Best Friend’s Big Brother: Older Man Younger Woman Romance (Tall, Dark and Handsome Billionaires Book 1)

by J. P. Comeau

Ginger’s arm wrapped around my waist as she leaned her head on my shoulder. “Oh, you poor thing! I wish I knew someone who could take you, but I’ve already snagged my brother!”

  “Believe me, it’s not a problem. Now, we should probably start getting ready for the wedding. Have you showered yet?”

  We spent the rest of the morning getting ready for the wedding since Ginger had brought her bridesmaid dress over with her. In between showering, we gossiped about some of the people who would be at the wedding, discussed how the dinners didn’t seem too filling, and how we were thrilled about having an open bar.

  “That should cheer you up,” Ginger said while deciding on a shade of lipstick.

  “Are you suggesting that I get drunk to forget that I don’t have a date?”

  “Why not? That’s what I would do, you know, if my brother hadn’t saved me.”

  If I had to go with my brother to a wedding, I’d drink myself into a coma.

  I ignored her comment and focused on my makeup. “I can’t decide between these two lipstick shades. Which one do you like?”

  Ginger looked at both shades, which were merely different hues of nude, and pointed to the darker one. “Your skin is a little pale, and that should liven it up a bit.”

  I marched over to my full-length mirror, where I looked at myself from head to toe. “I had Vanessa give me one of those spray-tans where they massage it into your skin. I’m not that pale.”

  Ginger held her arm up to mine, which was a little bit darker, and smiled. “You’re not as dark as me.”

  At least I’m not going on a date with my brother.

  By late afternoon, the two of us were more than ready to go to Paris’s wedding. Since Ginger would be going with Chase, they offered to have me ride with them to the ceremony and then the reception.

  “Oh, he’s here! Chase just texted me!”

  You shouldn’t be this excited about seeing your brother—whom you’re dating.

  I grabbed my bag as the two of us went to the front door, opening it just in time to see Chase standing on the other side. It had been a long time since I had felt weak in the knees, and at that moment, I struggled to balance myself in my high heels. Chase and I locked eyes for several intense seconds, and all I could do was muster a barely audible “hello.”

  He was standing there in a Gucci suit and chocolate-colored tie, which matched perfectly with his eyes. His hair was slicked back, but not in a gross, crusty way like he’d used too much gel. Chase just knew how to style his hair, and I so desperately wanted to run my hands through it.

  “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Margo.”

  Ginger glared at him and then me, before obnoxiously clearing her throat. “Shall we leave, or are we just going to stand out here in the hallway and gawk?”

  I ignored Ginger’s attitude while continuing to stare at Chase. He could have been straight out of a fashion magazine the way his muscles stood out underneath his clothes and his perfect, bright-white teeth accentuated his smile that was directed right at me.

  “Are you ladies ready to get into the limousine?”

  Once again, Ginger cleared her throat, which finally snapped me back to reality. “Did you say limo? You rented a limo?”

  “I didn’t rent it, but yes, there is one waiting,” he said while chuckling. “It’ll take us to both the wedding and the reception. And it prevents any of us from having to drive home tonight.”

  Ginger slid her arm through her brother’s while gazing into his eyes. “See, Margo! I told you how wonderful my brother is.”

  I smirked while locking the door behind me. “That’s funny. I thought limos were only for the bride and groom.”

  Ginger gave me another dirty look as we turned to leave, but not before I caught Chase grinning at me.

  This wedding might not be so bad, after all.

  4

  Chase

  The ceremony was, of course, over the top and beautiful. Paris and her new husband, John, were every bit the perfect couple. He towered over her at just under six -feet, five-inches, whereas she was a little over five-feet. They got married in the church John had attended since he was a child. In fact, he was baptized into Catholicism just a few feet away from where they recited their vows. As the two of them kissed, everyone clapped, and there was only one dry set of eyes in the audience.

  Mine.

  I couldn’t take my eyes off of Margo throughout the ceremony. Since she was a bridesmaid, anyone looking at me would assume that I was staring at Paris and John. But from the moment Margo took her place at the altar, she was the only thing I was interested in.

  Margo was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her long, light-brown hair was styled in layers that casually framed her heart-shaped face, and her piercing blue eyes were the same color as the pristine, crystal-blue waters of Miami Beach. From the moment our eyes had locked, time and space stood still. Neither one of us had been able to say more than a few words to each other, but there was no denying the instant chemistry.

  That was until Ginger spoke up, of course.

  After the ceremony, Ginger, Margo, and I climbed into the limo and headed for the reception. I tried to talk to Margo during the ride over there, but Ginger simply would not shut up. She kept chatting a mile a minute about how beautiful it was to see her best friends get married. Judging by the look on Margo’s face, she also wanted Ginger to zip it for a bit. It was going to be a long evening, and it was far too early for me to pop some pain pills for a mounting headache.

  When we got to the reception, the photographer wanted to take more pictures of the wedding party. All we could do was wait, and I had tried my best to sit next to Margo while doing so. But Ginger noticed me and squeezed herself between us, even digging my side with her elbow. It was the same elbow dig that she had given me in the limo, and every time she had caught me staring at Margo.

  You’re my sister! Why are you getting jealous?

  Margo kept straightening her dress while we waited for the photographer, making sure that it wasn’t crinkling up or getting caught underneath the chair.

  I thought it looked perfect. “That dress is amazing, Margo. It looks fantastic on you.”

  Her cheeks blushed as she leaned back, deciding that she didn’t need to fidget with her clothes. “Well, thank you, Chase.”

  “Ahem,” Ginger shouted, causing everyone, including the photographer, to turn around.

  My obnoxious, bratty, younger sister aside, the whole day was turning out to be much more fun than I had anticipated. And seeing Margo in that stunning dress was just the icing on the cake. I wasn’t current with fashion trends, but I knew it was a rose gold mermaid-style dress with exceptionally low cleavage. The low-cut surprised me since most brides didn’t want any attention taken away from them on their big day.

  But then again, Paris’s dress was also low-cut, so they complemented each other.

  I’m sure John enjoyed that view.

  Margo’s matching rose gold heels popped out as she reached into her purse, where I watched her touch-up her makeup. She used rice paper to blot away any excess oil from her soft skin, then dabbed a little bit of blush onto her cheekbones. I was about to tell her not to bother, that she looked stunning, but once again, Ginger caught me staring and elbowed my side.

  “Ow! What is your problem, Ginger?”

  My sister glared at me and then Margo as if silently telling her to back away.

  I’m your brother, and this is so weird.

  The photographer finally turned to Ginger and Margo. “All right, why don’t the bridesmaids join the couple?”

  My jaw nearly hit the floor as I watched Margo walk over, giving me a good glimpse of her gorgeous backside. I shifted in my seat a bit, suddenly aware that I was getting a bit too aroused at a wedding reception.

  After taking photographs, all of the guests started to file in, and the reception was finally taking off. Everywhere Margo went, my eyes followed—to the bathroom, for more champagne, and eve
n when she went to mingle with other guests. It was hard to do so under the watchful eye of my jealous sibling, but there was something about Margo that I was becoming obsessed with.

  Ginger kicked my leg from underneath the table. “I want to dance, Chase. Now.”

  I was about to protest, telling her that we should probably dance with other people we aren’t, you know, related to, but there was no getting through to her. She grabbed my hand and yanked me out onto the dance floor, where the live band began playing a slow song. I encouraged Ginger to rest her head on my shoulder, just so she wouldn’t see me looking at Margo.

  It worked. But it was also a little strange.

  Margo was off to the side, eating an appetizer and sipping champagne while casually looking over at us. And every time she did, I smiled directly at her. By the time the song was about halfway through, I was ready to spin Ginger off to someone else and ask Margo to dance. So, I eyed the crowd to find an eligible bachelor. As much as I wanted to get rid of Ginger, I didn’t want just anyone dancing with my little sister.

  The only one without a date, though, was Jorge.

  Crap.

  I slowly made our way over to Jorge, who was leaning up against the wall and surveying the crowd. Looking for a redhead, no doubt—or maybe a blonde. He wasn’t my first choice when it came to having another man touch my sister, given his history with women, but there was no other choice. It was him, or I’d be forced to dance with Ginger all night, leaving Margo up for grabs with other men.

  And just knowing that Jorge might flirt with her sealed the deal for me.

  Ginger was going to dance with Jorge.

  As he and I made eye contact, I nodded to come over, and he promptly did. The way he walked toward me in his new, expensive suit, adjusting his tie while ogling other ladies along the way, made me want to vomit. I couldn’t believe I was about to hand off my sister to him.

  “Jorge, you remember my younger sister, Ginger, right?”

  He eyed her up and down like a piece of meat; that did not sit well with me. I glared at him, hoping he’d catch my gaze, but he was too focused on sizing up my sister.

  “Of course, I do! It’s so nice to see you again, Ginger. That was quite a wedding ceremony, wasn’t it?”

  Ginger didn’t look too happy about the sudden switch. “Uh-huh.”

  She extended her hand to Jorge, and he immediately put it to his lips, kissing it while glancing in my direction. His kiss still didn’t warm her up to the idea of dancing with him, though.

  “If you don’t mind, Ginger, I’m going to pass you off to Jorge for a bit. And don’t worry, he’s a terrific dancer. Aren’t you, Jorge?”

  He made a cheesy dance move, which caught the attention of several other people. And not in the right way.

  As I slid between the two of them, making my way toward Margo, I whispered into Jorge’s ear, and chuckled, “If you do anything to hurt my little sister, the police will never find your body.”

  Jorge smirked before slowly taking Ginger’s hand and leading her onto the dance floor. I waited long enough to make sure he didn’t put his hands on her ass. And Jorge proved to be a gentleman, at least, while I was watching.

  Margo was ordering a drink at the bar, so that’s where I jetted off to, forcing my way between other people as I went. A few of them gave me dirty looks, but I just brushed it off. I never backed down from getting what I wanted, especially when it came to women.

  “Can I get another glass of champagne?”

  The bartender nodded at Margo while pouring her a glass, then turned his attention to me. “And what can I get you, sir?”

  “Beer on tap, please.”

  Margo turned and smiled, and once again, I found it hard to speak. Being this close to her gave me a better view of those long, thick eyelashes and soft skin. I fought every urge to run my fingers along her cheeks to feel the touch of a woman’s skin with my hand. It had been too long since I’d been with anyone.

  “We haven’t properly met, but I’m Chase, and you’re best friends with my younger sister, Ginger, who’s acting like an odd duck tonight.”

  Margo giggled while shaking my extended hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Chase. And yes, I’m Margo, your younger sister’s best friend.”

  It didn’t escape my attention that she didn’t comment on Ginger’s behavior.

  We sipped our drinks for an awkward few seconds, occasionally looking out at the dance floor before I was finally able to make some small talk.

  “That wedding was beautiful, wasn’t it?”

  Margo nodded while sipping her champagne. “It was amazing. Very typical of John and Paris. They’re classy people.”

  I leaned on the glass bar a little bit, trying to make myself appear casual while dealing with a stomach full of butterflies. “Well, you seem pretty classy yourself. The way you handled yourself during the ceremony, and that dress perfectly complements your body. You carry yourself with a tremendous amount of grace.”

  “Thank you very much.” Margo blushed just a hint at my compliments. “I was worried that I’d trip while walking down the aisle. These heels are pretty high.” She held her leg out to show me, but I wanted to peek up a bit higher along her slender leg instead. Thankfully I kept my gaze on her shoes.

  “That’s probably why men don’t wear heels. We’d fall flat on our faces. Seriously, I give you ladies a lot of credit for going through what you do for fashion.”

  “It’s not always easy. Sometimes when my boss isn’t looking, I slide out of my heels. It’s painful to stand in them all day.”

  I chuckled a little bit, picturing her running around the spa barefoot.

  “Well, if I ever come into your spa, then I’ll be sure to do a double-take at your feet.”

  “Have you ever been to a spa before, Chase?”

  I suddenly pictured her standing over me, massaging my back as her breasts dropped dangerously close to my body. “Um, yes,” I said, shaking myself out of that little trance. “It’s been a while, though. In fact, I had shoulder surgery and should probably make an appointment for a massage sometime.”

  “Ahem.”

  Margo and I turned around to find Ginger staring at us, once again with her arms folded.

  “Jorge was boring. Chase, order me a glass of chardonnay. But not the dry kind. I hate dry wine.”

  I turned around to face the bartender while rolling my eyes, and he gave me a knowing smile. “My sister will have a glass of chardonnay, but nothing dry. Whatever that means.”

  Ginger started to describe the taste of dry wine, but thankfully Margo interjected when the band began to play a new song.

  “Oh, I love this song! Ginger, this is my favorite song.”

  I nearly dropped my glass of beer, while Ginger, on the other hand, looked utterly pissed off. “Would you like to dance, Margo?”

  I held out my hand, and she took it, and even though I felt Ginger staring into my back as we walked onto the dance floor, I just didn’t care. I was finally getting a chance to dance with Margo, to press my body up against hers in that gorgeous, tight-fitting dress with a low-cut neckline. To be even closer to her intoxicating scent, which reminded me of lavender and coconuts.

  As I twirled her around a few times, I glanced over at Ginger, who was sulking at the bar.

  Tough luck, sis. Your friend is smoking hot.

  5

  Margo

  Chase was one hell of a good dancer. He casually rolled me out at all the right moments and then seamlessly pulled me back in. His hips felt incredible pressed up against mine, gyrating right along with the song. And I didn’t miss the fact that he had pulled me in pretty tight a few times while sneaking a peek down my dress.

  That was fine by me, though. I was quite proud of my cleavage.

  Thank you, Mom!

  Nick had never worn any cologne, so it had been a long time since I had smelled one, but whatever Chase was wearing was getting me aroused. It was musky with notes of amber. I l
eaned my head on his shoulders a few times to get a bitter whiff of it. It mixed perfectly with his natural, intoxicating, masculine scent. In fact, I would have loved to have buried my face in his neck.

  A few members of the wedding party watched us dancing, including some very jealous women. That was their problem. They had brought dates, and this tall, dark, and handsome man was all mine…for the time being. But I knew it wouldn’t be long before Ginger threw another temper tantrum about me hogging her date.

  Chase was such a good dance partner that the lead singer of the band waved at us, nodding as we waltzed by. His arm gripped my back nice and tight, holding me in place as I struggled to keep up with his moves.

  As the band finished the first song and seamlessly moved into the next, Chase turned around so that I was facing the bar again. And that’s when I caught Ginger glaring at us, and judging by her posture, she was less than pleased. She could have passed as a toddler on the verge of throwing a fit, all because her date was dancing with someone else—her date who happened to share her DNA. Ginger might have been my best friend, but she desperately needed to grow up. Sure, maybe I was hogging his time, but I honestly didn’t think it was that big of a deal.

  He’s your brother!

  Chase twirled me around again, causing me to forget all about his angry sister and forcing me to giggle.

  “You are such a good dancer, Chase! Did you receive any formal training?”

  His chocolate eyes peered into mine, and once again, my knees went weak. “Not really, although I did accompany Ginger to her senior prom because she couldn’t get a date. But don’t tell her that I told you. It bruised her ego that her boyfriend dumped her right before the big night.”

  “Just like Anthony did to her today, right? Poor girl can’t catch a break. However, it’s generous of you to come as her date tonight. I don’t know of any other man who would do that for their…sister. She was so determined not to be in the wedding party without a plus-one.”