Tempted (A Player Brother Romance Book) (A Standalone Novel) (Player Brothers Book 1)

by Adams, Claire

  Now this was enjoyable.

  "Stay here and watch the lines," he said. "I'll go and get us some drinks."

  "It seems like cheating," I said when he returned, handing me a cold soda. "We are just standing here watching the line. We aren't actually doing much of anything."

  "So you think,” he said. "Wait until something bites."

  Just as he said so, the line on my fishing pole began to twitch.

  "Here we go, see?" He showed me how to hold onto the pole. "This is a big one,” he said.

  After it started to bend towards the water, I handed the pole to Aiden.

  "You do it!" I said with a laugh.

  The idea of the floppy fish on the other end of the line gave me the willies, but I didn’t want him to know that necessarily. He took the line and pulled, sometimes letting the line go slack before reeling it back in. His lower lip tucked under his teeth as he concentrated on battling whatever lay under the water, struggling on the other end of the line. I stood on the edge of the pier with my hands resting on the rail peering out over the water to see if I could catch a glimpse. I couldn’t tell how long he had been pulling on the line when something finally broke the surface, a flash of silver and a splash.

  "What is it!" he said, every muscle taut as he kept the tension on the line.

  "I don't know." I laughed. "It's a fish, I think."

  "That's very helpful,” he said.

  "I don't know if you have noticed, Aiden, but I’m more of a bookish type."

  "You don't say. You were the same way at Okoboji.” He laughed. In that moment the fish jumped, breaking the surface of the water. "There it is,” Aiden said.

  Seeing it gave him a renewed strength and within a few more minutes he pulled the creature up onto the pier. I turned my eyes away as Aiden pulled out his pocket knife, cleaned and stripped the large shining bass, then placing it in the cooler. I grimaced and placed my hands over my face.

  "Ugh!" I exclaimed.

  I had known already what would happen if one of us had caught a fish, but the sight of it still made me a bit squeamish. He turned to me and smiled.

  "Good job," he said. "That was a big one. We are going to eat well this evening."

  "You did the hard part,” I said. "Tell you the truth, I’m kind of starving."

  "Me too,” he said. "You ready to head back?"

  "Yeah," I said.

  We returned the equipment to the rental cabin, but opted to keep the cooler until we got back to the car. We would transfer the fish over to ours and drive back to return it then.

  We headed back down the beach the same way we had come, though with far less horse play this time, since he had his hands full lugging the cooler. Once more I felt that the ease of our friendship had taken over once more. Regardless of what hindrances the rest of life might offer us, when the two of us got together everything else seemed to melt away.

  I smiled as I listened to him telling an anecdote about his youngest brother heading off to college. He always spoke fondly of his family. Despite his odd ball status among his brothers, they did all look out for each other no matter what.

  I enjoyed listening to him.

  The western horizon blazed with orange as the sun approached the sea. We had become bathed in the golden light of sunset by the time we made it back to the car. We returned the cooler and headed back to his apartment.

  "Do you know how to cook a fish?" I asked.

  "Do I...?" he sputtered. "Do I know how to cook a fish? I’m going to cook you a fish so good that you won't want to eat any more after this meal."

  "Is that so?" I laughed.

  "That is so,” he said.

  We arrived at his apartment a little while later. I felt exhausted but happy as we walked into his apartment. I wondered if I was the only one who felt a bit awkward stepping over the very same piece of carpet where we had once passed out after our lengthy session of carnal embrace. Though I tried not to let my face show, as I felt a blush creep into my cheeks. He set the cooler on the counter, and grabbed a couple of beers from the refrigerator, handing one over to me.

  "You deserve this,” he said.

  "Thanks," I said. "You speak as if I had slain a mighty beast today or something."

  "You did!" he insisted. "And now we are going to eat it."

  I took a seat on the bar stool along the island in the middle of his kitchen and watched him work. He pulled the fish from the cooler and skillfully sliced it into several fillet sized steaks. I watched, increasingly impressed as he drizzled olive oil into the cast iron skillet and started it heating on the stove.

  The beer tasted good, combined with the events of the day I felt renewed and invigorated, reminding myself once more that I needed to do this kind of thing more often. I recognized that I had a tendency to get caught up in my job and that I needed to let myself relax more often. When I did, I often felt guilty about it, feeling as if I should be doing something productive.

  The pan sizzled as he placed a couple of the fillets into the heated oil. He then produced a couple of potatoes which he cubed and seasoned, placing them under the broiler in the oven. The smell of the cooking food made my mouth water.

  "I didn't know that you knew how to cook,” I said.

  "Well, you’re lucky,” he said.

  "Why is that?" I asked.

  "Because I promised you that I could cook this fish. What I didn’t tell you is that I can only cook fish. It's lucky that you caught this guy today because otherwise we'd be having ramen noodles and frozen burritos."

  "The way I feel right now, I would eat ramen noodles and frozen burritos.” I laughed.

  We continued to laugh and talk as the food cooked. He handed me a fresh beer when he dished up our plates. The flaky fish had been seasoned to perfection and the oven roasted potatoes provided the perfect compliment.

  "This is delicious,” I said, dabbing my mouth with my napkin. "I’m truly impressed."

  "Thank you," he said.

  The sun, waves, and activities of the day were catching up with me, but the food perked me up quite a bit. I started to feel the whole body happiness of having been in nature. He must have felt the same way because we both ate in comfortable silence for several minutes, before I looked up at him and he started laughing.

  "What?" I said, unable to stop myself from laughing as well.

  "Nothing,” he said. "I'm just.... you must have been hungry."

  "I was,” I said, taking another bite of the potatoes. "Today was fun. Makes me wonder what other secrets you have that you aren't telling me."

  He grinned in response.

  "You want another beer?" he offered.

  "How about a scotch instead,” I said.

  "Sure thing.”

  He started to head out of the kitchen to the living room liquor cabinet.

  "Should I help you clean up first?" I asked.

  "Nah," he said. "I'll put the food up, but the dishes can wait." He poured me a drink and I followed him out to the living room. "Be right back."

  While I waited for him on the couch, my mind wandered back to the conversation we'd had when he extended the invitation for today. He had promised not to try anything. I mulled that over, angry at myself for having pushed him to that point. Our friendship was a once in a lifetime kind, that much was true, but I couldn't help but wonder....

  "Penny for your thoughts?" he said having returned. He poured himself a drink and sat down beside me on the couch.

  "Nothing, I'm just..." I turned to face him, tucking my legs up onto the side of the couch. "I've had a lot of fun today."

  "Me too,” he said.

  I leaned my head on my arm curled up on the back of the couch. He looked at me with his piercing blue eyes, brightened from the day in the sun. I wanted so desperately to say what was on my mind, but I knew as soon as I brought it up I would sound like a hypocrite. The last thing I wanted to do was to push Aiden away any further than I already had.

  "It seems to me," he be
gan. "That whenever we hang out, you end up having a good time."

  "That's true,” I said. It seemed as if he were leading up to something.

  "So it seems to me that if you enjoying doing something, and that something makes a person happy, then the person should do more of that thing."

  "That seems logical." I nodded.

  He reached over and absently played with my hair, tucking it behind my ear, smoothing down a flyaway.

  "So what's the problem, Blair,” he said in a more serious plaintive tone. "Why can't we give this a shot? We already know that we care about each other. We definitely have a good time together. I mean, I know the circumstances are not ideal, but dammit, Blair.... I want this."

  I hadn’t expected such a declaration and didn’t know immediately how to respond.

  He continued, "Okay, you have told me that you don't want to jeopardize your chances of this job, right?" I nodded. "We've already proven that we can keep our personal relationship separate from our professional lives. I for one, would never do anything to hinder your chances at getting it. Sure, I want the position just as much as you do, but either one of us could get it, I think. You deserve it just as much as I do, and I don't want to take that away from you. Nor do I think you would do differently for me. I don't know which of us will get it, but I do know that no matter who gets it, we will both still be living here. Maybe we'll end up working for opposing law firms. Who knows? But I do know that I like you."

  I sat in stunned silence.

  I thought maybe he would try and kiss me or get me into bed in some way. His flirtations had waned over the past few weeks and I had thought he had accepted my rejection. Throughout the course of the day he had time and time again passed up any opportunity to make a pass at me. Aside from light flirtations he had remained true to his promise.

  Still I felt torn.

  I knew that what my heart wanted lay in a far different direction that what my mind would allow. Since the moment he had set foot in that office I hadn’t been able to get him out of my mind. I had almost convinced myself that the night we had spent together after our date had been a mistake, but having been with him in such an intimate way had just increased my feelings despite my inner protest.

  I knew that I felt the same way about him, and I couldn’t longer deny it.

  Not even to myself.

  I looked at him, his expression one of patient expectation.

  He wanted an answer from me, and I had none to give. I had been so career focused that I found it hard to let go, even now.

  Without a word, I placed my hand behind his neck and pulled myself to him, placing a small but expectant kiss upon his lips. He looked stunned when I pulled back, but soon the crooked smile danced at the corner of his lips and he leaned forward and kissed me back. The heat of his lips sent shock waves through my whole being.

  Of its own accord my arm tightened around the back of his shoulders as I felt his hands slide around my waist. Neither of us had changed out of our swimsuits and I became suddenly aware of the sand and saltwater that had dried to my skin. His tongue probed me, teasing along my lips searching for mine. I tasted the scotch on his mouth, twisting my fingers into his hair as my body already ached for more.

  His hands slid down my waist along my hips and over my exposed thigh, finding the edge of the sundress, where he traced along the edge of the fabric teasing me as he continued to kiss me.

  Just when I thought my lips would erupt into flame, he lightened his kisses and began to trail his lips along the side of my neck. Just as I suspected he left a trail of fire until he landed right beneath my ear, where he flicked his tongue.

  I heard him inhale when my breath caught in my throat.

  His hand slipped beneath the hem of my dress and he stroked the flesh of my thigh, moving upwards to my trembling abs. Even still I remained cautious as to how far I should let this go. My caution was silenced when he nipped at the curve of my earlobe, inciting an inner frenzy in me.

  I pulled my hands back and traced the outline of his collar bone, smooth and tan from the day, but hindered by his linen shirt. He leaned back a bit to let me pull the garment off of him exposing the expanse of his muscular chest, where I placed the palm of my hand relishing in the feeling of his heart pounding beneath it.

  My own matched his pace when I realized his fingers had found the edge of my bikini bottoms underneath my dress. He didn’t go past the edge, but traced small circles along the flesh just at the edge.

  "When you touch me like that, it turns me on,” I whispered into his ear.

  He curled his lips back in a heated grin.

  "Do you know how much I love hearing you talk like that?" he growled, tightening his grip around my waist and pulling me closer to him.

  I realized then that I wanted nothing less than what I had before me.

  I wanted him, with everything that I had.

  I arched my back to his touch, placing my eager lips back to his. I felt his fingers slide along my side, coming to a stop at the string of my bikini top. A momentary question passed between us, as he stopped and searched my eyes.

  I looked at him with expectation.

  His tentative trembling fingers found the tie around the back of my string top and pulled it loose. I pulled it over by head and tossed it aside, leaving just the then cotton fabric covering my alert breasts.

  He returned to kiss me, allowing his lips to linger slowly over mine, while his fingers traced my skin, moving closer and closer to my awaiting breasts. I sighed when he grazed his thumb over my nipple, cautiously as if gauging my reaction. The sensation made my eyes flutter and my breath grow ragged.

  "Take me to the bedroom,” I whispered.

  "Not yet," he sighed.

  What was that supposed to mean?

  What guy answers 'not yet' to the offer of going to the bedroom?

  I soon found out.

  He pulled away from me and casually reached for our tumblers. Without a word he handed me my scotch and raised his glass, clicking it against mine without a word. I watched with curiosity as he downed his, set it back on the table with a bit of a mischievous glance in my direction.

  He then lifted the edge of my dress to expose the flesh of my stomach.

  Leaning his head forward he placed small gentle kisses along the curve of my stomach as he moved to position himself on his knees in front of me. I couldn’t help but catch my breath as I realized his intention. Every touch of his lips sent shivers through my body.

  His hands reached for the edge of my bikini bottoms, plucking at the strings that held them to me, and within seconds they had landed across the room. I wanted to cry out as his kisses traveled further south. His mouth hovered over me, as he pulled my hips to the edge of the couch for better access.

  With careful precision he kissed each thigh, lingering each time I shivered or exclaimed. I closed my eyes as his mouth drew nearer to my most sensitive place.

  When his mouth finally landed upon my mound, I couldn’t contain myself from crying out his name as the pleasure escalated.

  Fuck it felt good.

  He flicked his tongue across my clitoris, applying small amounts of pressure in tiny circles, increasing and decreasing in gentle massages. His hands remained at my waist as if to hold me in place, making me feel like a chalice from which he drank. His lips and mouth worked over my eager body, and I arched my head back in ecstasy.

  I had never felt this way.

  Never felt such pleasure.

  Every nerve in my body had been set on fire, and I wanted nothing to quench it. Soon I began to crest towards arrival. He must have sensed the building tension somehow as his undulations grew in intensity, flicking around my moist portal and dancing back to my awaiting nerve center.

  "Oh, god!" I shrieked as the endorphins flooded my system. His lingering tongue extended the orgasm until at last I fell back on the couch, nearly spent.

  "No, it's just me,” he said, kissing his way back up my inner thigh.<
br />
  He pulled my dress down to cover me again, and looked up into my eyes. It took me a moment to realize what he had said in relation to my exclamation. When I did, I burst into laughter.

  "I'm glad you’re enjoying yourself,” he said with a wry grin, as he stood and extended his hand.

  I took it and stood, realizing that my knees were wobbly enough that I needed to balance on him. My face came just inches from his as I clutched to him. He stole a kiss, wrapping his arms around my shoulders, pulling my body against his. Again I pressed my palms against his chest and leaned into the kiss, feeling my passion awaken once more, and wondering how he could have such an effect on me.

  He took my hand in his and led me down the hallway to the bedroom. Once inside he pulled my dress off of me, exposing my naked body completely to him. I had to admit I felt a thrill as his eyes raked over me, taking me in completely, before devouring my mouth once more with his own. His arms embraced me. I couldn’t help but remember that we had been in the throes of nature today, and we still had the remnants of it all over our skin.

  "Aiden," I murmured as his lips found my neck. "Aiden, can you tell me where your bathroom is?"

  "Really?" he said.

  "Yeah, I just wanted to rinse off real quick. I feel like I'm still covered in dried sea salt."

  He pulled back and looked at me with a mischievous twinkle. "Sure. Right this way."

  He led me to the door across from the bedroom. The bathroom looked as if I had stepped into the cover of a home improvement magazine. Firstly, it was larger than my entire bedroom, and every surface gleamed, white porcelain and steel silver edges made the modern theme of the apartment that much more apparent.

  He handed me a towel and washcloth, pausing to nipple along the curve of my shoulder before he stepped out leaving me alone. I pulled back the sliding door into the huge shower and turned on the water. Instantly I felt better as the warm water washed over me. For a moment I wondered if I had broken the mood with Aiden, but my question was answered a few minutes later, when I heard the bathroom door open again.