The Unexpected Series (Books 1-3)

by Amy Marie

  Her smile fades, and she hands me the envelope. Our hands touch, and I can’t help my reaction. I grab onto it and pull her closer to me. Her breath hitches as I rub one finger over her soft skin.

  Without letting go I ask what it is. She stares for what feels like hours before gaining her composure and pulling away.

  “The itinerary for the rest of the events until the wedding. Co-ed bridal shower, bachelor and bachelorette parties, rehearsal dinner, as well as some planning meetings. Since you are not only her brother but giving her away she wants you to be involved with everything.” She looks annoyed like maybe she doesn’t want me involved in anything.

  “Is that a problem for you?” I ask stepping forward invading her personal space. “You seem like it is.”

  “No, I just think she has ulterior motives for having you and I do so much together.” She steps back and bites down on her bottom lip.

  I step forward. I can’t help it. I’m so drawn to her. I love it and I hate it at the same time. “What kind of motives?”

  A step back. “Like ‘trying to make me her sister in law’ kind of motives.”

  Just hearing her mention the idea of them being sisters has a vision of her in a white dress flash through my mind again. I want that. I want that so bad.

  I tilt my head to the side and take another step towards her.

  She stands her ground.

  Another step to her.

  She moves this time but only to lift her chin up to look at me.

  Another step.

  It’s like gravity is pulling me to her. I have no control when we are alone and she’s within arm’s reach.

  Without thinking, my finger traces the inside of her hand and up her arm until it reaches the back of her neck. I grip the hair at the nape and tug. She doesn’t try to stop me. Her blue eyes are hooded and then flutter shut. My lips, inches from hers, moisten as I run my tongue along them, ready to dive in.

  “Would that be so wrong?” I whisper into her parted mouth.

  Her eyes flash open before looking down. “I think you already have someone vying for that part.” She looks to the door Alex just entered and pulls away while adding. “Let me know what you can join us for and what you can’t that way I can make all the necessary arrangements.”

  She brushes past me but I grab her wrist before she is out of reach.

  “Noe,” I start but we’re looking away from one another. “Too.”

  She whips around and I face her. A stray tear falls down her perfect cheek. “Don’t say that to me ever again, unless you plan on doing something about it.”

  Her wrist is ripped from my fingers and she stomps towards her car in Jace’s driveway.

  “Are you two exclusive?” I ask my voice shaky unsure I want to know. Erin won’t tell me, and I need to know if she is officially taken.

  She stops in the middle of the street closest to my driveway, and I can hear the drawn out breath she takes while looking at the ground. I barely hear her, but she replies with a no.

  I take five large steps down the concrete so I can hear her answer to the next question.

  “Why not? You’ve been seeing him for weeks now. Is there someone else?” My fists are clenched together so tight my nails are digging into my palms. I can hardly handle her with that asshole across the street. I’m not sure I won’t go ape shit if there is another guy.

  Her chin lifts in defiance and her posture straightens. “Yes. There is.” She speaks with venom in her voice and stomps the rest of the way to her car.

  I storm into the house slamming the door against the wall and then closed. I use my fist to punch a hole in the drywall next to the bookshelf.

  “Trent!” Alex yells from the living room her hands on her hips. “Have you lost your mind?”

  I throw my hands up in the air in defeat. “Not only my mind, Alex. I’ve lost everything. I’m losing everything. She is seeing not one but two men. TWO! The woman I love is so far gone that she has moved on with more than the one I handed her over to in a pretty red bow!”

  “Oh yea. You have it so hard, Trent. Your life is OVER right?” Her recently pale complexion is red.

  Shame calms my anger. I’m a dick.

  “Alex, I didn’t mean it like that. Please...”

  “No! Quit being an idiot. Don’t let me leave this world knowing that the man I love, the two men that mean everything to me, don’t have what they need in their lives. She isn’t a want, Trent, she’s a necessity and even I can see how much you need her. So, pull your head out of your ass, kick those two men to the curb and claim what is rightfully yours!” She kicks the wall as she walks away. “And fix the goddamn hole!”

  My chest shakes with silent chuckles. Alex can be sweet but when she’s pissed you better watch out. But she is wrong. Noelle isn’t mine, and I don’t want to chase her if she doesn’t want to be pursued. I’ll make her mine when she is the one asking for it. Begging for it. I’ll just have to entice her a bit to get her there.

  Hadley must be used to it by now. She didn’t even flinch as I threw my bag across the room when I returned from lunch.

  “Trent or Jace?” She asked not bothering to look up from her screen.

  I pick up my cellphone that dropped from my launched bag. “Neither! Ugh! Both!”

  She turns in her chair giving me her undivided attention. “So, what happened now?”

  Since the morning after Jace and I slept together I’ve walked in here spouting off my bullshit stories about Jace and Trent. Since the first time Jace and I have had sex it hasn’t happened again. Not because I don’t want to but every time we start foreplay I see brown eyes instead of green and I have to stop.

  One of my cardinal rules of fucking is don’t have me finish the job of someone else getting you worked up. If you go to the strip club you better believe you have a date with your right hand. Or left, depending on your preference, but I refuse to help you get off from another girl turning you on. So, I applied the same rule to myself. I see Trent in place of Jace starting to unbutton my pants and I lose it. I stop him. He doesn’t understand, and I sure as shit don’t want to explain it to him. It’s taking its toll, and I don’t know what I’m thinking.

  My life is no longer under my control and that freaks me out. I want to be in charge of my own destiny and these two men have thrown me into utter chaos.

  Jace is sweet, kind, understanding, and sexy. He makes me feel beautiful and wanted. I could see us blossoming into a well established relationship, and bonus, he comes with zero baggage. No crazy ex’s that will come back into his life or baby mama’s, well, that I know of. Then there is Trent. He’s aggressive, pushy, hot as hell and he gives no slack. No room for discussion. He is hot or cold and you accept that or not. Simple, unlike his personal life. His ex, and baby mama, is back in town and not only seeing him but living with him. He has enough baggage to get me through a summer vacation in Europe, but yet he is the one I can’t stop thinking about.

  I need another vacation. Labor Day is coming up and I could use a little rest and relaxation, but it’s a big weekend and Erin’s co-ed Bachelor/Bachelorette party in Lake Geneva. So, that means a weekend with Trent just a hotel room away.

  Ugh!

  “Earth to Noelle? You have a phone call.” She waves the business line telephone at me in annoyance.

  I pick it up giving her the “don’t start with me” look. “Noelle Grant. How can I help you?”

  “Well you see, Ms. Grant,” Jace’s voice rings through. “I’m desperate right now. I have this major hard on from when my girlfriend left his morning and I need some release. Do you think you can help me out with that?”

  I laugh while simultaneously rolling my eyes at the fact he called me his girlfriend. I still haven’t okay’d that. “I’m sorry. I don’t get paid to release that kind of tension. Only to psycho brides who are doped up on Xanax and wine.”

  Hadley snickers shaking her head.

  Jace blows out a loud breath. “Well, I
called you at work because your cell is going straight to voicemail. I wanted to know if you wanted to do dinner tonight. I’d like to take you to Maggiano’s.”

  Now, I don’t know if he knows but I would give my right tit for Maggiano’s. It’s my favorite restaurant.

  “Damn it! I’m going to have to take a rain check. I promised Erin and Hadley a girl’s night out tonight.” I move my head side to side, glaring at Hadley, so she doesn’t bail and give me reason to go. I need a night away from Jace and all things drama.

  “Okay, baby. Come on over after if you feel up to it.”

  “I will.” I won’t.

  “What was that about?” Hadley asks from the driver’s seat of her SUV on our way to meet Erin.

  “What?” I play dumb.

  “That whole thing.” She waves her hand at me. “The bag throwing, the deflecting Jace.”

  I glance out the window as we turn onto Milwaukee Avenue. “How about we drop this because I’m positive once we meet up with Erin she is going to grill me. I’d rather not repeat myself.”

  When I ended the call with Jace the phones started ringing off the hook so much that we never had the chance to talk, and now I’m sure this will be the night from hell. Both Hadley and Erin have their noses way up my ass and are too invested in my love life for my liking.

  We arrive at Cubby Bear North at the same time Walker is pulling up with Erin.

  “Bring her back drunk and horny, okay? There is something I want to try with her.” He pounds on the side of the truck with the hand that is hanging out of the window.

  “I’ll let you do it to me when I can do it to you,” she retorts and his face goes pale.

  “No deal.” He laughs and then looks to me. “Drunk doesn’t matter either. She’s always horny.”

  He drives off and Hadley turns to Erin. “What does he want to do?”

  She starts off towards the door and murmurs something about anal and flavored lube.

  I don’t want to know.

  Erin and Walker started out very unconventional. She got pregnant from what was supposed to be a one night stand. I wasn’t sure they were going to last. Most would think that they stayed together for the baby but anyone who is within earshot of them can see they belong together. He loves fiercely and she loves just as hard, and that baby is the luckiest little girl to have parents like them. He makes her happy and is faithful. So despite how much he likes to piss me off I’m happy she has him.

  We’re directed to a booth next to the makeshift dance floor. Hadley on one side, Erin and I on the other. An 80’s band is playing tonight so all the tables and chairs are pushed aside for the event. It’s summertime and the college kids take up most of the bar though there are quite a few late twenty-somethings.

  After the server takes our drink order the Spanish Inquisition goes into full effect.

  “Spill it, Grant!” Hadley eyes me from across the table.

  “What’s going on?” Erin plays the innocent part. They can’t bullshit me. I know they talk.

  “Noelle threw her bag again today and she passed up a chance to go to Maggiano’s with Jace.” She turns from Erin to me. “You know we would have let you bail, right?”

  Erin shoves her shoulder into me. “Maggiano’s? You passed up Maggiano’s for us?”

  “I didn’t want to go with him,” I say but as soon as the words come out I want to take them back immediately.

  “You didn’t want to go or you didn’t want to go with Jace.” Erin tries to get me to clarify, a knowing smirk plastered on her damn face.

  Our server returns with our margaritas and I look around pretending to be interested in the scenery. There are some hot men here tonight. I lean back taking a sip of my cocktail and soak in the eye candy.

  Jace and I are still not exclusive and at this point I don’t think that is going to happen. We are both free to see who we want but neither of us are seeing anyone else. After a long talk, we agreed that sex was out of the question with anyone but each other. If I wanted it I had to go to him and him alone until things ended. But that’s not working out in my favor. I don’t even think I want to have sex.

  Okay, that went too far. I want sex. Just when I’m mentally ready for it again because right now Trent has my mind in a whirl.

  “So?” Hadley interrupts my barely legal male gazing. “Which is it?”

  “With Jace!” I give in. “I don’t think it’s working out.”

  Hadley drops her glass to the table. “Because of Trent.”

  It’s a statement, not a question. One that I’m uncomfortable with since his sister is sitting next to me, though I doubt she would care.

  “I don’t want to talk about it and even if I did I wouldn’t know where the hell to start,” I yell as the band starts up their first song, Love is a Battlefield.

  Perfect timing.

  The hairs on the back of my neck stand up when a male form appears in my peripheral vision. “Don’t want to talk about what?”

  Jace’s all too familiar voice hits my ears and I freeze not knowing how to answer his question.

  “Work,” Hadley says saving me from making up an excuse. “She said no work talk tonight.”

  I find the nerve to turn around and see he isn’t alone, but flanked by two equally tall men. One who looks identical to him.

  I push myself up out of the booth and wrap my arms around him, feeling as though that’s what’s expected of me. It feels awkward and uncomfortable. He introduces me to the two guys.

  He points to the man who is equally as handsome as he is. “This is my brother, A.J. and this is our friend, Ryder.”

  Ryder fits his name; rugged. Messy black hair, scruffy face, dressed in carpenter jeans and a Chevy t-shirt. His voice is rough and really sexy. His dark blue eyes won’t tear away from Hadley. Her face is furious but she blushes, which is unusual seeing as you can never embarrass Hadley.

  “This is Erin,” I say speaking to A.J. and Ryder. “And this is...”

  “Hadley,” Ryder says eyeing her like a damn piece of steak.

  “You two know each other?” Jace asks.

  Neither of them speaks up. They just stare at each other. “Do we?” Ryder finally says something looking at Hadley.

  “No,” she says harshly. “I don’t know him at all.”

  I eye her skeptically and she shakes her head.

  A.J. and Ryder, to Hadley’s chagrin, take a seat on Hadley’s side and Jace sits next to Erin and me.

  “How did you know I was here?” I ask as he places a hand on my bare thigh. The tingles he used to give me with that touch are a dull ache now.

  “I didn’t. Ryder’s sister works here so we wanted to get a few beers and then head back to the house.” His smile pushes his barely there dimples out. “It’s just a bonus you were here.”

  I return the smirk and take a sip of my drink, desperate for another one. More people have arrived and the temperature of the bar has risen. Erin’s quiet in the corner next to me, texting on her phone, while we all chatter about.

  Ryder tries to chat up to a seriously annoyed Hadley while pushing his hand over to her. She shoves it away a few times.

  “Hadley,” I call out hoping to save her from this very persistent man. “Is Braden coming?”

  She eyes me skeptically before she realizes what I’m doing. “No, but I told him I’d meet him at home later.” She winks.

  “Braden?” Ryder asks me.

  I can see fumes of jealousy coming off of his body. “Her boyfriend,” I tell him.

  The touches end there but I can tell from the familiarity of their body language that Hadley has some explaining to do for me later.

  After that A.J. checks out women while Jace attempts to talk to me, but Erin’s silence makes me nervous.

  “Why are you so quiet, Erin?” I whisper yell over the loud music. “You look guilty.”

  Her brown eyes widen. “I had told...”

  A large hand turns my shoulder and interrupts whate
ver confession she was about to tell me. “Do you want to dance, Noe?” Jace asks.

  I glance back at her letting her know the conversation isn’t over and grab Jace’s hand. I’m not the best dancer but now that I’ve had a few drinks I should be good to go. Plus, it’s 80’s music...who couldn’t dance to this?

  We both grab another drink at the bar, and I look back to our table finding Hadley and Ryder mere inches between each other’s bodies. A.J. has switched sides of the booth and is now talking to Erin. Her guilty eyes meet mine, and I know whatever she did earlier isn’t good.

  Jace grabs my free hand and pulls me onto the floor just as Jessie’s Girl starts. His arms circle around me as much as they can while holding a beer and I lift mine around his neck, keeping my cold drink away from his skin. We move side to side, our foreheads touching, our eyes locked, and he leans in for a brief kiss. It’s sweet, sexy.

  I turn around so that my back is leaning against his chest and throw my head onto his shoulder. His searching fingers find my hip and they hike all the way up my side until they reach my jaw. Pushing gently, he turns my head to meet his and his tongue pushes apart my closed lips. I open up, allowing him to take control.

  “God, Noe. You’re so sexy,” he whispers against my mouth then claims it once again.

  My body grows greedy, and I forget about what I said to Erin and Hadley. I forget where we are and grip his neck, pushing his mouth deeper into mine. We kiss until a sudden feeling of suffocation takes over. My heartbeat starts to quicken. My knees go weak, and I feel like I could drop to the floor at any moment. My palms grow sweaty and I shake, feeling as though something might be wrong. But when I open my eyes and look into the sea of people I find the reason for my body’s reaction.

  Trent.

  His chocolate brown irises are zoned in on the display in front of him. I don’t dare move an inch. Jace must not see him or just doesn’t care because he continues his assault of kisses on my neck and squeezes my body into him. I can feel his erection pressing into the back of my dress and it makes me feel dirty. On exhibit.

  Trent doesn’t move from the bar he is leaning on, but as he takes a pull of his beer, he unapologetically takes in my body from head to toe. When his stare meets where Jace’s hands roam they grow angry. Dark.