My Bossy Protector: A Best Friend’s Brother Romance

by Charlize Starr

  This was getting harder for me.

  Chapter Twelve – Max

  I walked out to the mailbox after work one evening, noticing Lucinda doing the same. We smiled at each other as Riley babbled about something and pulled out the bills and ads while I flipped through the pile. I came across a large, thick envelope and smiled as I recognized Cameron’s return address. He was getting married. I started to walk to the house and asked Lucinda to come over for dinner. I glanced at her, seeing her holding a similar envelope. The only difference was that hers had a stamp on it, indicating that her address had changed. “You know Cameron?” I asked as she gave me a guilty look and pressed her lips together.

  “I do. He’s my brother.” I stared at her as memories of then and now blurred together in my head. Lucinda took Riley’s hand and led her to the house as I watched her, my mind blown.

  “That’s why you’re familiar,” I told her as she paused by my front door. “You’re Lucy!”

  “I knew the first time I was at your house,” she told me as I opened the door and let her inside. “I just didn’t have the heart to tell you and I forgot about the wedding with everything going on.” She gave me a long look as Riley asked what was for dinner. “We’ll talk about this later.”

  Lucinda made spaghetti and I mixed the salad as I played back our first kiss in my mind. I never forgot it and I hated my best friend for a while for interrupting it. It was the best kiss of my life, apart from the new ones from Lucy. Lucy, not Lucinda – her last name was different. Why the hell was her name different? Did she get married?

  She looked at me as we ate, begging for me to be patient. I looked at her ring, sparkling in the light as I sipped a beer and tried to focus on my daughter. She was what mattered and this engagement was just to keep her. I’d leave it behind me now, knowing that Lucy lied to me about everything.

  She gave Riley her bath as I did some work on my computer, still seething. I was half-tempted to call Cameron and ask him why the hell his sister changed her last name, but he would be busy with wedding preparations.

  This was between me and Lucy.

  I did think about how much she’d changed. Back when we were both in school, Lucy was a brunette with glasses. She was pretty in a librarian kind of way but kept more to herself. Now she was older. She had grown into herself and was a gorgeous, curvy woman. She had obviously lightened her hair and ditched the glasses. I assumed that she worked out. Even though she was curvy, she was fit and had the body of a woman. I remembered how hot I thought she was when I was going to be leaving school, but now she was stunning. Sadly, she didn’t see it in herself. I wondered if her ex had something to do with that.

  Lucy came to stand in the office doorway once Riley was asleep. I glanced up at her. “Is she asleep?” I asked her as Lucy nodded.

  “I’m sure you can go say goodnight, but she was tired tonight. I also assumed that it might be the last night I had the chance to tuck her in.” Lucy twirled her ring around her finger.

  “Why didn’t you tell me? You had to know that I’d find out eventually,” I told her as I stared at her in confusion.

  “I knew when I saw you, but I hoped that we wouldn’t see one another too much. That was my plan. I was going to try to get my new lab going at another place and never see you again. Then, I met Riley, you and I kissed, and you were asking me to marry you. I still kept telling myself that we would be over before we ever had to tell anybody about this.” She pressed her fingers to the bridge of her nose and took a deep breath. “I’m so sorry, Max.”

  “I’ve never forgotten about that kiss, Lucy. Never.” I told her as she stared at me. “Had it not been for Cam, it might have gone further.”

  “I never forgot about the kiss, either. You were the one that was supposed to be my first. You were supposed to be my everything, but you left. I just went on with my life and… things changed.” Her voice faded as pain crossed her face. I stood to stalk over to her.

  “Why did you change your name?” I asked her, cupping her face as I stared at her. Looking at her now, she was the Lucy I knew. I held onto her as if she was going to disappear.

  “My ex was stalking me. I had to get away from him and start over. I just changed my last name and used my full name. I don’t think you ever knew it before this.” She smiled weakly at me as I shook my head. “I should have told you from the start.”

  “Lucy. I wondered what happened to you, but your brother didn’t seem to want to talk about it.”

  “He was trying to protect me. Cam lost it when he found out about Braden. He was already in Montana, so I told him to stay there. Once I changed my name and left Long Island, I felt like I’d be safe. I dyed my hair and changed my style a little bit, too. It was refreshing.” She smiled at me. “Seeing you is refreshing. I trust you, Max. I like being with you.”

  “I can keep you safe.” I told her, knowing that this was more than a fake marriage now. I never stopped thinking about Lucy and, now that she was here in my life, I had so many questions to ask her.

  “You don’t want me to leave?” she asked as tears filled her eyes. “I got prepared for you to ask for your ring back and end this. You want me to stay?”

  “I want to get to know you again. I still need a wife, and what better wife could I find than the girl that used to keep me laughing through the hard times? You were always so damn funny and sharp. Why did you hide from everyone else?” I asked her as I took her hand and led her to the couch to sit down.

  “I was shy then. I was a nerd – just happy to live in my little world. I think I am more so like that now after Braden, but I feel better knowing that I have a new identity.” Lucy shrugged and looked at me. “My family members are the only people that know about that. That’s why Cam has been quiet about me. They were scared that something was going to happen to me after I left Braden. It was so scary when he was following me everywhere… I didn’t know if I was going to become a statistic. The odds are low in those kinds of relationships, but Cam helped me out here and the name change went through. I was already working at the lab and I increased security measures, but it still burned down. I was glad that it was owned by my parents and couldn’t be traced back to me under my old name. I just don’t know if it was an accident or arson. They’re taking their time looking into it.”

  “What did Braden do for a living?” I asked her as she frowned at me.

  “He was a police officer in Long Island,” she replied as understanding crossed her face.

  “Do you think someone is holding it up on purpose?”

  “Maybe. I hope that you can get your new lab without an issue.” I looked at her. “I guess you’ll keep this name when we get married?”

  “I didn’t even think about that. Do you want me to have Riley’s last name?” I asked him as we moved closer together.

  “If you want it. We get to announce this to our family in a few weeks, so it might help it look authentic.” I looked into her eyes as she laughed.

  “Oh, God. Do we surprise them there or tell them now?” Lucy asked as she leaned into me.

  “We can decide that later,” I assured her, still irritated by everything a little bit. I understood, though. She was keeping herself safe. Now that was my job, too.

  I kissed her, knowing that it was Lucy. I knew her personality and her past and I got to know her future. We took it to the bedroom, kissing in just our underwear. I moved down her neck. I didn’t want to stop this time.

  Lucy pulled away from me, breathing heavily as she rolled onto her back. I stared at her hard nipples and forced myself to calm down. She closed her eyes and smiled as I curled my arm under a pillow.

  I wanted her more than ever now that I knew who she was, but I also wanted to respect her wishes. Cam’s wedding was coming up, and after that we were supposed to be married. I’d give her that.

  Chapter Thirteen – Lucy

  We kept the relationship going until we flew to Montana for the wedding. By this time, Max had admitt
ed to Cameron that we’d started dating and we became engaged quickly. He said that we knew each other already and that twelve years was a perfect amount of time to find out we were right for each other. It was a shock to everybody, but they were happy.

  I was still pretty sure that Max held my secret against me sometimes, but I made it up to him by taking care of him and Riley. She stayed with his parents while we went away. I was surprised to find that I had a seat in first class. It was a surprise from Max. I kissed him before the woman brought me a glass of champagne.

  My brother and his fiancée Jane were having a simple wedding in a meadow with about sixty guests. They kept it limited to friends and family and we were all staying in a series of cabins on the property. I knew that Max and I had the same one since we were engaged, and it made me nervous. We’d done so much besides have sex. Every night with him made me want to just take that step. It was hard to hold onto my heart’s biggest wish when I was with Max and he was with me, Lucy.

  His Lucy.

  We landed and rented a car to get to the resort where they were having the wedding. My parents were already there and I hugged them tightly as Max walked over with the keys in his pocket. They hugged him as well, congratulating him on the engagement. I smiled. It all felt real. When Cameron approached us, I ran and threw myself into his arms. “You had to end up with Max, didn’t you?” he teased me.

  I felt bad for our lie and smiled as I pulled away. “I suppose fate made its own way, didn’t it? I am so happy for you.” I hugged him again, happy to see his warm brown eyes and feel his embrace. I missed Cameron as much as I did Max when he left. Soon, I saw his pretty bride-to-be coming over with a big grin on her face.

  I had only ever talked to her on Skype, but she was every bit as pretty in person as I expected. They were only together for a year before they decided to jump the gun. I supposed that Max and I weren’t that exceptional when I saw the love between Cameron and Jane.

  We had the rehearsal dinner that night with the small wedding party that consisted of Max, Jane’s brother Nick, myself, and Jane’s best friend Mary. My brother was popular in school, but he kept his circle close and their relationships just got stronger as he got older. They lived in a small town on a ranch here in Montana and it was a different life than New York. He was different but happy, and it was nice to see him and Max catching up.

  I laughed as Max told a story about Cameron in school, remembering it well. He grinned at me and reached for my hand as I sipped my wine. The night ended and we all went back to our cabins. I felt the wine in my head. I had to remind myself to wait until we got married, but something about this atmosphere just made me want to give in.

  I watched him with my family and fell a little harder for him. My aunt had knee surgery a few weeks before the wedding but came anyway, and he was so kind when he helped her around. Max was charming everyone.

  After he unlocked our cabin door, I walked inside. It was a cozy room with a big king-size bed and a fireplace. It was completely romantic. Max flipped on a light. “Tonight was so fun.”

  “It was nice to see everybody again. Tomorrow is going to be good, too.” He assured me as he turned to look at me. Max moved closer to me as I slipped off my sandals and stared into my eyes. “This is how it was meant to be, Lucy. Us here together. Do you see that?”

  “I think I do,” I told him as I smiled at him. He kissed me and I wrapped my arms around his neck and closed my eyes. This was perfect, but I thought of the initial reason that we did this to begin with. I pulled away and looked into his eyes. “What if this doesn’t work? What if you don’t get Riley?”

  “The judge would be crazy to see that we’re not together. It’s going to work.” Max pushed me against the wall as he kissed me again and I moaned against his mouth. Our tongues moved together in a familiar rhythm as I pulled him closer. I felt my willpower weakening.

  “Max,” I moaned as he kissed my neck. My nipples were aching and my pussy slick as I dropped my head back, thinking about tonight.

  I still saw the fear in my parent’s eyes as they looked at me. The years with Braden had frightened them and I jerked in Max’s arms as memory flooded my brain. I pushed him away and paced the room as I tried to force it out of my head. “Babe?”

  “I’m sorry. This is just reminding me of everything. I know that all of that is over, but seeing my parents reminded me how worried they were. God, things are different now. They are.” I walked over and kissed him again as my heart pounded in my chest.

  Max pulled me over to the bed, dropping me down on it. He pushed my skirt up over my legs as we kissed hungrily and I wrapped my legs around him. The furthest we’d gone was him kissing my breasts because I knew that I’d cave if he touched anywhere else. It was harder every night that we were together and I felt him move to lift my sundress off my body, leaving me only in my bra and underwear. I watched as he stood and pulled his buttoned shirt off slowly, staring at me the entire time.

  I licked my lips and spread my legs apart, touching myself over the lace. Max widened his eyes as he watched, sliding his pants down as he revealed his hard cock. I slipped my underwear off and then my bra, shivering on the bed before him. I touched myself, needing the release as he watched me and stroked himself. “This is all I can give you right now,” I told him as he nodded. “I want you, but I’m scared, Max.”

  “It’s okay, Lucy. Just touch yourself for me. Like before.” I realized that Max hadn’t been with anybody else since meeting me and I gasped as heat rushed through my core. I pinched my nipple as I stroked my clit hard before sliding two fingers in myself and watching him.

  Max was perfect. His body was muscled with strong arms and a flat stomach. I admired him as I approached my orgasm. It was going to be a big one. I spread my legs as I pushed deeper. “Max, I’m coming,” I cried out as warmth washed over my hand. He jerked forward as he came. I watched as he grabbed a tissue to keep everything contained.

  We woke up the following morning and went our separate ways to get ready for the wedding. I got ready with the girls at a local salon where we had our hair and makeup done and ate lunch. Jane’s mother was there and was as sweet as could be. They asked me all kinds of questions about Max and our relationship and I answered the best that I could.

  Everyone looked at it like it was a second chance romance, but it was an arrangement. At least, it started that way. I told a sweet story about meeting again and falling in love as adults but the lines blurred as I talked.

  I changed the topic to learn about Jane and Cameron and listened as she told the truth about their love. They met and fell in love immediately and he asked her to marry him six months later. Jane told us that she knew he was it for her and that while they were simple, she was happy. They didn’t need much but they had a great life here in Montana.

  I wondered what would happen with Max. If he lost custody of Riley, our relationship wouldn’t be necessary anymore. He might resent me and not want me at all. I needed to get to that point so we could decide and go ahead with our lives. We hadn’t talked about getting married lately, what with this wedding, but we were together. That was enough for the court.

  The wedding was simple and beautiful. They walked down a path to a grove of trees. There were flowers strung in the branches. I looked up at the white and pink blooms with a soft smile as vows were said and two became one. I looked over at Max during the ceremony and then at my sparkly ring that shone in the sun.

  Would we have something like this down the line?

  We danced at the reception and ate catered BBQ. I laughed and talked with family and spent time with my brother. It was wonderful. When it was time to catch the bouquet, I was in front and it landed in my arms. I thought the tradition was for women that were totally single, but everyone pushed me out and I laughed as everyone cheered for me.

  I looked at my mom as she cried. They wanted me to be the next to be married and they were happy as everyone hugged me.

  Chapter Fourteen
– Max

  I woke up the morning after the wedding and looked at Lucy beside me in bed. She was sleeping peacefully after dancing all night and looking like the most beautiful woman in the world to me. I couldn’t help watching her during the ceremony as she watched her brother. I wanted it to be us getting married. I was falling for her and I knew it.

  We got up and had breakfast with her parents before they left to return home. We were staying one more night and leaving the next day since I wanted to see some of Montana. Cameron and Jane had already left for their honeymoon in Belize, so once we saw the rest of Lucy’s family off, we hopped in the rental car and went for a drive.

  “I can see why they chose this place. It’s beautiful.” Lucy looked around as we drove with a smile. We stopped to hike in a forest that took us past lakes and creeks. It was nice to be alone with her after so much time with family, and I smiled at her when she glanced back at me. “What?”

  “You’re beautiful.” She stopped to face me as I walked up to her. I cupped her face with my hands and kissed her hard, needing her right now. Lucy kissed me back. She wrapped her arms around my back. I sensed something different about everything this time.

  We made our way down a path together, dropping onto the soft grass beneath a tree. Lucy pushed me back to the ground and slipped her hands under my t-shirt as she leaned in for another kiss. I still remembered the night before as she scraped her manicured nails against my skin and nibbled at my bottom lip.

  I knew that this was more than a lie now as I reached up to unbutton her shirt and cup her breasts through the camisole she wore. Lucy moaned against me and I allowed myself to go back to that place when I was in high school and we weren’t interrupted.