Struck from the Record

by K. A. Linde

  He ran a hand back through his hair again and winked at Liz. “Then, as I’ve watched them together for the past year, it was plain to me and everyone else who knew him that my bachelor brother had fallen in love. Head over heels, risk-his-career, risk-the-public, risk-his-world in love with this woman.” Clay pointed at Liz. “And it was the best decision of his life.”

  Brady’s smile was magnetic in that moment. It was like he had never known Clay could say something this nice about him. Could say something this nice about anyone.

  “As the younger son, you can only imagine what it was like, living in the shadow of a legend. But since he’s been with Liz, it hasn’t felt like a shadow. It’s felt like being on the sidelines of something incredible. Of something worth believing in. Brady and Liz are the kind of couple that makes everyone in the room demand to find their one true love.” His eyes searched out Andrea. “To find something so magical that nothing and no one could stand in the way of it. And I’m so happy and proud to be standing here today, delivering a congratulatory speech to two of the best people I know.”

  Clay raised his glass in the air. “To Brady and Liz. To a lifetime of happiness, good cheer, endless sarcasm, and great sex!”

  Everyone burst out laughing again and raised their glasses, too.

  Someone from the back yelled out, “Clay Maxwell for president!”

  He laughed and said, “Cheers!”

  He downed his drink and went over to give his brother and new sister-in-law a hug.

  “That was great, man,” Brady said. “I appreciate it.”

  “Do what I can.”

  “Clay,” Liz said, throwing her arms around his neck, “who knew you could be so kind? I love it.”

  “Easy there, sis. You just got married. Wait to ravage me later.”

  “Looks like someone already did,” she said as she nudged him.

  He shrugged and nudged her back. “Can’t help it, you know.”

  “I do.”

  He shouldered his way back through the crowd toward Andrea. Victoria glared at him as he passed her.

  He winked. “Challenge completed.”

  “Ass. You weren’t really supposed to outdo me. Why didn’t I think to raise a toast to good sex?” Victoria grumbled.

  “Great sex,” he corrected. Then, he scooped Andrea into his arms. “Speaking of great sex…”

  “You just had some,” she said with a shake of her head.

  “Yeah…but I have a room.” He produced a key out of his pocket and dangled it in front of her eyes.

  “Later,” she said, swatting at him. “Let’s celebrate with them first.”

  “You’re right. You’re always right.”

  So, they spent the next few precious hours enjoying Brady and Liz’s epic party. Clay didn’t know how much of this time with Andrea would change what was between them. He could still feel some distance from her. He was sure it was borne out of fear of the unknown between them, but for this one night, he wasn’t going to think about it. They could deal with the real world tomorrow. This truly was their element after all—a big event with his entire family around them.

  Maybe tomorrow, when it was just the two of them, they could figure out how to move forward.

  Brady and Liz finally proclaimed that they had to leave the party for the night.

  “We’d love to stay and party all night,” Brady said, wrapping an arm around Liz’s waist, “but I have to be alone with my bride.”

  Clay snorted. He couldn’t blame the guy.

  They set up for the send-off, and soon, Brady and Liz were running through a line of people, waving farewell, climbing into a limo, and riding off into the sunset.

  Chapter 24

  OUR DECISION

  Waking up next to Andrea the day after Brady and Liz’s wedding was the best thing that had ever fucking happened to Clay. He’d forgotten what it was like to have her warm body curled into his side. To have her fan of platinum hair splayed out across the pillow, some strands so light that they blended into the pillowcase. To have his hands running down her sides, his lips pressed into her shoulder, his dick against her tight little ass.

  Naked.

  Completely one hundred percent naked.

  That was how he liked her here with him.

  His cock was already hardening and lengthening at the feel of her. He’d had all night with her, and it hadn’t been enough. Not even close. He wanted inside her all over again.

  “Baby,” he whispered against her skin.

  She groaned. He kissed across the rise in her shoulder and slid his hand forward over her hip bone and down between her legs. She stirred at the first gentle touch to her clit. He pulled her leg over his hip to spread her open to him and gently coaxed life back into her. It took a minute or so before she seemed to really realize what was going on.

  “Clay?” she whispered.

  “That’s right, baby.” He kissed her shoulder again.

  Then, he dipped his fingers inside her, wetting the tips of them and going back to her clit for more.

  “God, that feels good,” she purred.

  “Good morning to you, too.”

  She sighed pleasantly as she reached her hand back and wrapped it around his dick. His eyes rolled into the back of his head as she started stroking him with the leisurely pace he was applying to her.

  It was intoxicating, this buildup between them. It didn’t matter how many times he’d had her last night or over the years before this; it felt like the first time all over again.

  New explorations. New sensations. New orgasms.

  Yet the same fucking desire. The same way he knew her body—every noise, every squirm, every breath. The same way he knew that the soft sputters coming from her meant his baby was getting damn close to an orgasm.

  “I need you to come for me, love,” he whispered.

  “No,” she breathed.

  “Oh, yes.”

  Andrea rolled away from his hand. For a second, he was left there, bereft, wondering what the fuck she was thinking. They’d been together all night. Of course, things weren’t magically better between them, but it didn’t fucking mean she could run away in the morning.

  Then, she grinned at him and pushed him backward onto the bed with his dick protruding upward, as hard as a rock and ready for her.

  “I want to be on top, and I want you to come with me,” she demanded.

  He relaxed back into the bed. “Whatever you want.”

  He realized how terrified he’d been there for a second, worried that she had wanted this to stop. He couldn’t remember ever being frightened about a woman like that before. If that made him a pussy, then fine. He’d gone crazy for months over this woman…just add it to the list.

  Andrea hooked her leg over his hips and eased herself down on top of him. The smile on her face was euphoric. She rested her hands on his chest and started to move up and down on his cock. Her tits bounced wonderfully with the movement, and he nearly forgot to meet her thrusts as he stared at the sight. In the early morning light shining in through the windows, she looked like a goddess. And as she made herself come on his dick and he followed along with her, he truly believed he would worship her.

  They took a long shower, soaping each other up and remembering the ease of being together. Then, after he gave her one last kiss, he left her in the bathroom, as he knew she liked to spend ample amount of time in there, getting ready.

  Clay grabbed his phone out of his hastily discarded suit pants and checked the messages. He had one from Brady.

  You just had to trash the car, didn’t you? Dick.

  Clay laughed heartily. He, Chris, and Lucas had decorated Brady’s Lexus the day before with wedding slogans painted on the windows, flowers over every conceivable space inside and out, and cans hanging off the back of the bumper on strings, so they’d rattle when he pulled away.

  They’d all gone in on the event and probably gone a little overboard. But Brady was only going to get married once, an
d it was fun to get at him like this. Plus, he couldn’t be that upset. He and Liz were on the way to the airport to go to Bora Bora for three weeks and stay in some private overwater bungalow where Clay suspected they would just fuck the entire time. Though Liz had sworn she’d bring enough books with her to fill a library, Clay doubted she’d have any time to read.

  The second text was from Gigi, who he guiltily remembered kicking out of their room. He’d gotten a suite with two rooms for them since, obviously, they weren’t sleeping together, but since things with Andrea had worked out even better than he’d imagined…he’d asked Gigi not to come up.

  She hadn’t seemed to care. In fact, with the way she had been eyeing Chris all night, Clay wondered if that was where she’d ended up anyway.

  Whenever you come up for air, I kind of need my stuff. Clothes or something. Let me know when it’s safe. Otherwise, I’m just sitting here, smelling like vodka and looking like the walk of shame. So, you know…normal for me.

  Clay snorted and messaged her back.

  Going to be a while.

  Fuck.

  Maybe if you came up right now, it’d be fine.

  If this is awkward, I’m going to hate you forever.

  Clay figured Andrea had at least another forty-five minutes before she would be done in the bathroom anyway. And, if last night wasn’t proof that she was the only woman he wanted in his life, then he wasn’t sure what else he could do to convince her right now. Though he had some ideas for later.

  Using her key card, Gigi came in through the door and practically tiptoed over to the second bedroom where she had been planning to stay. Clay had been sure to put some actual clothes on—a teal polo and khakis—before she got there. She waved at him as she grabbed clothes out of her suitcase and then zipped it closed once more.

  “Thanks,” she whispered.

  “So…where were you last night?” he asked, following her to the door.

  “I got a room.”

  Clay narrowed his eyes. “Bold-faced lie, De Rosa. The Biltmore was booked up for the wedding.”

  She rolled her eyes. “And?”

  “You couldn’t have gotten a room, which sounds to me like you stayed in someone else’s room.” He leaned against the doorframe and watched her squirm.

  “Doesn’t matter where I was, Maxwell. All that matters is, you got your girl back.”

  She gave him a quick hug and then opened the door.

  “Um…what’s going on?” Andrea asked.

  She had appeared silently into the bedroom. He was shocked as shit, considering she’d only been in there for fifteen minutes, and she came back out with pencil-straight hair and only light makeup. She was goddamn stunning. It was like looking into the sun.

  “Hey, baby,” he said casually. “Gigi just came to pick up her stuff. She was trying not to disturb us.”

  Andrea wrinkled her nose. He knew that she still wasn’t over what she thought had happened with Gigi…even though nothing had happened. He certainly didn’t consider the ill-conceived kiss he had given Gigi the night he thought he’d lost Andrea for good anything for her to worry about.

  “I see,” she said, crossing her arms and eyeing Gigi.

  “Yeah. So sorry. I wouldn’t have bothered you at all, but well…I don’t have any other clothes,” Gigi said hastily.

  Clay gave Gigi a sympathetic look. This was so awkward for her.

  “Just really glad to see you two back together.”

  “We’re not back together,” Andrea said frostily.

  Clay’s head whipped back to face her. “What?”

  “Um…I didn’t mean to cause any trouble.” Gigi held her hands up. “I’m not into Clay at all. He’s like a brother.”

  “What do you mean, we’re not back together?” Clay asked.

  “It’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?” Andrea said.

  “I don’t think it’s fucking obvious at all. What was all of this, if we’re not getting back together?”

  Gigi backed up a step. “Fuck. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have come to get my stuff. I’ll just, um…go back to Chris’s or something.”

  Clay heard her in a fog. He wanted to feel triumphant that he’d been fucking right about Gigi and Chris, but all he could hear was buzzing in his ears. Gigi backed out of the room, and the door clicked shut behind her.

  “Why are you freaking out?” he demanded. Without another thought, he strode across the room and got in her face. “We go from fucking this morning to you pissed at me all over again?”

  “Do you expect me to be happy when I see her in your hotel room while I’m off in the bathroom?” Andrea asked. She crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not going to let that shit slide. I can’t do it anymore, Clay.”

  “There is nothing going on with me and Gigi!” he bellowed. “Nothing!”

  “Then, why were you hiding her? Then, why was she sneaking around?”

  Clay grabbed his phone and shoved it in her face. “Read. She didn’t have any of her shit and was staying in Chris’s room because I booted her yesterday so that we could be alone. She had her own room. We weren’t even going to be sleeping in the same room, Andrea.”

  Andrea scrolled through his phone and then seemed to crumple under the weight of the messages. “You’re…you’re really not with her?”

  “I’m really not,” he told her firmly.

  “I don’t understand how you can just be friends with another girl,” she said uncertainly. “You’ve only ever had that relationship with me.”

  “I didn’t either. Honestly, I had no idea what the fuck I was doing. But it’s never been like that with me and Gigi. We’re too much alike. We spend too much time together. And she gives me shit for everything.” He shook his head. “I actually think she’s more on your side than anyone else is at this point. She thinks I’m a big fucking idiot forever letting you get away.”

  “Well…you are,” Andrea said.

  “Yeah, you’re right. And I’ve been regretting it every day for the last four months.” He reached out for her, and this time, she let him take her hand. “I know it’s not going to be perfect. I know we both have issues with moving forward. We both fucked around on the other for ten years and that was fine. Then when we were coming to terms with the fact that it wasn’t fine to do that anymore then, we acted like idiots. But I’m here, and we’re going to have to trust each other. I’m trying, and there’s no one else here for me but you. Do hear me?”

  She nodded. “Yeah. I just…I guess I need to see this in action before I can start to move past those issues.”

  “That’s fine by me. I think we both will have to work through it. I mean…” Clay scratched the back of his head. He hated admitting how fucked up he’d been about the break up, but he had been a total maniac. Andrea walking out on him had been one of the hardest times of his life. “You walked out without a word, Andrea. No matter what you heard while we were apart, that wasn’t easy for me.”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  “But I made up my mind in our time apart that we’d do things differently if we got back together. After last night, I thought that’s where we were headed. So, I don’t want to hear you saying that we’re not getting back together again.”

  Her eyes narrowed when she looked back at him. “That’s my decision.”

  “No, it’s not. It’s our decision, and I don’t want you to go and make it without me again.”

  “I just…” She swallowed and dropped her hands. “I just don’t know how to do this.”

  “Yes, you do. We do it together.”

  “Who are you, and what have you done with Clay Maxwell?” she asked lightheartedly.

  “I’ve been here all along. Right here. I just…I don’t know…grew up?”

  She laughed. “Who would have guessed?”

  “Probably no one. Ever.”

  “Yeah.” Andrea brushed her hair off her shoulders and sighed. “So, where do we go from here?”

  “Well,
we should probably start with Gigi.”

  Andrea clenched her jaw. “Do we have to?”

  “We already dealt with Bad Suit. I don’t want Gigi to be between us.”

  “Ugh. I just don’t like her, okay?”

  Clay nodded. “You don’t have to. But she’s going to be around, Andrea. We work together, and we’re friends.”

  “Friends,” she said dryly.

  “Yes. Just friends. I’ll tell you as many times as you need for it to sink in.”

  “Why didn’t you just tell me that she was coming to get her stuff? Why did you have to hide it?” she asked, her voice small. “I understand she had to come get her stuff and that you weren’t going to be sleeping in the same room, but did you really have to sneak around?”

  Clay ran a hand back through his hair and shuffled on his feet. This had been him for so long that some habits die hard. He knew from now on that he was going to have to be careful. “I don’t know. Maybe I was a little worried about ruining the peace we’d established.”

  Andrea blew out a shaky breath and shot him a hesitant smile. “I was kind of a bitch, wasn’t I?”

  “You were…less than pleasant,” he said carefully. “But I should have warned you that she was coming to get her stuff.”

  “Yes, you should have told me. But I guess I get why you didn’t,” she said finally. “I just don’t want you to do it again. If Gigi is forced to be in our life, then I don’t want to be second-guessing everything between you.”

  Clay bent down and placed a soft kiss on her lips. “Done.”

  “And I guess I’ll try to be more…pleasant. Maybe we should…see if she and Chris want to get brunch?” She chewed on her bottom lip after she’d said what he was sure was a really hard thing for her to ask.

  “I’m sure they would like that.”

  Twenty minutes later, the four of them were seated inside the Estate’s restaurant for a champagne brunch. Gigi looked supremely uncomfortable. Andrea downed her first glass of champagne in two point five seconds and had already requested another one. Chris just kept looking up at Clay and snickering under his breath.

  Yeah, this was his doing. And he had to admit…he was a total idiot.