Brother's Best Friend for Christmas: A Bad Boy Second Chance Romance

by Amy Brent

  And if he thought that, then pulled away, the only lead I really had with this case would be gone. So, I opened my eyes and took a deep breath before my fingers flew across the screen and sent him a response.

  I guess.

  I had a decision to make about the paperwork, and I just didn’t know what to do.

  Chapter 15

  Wesley

  I knew I must’ve lost my mind. I never entertained company at my home, much less women I was trying to seduce. Everything I did, every transaction I made to get close to a woman like Olivia, was done in hotels or at their homes. On a few occasions, I would even take them to sex clubs. Some of the women I seduced were so uptight, and they got their rocks off by having a younger man show them how to let loose. On more than one occasion, the woman would actually want to go back to those clubs.

  I loved those types of adventurous women.

  But this was different. I had invited a woman over to my house to cook for her, and I still hadn’t thought about taking her money. In fact, I wasn’t sure I wanted to take anything from Olivia at all, minus that beautiful body she was holding onto.

  When I had gotten home from work last night, I calmed himself down. An “I guess” was better than a “no,” so I decided I was going to make the time worth her while. I’d confirmed the date when I woke up that morning and still got a “yes” from Olivia, so I headed to the grocery store to pick up everything. I was going to make her the most succulent salmon she’d ever tasted, and then I would offer her a nice moonlit walk on the beach. If I was lucky, she would accept, and if I had my way, she’d be enjoying a night on the beach she’d never forget.

  I would turn that “I guess” into a “fuck, yes,” and I’d go to sleep with her pussy juices on my lips tonight.

  Even throughout all our encounters, however, I knew she had a wall up. I wasn’t sure if the wall was from high school or if she always kept people at arm’s length, but it was a new thing for me. The Olivia I knew in high school was so willing to accept others into her fold. She was always wanting to talk to other people and hang out. Maybe get to know their story or figure out how they ticked. The Olivia I enjoyed in high school had no issues letting me close emotionally, but now, things seemed to have changed.

  She would practically throw her body at me, but emotionally, she was throwing up the wall.

  I didn’t want that. I wanted her to be as comfortable as she could possibly be. I hated this barrier that seemed to sit between the two of us, and I was hoping a good dinner with a bit of wine would go a long way. If I could fuse the sexually-free Olivia with the emotionally-free Olivia from high school, I’d be golden. I wasn’t sure why I wanted to do that, but the thought made me smile.

  I wanted to get to know her all over again. As I stood at my stove and cooked the salmon for dinner, I thought about all the things that were different about her. How strong and independent she’d become. How natural she seemed to be with her looks. Back in high school, Olivia was always experimenting with new clothes, styles, and makeups. But now, she seemed comfortable in her own skin. Very little makeup, not very uptight about her hair or her clothes. She seemed real, not fake like these other women I surrounded myself with. She wasn’t done up with expensive clothes or flashy rings. She hadn’t changed herself with plastic surgery. I hadn’t heard her complain yet of the light cellulite dimples I’d been sinking my fingertips into, and that kind of confidence made my cock throb while I was turning the salmon fillets in the pan.

  I took a deep breath when I heard a knock at my door. Then, my nerves kicked in. I began placing the last of the food on the table before I lit the sea-breeze-scented candle. Then, I set off for the door. My palms were sweating, and my hands were shaking, and I found myself staring new territory in the face. My hand paused over the doorknob as the knock rapped at the door again, and it crossed my mind to tell her to leave.

  To go away.

  So, I could get back to the way I was living my life.

  Letting a woman like Olivia in meant admitting I was wrong. It meant telling myself the shit I was pulling on these women wasn’t right. It meant letting go of the things my mother did to me back in high school, and it meant letting Olivia closer to me than I’d ever imagined.

  “Wesley? Are you there?”

  The sound of Olivia’s voice ripped me from my trance, and I whipped the door open. Olivia’s smile faded, and her eyes fluttered closed, and I watched her take in a deep breath. The scents of the kitchen hit her all at once, and I could see how hungry she was. Her tongue darted out to lick her lips before she opened her eyes, and the small little gesture ignited the raging embers in my stomach.

  “I guess I’m glad you’re here,” I said playfully.

  “Oh, come on,” she said, smiling. “It was a rough day. I’m sorry.”

  “Well, then, come on in and wind down. I was just about to open our bottle of white wine for the night.”

  She stepped through my front door, and I was officially in new territory. I watched her saunter across my home, her eyes hanging heavily on the dinner table. She traced her fingertips along the edge of her seat before she dipped down to smell the candle, and I couldn’t help but devour her curves. She wore a pair of flip-flops and a beautiful summer dress. It was red, gold, and brown, with spaghetti straps and fabric that fluttered around her thick hips. The fabric stopped just above her knees, giving me a glimpse of the legs I wanted to be wrapped around me by the time the night was over.

  I had to steady myself against the door just before I had the strength to close it.

  “Would you like to talk about it?” I asked.

  “Talk about what?”

  “Your rough day,” I said.

  “Oh, it’s nothing. Just struggling with the paperwork a bit.”

  “Was that why I got the wishy-washy answer?” I asked.

  “Honestly? A bit. I wasn’t sure if coming would be appropriate, seeing as things had gotten delayed. They shouldn’t be delayed too long, however. I should have the paperwork ready for you in the next couple days. Friday’s what I’m shooting for.”

  “Well, I’m sorry for the delay. If this makes you uncomfortable—”

  “Not at all,” she said, smiling.

  I ventured over and popped open the bottle of white wine. I poured heaping glasses for both myself and Olivia. Then, I divvied up the salmon fillets. Olivia kept sniffing the food, humming in delight before she picked up her fork. The sounds alone drove me wild, but I knew I would have to keep my cool if I had any chance of sinking myself into her again like I so desperately wanted to.

  Never in my life had I been so weak and helpless to a woman’s presence, and I was devouring every second of it.

  “You look beautiful tonight,” I said.

  “You’re very kind,” she said. “I haven’t worn this dress in years, so I figured I’d give it a try.”

  “Well, it was the right decision.”

  “Thanks,” she said. How’s work been going? Have you been in since I last saw you?”

  “Yeah, it’s been all right,” I said. “Same old thing. Beautiful women, beautiful beach, thoughts of you on my mind.”

  “Ah, even around all those beautiful women?”

  “None of them hold a candle to you,” I said.

  “Speaking of candles, this one smells fabulous. What is it?”

  “It’s called Sea Breeze,” I said. “Figured it wouldn’t be too harsh. I was gonna open the windows and let the air from the ocean blow through, but there actually isn’t much wind tonight.”

  “That’ll make our stroll on the beach you promised me a bit more comfortable, though. Wind-blown sand hurts like a bitch.”

  I loved the conversation with her. I was hanging onto her every word while I chewed my food, and I listened intently while she told her stories. They talked about memories from high school, and I commented on how different she seemed, smiling every single time Olivia threw back her head and laughed. My chest clenched every single
time she smiled with delight in my presence, and soon, we were both ready for refills of wine as our appetites began to wind down.

  I was enjoying having her here, and the comfort I had slipped into was not only foreign but welcome.

  “So, Wesley Fox, what have you been doing since high school?” she asked.

  “Just darting around, honestly. I state-hopped for a while before I found myself here. Been working with Chad over at the cabana on the beach for about three years now. But before that, I’d lived everywhere. Texas. Missouri. Washington State. Alabama.”

  “Why so much hopping around?” she asked.

  “I guess I was just trying to find my place,” I said.

  “And you found it here?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “I had absolutely no bartending experience, and when I met Chad, I was almost out of money. I did odd jobs here and there to get me along, but Malibu was a terrible place to try and settle. Expensive. Bustling. Easy to fall into the background. You have to look a certain way to be an enticing hire for many places, and I didn’t even have enough money on me to dye my hair to look a certain way.”

  “Where did you meet Chad?” she asked.

  “At some club. I was wooing a woman, hoping she’d buy me dinner so I could eat that night, and we got to talking. He asked me a few questions, told me he enjoyed my style, and he offered to train me for a job. At the time, the cabana was pretty run down from a storm, so I helped him get it all back in working order while he was training me. He reopened it with me as one of the bartenders, and I’ve been there ever since.”

  “Wow, that’s incredible,” she said.

  “I owe a great deal to him,” I said. “What about you? What happened to you after high school?”

  “About what everyone expected. I went to get a two-year degree and stayed in town for a while. My mom wasn’t willing to let me go that easily. But after I got my Associate’s in Psychology, I ended up taking another online class while staying with my mother. I did the required hours necessary for California because I knew that’s where I wanted to end up. I passed the real estate licensing test, and the rest is history.”

  “Was your mom happy with that decision?” I asked. “If I remember correctly, she really kept you close.”

  “Yeah. When things went down with my dad, it was pretty rough.”

  “What happened with your dad? I mean, I know you didn’t talk about him much.”

  “If I tell you what happened with my dad, you have to tell me the truth about your mother,” she said.

  I swallowed a sip of wine as I stared her down. I wasn’t ready to open that can of worms, not by a long shot. I wasn’t about to divulge to Olivia the one thing I used to keep people at arm’s length.

  But was she really at arm’s length anymore?

  “How does that walk on the beach sound?” she asked.

  “Sounds perfect. I’ll grab the bottle of wine.”

  I was thankful for the distraction, as well as the change of pace. Olivia blew the candle out before we both ventured down into the sand. I had come out earlier and put down a massive blanket, and Olivia giggled as the two of us began to approach it.

  “You prepared for it all, I see,” she said.

  “Only the best for a woman like yourself,” I said.

  “Boy, you really are turning on the charm tonight,” she said.

  “Ready for a bit more? The moonlight drips wonderfully over your body, Olivia. We should’ve eaten dinner out here so I could’ve had longer to devour the sight.”

  “Oh, wow. That one made my stomach flutter a bit. Good job, Wes.”

  “I’ll try as hard as I can for you, Olive,” I said.

  “You know, I never let anyone call me that,” she said. “Not after high school.”

  “Not even your mom?” I asked.

  “Especially not her. That was something I kept specifically reserved for you. It just seemed wrong coming from anyone else.”

  My eyes hooked hard onto her as we hunkered down onto the blanket. I studied the way her hair flowed effortlessly around her shoulders. I watched the way her lips wrapped around the wine glass, taking sip after sip as I slowly watched her relax. I emptied the bottle of wine between both of our glasses before I set it off to the side, and then the two of us settled back and listened to the steady waves batter the darkened shoreline.

  “You’re so lucky to live right on the beach,” she said.

  “It does have its perks.”

  “I bet you see so many beautiful women walking this shoreline during the day,” she said.

  “Not particularly. This isn’t a popular area of the beach because my home isn’t near any sort of restaurant or bar they can go find food at. So, it stays pretty quiet. When the weather gets cooler, those are the best times to come out.”

  “Why’s that?” she asked.

  “No one ever visits the beauty of the winter ocean,” I said. “I like to think it’s my little mystery. My slice of heaven to enjoy without the hustle and bustle of the tourists and vacationers.”

  I could feel Olivia’s eyes on the side of my face. I downed the rest of my wine glass before I tossed it off to the side, then I turned my eyes to meet hers. She was dancing her gaze all over my face, studying me in a way I’d never seen her do before. It was like I was looking at a ghost of what once was, just familiar enough to pull me in with enough mystery to keep me hooked.

  “You’re very different from high school,” she said.

  “I could say the same about you.”

  “It’s a good sort of different,” she said.

  “I never would’ve thought you meant a bad sort of different,” I said.

  “Do you come out here and walk around naked?” she asked, grinning.

  “Is that something you’d like a preview of?”

  “You can’t tell me you haven’t thought about our encounters the entire damn time we’ve been together tonight,” she said.

  “Ah, so I’m not the only one whose libido is soaring out of control. Score.”

  Olivia giggled while she finished her wine. Then I reached over and plucked the glass from between her fingertips. We continued to crack a few jokes and talk, allowing the backdrop of the ocean to punctuate our evening.

  Then, I saw a change in Olivia’s eyes.

  “I’ve really enjoyed myself tonight,” she said.

  “Don’t tell me you’re thinking about leaving already,” I said as I took her hand. “I figured we were just getting started.”

  “I just wanted you to know that I enjoyed talking with you,” she said, grinning. “Not just hopping on that fabulous dick you’ve got between those legs.”

  “Well, it is a sight to behold. If that’s all you wanted, I can’t honestly say I’m in a position to deny it.”

  “Like the great Wesley Wilton would deny any woman.”

  “He would if it meant I could have you,” I said.

  I drew small patterns on the back of Olivia’s hand as her eyes settled strongly into mine. The woman I was looking at—this woman from high school who I simply wanted to sleep with—had become a woman whose talons had sunk deep into my body. I slowly leaned over to her to connect our lips, my body begging for any sort of skin-to-skin connection with Olivia’s beautiful body. But the moment our lips met, Olivia scrambled on top of my body and laid me down on the blanket.

  Her hands were all over me, peeling back my shirt and running her fingertips up my abdomen. Her hips were grinding down onto me, breathing life into my dick while my hands ran down the backs of her thighs. It shivered me to my core, knowing she had been holding back just as much as I had, and I sat her up in my lap before I slid her dress down her body.

  It fell to her hips like it was always meant to be there. I wrapped my arms around her body and unhooked her bra, and by the time she was naked in front of me, her tits were standing at their painfully perfect peaks. I slowly rolled her over onto her back before I worked my clothes off my body, and when I was naked a
longside her, I dipped my lips back down to hers.

  My lips slithered down her neck, raising her skin in goosebumps as her hands tangled up in my hair. I knew we shouldn’t be doing this. Not on the beach. It was illegal for any sexual activity to take place on the beach, but the moment my lips wrapped around her nipple, I no longer cared. Her body arched into me so desperately, while her hands wound tighter into my hair, and the only thing I could think about was making her come so many times, she’d pass out in my arms.

  Only this time, I had no thoughts of taking anything from her after the fact.

  Chapter 16

  Olivia

  Wesley’s lips wrapped around my tit so naturally. He kissed all over my body, sending shivers down my spine. I massaged his scalp, rolling my hips into him as if my body was begging of its own accord as to where I wanted him to be. I wanted to feel his thick tongue against my clit. I wanted to buck into his face and cover it with my silken fluids. I wanted to come all over him before tugging him up my body.

  I wanted to lick myself off his lips before flipping him over and sliding his dick deep within my body.

  Soon, he sank down between my legs. The ocean water pummeled the sandy shore, covering up my breathy moans and groans as Wesley dipped his tongue between my folds. He threw my legs over his shoulders before his hands peeled back my folds, and the moment the thick of his tongue touched my clit, I was done for.