One Kiss: A Brother's Best Friend Romance

by Annabelle Love

  He choked. “Hannah? What the hell’s gotten into you?”

  “Not you yet,” she retorted with a snap.

  His eyes were dazed, and his head kept shaking like he had a tremor as he processed her words. “This is insane,” he whispered under his breath.

  Because she’d been using that word to describe herself earlier, she was quite satisfied that at least with this, they were on the same page.

  She stared at him, totally unapologetic for her declaration.

  She couldn’t do this anymore. Play with fire, only to be burned with little else to show for it.

  She’d dance in the flames with him, revel in the scorch of lust that blazoned hotly between them, and after, she’d marvel at the brands. But no more suffering in silence, suffering alone.

  When he stepped forward, passing by her to walk into her room, more satisfaction filled her.

  She was surprised though. She’d felt certain if Aidan blocked him from coming to her, James would hold fast to that promise. That either meant his promises meant shit, which over the years he’d proven to be false—he’d done far too much for Aidan for that to be true. Or, he was as into her as she was into him.

  She truly hoped it was the latter.

  Because it was time to stop lying to herself. The whole reason everything was fucked up in her mind was down to this man.

  Their Labor Day kiss… it had changed everything. Made her see how unhappy she was with Mark. How even her job wasn’t enough to make up for the emptiness not being with James created.

  She wanted him. Hannah knew that now, and it was time she processed that like the adult she was rather than the brat she’d been channeling.

  With a quick gulp as last-minute nerves quickly drowned her smug satisfaction of moments before, she closed the door behind her.

  He was looking around her room by that point, and she watched him doing so. Leaning against the door, she saw him take in the pretty bare expanse. Even as a teenager, she’d liked things neat and tidy, minimal. The walls were a nice oatmeal color, her bedding was taupe. She had some nice mahogany chest of drawers which matched her desk. Currently, the work surface sported her laptop and a few files she’d promised to close up for her now-ex company in return for a glowing reference.

  “This is nice.” James said as he turned back around, looking at her.

  “I’m sure you really came in here to study my taste in furniture, James.”

  He smirked at her. “To be fair, Hannah, you’re full of surprises today. I’m relieved this place isn’t painted black and filled with skulls.”

  She smiled a little, then tilted her head to the side as she studied him. “Maybe you had me pegged a certain way all these years and I’m not that way at all.”

  “I’m coming to realize that, sugar.” He shook his head. “Seriously, this place is yours?”

  She nodded. “Well… Grams knew Aidan didn’t need the money. My parents are pissed though. Have been since she died. I can’t make out if they’re mad at Grams for leaving all this to me, or if my mom is still overwhelmed with grief. Since she died, our relationship has done nothing but deteriorate.”

  He blinked at that. “She was… aggressive. Far more than I’d expected,” James said thinking back to the scene he’d witnessed not long ago in the living room.

  “Argumentative probably describes it better to be fair,” Hannah corrected gently. “I can understand why she’s mad, but it doesn’t matter. It’s not like I’m going to turf them out. It’s theirs, but it just means I have some autonomy over whether I can stay here or not.”

  “Autonomy and parents aren’t words that usually gel well together.”

  She grinned, and conceded he was right, “True.”

  “What about your ex? He is your ex, right?” James questioned.

  “You were willing to take me on a date when you thought I had a boyfriend…” She cocked a brow at him. “What’s changed?”

  “I didn’t realize you were engaged, had split up, left your job, then moved home again, Hannah. That’s… big…”

  “You afraid you’re a rebound fuck?” she asked, her tone sweet as pie and in direct contradiction to her harsh words.

  James blew out a breath, but his eyes lit with fire. “You’ve a dirty mouth, Hannah.”

  Whatever she’d expected him to say, it hadn’t been that. “You got a problem with that?”

  Before she could do more than jump in reaction, he was there. In front of her. Those few steps between them seemed to have disappeared in the blink of an eye. James’ hands cupped her chin, slid around to her jaw, then tilted her head for his kiss.

  It was like before.

  When their mouths met, their tongues immediately tangling, everything faded away.

  And she meant everything.

  The stress of recent days, the fear and anxiety after wondering whether she was doing the right thing leaving Mark and quitting her job, the restlessness she’d been feeling since they’d last been together.

  All of it faded away into nothingness.

  She shuddered as he thrust his tongue against hers, then let his hands slide down so he could shape her breasts through her blouse. One stayed there, cupping and teasing, the other slid around her waist and curled over her butt. Within seconds, there was less than a half inch of space between them. And where there was air, it was because they couldn’t get any closer.

  He supped from her lips like she was a meal and he was starving, and she reveled in being gorged upon by him. He tasted her, drank from her in a way Mark never had. He made her feel alive, like every part of her was buzzing with vitality. There was no room to question anything. No room to worry or feel fear. She could only respond.

  Adrenaline burst through her as he walked her backward toward her bed.

  Her childhood bed.

  The notion of having James Arias on that bed shouldn’t have sent tingles sparking around her system, but it did. She loved it. Loved the idea of it.

  Then he stunned the shit out of her by turning them around and pulling his mouth from hers. He took a seat at the side of the bed, and though he was panting—a true sign of his break in control—he was calm as ever when he said, “You need a spanking.”

  Hannah’s eyes widened, and she couldn’t withhold the laugh that escaped her. “Whoa, back up, Mr. Grey. I’m not into that.”

  “Neither am I,” he retorted easily. “But you need one.”

  “How the hell do you know that?” she said in utter confusion.

  “Because your emotions are all over the place, and you’re not thinking straight.”

  That was no kind of logic, and yet, for some reason, it made sense. How was that possible?

  She didn’t need a spanking, dammit. She wasn’t five years old and on the naughty step, but the idea of James Arias’ hands on her butt, spanking her, well, it sent fire through her veins.

  A tremor rushed through her as she realized she was contemplating it. Almost like he saw her weakening, he curled his finger in beckoning. Hannah blinked at him, then whispered, “I don’t need to be disciplined.”

  He didn’t reply, simply cocked a brow. That simple response had her flinching. Confusion filled her as she took a step toward him and clambered awkwardly over his lap.

  She’d never done this before, never wanted it before.

  What the hell was wrong with her?

  Was she really doing this?

  Before she could do little more than squeak, his hand was on her butt, shaping the curve of her ass before settling against the small of her back. His knees were hard against her stomach, and blood was already rushing to her head as it hung suspended in the air. She felt the air charge with something she’d never be able to explain before his hand suddenly connected with her ass.

  A startled yelp escaped her, then another and a quick shriek as he spanked her twice more.

  She jerked and writhed on his lap as he carried on, but she quietened down, knowing her parents would investigate
otherwise.

  Not once did it occur to her to plead with him to stop. Not once did she think to pull away.

  Instead, she let him have his way and as she did, she found a peculiar freedom in it. So much so, when he stopped moments later, she was disappointed.

  And horny.

  Hornier, she felt sure, than she’d ever been in her life.

  Panting, she whispered, “I need you, James.”

  “Good,” came the gritted-out retort. “I need you.”

  She shuddered on his lap, and with shaky legs, got to her feet when he supported her upright. He climbed to his feet too, looked her square in the eye and reached for the buttons on her blouse. Their arms clashed as she pushed off his jacket, then went to work on his shirt. Within seconds, they were both naked from the waist up as he took the swift opportunity to unfasten her bra and let her breasts spill free.

  She closed her eyes when he dragged her against his chest and swooped low to kiss her. She moaned into his mouth as he shifted his torso, dragging the fine hairs against her nipples until Hannah felt sure she’d go insane if he didn’t touch them with his fingers. As he coaxed her tongue into a battle royale, she grabbed hold of his belt and pushed her hips back to make space for her fingers. Intent on getting her hands on something she’d been dying for for the last months. She managed to unfasten his belt and his fly in record time—it was amazing what a person could do with the right motivation.

  When his cock was in her hand, she shuddered. He was hard, and he was thick, he was like steel encased in silk. She knew the latter belonged in some romance novel, but she’d never felt anything like it. Hannah had had two lovers and none of them compared to James—all that without even seeing him either!

  He groaned into her mouth as she awkwardly jacked him off, and she took the opportunity to mumble, “I’m clean and I’m on the pill.”

  “Clean too,” he whispered then clenched his eyes shut as she tightened her grip on him. “Fuck, I need to be inside you.”

  A moan escaped her as he pushed her onto the bed, then she jerked her hips into the air the minute she was stable, and went to work on her pants. He helped drag them down her legs, not stopping until she was free from trousers and panties. Once naked, she spread her thighs, and God help her, she had no idea what was the matter with her because she slipped her hand between the folds of her pussy and began to caress her clit in front of him.

  Right in front of him.

  James Arias.

  The mogul, the billionaire, the genius whiz kid wild-child was watching her masturbate.

  Her thoughts alone had her shuddering against the sheets and that had nothing to do with the pleasure zipping around her nervous system like she was on coke. His eyes were glued to her fingers, and she watched as he pushed his pants further down his hips and began to jack off in front of her.

  “You’re so fucking hot,” he whispered beneath his breath, those delicious eyes of his seeming to glow at the sight of her touching herself.

  Oh Lord, he was handsome. With his washboard abs, and the exact right amount of chest hair… could the guy be more perfect? And that wasn’t taking into account his cock, which was… perfect.

  She was bored of the word ‘perfect’ but it was exactly right.

  She shuddered as she let her fingers slide down to her gate, but before she could slip one inside, James was there, his hand like a cuff around her wrist as he stilled her movements.

  “Mine,” he growled underneath his breath, and she thought she’d freakin’ melt into the sheets.

  Had she ever caused such a reaction in another man?

  Hannah didn’t think so.

  Heck, she wasn’t sure if she’d ever felt as highly wrought after sex as she felt now!

  Shuddering against the sheets, she watched as he crawled over her, his knees sinking into the bed, making the mattress dip as he grabbed her hips and dragged her into him. Within seconds, his cock was brushing against her pussy, and before she could do little more than gasp out in shock, he was there.

  There.

  She whimpered as he began to thrust inside her. His thickness filling her in ways she’d never known before. She pushed her weight onto her head as her back reared up. Her hips stayed firmly in his hand as he grabbed a tight hold of her and kept her steady there.

  Each inch he forged inside her was a hard-won battle. He was big. Bigger than her other lovers.

  She moaned as each perfect thrust staked a claim on a part of her no other had reached, touched.

  When he was all the way in, his pelvis pressed tight to her pussy, her hips slowly sank back down to the bed when he stayed there, just resting inside her. His hardness a thick, branding warmth that had her nerves lighting up like a firework display.

  She was trembling atop the sheets, quivering like someone left out in the rain for a week. She couldn’t understand her reaction, was confused and bewildered by it, but there was no time to think. To worry. Not even to process.

  Because he was moving. His hips thrusting slowly as his eyes claimed hers, not letting her break free from his hold. She was as trapped by his gaze as she was by his body, and she loved it.

  Loved it.

  This was what she’d been missing. What she’d needed all these months.

  Someone who knew what she needed. Who could read her like a book.

  Slow, oh, so slow. His movements drove her wild and she curled upward to slide her hands around his waist. The minute she could, she dug her nails into his hips and hissed, “Fuck me.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You want me to spank you again, baby girl.”

  Though her own flared in response, she spat, “Just try it.”

  “Is that a dare?” He bared his teeth, and let rip. He pistoned into her, pulling nearly all the way out until she thought he was about to act on his threat and spank her again, before he thrust back inside.

  He tortured her, tormented her, never let her settle into a pace, constantly changing until she felt certain she’d go mad. Short thrusts, long ones, deep, shallow. Never conforming to a rhythm. Never letting her find a happy place.

  And then, she found it.

  She didn’t know how. Her pussy was confused, her G-spot quivering as he managed to drag it to life. For the first time. Ever.

  She roared out her ecstasy, then nearly screamed when he buffeted the noise by placing his hand over her mouth. She bit into the fleshy pad of his palm, watching as his pupils dilated and he flung his head back, release hitting him at the same time as it did her.

  Somehow, that made it all the more majestic. All the more glorious.

  She lit up like a campfire. The joy, the sheer fucking wonder of what he made her feel had her thinking she could fly. It had her soaring so high a part of her knew, point blank, no one would make her feel like this ever again.

  It wasn’t possible.

  Chapter 7

  “I’m surprised your parents didn’t come and investigate.”

  Hours, minutes, days later, she stirred at James’ voice.

  He was still atop her. His body a heavy weight that should have cramped her breathing, but was reassuring instead.

  This was transient. A fleeting moment. She knew that.

  He was James Arias.

  Why would he stay with black sheep Hannah Sawyer?

  “Their room’s downstairs. You know that,” Hannah said, stunning herself with her raw-sounding voice. If she’d needed proof that orgasm had been out of this world, well, this was it.

  “Still. We made some noise.”

  She snorted. “Yeah, I’m sure they really would have wanted to walk in on you spanking my ass.” A huff of breath escaped her. “I still can’t believe I let you do that.”

  “You needed it,” he reassured her, his face smashed into the pillow, so his words were muffled.

  “Are you into that kind of thing?” she asked after a few minutes of processing that.

  “Nope.”

  “Then, I asked you before and
I ask again, how do you know I needed that?” she pushed.

  James lifted his head, then rolled off her. She wished the question back because she’d enjoyed the proximity, but he didn’t get up to leave, made no move to climb off the bed, just readjusted himself so that his leg was flung over both of hers and he was pressed close to her side.

  She tried to hide from how nice that felt, but couldn’t.

  “When things get tough at work, Aidan and I usually beat the shit out of each other at the gym.”

  She scoffed. “You still train together?”

  “Krav Maga,” James said silkily. “It’s brilliant. We tear into each other and then after, everything settles down again.” His tone grew lighter with amusement. “I didn’t think you’d appreciate being tackled to the ground. Spanking seemed more politic.”

  A hoot escaped her. “Politic? You’re on another planet, James Arias.”

  “Maybe.” He shrugged. “You enjoyed it, didn’t you?”

  The hoot turned into a long sigh. A confused one at that. “Yeah. I did.” She shook her head. “I’m not sure what that’s about.”

  “Well, I wouldn’t worry. You haven’t turned into a deviant. It’s just... you needed the release. In more ways than one.” He paused, then asked, “When did you break it off with your ex?”

  “Last week.”

  “Mind if I ask why?”

  Did she mind? She wasn’t sure. Still, it was hard not to be lulled into security by their pillow talk. “He was great at work. A brilliant boss. But at home, he was controlling. It used to drive me insane how he needed to account for everything. All of a sudden, I noticed he did it with my friends. Would pout and get mad if he didn’t like who I went to lunch with, and gradually, I realized he’d take over my entire life if he could.”

  Throughout her short speech, James' tension had grown exponentially. “Did the bastard hurt you?”

  She frowned. “No. Of course not. If he had, I’d have been out the door a long time ago.” She blew out a breath. “I just… he was too controlling and what with the work situation, that was the last thing I needed right then.”

  “It was the last thing you needed, period,” he said, scowling down at her like Mark’s issues were her fault. “Are you really not going back?”