by Meg MacRose
“Are you jealous of Steven or something?”
“Not at all. Although had I known about your accomplishments in bed, I would have lined up years ago.” His grim smile gave her the creeps. “So how does it feel having slept with both the Campbell brothers?” He all but spat out at her.
A flash of anger ran through her. How dare he speak to her like that? The temptation to fling her coffee over him was strong. But he gets retribution. And she was naked under the sheet.
“Oh, grow up, Jake. Steven’s a big boy now. He’s even married! Newsflash… he doesn’t need a bossy, interfering brother intervening on his behalf.” Her eyes didn’t waver from his as she took another sip. “Besides, how can I compare the two of you? I remember nothing from last night. It’s all a drunken haze.” The lie slid easily from her tongue.
“Do that a lot do you? Go out partying and get so drunk that you don’t remember who you sleep with?”
He had to leave the room so she could dash over, get dressed and escape!
She looked around. She’d need her bag first. It had her keys. And she needed to find her phone. He wasn’t making this easy for her.
She took another sip while she tried to work out her next plan.
“Look. Steven and I have been friends forever. Best friends. I was as excited as everyone else when they announced their engagement. And when they brought their date forward because of what’s happening around the world.”
“Don’t think you can continue sleeping with him now he’s married. I’ll not let you wreck their marriage.”
Had he not looked insanely sexy perched next to her on his bed, she’d have found his comment to be menacing. Instead, it hinted at something suggestive, something decent and protective, that struck her right in her core. Her toes curled up another degree.
He had to think she was unaffected by him. Call it pride, but it was all she had.
“Look, Jake. Get over it. I have no intention of wrecking anyone’s marriage. And I have no intention of sleeping with Stevie.”
Never. She added silently. And not while big brother turned her on! She’d never, ever even kissed her best friend. But she’d done a helluva lot more than that last night with Jake. Her eyes fixed on the purplish mark on his neck. She could taste his masculinity. If he didn’t leave her alone soon, she’d be susceptible to doing it again. Plus some. And wouldn’t that just mess with her head?
Jake continued to stare at her with that ominous brooding look again.
He was unreadable. What thoughts were going through his enigmatic mind?
Jake leant forward and took a bacon sandwich from the tray. He took a big bite.
Actually, it smelt delicious. Maybe later, she’d indulge in a mouth-watering bacon sandwich.
“Have some.” His hand pointed to the laden tray, his mouth still half full as he spoke.
She scrunched her nose up. Smelling it was one thing, eating it would be something else.
“No thanks. The coffee is fine.” She held up her half-empty cup, which she cradled in her hands.
Maybe she didn’t like bacon. More pity for her. That meant there was more for him.
He looked like he was just about to return with a smart-arse comment when he stopped himself.
“Are you vegetarian?” He shrugged when she didn’t answer immediately. “Fine. There’s more bread downstairs for plain toast if you want it.”
A distasteful shudder ran through her slight frame.
“No thanks. I don’t eat breakfast at the best of times. But definitely not the morning after alcohol.”
He almost snorted his bacon sandwich out of his mouth. “Ha”.
“The paracetamol and coffee are perfect.” She cocked her head at him. “Why are you being so nice now? Where’s Jake-The-Jerk gone?”
He gave her an enormous smile, the kind that hit right in her core. But his smile didn’t reach his eyes. His back was rigid. Her comment had hit him fair and square.
“Jake-The-Jerk?” He asked quietly. A few seconds passed before he continued. “It’s not fair competition when the other player is sick or injured. Or in your case, hung-over! But Jake-The-Jerk, it will keep.”
She cocked her head at him. Shit! Her big mouth.
She watched with trepidation as he took a sip of coffee. It was time for a different tactic.
“Yesterday was great. You really put on a wonderful reception for Stevie and Ella.”
He gave her a shocked look.
Perfect. Even hung-over she could still bewilder him!
“You sound surprised.”
“Well, I was. I mean, Stevie has always adored his big brother.” She rolled her eyes. “You can do no wrong.” She wouldn’t expand on that. Not when she lay in his bed. “To be honest, I wasn’t expecting much more than a civil garden party. But the band, the pop-up bar, the marquee. It was perfect for their wedding. A special day.” She perched herself back against the pillows. “I had a fantastic time, anyway. My Mother always said to give credit where credit is due.”
“You had a splendid time. You spent the entire evening either slurping cocktails or manhandling any man on the dancefloor.”
Her cheeks burned. He had the knack to belittle her.
“I didn’t manhandle anyone. Anyway, we were only dancing. Anyway, you shouldn’t have provided such good cocktails!” She flung back at him. Her quip was childish.
“Need I remind you that weddings are for reconnecting and catching up? Not just the free booze and music?”
Oh, how dare he? Her toes angrily curled up so tight they almost cramped.
She fumed. If her face wasn’t red already, it definitely would be by now. And there was probably smoke coming out of her ears.
“Yeah, well, as I told Stevie. Most of the invited guests were strangers. I mean, I knew you and your folks. But to be honest, I don’t know you, do I?”
“What are you saying? That you don’t know how to talk to strangers?” He looked at her hard and fast. “We all know you aren’t shy. So what? You didn’t even want to go to Steven’s wedding? I’d put it down to jealousy.”
She shook her head. “I wasn’t jealous. I’ve never wanted to get married.” She looked down at her coffee. This was way too personal. Stuff she had barely worked out for herself. But she didn’t want him to think she was jealous. “You all just endured me because I was Stevie’s friend. His colleagues and university friends, well I hardly know them. Not really.”
She noticed his raised eyebrow. His disbelief was obvious. Ugh!
“Honestly, I don’t really know Stevie’s other friends. I’m not the party animal you think I am. Special event parties, but nothing more. We studied in opposite sides of the goddamn country! And Ella’s family were as much strangers to me as yours. Her brother Levi was the exception. He’s a lot of fun. I was grateful that he got me up dancing.”
“Ah. So, you have a thing for Ella’s brother then? How does Stevie feel about that?”
“Oh, get over it. I met Levi for the first time a fortnight ago at that dinner in Mayfair. Remember that extended family do? The one you declined from because you were too busy working, or something.”
Jake stood up. She breathed a sigh of relief. Talking with Jake sitting next to her was getting much too personal.
“Seriously Jake, this is far too deep for my hung-over state.” Once she was out of his front door, she’d erase the entire night from her memory.
If she didn’t make her escape soon? Well, the thought was too much. He was too much.
Her breath stuck in her chest as she waited for him to respond.
He leaned forward and looked right into her eyes. Tansy met his stare. She didn’t dare move. His hand shot out and smoothed a tendril of her hair back into place behind her ear. Sparks flew all around her.
“The bathrooms just through there.” He pointed at the adjoining door. “Help yourself. There’re toothbrushes in the top drawer.”
One minute he was the unbearable Jake she knew, th
e next he was almost normal as he handed out paracetamol, and then he had to fixate on some absurdity with Stevie.
Soundlessly, he turned around and walked out, quietly closing the door.
What the…?
Now she was more confused than anything. Her toes uncurled.
He was ignoring her? She wanted to chase after him. That made scant sense to her at all.
* * *
Jake
Something about Tansy wound him up. As a teenager, he’d explained it to the influence that she seemed to have over Steven. His little brother had always adored her. Right from the first day when her family had shifted into their classic Belgravian white stucco. She’d ridden up their street on her bike. Steven had been smitten from the start.
She sat perched up on his bed, naked. Like she belonged there. And all he had wanted was to remove her coffee and kiss her. Kiss her so hard that she remembered the intense and fast and electrical sex that they’d had last night. Because he for sure couldn’t stop thinking about it. She had blown his mind.
Hell, he’d gotten a hard on only half an hour ago when he was making their breakfast thinking about how she’d tasted. How she’d shrieked in his ear when she’d come.
Instead, he had sat on the side of the bed, scrutinising her. He’d always been watching her. Waiting for her to slip up. But last night, alone in his house together, it had been different.
Steven required shielding from her manipulative ways. Steven had always needed it. For as long as he could remember, she had been at Steven’s side, influencing him. All those photos that Steven posted on his social media, there she’d been, centre stage.
She had remembered nothing from last night! She’d gone as white as the Egyptian sheet around her when he’d entered the room. And if he was honest, it gutted him she didn’t remember. Last night had been the best sex that he’d had in a long time… With his brother’s girlfriend. A knife turned inside him.
He had never been into sharing notes on his lovers with friends. And not with his brother. Knowing that Steven had been there inside her first was gnawing at him. He knew that Steven had stayed at her flat most weekends. Hell, they probably had a quick one yesterday morning before the wedding.
The stab of anger in his stomach was directed as much for himself than it was at her. The problem was, sitting bare in his bed, she turned him on. It was that simple.
He wanted more of her desirable body in his arms. He wanted her to remember how explosive their sex had been. But he didn’t want to touch her with a barge pole. Not someone who would return to his brother’s bed in the near future. That, he was sure of.
The knife in him twisted deeper. It was probably better that she didn’t remember.
All night, he’d noticed her, watching the sensual movements of her body as it swayed. He’d told himself that he was protecting his brother. He didn’t want her ruining the big day. She’d been part of a fun-loving small crowd who had endlessly danced the night away. Only it was she who had stood out to him.
What was wrong with him? Her life was not his business.
He preferred it when she spat insults at him. Not when she sat there in his bed, naked under that sheet, looking far too demure after last night. Not when he still had her scratch marks on his back.
But he couldn’t stop thinking about her.
Her eyes had contracted as a myriad of emotions had passed across her face when he’d mentioned that guy Levi. Ha! He’d finally gotten a rise from her.
Tick. She was pissed off with him.
What was so intoxicating about her? He wanted more. More of her in his bed. More of her shapely legs wrapped around his body. Without even bothering to retrieve the food tray, he had bounded out of his bedroom. He’d drop off some towels to the bedroom after she was safely locked in the bathroom.
The hardening in his groin was evidence enough that his body throbbed for her touch. The sooner she showered and dressed, the sooner he would reclaim his home. He would never let her know how desirable she was perched up on his bed. Not when she was his brother’s lover.
A mental visual appeared that he just couldn’t shake. Her naked in his shower. He could all but taste her warmth. He punched his breakfast bench. What a mess. All frustrated over some cow who knew her poison. Her body.
Only that wasn’t true. He took a deep breath. She’d never been a cow. His parents had never approved of her. But she’d always been there for his younger brother. And she’d seemed genuinely perplexed when he’d accused her of putting it out there at the wedding.
So, she’d met that Levi guy at the Mayfair do. He’d purposely declined to go.
Why would he?
Big family gatherings weren’t his thing. Holding the wedding reception at his heath-side home hadn’t been his idea but driven by his parents incessant pleading.
“There would be no other venues available at such short notice,” his Mother had said. His efficient PA had managed all the planning and outsourced whatever had to be done to entertain and manage Steven’s guests.
Distractedly, he swiped his phone and checked the new messages. One message stood out.
GOV.UK ALERT
CORONAVIRUS
New rules in force now: you must stay at home.
With Tansy in his bed, the impending lockdown had gone straight from his head. Not that it was a problem. He was ready for lockdown. However long it would last. His laptop would suffice for a home office setup. And his PA had ordered his favourite fresh food boxes. Not that he cooked a lot. She’d also set up his own login for the home delivery service she used on his behalf for takeaway food.
But… he’d never, ever have expected to share his home for lockdown. Especially not the delectable and despicable Tansy Owen-Smith. He glanced back at the message on his phone.
He stood immobilised for just a moment as the implicatons sunk in.
Him. And. Her. Were. In. Lockdown. Together.
He couldn’t help but smile. There would be more of last night. That he was sure of. Now he only had to let Tansy know. She’d be furious!
The old pipes creaked and whistled as hot water flowed through She had no towels! A thrilling sensation settled across him.
He stood at the bedroom doorway, armed with towels. A muffled groan came from the bathroom. He frowned. There it was again. Was she okay?
He raced over to the bathroom door, grateful that it was unlocked.
Tansy was groaning. That’s for sure. Only it wasn’t pain. Leaning against shower wall, the water was running down her head as her fingers were rubbing against her furry mound.
Shit, She’s masturbating in my shower.
Jake knew he shouldn’t be here. Shouldn’t be watching. But he couldn’t take his eyes off her. The ecstasy on her face. The motions that her hands took. The hard bulge in his jeans grew another inch. He licked his lips, unable to breathe, unable to move.
Her eyes half opened, registering his presence.
“I hate you. You hate me.” She whispered. “This is all your fault,” she rasped. He couldn’t breathe as her fingers continued their exploration. “You might as well make yourself useful.”
He stood frozen on the spot.
Did she just ask him to join her?
“Look what you’ve done to me.” She closed her eyes and leaned back against the shower wall.
The siren in the steam mesmerised Jake.
“You do it to me too,” he answered harshly. He dumped the towels unceremoniously next to him and pointed to his bulging crotch. “Look what you do to me.”
Her eyes opened. The pure look of desire that she gave him was almost his undoing.
“Come.” That one word uttered from her mouth took his breath away.
Had he been the quintessential British gentleman, he’d have backed out of the bathroom and left her to it. But her tempting body offered him his next fix of Tansy.
His fingers trembled as they unbelted and unzipped. His jeans dropped at his feet and he don the cond
om from the top drawer in record time. Jake wasted no time as he swooped forward, still half-dressed to claim her soft mouth against his.
She matched his fierceness. Her tongue invading his. The sweet agony as her fingers wriggled under his wet shirt, raked down his back, clawing at him.
“Tansy. Oh, my god.” He grunted. He couldn’t hold himself back anymore. His hands squeezed her bare arse. Toned and velvety. He hoisted her up to his level. Her thighs parted as her legs wrapped around him. He barely had time to change their rhythm as she consumed him. Totally.
Last night’s chemistry forgotten. Instead, in its place was a primal wild union. Two hot bodies entwined as one. He filled her with his sheath. Like her core had been moulded to encase him.
The shower cascaded down on their entwined bodies, masking their grunted sounds.
Their rhythm was hard and fast. It was merciless as they both soared towards their own release.
She must have incredible abs. The random thought passing by as she matched his ferocity, his pace and thrashed herself with him. Her hands were no longer trailing his back, but had wrapped around his neck, pulling herself closer. Her breasts squashed against his wet shirt.
She groaned against his mouth. A wounded animalistic whimper of ecstasy and relief. It was his undoing and in a final thrust, his seed escaped. Her entire body shuddered as it met his release.
His mouth detached from hers, he turned his head to rest his forehead on her shoulder. He needed to breathe. He needed time to contemplate what had just happened.
Like a true addict, he’d had his fix and was already wanting more.
He reached up and clicked the shower off. Lockdown with Tansy might just make isolation bearable.
He turned back to look at her. She was staring at him. Devoid of any expression.
He had no idea whatsoever what thoughts were going through that pretty face.
She just didn’t seem as affected as he did. It pissed him off. Did she not know how hot she made him? How he just wanted to lie her down on his bed and thread his fingers through her hair? Something in him wanted to shock her.
