STEAL (Right Men Series Book 2)

by Mayra Statham

  “What?” Her face was now beet red. He laughed and wrapped and arm around her shoulder.

  “Relax, Blondie,” he murmured into her ear as he led the way to the living room.

  Settling into the couch like the gentleman his mom and grandmother brought up, he let her pick what to watch. He brought them glasses of ice water, thinking they didn’t need any more alcohol. Not that they’d had a lot to drink, but the sexual tension that sat between them snapped and crackled sparking hot. He might want her, but he wanted her to come to him out of her own free will, not because her inhibitions were impaired.

  When he walked into the living room, his heart stuttered in his chest when his eyes met the vision in front of him.

  Sprawled out on the couch, her thick, blond hair pulled up high in those messy buns girls created at the top of her head, exposing the sexy line of her neck was only the tip of the iceberg at how sexy she was. Without an ounce of make-up on her flawless face and her long, tanned legs kicked out on the couch looking silky soft, she made his mouth run dry. Gazing back up her body, he noted how she hugged the pillow to her front, and he wished he could switch places. With a fucking pillow. Shaking his head, he handed her a glass of water and went to sit on the other couch. He needed to put some space between them. He didn’t know her, but what he did know more than impressed him.

  “Where do you work?” he asked before taking a sip of his water, placing it on the side table next to him.

  “Cedars. In the ER,” she said without looking at him, her attention on the TV, and he frowned and looked over.

  “What the are you watching?”

  “The Kardashians.”

  “You’ve got to be shitting me?” Well, he found her first flaw. So, the little goddess wasn’t perfect?

  “No, why?” she asked, not bothering to turn to look at him, her thumbnail going to her lip. “I love this show.”

  “Great,” he muttered and settled deeper into the couch thinking, why couldn’t his brother interrupt this shit? Ultimately, it was Bryan’s fault for telling her to pick whatever she wanted. He glanced over at her and saw her sweet body slightly shake, and then he heard her laughter ring out into the air.

  “You’re messing with me!” he said, standing then going over to her. Her laughter was more than contagious. His mixed with hers, both their laughter ringing in the air when he picked her up and settled her into his lap on the comfortable couch. “You think that was funny, huh?”

  “I know it was.” She beamed at him, catching her breath from her heavy laughter. “You should have seen your face.” He frowned.

  “You weren’t even looking at me,” he pointed out, and she grinned bigger, her eyes wide with mirth, before pointing at the mirror on the wall.

  “Are you sure you’re a detective?” she asked him again. He shook his head, his hands moving to her waist, surprise hitting her face. She knew exactly what he had in mind.

  “No. No, please, I don’t like to be tickl—” But before she could say anything, he started to tickle her. He brought her body beneath his, ignoring the perfect way she felt there. His fingers tickled her soft sides as her laughter rang out, mixing with her pleas for him to stop.

  “That’s funny, Blondie. I think this is a lot funnier,”

  “Not my fault you’re such a-ha, easy mark!” She giggled as his hands went below her arms.

  “Ow! Ow...wait. Stop. Ouch,” she started to say, and he froze, worried he might have hurt her. He should have known better. Valerie Duncan was unlike any woman he had ever met.

  The moment he stopped, she used it to her advantage, bucking her body up, surprising him when her hands moved to his sides. She started her own defensive tickle against him, making him squirm.

  He laughed out loud while her hands skimmed and hit spots on his torso he had no idea were sensitive or ticklish. He shifted and bucked, losing man points with the laughter that was coming out of him.

  He was ticklish.

  Who would have known?

  Three minutes later, they rolled off the couch and thumped right onto the hardwood floor. His hand protectively cupped the back of her head, rolling her over so his back was on the hard ground. Her luscious body landed on top of his, her legs on either side of him.

  So much for keeping my hands to myself.

  She rocked her hips and they both froze when they realized how they had landed. Now that she was straddling him, her warm center, though covered by her tiny shorts, sat right on the hardened ridge of his cock. It felt so good he was tempted to close his eyes and enjoy it. But the eyeful in front of him was too beautiful to miss.

  Her long locks had come undone from the messy bun she’d had her hair in, strands falling around them like a curtain shielding them from the world. Her chest heaved up and down. They were both out of breath from tickling one another, and for the first time in his life, everything went still. The world magically stopped, and the only thing that existed was the gorgeous goddess and him.

  He held his body tight as he looked up at her. Silently praying for her kiss. Her hand moved achingly slowly from his shoulders down to his chest, her long, delicate fingers leaving a trail of heat behind over his shirt, and he wished he were shirtless.

  Everything in him screamed to pull her in and kiss her while at the same time urged him to pull away and give them space. Instead, he waited.

  He wanted her to know that she could trust him. She breathed in deeply and leaned her front closer to his, pressing her beautiful tits to his chest. Her lips were about to touch his. His heart was beating furiously with anticipation. Her lips were almost on his, so close he felt her breath on his. Her candy-pink tongue peeked out, licking her lower lip, and just as he watched her sage eyes close slowly, a loud banging came at the door and with it bursting whatever bubble they had found themselves in.

  She jumped off him, clearly startled. His arm covered his eyes as he muttered a curse. Another knock on the door, and with a groan, he stood up off the floor to his full height and looked over at the door then back at her.

  “I, umm, I’m gonna go read.” Her voice was low and husky. “Have fun with your brother,” she quickly added as he tried to calm his body down. He didn’t want to greet his brother with a massive hard-on.

  “Right.” He cleared his voice.

  When he opened his mouth to invite her to go with them, another knock came, this one louder than the others. She blushed, clearly flustered and maybe a little embarrassed about being interrupted. Nodding her head and giving him a cute little wave, she left and went directly to her bedroom, the door gently closing behind her.

  His hands on his head, he blew out a ragged breath.

  Fucking Garrett and his bad timing.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  BRYAN

  Opening the door, he fought the groan at the back of his throat at seeing who was standing next to his oldest brother.

  “What the fuck are you guys doing here?” he asked trying to recuperate some of his blood from down south.

  “We love you, too.” His partner, Tyler Thorne, winked as he stepped into the place. Tania Monroe, another detective on the force, stepped in handing him a basket.

  “Happy house warming. Thanks for the invite,” she said sarcastically, and his head fell back and he looked up at the ceiling

  “I would have invited you. You know, once I got my shit moved in?”

  “I’m actually hurt you didn’t ask Thorne for help. Instead, you had me help lug your shit,” Garrett whined playfully, which made Bryan do a double take.

  It was good to see Garrett happier than he had been in a while. His brother’s eyes glittered with amusement. “So, where is that sexy little roommate of yours?” Garrett asked, and Bryan felt irritated as he shook his head.

  “Why?” he asked, sounding more pissed than he felt. His dick was finally calming down, but one mention of her, and his buddy down south had a mind of its own. He wanted to be around her but didn’t want to share her attention.

&
nbsp; What is with the possessive semi-jealous shit I am feeling?

  “I’m ordering pizza, dumbass. We should ask her to join us.”

  “Sexy roommate? You told me you were moving in with a college buddy,” Ty commented, and Bryan’s hands clenched.

  “Man, turns out this asshole lucked out.” Garrett chuckled, and all Bryan could do was shake his head as he watched Garrett’s face sober up and look off to the distance, his dark eyes almost fucking twinkling. “She’s looks like a walking pin-up wet dream,” Garrett whispered loudly. He could feel his blood start to heat up.

  “She’s in her fucking room, idiot, so watch the way you talk about her. Remember the last time you ran your fucking mouth about a woman?” he warned, reminding his oldest brother of how he had almost messed things up between Grace and Marcus.

  “I’m just saying, she is more than beautiful.” He shrugged, looking slightly chastised.

  “You guys are pigs,” Tania shared, thankfully stopping him from shoving his idiot brother.

  “Come on, babe, you know I think you’re a walking wet dream, too!” Garrett grinned, and the three guys watched Tania roll her eyes, completely unfazed by Garrett’s antics.

  “So, are we ordering food or what, because I didn’t come all the way over here to braid each other’s hair,” she remarked, and he wrapped his arm around his tiny female friend.

  “You tell ’em, gorgeous!” He grinned when she winked and caught the eye roll his partner shot him. “I’ll be right back.”

  When he walked over to Valerie’s bedroom, nervousness started to flow through his bloodstream. He knocked on her door, and when it opened a bit, her cheeks flushed pink and he smiled at her.

  “Yeah?”

  “My co-workers and brother are here. We are ordering pizza and hanging out.”

  “Oh, cool. Thanks for the heads up. Don’t worry, I’ll stay in my—” He frowned. She thinks I’m asking her to stay away?

  “Want to hang out with us?” he cut her off before she could insinuate that he was that much of a dick.

  “Look, handsome.” She stopped talking, biting her lower lip, and he knew she had no clue how fucking sexy she was. She opened her door a little wider, inviting him in, and he stepped into her space, making sure to leave the door ajar. I can only handle so much temptation. Looking around the space, he liked it. It suited her. White clean walls, everything light and airy and neat. “I know we keep getting caught in, umm… awkward situations—“

  “Awkward?” he asked, his head whipping around to look at her.

  “I just think that—“

  “We are everything but awkward around one another.”

  “Whatever. It’s just how I told you this morning. I think—”

  “Val, it’s pizza and beer and a stupid baseball game on TV.”

  “With two other cops and whatever your brother does.”

  “He doesn’t do anything,” he shared, and she scrunched her face slightly.

  “Whatever, it’s just better if we keep—“

  “What do you have against cops?” he asked, his curiosity piqued.

  “What?” She stood still, her back straightened and her face paled slightly. “Nothing, just…”

  “You read a lot,” he noted, looking behind her at a bookshelf that seemed to be bursting at the seams with paperbacks. It was a lame attempt to distract her, but he wanted to hang out with her and his friends. “Romance?” he asked, tilting his head, and she rolled her eyes.

  “What do you have against romance?” she asked defensively, and his lips twitched. He liked how feisty she was. How she didn’t let him give her shit. And instead of giving her space, like the red warning bells in his head were telling him he should, he took them as a challenge.

  God, she is a pretty little challenge.

  “Nothing.” He took a step closer to her. Feigning interest in the books behind her, letting his hand skim hers. “Do you have Beyond the Stars by Grace Rivera?”

  “What?” she asked, looking at him, the tips of her fingers skimming his. He wasn’t sure if she even realized that she sought out his touch, but he would work with it.

  “Beyond the Stars by Grace Rivera,“ he repeated and noticed how her eyes were on his lips.

  “I have it on my Kindle.”

  “It’s a good book.” He shrugged.

  “How do you even…”

  “I read it.” That was the truth. He had.

  After his brother had declared finding the story he wanted to turn into a movie, he’d downloaded the Kindle app onto his phone and read it. Marcus and Donnie had their work cut out for them, but they were far from wrong. The story was perfect to start off their production company.

  “I don’t have that one in paperback.” She blushed, and he grinned, silently wondering how hard he would have to work to create that blush all over her body.

  Focus, B!

  “Come hang out with us, and I will hook you up with a signed copy,” he offered, trying to keep his focus on the goal at hand, getting her to come and hang out.

  “How?” She frowned, and he shrugged.

  “Why does the how matter? Come on. Pizza. Cool people, well, Tania is, Ty’s alright in his own way, and Garrett’s a wild card; it all depends on his moods.” She looked at him, something playing in her eyes, but before he could ask, it left.

  “Fine,” she sighed. “But you have two weeks max to get me that signed copy or you owe me, mister.” She pointed at him with a serious don’t-fuck-with-me expression on her face. It made her look so damn adorable that his heart ached in his chest.

  He ignored the ache and whatever the hell it could mean. Instead, he took her hand into his and shook it, strumming his thumb back and forth over her skin, a cocky grin playing on his face.

  “Deal.” He winked.

  ***

  To say that Valerie fit into his small group of friends and his brother would have been a gross understatement.

  She’d fit like a glove.

  Tania was more than happy to have another female in the mix to help her talk crap to them. Together, Val and Tania ganged up on them, giving them crap on everything. From the teams they cheered for to what was ordered on the pizza. It was the most fun he’d had in a while.

  Now, standing outside of the house next to Ty’s Explorer in the driveway, he was itching to get rid of Garrett and Tyler. Tania had just left, but not before exchanging numbers with Val and making plans to meet for lunch later in the week. When he’d heard that, he had to admit he liked it. He liked knowing that Val was building a bond with Tania.

  Tania Monroe was a ballbuster and a badass in her own right, but she was also a cool chick. Val could do with a friend like her. A huge puff of smoke hit his face, snapping him out of his thoughts.

  “Fuck, man, you need to cut back on those,” he muttered as Garrett took another hit from his cigarette. The air that surrounded them made his stomach roll. The scent of the cigarette with whatever fruity shit Tyler was vaping was starting to get to him.

  “Okay, Mom. You used to smoke more than I did,” Garrett pointed out. He wasn’t wrong. Before Courtney and his marriage imploded, he was a walking chimney.

  “Used to, as in I don’t anymore.”

  “Look, man, I’m gonna say this as your friend,” Tyler spoke, and he looked at his partner, already knowing he wasn’t going to like whatever he was going to say.

  “Don’t.”

  “Just listen.” The seriousness in his voice told Bryan where this was going. “She’s hot.”

  “She is.”

  “She is also not your type.” That he wasn’t expecting. “I’ve known you a long time. So just take in what I’m saying as your friend. Don’t get involved here.” A low burn hit the pit of his stomach, but before he could put his friend in his place, he kept talking, “You don’t shit where you eat, B.”

  “What does that even mean?” Bryan asked, his eyes narrowed, knowing exactly what he meant but choosing to play dumb.

>   “You know what it means. But let me spell it out for you. You don’t go back for seconds, man. After the divorce, the women you hook up with are one, maybe two dates max. That’s it.” Tyler pointed toward the door of the house. “That girl inside, not only do you live with her, so you really shouldn’t go there, but you can tell she’s different. She’s the kind who deserves more than what you usually give a woman. Not being a dick, Bryan, just being honest,” Tyler reasoned, and again, he wasn’t wrong.

  Not that Bryan had been an ass with the women he’d hooked up with in the past. He had always been upfront and honest about what he could give, which was usually nothing more than a good time between the sheets.

  Glancing at the house, he ran his fingers through his hair. The thought of only having her once didn’t sit well with him.

  No way in hell would one time be enough.

  CHAPTER SIX

  BRYAN

  A suffocating heat woke him up from a heavy, deep sleep.

  Sweat poured from his body, making his tee cling to it uncomfortably. Even in his uncomfortable state, the heat made it almost impossible to wake up completely.

  Swallowing, he realized his throat was dry and something was not right. Sure, it was summer, but this heat was out of control.

  Dragging his ass out of bed, he whipped his t-shirt off his body, tossing it toward the hamper in the corner of his room. Grabbing a towel, he tried to clean off some of the sweat.

  After he grabbed a drink, he was going to need a shower. That was what he was thinking when he heard it.

  A clear thump.

  Followed by a clunk.

  Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw it was two a.m. He knew Val was asleep. A long week had passed since pizza and baseball with everyone. They had seen each other here and there but hadn’t had any more sexy interludes. He suspected she was avoiding him and that’s why when she had made it home earlier tonight, he had talked her into watching a movie.

  They had innocently found themselves cuddling on the couch watching Die Hard. Before he could make a move, her phone rang.