Falling for my Brother's Best Friend

by Piper Rayne

  “I answered the question,” I say before I shut my door.

  Once I’m secluded, I push his words out of my head but my bed being front and center only reminds me of her. The way her body slid against mine. The softness of her skin. The flowery smell of her hair. Her swollen lips and lust-drunk eyes. Somehow or another, I gotta shake her out of my system.

  After stripping down, I head to my bathroom and brush my teeth while I wait for the shower to warm up.

  Denver might think he’d be okay with me messing around with his sister, but he’s a classic after-the-fact-opinion guy. And this is one area where he’d definitely have an opinion about it after the fact. Especially since his sister thinks I’m not good enough for her.

  Wanna know what sucks? When you’ve got woman issues and you can’t go to your two best friends because they’re the twin brothers of the girl you can’t get out of your head.

  I enter Smokin’ Guns and lock the doors, keeping the blinds shut so no one bothers me. I’m still pissed off after my confrontation with Savannah this morning and could use some alone time. In my office in the back, I’m only alone with my music for a few minutes before the door chime rings.

  “Liam!” Rhys calls. He rounds the corner of the office before I can tell him where I am. Being my right-hand man, he knows what I do every Monday. “What’s up?”

  He leans his shoulder on the doorframe, crossing his arms. Rhys is unique for a tattoo artist because the man doesn’t have a drop of ink on him. He looks like a skateboarder, with his beat-up Vans and endless supply of worn-out jeans and T-shirts.

  “Not much.” I drop my pen on my desk and slide out my chair. “How was your weekend back home?”

  “Good. Seattle is changing. Not sure it’s a good thing.”

  Rhys is a transplant. No one knows much about him other than that he showed up at my shop one day, asking if I was looking for any artists. He keeps a quiet life with his dog on the outskirts of town. We’ve gone camping and fishing a few times. Compared to Denver and Rome, he’s mellow as hell.

  “How?”

  He shrugs. “Just different, I guess. Lots of new condos going up. People being pushed out to the ‘burbs because they can’t afford rent in the city anymore. But tat places are lighting up every block. Maybe you should do a branch?” He smiles because anyone who really knows me knows Lake Starlight is my home and I have no plans to make Smokin’ Guns some kind of franchise.

  “Maybe you should open a shop?” I raise an eyebrow.

  He guffaws. He’s gun shy, which I get. Especially not having any tats himself. Some people would say he’s not a true artist because he doesn’t understand what it’s like to get one. Lucky for him, I’m not one of those people. He’s a skilled artist and that’s all that really matters as far as I’m concerned.

  “I like you branching out better.”

  I chuckle. “Why are you here so early?”

  “I was gonna sketch out some ideas I have.”

  “And your place?”

  He shrugs again. He’s a man of few words. “How was the wedding?”

  Okay, I can take a hint. He’s not up for talking about himself. “It was great.”

  “Great not good, huh? Did you finally get laid?” He laughs.

  “None of your damn business.”

  He nods and pushes off the doorframe.

  But Rhys is someone I can trust, and I need to talk to someone before I go apeshit crazy. “Hey, Rhys?”

  He turns around, his smirk saying everything I need to know. Rumors are already spreading, even with how careful we were when we left the wedding together.

  “What’s the word?” I ask.

  “Nothing. I just know you and Savannah Bailey in a room together can be either hot or cold. You forget I was here for the blackbird tattoo.”

  I had tunnel vision the night she came in, asking me for something to remember her parents by. It still surprises me when I look back on it—that she trusted me to permanently mark her skin. “Truth?”

  He walks back to the doorframe and leans against it in the same position he was in previously. “Always.”

  “I took her home and we messed around and now I can’t get her out of my head, and since we live together, I spend most of my time out of my own house or in my barn.” I sound too vulnerable and way too much like a chick.

  Rhys loses his smirk. “You need to decide right now if you’re going to pursue her. Either you go after her with everything you got, or you walk away.”

  “You make it sound so easy.” I run a hand through my dark hair then pull on my neck, wishing the knots in my muscles would vanish.

  “Believe me, I get that it’s not. But you can’t be in limbo like you have been. It’s not healthy, man. If it’s not gonna ever happen, you need to move on with your life.” He crosses his arms, and I wonder what brought him here. He sure sounds as if he’s speaking from experience.

  “She’s my best friends’ sister.”

  “Exactly.”

  “Meaning I can’t very well separate myself from her forever.”

  “You won’t, not can’t.” He pins me with a stare as if to say, “tell me I’m wrong.”

  “What do you want me to do? Kick her out of my house and date other women?”

  He touches his nose as though I got the answer right.

  “I can’t kick her out. Her grandma would hunt me down and strip me of my balls. Have you ever met Grandma Dori?”

  He chuckles. “Then do the one thing you can. Date around. Work her out of your system. I get the situation isn’t ideal, what with you two living together, but if she’s the one putting out the Heisman arm, you can’t be expected to play priest in your own house.”

  I debate his words. Maybe he’s right. I’ve been so hellbent on not disrespecting Savannah, maybe I went about this wrong.

  “The only other thing you could do is convince her to sleep with you. I mean, you don’t do serious relationships, right?”

  His question throws me into a tailspin at first. I’ve never had a serious girlfriend, but I’m not against having one. I’ve just never found someone I could imagine infiltrating my life. I’ve lived on my own since I was eighteen, so she’d have to be amazing for that to happen.

  I can’t say the thought of just sleeping with Savannah hasn’t occurred to me before though. “I’m not sure her brothers would be okay with me doing a fuck-and-chuck with their sister.” I raise an eyebrow.

  “Do they have to know?”

  “I guess not. Maybe you’re right.”

  He pushes off the wall again, cocky smirk in place. “I usually am.”

  “Is that why you ran all the way up here to Alaska? To prove you were right about something?”

  “Nah. I just got tired of the view.” He goes to the front desk everyone gravitates toward to draw for some reason.

  I press play on my phone and “Call You Mine” by the Chainsmokers comes on through the Bluetooth speaker.

  Rhys comes back and grabs my phone. “Listen to this a few hundred times and you’ll start to believe it.”

  “Get Lucky” by Daft Punk plays. He pats my shoulder and leaves the room.

  Maybe he was a therapist before he came to Lake Starlight. Either way, I’m going to do what he says. Either I try to sleep with her, or I date random women until Savannah Bailey is so far out of my mind, I can barely remember what she looks like half-clothed.

  Three

  Savannah

  “You’re cranky today.” Juno sits across from me at Lucky’s Tavern, sipping her new favorite drink—Malibu and Coke.

  She drinks something different every time I’m here with her. My only saving grace is that Colton hasn’t joined us yet. And by yet, I mean I anticipate him walking through the door at any moment.

  “I’m not cranky.” I sip my wine. Damn Holly. The girl only supplies us with white wine, so now I know all the different kinds. I’m currently torn between Riesling and Moscato as my favorite.

  �
��You are cranky, and I think it has something to do with the guy over at the pool table.”

  I don’t bother to look. “Well, our brother pisses me off on the regular.”

  “Denver especially,” she agrees without pushing me to look at who he’s with. I see Liam enough. I saw him this morning, this evening before I came here, and I’ll see him before I go to bed. That’s enough for me. “Maybe it’s not the guy but the girl at the pool table with him that’s making you cranky?” She taps her finger against her lips as if it’s something she has to contemplate.

  “I don’t really care. As long as I don’t have to hear her moaning my brother’s name at night.”

  “I don’t think it’s going to be Denver’s name you hear.” She puts her red lips around the straw of her drink, sucking the coconut-flavored liquid into her mouth while her eyes zero in on what’s happening behind me.

  I glance over my shoulder. Liam’s attention is on a girl in a short skirt, sitting at the bar table next to the pool table. Denver’s playing wingman with her friend. I want to roll my eyes but school my features at the last second.

  “So I was thinking… let me set you up,” Juno says. “I’m between clients right now and I want a tough project.”

  I purse my lips. “I’m a tough project?”

  “You aren’t exactly Mary Poppins.”

  I tilt my head. “Was Mary Poppins really that nice? She was strict.”

  “It’s a phrase, Sav.”

  I place my wine down and crack my neck when the girl by the pool tables laughs so loudly, my eardrums hurt. I think they might be bleeding as a result of her cackle. “I have no time to date. I have to plan Brooklyn’s reception. When are they coming home again?” I twist the stem of my wine glass with my fingers.

  “She said they’re home tomorrow, since it was spur of the moment. I’m not surprised she eloped after he-who-shall-not-be-named stood her up the first time around. And you know I can help with the reception too.”

  I nod. “Wyatt’s parents are flying in and we’re doing it in two weeks.”

  Only Brooklyn would think that’s feasible. She better mean small when she says it. Not like Austin and Holly’s “small” wedding. They would’ve been better to invite the entire town of Lake Starlight.

  “At least you’ll be able to check it off your to-do list quickly.”

  I roll my eyes.

  “Come on. You need some fun in the meantime. I know I can find you a good guy. It’s what I do.”

  I glance over my shoulder again. The girl’s tits are practically pressed against Liam’s chest. His legs are widened with a pool stick in one hand and his beer in the other. Liam is obviously moving on from last weekend, as I knew he would.

  I sigh. Truth is, I could probably use a distraction while I’m forced to watch Liam showboat around town—at least until I can move out of his place. “If you think you can find someone I’d like, go for it. But the man has to be able to handle the fact that I’m a business owner. I work a lot of hours, and I won’t be made to feel guilty over it. I have family obligations.”

  I stop stating my wants when she laughs, her Malibu dripping down her lips. I swear to God, if she sprays me with that drink because she can’t hold in her laughter…

  “Got it, sis. So pretty much you want a guy who understands that you’re a workaholic and accepts that dates will be canceled due to your hectic schedule?”

  “Exactly.” I bring my wine glass to my lips.

  “And you don’t think you’re a tough case,” she deadpans.

  “Where do you find people who want to use a matchmaker anyway?” I ask.

  She shrugs, never one to let out her secrets. Juno truly believes she got handed the gift of matchmaking through our genetic ancestry. The other eight of us have either struggled or are currently struggling to find our Mr. or Miss Right, but Juno—

  “Hey, ladies,” Colton says, sliding into the booth. Juno’s best friend smiles at me, raising his hand to Nate at the bar.

  “Colton, how’s the internship going?” I sip my wine and straighten in my seat as though anything Colton is going to say is the most fascinating thing I’ll hear all night. Anything to distract me from the shrill laughter coming from the pool table area.

  “Good. You know Dr. Murray. Stickler for the rules. Mrs. Klein came in with her cat today…”

  Colton’s boring story about being a vet intern turns into background noise as Liam’s deep voice sends a shiver up my spine. He’s razzing Denver about playing another round. One last game before they head out.

  Head out? As in back to our house, er, his house? I inwardly reprimand myself and make a mental reminder to drill a new asshole into my contractors tomorrow. My entire focus is off. Even at work. Living with Liam is not an option anymore. But if I leave, then I’m admitting defeat. I can already see his cocky smirk as he helps me load my last box into my vehicle.

  Screw him.

  “Couples?” The woman’s voice is as grating as Janice’s from Friends. I can’t be the only person annoyed by it.

  “Perfect,” Denver says. “Can I pick my partner?”

  As Colton makes eye contact with me, I shake my head and smile, pretending I’m still paying attention. It’s great that Juno’s so enthralled with his vet stories, but since I’m not much of an animal person, they don’t really excite me.

  “And then the cat pisses and Mr. Dweedle’s dog, the German Shepherd…”

  Seriously, I can’t sit here anymore. My body is full of nervous energy and I just want to move around.

  “Who wants to be my partner?” Denver yells.

  Without thinking, I stand. “I’m in.”

  “What? Sav?” Juno whines, but I have no control of my body as I make my way over.

  Liam’s wearing his classic smile as he tips back his bottle of beer. For a moment, I think I’ve fallen into some trap he’s set, but this is him. Drinking, messing around with my brother, and picking up women. It’s the Liam I haven’t witnessed since I moved in a few weeks ago, but it’s classic Liam Kelly.

  “Perfect.” Denver points at me with a big smile.

  The girl on the bar stool looks me up and down and whispers something to the one who currently has her fingers resting inside the waistband of Liam’s jeans. I eye her hand and shift my gaze to my brother.

  “Who’s this?” the girl who seems to be interested in my brother asks. She must be from a few towns over.

  Denver turns back toward her. “She’s my big sister. This is Savannah.” There’s pride in his tone.

  “You haven’t picked up a pool stick for a decade,” Liam reminds me. One good thing about looking at Liam now is he’s stepped away from the girl and her hand is on her fruity drink instead of halfway to his junk.

  “It’s like riding a bike.”

  We used to have a pool table at my parents’, which is now Austin and Holly’s house. Everyone hung out at our home when we were younger. Dad would come downstairs and challenge the guys, which only made them better players as they grew older. Mom would feed everyone snacks. We were the house. Most of our friends would sit and talk with our parents before ever finding whatever sibling they were there to see.

  “Let me grab you a pool stick,” Denver says.

  “Sav can just pull the stick out of her ass and use that one,” Liam says with a bite to his tone.

  “Another?” Nate asks before I can respond.

  “Sure.” I have a feeling I’m going to need more wine to get through this.

  Nate picks up the empty beer bottles and heads back to the bar.

  “I thought we were having a conversation?” Juno says as she and Colton join us, taking a seat at the bar-height table next to the two women.

  I shrug. “Well, I wanted to play pool.”

  “Since when?” Juno asks.

  “Exactly.” Liam leans some of his weight on the pool cue in his hands, looking at us over the top of the stick. I wish he’d slip and the cue would slide up his nose.
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  “How come you aren’t playing?” Juno asks the woman into Denver. She’s not shy. How can you be when you set people up for a living?

  The woman smiles politely while flipping her hair. “It’s not my thing.”

  “And where are you from?” If they were from Lake Starlight, we’d know them.

  The good thing is I won’t have to dig up any information about Liam’s date tonight. Juno will do it for me.

  “Sunrise Bay.”

  “Nice, and you’re here with Denver and Liam?”

  “We came for a change of scenery. Met them here.”

  Juno nods and slides her stool closer to the woman. “So you’re single?”

  “Yep.” She nods enthusiastically and reminds me of a bobblehead doll.

  I let Juno get to know Denver’s “date” while I chalk the tip of my pool cue. “What are the stakes?”

  Denver looks at Liam and shrugs.

  “We could do household chores, but if I win, Denver will leave all that on you,” Liam says.

  “Deal.” Denver laughs.

  “How about we kiss our partner for every ball we sink?” the woman next to Liam says.

  I stare blankly at her.

  Liam wraps his arm around her waist, pulling her closer but stares at me over her head. “What do you say, Sav?”

  “I say I’m not kissing my brother.”

  “Let’s just do shots for the losers.” Denver finishes racking the balls and slides them to the line, then twirls the holder in his hands as he removes it.

  “Fine.” There’s no way this girl has a shot at beating Denver and me.

  Liam grabs a cue ball from the holder and puts it on the opposite side of the table. “Which one of you wants to go first?”

  “Sav can,” Denver says.

  I go around Denver, overhearing Juno giving her card to the woman here for Denver. I laugh on the inside because Juno has no shame.

  “Ready?” Liam eyes me as the stick slides back and forth through his fingers. Cocky bastard.

  “Yep.”

  His eyes never leave mine as he hits the cue ball. It rolls back almost to where he hit it from. I might as well just tell him he’s got first shot, but I don’t play that way.