Decidedly Off Limits

by Stina Lindenblatt

  “I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s waiting under it for you. Maybe we should call Erin,” I suggested. “She can try talking some sense into him.”

  Trent scooted out from under the covers. “Don’t worry, Kels, I’ve got this.” Naked, but no longer wielding a full out hard-on, he scanned the floor.

  “What are you looking for?”

  “My clothes.”

  “Aren’t they on…?” Images of the last time I remembered seeing them flashed in my head to the tune of “You Are Royally Screwed.” Oh, shit. “If I remember correctly”—and I did—“they’re on the living room floor and the stairs.” Along with mine.

  We had gotten a little turned on last night while watching a movie.

  Clothes came off.

  By the time we made it to my room, we were completely naked.

  “Well, that does it.” Trent leaned over the edge of the bed and gently kissed me. “I’m leaving some of my clothes here.”

  “You might not want to open with that when you talk to Liam.” I clambered out of bed.

  Trent’s eyes darkened at the sight of me naked. Clearly forgetting one overbearingly protective brother downstairs, his cock twitched to life.

  And my girlie parts cursed Liam for his bad timing.

  I padded over to my drawers and removed my underwear, a pair of black yoga pants, and my favorite cute owl T-shirt, then quickly yanked them on.

  I didn’t have to go far in search of Trent’s clothes. His underwear was half way down the stairs, his jeans on the bottom step. His wallet lay on the floor, his driver’s license next to it.

  That explained why my brother had burst into my room when he knew I was in bed with a guy. Although Trent’s BMW in the driveway would’ve been his first clue before he even bothered to check who the clothes belonged to. If it had been any other guy, Liam would have left and come back later, or done what he should have done either way—called me first.

  I let out a long sigh and returned upstairs with Trent’s underwear and jeans. The rest he could retrieve once we came back downstairs.

  A few minutes later, an almost-fully-clothed Trent and I entered the living room, holding hands…and came to an abrupt stop.

  Liam wasn’t alone on the couch. Sitting on the other end was Erin—with Trent’s shirt now draped neatly over the armrest.

  The first thought that came to mind when I initially saw them? Firing squad, with Trent their primary target.

  Letting go of Trent’s hand, I walked over to the couch and hugged Erin. “When did you get here?”

  She gave me an extra tight squeeze that I wasn’t sure how to translate. “A few minutes ago. I figured my dumbass brother was here and I wanted to talk to him.”

  I stood up and found myself immediately in Trent’s arms, my back against his chest. “You could have called,” he told her, his tone affectionate, the fingers of one hand lovingly stroking my bare arm.

  “And miss seeing how cute you two are together?” She grinned, the action just as affectionate. “I still can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. I just don’t get why you two waited so long to get together.”

  I choked back a laugh. I had admitted to her the other day that I had fallen in love with Trent long before we finally got together. Long before Michaela had done her part in screwing everything up.

  I settled my gaze on my brother. “I know you don’t approve of me dating your best friend, but if there’s anyone who knows what an amazing guy he is, it would be you, Liam. And no matter what happens between him and me, that should never change your friendship. I mean, unless he cheats on me and breaks my heart.”

  “And if he does,” Erin said to Liam, “I give you full permission to break both his legs. I’ll even pin him down if you want.” She winked at her brother.

  The corner of Liam’s mouth jerked up to the side, and his eyes gleamed at the enticing possibility. “I’ll be sure to hold you to that,” he said with a laugh.

  “Okay, now that that’s over”—I stepped away from Trent—“do I get a hug?”

  The words were barely out of my mouth before Liam was off the couch and I was in his arms. The tears that normally appeared whenever he returned from a mission finally clouded my vision and rolled down my cheeks. “I’ve missed you.”

  He squeezed me hard. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he cracked a rib or two. Did I care? Not really. My brother was home, safe and in one piece. I would happily put up with cracked ribs just for that.

  As long as it didn’t prevent me from having mind-blowing sex with Trent.

  Once he had finished hugging me, he and Trent shared a one-armed man hug. And that’s when I knew everything was going to be okay between them. They both loved me—and they still loved each other like brothers.

  Erin and Liam stayed for a while longer, then we made plans to meet up at Liam’s favorite restaurant for dinner—to celebrate the end of his mission. And this time, I wouldn’t have to fantasize about Trent while on a date.

  Fantasy, meet reality.

  I shut the front door after Erin and Liam left, and turned around. Trent had that look on his face I recognized all too well.

  I stroked the pad of my thumb against the sexy stubble on his cheek. “Can we go upstairs and finish making love? Please?”

  “You don’t even have to say please, Kels. I’ll do anything you want. You only have to ask.”

  That made two of us. Because whatever Trent wanted, I would willingly give him. I had already given him my heart—and that was only the beginning.

  Want more Trent and Kelsey?

  If you enjoyed Decidedly Off Limits and would like to read the epilogue available exclusively to newsletter subscribers, you can sign up for it here (fill in the form not the pop up box to get the link for the bonus epilogue). You’ll also find out in the epilogue who the heroine will be in the next book in the series.

  Acknowledgments

  First, I’d like to thank my readers and the bloggers who’ve supported me over the past few years. My books wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for you. And if it weren’t for Nina Bocci, my publicist extraordinaire, you wouldn’t even know about my books. She’s always there for me, ready to share her wisdom and her ability to make people smile.

  This book wouldn’t have been possible without the support, encouragement, and knowledge of so many people. There are too many to list them all, but that doesn’t mean I don’t appreciate everything they do for the romance writing community. First, to my editors, Bev Rosenbaum and Flat Earth Editing (Hope and Jessica). Each challenged me to make the book stronger, better, funnier. But it was Hope and Jessica who helped me polish the book until it sparkled—and so you weren’t left wondering why certain pieces of clothing suddenly vanished from the hero or heroine during the sex scenes. Yes, my “They’re magical clothing” excuse just didn’t cut it.

  Decidedly Off Limits also wouldn’t have been possible without Christina Lee, Jayden Abello, and Brenda St. John Brown. Each tirelessly read the manuscript during the various drafts and helped me with certain aspects of the story. In addition, Brenda was always ready to chat about promo and marketing with me—which often involved pictures of hot guys. Yes, such a tough job we have! Brenda and Christina—along with Melissa West—are the best cheerleaders an author can have.

  I also want to thank my Facebook reader group, The Swoon Room. Your enthusiasm every time I post something about my books always makes my day.

  And finally, thank you to my family. Ralph, Anton, Stefan, and Anja. You’ve put up with so much just so I can make my deadlines. I know it’s not always easy. Thank you for your love and support. Thank you for believing in me.

  About the Author

  Born in Brighton England, Stina Lindenblatt has lived in a number of countries, including England, the U.S, Finland, and Canada. This would explain her mixed up accent. In addition to writing fiction, she loves photography, especially the close-up variety, and currently lives in Calgary, Canada, with her husband, three
kids, and their cat.

  Want more from Stina Lindenblatt?

  Website

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  Also by Stina Lindenblatt

  Romantic Comedy Series

  Decidedly Off Limits

  Decidedly With Baby (coming 2017)

  Pushing Limits

  This One Moment

  My Song For You

  I Need You Tonight (July 2017)

  Lost In You

  Tell Me When

  Let Me Know

  Off the Ice

  Heat It Up

  On The Line (November 2017)

  Read on for an excerpt from My Song For You by Stina Lindenblatt

  Bad-boy rocker Jared Leigh is about to meet the biggest challenge of his life…his deaf son.

  Jared

  Loneliness was a bitch. True, that wasn’t the most convincing statement to say when surrounded by a group of screaming girls in a sports bar, eager to touch any part of your body they could get their hands on. And try telling that to a horny twentysomething guy. This place was a smorgasbord of groupies interested in a quick lay.

  Not that I was complaining.

  So far I loved what I did for a living. I loved the fans, and I loved hanging out with the guys in the band, even during our last grueling tour. But that didn’t stop the nagging feeling that despite the music, the fans, and the band, despite how hard we had worked and how much we had sacrificed to get this far, something was missing.

  But hell if I knew what it was.

  “Oh my God,” the girl in a super-tight white tank top shrieked, jumping up and down on the polished floor. Her huge tits bounced like overinflated beach balls. “I can’t believe it’s you. You’re like my favorite guitarist of all time.”

  I flashed her the smile that always left girls sighing. Mason, the drummer for Pushing Limits, claimed the smile guaranteed I’d get laid. I wasn’t so sure about that. “Well, thanks. You just made my day.” I had already used the same tired line five times in the past fifteen minutes. But as long as the girls at the radio-station-sponsored event didn’t compare notes, they’d be fine.

  Flipping my lucky guitar pick between my fingers and across the back of my hand, I glanced at Nolan with his mob of fans. His girlfriend, Hailey, was standing to the side, talking to Kirk’s sister. Neither of them paid attention to the eager fans pawing at the individual members of the band. It wasn’t like the two women hadn’t seen it before. Although I had to admit I was impressed at how Hailey took it all in stride. Not all girlfriends were like that.

  A kiss on my cheek dragged me back to my own group of screaming fans. The girl with beach-ball tits grinned at the smartphone in her hand. Had she just taken a fucking selfie of her kissing me?

  “Okay, everyone,” Rebecca, one of the radio personalities, said through the speakers. It was early afternoon and the brightly lit sports bar had been rented for the event, which meant the TVs weren’t on, much to Kirk’s annoyance. I chuckled. His occasional glares aimed at the TVs meant one thing: he was missing out on a hockey game featuring his favorite team, the L.A. Kings.

  “May the games begin,” Rebecca continued once she had everyone’s attention. “And ladies, no mauling our special guests. You wouldn’t want to scare them off, right?”

  “Boo!” Mason’s loud voice exploded through the stale, beer-scented air. His lazy grin, bright against his light brown skin, was visible above his groupies’ heads. He wasn’t the only one disappointed at her suggestion. The girls crowded around him would’ve been more than happy to continue groping the bulky drummer—and the feeling was mutual when it came to Mas. I wouldn’t have been surprised if he already had some of their phone numbers.

  “Is everyone still in their assigned group?” Michael, the other radio personality, asked. His question was met with a chorus of yeses, shrieks, and hollers. “The first event is the beanbag toss. The winning team is the one with the most bags in their bucket at the end of three minutes.” He and Rebecca had us line up behind the throw line in the middle of the room. In total, fifty participants, with the girls easily outnumbering the guys, had won the chance to join us today.

  The two radio interns herded Nolan, Mason, Kirk, Aaron, and me to the front of our respective lines and handed us each our first beanbag. I returned my guitar pick to my back jeans pocket. And the game commenced.

  Cheers and groans filled the air as each person at the throw line quickly tossed their beanbag into their team’s bucket. I might have not been brilliant when it came to basketball, but I could hold my own. The beanbag landed smartly in the white bucket. I moved to the back of the line.

  The next person, a brunette in a tight black dress and stilettos, hurled her beanbag at the bucket as if the damn thing was burning her hand. She missed our bucket and almost scored a point for Aaron’s team.

  Before I knew it, all nine girls and the one guy in my group had finished their turns, and I was up again. Like last time, I nailed the bucket, but it wasn’t enough. A quick glance at the guys’ buckets warned me my team wasn’t doing too hot.

  A hand from behind me squeezed my ass. “My turn,” the I-want-to-fuck-you-all-night-long brunette said.

  I gave her both a brief nod and the grin that was reserved for groupies—the one that said, Any other time, I might’ve been interested—and walked to the end of the line again. The empty feeling trailed alongside, and I glanced at Nolan and Hailey. Both were lost in their own little world, despite the fans screaming and cheering around them. They smiled softly at each other in the way I was all too familiar with after being their roommate for a short time, ever since Hailey moved to L.A. to be with Nolan. Usually the look meant he was about to become one very happy guy—as my thin apartment walls could attest to.

  The ass-grabber joined me, and her gaze tore the jeans and T-shirt off my body. She leaned in, her breath against my ear. “I’d be all for you playing me like a guitar afterward.”

  I barked a laugh. And here I thought guys were the real winners when it came to lame pickup lines. “Thanks, but … but I have somewhere to be after this.”

  She flashed me a pout. “Maybe afterward?”

  “Maybe some other time.”

  She brightened, failing to see the lie for what it was, and slipped her fingers in my pocket. I had no idea if she was giving me her phone number, but she took the moment to cop a feel. And from the way she smiled at me, she liked what she felt.

  I stepped back and grabbed a beanbag from the bucket at the front of our line. But as I tossed it at the intended target, the brunette brushed her hand against my ass, again, and the bag missed its mark by a foot.

  The loud blast of a whistle ended the game. I didn’t need to count the number of beanbags to know we’d lost. Not that I really cared.

  “We won!” Mas hooted.

  “Wait till they’ve counted them, dumbass,” Kirk said next to him. He gave the drummer a brief glance before returning his attention to Rebecca, who was counting the beanbags. A former hockey player, our bassist was as competitive as they came.

  “I don’t need to wait, douchebag. My group is just that awesome.” Mason unleashed his grin on them again, and I swore some of his fans creamed in their panties, if their glazed expressions were any indication.

  “Maybe so, but up against my athletic prowess,” Kirk said, “you’re toast.”

  Mason smirked. “Bring it on, puck boy.”

  Rebecca jotted on her clipboard, then counted the beanbags in Aaron’s bucket.

  “Do you have a girlfriend, Jared?” asked a girl who could best be described as jailbait. The rest of my team waited for the answer with bated breath.

  I shook my head. “Not right now.”

  “So you aren’t dating Tiffany Grainger anymore?” the girl with giant tits asked.

  “No. We�
�re just friends.” I almost snorted at the “friends” part. I didn’t think we had ever been friends. Just on-again, off-again whatevers.

  “That’s too bad. You guys were perfect together.”

  I shrugged. “With our work schedules as they are, it was too difficult to spend time together.”

  The only other guy in my group chuckled. “Must be a tough life, dating a supermodel.”

  He didn’t realize how right he was, even if he had meant it another way.

  “And the winner of the beanbag toss is …” Michael paused for dramatic effect. “Kirk Helmson’s team.”

  Kirk’s group cheered, the girls jumping up and down like hyped-up cheerleaders. One actually did do a cartwheel, but her technique was far from impressive.

  “I demand a recount,” Mason yelled. His fans giggled. The rest of us laughed.

  “Man up, Mas,” Kirk replied. “My team won and you know it.”

  Mason folded his arms, chin raised. “You just watch. My team will destroy yours in the next game.” Mock defiance gleamed in his eyes.

  “Bring it on, drummer boy.”

  Welcome to what it had been like touring with them for the past year. They were always trying to outdo each other in whatever competition they had going. The rest of us had long since learned to ignore them … and maybe place the occasional side bet.

  “Good to know nothing has changed between those two,” Nolan said to me as we waited for the next game to be set up. “I’d hate to lose our entertainment for the next tour.”

  “You mean you’d hate to lose out on winning more money from me.” He and Aaron, our keyboardist, beat me hands down when it came to our little side bets. The little side bets that neither Mason nor Kirk knew about.

  “Damn straight.”

  “So, Hailey,” I said, “you’re coming with us on our promo blitz, right?” Maybe then I’d have a chance of doing better in our betting game. She would unintentionally distract her boyfriend and he would screw up his bet. Or that was my plan, at least.

  “I hope so. Depends on if I can get the time off. Plus we’re expecting … a new family member.”

  Holy fuck! That was the last thing I’d expected. They had only been together for a few months, but who was I to judge? If anyone should know how easy it was to get a girl pregnant, it was me.