Deliciously Thick (Naked Brews Book 2)

by KB Jacobs

  “Good guess.” She poured a cup and wrapped her long fingers around the china teacup as if soaking up the heat. “Mmm, that feels good. It’s so cold here.”

  “Are you a runner? You didn’t run all the way here from Lake’s, did you? I could have picked you up.”

  “Yes, I started running when I was a teenager. I’m one of seven kids, and our house was always chaotic. Running was the only way to find peace for a moment where I could hear myself think.” She shrugged. “And by running, I don’t have to worry when Lake makes the second run of the day to buy pastries from Val’s bakery in Em-Dash.”

  I scoffed, “I don’t think you have anything to worry about. You’re looking fine.”

  Her cheeks heated, and she ducked her head.

  I loved how she got so embarrassed. It was cute. “So, what was it like growing up in a big family like that? I’ve always wished I had brothers and sisters.”

  “I love my brothers and sisters, but wow...it would have been awesome to have been an only child, especially having Lauren for a mom. I love her. I’m totally jealous that you get to have her for a mom.”

  “Believe me, the love is mutual. She likes you a lot.” But talking about my mom was not on tonight’s agenda. “What are they saying about your apartment?”

  She ran her finger over the edge of her cup and gave me a small smile like it was no big deal, but the grief on her face said it all. “We’re going to have to rebuild most of it. The fire started in the kitchen below the apartment so they’re concerned that there might be structural damage. I was able to go in and salvage some of my stuff, but there wasn’t much left after the smoke and water damage. Unfortunately, there’s not much available for rent in Aspenridge this time of year. I’m hoping once ski season is over, I might be able to find something, but until then, I’m couch-surfing at Lake’s.” Her face screwed up into an unhappy scowl as she looked down into her cup and swirled the tea in it.

  “That’s partly what I wanted to talk to you about. My house is huge, way bigger than it should be for one person. If you’d like to come stay with me, I have a spare bedroom and bathroom that could be yours.”

  She shook her head. “Oh, no, I couldn’t do that. I wouldn’t want to put you out.”

  “That’s the other half of this proposal. In exchange, I’m hoping maybe you could help me out.”

  “What could I possibly do to help you?” She looked so earnest, so young. A sprinkling of freckles dotted her nose. They were so sexy, but wow, they made her look younger than she really was. At least I hoped it was all just good breeding. Bringing a minor into my house and the atmosphere there would not be cool. But she couldn’t work at Naked Brews if she were that young, so I let go of that concern. I had plenty of other thing to worry about...like keeping my hands off her.

  “My mom and coach are worried that I’ll fall down a flight of stairs and not be able to get up. I keep telling them that I’m twenty-five, not a toddler.” It still kind of burned that they thought I needed a keeper.

  But the situation with my sponsors was worse. “But that isn’t all...I’m hoping you can give me some respectability. With the fallout from the night of the fire, my biggest sponsor has suddenly changed their tune. They’re the ones who wanted me to be Triple B the party boy, but now that’s not working for them. I’m not what they want. So, what I’m proposing is that you pretend to be my girlfriend while you’re staying with me. If the media thinks I’m in a relationship with someone like you, I think my sponsors will take me more seriously.”

  She toyed with the sugar packets on the table. “Someone like me? Boring?” She glanced up at me, and hurt radiated from her sad, blue eyes.

  I was screwing this all up. I gritted my teeth to gain control of my runaway mouth. She tied me up in knots. Usually I came across much smoother than this, but I didn’t normally want things to go my way this badly, either. “No, no, that’s not what I meant at all. I know you’re young, but you have it all together. You just exude this calm and maturity that I need to rub off on me by association.”

  She squinted at me. “You did hear the part where I’m camping out on my friend’s couch, right? Homelessness does not equate with respectability.”

  “Yeah, but that wasn’t your fault, and that’s why my proposal could work. You need a place to stay. I have that. I need someone to come out with me to public appearances and provide calm to my vibe. You have that. It would be a trade of sorts.”

  She stared at me for a moment as if weighing the pros and cons in her head. “And how exactly would this work?”

  “You come with me when I have to make public appearances. Even though I’m not competing, I’ll still have to head out to the slopes when there’s a competition in town to do the whole Adrenaline PR thing. There also might be a party or two thrown by one of my sponsors. But wherever we go, I won’t leave your side. All you have to do is hang out with me. I’ve been told I’m kind of a fun guy.” I winked at her, hoping to charm her. “It can’t be that bad, right?”

  She raised an eyebrow at me. I wasn’t sure how to take that.

  “You can trust me.” I gave her my most earnest look. Her blues eyes widened. That expression shot a zing straight to my groin. Did she feel it, too? This connection between us. “This will work out better for both of us. Give it a chance. What have you got to lose? If you hate having me for a roommate, you can move back onto Lake’s couch.”

  She shuddered. “That is not ideal. They’re just so in love.”

  “Her new boyfriend? I’ve heard rumors about him in town. Sounds like he’s an interesting guy.”

  “Walsh is great. Honestly, they’re great together. I just don’t want to live up-close and personal with just how well they suit one another. There are some things that are TMI even for best friends.” She gave a mock shudder that had me smiling.

  “This could work. Give us a shot.” I grabbed hold of her hand and an arc of electricity zinged up my arm.

  Well, hello, chemistry.

  She stared down at our joined hands and bit her lip nervously.

  I wanted to groan. Was this really the best idea I’d ever had? This girl was one of my mom’s friends, and despite Melissa not being my normal type, we did have some amazing attraction sizzling between us. “You’ll be safe. My mom will kick my butt if anything happened to you while you were under my roof. I know she’s biased, but you know my mom. She’ll vouch for me.”

  Indecision flitted across her expression, and I could see she was about to tell me no.

  My heart plummeted. I had to convince her somehow, so I used what I had to twist the screws. “Please. This works for both of us. I’m a good guy. I promise. I never would have run into a burning building if I weren’t someone you could trust. You have to realize that, right?”

  She bit her lip in a move that almost had me groaning out loud. While she was just contemplating my idea, my cock thickened with ideas of a totally different sort. That made me such a bastard.

  I hated that I’d sunken so low as to using guilt to manipulate her, but I was grasping. For some reason, this had become really important to me. I wanted her to move in with me. I wanted her close. I wanted to get to know her better. I wanted to know who Melissa was behind the Juliet façade.

  “Come on,” I urged. “Trust me. Take a leap off your balcony. I promise I won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

  She shook her head at me. “You know, Juliet died at the end of her tale. Maybe that’s not the best comparison to make.”

  “True.” Okay, so maybe I needed to take another tack. She was part of the book club with my mom where they read all those too-good-to-be-true, fairytale romances. “Did I mention my house has a real tower with balconies that come off the bedrooms? There’s also a fully-stocked library.”

  Her expression lit up.

  She was close to capitulating, so I went for my final play. “I’ll make sure you’re supplied with any kind of tea and cups you want.”

  Her eye
s widened with interest. “When can I move in?”

  Chapter 13

  Melissa

  The pound of a thrumming bass echoed as I wheeled Lake’s borrowed suitcase to Anthony’s front door. Wow, it was kind of early in the evening for the party to have already started, wasn’t it? I guessed this was life in Triple B’s house.

  I pushed down the tingling sensation in my belly. This was simple. Live in a spare bedroom with an actual bed that wasn’t ten feet away from my best friend getting busy twice a night with her fiancé. Pretend to be Anthony’s girlfriend so he didn’t lose his sponsors. Easy.

  I just had to pretend it didn’t bother me that this was all fake. Of course, it had to be that way. Anthony was so far out of my league. I was a nobody accountant, for god’s sake. He was an internationally famous athlete. I needed to keep it all in perspective. This would be my adventure I could tell my grandkids about in fifty years. My entire life I’d been overlooked and ignored in my huge family of nine. This was my chance to do something a little bit more—something daring.

  I raised my hand to bang on the solid wood, and the door opened. Instead of hitting oak, I knocked Anthony’s broad and very hard abs.

  “Oh gosh, I’m so sorry.” I cringed and twisted my fingers away instead of leaving them there to explore. Dang. My breath had sped up from that simple little touch, and I really wanted to go back for more. Control yourself. I took a deep breath and gave him an apologetic smile. Not a great start.

  “No problem, why don’t you come—” His eyes widened as he focused behind me. “What is that?” He pointed over my shoulder to my car, parked in the circular driveway.

  “Do I need to move it? I wasn’t sure—”

  Anthony shook his head. “It’s fine there, I guess. Just... Is that your car?”

  I glanced back at William. He did take a little getting used to at first. A Mini Cooper wasn’t exactly a popular vehicle in the mountains, but I was one hundred percent sure no one here had one with the British flag painted on the roof.

  “Yes, it’s mine.” I put my hand on my hip and tilted my head to the side. Playing his fake girlfriend was one thing, but I didn’t have to put up with him mocking my baby.

  “O...kay,” he said slowly as he nodded. “Cool.” He stepped back into the entranceway. “Come on in. Do you have anything else?”

  “Just a box.”

  “Hal!” Anthony yelled over his shoulder into the house, though with the music turned up, I don’t know how he expected anyone to hear him.

  A large guy who outweighed Anthony sauntered into the entranceway. “What’s up, Triple B?”

  “Do me a solid and grab the box out of that car for...my girlfriend.”

  Hal lifted his eyebrows in question but nodded his head and marched out to my car where the trunk was already open. He lifted the heavy box of books like it was filled with feathers.

  “Okay, let’s show you your room.” Anthony led us through the cavernous entryway with wide-planked wood floors and dark-stained moldings topped by rough-hewn rock details. Everything was big and pristine, but the natural accents made it feel cozy.

  “This place is amazing.” I probably sounded like an overly-impressed groupie, but it really was gorgeous. I ran a hand down a rough-cut wood column and pictured myself swinging around it like the heroine in a musical. Or walking regally down the long hall with a crown on my head greeting the Queen of England. Your Majesty, welcome to our home.

  Shit. Our home. I shook my head. This wasn’t my home. Just the place I was staying, and I’d better remember that.

  We walked into another room filled with overstuffed couches and way too many people. They were everywhere, drinking out of red plastic cups, dancing to the pounding music, and lounging on the furniture.

  “Triple B!” A cheer went up from the crowd as they noticed us. Several people lifted their glasses as if to toast us.

  “Hey, everybody, this is my girlfriend, Melissa, so hands off.”

  The room erupted in laughter. Geez, he was really selling this whole girlfriend thing pretty hard. It felt unnatural, like a thin sheen of oil covering my skin. I just wanted to get to my room and detox.

  We walked past several other crowded rooms, and Anthony pointed them out as we went. The kitchen, the game room, and a den with a giant television filled one wall. We passed the media room where the press conference had been held. I’d been so nervous that day I hadn’t paid attention to the house. Now, I’d be living here, and I felt a bit overwhelmed by it all. Anthony stopped in front of an elevator.

  I gaped at the door while we waited for the car. “How big is this place?”

  Anthony smiled down at me, and my knees wobbled a bit at the sight. Dang, I needed to grab hold of my heart—hard—and get it under control.

  “It’s pretty big, but the elevator isn’t really a big deal. It’s mainly for deliveries to the upstairs game rooms, but I’ve been using it since the crutches make stairs a challenge.”

  “Right.” I nodded as if that made total sense, and everyone needed an elevator for second floor deliveries. We got into the elevator with Hal silently following us with my box of erotica novels. All perfectly normal. Maybe I should have kept breadcrumbs in my pocket so I could find my way out in the morning.

  When the doors opened on the second floor, we walked out into a large space that had to be the game room. A full bar flanked the back wall, and a pool table sat right in the middle surrounded by another dozen or so people.

  “Are there always this many people here?” I called out over the blaring music.

  “Sure.” Anthony shrugged and high fived some of the partiers. “I like having people around. It’s fun.”

  I pursed my lips and tried not to let the judgment show on my face. This was Anthony’s house, and he could live however he wanted. But I doubted this was what his sponsors had in mind when they had told him to clean up his image.

  “Don’t worry, they’re never allowed in this area of the house.” We passed through the game room and down a short hallway to a closed door. He unlocked it with a key and then handed it to me.

  I turned the brass key over in my hand and ran my fingers over the intricate carvings. “I didn’t know anyone used skeleton keys anymore. This is gorgeous.”

  “Thanks.” He smiled down at me, and a warm pulse lit up my belly. “You’ll be pleased to know I got it from a locksmith all the way in England. It goes with the lock.”

  He stepped to the side, and I got my first good look at the door. A heavy iron lock and handle decorated the wood planked door. The forging matched the carvings in the key. “Like out of a fairy tale.”

  “I think you’ll like what’s inside even better.” He pulled the door open to reveal a winding tower staircase.

  I squealed. Dammit. An actual squeal. Not at all chill, but seriously, I thought he might have been kidding when he’d promised me a turret. We took the stairs slowly for Anthony, but I didn’t mind. It gave me the chance to take in every single detail from the stacked rock walls to the ornate sconces that lit our path.

  At the top, Anthony gestured across an open space. “Our bedrooms.”

  A tiny shiver ran down my spine. Knowing Anthony would be sleeping only a few feet away did dirty things to my imagination. So long as that was where those thoughts stayed, I’d be fine. I had no intention of becoming one in a long string of Triple B conquests.

  “This thing isn’t exactly filled with cotton balls.” Hal hefted my box on his shoulder and grunted. “What do you have in here?”

  I almost forgot he was with us. “Books.” And a tiny silver vibrator I would definitely need to use if Anthony kept smiling at me in the way that turned my insides to Jell-O.

  Anthony gestured to a door with a crutch. “You can put it in there.”

  Hall shoved the box just inside one of the rooms and then hightailed it out of there. Probably to go grab a beer and join in the party.

  “So this one’s mine?”

  Antho
ny nodded, so I pushed the door the rest of the way open and flipped on the light. I pinched my arm, but the fairytale room in front of me didn’t disappear. Anthony’s guest bedroom was bigger than my whole apartment over the brewery, and even without a stitch of British décor, it was perfect. I glided across the thick, cream carpet and ran my hand down an intricately carved bedpost. Vines filled with tiny flowers and detailed leaves decorated the dark, rich wood. This was a bed fit for a princess. Eat your heart out, Kate.

  I walked past the bed and opened a dark, wooden door, revealing a bathroom big enough to hold twenty people. Little feminine touches were everywhere from soft hand towels to a little bowl of woodsy-scented potpourri. The giant mirror framed by river rock reflected back exactly what Anthony saw when he looked at me. A good girl.

  He’d pretty much said as much last night. I’d be helping him out around the house, but anyone could have done that. Watching him move around, he was doing pretty well on his own. My main role here was to help Anthony clean up his image.

  I just had to keep reminding myself that all of this was nothing more than an act. I’d be here long enough for him to recover fully from his ankle injury and his sponsors to decide to re-sign their contracts. By then, my apartment would be rehabbed, and all of this would be gone.

  “Better enjoy it while it lasts, Melissa,” I told my mirror image.

  “What was that?” Anthony called from the bedroom.

  “Nothing.” I walked back out of the bathroom. “Just admiring the room. It’s amazing.”

  “That would be entirely my mom’s doing. She decorated all of this.”

  I walked around the room a bit. A giant bookshelf filled one corner of the room, loaded with classic romance novels. Anthony’s mom’s style was in everything here, and most of these titles were ones we read in book club. Of course, these were the mainstream romances. Oh sure, orgasms were had and one couldn’t read the descriptions in Sunday school. But they didn’t come close to my secret stash.