His Brother's Wife

by Michelle Love

  “Reed, I’m in your debt for paying my way through college. I appreciate you and your help more than you will ever know. But what happened between me and your brother is a thing I’ve put away. I don’t care to relive any of it. So, if you don’t mind, I’d love it if you and I could build a friendship based on you and me alone. Okay?” She pulls her shades down and looks over them at me.

  The word friendship kind of stabs at me, but I say, “Sure.”

  “Great,” she says, then puts her glasses back up, covering her beautiful eyes, and looks straight ahead. “So tell me what kinds of things you’ve been up to in California, Reed.”

  I grip the steering wheel once again and say, “I’ve been up to doing business deals and making more money. Can I tell you the truth, though?”

  She looks at me and takes off her glasses. Her eyes are full of concern, and it makes my heart skip a beat that she seems to care at all. “You better tell me the truth, Reed. Are things going badly for you?”

  “Life is not all that great when you live it alone. All the money in the world isn’t enough if you have no one to spend your life with.” Admitting it feels both great and embarrassing at the same time.

  But the after effects are phenomenal!

  Her slender hand with a nice pink manicure runs up to mine, which is on the steering wheel. She takes it in hers and pulls it to her chest, fractions of centimeters from her perfect breasts.

  Her words are soft and sweet. “Reed, that breaks my heart. How is it you haven’t found someone?”

  Because I love you and always have …

  But what I say is, “I have a certain kind of woman in mind and she’s not in California.”

  Her thumb moves over my knuckles as she looks at me and keeps my hand right there close to her heart and, subsequently, her tits. My mouth begins to water as I can feel her chest rise and fall with every breath she takes.

  “Reed, you’re perfect. How can you not have found one of the women in California to be a good candidate as a serious girlfriend?”

  “I’m perfect?” I ask as I look at her.

  She smiles. “Eyes on the road!”

  I turn my head and have to smile.

  I think she might like me!

  “I think you’re pretty perfect too. So have you met anyone interesting at college? You know, a new man?” I glance at her and she puts my hand back on the steering wheel.

  “I’ve made friends.” Her arms cross and so do her legs. She looks out the window, and her body language tells me a lot.

  “Any that ended up in your bed?” I know I shouldn’t ask, but I’m dying to know.

  She looks back at me and her lips part. Then they close tight, before opening again. “No. I haven’t let anyone even kiss me. I did make friends, and I did become social again. And that’s about all I could manage to do.”

  What did my brother do to her?

  “Think that’s normal?” I ask.

  “No,” comes her very quick answer. “I don’t. But normal has never really been something that happens for me. No normal childhood, no normal first love, no normal sex life. Nope, nothing has come normal for me.”

  My stomach tightens, as I’ve often wondered about her sex life with my brother. He was heavily into BDSM and, though Jenna never seemed the type, I had to wonder.

  “So he hurt you in more ways than one, right?” I ask as I keep my eyes on the road.

  “He did, and that’s the past, and I’ve moved into the now. I live every day, one day at a time.” Her legs uncross and her hands go back down to rest on her thighs as she breathes out.

  Without really thinking, I say, “You sound like someone who’s survived a tragedy, Jenna.”

  She looks straight ahead and says, “I don’t like to look at it that way, Reed. I like to look at things from a different perspective. What I went through did make me stronger. And being stronger is never a bad thing to be.”

  I look ahead and have to wonder if this new Jenna is a good thing or a bad thing. Seems Rod’s departure has made my mother weak and Jenna super strong.

  Where that leaves me is a mystery …

  Chapter 13

  JENNA

  I cannot believe I’m going out to dinner with Reed Manning. The man was nearly my brother-in-law, for God’s sake.

  But this is just a friendly dinner. Nothing serious. Just old friends catching up.

  I glance at him as he messes with the radio and finds some country music. “You like this kind of music, Jenna?”

  “Sure, it’s fine.” I pull at the hem of my short skirt.

  I don’t know why I got all dressed up today. I was just going to the store to pick up some feminine products, was all.

  Somewhere inside me resides this person who wants to be seen as anything but the stupid young woman who left our tiny town two years ago after being dumped by the notorious bad boy. The outfit helped in my mind, I guess.

  Reed’s head bobs a bit to the music. “You know, there’s this pretty nice place in Prescott where we can eat, and there’s usually a live band on the weekends. What do you say to a little eating and a little dancing?”

  “I say that sounds a hell of a lot like a date.” My fingers start to nervously tap my legs.

  He pulls one hand off the wheel and takes my left hand in his. “Not a date, Jenna. Just us hanging out together.”

  He’s so calm and cool and awesome!

  “I know. It does sound nice and fun. So I’m game.”

  And just like that, he has my hand in his. Our clasped hands are resting on his thigh, and I’m going all hot, and my insides are teaming with butterflies.

  Should I move my hand?

  No, I’m going to let him hold it. It feels nice, anyway. And I am a single woman. And Reed has done amazing things for me.

  It’ll be fine!

  “Besides, you look too good to go to waste. You need to be shown off a bit.” Then he gives my hand a squeeze, and I nearly wet myself.

  “Thank you,” I say as I look him over. “You do too. The nice slacks and button up have you looking all GQ, Reed. Were you doing some business today?”

  “I was. I visited with a salesman at the Autoplex and negotiated the trade-ins of the cars I got for my parents a few years back. I always like to look like I know what I’m talking about when doing any business deals.” He places my hand on his thigh but lets it go as he reaches up to change the radio station. Then he picks it right back up and my heart skips a beat.

  “So your mom and dad are getting new cars then?” I ask, just to hear him talk more. His voice is deep and silky and I’ve always loved it.

  “Yes. I like to get them into something new every two years and from now on I will be doing that. It was hard to get them to let go of the ones they had, but I managed, finally.” The sun is setting, and the light isn’t quite so bright, so he lets my hand go and takes off his shades.

  I move my hand off his thigh and take my sunglasses off too. He looks over at me and puts his hand back on the steering wheel.

  Maybe he wanted to keep holding my hand!

  He makes a left turn. “This is the place I was talking about. What do you think?”

  It’s very nice and very upscale for Arizona. “It looks expensive, Reed. We don’t have to go anywhere expensive. I can eat at a plain old restaurant.”

  He parks and shakes his head. “Not when you’re with me, you won’t.”

  I get out of the car as he does, and he jogs around to the passenger side and takes my hand. “I can hear the music already.”

  “You have to promise me at least ten dances,” he says with a wide smile.

  His shoulder touches mine as he leans close. I smile back. “Ten! That’s a lot.”

  The way his eyebrows raise and dance a bit make me giggle as he says, “It’s half as many as I wanted to say.”

  And I think he’d like to hold me in his arms for the majority of this purely platonic dinner. Our eyes hold for a moment before the hostess says some
thing, breaking the connection. I look at her. “Two, please. Non-smoking.”

  Reed’s breath moves the hair near my ear as he whispers, “I didn’t even notice what she said. Thanks.”

  His hand leaves mine and moves to the small of my back as I follow the young woman and he follows behind me. It sends the oddest, most pleasant sensation through me as his fingertips barely touch me.

  She gestures to a table near the edge of the dance floor. Reed pulls out a chair and I sit down. Then he sits on the one closest to me.

  “Can I bring you something to drink to get you started?” she asks.

  Reed says, “Two red wines, please.”

  She nods and leaves us alone in the dimly lit area. I look around and see a lot of other couples here. On dates, I would guess.

  It seems like a place men would take dates and I look at Reed, who is gazing at me. “This place is nice. But it seems kind of datey.”

  “Datey?” He laughs a little. “All that college and you come up with that word, Jenna?”

  “You know what I mean,” I say as I bat at his chest.

  He takes my hand and wraps his fist around it, then intertwines his fingers with mine and places them on his leg again. “I do know what you mean. And so what if we call this thing a date?”

  My smile is weak as I say, “Because us dating would be frowned upon.”

  “You know, Jenna, neither you nor I really live in that tiny town any longer. You and I don’t have to follow the rules of that place anymore. You and I can do whatever the hell you and I want to.” He pulls our hands up and kisses mine.

  My body goes limp, as it feels like nothing I’ve ever felt before. “Can I ask you something and you be completely honest with me?”

  He nods. “Always.”

  “When we touch, does it do anything odd to you?”

  His dark blue eyes narrow as he looks at me. “It always has. But I don’t call it odd; I call it magical.”

  “Yeah, I thought so.”

  “And you?” he asks.

  “Yes, it always has. But I think it’s because of how taboo this is. You know?” I lean back as the waitress places the glass of wine in front of me. “Thank you.”

  She smiles. “Can I get you an appetizer?”

  Reed answers, “Oysters Rockefeller, please.”

  “Okay. Would you like the half order or the whole dozen, sir?”

  “The whole order,” he says and looks at me the whole time.

  His gaze is intense and I look down as the waitress gives him a nod and walks away. “That’s a lot of oysters for two people.”

  “Bet we eat them all,” he says, then gets up, pulling me along with him.

  I bite my lower lip as he pulls me into his arms. “I see you want to dance.”

  He pulls me close, one hand holding mine between us and the other wrapped around me, holding my body to his. His lips are so close to mine as he whispers, “Dance, yes. I want to dance with you.” Then he leans back a bit and looks into my eyes. “But mostly I wanted to see what it feels like to hold you in my arms. And you know what, Jenna Foster?”

  I can barely breathe, so I just shake my head a little.

  “It feels even better than I imagined it would.”

  He tightens his arms around me and I put my head on his broad shoulder. It does feel better than I ever thought being held in a man’s arms could feel.

  Our bodies touch in all the right places. We move together like we’ve been dancing together forever. Everything feels more than right.

  But this can’t go any further than this. We both know that.

  But for now, we’re here, and no one knows us in this place. No one knows I almost married this man’s brother. No one knows this would be very bad for our families. No one knows a thing.

  And then a chill runs through me. Because if Rod walked through that door for some reason then he would freak.

  The song ends, but I don’t want Reed to let me go. He only halfway lets me go as he keeps his arm around me and walks me back to the table, where I see the gorgeous platter of spinach and some kind of white creamy stuff flowing over what looks like very fresh oysters on the half-shell.

  Reed pulls the chair out for me and I take the seat as he sits next to me but moves his chair closer. He takes one of the oysters and looks at me as he moves it toward my mouth.

  “All you do is swallow it. Don’t chew,” he directs me as he presses the shell to my lower lip. “Open up and I’ll slide it in.”

  My eyes go big and my eyebrows go up. “Reed, that sounds more than a little provocative.”

  His other hand slides up my leg and stops as he gets it just under the edge of my skirt. “Because I meant it to. Now open up.”

  My mouth opens as I watch him watching me and he slides the stuff off the shell and I swallow it. “Mmmm. That was good.”

  “Do me now,” he says as he leans back and parts his lips.

  I know this is a really bad idea but I do it anyway. I pick up one of the appetizers and place the shell on his lower lip. He opens his mouth and I pour it in.

  After he swallows, he smiles at me. Then he picks up my glass of wine and holds it in front of my mouth and I accept the drink. Then he leans back and gestures for me to give him one.

  I do as my body shakes, rattles, and rolls with excitement and desire.

  I want to climb onto his lap so damn bad, it’s not one bit funny. Then he gives me a smile and stands up again and holds his hand out to me. “Another dance, my lady?”

  I take his hand and can’t wait to be back in his arms again. The song is a little faster than the last and the spinning action he does has our groins connecting. Mine is on fire for him as I can feel his cock against me.

  I lay my head on his shoulder and take in his aroma. He’s using a different cologne than he had on the last time I saw him.

  That Christmas night.

  Then my heart kind of cramps with the memory of how he looked when Rod was down on one knee in front of me.

  His jaw had been held tight and when I said yes he left the room. Maybe Rod was right when he said Reed was jealous and wanted me.

  When the song ends, he holds me tighter than before and we go to the table. I’m a little dizzy with the spinning and the close contact.

  He has another oyster in my mouth before I know it and he downs one himself. Then he’s holding my glass out to me. I take the drink, then ask the question I’ve wanted to for a long time, “Reed, how long have you liked me?”

  His eyes dance as he looks at me and takes my hand, lifting it to his lips where he kisses it. “Since you were about fourteen.”

  I shake my head and say, “No. No, Reed, that’s not true. You never even looked at me in high school. No, not once.”

  “I did. Only I never let you catch me. I knew you were off limits until you turned eighteen. We all knew that.” He holds the glass up and I let him give me another drink.

  “You left for college. Were you ever going to make some kind of advance on me?” He holds another oyster up and I take it.

  “My plan was to come home for your graduation. I was going to ease into your life very stealthily and make you fall in love with me and get you to go to UCLA with me.” He picks up his own glass of wine and takes a long drink.

  “Wow, that was a grand plan!”

  “And it was all going to work out too. Until I called home in early May to tell my parents I would be home for the summer. I didn’t let them in on this part as I was going to begin Operation Make Jenna Foster Mine. And that was when I found out Rod was renting a house and you two were going to be moving into it as soon as he could get you to agree.”

  I have to look away, as I feel kind of terrible. “So you had never told him or anyone else about your plan?”

  “Nope. I kept it all to myself. I was afraid if I told a thing to anyone it would spike an interest in you and I’d have a harder time getting your attention. And the truth is I thought even though Rod was going to come
after you with all eight cylinders that you wouldn’t give him the time of day.” He leans up and takes my chin in his hand. “I was wrong, though.”

  “Seems so.” He lets my chin go and leans back in his chair.

  “Well, who would think the sweet little Sunday school teacher would ever want a thing to do with the devil who was and is my brother? I thought it was a safe bet you’d ignore him and I’d still have a shot that summer.”

  “But that isn’t what happened and now it’s too late for us. I mean, it would never work. You know, there’s just too much history now.” I pick up the glass and finish the wine.

  He doesn’t say a word, just holds out his hand, and I take it as he moves us out on the dance floor. His hold on me is tight, and the song is fast, and it’s amazing how easily my feet follow his.

  Our bodies are molded to one another. When the song ends he is still holding me. Then he turns his face and his lips are on mine.

  It’s the best kiss I’ve ever had!

  I only thought I had felt my body melt before. I had no idea. My arms go around his neck as his tongue moves past my lips and moves with mine like they’ve always known each other.

  My pulse is so rapid and hard, I can hear my heart beating. My mind is gone. All I feel is him. All I can think of is him and now and this moment.

  This amazing kiss!

  Then he ends it with several soft pecks and looks at me. “What were you saying, Jenna?”

  I gaze up at him and it seems like a halo is glowing around the top of his head, as I’m limp in his arms. “Huh?”

  “That’s what I thought.”

  And now I don’t know what we’re going to do …

  Chapter 14

  REED

  Our first kiss!

  And Jenna Foster’s gorgeous green eyes are hazy with, dare I say, desire?

  Taking her back to the table. I sit her down, and she kind of floats on the way down.

  Being the man of action that I have become has me fighting myself not to tell Jenna how things are going to be now.

  I’ve waited a long time for her and had to watch a lot of bad shit I never thought I’d have to. And now she knows how I feel, and that kiss just cemented it all for me. I know it did for her too.