“Are you serious with my brother?”
She wanted to laugh it off lightly, but there was nothing light about her feelings for James – James, who’d carried her when she stumbled and gently comforted her when she’d cried. That was years ago, when she was but a child, but one never forgot. He’d always been so gentle with her, so beautiful, and she knew deep in her heart it couldn’t be nothing. There had to be something there, and she wasn't ready to give up.
“Yes,” she replied quietly.
Finn regarded her for a few more seconds, those gray eyes intense before he sighed.
“Fine. I’ll help you.”
“I don’t need—”
“Trust me, you do need. I’m his brother. I know what he wants.”
“Fine. Humor me. What does he want?”
“Classy girls, for one. No too-colorful outfits and ridiculous wedges. Keep it simple.”
She harrumphed.
“As his brother, I’ll help you by helping you dress properly and say the right words. And cook properly.”
“What does cooking have to do with anything?”
“Lilah, have you tasted your own muffins?”
“They’re delicious.”
“Oh, I have no doubt,” he said mockingly, gaze straying down to her chest – enough to make her turn red – before amusedly looking back at her. “But we’re talking about your blueberry muffins—”
“You perve—”
“—and they’re awful. I’ll teach you how to make actual good ones.”
This, she considered. After all, he was a chef.
“And how to seduce properly. Nice and slow, as my brother wants. None of that hurried nonsense you’re doing.”
“And why would you help me with all this?”
“He’s my brother, Lilah. I want him happy. If you think you’re the girl for that, so be it.”
She eyed him warily. Was he really offering to help her?
There was only one way to find out.
“If this is some kind of prank in the end, I’m going to give you hell live you’ve never had before.”
That slow grin came again, as dangerous as it was dark. He held out his hand. Lilah looked at it, then at him, for a few second longer before she held out hers and firmly shook his.
“Deal.”
She dearly hoped she didn’t just make a deal with the devil.
Chapter 4
The second step to seducing the person you were in love with: draw his attention to your mouth.
Monday was dress shopping day, an event Lilah grumbled about endlessly as Finn piled the clothes in her hand and ordered her to get them all. Then there was the stiletto-walking practice, which she did with curse words filling the air.
Tuesday was touch day, where he discussed with her the erotic points in a man’s body with no holds barred, deliberately milking out the session as he watched her turn redder and redder. It couldn't be helped that along with the embarrassment came arousal, which she cursed him for.
Wednesday was baking day, and it took Lilah three scorched batches before he finally declared it a waste of time, and besides, the true way to a man’s heart was through his coc—
She called him an ass and hit him.
Thursday was Lilah’s big bookstore event, where James was supposedly invited. He was busy, so Finn went in his place – much to Lilah’s disappointment, though she tried not to show it. Disappointment turned to irritation as Finn tried talked his way into one of her employee’s…er, panties - which Lilah venomously barred before anything could actually happen.
“If you dump her and she quits, I’m going to sock you.”
Friday was a no-go, because apparently it was his night. Weekends, too - although she tried to get him to teach her more on Sunday, even showing him her seduction book. He read it for a few minutes before grinning wickedly and setting it on fire. Ugh.
The routine repeated the next week, and the next. On the third week, Lilah refused to talk about a man’s body’s erotic points (because Finn was relentless with his teasing torture) and finally perfected her cookies, much to his mocking relief.
She was ready.
---
The Brody’s annual brunch was usually filled with food to last for days, talkative family members and hyper kids running around, and this year was no different. At this event, the Jones’ were always invited – Lilah and her parents, and any of her cousins whenever they were around. At the moment, only the parents were there, plus her cousin Margaret and a young teenage male cousin that he remembered being a toddler before. Adam. Yes, his name was Adam – and he was following Serena’s every move like a lovesick puppy, with said female being completely oblivious.
Ah. Serena was going to break his heart.
Unless Finn broke Adam’s legs first, if the boy tried anything funny.
Finn kept his quiet observation in check behind his sunglasses. James was in the middle of the brunch table laid out in their backyard garden, talking to Lilah's father with a relaxed expression on his face. Not business talk, then. Probably something equally serious. Remembering Lilah's passion for practically everything that mattered to her (including her so-called love for his brother and her books), he decided that she was definitely the woman James needed.
Besides, it would be fun to see James’ feathers ruffled, for once.
He was in this train of thought when in walked the she-devil herself, dressed in something infinitely better than the horrid outfit she wore previously.
It was a light green slip of a sundress, decent enough for a family gathering but casually sexy enough to perhaps catch his brother's attention. White flip-flops replaced her wedges. Good.
She scanned the area, her gaze pausing at him to tip her head in acknowledgment before settling in on James, warming considerably. Good.
She strode with confidence, a plate of freshly-baked cookies in her hand. Dark chocolate chips, the kind she'd perfected. Good.
She sat beside James and touched his arm, catching his attention as she smiled at him and offered the cookies. There was an easiness between them, one brought about by their years of knowing each other and James’ obvious affection for her – whether it was brotherly or more was yet to be determined. His kindness kept her temper in check. He took a cookie, and this time, smiled in pleasure upon tasting it.
Good.
She bit into a cookie, chewing almost daintily – an action that had Finn scoffing, because she ate like an ox in front of him.
Then her pink tongue came out to lick her lips, and the scoff froze in his throat.
He…didn’t remember teaching her that.
For a split of a second, Lilah turned her head in Finn’s direction. Then her eyes lit up in triumph and she smiled at him so warmly that he blinked, and paused from drinking his scotch.
Odd woman.
Minutes went by, with her nodding at whatever James was saying and lightly touching his arm from time to time. Then her easy smiles lessened a bit as she frowned in Finn’s direction. She stood up, and indicated her head to the right – a signal. Then she excused herself and left in the direction her head had signalled, shooting him a pointed glance as she passed him by.
Weird, weird woman.
Finishing his scotch, Finn followed a few seconds later.
---
Female voices filled the kitchen as Lilah hid in the Brody’s tiny closet and waited for the person she’d just signalled at. His voice floated in the air a full five minutes later, and she waited for the female voices to trail off and disappear. Most did, except for her cousin Margaret’s.
He was talking to Margaret, and her cousin was giggling.
His tone lowered, turning intimate and whispery. So did Margaret’s.
Lilah scowled in her spot.
Silence followed – the kind that was punctuated by muffled sounds, almost as if…
No. Hell, no.
Lilah fumed.
More silence, then—
�
�Not now – later, Finn. When we’re alone."
"I don't think-"
"Later."
Another giggle, then the female voice trailed off as Margaret left the kitchen. Another pair of footsteps passed by the closet door, and without further ado, Lilah jerked the person inside. Then she closed the door and glared at Finn.
“If you touch a single hair on Margaret’s head, I will maim you.”
Finn looked partly irritated, partly confused. Then, he went calm. “If your cousin Adam so much as looks at Serena the wrong way, I will maim him.”
“He wouldn’t.”
“He already is.”
Huh. She didn’t know that.
“He can decide for himself.”
“So can Margaret—”
“Oh, no, you don’t—”
“—and I didn’t do anything – not that I ought to explain that to you. She came on to me and I politely tried to disengage.”
“So the muffled sounds were you trying to unstick your tongue down her throat?”
His expression hardened. “My tongue was nowhere near her throat. I don’t take on teenagers. Do you think that low of me?”
Lilah winced. “I’m sor—”
“Now why exactly are we inside our goddamn closet, whispering to each other?”
Calming herself, Lilah took a deep breath and paused. Then she rushed her words.
“I want to practice this seduction thing.”
Silence, as Finn’s dark expression turned to disbelief in an instant.
"In the closet?”
Lilah waved her hand impatiently. “Yes. Just a few minutes. He’s talking about business. Damn it. I want him to stop talking about business with me and I have a plan.”
“A plan.”
“And I need to practice. Humor me.”
Finn shrugged. “Okay.”
“And I absolutely need – oh. Okay.”
She took a deep breath, not expecting him to instantly agree. But she wasn't going to argue. Calming her nerves, Lilah started.
“So I have this – why are you coming closer?”
His warm body was suddenly very close, but his look was casual. Her back was on the wall, so there was nowhere to go. “Don’t worry. You’re not my type. This is practice.”
Lilah sneered. “You’re not my type, either.”
“Obviously.”
This was getting nowhere fast, but she really had no choice. It was now or never. Taking a deep breath, Lilah started again.
“So I read this book.”
“Book?”
“Yes, this book. Humor me.”
His gray eyes danced. “Alright. What book?”
She tilted her head, angling it enough so she could look him straight in the eye, and let him smell her lily scent.
“Oh, just a book. Book with some…acts.”
“…acts.”
She stepped closer and deliberately inhaled, eye contact lowering as her chest touched his for a second. She felt him go still.
“Acts of a man and a woman. There’s this thing about the tongue and the things it can do to...pleasure a man.”
“The…tongue?”
“Oh, yes. Tongue. Perhaps you’d like to…give it a try.”
"..."
"Like...right now."
“Delilah.”
Lilah finally looked back up – and her breath stopped. His eyes no longer danced. Finn was looking at her with an expression that had her heartbeat thudding fast.
The mood shifted, the air around them growing thick with tension. Nervous, she licked her lower lip.
His gaze slid to her mouth.
Practice. I won’t feel anything.
It was like being possessed by a desire that she couldn’t control, as she licked her lower lip again and found his hooded gaze darkening in response. Their breaths quietly mingled in the air. He didn’t move, but a slight tic on his jaw indicated his not-so-firm hold on control. She felt herself moving out of her own accord.
Warning bells sounded in her head. Ignoring it, Lilah stood on tiptoe.
Then she kissed him.
---
Her kiss was experimental and almost shy, but it might as well have been a train bulleting right through his body as he hardened all over.
No tongue. No contact, other than their lips.
Lilah tasted like Lilah – sharp, fresh and all fire.
Sister. Almost-sister. Fucking sis—
He kissed her back, opening his mouth fully and putting his palms on the wall on either side of her. His tongue finally asked for entrance.
Her mouth yielded against him, opening completely.
His fists tightened against the wall.
He must keep it light. No touching – absolutely no touching.
To control himself, he kept the kiss short and feathered his kisses elsewhere – her soft cheeks, her creamy throat, the sensitive skin behind her ear…
She trembled against him, a whispered sound coming out of her lips that had his blood pounding in quick response. It made him want to swallow those sounds with his mouth, calling to him like a warrior's beat. It made him want to touch her at her core and slide his cock inside, and hear her moan his name. Over and over.
Oh, he was going to hell.
Dimly, voices registered in the background.
“I wonder where she is…”
“…good cookies…”
“Upstairs…”
Raggedly, quietly, he tore his lips away from her skin.
Seconds passed, not a single one of them moving. The voices disappeared.
Finn opened his eyes, and found her green ones staring at him, clouded with lust. He opened his mouth to say something.
She banked down her expression and lifted her chin.
“Thank you for letting me practice.”
What?
Before Finn could get a word in edgewise, she was already out the closet door, leaving him alone and annoyed and aching.
Right. Practice.
Two things clicked in place for him as his resolution toughened.
One, he wanted the irritating, odd, prickly woman.
Two, he wasn’t going to do anything about it.
Chapter 5
Lilah sneaked inside Finn’s room at the break of dawn, a speech and a reason already in her head. There was a lump in the middle of his huge bed, and she hoped to God that there wasn’t anyone with him at the moment.
James invited her to a party and she needed a dress, because tonight was the night.
Without further ado, she went beside his bed, lowered her head and whistled like an alarm beside the lump that was probably his head.
No movement.
She poked him with a finger, and…nothing.
Impatient, she poked him harder, wishing he’d wake up so—
A hand shot out in the air, circling around her wrist and dragging her in bed before she could so much as squeal. Then she was turned until her back was flat on the sheets, and a long shadow was on top of her, and—
Finn.
Finn settled his naked, warm body on hers, and she felt his heat sear in her before she could control her reaction. She prepared herself to shout as panic set in.
Something hot and hard ground against her very center, and she froze as sheer liquid heat pulsed in her core. There was a soft murmur, before his mouth covered hers.
The panic scattered away as her mind blanked, and desire flooded in a vicious eruption. It clawed at her, leaving her raw and writhing beneath him before she could stop herself. It was an open-mouthed kiss, hot and persuasive, one that had her tasting him fully – and for the life of her she couldn’t stop herself from kissing him back, from touching his skin. He was hot, and he was male, and he felt so real.
This felt real.
His mouth left hers, trailing kisses over her throat, making her moan.
Then he stopped.
His breathing was harsh, erotically so, as he rasped in her ear.
“What are you doing in my bed?”
Words were scrambling in her mind, like sand through fingers. “I – party – I don’t.” Then, “James.”
His body stilled, his sleepy eyes going clear and unreadable.
Silence filled the air.
“Morning wood.”
“What?”
“Morning wood,” he murmured softly. “I thought some other woman was in my bed.”
The insult snuck through her and left her stunned, even when it wasn’t even an insult to begin with. It was probably the truth.
It shouldn’t matter.
“I…James invited me to a party. I need help.”
His dangerous mouth breathed gently on her ear, making her shiver. Her own mouth itched, moving a fraction to his skin. His skin was hot. Too hot—
“You have a fever, Finn.”
“I’ll be fine.”
“But you—”
“I’m fine.”
Suddenly he was off her, bringing the blankets with him – along with the weight and the warmth. And then he was striding for the door, with only a few parting words.
“I’ll get you a dress.”
Lilah stared at the ceiling and tried not to imagine his naked backside when he left. Then she tried to control her palpitating heart. So she lusted after the guy - and damn it, he made her feel things. So what? It was nothing.
Tonight was the night.
---
“He’s not here.”
“He will be.”
“He’s never late.”
“Calm down.”
“I am calm.”
Her insistence at the last statement had Finn smiling slightly as he scanned the crowd, looking for his surprisingly late brother.
It was one of his cousin’s birthdays, held at a posh hotel in the middle of the city, and it was now in full swing as relatives and guests mingled. The theme was simple elegance, and everywhere he turned he saw things shimmering and sparkling - from glasses to dresses and shoes, to diamonds on their throats and jewels on their cuffs.
Even having grown up in a rich family, this has never been his kind of scene. He would rather be in the kitchen and cook – better yet, be with Lilah and put his hands on—
MC Romance: Gravel A Motorcycle Bad Boy Obsession (Untamed Rider Forbidden Temptation Book 1) Page 23
