This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.
Lush Copyright © 2021 by K.D. Elizabeth
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First Edition: March 2021
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ISBN:
ISBN-13: (paperback)
Editing: Cassie Pearse
Proofreading: Red Leaf Proofing
Cover Design: K.D. Elizabeth
Print and E-book Formatting: K.D. Elizabeth
Also by K.D. Elizabeth
Construct My Heart Series
Miss InstaPrincess
Miss ManKiller
The Bright Series
The Christmas Cadeau
The Season Bright
Christmas of White
The King Brothers
Monster
Devil
Rascal
The King Cousins
Lush
About the Author
K.D. Elizabeth is the author of steamy contemporary romance novels in the small town, holiday, and suspense sub-genres. Before writing full-time, she worked in finance in Boston. She splits her time between New Hampshire and Pennsylvania, is fluent in French, and has traveled to over twenty countries. When not writing, you can find her skiing, scuba diving, traveling, enjoying great food, crocheting, and painting.
Check out her work here.
Click the icon below to follow K.D. on the social media platform of your choice.
Acknowledgments
Cassie, I can’t say enough how much I appreciated your editing feedback. This story is much stronger because of you.
Thank you very much, Alison of Red Leaf Proofing, for making sure my final text is clean!
Thanks to my incredible street team. I love seeing your posts and excitement about my books!
And of course, to my readers, THANK YOU. I am so very grateful to have you read my stories.
Finally, to my family, I so appreciate the love and support you continue to give me.
With love,
K.D. Elizabeth
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Epilogue
Chapter One
Nathan
I’m the twin who gets all the attention. Oh, yes. I’m that guy. It’s a heavy cross to bear, but someone’s got to bask in the limelight. And as the owner of Abernathy’s Bar, the only pub in my tiny Georgian town, there is plenty—and I mean plenty—of limelight to be had. Faces this handsome are meant to be shared. I’m practically doing a public service.
You’re already feeling sorry for my twin, aren’t you?
Well don’t, because he hates attention. We’re a natural pair, the yin and yang of fuck-hot looks and groovy personalities. I light up the room while my twin broods in the corner. I don’t get the pensive bullshit, personally, but whatever gets a pussy wet and throbbing.
I also have a filthy mouth. Turn back now if you prefer the silent, wooden types. Heh. Wood.
Hey, I am totally a nice guy. Seriously. A real upstanding pillar of the community. I pay my taxes, gobble up the goodies at our church’s bake sales (after first purchasing them, naturally), and throw mean Thursday night parties at Abernathy’s for all the single ladies. I have facilitated many a one-night-stand. You’re welcome, world.
I’m practically a saint.
And boy, have I sinned a great deal because of it. Women don’t pass on this yumminess. This is just the reality of a man’s existence when he’s six feet tall, has a fuckload of abs, curly hair, an impeccable jawline, and also owns assets. I’m what you would call eligible.
So like I said, I do more than my fair share of sinning. I’m only human. Let ye who’s without sin cast the first stone, and all that. I’m not here to judge. Owning this bar and being this attractive gives me plenty of opportunities with the ladies. That’s just life.
And today’s no exception because the most beautiful stranger just strolled into my bar.
Beautiful strangers are hard to come by in Ovid, Georgia. This is the kind of place where everyone knows everything about everyone’s business from the cradle. When someone new somehow stumbles into town, tongues start wagging.
I’m not the only one to notice the stunning beauty. A whole host of covert looks go her way. She stares the bar down, a cool, almost defiant look in her eyes. Now here’s a woman who’s used to getting attention and has figured out how to get rid of any that’s unwanted.
Without a word, she turns and stalks up to the stool at the end of my bar, perching rigidly atop it. With another defiant glance around the bar, she pulls her phone out of her purse and begins typing.
I stare at her, too. I need intel. I do it sneakily, of course, because I just know that if I get caught, she’ll do something scary. But boy, is she hot. She’s got this sleek, all-black, kinda haughty thing going on, from her straight black hair cut in those bob styles I’ve never found attractive until this very second, to the tight, undoubtedly expensive dress in the same color, to the inky stilettos that should put her just about at chest level to me.
But her skin is so startlingly pale. It’s striking, the contrast between her creamy skin and the grown-up goth look she’s got going. This gal’s all extremes. Black and white. No warm middle. Zero compromise.
Her entire persona screams “fuck off.” It only makes me want her more. If I mussed that hair would she bite me? Please, please, God, let her be a biter.
And those gorgeous eyes. They’re the only part of her that’s not in greyscale. They’re ice blue. Wintry. Glacial, even. They suit her, too. Eyes like that could cut straight through a man. They probably have, multiple times. She’d fuck me like an animal, and then leave my withered husk on the floor without the slightest care, praying-mantis-style.
I want it. I want her. Of course, fucking her would be a horrendously stupid idea, like flying right into the
sun with just some skimpy paper wings.
I must do it.
“Leave that.”
“Hmm?” I say, too busy staring at the vision five stools down to pay any notice to the person across from me.
“You leave that alone, Nate.”
Suddenly, her eyes collide with mine. Heat blasts through me. I grip the bar, my body locking up as I fight the urge to leap over it right this second. Good heaven above, but if a single look from her lights me on fire, then the sex is going to be phenomenal.
Fingers snap in front of my face. “Nathan!”
Reluctantly, I turn to face my brother, Axel. He’s not my twin, by the way. That would be Noah. But Axel is the oldest. I’ve got five brothers in all, and by far Axel is the scariest.
He’s also the most clueless. He runs our family’s peach farm on the edge of town and his accountant, Andrea, is smokin’. And perfect for him. But for some reason, he’s yet to bang her. Whenever we give him shit about it, he goes on about not wanting to ruin their professional relationship.
It’s a crime against the universe, I tell you.
So a week ago, Noah and I hatched a plan for one of us to fake-date Andrea so that Axel would get off his ass and finally ask her out. I mean, a woman like that doesn’t stay single forever. Axel needs to get it together.
Noah won the coin toss, so he gets the honor of pissing off Axel by asking Andrea out, which might turn out to be a problem because today’s the day and I’m pretty sure Noah’s taking her here. And Axel, apparently, decided he should plop his ass down in front of me and single-handedly drink me out of any profitability.
We’re calling it Operation Kissy Face. Well, no. Noah’d probably stroke out if those words ever passed his lips, but I totally called dibs on this name, and I’m sticking to it.
And if you must have an explanation about the name, remember when you were a kid and you smushed the Barbie and G.I. Joe dolls’ faces together and made kissy noises? I don’t. That was my cousin, Libby, obviously, who did that. Totally. But you know what I’m talking about, right?
Well, imagine Barbie is Andrea and G.I. Joe is Axel. And my brother and I are your hands. Smash smash smash. Then kissy kissy kissy. That’s what we’re going for, here, y’all. As annoying younger brothers, it’s our sacred duty to interfere in Axel’s life this way.
We only gave him like a decade to figure it out on his own. The sad sap needs some help.
Aaaaanyway, the point being is that Axel’s opinion doesn’t mean shit. If I took his advice, I’d be waiting ten years just to touch her. Yeah, no.
How does he know this woman’s going to shoot me down? I think not. That mutual eye-fuck was not an indication of imminent rejection.
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Axel grumbles. I flip him off, returning my attention to the woman at the end of the bar.
Okay, I’m going for it. She ignores me as I saunter up to her, typing furiously on her phone. Usually I’d say it’s a tactic to make me think she’s not aware of me, but she actually seems absorbed in whoever she’s messaging.
Leaning across the bar until I’m mere inches from her, I say, “You’ve been here for a couple minutes now and still haven’t gotten a drink. That’s okay. I know with so many incredible choices, it can be hard to pick. So I’ll just do it for you. Pick me.”
She gives me a long, lethal look. “Try harder.”
I grin at her wickedly. Oh goody. This woman likes a little verbal sparring. Well, don’t mind if I do. I’m more than up for a little wordplay—and I mean that literally. My dick is actually up for it because he’s a smart guy, and all smart men know wordplay leads to foreplay, and foreplay to fucking.
But then my eyes happen to land on a couple over her shoulder. Turns out I missed Noah and Andrea’s big arrival. Not so for Axel. He’s seething on his barstool, throwing glances their way and looking like he’s about to do something very, very stupid.
“Oh boy,” I mutter, the mysterious woman forgotten as I move back down the bar to Axel. And while I should really be mature about this, his face is simply too jealous for me to miss this wonderful opportunity to be an annoying little brother. So I give him a hard time about how he should see his envious expression right now, that Andrea looks all cozy with Noah, that he should have asked her out before Noah did, the works.
You know, really lay it on thick. I have my own critical role to play in Operation Kissy Face, myself.
And maybe I play my part a little too well because suddenly Axel pushes away from the bar and shoves through the crowd toward them. The place is too packed for me to hear what Axel is saying, but if his wild gestures are any indication, he might be just a tad irritated that Andrea, in that whopper of a red dress, isn’t here with him instead.
Noah smiles smugly during the tirade, Axel looks like he wants to beat something, possibly his own little brother, and Andrea is so outraged she’s about two seconds from popping one—or both—of them right in the kisser.
Not good.
Noah, never one to waste an opportunity, starts laying it on real thick right in front of Axel. If I didn’t already know this is purely a calculated ploy to make Axel jealous, even I might believe Noah’s interested in her. So our brilliant plan is working, but Axel is rather territorial and isn’t above solving problems with his meaty fists.
This could actually get a little hairy. Now I have my poor bar to worry about. Bar fights are seriously overrated. I’d like to end the day with all my tables still intact, thanks.
Yep, now Axel is pulling Andrea away from Noah, a scary look on his face. She has the good sense to chew him out about it. Good for her. Axel shouldn’t marry a doormat. He needs someone to keep him in line.
Axel begins towing her toward my office. Excellent. Everyone knows that sexy times happen in bar backrooms. Perhaps they’ll finally work their shit out. As they pass, for good measure, I yell at him to leave Andrea alone. Axel needs to believe that everything he does is his own choice. If he discovers Noah and I are actively pushing them together, he’ll do something stupid, like never bang Andrea.
Axel snarls something unintelligible at me. Andrea rolls her eyes but is still in good fighting spirit, so we’ll just let this little drama play out for the moment.
I turn to find Noah leaning against the bar next to me. I extend a fist to him; Noah rolls his eyes but bumps it.
“How long should we give them?”
Noah pauses in consideration, then shrugs. “Well, that depends. Do you want your brother fucking someone on your desk?”
I shudder. “Oh, shit. Axel cooties. Hell no.”
Noah shakes his head. “You do realize this means we’re going to have to interrupt them?”
“Christ, you’re right. When we decided to meddle in Axel’s life, I never thought it meant I’d have to cockblock him.”
“That’s because you never think of anything.”
“Why would I when I have you to do that, brother dearest?” I say, clapping him on the shoulder.
Noah glances at his watch. “So, what? Five minutes? Enough to fight it out a bit and then, uh, yeah.”
“Don’t want to think about Axel doing the nasty, Noah?”
Noah glares at me. “For fuck’s sake, Nathan, never say that again.”
I laugh, the sound booming out across the bar. “Should we do a shot to celebrate? Yeah. We should totally do a shot right now.”
Noah rubs his temples. “While they should probably go home together to finally hookup, Axel’s clearly too wasted to drive her anywhere. And if I’m supposed to be actually interested in her sexually, then I would also be offended about him stealing my date. I need to drive Andrea home if we want to make this shit believable. Axel’s going to be suspicious if I just cave to him.”
I laugh again. “True. Noah King never caves to anyone.”
Noah glares at me. “So that’s a no to the shot.”
I tap my chin in thought. “Hmm. What to do, what to do … Ah, yes.”
I spin, grabbing my special bourbon only my brothers are allowed to drink. I pour two shots. Noah stares at me blankly.
I down one of the shots and place the empty glass in his hand. I take the other and raise it. “To fixing Axel’s life for him!”
Noah rolls his eyes again, but his lips twitch, which for him is pretty much a belly laugh. “Just take the shot, you lush.”
I throw the second shot back, feeling a pair of eyes on me, but when I turn to stare right back at her, she’s already returned to her phone.
Chapter Two
Jude
I notice him the instant I walk into the bar. Tall, curly brown hair kissing the nape of his neck, a lean build that hints at some kind of fairly strict exercise regimen. Impeccable jaw stubbled just enough to outline a pair of lush lips. The works. Perhaps the real reason I notice him so quickly is that I’ve hit a bit of a dry spell, but I don’t think so. Uh uh. Not with the uber magnetism lingering in his every gesture.
The man’s got charisma. I could eat him alive and love every second of it. Shockingly, I even want to.
Many women would leap at this chance, but not me. Not now. And especially not here. Frankly, this is a huge problem. I’m here for work. No, make that, I’m here on the most important business trip of my career. I cannot afford even the slightest mistake on this deal. If everything goes well, then I might finally get everything I’ve worked for.
Lush (The King Cousins Book 1) (The King Brothers 4) Page 1