by Parker, Ali
“And you still feel this intensely about her after three years? Shit. Does she have a sister?” I laughed and tossed back one of the shots. I knew exactly who she was, what she had and didn’t have. And I knew the feeling of wanting to dance on water because of her. It was every day of my life before that fucked-up night our senior year. The night that changed everything.
“We’ve been off and on for three years. She’s a tough bitch and doesn’t put up with much.” He licked his lips and turned back to me. “Sister? No, but her friend Dana’s visiting from Texas. She’s a cute little Hispanic thing. Hot would be a better word to use. I’d tap that ass.”
Dana Young. That was a name I hadn’t heard in six years. Her brother, was the running back our senior year when I played quarterback. Great football player, excellent family. No denying it now.
“That shot for me?” Luke reached for the other shot of whiskey, but I popped his hand back.
“No. It’s for me. I need to relax a little.” I tossed it back, grimaced, and took a quick swig of my beer. Two shots and a couple of beers, and I could see the ghost of Christmas past and not give a shit. The burn of the liquor was already starting to calm my nerves a little.
Luke waggled his eyebrows and shot another devious look up at the third floor balcony. “I know how you could relax, bro.”
“Not interested.”
Luke draped himself against the bar and shook his head at me. His dark eyes moved through the crowd, lingering on women with long hair, narrow waists, and asses earned at the gym. “You’re an enigma, little brother. All these bitches and you could have your pick of the bunch and you still won’t go for it. What’s your deal tonight?”
What was my deal? His question almost made me laugh. If I had tossed back a couple more shots, I would have.
I was scared.
“No deal,” I said. “Just having an off night.”
While I was scared to death of coming face to face with the only woman I could imagine in my life, I wanted to see her. To touch her. To make love to her for hours. Days. Years.
Shit. I needed to go. Now.
Who was I kidding? I wasn’t going to be able to stand idly by while my brother behaved like he always did around the women he was seeing. He’d be all over her. He’d have his lips on her throat. He’d have one hand on her ass or her lower back and he’d whisper dirty things in her ear to make sure she was good and ready for him later that night. He’d twirl her hair, no doubt teasing her with the idea of how tight he was going to hold it later on when he rode her into his mattress.
Yep, it was time to leave.
Luke pushed off the bar. Suddenly, his attention was more focused on me than the beautiful woman or the private rooms up above our heads. “You all right, Caden? You look pale as fuck.”
A familiar face moved through the crowd toward us. Jeremy. He waved with one hand and nodded in greeting.
“Yeah,” I said absently. “Get the fuck out of here and go greet everyone. You know I hate doing that crap.” I pushed at Luke and downed half my beer as I turned to Jeremy. “I gotta get the fuck out of here, dude.”
“What?” Jeremy had been a close friend to me since my freshman year at NYU. We’d played ball together too, and while he respected my brother for his business savvy, he was my closest friend in and outside of work. “You just got here.”
“Yeah, I know but tonight’s not a good night for me. I shouldn’t have come in the first place.” I raked my fingers through my hair and cast a nervous look around the club. Bodies moved and swayed on the dance floor. Hips swayed from side to side and arms swung overhead to the beat of the music. The steady rhythm was like a heartbeat of its own, slowly ramping up and spiking my own nerves. “I gotta go.”
“What’s going on with you?” Jeremy gripped my shoulders and forced me to look at him.
“The girl.”
“What girl?” Jeremy’s eyes narrowed at me.
I sighed and rubbed at the bridge of my nose. “My brother’s girl.”
“Olivia?”
“Yeah.”
“What about her? You worried about Luke cheating on her?” He snorted and released me. “You’re too good of a guy, dude. It’s not your responsibility to sort it out for her.”
“Shut the fuck up, Jer.” I glanced around again. “You remember the girl I told you about our freshman year? The one I dated all through my childhood? The only one I…”
“The one you’re still in love with? Which I think is ridiculous but—”
“Jeremy,” I said sternly.
He frowned and fell silent. “Dude, what the fuck is with you?”
“It’s her.”
“Who?”
“Olivia.”
Jeremy stared at me with his mouth hanging open. “Wait. She’s here?”
I grabbed the front of his shirt and gave him a rough shake. “No, Jer. The girl that’s dating my brother is my girl. My girl from back home. He’s with my Olivia.”
“No fucking way, dude.” Jeremy paled.
I stared back at him, at a loss for words. All that came out was a muted grunt and I wished I had another round of shots at hand. “Yeah, it’s fucked.”
“You’re kidding me, right? I mean, what are the fucking odds of that happening? No way. You’re just drunk and making shit up.” He moved up beside me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. “Don’t let your high school crush chase you out of here. Look around. This place is fucking awesome. And all the drinks are on Luke tonight. You really want to spoil a night out like this? The rest of the crew is waiting for you to join us. Especially Annie. Jesus. You should see the dress she had on and she hasn’t stopped asking where you’re at.”
“Shit.”
Jeremy fell quiet. “What is it?”
The air in my lungs left in a violent burst as my eyes ran across the long line of her back, over the curve of her ass, to her legs. The dress she was wearing was cut short, revealing strong thighs—cheerleader thighs—and knees that I knew were scarred from falls and injuries. The black heels she wore had red soles and every step she took as she moved languidly through the club felt like a stab to my heart.
“There she is,” I whispered. “I know that body like the back of my hand. Fuck.”
“Dude, just chill out. She dicked you over, so if you are right, which there is no way in hell you are, then you’re going to show her that she doesn’t mean anything.” He moved back in front of me and popped me in the chest. “Hey. Wake up. You’re the man. You’re Caden fucking Taylor. She missed the boat. Got it?”
I grimaced.
Jeremy popped me again, hard enough to knock me back a step this time. Then he gripped my shoulder hard and squeezed. “Got it?”
“Got it.” I stepped to my left to peer past Jeremy. I watched my brother move Olivia out to the dance floor with a guiding hand in the small of her back. Under the thin fabric of her dress were two back dimples I used to love to press my fingers into. Luke pulled her into him. She braced herself with a hand on his chest and another on his side, where she traced absent patterns with her index finger against his shirt. They were laughing at something together and my heart broke in my chest.
It should’ve been me. That smile. That laugh. Those arms. They were mine to covet.
Jeremy sidestepped, blocking my view of them. “Hey, you’re not pulling it together, man. You look like a lovesick dog.”
“I gotta see her.” I handed him my beer and swallowed the torrent of emotion that was blistering the inside of my chest and leaving my knees weak. Every step I took left me feeling more and more flighty.
This was a bad idea. Once I said hello, there was no taking it back. We’d be there, face to face, close enough to touch each other.
You should turn around and leave.
I reached the dance floor and stepped across the illuminated tiles. Women raked their fingers over my shoulders. One ran her hand over my hip and my ass. Another beckoned me toward her with the curl of a red-pai
nted fingernail.
This is a bad idea. She won’t want to see you. And even if she does, it won’t matter. She’s with Luke. Your own fucking brother.
I spied them stealing kisses on the dance floor. Olivia’s hand ran up Luke’s neck and she traced his stubbled jaw with two fingers. Her tongue slipped into his mouth. He squeezed her ass.
Don’t torture yourself, man. Leave. Just turn around and leave.
But it was too late. I was practically on top of them when they broke apart.
I cleared my throat. “Please tell me this is the woman that you keep blabbering over, Luke.”
My brother stopped and pulled her to his side as a smile lifted his lips. “Olivia, this is my little brother, Caden. Bro, my girl, Olivia.”
Everything stopped. Time stood still as my eyes moved across her face, taking in the subtle changes that moved her from being the prettiest girl I’d ever seen to the most beautiful woman in the room. Her high cheekbones and full lips beckoned my fingers to brush across them, but it was her eyes that sucked me in. The fear in them matched mine. She knew who I was, and if I was a betting man, she had known before she showed up that night that Luke was my brother and not some random guy. Now, the only real question was how long she’d known.
Days? Weeks?
The entire three fucking years she’d been with him?
“Nice to meet you, Olivia.” I lifted her hand to my lips and kissed her knuckles as I breathed in deeply. She smelled like home, like love and lust wrapped up in the goodness of memories I’d tried to forget and couldn’t kill no matter how fucking hard I tried.
“You as well.” Her voice was sexy, southern, and filled with confidence. “Your brother tells me that you’re the brawn behind this little mom and pop shop you guys are running.”
I released her hand and laughed before glancing over at Luke. “Jeremy is looking for you, man,” I lied. I needed to get her alone. I needed to get Luke out of the way just for a moment. “I’ll spin your pretty woman around the dance floor.”
“I’m good.” She shook her head. “I need to get a drink anyway.”
“Don’t deny me a dance. Not on our first interview for your position.” I smiled and took her hand, pulling her away from Luke and pulling her tightly against the front of me.
“Keep the wolves away for me,” Luke called over his shoulder as he walked off the floor.
“Let me go.” Olivia’s fierce blue eyes threatened to burn holes in my skull as she glared up at me.
“Hell no,” I growled. I wasn’t letting go that easily. I finally had her in my arms again. Even though I’d have traded my soul to change the circumstances, I had to take it for what it was. “Did you know that Luke was my brother?” I brushed my hand down her side and gripped the soft curve of her hip as my cock grew thick and hard just being so close to her. She was every wet dream I’d had since I was a boy.
It was wrong. She wasn’t mine to lust after. And she hated my guts anyway. But still, my body ached for her.
“Hell no,” she barked back as her eyes narrowed. “I’m not taking the job. How the fuck did we not only end up in the same city, but possibly working for the same firm? It’s a sick joke. The last thing I need is to walk into the office every morning and see your smug face.”
“You’re telling me.” I spun her again and studied her expressions. I didn’t want to blink and miss a moment with her, even if it was tense and every part of me wanted to run for cover from the emotional fallout I would experience in my bed later that night.
“I’m done dancing, Caden. I don’t care how this happened. I’m not interested in even a working relationship with you. You’re a ghost from my past, and I’d rather your brother not know anything about us.” She shrugged and glanced over toward the bar as if looking for someone—Luke, I assumed. But he wasn’t here to save her. Not yet.
“Why doesn’t he know that you’re from Texas? Why lie to him about where you came from, Olivia?”
“Stop saying my name like we still know each other. We don’t.” She tightened her grip on my hand as her jaw locked.
“Fuck me,” I mumbled and released her hand to reach up and grip the side of her face. “How many nights have I laid awake wondering where you were, and you were right here all along? Right under my nose.”
“Don’t do this. I’m not that girl anymore. You made sure of that.” She pushed against my chest. “Luke doesn’t know where I’m from because he never asked. We’re lovers, Caden.”
“Don’t remind me please. You’re better than him.”
“You don’t know shit.” She cupped her hand over mine, turned and brushed her lips by my palm, leaving me an inferno for more of her. “Don’t talk to me again tonight. I’m not taking the job.”
“Of course you’re not. You’re just a cute little cheerleader from the country trying to play with the big boys.” I pulled my hand back and shrugged. “Nice to see you again. Take care of my brother, whatever he is to you. You already screwed one of us up. Try to spare him.”
I turned and walked off the dance floor. She would not only take the job, but she’d be in my face later that night or the next day at the latest. Either would work. As long as I didn’t lose her again. I might be a glutton for punishment, but having fate give me another shot at something as precious as what we had, I wasn’t wasting it. Not for anyone.
Chapter 12
Olivia
6 Years Ago
Caden’s fingers ran over my yellow lace panties, slipping between my thighs and stroking me softly. The thin layer of fabric was the only thing between us and I was suddenly very aware of every sensation in my body. The cool steel of the bed of his truck seeped through the blanket beneath me and chilled the soles of my bare feet. It smelled like copper, grass, oil, dirt, and Caden’s cologne, a citrus and pine blend.
He was leaning over me as I lay on my back beneath him. His hand worked slowly and gently between my thighs and I wondered if he could feel the wetness that had begun to soak through my panties. I could definitely feel it. Maybe I wouldn’t need the lube Rachel had given to me for free back at the pharmacy.
I licked my lips as Caden’s eyes moved down to my breasts.
Was this going to hurt?
If it did, how long would the pain last?
What would it feel like?
Caden slipped a finger into my panties and trailed it along my lower stomach. I inhaled sharply when it tickled and he glanced back up, his brow furrowing and his deep green eyes growing concerned.
“Do you want to slow down?” he asked.
Yes.
No.
“I don’t know,” I whispered.
He smiled and removed his finger from my panties. He brought his hand up to my cheek and grazed his knuckles against my skin, pausing to run a thumb over the diamond earrings he’d bought me. “I appreciate all your effort, Olivia, but we don’t have to do this if you’re not ready. I’m in no rush. I’ll wait until I’m an old man with arthritis for you if I have to. You’re worth it.”
I swooned. I didn’t deserve a boy like this. And yet here I was, laying beneath him, getting cold feet.
There was nothing to be afraid of. Caden wouldn’t hurt me. He would take care of me. If it hurt, he’d make it better. And if it felt good, well, who knew where we’d go from there? I supposed we’d spend the entire summer lounging under trees on his ranch with our hands in each other’s pants and our tongues in one another’s mouths.
My belly bloomed with heat just at the thought.
I guided his hand back down. “No, I want this.”
He hesitated. “Are you sure?”
I nodded. God yes, I was sure. His apprehension and concern that he was pushing me too far only turned me on more. Every girl deserved a boy like Caden Taylor. I wasn’t going to waste him. He was mine, and he would always be mine, and I would always be his.
I wanted him to have all of me.
With shaking hands, I hooked my thumbs in the waistband
of my panties and slid them down my thighs. Caden’s eyes flicked down and stared. He’d never seen me naked before. Not entirely. He’d seen my breasts by accident in Rachel’s pool during a chicken fight when Dana accidentally pulled my bikini top down. He hadn’t been the only one to see them. I’d been horrified. My nipples were hard from the cold water, and my breasts were small, and Caden rushed out of the pool immediately. At first, I’d thought he was upset that everyone saw me, but I later found out he’d had to leave because he had a boner he couldn’t hide under his swim trunks.
The thought of him lusting after me like that had turned me on. I wondered what he felt like under his jeans right now.
As he gazed at my naked pussy, I reached down and gripped his cock through his jeans. He stiffened and his attention swept back up to me. I smiled at him and rubbed him over the denim. “Are you going to touch me or not?” I cooed.
“You’re so sexy, Olivia.”
I lifted my head from the blanket to kiss him. Our lips crashed together and I savored the lingering taste of Juicy Fruit on his tongue as he slid a finger between my folds, dipping into my wetness and spreading it over my lips. I whimpered into the kiss and he let out a soft moan in response.
Then he slid a finger inside me.
My muscles tightened. I gripped the front of his shirt. The sensation of pressure made me gasp and he paused, letting my body relax before pushing in deeper.
I rolled my hips.
Caden smiled against my lips. “Does that feel good?”
I couldn’t speak. Words were lost to me. So I nodded frantically, cupped his cheek, and drew him down to me for more sweet kisses as I rocked my hips, encouraging him to keep going. He did, and he used his thumb on my clit in the most glorious way. Every jolt of pleasure that went through me was new and wild and addicting. I wanted more. Needed more.
And he gave it to me. He stretched me out with another finger. It hurt briefly and then the pleasure was back, intense and white hot and desperate.
I tugged at his belt and managed to get it undone. Then I popped open the button of his jeans, pulled down his fly, and slipped my hand under his boxers. His cock was hard and ready for me. I gripped him and stroked him, imagining what it would feel like to have him inside me.