by R. C. Martin
“Congratulations,” I say in all sincerity. I know how much the organization which funds fine arts education means to him. It’s his favorite out of all his charities.
“Anyway—at the banquet following the concert, she was there. The music teacher from her school was one of the volunteers who played in the concert.”
“So she’s a teacher?”
“Yeah. She teaches the third grade.”
I nod, suddenly even more curious about what this woman looks like. I remember my third grade teacher. Sexy was not a word I would use to describe her—then or now.
“And what do you know about this sister?”
“Honestly?” He reaches up to scratch his jaw. “Not much. Single. Recent CSU grad. That’s all I got.”
“Recent grad?” I ask with a furrowed brow. “As in undergrad?” He says nothing in reply, but instead takes another swig of his beer. All at once, it makes perfect sense. “You son-of-a-bitch.” He fights a smile and I shake my head at him. “That’s why you thought this was a good idea. You knew—you knew that the chances of me showing any interest in her sister would be slim to none.”
He shrugs and I can’t help but cough out a laugh. I have to hand it to him—he played this round well. I don’t consider myself old by any stretch of the imagination. However, at thirty-one, a twenty-two-year-old often leaves much to be desired.
For a moment, my thoughts drift toward Teddy. I hear her sweet voice in my ear, and my dick stirs at the thought of her beautiful, lithe figure, and that long, red hair. I’m fully aware that she’s younger than I usually go for—but I cannot deny the way my body responds to her. And her eyes…there was something in her eyes.
“What’s the matter, big bro?” he asks, slapping me on the back. “Can’t remember life fresh out of college? Afraid you won’t have anything to talk about?”
“Drink your beer, Ben—just drink your beer.”
“What did you say Ben’s last name was?” I ask as Harper searches for a parking spot.
“Delaney,” she mutters absentmindedly.
A smile tugs at my lips as I open up Facebook. I haven’t been in the app for ages, but desperate times calls for desperate measures.
“Teddy!” she gasps, snatching my phone out of my hands. “You’re not going to Facebook stalk him.”
I scowl at her, annoyed that she was able to catch me off guard while driving. I’m far too cautious of a driver to even entertain the idea of trying to get the device back, as she’s holding it in a hand that now rests on her steering wheel. Digging for dirt and pictures isn’t worth my life.
“Well, if someone had more information to give me, I wouldn’t have to resort to online stalking,” I mutter.
“You’re kidding, right? I practically talked your ear off about the man.”
“Oh, yeah—about Ben, your blonde haired, blue eyed, attorney with a heart of gold. You don’t even know his brother’s name! I mean, for the love, Harp—if you’re going to make me go on a double date with you, the least you could do is get a name.”
She chuckles, knowing that I’m absolutely right. “Did I mention that we had this conversation while he was in the middle of kissing me goodbye? Sweet baby Jesus, it’s a wonder I remember he even has a brother after that kiss. The man melts my damn panties—every fucking time.”
I roll my eyes and direct my gaze out the window. When I see an empty parking spot up ahead, I contemplate not telling her—which would make us even more late. Serves her right. Then I realize if I don’t tell her, we could be walking a couple blocks to our destination. While my shoes are more comfortable than most, they certainly aren’t comfy.
“Fuck—how do you live in this town? Can’t find parking for shit!”
“There,” I say with a sigh, pointing to the spot that still remains empty.
“Hallelujah!” She whips her car into the vacancy, shifts into park, and then turns to grin at me. “Are you ready?”
I force a smile and a nod. “Yup.”
“Promise not to stalk him from here to the door?” she asks, holding out my phone.
“Yes, I promise.” I snatch the device from between her fingers and then step out of her car. She follows suit, and we check for traffic before crossing the street.
“Oh, hell, I’m nervous,” she murmurs, giving her arms a shake as she balls her fingers into fists. “I’m being ridiculous, right? I have no reason to be nervous.”
“Not unless you’re afraid I’ll embarrass the shit out of you, ruining all chances of your happily-ever-after,” I quip.
“Him and his brother are actually really close,” she says, ignoring my joke. “God—what the fuck was I thinking? We’ve only been seeing each other for a month. Why did I suggest meeting family?”
I look over at my sister and smile, every ounce of my irritation evaporating at the vision beside me. She wasn’t exaggerating earlier. She’s totally head-over-heels for this guy. In this moment, I realize that making tonight about me is just childish. She’s not using me—she needs me.
“Harp, hold on a minute,” I say, taking hold of her elbow and gently tugging her to a stop. “Take a deep breath, yeah?” She does as I say and I offer her a kind smile. “First of all, you are an incredible woman. Something tells me Ben knows that, or he wouldn’t have agreed to tonight in the first place. And if his brother doesn’t like you, he’s crazy. That shit could be genetic, though; so if Ben breaks up with you, it’s probably for the best.” She laughs, unclenching her fists, and I keep talking.
“You also look like a hot piece of ass, which totally works in your favor,” I say, meaning every word. Her long, milky legs are on display in her new green dress, the vibrant shade against her skin making her look as delicate as porcelain. She decided to curl her hair, giving it that gorgeous elegant look, the strands resting on top of her shoulders. Her makeup is flawless, which is no surprise, and her boobs look too good not to mention in that haltered top. “Who knows,” I continue. “Maybe they’ll both want you by the time the night is through.”
“Teddy Bear,” she begins to say, reaching for my hand. “You are the best wing-woman in the world.”
“I know,” I reply with a playful shrug.
“Come on, before they think we stood them up.”
As we pass through the front entrance, she squeezes my fingers. I squeeze back, reminding her that she’s not alone. The hostess is in the middle of greeting us when Harper gasps. I then watch as the most brilliant smile lights up her face.
“I see him.” She thanks the hostess and then begins to pull me toward the bar.
“Whoa, Speed Racer, calm down. Where are they?”
“Right over there.”
She points. She waves. And my world comes to a crashing halt.
There, standing beside a handsome blonde, who’s features I can’t even begin to remember, is the most gorgeous man I’ve ever seen in my entire life.
He’s wearing a light blue, button-down shirt that he’s got tucked into his khakis. His collar is undone and he’s got the sleeves rolled up to his elbows. The sight of him reminds me of his touch, which makes it hard for me to breathe. Then, I replay the humiliating message that I left on his voicemail this morning, before coffee. The message he never returned! And when our eyes lock from across the room, I’m mortified.
“Teddy?” asks Harper, giving my fingers a tug. My feet were planted the moment I saw Judah. Seeing as how Harper is still holding onto me, I suppose she hasn’t made it very far, either. “Teddy Bear?”
I force my eyes away from Judah and glare at my sister.
“Harper, I love you to death—but right now, I hate you.”
She looks over her shoulder, then turns back and frowns at me. “Um, from the looks of things, I think you should be thanking me. He’s fucking hot!”
“From the looks of things, Ben Delaney is standing next to Judah St. Michaels. I don’t know if this is just some twisted mix-up or what—but this, this right here is why you should
have asked for his brother’s name!”
She sucks in a breath, her mouth forming a perfect O before she chokes out a laugh. I narrow my eyes at her and she attempts to shove aside her amusement.
“Shit.”
“Yeah—shit is about how I feel right now.”
As if my words have flipped a switch, her demeanor changes in an instant. She cocks an eyebrow at me, throwing me attitude like somehow I’m in the wrong.
“Theodora Rose Fitzpatrick, listen to me. First of all, you are an incredible woman. Something tells me Jude senses that, or he wouldn’t have bought you those flowers. Twice. And if he’s not calling your tatted ass after tonight, he’s crazy. Now, come on. I’m a kick-ass wing-woman, myself. We got this, bitch.”
God, I think to myself as she begins to pull me across the room. I hate it when she calls me that.
It isn’t until this very moment that I truly understand and appreciate exactly what a doe-eyed-look actually looks like. Fuck, if it doesn’t make me hard—especially with the big, round, light brown eyes that are gracing me with the expression right now from across the room.
She looks absolutely stunning, her long dress hugging her small, perky breasts; her red hair straight and cascading down her back; her freckled cheeks rosy with a natural blush.
“Um—why is Harper’s sister looking at you like that?”
Just as Benjamin speaks, Teddy breaks eye contact with me. In an instant, I crave her undivided attention. Now more than ever, her acceptance to my dinner invitation fills me with a sort of desperate impatience.
I want her. Fuck—I want her.
“Judah,” Ben calls, hitting my shoulder. When I finally manage to tear my eyes away from Teddy, I meet his gaze. He scrunches his brow, scrutinizing me. “Shit. Tell me you haven’t stuck your dick inside of Harper’s sister. Please, I’m begging you.”
A small smile curls the corner of my mouth as a soft chuckle ripples out of me. “Not yet, dear brother. Not yet.”
He doesn’t have time to ask anymore questions as the women are now making their way toward us. Teddy is perhaps an inch or two taller than her sister, but the resemblance they bear to one another is obvious. I applaud my brother’s choice, as Harper is as beautiful as he claimed. Though, admittedly, my preference lies with the younger of the two.
Ben sets down his beer as soon as Harper is in reaching distance. “Hey, gorgeous,” he says in greeting, opening up his arms. She walks right into them and grins when my brother kisses her cheek fondly.
“Hi,” she hums before letting him go. “So, I think we aren’t the only two who know each other,” she goes on to say, looking from me, to Teddy, then to Ben.
“Yes, it appears that way.” He wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her into his side, and the both of them pin their attention on Teddy and me, as if waiting for one of us to provide an explanation.
I direct my attention to Teddy only to find her staring down at her hands as she anxiously wrings her fingers. I don’t think, I just do, reaching out to graze my fingers along her jaw, tipping her head up when I have reached her chin. The blush that heats her cheeks makes my dick twitch, and I have to actively concentrate on something other than her lips.
“We’re merely acquainted with one another,” I explain, my fingers still touching her soft skin. “But that will soon change.”
She jerks, as if startled by my words, causing my fingers to slip away from her face as she gapes at me. “You didn’t call me back.”
“I assure you, Teddy, that I will,” I tell her, reaching for the remainder of my scotch.
“Ah, see? I told you he was probably just busy,” Harper beams. “And now we know why,” she says, looking up at Ben.
“Oh, god,” mumbles Teddy.
A smirk pulls at my lips knowing that I’ve been a topic of conversation between the two of them.
“Oh. Oooh,” Ben says, understanding washing over his features as he looks at me. Without a word, I know he’s figured out that it was Teddy whose voicemail I checked before our game this morning. “Yes, by all means, blame me, Teddy. I can be quite the demanding brother. By the way, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Ben,” he says, extending his hand out to her.
“It’s nice to meet you, too.”
“And, Harper, this is my brother—”
“Judah St. Michaels,” she finishes for him, reaching for my hand. I accept her gesture, returning it in kind, all the while waiting for the question that I see in her green eyes. “So—St. Michaels, Delaney—there’s a story there, right? Not to mention the good cop/bad cop thing you two have going on.”
“You lost me at the end, there, babe,” Ben says with a laugh.
“Light blonde hair, pale blue eyes,” she coos, reaching up to touch his cheek. She then nods at me. “Dark brown hair, charcoal grey eyes.”
“Mmmm,” he hums with a nod. “That’s an explanation best shared over dinner. Shall we tell the hostess our party is ready?”
“Hell, yes. I’m starving,” Harper replies with a grin. Ben chuckles and tips his chin at me before he escorts Harper to the front.
Teddy starts to follow and I down the rest of my scotch before catching up to her. I reach out to rest my hand on the small of her back, and I can feel her sharp inhalation. I don’t even attempt to hide my smile. Tonight just got a whole lot more interesting.
We sit at a table for four, Teddy on my left, Ben on my right. As soon as we’re all comfortable, our drink orders are taken. Teddy asks for a glass of white wine, her selection chosen with an air of confidence that assures me that she orders it often enough to know what she likes. I appreciate her taste and make note of the Chardonnay she’s requested.
It’s the details that matter whilst wooing a woman. Tonight, I plan on filling my arsenal.
“So, about that story…” she says, looking across the table at Ben. Her gaze flicks in my direction for a fraction of a second. When she catches my eye, her lips part open before she looks back to my brother.
God. I want inside that mouth.
“It’s probably not as interesting as you’d imagine. Our parents adopted me when I was five.”
“Oh,” Teddy breathes. She looks at me once more; only this time, when our gazes align, she doesn’t look away. Alternatively, she peers at me as if she thinks she now knows something about me—but this is Benjamin’s story, not mine.
“So you kept your birth father’s last name?” asks Harper.
“No, actually.” He pauses and I shift my focus in his direction, aware that he won’t say more without my permission. I offer him a small nod and he continues. “When Jude was born, mom was single. He has her maiden name. Our parents got married when he was six, and I was brought into the fold a year later.”
“What happened to your biological parents? If you don’t mind me asking,” Teddy murmurs.
Benjamin shrugs and shakes his head, indicating that he doesn’t mind at all. And he doesn’t. He’s not ashamed of his past in the slightest. It’s one of the things I admire most about the kid, and I’m not too proud to admit it. He and I might have grown up in the same household, but we did not have the same childhood. Not really.
“I wasn’t born into a healthy or stable environment. My birth parents were very young, irresponsible, and abusive. It wasn’t until I started kindergarten that anyone noticed; but it didn’t take long before child protective services stepped in.”
“Shit, Ben,” says Harper, reaching for his hand. Her face is full of sympathy, but Ben just smiles at her before lifting her hand and kissing her knuckles.
“The Delaneys were my second foster home. Judah got attached, so they decided to keep me,” he teases, smirking at me.
I chuckle, shaking my head at him. “I tolerated you,” I quip, bringing my glass of scotch to my lips.
“Anyway, it all worked out for the best.”
“You were wrong, you know,” says Teddy. I look at her, taking in the small smile that plays at her lips as we all wait f
or her to continue. “That story was a lot more interesting than I thought it would be.”
“Everybody’s past comes with some sort of life-changing-story, right?”
For a fraction of a second, her smile falters. If I wasn’t so desperate to taste those lips, I wouldn’t have noticed. I’m instantly intrigued, curious to know what stories make up her past—surely a young, gorgeous, innocent creature such as she does not harbor dark memories that cut so deep.
“Well, damn—we went from zero to heavy as fuck in a flash. God, we haven’t even ordered our dinner yet,” Harper sighs.
I look across from me and, right away, I understand what Benjamin was telling me before, about Harper and the beautiful contradiction she is. The words that just came out of her mouth don’t match the sweet expression she’s casting on my brother. I stifle a sigh, sure that the feisty woman who is obviously stealing his heart is most assuredly a handful. Ben’s desire to pursue her rather than just screw her is his greatest weakness.
“Ah, yes, food,” he says, interrupting my thoughts. “I’ve never been here before. Jude, what would you recommend?”
We spend the next few minutes discussing the menu. Soon, our orders are taken, and a lighter topic of discussion is brought to the table. One conversation flows easily into the next and we talk about everything from what each of us does for a living to the places we’ve traveled, and even what kind of music we like. Ben tries to convince Teddy to tell him what Harper was like as a child, and I scowl at him for even thinking of disclosing such information about me. However, Ben, the charmer, keeps the girls laughing all night, and for that I owe him my gratitude.
Teddy’s face when she laughs, coupled with the sound of her endearing giggle, it just makes me want her more. She’s just as delicate as I imagined she would be, and I will have her—I will ravage her, possess her, break her—I will leave her begging for more, there’s no doubt about that.
When the waiter comes by to collect our dinner plates and inquire about dessert, both Fitzpatrick women insist that they are too full to eat another bite. It’s not long after that Teddy excuses herself to the ladies’ room, leaving me alone with the flirty pair. I can endure it only for a moment, and then I, too, inform them that I shall return. Only, I have no intention of using the John.
