by Anthology
“Try me.”
She scoffed. “God. You’re in love with that little witch.”
My breath caught in my throat on the inhale. Jesus. She was right; until this moment, I hadn’t thought of it in those terms, but yeah. Hell, yeah.
Holy shit, I’m in love with Finley Powell.
“You are as pathetic as she is,” Kelsey spat.
I looked at her, and for the first time in my life, I saw the monster Fin had always known. Stepping closer, I brought my nose within millimeters of Kelsey’s. “I would rather be the most pathetic person on the planet and pine for Fin for the rest of my life than to ever look at you again. Get out. And don’t bother coming back.”
Kelsey sneered at me. “I hate you. I never loved you.”
“Newsflash. Oh, and Kelsey?” She narrowed her eyes. “I want my keys.”
She slipped my keyring off hers and threw the jangling metal at me. “Good riddance.”
“I couldn’t agree more.” I slammed the door behind her.
Now, how the hell was I going to convince Fin to give me another shot?
Lucy Gage started her writing career under another name, but the same vivid imagination and love of books still fuel her daily life. When she's not writing, you can find her spending time with her family in her home state of Maine, experiencing a life that helps shape her work.
Catch more of Fin and Reid in What Happens at a Wedding, coming June 2018!
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Just the Tip
Copyright © 2018 by Tessa Teevan
All rights reserved.
[email protected]
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without the written permission of the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
“You!” hissed the pretty brunette with equally stunning whiskey-colored eyes, that were currently narrowed in my direction.
Normally, I’d back away from a woman with such scorn in her gaze, especially when aimed sorely in my direction, but this girl? She had no idea I’d been searching for her for months.
“Me,” I affirmed, tossing her a smile, my heart swelling at the sight of her.
Those narrow eyes suddenly widened, and she shook her head. “Oh no. Don’t you think you can go throwing off that sexy smile and I’ll swoon all over again just at the sight of you. I learned my lesson.”
I took her hand and brought it to my lips, briefly kissing her delicate skin before she yanked it away. No problem. It was obviously going to take some convincing, but I knew I’d do anything in my power to have this woman in my bed. Back in my bed.
Alyssa’s sister, Ariana, and my cousin, Branson, walked up at the precise second. Ari’s eyes darted back and forth between her seething sister and me, a puzzled expression on her dainty pretty face. Branson, however, was watching us with abject amusement. My cousin. He knew me well and I’d told him about the one, and not nearly enough, incredible night Alyssa and I had spent together over spring break.
Branson made the introductions, and when his fiancée introduced me to her sister, Alyssa played it off as if we’d never met. I chuckled and leaned down for her only to hear. “Should I tell her I already know you? Intimately?”
She gasped, glaring at me. “Be quiet,” she hissed.
Rolling my eyes, I decided to let her have her way. I wouldn’t push her. Not yet. Not now that she was finally, thank fucking god, back in my life. Whether she liked it or not.
“Shall we?” I asked, extending my elbow, my slacks already tightening at the thought of her skin once again touching mine.
Instead, she elbowed me, leaned in, and whispered, “I may have fallen for your charms once before, Shane Wellington, and it burned me. It will never happen again. What you and I had? It was practically over before it began! Oh!”
That last little syllable from the spunky beauty was muffled as I pulled her close to me, our chests touching, and lowered my lips to taste her once again. She was everything I’d remembered, sweet, passionate, and from the way her lips parted to allow my tongue entrance, I knew she was still mine.
When I pulled back, I didn’t miss the desire in her now hooded eyes. Trailing kisses along the curve of her neck, I didn’t stop until my lips hovered over her ear. “Oh, no, sunshine. What we had, what we have, is far from over. That week we spent together was just the tip.”
Six Months Ago
“Spring Break!” I exclaimed, running into my sister’s room in our shared apartment.
“Spring Break? Really, Lyss?” my sister, Ariana, scoffed, wrinkling her too perfect nose in my direction.
I rolled my eyes. She graduated college three years ago, and I finished early last December, but still, this was technically my last spring break as a college student, even if I wasn’t quite that anymore. I was between college and starting an accounting job at one of the most prestigious firms, Wellsley-Callahan, in Atlanta at the beginning of June. This was my last hurrah. My last to-do as carefree Alyssa Covington before I became professional Ms. Covington, C.P.A. And hell, I was sooooo looking forward to a week in the sun and sand with my sister.
“Well, it may be Spring Break for you, but for me, it’s just a fucking much-needed break,” Ari huffed.
It took me back. Ari, much unlike me, is the prim and proper one of the Covington sisters. Southern born and bred and I could count on one hand the number of times I’d heard her curse.
“Ari?” I asked, watching her face closely. “Is everything okay?”
She cleared her throat and looked up at me with what I knew was a fake smile. I immediately hated it. It was the same look I’d seen on her for years. Ever since our father announced her engagement to that dull, smarmy Benjamin, his business partner’s son and the bane of my sister’s existence.
“Oh, I’m fine. Just…you know how Mother is. She’s a nightmare with this wedding planning. And then add in Benjamin’s? It’s like my opinions don’t matter. You’d think they were the ones getting married. I just need to get away for a while.”
I took a seat on the bed next to her. “Are you… I mean…are you sure you want to go through with it? To marry Benjamin? There’s still time to back out.”
Tears welled in her eyes, but she quickly blinked them away and cleared her throat. “I… I don’t know. Oh, God, Alyssa, does that make me awful? It’s just the closer we get to the wedding day, I don’t know…I don’t think I actually love him. I can’t envision a life with him. That’s why I need this trip. I need to get away from our parents and Benjamin and decide what to do.”
I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Then let’s get packing. A week with nothing but sunshine, sand, and margaritas is exactly what you need.”
She smiled. “Thanks, Lyss. God, that felt so good to say out loud. I just wish I didn’t have the charity dinner tonight, so I could drive down with you today.”
We’d planned to make the drive from Atlanta to Navarre, Florida together, but at the last minute Benjamin had needed her for some bullshit charity dinner where he no doubt just wanted her as arm candy.
“I wish you could, too. But hey, I’ll go down, scope out the best spot on the beach, and get the condo stocked so we’ll have nothing but beachy booze-filled days for the next week. How does that sound?”
Ari smiled a genuine smile that lit up her beautiful face. “That sounds like heaven.”
The drive to Navarre was rather uneventful. I blasted my favorite Stone Sour album—hello, Corey Taylor—and thought about the week ahead. Sure, this was Spring Break, but Ari and I weren’t planning on being typical spring breakers. No wet T-shirt contests, body shot taking, or anything of the sort. We were really using it as an excuse to get away from the city and enjoy a week at the beach. I foresaw a lot of wine drinking, sun tanning, and sisterly bonding. I’d been looking forward to it for months.
After checking in, grocery shopping, and getting a bite to eat at a local biker bar my cousin Lexi had recommended, I decided to head down and enjoy the beach in the moonlight. Even though it was early April, the beach was pretty busy under the full moon. With my exceptionally classy Lime-A-Rita in a can, I headed in the opposite direction of the frat boys chugging beer after beer.
When I was far enough away, I plopped down in the sand and turned the latest Grace Potter album on my phone, just loud enough for me to hear. I rested on my elbows, enjoying the sound of the waves and the soulful, bluesy music I was listening to. With my eyes closed, I relished in the relaxation. God, a girl could get used to that.
I had no idea how long I sat there. However long Grace’s The Lion, The Beast, The Beat album was and until my drink was emptied. Feeling happy and buzzed, I rose to my feet and made my way back to the condo, ready for a quick dip in the hot tub and then a glass of wine before bed.
After grabbing a drink from the bar near the pool, I was delighted to see the hot tub was empty, but before I could get there, a tall, lean, extremely fine looking man entered. I thought about just going to my condo, avoiding him and anyone else who may join him. Just as I was about to turn around, I decided against it. I wanted to relax in the hot water and no man would stop me. So I marched across the wet cement, threw down my towel, shimmied out of my shorts and t-shirt. When I turned back to the hot tub, I saw he was eyeing me. Perhaps shimmying wasn’t the best idea. Too late, I decided, and entered the glorious steaming water.
I set my cocktail down and made myself comfortable. It was awkward in the silence, and I almost got out, but realized that would probably be more awkward. So I closed my eyes and tried to relax as much as possible. The problem was, I could feel his eyes on me, and when I opened my own, I saw I’d been right. He had the decency to throw me what was an absolutely gorgeous smile, and judging by the look on his face, he knew it. His features were what could only be described as chiseled. He had a sharp nose, a strong jawline, and the faint hint of cheekbones that made him appear rugged, yet pretty. If you could call a man pretty. This one was. His eyes, from what I could tell, were a dark blue that were gleaming with delight in my direction. Something stirred within me. It was shocking, to tell the truth, because since I’d broken up with my college “sweetheart” due to his wandering dick, I hadn’t had any desire for a man. But this one? Desire was exactly what I felt.
“All by yourself?” a deep voice asked, and my eyes, inadvertently, of course, darted to those full lips.
I shook my head, regaining my composure. I cocked a brow. “And if I am?”
He grinned. God, it was sinful how sexy that grin was. “Then I’d say it’s a shame, but I’d really be lying. All the better for me, of course.”
The words, on anyone else’s lips, would sound predatory. From this man, judging by the sudden ache between my legs, they elicited nothing but pleasure.
“My sister will be here in the morning.”
“Ah, so you’re not here celebrating a break from college where you’ll be downing tequila shots and dancing on tables?” He almost looked disappointed.
I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my cocktail. “Of course not. One, I’m finished with school, and two, that’s not my style.”
Once again, he gave me that stupid grin. “Hmm. I’m not so sure about that.”
I bristled at his words. Mostly because he was right. I was that girl while in college. I was all about the parties, the drinking, the dancing. Not on tables, of course, but still. Now I had to grow up. It was time to go into the business world and take it by storm. Leave my reckless, carefree self behind and become the woman my parents raised me to be.
“Perhaps once upon a time, but those days are over now.”
“A pity. Tits like yours would definitely win a wet t-shirt contest.”
I gasped in shock while simultaneously felt a stirring in my loins. For God’s sake, the man made me think of loins. Gah. And to that, he’d rendered me speechless, which was no small feat for any man.
“How rude of me,” he said with a smile. “I should at least introduce myself if I’m going to admit to enjoying the sight of your gorgeous breasts. I’m Shane. And you?”
I gaped at him. “I’m….I’m…appalled.” I paused, tilted my head in thought, and continued. “No. You know what? I appreciate it. I do have great tits, I’m wearing a bikini to show them off, so thank you, Shane.”
There was that grin again. “And may I know the name of the beautiful woman who has such a gorgeous body, along with an angelic face that would have a man kneeling at his knees in worship?”
I almost snorted. If it had been any other man, at any other time, I would have, along with an eye roll. But for some reason, that night, that man, he could apparently get away with everything.
Against my better judgment, I gave him his answer. “I’m Alyssa, from Atlanta, soon to be an accountant.”
I’d given him more than he asked for, but I felt like small talk. Why not? He was handsome, I was single, and to be honest, I wasn’t opposed to a one-night stand. It’d been a while since there’s been a pen dipped in my lady-like ink and the thought of this man on top, inside, all around me was incredibly arousing. Not that he was offering or anything.
“As you know, I’m Shane, also out of school, and currently an employee at this resort who’s breaking the rules by enjoying the hot tub.”
“Wait…what?” I asked, slightly perturbed that my visions of a sexy vacationer were dashed now knowing he was an employee and would most likely not be fucking my brains out in the next thirty minutes.
“I’m working here, learning the ropes during the peak season. It’ll begin in about four weeks,” he replied with a nonchalance that was… rather irritating.
I nearly spewed my cocktail in his face. Yes, his face, because as we’d been talking, I just noticed he’d inched closer to me.
“You?” I asked, my eyes perusing his body under the water.
It was a surprise. There was something about him, from his gorgeous face to his perfectly manicured nails that exuded wealth. I knew the type. I’d seen the type, and he fit the bill perfectly. I took a moment to check out the entire package he offered. There were obvious rock-hard abs, thick thighs covered with tight trunks, and pecs…God, those pecs were heavenly. An added bonus were the tight, hard nipples, one of which had a droplet of water dangling from its tip. A droplet of water my mouth was dying to lick. Hard man nipples, after all, are a girl’s best friend.
His lips quirked up in that spectacular grin I’d grown to love. An eyebrow cocked in my direction. “What’s the matter, sunshine? Too good to slum it with the pool boy?”
My cheeks flushed with heat. And then for some reason, anger took over. He was playing me, messing with me, and I didn’t like it. But he continued, not letting me get a word in.
“Let me guess. You’re probably about twenty-three, a born and bred southern Georgian belle, looking for a little fun with a bad boy before you go and either work for Daddy’s business or settling for the blue blood he’s chosen for you.”
I nearly gasped because he’d basically just described my sister, Ari
ana, who was currently engaged to our father’s business partner’s son. The quick turn from a flirtatious pursuit to him judging me almost perfectly infuriated me.
Indignant, I stood, placing my hands firmly on my hips. “For your information, Shane, I’ll be twenty-four next month. I received my MBA just four months ago—summa cum laude, mind you. I’ll be starting with one of the most influential conglomerates in the country. No, the world, in just a few months. Not because of my father, but because of my own merit and qualifications. I will not be working with my father. I will not marry a man just because he deems it a good match. You know nothing about me; your presumptions are inaccurate and downright rude.”
My diatribe ended with a huff. This man, gorgeous and enticing as he may be, deserved nothing from me. Before he could respond, I turned, exited the hot tub, and marched away. One-night stand be damned. I had no idea why our innocent flirtation turned into some weird sort of judgment. Alcohol brained, I was trying to figure out where I was going when, unfortunately, the pool boy, Shane, persisted. He’d apparently followed, caught up with me, and grabbed my elbow. I whirled around, a scowl on my face.
“What could you possibly want with someone like the woman you think I am? After all, to you, I’m a spoiled, selfish, undeserving offspring who will either be handed a silver spoon or passed along to the best suitor.”
I searched his eyes and he didn’t have the decency to look sheepish or apologetic. Instead, he grinned down at me, cocky, and something inside me began to stir. No, Alyssa, no. Down girl, I warned myself. Just because he was six foot something of lean, taut muscle, with unruly chestnut brown hair and beautiful blue eyes a girl could melt into. No, don’t go there, I told myself.
I didn’t listen. I sooooo went there. God, he was gorgeous.
“Hey, I wrong. Presumptuous. A bastard. About your dad, marriage, all that.” He paused, then leaned in close, so close his breath whispered against my lips. “But you didn’t refute that you were looking for a bad boy.”