by S. K. Lessly
He wore a short sleeve, light green, polo shirt that did its best to cover the bulging muscles of his well-formed chest and arms. He also had on khaki shorts that looked to cover some very strong-looking thighs. My mouth began to water as I saw the power in his calves. I felt the wonderment and anticipation flowing through me just as my imagination started to take flight.
The man took off his dark sunglasses and looked around the crowded waiting area. I stood there with baited breath, hoping his eyes would fall on me, and the second they did, my heart stopped.
Good God almighty…
I couldn’t see the color of his eyes, because of how far away he was, but I could definitely feel the intensity in them. Goose bumps literally materialized all over my body as if someone had turned up the AC in the building and adjusted the vents to blow directly on me. My breathing picked up the moment he started moving in my direction, his eyes never leaving mine.
I watched him, mesmerized at the way he walked. The confidence and swagger that seemed to be oozing from his pores was a complete turn on for me. There was nothing like a confident man that knew he was the shit and dared anyone to say otherwise.
I started to panic when he suddenly stopped walking. His hands patted his sides before he pulled a phone from a clip attached to his hip. He looked at it and smiled this amazing smile. Disappointment flooded me for a second, thinking he was probably talking to a female until I realized that this was a great time to drag my starving eyes all over his body now that he was closer. My lustful eyes didn’t waste time either. They traveled right to his tan khakis shorts because that’s what women do whenever they see a hot guy, they check out his package. Immediately, I noticed two things. One, there was a slight bulge there that could’ve meant anything, but in my dirty mind it meant only one thing: he was packing. And two, I noticed how his shorts hung slightly off of his hips. That may sound insignificant to you, but for me it meant if he lifted his shirt, I could see tight abs and that V-shaped muscle pointing to my paradise.
My body shuttered slightly from just the thought of what he looked like with his shirt off. That’s when my filthy-ass mind finally kicked its ass into gear, and I began to picture what he would look like naked. I started to wonder if those hips of his was as talented as I was imagining them to be. And was that bulge between his thighs a blessing in disguise or a curse? And his lips… Oh God! I licked my own with a growing hunger, thinking of how his lips would feel just as this stranger’s eyes met mine.
The shock and widening of his eyes told me he caught exactly what I had done. I wasn’t ashamed at all. I was thrilled. What made me inwardly smile was that I could’ve sworn in that moment that his breath hitched in his throat. I mean, there was still a bit of distance between us, but as closely as I was watching him, I could see that I was affecting him. The stranger confirmed my suspicions when a beautiful and completely devilish smile suddenly appeared on his handsome face.
I creamed my panties. Oh yes, I bet he’s everything I’m imagining and more.
He started walking in my direction with something different about his walk. It was more purposed and relaxed. I shifted from foot to foot, debating on what I was going to say when I heard Josh growl next to me.
“About fucking time,” Josh mumbled.
The stranger’s smile then broadened, however, this time it was directed at the brooding man next to me.
“Bout time your late ass showed up,” Josh barked when the stranger was within ear shot, but the tone in his voice was a complete contrast to the huge shit-eating grin on his face.
“You know me, little bro. I had to make a quick detour,” the man replied just as he and Josh embraced.
I couldn’t move a muscle. I was too busy trying to process that my dream man was Josh’s brother, Shane. I turned away from the sexist man alive, closed my eyes tight, and took a few deep breaths. I didn’t know if this was God playing a cruel joke on me or what, but it wasn’t funny.
I groaned to myself, this tour is going to be long and painful.
“And who is this?”
I opened my eyes to find Shane’s bluish-green eyes looking right through me.
Josh smiled at me and told his brother, “Well, bro, this is my Misty. Misty, this is Shane, my other pain-in-the-ass brother.”
I looked strangely at Josh. ‘My Misty?’ What was that all about?
I rolled my eyes and said, “Nice to meet you,” to Shane and offered him my hand in greeting.
For the second time this morning, my hand was pushed out of the way and my body smothered into a chest that felt like home. Shane gave me one of the best hugs I’d ever had in my life. He didn’t just put his arms around me, he wrapped them around me protectively with a hint of dominance as if he had no intentions of letting me go.
Did I mention that I was in love?
“It’s nice to finally meet you,” he said close to my ear and I think I heard him inhale me.
I closed my eyes, overtly inhaled him and hugged him back, wishing he would never let me go.
He did, however, and stepped back from me, putting unwanted distance between us.
“Josh has spoken very highly of you. It’s great to put a name with a face.”
I did manage to swallow my disappointment, due to the instant separation, with a warm smile as I looked up at him. “He’s told me a lot about you too,” I said, because quite frankly, that was all I could think to say.
No, that wasn’t true. What I really wanted to say was something clever like: ‘Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?’ Or maybe just get to the point and say ‘Damn you’re fine as hell, but you’d look better with your face between my thighs.’
In the end, I said none of those things. I figured that wouldn’t be appropriate, especially since we were meeting for the first time. After today, he’d definitely be fair game.
Shane’s devilish grin came back with a vengeance as he leaned into me, clearly oblivious to my craziness, and winked. “Every single thing my brother has told you about me is true.”
I grinned, shaking my head. “I definitely believe it.”
Marry me?!
I continued to stare into Shane’s eyes as if he and I were the only two people there. Damn, I could barely move much less breathe. This one right here was trouble. I could see it in his eyes. Delicious, delectable trouble… He was just what I probably didn’t need in my life. But I wanted it. I wanted to jump in his arms, stick my tongue down his throat, and kiss those sexy-ass lips of his.
Shane’s eyebrows rose as he held my eyes and I smiled. I wondered what would happen if I just went for it.
“It’s a good thing that your sorry ass made it in time,” Josh said, causing Shane to look at him.
I rolled my eyes. He was such a dick blocker.
“Where’s Malc?” Shane asked, looking around.
“He’s getting the tickets.”
Josh came up to me and put his arm around my neck and squeezed. I heard him whisper, just for me. “You want to behave yourself?”
Shocked, I started to protest that I couldn’t help it and blame him again, but the return of Malcolm and Bridgette stopped me. As I stood there watching the Cooper brothers catch up, I felt like I was invading their private time. I took a few steps back and continued to watch them.
They, by far, were the three most attractive men I had laid eyes on in forever, and that was saying a lot. For the last week, I had been immersed in attractive, beautiful men here in Italy, and none of them could hold water to the male forms that stood before me.
I could also see why some believed that they could pass for triplets. They had similar features, eye color, hair color, and strong jaws. Their confidence, sex appeal, and mannerisms all were similar as well. Not only could I see their likenesses, there was no mistaking their differences.
Their heights varied, and their smiles and laughter were completely different too. It was in the way they talked, walked, and stood that separated them from each other. But that was a
lso a slim difference.
What was also obvious about these three were the aura of ‘Don’t fuck with me’ evident all over them. These three were bad asses. Put away the notion that I knew Josh, you really didn’t have to know the man to see that he was made from a different stalk than others. You could see it right now as he talked and laughed with his brothers. He oozed confidence, strength and a vibe that told you he was a force to be reckoned with.
It was the same with Shane and Malcolm. Granted, Shane and Malcolm didn’t have a permanent frown on their faces, but there was no denying they were just as tough and dangerous as Josh and maybe even more. If you added their demeanor with their looks, these three could pass for spawns of Zeus himself.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Bridgette whispered as she came up next to me.
"Oui, ça l'est,” I replied. I turned and looked at her. “Comment avez-vous géré être avec ces bons hommes à la recherche?”
She shrugged and looked at me. “Je ne sais pas, il était difficile.”
When I looked back at the Cooper brothers, they were all staring at us. “What?” I asked them.
Shane tapped his brother on his chest. “She speaks another language too? She’s definitely a keeper.”
The heat that suddenly radiated from his eyes made me blush, and I so did not blush.
Josh sucked his teeth and shook his head. “Speaking of keepers, I thought you were bringing someone with you?”
Malcolm, as if he’d suddenly realized that Shane had lost something, looked around. “Yeah, that’s right. Where’s what’s her name?”
Shane took his eyes off of mine and looked at Malcolm and then Josh. He said, “Non portare le ragazze intorno alla famiglia. Inoltre, non era utile, ma per una cosa.”
Um… wow.
If I wasn’t in love before, hearing him speak Italian pretty much sealed it. It was rude of him to venture off into another language. However, I figured he was just paying Brig and me back for speaking in French.
Josh shook his head as Shane grinned at him. “You haven’t changed a bit.”
“And I don’t plan to, brother.”
Wanting to let him know he wasn’t as clever as he thought, and to see that heat in his eyes again. I threaded my arm through Bridgette’s and said to Shane, in Italian of course, “Credo che sia vero quello che dicono su di te,” then pushed our way through the brothers toward one of the exits.
Just as we passed through them, I did manage to catch Shane as he said, “Damn that was sexy. Can I have her?”
My heart stopped, but ever the protector, Josh quickly said, “Fuck no!”
The rest of the day was very entertaining to say the least. It was thirteen hours of laughing until my stomach hurt, enjoying the sights of Rome, and creating new friendships.
Shane remained on his best behavior, and we never shared another moment again, which was fine. As much as I had wanted to have a taste, I knew I couldn’t. For one, he was Josh’s brother. That would be messy trying to hook up with his brother, putting Josh indirectly in the middle. Josh and I were partners; we couldn’t afford to mess up the camaraderie we had. Secondly, I was damaged goods, having just come out of a devastating marriage with the world’s greatest asshole. I had nothing really in the tank to give to anyone else.
It wasn’t like Shane had even shown me that he was interested in me that way. I just felt he deserved better. He deserved more than what I could give him. And if I were being honest with myself, I still kind of felt that way.
I didn’t know what had recently changed between us or when, but I needed to decide quickly if I had it in me to give him what he deserved. If I had to answer that question right now, it would be a strong no. Would I change my mind given more time, I don’t know, and that was the problem.
Chapter Ten
Shane
My parents owned a large four-bedroom home with a backyard that spilled out onto a private beach along Virginia’s coastline. Every night, after dinner, dessert, and my traditional walk along the beach, you could find me sitting on my parents’ wraparound porch, staring out into the breathtaking view of the ocean.
Tonight, was no different.
It was beautiful out here, especially in the middle of the night. The cool summer night’s breeze, which was coming off the ocean, felt good. The calming night sky above me was clear and riddled with thousands of twinkling stars that reminded me of small penlights flashing on and off.
There was a full moon out tonight, elevated high in the heavens that added to the calming view. If I weren’t suffering from insomnia, the view mixed with the sounds of the waves angrily punishing the shore, would make me go to sleep right here.
It was past two in the morning, and my ass was wide awake. Tonight, my brothers, my sister, and I had enjoyed a great time going down memory lane with our parents. We’d laughed until our sides hurt and basked in the stories and memories we all shared about growing up in our household. Then my brothers and I separated from our family and did our own trip down memory lane. We paid tribute to a lot of service men and women we’d lost throughout the years, told repeated war stories, and devoured our father’s tequila until there was nothing left in the bottle.
By the end of the night, Josh, Malcolm, and I were three sheets to the wind. There was no way we could drive home. Luckily for my brothers, they had designated drivers to take them home. I, on the other hand, did not. Therefore, I made myself comfortable in one of the spare bedrooms of the beach house, but like I said, I couldn’t get to sleep. My problem wasn’t just that I was drunk as hell and the room spinning and shit, but my ass was horny as fuck and I was missing my woman.
Since sleep was MIA, I headed outside to the back porch of my parents’ house and had been out here for at least a few hours. I was trying to sober up and clear my mind from thinking about Misty, especially after the last text she’d sent me. I tried to think of anything that would get my mind off of this obsession I now had for her. I thought about the many cases I had waiting for me tomorrow, the debacle that was the Simon case, the train wreck that was the FBI, and bureaucracy I undoubtedly would have to answer to tomorrow. Regrettably, nothing worked.
What I realized, during the time I sat out here watching the stars wink in the midnight sky, was how much I didn’t want to think about anything else. I wanted to be consumed by this woman. I wanted my world to evolve around her. I wanted her to be mine; body, heart, mind, and most of all, soul.
Last night was… Shit, I couldn’t even find the words to describe it. I just knew that I had never wanted a woman as bad as I’d wanted her. The way she gave herself to me, whispered and screamed my name, and how she gripped me close to her as if she never wanted to let me go, all blew my mind. I lost every ounce of self-control with her last night, something that rarely happened, but I liked it.
I realized that making this woman mine wasn’t going to be easy. I believed that I needed a plan. As I said, she was going to make me work for it; work for her heart, and that was fine with me. That’s why I took our conversation to another level last night. I had to let her know that she was settling for shit she didn’t need to settle for, and that I was everything she would ever need in a man and more. Since I knew this woman, I understood my simple words wouldn’t be enough. Nevertheless, I gave her a few meaningful ones anyway, allowing her to visualize what would be in store for her if she would just let go and let me in.
The speech I gave about taking control of a woman when I fucked her had a dual purpose to serve. It was my way of telling her precisely what I wanted to do to her in a way that teased her as well as provided her a bit of promise of what her future held. It was a gamble, but it had paid off. The look Misty gave me, revealing the fire that I’d ignited in her eyes, told me she was visualizing exactly what I wanted her to see.
When Misty tried to run from me, I had her right where I wanted her. The way her body trembled when I grabbed her wrist confirmed that she knew exactly what was about to happen. Admittedly, fro
m there, I should have sat her down so we could talk. Unfortunately, at that point, my patience was a distant memory. I didn’t care to explain the inevitable to her, so she could give me what I wanted. So… I took what I wanted.
Yeah, that kiss…
A wicked smile crossed my face as the memory of the way my tongue commanded her mouth came to mind. That kiss was everything I’d imagined it would be and more. The feeling of her being in my arms brought contentment all over me. She felt good. She felt amazing, smooth, and soft.
I couldn’t get her into the house and to her bedroom fast enough. I could barely contain myself as she took her clothes off for me. She was driving me delirious with need, and I hadn’t even touched her the way I wanted to yet. But when I did… Oh…everything that happened from there was indescribable.
No other woman had ever made me go insane with that much desire before—no one. I knew without a shadow of a doubt that, in the breath of that moment, standing there watching this woman give herself to me, I was done for. Understand, I wasn’t one of those idiots that needed to test what I was feeling in order to validate that. What I felt was real. My mind, body, and soul were being consumed by Grace Michelle King. That was indisputable. Just as much as she belonged to me, I belonged to her.
By the way, this made me realize something else. My original plan was shit. I needed a plan B now.
I took a deep breath, closed my eyes, and laid my head back against the rocking chair I sat in. I could still smell her scent under my nose. I could still feel the tingle in my fingers from touching her body. In my mind’s eye, I clearly saw the smile that had radiated her beautiful face when she looked at me and the look of pure satisfaction she gave me as I pleasured her body.
“Shit!” I shifted in my chair and pushed down the rise of ole Willy, who was also looking for my woman. I raked my hands through my hair and blew out a breath. Since I was giving into this obsession of mine, what I needed to do was get control of my emotions. I needed to take my time with her. I couldn’t fuck this up. I needed to play this right no matter what my heart and my dick were telling me to do. If I didn’t handle Misty with care, I would surely lose, and losing wasn’t in my vocabulary.
