by Rye Hart
And none of that shit was going down tonight.
Instinct taking over completely, I set my beer down on the bar and went striding to the dance floor. I grabbed the back of the guy’s shirt and yanked him away from Theresa. I heard Jane calling out to me and telling me to stop, but I was in a blind rage. No one touched Theresa that way, and she was too drunk to tell what was happening to her.
I stepped in front of the guy still hanging onto her and glared down at him. He was a measly little punk compared to me, and the moment he saw our size difference he backed off. I heard Theresa’s heels stumbling behind me, clicking along the ground before her hands planted onto my back.
I whipped around and glared down at her, taking in her drunken state.
“What the hell?” she asked. “What was that for?”
“Come on,” I said as I slipped my arm around her waist. “You’re making a fool of yourself.”
I scooted her off the dance floor as Jane continued to entertain the guys around her. I saw Hollis eye me carefully before he went to save Jane from the same damn fate. Jim was pulling guys off her as Hollis helped her off to the side, and I watched as he craned his gaze back to check on his sister.
I gave him a thumbs up and yelled at Jim that I’d catch up with him later. He waved me off before his attention turned back to Hollis, and I sighed with relief when he dragged Jane off into a corner to sober up. People were staring, and not in a good way. And the guys that were dancing on the floor were getting restless because we’d broken up their fun. They were all standing around with blue balls and it was about to get ugly. I pulled Theresa out of the bar and dragged her to my car, then helped her stumbling body fall into the passenger seat.
She was sulking as I slammed the door, her head falling into the glass.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” I asked as I got into the car.
“I was having fun,” Theresa said.
“Yeah, because assault is fun. You were real close in there, and you didn’t even know it.”
“Not assault if you enjoy the attention,” she said.
“Seriously, Theresa? This is your idea of taking care of yourself?”
“I had the situation under control, Bigfoot.”
“Name-calling. Real grown-up.”
“Hey, I didn’t ask you to intervene in the situation. I was enjoying the attention. I was out having a good time. Having some drinks with my best friend.”
“And what was your end goal, huh? Taking one of those assholes home?”
“As a matter of fact, yes!”
I whipped my head around to her and found her eyes hooked onto mine. She was fucking serious. She was going to take one of those pathetic idiots back to her place and do what? Fuck them? Give herself over to them? Is that what she meant by reckless? Inviting some stranger into her home and let him have his way with her or worse?
What the hell was she thinking?
“I’m taking you home,” I said as I cranked up the car.
“You gonna just drop me off or are you gonna fuck me this time, too?” Theresa asked.
My nostrils flared at the angry heat of her words. What was the actual issue here?
“You were two seconds away from one of those men dragging you off that floor and raping you in the damn bathroom,” I said. “And you clearly aren’t sober enough to protect yourself.”
“I’m just fine by myself,” she said. “I don’t need you or anyone else worrying about me.”
“Well, if you and your best friend are going to do dumb shit like this, then yes you do.”
“No, I don’t. I hate the fact that you worry. I hate that everyone fucking worries about poor feeble little Theresa. I’m not feeble. I’m a strong, independent woman. I always have been. But none of you assholes will give me a chance to spread my damn wings and fly like I know I can.”
“I don’t think you’re feeble, Theresa, I never have. I just haven’t seen you make the best choices lately,” I said.
She curled herself as tightly against the door as she could and watched as the world passed us by. The rest of the car ride back to her place was silent. Her breathing was evening out, and I could tell the rhythmic cruising of my Jaguar was forcing her to fall asleep. Good. She needed to sleep the damn alcohol off in her system. But fuck, she looked incredible in her outfit.
Too incredible.
Theresa was passed out by the time we got back to her place. I dug through her purse and found her keys, then gathered her up in my arms. I walked up the steps and unlocked her door, then proceeded to duck my head into rooms until I found hers. I laid her down on her bed and slipped her heels off, tossing the red-bottomed stilettos into the corner.
I didn’t even know she owned shoes like that.
I slid her underneath the covers, and her eyes fluttered open. I pulled the comforter up to her chin, but she moved with lightning speed. She grabbed my arm and pulled me down toward her, knocking me off balance so that I landed on top of her. Our lips crashed together, and her tongue forced its way between my lips, and I faltered.
For a second, I groaned, allowing myself to taste the sweetness of her body.
The veins in my groin were pulsing, and my hands were sparking with fire. As her tongue massaged the roof of my mouth and ran over my teeth, I groaned heavily into her. I wanted to fall into bed with her, to strip the tight fabric from her and watch her curves spill over the edges of my body.
But she was drunk, and she would probably regret it.
Like last time.
I didn’t want to be her mistake. And worse, I didn’t want her to feel she had to apologize for how she felt. I pulled away from her kiss and looked into her eyes, memorizing the hazy way she looked up at me. There was admiration and confusion and so much want. I memorized how it looked in her beautiful doe orbs. I reached up and unwound her arm from my neck and settled her back into bed, watching the white-hot disappointment fill her eyes with tears.
She curled up onto her side as I stepped away, and hearing her sniffle made my heart drop.
I walked over to her door and stopped. I turned back toward her and saw her shoulders shaking. She was crying, and every part of me wanted to kiss her tears away. I didn’t want her crying over me. I wanted her begging, moaning, and calling out my name.
“Please stay, Grant.”
It was the faintest of whispers. Like the trailing of a prayer on the edge of an oncoming storm. My stomach fell to the floor as I reached out for the doorknob. If only I could.
If only she meant it.
I stepped out into the hallway and shut the door before I made my way down the hall. I locked the doorknob on her front door before hanging her keys on a key rack on the wall. I closed the door behind me and made my way down to the car as my hands balled into fists.
Fuck all of this.
I needed to get the hell out of this fucking town.
CHAPTER 15
THERESA
Holy hell, my head hurt. It was pounding against my skull as my eyes forced themselves open. I looked over at the clock and saw it was almost lunchtime.
I’d slept that long.
A furious pounding came at the door, and I groaned. Who in the world was trying to knock down my damn door? I knew it wasn’t Ike. Ike would’ve used his key to storm in here and up to the room. And Grant wouldn’t have the balls to knock on my door like that. He didn’t have a reason to be pissed. He was the one who had turned me down.
But Hollis?
Shit. It was probably Hollis.
I slid out of bed and grabbed my robe, tying it off around my waist. I smoothed my hair back from my face. The pounding was relentless and only added to the anger I was feeling inside. The thing was practically shaking on its hinges when I opened the door in his face.
“What?” I asked.
He held out a set of keys and dropped them into my hand.
“I got your fucking car back home. Grant said I needed to bring it by,” he said.
�
��Want a tip?” I asked.
“What the hell’s wrong with you? What were you thinking last night?” Hollis asked me, anger and worry plain on his face.
“I was thinking ‘gee! I’m having such a good time! Why are these assholes ruining it for me?’”
“You could’ve been raped.”
“Save the spiel. Grant gave it to me last night,” I said.
“And he’s fucking right. What the hell was wrong with you two? How irresponsible are you and Jane going to be all the time?”
“All the time? Irresponsible? For your information, Hollis, I’ve fallen in line with everything everyone has ever expected from me. From Dad wanting me to go to college and major in Business to help him out all the way down to playing the perfect little sister so you don’t have to feel the need to police my every fucking second of existence. And do you know what that makes the two of you?”
“What?” Hollis seethed.
“Just like Ike,” I said.
“Don’t you dare go there. We’re looking out for you.”
“And I’m a big fucking girl, Hollis. And if I want to put on a tight dress and throw back drinks and bring a guy home to fuck into oblivion, then that’s my call. Not yours.”
“Was that your intent?” Hollis asked. “Was that Jane’s intent, too?”
“Not my fault you didn’t screw her when you had the chance. She’s moved on and you should, too. You don’t get to come here, bang down my door, irritate my hangover, tout about how I’m irresponsible when all you do is work, drink, and fuck. Why is that so inappropriate for me but not for you?”
“Because you’re my little sister, damn it! I want better for you.”
“Then listen to me, big brother, because I’m only saying it one last time. I’m a fucking adult. And you, and Dad, and Ike, and Grant? None of you has a say in what I do. Not anymore. Your coaching and manipulation and constant whining when I step out of line made me a hunched-over secretary at Dad’s business, but I don’t want that life. I haven’t for a long time. And if you don’t want to fall in line with my self-discovery, then get the hell out of my way.”
Hollis’ eyes were wide, and his nostrils were flaring. I slammed the door in his face and locked the deadbolt. He slammed his fists against the barrier between us and I jumped as my splitting headache grew into an unadulterated migraine. I felt sick to my stomach. I walked over to the window and watched as he got into the police cruiser his partner was driving.
Of course, Grant would tell my damn brother to bring my fucking car home. Which meant he probably told Hollis I was too drunk or some shit to even get myself in bed. Who the hell did he think he was? He had no right talking to my brother about any of this shit. I was shaking with anger as I stormed back down the hall and stripped off my clothes.
I needed a damn shower.
I cleaned myself up and popped some migraine medication before I got dressed in a comfy pair of jeans and a shirt with my hair piled up behind my head. Grant wasn’t going to descend into town, fuck me, then fuck up my life. Of all the people in my life, I had thought that he would be better than that. That he would be the one to see me for who I really was.
I was an adult, and he would treat me like one.
I grabbed my car keys and drove myself out to Hollis’ house. If Grant were still in town, then it would just be him at the house, which was a good thing, because the two of us needed to fucking talk. I skidded into the driveway and stormed up to the front door and furiously knocked on it until the door opened.
And of course, Grant was standing there in nothing but a pair of fucking shorts.
“Of course, you’re practically naked,” I said. “Do you ever wear clothes?”
Before he could come up with some clever answer, I jumped right into it. “Why are you still here?” I asked.
“I’m not following.”
“Why the hell are you still in town when you’ve got a business to supposedly run?”
His eyes connected with mine and I couldn’t read what was dancing behind them.
“Because at this moment, it seems like your only purpose is to make my life harder,” I said.
“How am I making your life harder?” Grant asked.
“You come into town, and you fuck me senseless, then you push me away when I know you wanted me as much as I wanted you. You claim to be my protector when all you’re doing is ruining my fun and when a moment happens between the two of us you reject me. You already have. Twice. Is that your goal?”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait just a goddamn minute. I rejected you? You were the one who called that night a mistake, not me, remember? And as far as last night, you were drunk and there’s no way in hell I would take advantage of you in that state. I thought you knew me better than that,” Grant said, his voice rising slightly.
“I apologized for calling it a mistake!” I practically screamed at him. “It wasn’t a mistake, okay? And as for last night, I knew exactly what I was doing! I asked you to stay and you turned around and left without even saying a word. I don’t need a goddamn protector, Grant!”
“Yes, you fucking do!” he yelled in return. “If I hadn’t have stepped in when I did at the bar, you would be singing a different fucking tune this morning, little girl.”
“I am not a little girl!” I screamed. “If you don’t want me, just admit it instead of acting like some fucking saint for protecting me.”
I poked his chest with my finger to sink my point in deep, and his eyes fell to the connection. I was seeing red. Dripping with an anger I couldn't abate. I was shaking. Seething on my brother’s front porch as Grant’s eyes slowly crawled back up to mine. There was a darkness in them that caused me to falter and chipped away at the strength in my bones. I felt my resolve melting with each passing second as his eyes continued to take me in and he stepped out onto the porch.
His muscles glistened in the sunlight, and my eyes fell to his chest and the tattoos that covered the bulging muscles. Damn it, why did he have to look so good? I felt my anger being slowly replaced by desire. A slow flame licked in my belly, and my nerves were on high alert.
I felt his hand grasp my chin, and he jerked my gaze up to his. I gasped as our eyes connected and I saw an animalistic fire behind them. My insides sparked at his touch and my pussy flooded with warmth.
“Is that what you think?” Grant asked.
“What?”
“You think I don’t want you? Because I didn’t have my way with you while you were drunk?”
I couldn't back down.
Not now.
“Yes,” I said. “That’s exactly what I think.”
His fingers tightened around my chin, and he took a step back. His other hand reached out for my arm, pulling my body into the house. He spun me around, and I tripped over myself as the front door slammed closed. His arm slipped around my waist, and he pulled my lips to his, crashing us together as my hands clung to him, wrapped around his back and dug into his rippling muscles as his tongue shoved its way in.
Oh, no.
Oh, no.
Oh, yes.
CHAPTER 16
GRANT
I slammed the front door closed behind her as my tongue explored her mouth, raking along the roof as she pressed her glorious curves into my body. My hands fell to her ass, and I squeezed tightly, feeling how she ground into my hips. I lifted her off her feet, grinning when I felt her legs encompass me.
Perfect.
Fucking perfect.
I pressed her against the door and reached for the lock. Her lips were swelling against mine as the click of the deadbolt eased my mind. The last thing we needed was her damn brother barging in on us at the last minute.
Because I wanted to cherish her body the way I knew she wanted and deserved.
I held her close me as my lips traveled down her neck. I nipped at her skin as she raked her hands through my hair, and ran my teeth across her pulse point. I felt her rolling into me as my cock throbbed against my shorts. I pull
ed her from the front door and walked her upstairs, barreling us into the bedroom I was sleeping in. I threw her down on the bed and allowed my gaze to travel her body, watching the way she moved.
The way her hair fluttered.
The way her tits bounced.
I slipped out of my clothes as her eyes traveled to my cock. I could feel it dripping as it longed to be buried in her heat. Her cheeks flushed as I threw myself at her, tearing at her clothes until she was naked beneath me. Fabric tore and buttons flew across the room. I pulled her bra clear over her head before ripping her panties right from her body. I wasn’t going to stop until my hands were on her skin. Until I could feel her warmth against my body and revel in how tight and warm she would feel wrapped around me.
I kissed down her chest, my hands cupping her breasts. Her fingers were tangled in my hair as I fell between her legs. Her pussy was wetting my skin as I left a trail of wetness in my wake. I could feel her engorged nipples throbbing against my touch as she sighed.
That beautiful little sound that told me everything she wanted.
My eyes whipped up to hers, and I found her looking down at me, watching my every move as her skin reddened with my touch. I hovered my lips over her beautiful bosom and grinned, watching the way her brow furrowed with desire. With frustration. With confusion as to why I wasn’t going any further.
“I want you,” I said. “More than I’ve ever wanted another woman.”
“I want you too,” she said breathlessly.
“I also don’t want to be a mistake. Or a rebound.”
I watched her swallow thickly as she nodded.
“If you really want this,” I said, “you have to be sure. You have to be sure this is something you want. Because I won’t let you push me away again.”
Her tongue darted out to lick her lips before she drew in a deep breath.
“You could never be a mistake,” Theresa said. “This is what I want.”
