Jordan stood inches in front of her, leaning over with his hand pressed against the wall, pinning her in with his body and alluring gaze. He leaned into her and whispered in her ear. “I’ve always thought you were beautiful, Hannah, and damn this dress looks good on you.”
“Thanks.” She smiled sheepishly as she tugged upward on the side of her short, strapless, baby blue dress.
***
Brett left the brunette with her friends while he went to get a beer. The kegs outside were right by the back door of the house.
Don’t go inside, don’t go inside, don’t go inside.
Brett paced in front of the kegs of beer. After a few minutes passed, he couldn’t take it any longer.
I have to see her beautiful face and make sure she’s safe.
Brett entered the house and started maneuvering through the crowd of people crammed inside. When he walked into the family room, he spotted her, and a wave of jealousy washed over him when he saw her pinned between a guy and the wall. He’d never seen the dude but knew instantly from his body language that he was after Hannah.
Brett was beside himself over how sexy she appeared. He couldn’t comprehend how she could be more beautiful every time he saw her. His body heated from anger when he saw her smile at the guy. There were two entrances to the family room, and Hannah was near the one at the opposite end of the room as Brett.
He was about to go outside to keep from causing a scene, but when he saw Hannah walk out of the room alone, he followed her. He felt it was his chance to apologize.
“Hannah.”
She kept walking.
“Hannah Ray. I know you hear me.”
She spun around when she reached the kitchen.
“You don’t get to call me that, just like you don’t get to touch me. If I remember correctly, I told you to leave me alone—for good.”
“Maybe I don’t want to leave you alone anymore.”
“Did you just hear the word you used at the beginning of that sentence? ‘Maybe’. I don’t have time for maybes, Brett.”
“You know there’s something going on between us that we need to talk about. I know what I’ve been doing to you, and it was wrong. I’m sorry.”
“Go find the brunette you were with, and leave me the hell alone,” she said harshly as tears started welling up in her turquoise eyes.
“I don’t care about her. I care about you, Hannah. Who’s that guy in there talking to you?”
“His name is Jordan, but it’s really none of your business. I don’t think he’s into evil mind games like someone else I know.”
Nick walked up to them.
“Hey, you need to leave her alone.”
“No, you better leave us alone. We’re having a conversation,” Brett said, barely glancing at the man before his eyes went back to Hannah. He realized it was the guy from the pool.
Two guys now. This night is going to end badly with someone else getting hurt.
“Hannah, do you want me to leave you alone with him?” Nick asked.
“No, Nick, I don’t want to talk to him,” she said as she reached for his hand and walked out of the kitchen.
Brett thought his head was going to explode. Between the alcohol and the wrath he was feeling, he knew it was the night he’d see blood. Wanting reinforcements, he went back outside to find his friends.
He saw Austin and Chelsea sitting on the stone ledge but didn’t see the brunette he’d been talking to anywhere. He figured she’d given up on him. Matt, Dylan and Cody were talking to four girls.
“I need to talk to you, Matt,” Brett said as he interrupted them.
“What, bro? No, let me guess. You saw Hannah?”
“She’s with two different dudes in there who I can tell want their hands on her.”
“Are you telling me you don’t want your hands on her?”
“When you say it like that, I see what you’re getting at, but this is different. I want to talk to her about us seeing each other.”
“Brett, you’re trashed. Did you hear anything I said today? If you’re not going to date her, then leave her alone.”
“But I said I want to date her.”
Matt sighed. “Yeah, and I don’t think while your drunk is the best time to make that decision. You’ll tell her that now, and then tomorrow when you’re sober you’ll dump her. I’m losing my patience over your erratic behavior, bro.”
When Brett realized he was getting nowhere with Matt, he went to Austin and Chelsea.
“Chelsea, I need your help with Hannah,” he pleaded.
She let go of Austin’s lips.
“Why should I help you, Brett? You keep hurting her.”
“I told her I was sorry, but she still went off with some guy.”
“Let her go. You two are like oil and water,” Austin said.
“I can’t do that. I want to be with her. I’m not fighting it any longer, and I’m not letting her slip away from me to some asshole in there.”
“If you really mean that, I think it’s great, but let it go tonight. I think she’s just with our friend Nick. Talk to her tomorrow when you’re both sober,” Chelsea said.
“There are two guys trying to get with her.” Brett began pacing again.
***
As soon as Hannah walked back into the family room, Jordan called her over to the couch where he was sitting. She looked at Nick. “I’m going to go talk to this guy from one of my classes.”
He sighed. “Alright, then I’m going to find some of my friends.”
Hannah could see it bugged him. When she got to Jordan, he grabbed her arm, pulling her down onto his lap. It caught her off guard, but she didn’t resist. Trying to inch her dress down over her thighs, she looked for her friends. Jasmine and Morgan were across the room but didn’t notice her.
Jordan pulled Hannah down closer to him and whispered in her ear. “You feel pretty good on my lap.”
She pulled away and looked at him.
“I watched you all semester, Hannah. I wanted to make a move, but I was afraid you’d shoot me down. Tonight I have some liquid courage, and you’re irresistible, so I’m giving it a shot,” he said with a mischievous grin.
Jordan pulled her closer and squeezed her waist as he kissed on her neck.
Empty kisses. Brett’s wouldn’t feel empty.
His aggressiveness was making her uncomfortable. Unsure of what to do, she sat frozen, letting him kiss on her.
***
“Are you all ready to go? The girl I was trying to take home bailed thanks to Brett dropping her friend. He’s on my last damn nerve,” Matt said.
“Cody and I are ready,” Dylan replied.
Austin and Chelsea still sat on the ledge.
“Would you want to go back to the house with me tonight?” he asked.
“OK, sounds good,” Chelsea answered with a smile.
Brett overheard her.
“What about Hannah? How will she get home if you leave her here?”
“She’ll go home with one of our friend’s. I’m sure she’ll figure it out. She can always call Hudson.”
“She barely gets by when you’re with her. She’s drinking, so you can’t just leave her here,” Brett insisted.
“You know, she did survive before you came along,” Chelsea said.
Matt walked up beside him.
“Brett, come on, we’re leaving.”
“I’m not leaving until I walk through the house and see that Morgan and Jasmine are watching Hannah.”
“Brett, I’m not in the mood to fight, and I feel like you’re one fuck up away from having us in one. We’ll go out through the house, but I mean it, no shit,” Matt said, pointing his finger in Brett’s face.
Brett didn’t reply. He couldn’t make any promises. He walked into the house, his friends and Chelsea falling in line behind him. He walked into the living room and saw Hannah desperately trying to free herself from Jordan. His mouth was on hers, his arms holding her down in his lap.
�
��Brett, don’t,” Cody said.
“Dammit, Brett, don't do it!” Matt shouted.
Chapter Fourteen
The switch was flipped. Brett charged at them and plucked Hannah right off Jordan’s lap. He grabbed him with both hands and lifted him off the couch by his shirt. Brett took a swing as fiery rage and jealousy gushed out of him. After clocking Jordan right in the jaw, he let him go, causing him to drop back to the couch.
“If you ever touch any part of her body again, you’re a dead man!”
Everyone in the room was gaping in silence.
“Brett, you’re crazy!” Hannah yelled.
“You’re going with me,” he said.
“Like hell I am.”
“You know you want to, shortcake, so shut it.” Brett grabbed her and flipped her upside down over his shoulder as his adrenaline surged through his veins.
“Put me down, Brett!”
“No, you’re going home with me where I can keep your ass safe.”
“I mean it. Put me down!”
Brett was almost to the door when he saw Nick walk back into the living room and step in front of him.
“I don’t know who you think you are, but you can’t just carry her out of here like that. She doesn’t want to go with you, so put her down, or I'm calling the cops!”
Brett saw the fear in his narrowed eyes.
“Get out of my way before you need an ambulance instead. You obviously don’t care too much about her, or you wouldn’t have pulled her away from me earlier only to leave her with that groping asshole.” Brett pointed back to Jordan who appeared in shock on the couch. Then with one push, he shoved Nick out of the way and went out the door.
Hannah hit him on his back with her clutch purse. “I told you to put me down!”
All their friends followed behind him. He stood outside trying to think of what to do next. He was still bleeding anger, and Hannah was still protesting for him to put her down.
“Brett, you’re going to end up with a restraining order against you,” Dylan said. “I think you’re certifiably nuts. You’ve been trying to get us into a fight for a month now due to your jealousy over her.
“Did you forget in the last ten minutes who she is? Her family could have your nuts in a second and serve them up to you on a platter in prison.”
“What are going to do with her?” Matt asked urgently.
“I’m taking her home with me.”
All the guys stood silent and stared at Brett.
“That’s right, you heard me.”
***
Matt was pissed. He and Brett were normally cool, calm and collected. He didn’t like the out of control behavior he was seeing out of his best friend.
“Can we take her friend’s home?” Brett asked.
Matt sighed. “I guess. Get them in the damn car. We need to get out of here fast before that guy calls the cops.”
Cody drove Austin, Chelsea and Dylan home. Morgan went around to the driver side to get into the back of Matt’s car. He was holding the door open for her.
“Wow, you’re really hot … Brett’s friend,” Morgan said, staring up at him.
Matt looked down at her and chuckled. “My name’s Matt, and you’re pretty hot yourself.” He found her alluring gaze sexy.
Brett dropped Hannah to the ground on the passenger side and pointed to the car. “Get in the back seat.”
“What if I don’t want to leave with you?”
“What would you rather do? Do you want to go back in the house and get felt up by that perv? It sure didn’t look like you were too thrilled about it, but I’m beginning to think you’re trying to earn gold stars on a school paper for how many guys you can get to treat you like shit.”
“Then I get the biggest gold star for you!” Hannah wiped a few tears away with one hand while her other clenched in a fist.
“Get in the damn car before I get back there with you.”
Hannah groaned before climbing into the back seat. Jasmine got in, and Brett jumped in the front. Matt drove to Morgan’s house first.
He got out of the car, and as soon as Morgan started to walk away, he grabbed her arm and swung her around, sending her right up against his chest. He could see that he surprised her.
Grabbing her face with both hands, Matt gave her a heated kiss. He loved the feel of her soft lips on his and noticed her warm arms when they wrapped around his waist. He let go of her lips and stared down into her heavy, brown eyes.
“Dang, there are boy kisses and man kisses, and that was definitely a man kiss.”
Jasmine leaned her head out of the car.
“Morgan, shut up. You’re drunk and making a fool of yourself.”
“That was a thank you for the compliment you gave me,” Matt said before he got back into the car. He smirked when he looked in his side mirror and saw her standing in the driveway, staring toward his car.
She’s pretty damn cute.
They got to Jasmine’s, and Hannah started getting out of the car behind her. Brett reached back and grabbed her arm.
“Sit down. You’re going back to our place.”
“No way. I’m staying here with Jasmine.”
“Chelsea is staying at our house, so you’re going back there with us.”
“Oh … OK then.”
Matt noticed her pouty voice and was irritated that Brett was dragging him into his mess.
“You know, I don’t need a big brother,” Hannah said.
“Shortcake, I’m far from being your brother. I thought we established that on a few occasions.”
“Men say women are teases. You’re the fucking tease, Brett.”
“You think so, huh? Well, I’m going to show you real soon that I’m not, but for now be quiet, or take a damn nap. Jesus, why’d I have to fall for you?”
Matt looked over at Brett when they were half way home.
“I have to agree with Dylan. You’ve lost your mind. I didn’t even know you had this side to you, and I’ve known you since we were ten.
“You’ve never started a fight, and I don’t even need to bring up the deal with you taking her back to the house.”
Brett didn’t answer.
“I don’t like this shit one bit. This isn’t how we roll, so you need to figure out what you want with her, so you can stop all this crazy shit.”
“What were you doing kissing her friend then?” Brett asked.
“I hadn’t noticed before tonight how gorgeous she is. I couldn’t help myself, but I’m not carrying her over my shoulder or fighting over her, and I probably won’t ever see her again. I just needed a taste,” Matt said with a chuckle.
When they got home, Brett took Hannah’s hand and walked with her into the house.
Matt saw that Austin and Chelsea were on the couch making out, and he heard Dylan’s music coming from his room. He didn’t know where Cody was.
“Hannah, are you OK? Did that guy hurt you?” Chelsea asked.
“No he didn’t hurt me. He was just an asshole like someone else I know,” she said, jerking her hand away from Brett.
“The bathroom is down the hall on the left,” he said.
Hannah stumbled through the living room into the hallway.
Austin kissed Chelsea’s neck before whispering near her ear.
“Let’s go to my room. Brett won’t have sex with her while she’s drunk, so you don’t need to worry. He doesn’t operate that way. I don’t either, so I hope you’re not drunk because I have every intention of taking advantage of you.”
“No, I’m not drunk, so let’s go,” Chelsea said, giggling.
Hannah walked back into the family room, her eyes flickering back and forth between Matt and Brett. Matt saw how nervous she was and shook his head. “I can’t believe after all these years, she’s the one you bring back here.”
“Bro, you’re the one who told me you didn’t see what the big deal was if I dated her.”
“That was before I knew you were going to drag me in
to your shit.”
“I’m right here, you know. I can hear you two talking about me,” Hannah said with irritation in her voice.
“I’m going to bed. Good luck dealing with that attitude,” Matt said.
Brett took Hannah’s hand and walked her to his bedroom. He grabbed a t-shirt out of his dresser and handed it to her. “You can sleep in this. I’m going to the restroom, so that’ll give you a minute to change.”
***
Hannah stood alone in his room looking around. She couldn’t believe how neat and tidy it was.
He’s not just an asshole, he’s a controlling asshole.
She hadn’t been in a house that old before, and she’d never stayed at a man’s house, let alone one with five of them living in it. Hannah was scared out of her mind wondering what was going to happen next, but she couldn’t stop doing what he said. It was what she’d wanted all along.
With his shirt barely covering her panties, she sat on his bed and thought about how she’d be shaking with fear if she hadn’t drank so much.
Liquid courage … that’s what the asshole called it. Yeah, I got me some of that right now.
***
When Brett walked into his bedroom, his eyes darted straight to the bottom of his t-shirt Hannah was wearing. Seeing her smooth thighs on his bed had him questioning his own sanity.
Hannah began giggling.
“What are you finding so funny? You were pissed and calling me an asshole five minutes ago.”
She gazed up at him and grinned.
“Liquid courage.”
He chuckled. “I think we both have some of that right now.”
After straightening up the far side of the bed she wasn’t sitting on, he held the sheet back.
“Here, get into bed.”
Brett heard her swallow loudly and saw her hesitation when she got up and turned toward him.
“You have nothing to worry about. I’m sleeping on the couch.”
He saw her smile wash away.
“Here we go again. Why did you really bring me back here? You knew I’d be perfectly safe at Jasmine’s, so what the hell do you want with me, Brett?”
Brett and Hannah (Soul Mates 101 Series) Page 7
