Undesired: A Best Friend’s Brother Romance

by Sullivan, Piper

  “No problem,” she said on a rushed breath and walked off before I could find any hints of pink, flushed skin. Dammit.

  Jase leaned in until our shoulders bumped. “Don’t know what you did to piss off Hope—hell, I didn’t even think it was possible. But I guess that tension means the rumors are true.”

  Rumors? “What rumors?”

  Jase shrugged with a knowing smile. “That you and Hope are down-low lovers.” The friendly firefighter clapped me on the shoulder and slid out of the booth with a wide grin. “Hate to listen and run but I gotta go before Nina puts my name on a volunteer list.” He gave a fake shudder before turning around and walking out of the diner like he didn’t have a care in the world.

  I envied the days when I had no cares.

  Now a petite but curvy pixie had me twisted twelve ways from Sunday.

  Hope

  “Are you sure you don’t need anything, Big Mama? I’m headed to the theater now.” Apparently, the thing you did when you were trying to forget about your abysmal love life and nonexistent prospects for the future was to fill your schedule up until it was so full, you couldn’t think straight. At least that was what I’d done, signing up to help the costume department of the local community theater. They were a lively, creative bunch who always had a lot of fun.

  As long as helping them also helped me forget about Will, about the way he’d owned my body so completely during that last night together. If designing costumes for a modern-day retelling of Grease would help, then so would I.

  “I’m fine, child. Please stop worrying so much. You’re makin’ me feel like an invalid.” She waved me away with her free hand, taking extra care to make sure her cast was dry and far away from anything potentially dangerous. “Ginger offered to stay until closing so go and do your thing. We’re fine.” Those words should have made me feel better because it meant I was free to live my own life, but all I felt was … useless.

  “Fine. I know when I’m not wanted.” I was only half joking as I scooped up my bag and removed my apron, tossing it into the laundry before headed towards the door. “Have a good night, everyone!”

  “Night!” I smiled at the energetic response. Tulip was an amazing town and I was lucky to have a town like this in my life. I didn’t need anything else. Except success with my lingerie line.

  Rushing out into the early evening air, I skidded to a stop at the sight of Mikki in denim capri pants and a soft pink top that would be more appropriate for a big city brunch affair than a dusty old community theater. “Going somewhere?”

  “Looking for you,” I told her, taking a minute to get my breathing under control. All this running around had me feeling signs of stress every moment of the day, constantly worrying that I was late for a meeting or I’d missed a deadline. But I never felt more invigorated in my life. “Coffee?”

  “Bless you,” she groaned and snatched the disposable cup from my hand, falling into step beside me. “I wasn’t sure how I’d make it through two hours of needlin’ threads and settin’ hems, but now I’ll be right as rain.”

  “You think it’ll be two full hours?” I’d given my word and I would honor it, but two hours seemed like a lot of time to spend on costumes that were mostly designed already.

  “At least,” Mikki said with a confident nod. “When I was a girl, I envied the theater crowd. They were so cool, so hip, and so unabashedly weird that I wanted to be part of their group. But my parents consider actors ‘the help’ and forbade me from doing it. Can you believe they actually forbid it?” She laughed but the traces of humor were minimal. “This is my own form of rebellion, which is typical actually. Too late to be effective.”

  “That sounds eerily like the story of my life.” At her curious look, I knew I had to give her some of the details. “Let’s just say I held out hope for far too long that the wrong man would realize I was the right woman for him. Realized it after wasting too much dang time.” Only it hadn’t felt like a waste; it had felt like an experience. A really great experience, one I would remember for the rest of my life. “Anyway, it’s not too late to audition. That’s how things roll down here in Tulip.”

  Mikki tossed her head back and let out a pretty laugh. “I’d rather the town get to know me before I scare them off with my off-key singin’.” She shook her head, so amused by her own joke. “I don’t want to draw any attention to myself since the older women in town seem a little too keen on the matchmaking front. One woman asked me which team I batted for and then she told me she could up my odds of ‘finding my own HEA’ if I played for both teams.” Mikki looked so scandalized, I couldn’t help but laugh, imagining exactly which old lady it was.

  “Sounds like Eddy Henderson. Her grandson is Scott, the local vet, and that is a woman who loves love. And sex. Basically, she’s a dirty old woman who wants everyone to fall in love so they can have lots of sex and produce plenty of kids for her and the other older women to spoil rotten.”

  Mikki stopped and stared in disbelief. “Twisted yet efficient. I fully support them as long as they steer clear of me.”

  “Good luck with that last part. The only thing that’ll get you out of it is a ring on your finger. Given to you by an actual man,” I added just in case she had any clever ideas.

  “Bummer.” Mikki tossed her coffee cup and mine when we arrived at the theater entrance a few minutes later. The place was dimly lit with very poor ventilation. Fifteen minutes after we caught up with the director and the volunteer coordinator, we were settled into the soothing work. Removing hem lines and resetting them was easy, mindless work that gave me time to think about my own designs, their flaws, and the best marketing strategies. Maybe volunteering wasn’t the smartest idea with everything I had going on, but it felt good to do something to help out.

  I was working on a pair of stretchy leather pants for Sandy when a shadow blocked my light. “Move out of the light,” I grumbled at the intruder, not bothering to look up as I double checked the stitching at the side seam.

  “Please. The word you’re looking for is please.” I knew that voice and I had a sinking sensation that I wasn’t dreaming or hallucinating. Which couldn’t be, because being awake and lucid meant that Will was here.

  I looked up reluctantly and bit the inside of my jaw to keep from swearing at the gods for their twisted sense of humor. “Will. What are you doing here?” Surely it was a mistake. I volunteered here knowing there was no way he’d be caught dead helping out so-called theater geeks.

  “Nina roped me and Nate into volunteering.” He shrugged like it was well and truly no big deal, which made me suspicious. I ignored the pull caused by the sight of his forearm muscles as he raked a hand through his short black hair.

  I would’ve threatened to kill Nina if I wasn’t so darned terrified of her. Seriously, what was she thinking putting him here of all places? But I guessed it was already done and getting upset about it wouldn’t change anything. If anything, it would make Nina even more determined to have her way. “The volunteer coordinator is in the back somewhere. She’ll assign you some work to do.”

  His smile spread and my gut twisted with the sense of impending doom that smile brought. “I already did. She told me to be a gofer for the costume department, so use me as you see fit.” This time he flashed a grin that worked just a little too hard to appear innocent and I bit back a groan, wondering what the heck Will was up to.

  “I don’t need anything at the moment but I’m not the only one in this department.” I kept my gaze neutral, refusing to let him see how good it was to soak him in for a minute or two and ignoring the look of hurt that flashed in those gray eyes at my words.

  I couldn’t hurt Will, didn’t possess the power or the skill set to come close to hurting him, which meant it had to be another trick of the light. Or my mind. “All right. I’ll swing around later to see if you need anything.”

  I nodded but we both knew the truth. The one thing I needed, Will was unwilling or unable to give me. “Sure,” I said b
ecause there was nothing else left to be said.

  Will

  Hope had left too quick after the director dismissed all the volunteers, students, and actors participating and I still hadn’t had a chance to talk to her yet. She’d been dodging me all week, sneaking out of a room I just entered or being suddenly engrossed in a conversation far too interesting to end anytime soon. I was starting to take it personally.

  Logically, I knew what she was doing. Keeping her distance because it would be easier to keep our hands off each other, and it would. If that’s what we both wanted. It wasn’t and that was why I showed up at Black Thumb, that and I’d heard the new girl, Mikki, ask Hope if she was up for a drink or three after their shift was over. Surprisingly she’d agreed, giving me a real chance to talk to her. In public where nudity wasn’t an option.

  As soon as I stepped inside Black Thumb, I saw that short head of bright pink hair dipped between three dark-haired women, talking animatedly with a wide grin on her face. That same damn grin that she never aimed my way anymore. Mikki, Audrey, and Max all tossed their heads back and laughed at something Hope said and she sat back with a smug smile and crossed her arms. She really was so damn beautiful I didn’t know how it took me so long to realize it.

  I guess she was right. The thought was fleeting but it was something I’d thought about more than once since she said that I’d never paid attention to her. It was the damn truth, as much as it galled me to admit it. I was determined to make up for now.

  Walker and Scott were here, a pitcher of beer in one hand, and assorted drinks in the other, Hope’s table the end of their journey from the bar. With a smile, I made my way over to the booth big enough for ten, heart thumping in anticipation with every step. “Looks like the party started without me.”

  “Will. Didn’t expect to see you tonight.” Walker’s grin was welcoming but there was a warning in his eyes I chose to ignore.

  “Didn’t expect to come but I drove by and figured this was as good a place to quench my thirst as any. Can I crash your party or do I need to find my own?” The question was directed at Hope, who had yet to even look up at me, never mind smile at me. Like we were enemies.

  Hope said nothing from her spot between Audrey, who shook her head and sent me a death glare, and Scott who smiled and slid over to make room. “The more the merrier, but you’ll have to get your own drinks since we just braved the bar. Took forever, too.”

  Since Scott was the only one who answered verbally, I took the seat at the end which put me too far away from Hope but gave me a good view of her face, smiling at Scott like he was some kind of hero. “What’s this?”

  He slid the shot glass filled with gold liquid at Hope and shrugged. “This is for you. Apparently.” I frowned at his words, at the image in front of me. Scott was a decent guy as far as I knew but plying a girl with booze she didn’t ask for wasn’t a decent thing to do.

  But instead of being offended, Hope tossed her head back and laughed, loud and with her whole body. Laughing like he didn’t have bad intentions that probably included getting her drunk and back to his place for a night of hot sex. And, dammit, I knew it would be hot. A thought that only angered me more. “According to Audrey, I’m drinking for two since she can’t drink.” Her smile was playful but resigned as she held the drink up with a grin and knocked it back before quickly grabbing a cactus-shaped glass and taking a long sip. “It’s a virgin margarita. Don’t tell anyone.” She leaned into Scott conspiratorially and he leaned in too.

  “Your secret is safe with me.” He flashed a grin that looked flirty as hell to me and I didn’t like it very much. Not one fucking bit.

  “And me, apparently,” I said. Hope sent me a glare and it was the first time she’d even looked my way since I walked into the theater hours ago. “I’m excellent at keeping secrets.”

  “Good to know,” she said quietly and turned her attention back to Scott. “Any advice on good indoor pets?”

  I tuned out as Scott gave her the rundown on the positives and negatives of certain types of pets, mostly because I didn’t care. Also because I suspected Hope’s question was meant to box me out of the conversation. “A kitten is a great place to start since cats are pretty self sufficient and they have no problem telling you exactly what they need.” They shared another laugh and I saw a flash of red. Hot, burning, red rage.

  Her face bunched up adorably. “I’m not sure if I’m a cat person. How do I know if I am?”

  Scott shrugged his broad shoulders and flashed his boy next door grin. “You have to spend some time with the animals. Cats, dogs, rabbits, guinea pigs, whatever you’re thinking about. Spend some time with them and figure out if you get along.”

  She huffed out another laugh and I couldn’t look away, wishing I’d paid more attention when that smile and laugh were aimed at me. “Since we’ll be living together, I guess that’d be important.”

  “Some people think so.”

  “What about me, Scott?” I asked. “What kind of animal should I get?” It was a weak move and I knew it. Hell, we all knew it but Scott was too good of a guy to call me out.

  He opened his mouth to speak but Hope spoke first. “Do you even have time for a pet with your schedule?”

  She had me there but at least she was talking to me. “That’s why I’m asking. Maybe there’s a low-maintenance pet in need of lots of alone time I can adopt.” It was mostly bullshit but as I sat with the idea, it became more and more appealing. A dog would enjoy early morning runs with me and time out at the lake, plus dogs were excellent wingmen.

  “Right. Excuse me,” she said to Scott and stood, shimmying out of the booth in the other direction, all in an effort to keep her distance from me.

  I watched Hope walk away, longing in my chest that I couldn’t explain and didn’t even really want to think about, except the more she ignored me, the more I couldn’t help but think about it. A full sixty seconds passed before I stood and excused myself from the table as well, taking my time squeezing through the Friday night crowd to make my way down the hall that led to the bathroom, lit with a bare bulb.

  A few minutes later, Hope emerged from the bathroom and stopped abruptly, a look of phony surprise on her face. “Will. What are you doing here?”

  “Maybe if you’d talk to me, I wouldn’t have to ambush you like this.” I pushed off the wall and invaded her space, letting her scent get stuck in my nostrils just so I could get close enough to see the flecks of gold and silver in the depths of her green eyes. “You’re acting like we’re enemies, Hope.”

  “Why should we talk now, Will? We never talked before we had sex so why this sudden need to chat with me?” She put her fisted hands on her hips, looking sexy as hell in her annoyance with flushed pink skin and her chest heaving with a little more effort than regular breathing required. She was always passionate about everything and it was something I hadn’t fully appreciated until recently.

  She was right. We rarely talked before aside from obligatory conversation when I found her and Audrey together. But that was then and this was now. Things were different. I was different. “Maybe we ought to have a different relationship moving forward.” I jolted in surprise at the fact that even mentioning the dreaded “R” word hadn’t sent me into a fit of hives.

  Hope pushed at my chest in an effort to once again put distance between us, but I wasn’t having it. Not this time. After a small grunt of frustration, she crossed her arms over her chest and notched her chin up at me, defiance radiating from her body. “Why?”

  “Why not?” I shot back, fairly sure it was a reasonable response.

  This time she tried to walk away, specifically to go around me but I blocked her on the left. On the right. “Will,” she pleaded but instead of making me feel guilty, it turned me on. Hell, who was I kidding, everything about this woman turned me on. Turned me inside out.

  “I’m tired of fighting you, Hope. Fighting this.”

  “There is no this—” My mouth cut off whatever
she was about to say next. The kiss was meant to be a gentle reminder of what we were both missing out on because of her insistence that we stop seeing each other, but Hope shocked the hell out of me and gave in to the kiss. Quickly.

  Too quickly.

  Had I been thinking straight, I might have thought it was odd, but the taste of her lips, sweet from her natural flavor and tangy from the tequila and virgin margarita, sent all other thoughts flying from my mind. Her tongue slid into my mouth, against my tongue and over my teeth—she was a full participant in the kiss that grew hotter ten degrees by the second. I pushed her body against the wall, sandwiching her between me and the hard surface as I ground my hips into her, smiling against her mouth at the sweet intake of breath.

  Somewhere inside the bar, a glass broke and the spell between us was broken right along with it. Hope tried to take a step back but the wall stopped her and she took two steps to the right, away from me. Out of my grasp. “Chemistry isn’t everything, Will.” Her tone matched the sad look in her eyes and I just didn’t get that. If this wasn’t what she wanted, why the hell was she torturing both of us?

  “Maybe not, but it’s something. Something big.” This was beyond just sexual chemistry; it was an energy that sparked between us whenever we were together. Even when we were talking or sparring. Or kissing.

  “It is big, but I’m looking for bigger than that and you’re not.” She looked at me like she wished things were different but her green eyes wore a bleak, hopeless look as she reached out and held my jaw, running one thumb in a soothing line before she stepped back and cut off the connection between us. The warmth between us.

  This time when she let go, it felt like goodbye.

  Hope

  A few drinks with the girls was just what I needed after a long, seemingly endless week of tasks. Whether it was Big Mama’s list of things that needed to be done at the diner, a list of items to help me get things ready for the lingerie launch, or problems at the community theater, my schedule was full. Jam packed, some might have said, and that was just how I liked it. Distractions got a bad reputation, but they were excellent at keeping you focused on something else when you really wanted to focus on something that would only bring you heartache.