House Rules

by Rebecca Brooke

  “What changed your mind?” she breathed.

  “You . . . and one long-ass conversation with my brother where he called me every name in the book.”

  “And you sure you’re not just doing this to get me into bed again?”

  Her skepticism pissed me off at first but I pushed it aside, remembering I’d brought it on myself with my behavior. I was used to saying and doing whatever I wanted. This time the tables were turned. I’d lost control and given it up to her. It wouldn’t last. Eventually we’d have equal power in the relationship, but I’d have to earn mine back—but that didn’t include the bedroom.

  “Can I take you to dinner to prove it?”

  She glanced down at her outfit and back up at me. “I guess, but there is no way I’m going out there like this, even if it’s to go to the locker room to grab my bag. My clothes are in there.”

  “I’ll get it.” I walked over to the closet and pulled out another button down. Even in my own place I wasn’t walking around shirtless. The last thing I needed was getting compared to all of the stereotypical idiots on TV. I also didn’t want Tess to feel more uncomfortable by taking mine back.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  I shut the door behind me. I’d been so pissed seeing her flirt with the asshole that I’d forgotten to lock the door. Luckily everyone knew to wait for an answer before coming in.

  I’d gotten to the bar early with the intention of surprising her. I never expected to walk in on that shit. No more.

  Starting tomorrow, she’d be working behind the bar where they wore black T-shirts and jeans. That was, unless I could get her to agree to stop working.

  Somehow I knew she wouldn’t go for that. She was determined to not be dependent on anyone, and damn if that determination wasn’t attractive. I was used to people wanting to be with me for my money. It would be a novelty to spend time with someone who wanted nothing to do with it.

  The women’s locker room was empty. I ran in, grabbed her bag, and went back to the office. Tess stood with her back to me, staring out the window.

  “I got your bag.” She turned, a smile lighting up her face, but it didn’t reach her eyes. I knew she still didn’t trust me. Shit, I wasn’t sure I trusted myself. The only hope I had was that Tess would call me out when I was being too much of a dick.

  “Thanks.” She took the bag from my hand and I showed her to the bathroom in the office. While I waited for her to change, I cleaned up the mess we’d made. She stepped out in a pair of tight jeans and a light pink tank top that only accentuated her curves. “I’m not really dressed for dinner.” She shrugged.

  “How about we pick dinner up and eat at my place instead?”

  “I’m not sleeping with you.” The words were past her lips before I finished my question.

  “Fair enough, but I want a chance to get to know you. We learned a lot about each other that first night. I want to pick up where we left off.”

  A spark of interest flared in her eyes and I knew I’d chosen wisely. That was what Tess had been looking for from the beginning. From me. From Wasden. We’d both been stupid enough to take advantage of it. Not anymore. I’d tell her whatever she wanted to know.

  “What should we order?”

  My phone buzzed in my pocket. Pulling it out, I noticed Dean’s name. “Hold on. Let me see what Dean wants then we’ll decide.”

  She nodded.

  “What’s up?” I answered, skipping the formalities in my haste.

  “I found out more about Wasden’s debts with Marcello. I’m heading over to you now.”

  “We’ll be here.”

  I hung up. Something told me if Dean needed to tell me in person, it was worse than I’d originally thought. Little bastard could rot in hell for all I cared, but there was no way in hell I was letting Tess go down with him. I glanced up and noticed her staring at me, her brows drawn together.

  “He’s on his way over to talk to us. I had him get more information about Ray’s debts with Marcello.”

  Her mouth dropped open. “Why?”

  My blood pressure rose simply thinking about the man. “Marcello’s a dirty fucker who doesn’t play by the rules. He gets his money any way he can, even if it means going after the people you know and care about.”

  Her eyes widened. “But wouldn’t he know by now that Ray and I aren’t together anymore.

  I clenched my teeth, wishing to God that Wasden was there for me to take out my frustrations on him. “Not if he thinks you’re still important to Ray. It only matters how Ray sees you, not the other way around.”

  She slumped down onto the couch and buried her face in her hands. Her whole body trembled and I felt a burn in my gut that was unfamiliar. The only time I wanted to see a woman tremble in front of me was because of my hands on her body, not from fear. I sat down next to her and wrapped my arm around her shoulders, bringing her body back against mine.

  “Nothing is going to happen to you because I won’t let it. Let’s wait and see what Dean has to say.” Just one look at her tiny body all curled inward and I vowed to myself that tomorrow I was letting Dean and Charlie hunt that bastard down and break his other arm.

  We sat there for a bit, Tess shivering in my arms as I ran my hand up and down her back, trying to offer as much comfort as I could. I may not know about relationships but I knew enough from my watching my parents, and Ashton and Elena, to know when to offer comfort. I wasn’t entirely heartless.

  There was a knock on the door and I called for Dean to come in, not wanting to move Tess. She’d finally stopped shaking but I didn’t want to leave her alone. She lifted her head and the sight of her red swollen eyes had my temper flaring again.

  Dean noticed Tess in my arms immediately. Like Ashton, he smirked, knowing he’d been right all along.

  “Knock it off and tell me what you found out.”

  Dean laughed and poured himself a drink before sitting down across from us. Charlie, Dean, and I had been friends since middle school. We were inseparable. When they found out what my father actually did for a living and that I was going into the family business, they were more than willing to come on board. I finished college with a degree in business, Dean in computer science and programming, and Charlie in accounting. It had worked out perfectly for when my father retired. When his employees were ready to go, too, we’d have replacements in the wings. My dad was thrilled with having them as part of the business. He saw them as part of the family.

  They’d also become more to me over the years. As my dad handed more and more responsibility for running the dealership over to me, they helped keep the bar and club running, but they were also there when I needed a little muscle. All three of us enjoyed a good fight, but there were times that I couldn’t take care of things on my own.

  At first they used to volunteer for the job, until it became obvious they would do it without being asked. Now when I told them what needed to be dealt with, they did it. Besides being my friends, my father paid them handsomely. Way more than they would get in the private sector, even for their advanced set of skills.

  He reached out a hand to Tess. “Since Miller apparently lost his manners, I’ll introduce myself. I’m Dean.”

  She giggled and the sound traveled straight to my balls.

  “Tess,” she answered, taking his hand.

  “It’s nice to finally meet you.” He gestured in my direction. “And nice to see you’ve pulled him out of his mood. He’s been an absolute dick lately.”

  “Enough, Dean, before I decide to kick your ass.”

  “Your mother will have your ass if you do that.”

  I groaned. He was right. Didn’t stop me from wanting to plant my fist in his face to shut him up, friend or no friend. “Dick.”

  Tess giggled some more. “Thanks for making me laugh.”

  That easily, my pulse slowed, and the desire to kill my best friend subsided with the joy she got from our banter.

  “You’re only off the hook because of Tes
s. Now tell me, what did you find out?”

  The easygoing look on his face melted away to be replaced by concern. “It’s not good. Bastard owes Marcello half.”

  “Fuck.” It was worse than I thought.

  Tess perked her head up. “You mean Ray’s already got whatever he owes Marcello down to half?”

  “No, babe, he means Ray owes half a million dollars.”

  Tess began to sputter and cough. “He owes five hundred thousand dollars,” she panted out between coughing fits.

  “It’s all right,” I said, patting her on the back.

  Dean hoped up and poured her a glass of whiskey. She took the glass with shaking hands, throwing back half of it like a shot.

  “How is it all right? Ray owes five hundred thousand dollars and this Marcello guy is going to come after me to get it.”

  “Not if I have any say in it.” I was determined to keep her safe, no matter the cost.

  “Ray’s in the wind and Marcello has men out looking for both of them.” Dean’s eyes ran over Tess before looking back at me, bracing himself for my reaction. “He checked Tess’s old apartment, but hasn’t been able to find the new one yet. No one seems to know where you’ve gone, Tess.”

  “I’d like to keep it that way.” Her hands shook as she set the glass on the table in front of her.

  I gripped her chin between my thumb and forefinger. “I told you, nothing is going to happen to you. I need you to trust me on that one.” She gazed into my eyes for a long time before nodding her head once. I turned to face Dean. “I want you to see what you can do about setting up a meeting between Marcello and myself. He needs to understand that Tess is mine now, and if doesn’t back the fuck off we’re going to have real problems.

  Dean nodded. “I’ll see what I can do.” He stood and glanced down at Tess. “Sorry we couldn’t meet under better circumstances, but we’ll get all of this taken care of for you.”

  Tess tried to smile. “Thanks, Dean, it was nice to meet you, too.”

  I didn’t care if it took a bottle of wine, a foot massage, me fucking her until she couldn’t remember her own name, I was going to make her forget everything she’d just learned and make her enjoy the rest of the evening.

  Dean nodded at me and left. He’d get everything set up. The question would be whether Marcello would even listen. I needed something else to focus on and dinner with Tess seemed like the perfect topic.

  “So . . . dinner?”

  “You still want to do dinner after all of this?” She gestured to where Dean had gone through the door.

  I took her hand in mine. “I do. Now pick what you want, or I will.”

  She went quiet for a moment and I thought I was going to have to put my foot down until she said, “Sushi?”

  “Sounds perfect. How about I drive and I’ll bring you back to get your car later? Or I can have Dean or Charlie bring it to the house in a bit so you can go home when you’re ready.”

  “I can do that. Are you sure they won’t mind bringing it over?”

  “Not at all.” I laughed. “The both probably want every opportunity to gloat.”

  She looked puzzled. It was a cute look on her. Fuck, did I just think the word “cute”? “Why would they gloat?”

  “How about I tell you over dinner? I’m starving.”

  She nodded and I followed her out of the office and through the bar. I saw people watching us, their eyes following the path we made to the doors, I wasn’t interested in their opinions.

  Today was a chance for me to learn more about Tess, not worry about bullshit we couldn’t deal with until later.

  CHAPTER 16

  Theresa

  Dinner was nothing like I expected. I thought Miller would spend the whole night trying to sleep with me again. Surprisingly, he was much more forthcoming about his life than I’d expected him to be. I won’t lie and say the wine didn’t help me relax, but this time I made sure to drink each glass slower, savoring the taste and keeping myself from getting drunk.

  "You promised to tell me what Ashton said to make you change your mind.”

  He smiled. When we got back to his house, he’d changed into jeans and a simple blue T-shirt. In a tailored suit the man was sexy; in a pair of jeans he was an orgasmic feast. One look and you knew the man would help you experience things you never had before. Once again my body was on high alert, but that didn’t stop me from trying to get to know more about him.

  “I did. He called me a ‘fucking idiot’ and told me to get my shit together. Said that you weren’t the type to only want sex. He also made me realize that wasn’t all I wanted from you, either.”

  And there was the golden question. What did Miller want? Was this some sort of experiment? I saw the way my stepfather treated my mom. That wasn’t what I wanted for my life. He never physically abused her, but that didn’t mean he treated her well.

  “And what is it that you want from me? To be honest, I don’t want to be some experiment for the guy who’s never been in a relationship before.”

  “Is that what you think?” His tone was harsh and caught me off-guard.

  “I’m not sure what to think. I want to believe that you want me . . .” I paused and my voice was low as I admitted, “I guess I’m afraid you’ll get bored of being in a relationship.”

  His jaw clenched and unclenched. “It pisses me off that you think that, but I guess I deserve it. I’m not sure this will make you feel any better, but it’s all I have.” He reached over and refilled the almost empty glass in my hand. Warning bells went off in my head that I really wasn’t going to like what he had to say. I took a sip of the drink and braced. “The blonde that came into the bar a few weeks ago was part of my attempt to fuck you out of my system.”

  I flinched, the thought that he would attempt something like that filled me with dread. I didn’t know the rest, but better to hear it now than later when more than intrigue and desire were involved.

  “I couldn’t get you out of my head. For that first week, I dreamt about you—the feel of your lips, the way your body held me tight inside you. With my dad handing over the business to me, time wasn’t on my side. I worked my ass off to take over and I wasn’t about to let a woman stand in the way of that.” He rubbed a hand over the muscles in his neck.

  “When I couldn’t get you out of my mind, I decided to go out and screw you out of it. I thought I could pick up where I left off and nothing would change. The first night, I picked up a woman and between kisses called her Tess. Then there was the blonde you met. It took me the whole night to realize that I’d spent our entire exchange comparing every little thing she did to you. Before I would have taken her home anyway, fucked her senseless and sent her on her way.”

  He picked up my hand from where I had it fisted against my leg and turned it over, lifting it so his lips could touch the sensitive underside of my wrist. My eyes were glued to his lips on my body.

  “You were the first woman to ever spend the entire night in my bed.”

  My head snapped up, eyes wide. “I was . . . I . . . You never let another woman sleep in your bed.” I said it like a statement even though it was half a question, my disbelief shining through.

  “No. It was always about fucking and pleasure. But you . . . you were different. It took me a while to work it all out in my head purely because you were so different. There’s plenty I’m going to fuck up, Tess. I’m a selfish bastard, I like getting my own way, and I almost never compromise. But if that’s what I have to do to be with you, then I’ll try. Because I want all of that and more with you, and if you’re willing to stick around and give me a chance, I’ll break my back to give you all of it.”

  His teeth nipped at the soft skin before he soothed it with his tongue. A moan rose low in my throat. The man knew exactly how to touch me.

  “How can I say no when you make such a persuasive argument.” My voice was low, raspy.

  “Mmm, that’s what I like to hear.”

  He moved closer on
the couch, leaning in to nibble right behind my ear. Sparks flew along my nerves directly to my clit. I turned my head, dislodging his mouth and plunged my hand into the back of his hair, bringing his lips to mine. At the first swipe of his tongue I opened for him, the invasion sweet and spicy all at once. Tingles raced through me and thoughts of going home without feeling him inside me once more seemed like such a bad idea.

  He’d let down his guard, for me. Dropping so many of the walls that I’d wanted to climb that first night at dinner. It was hard to say no. There was no longer a war within me; my body and my brain wanted him.

  I slid my other hand down his chest and across his stomach until I could feel the bulge of his cock pressing against his jeans as his hips thrust up into my hand at the same time he tore his mouth from mine. He watched me, waiting to see how I reacted when he slipped his hand below my tank top and bra to roll my nipple between his fingers and found the bud already tight, waiting for something. I thrust my chest out. A sharp, but delicious pain pierced me when he pinched my nipple hard.

  “Oh god,” I cried, struck by the sensation of pain and pleasure mixed together.

  No man had ever touched me that way.

  I loved it.

  His thumb continued to lightly rub my nipple. Breathe in. Breathe out. Each breath came harder and faster. His eyes never left mine.

  “I promised you no sex tonight. I’ll keep my promise, walk you to the door right now, and take you out another night. Or we can go upstairs and explore all the things I want to do and make you scream my name over and over again. The choice is yours.”

  I shivered, wanting to stand my ground and stick to my words from earlier at the same time as my body hummed in anticipation of what he could do with his hands . . . and mouth . . . and . . .

  Gah!

  There were so many things that I should be thinking about. Things to consider and decisions to make. But with his hands on me I couldn’t think straight. He was a devil in disguise, but I wasn’t sure that was an issue for me anymore.

  Sincerity and lust warred in his eyes. He’d let me leave if I really wanted. But that wasn’t what I wanted. When I made that demand, I thought that was the only reason he wanted me to come home with him. But now, after everything he’d just said, I knew there was more to all of this and I wanted to explore it. The last two times together passion raged between us.