here, I feel like I haven’t seen you in ages, babe,” he said, tapping the bed, beaming his delectable smile at her.

  She gave in, climbing into bed with him. He wrapped his arms around her, giving her a long slow kiss. His fingers trailed down her face like always, he was the most amazing kisser she’d ever met. Secretly, she was very happy to see him. He playfully slapped her on the backside, pulling her down on top of him. Quinn cautiously went along with it.

  Jordan was beyond thrilled she hadn’t freaked out he was there. He knew if he told her he changed his mind he never would have gotten there. There was no place he would rather be. He wasn’t going to let her go through such a hard time all on her own. He knew how she felt about her family. She was closer to her LA friends than them. And as tough as she tried to appear on the outside, he knew her all too well. He knew she needed someone to show they were focusing on her. Quinn acted like a badass, but deep down she was a sweet, sensitive girl who wanted approval from everyone she cared about.

  Charley

  Down the hall, Charley blindly felt around on her nightstand, locating her wrist watch to check the time. She was up before her alarm, giving her plenty of time to cook breakfast for everyone before she made the trip to the florist for the funeral flowers.

  Her mother loved flowers, with a passion she’d never seen before. She never understood why her mother hadn’t pursued a career in botany rather than psychology.

  While she pulled her hair back in a neat ponytail and got dressed, she decided she’d go for the flowers before making breakfast. Judging by last night’s drinking, no one was going to be up for a while. She’d be able to go for flowers and be back before they even know she was gone.

  She headed out the door, bounding down the stairs to her dad’s truck. She knew he wouldn’t mind if she took it for a little while, she thought, as she tried to put the key in the lock to unlock the door. The keys slipped from her grasp and dropped to the ground by her feet. It never ceased to amaze her the bad luck she had with locks.

  ***

  Slipping his own keys out of his pocket, he watched closely at t
he familiar blonde bending over to retrieve something. His mind raced trying to figure out where he’d seen her before.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. The girl from the airport,” he said to himself as the old truck rumbled past him. What a small world! She lived in the same neighborhood that his friends did.

  Jumping in his car in a hurry to keep up, he pulled out of his driveway, taking it easy behind her.

  A few minutes later she stopped at the curb in front of a flower shop, heading for the shop. He also stopped on the street, hopped out of the car, and began feeding change into a parking meter. He didn’t want to appear to be a stalker, but thought he’d just walk into the shop as if he were there to buy flowers.

  Charley sniffed at some lilacs, shaking her head in protest, they were not up to standard for her mother. She moved on to the next assortment--some beautiful red roses, morbid yet romantic. That’s not what she was after at all. She wondered what her mom would have picked if she were with her something light, delicate, and unique. Charley wasn’t fond of flowers. She fancied leafy vines and willowy trees.

  “Tulips are always nice,” he said.

  Charley looked up, surprised and pleased to see who that voice belonged to. She smiled, reaching her hand over the flowers to shake his hand.

  “Charley,” she said introducing herself. He was required to tell her his name now she thought.

  “Adrian,” he said, taking her hand firmly into his and shaking it. Charley could tell a lot from a handshake, and his was one of self-assurance and character.

  “Now, that’s a name you don’t often hear,” she said, impressed. She was intrigued by the sheepish grin that crossed his face.

  “I always found it somewhat unappealing, doesn’t feel all that masculine. So, tell me why you’re in a flower shop buying flowers for yourself,” he said.