An eccentric expression fell over his face. “You were a virgin?”
She glanced across the restaurant and smiled when a group of employees stopped beside a table and started singing Happy Birthday to an elderly woman, and Annalee found herself humming along. The lady’s surprise and genuine smile produced a picturesque moment.
Annalee really needed to visit her parents and grandma soon. She couldn’t remember her grandpa because he’d passed away when she was only four months old. But Grandma was very special. Grandma Genevieve. They hadn’t spent much time together when Annalee grew up because they were separated by states, but the time they had shared was exceptional. She’d never met her paternal grandparents because she had none. Well, she had, but sadly they died before she was born.
“Answer my question.”
She returned her attention to Brent. The same outlandish expression remained on his face. “Um, can you refresh my memory please?”
“We were discussing your virginity.”
Oh yes. It was time to lay off the booze because she couldn’t remember shit. “I wanted to give it to you, but you didn’t want it.”
“You were willing to give me your virginity?”
Hell yes. In a heartbeat. “Absolutely.” Again she hiccupped then giggled. “I gave it to you many times in my fantasies. Rather, you stole it from me.”
His gaze bored into her eyes as he slowly lifted the beer bottle to his mouth and took a swig. If that heated look didn’t stir her blood, she’d be dead. She picked up the dessert pamphlet and fanned her face. “Seriously, you were my first.”
He set the bottle down. “Please, enlighten me.”
Laying the colorful pamphlet on her placemat, she spun sideways in the seat and scooted into the corner. The room raced in a circle. Whoa, stop the ride, I need to get off. She clamped onto the back of the booth to hang on.
Dare she tell the truth? A man of his sexual experience had probably seen and experienced everything. Oh heck, what would a little confession hurt? After all, hadn’t he forced her to overcome modesty and inhibitions? “You’re the man I envisioned fucking me when the dildo popped my cherry.”
He sat completely still, glaring.
“What?” She swallowed the last drop of her soda-whiskey and chomped on a small piece of ice. “Therefore, I consider you my first. And being sexually naïve at that time, I didn’t realize it would hurt like that. I really could’ve used your help.”
His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Sorry I wasn’t physically present, baby. I would’ve loved to have been there to break you in properly.”
“What man hasn’t had a virgin, right?”
His wicked grin reheated her panties. Fire down below! She shifted in her seat. “They say a woman never forgets her first. Imagine my anger when you left town. Especially after what I did to myself because of you. I couldn’t even tell Jared I was still a virgin because I had no evidence.”
He took another swig of his beer. Just as he set it on the table the hostess arrived with a new bottle.
“Here you go,” she said. “Sorry it took so long.” Instead of setting it down, she waited for him to remove it from her hand.
Oh geez. Annalee rolled her eyes. “Can I get another drink, please?”
“Yeah, sure. What are you drinking again?”
Brent cleared his throat. “My lady would like the same drink you’ve already brought her five times.”
“No problem.” Flustered, she shoved the order pad inside her pocket then turned and headed toward the bar.
My lady. Wow, that sounded really nice, and it caused little spiral thingies to dance in her tummy. “Thank you.” She leaned forward, resting her elbow on the table, and plopped a cheek in her hand.
“My pleasure.” He also moved forward but he laid his arm on the table, palm facing the ceiling.
She stared at the long, thick length of his fingers. She remembered very well how those phalanges toyed with her private parts. Yum. They made her feel really mushy and gooey. She slid her hand into his. Well, it slid completely through his and landed on the table. Gentleman that he was, he positioned it where it belonged. “Now, let’s talk about me, Brent,” she shook her head, “I mean you.”
“Look at me.” He stopped talking until her gaze reached his eyes. “That’s better. Now, what do you want to know?”
Mmm, everything. “Why you moved away? What attracted you to the sea? About your moms and dad. I mean mom and dad. How many women you’ve made love to?” Where you learned how to fuck so well? Why you came to see me?
“Slow down, baby,” he said, squeezing her hand and flashing a bright smile. “I’ll tell you anything you want to know, but one question at a time.”
Wow, there were so many flickers passing through his four eyes.
The hostess approached the table, set the drink down and left without saying a word.
“Thanks,” he blurted, then turned to Annalee. “Are you all right?”
“Yes. I’m just enjoying the view.”
“You’re looking at me.”
“Exactly.” And you’re so fucking good-looking, all two of you, that I can’t stand it. “Is that okay?”
“As long as you know what you’re getting yourself into.”
“And how am I looking at you?”
“You’re fucking me with your eyes.”
He’d gotten that right. “It’s an interrogation.”
“Ask away.”
“Well, for starters,” she chucked his hand, grabbed the drink and took a swig, “tell me about your mom and dad.” Ah, those lips.
He grinned. “My father is a retired Army general and my mother was a stay-at-home mom. They raised me, Brody and our sister Brittany, who is now raising my beautiful triplet nieces.”
“Aw, tripslets,” she slurred. “Where do they live? Do you see them often?”
“In Seattle where we grew up. No, I don’t see them as much as I’d like to.”
“Your entire family lives there?”
He nodded. “That’s why I transferred when Whiltby opened the new location. My mom was going through some rough times while fighting breast cancer. I needed to be close by.”
Annalee’s eyes broadened. She reached forward and touched his arm. “I’m so srorry. Is she okay?”
“She’s been in remission for three years now.”
“That’s good news.” What a scary, scary situation for a woman. His poor mom. “There’s something that’s been driving me crazy.” She removed her hand from his arm and took another sip of her drink. It tasted stronger, but that was okay. She’d grown accustomed to the stuff anyhew.
“I told you, I’ll answer any questions you have.”
“How’d you end up protecting ships when you left as an accountant?”
He smiled, and damned if those wiggly thingies didn’t tickle her belly again. Maybe she had worms.
“When the pirates started taking possession of Whiltby’s ships and stealing freight, he formed a security crew.”
She wished her lashes were as long and thick as his. “From accounting to fighter.” She balanced her hands as if one outweighed the other. “I don’t get it.”
He laughed, and it was the most seductive sound she’d ever heard. Holy goalie, her heart fluttered.
“Whiltby didn’t just give me a gun and throw me on a ship, Annalee. He put us through six months of intense training.”
Which explained the bigger body he came back with. It was huge.
“I’d introduced him to Brody, and he’d offered him a job as well.”
“And you enjoy that work?”
“I live and breathe the sea.”
Yeah, it kinda seemed that way. And it kinda seemed bizarre that Brent had so many relatives. Two sisters and a brother. No, one sister and two brothers. No, no. No. One sister, one twin. But not identical. They didn’t look alike. Well, they did, but they looked different too. To her he’d always been just Brent. A handsome work buddy who punched numb
ers—he didn’t really punch them, he pressed them on a calculator. But that was immaterial, because either-or, he had no family, no history, no background information. And no passes. Boo-hoo, he’d never tried to get in her pants. Until now. And now he wouldn’t stay out of them.
“Go ahead, ask me the final question. I know you’re dying to get it off your chest.”
Actually, she had three more. “Okay.” She took a deep breath. “How many womens have you made sex, I mean love…how many women has you made love to?”
While he appeared to contemplate an answer, he raised a solo brow. “Why is that important?”
“It’s not, really.” Yes, it is. “Just curious. I gaved you a number.”
“And you want one as well?”
She nodded.
“A true count of how many women I’ve made love to?”
Scratch that. Maybe it wasn’t a good question after all. “Yes.”
“One.”
“Nuh-uh.” Her mouth dropped open. She snapped it shut. “You’re lying. That’s not fair.”
“What’s not fair?” a deep voice asked.
Annalee glanced up just as Brody scooted into the booth on the opposite side of the table. What a handsome, beautiful man. “Hi.” She smiled then giggled. “Your brother won’t count the actual number of womens he’s made love to.”
“Oh wow, that’s pretty deep,” Brody said with a huge smile. “Should I come back later?”
“No,” Brent replied. He took Annalee’s drink and set it in front of his brother. “Drink that, would you?
“Hey,” Annalee pouted. “That’s mine.”
“You can have it back, sweetheart,” Brody said, sliding it across the table.
Brent stopped it mid-slide. “I’m doing her a favor. She has to work in the morning.”
“I do?” she asked, scrunching her nose.
“Yes, baby, you do. Tomorrow is only Wednesday.”
“Shit.” She leaned her head back, but she did it too fast and it bounced off the wall. She winced and rubbed her scalp. “I’m so glad you guys are staying with me. Although I has to get a bigger house if you’re gonna stay.”
“Oh yeah?” Brody chuckled. “We appreciate you asking.”
She closed her eyes and very slowly leaned her head back again. “I feel like I’m on a twirly-whirl.”
Something warm brushed hair from her cheek. Was it her hand? Probably not, ’cause they were both going numb.
“Annalee, do you want to go home?” Brent asked.
That was him picking strands of hair off her face, she just knew it. And it tickled. “We didn’t eat yet.” She popped an eye open. “Did we?”
“No.”
“Are you hungry, sweetheart?”
She smiled. “Brody, you called me sweetheart two times today. I like that.”
“Do you now?”
She nodded, or at least tried to. “Have you guys ever made a sammich?”
“A what?”
That was Brent’s voice, she was sure of it. Oh shoot, maybe not. It was hard to tell ’cause everything was fading. “You know, a sammich? You guys are sooo big. Have you ever sammiched a woman?”
Someone coughed. “I think it’s time to go, Brody.”
“Have you ordered dinner yet?”
She smiled. “Brody, was that you?” He was sooo damn cute.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
“Not yet,” Brent replied. “We were waiting for you.”
“You did it again,” she crooned.
“You’re right, I did.” He paused. “Brent, maybe we should order carryout, or pick up something on the way home.”
“Yeah, not a bad idea.”
* * * * *
Annalee opened her eyes to the stucco design on her living room ceiling. The TV was on, volume low, and light filtered in through the picture window.
“Morning, sweetheart.”
“Hi,” she said, discovering a serious case of cotton-mouth. She glanced in the direction of Brody’s voice and found him sitting on the family room chair dressed in jeans and a gray t-shirt, his long, muscular legs draped over the side. “What time is it?”
“Eight-fifteen.”
Fuck! She threw the blanket aside and bolted upright. A massive throb pounded her head. She flopped back down and dropped an arm over her forehead. “I’m late for work.”
“Brent called you off sick. He thought you might be a little hungover this morning.”
He got that right. “Where is he?”
“He ran to the store for some crackers and whatever else he thought you might need to settle an upset stomach. He’d better get back soon. We have an eleven o’clock flight.”
It wasn’t her stomach that hurt. “Is he mad?”
“Why would he be?”
“I think I made an ass out of myself.”
Brody laughed. “Hey, we’ve all been there a time or two. It’s all good.”
It was nice of him to sugarcoat the answer, but it definitely confirmed she’d acted like a fool. Great. “I’m sorry, Brody. I guess that’s what I get for drinking on an empty stomach.” She didn’t remember leaving the restaurant or the drive home. The last recollection she had of the evening was Brody sliding into the booth.
“No harm done, sweetheart. Not to us anyhow.”
That dug the ass sensation even deeper.
He stood up and stretched. “There’s fresh coffee. Would you like some?”
“Please. And a couple of aspirins. If I can get rid of this headache, I might go to work.” When he strolled toward the kitchen, she slowly pulled herself into a sitting position. Thankfully the throb stayed away. It must have been the swift movement earlier that caused the pain.
Slowly she turned, setting her feet on the floor. White, furry socks peeked beneath the hem of her red fleece pants. Her top half was covered in a dark-green sweatshirt. Nice. She pushed the sleeves up to her elbows.
“Here you go,” Brody said when he returned carrying a tray with a coffee mug, glass of water and a bottle of aspirin. “Breakfast is served.”
“Who dressed me?” she asked, flipping the plastic cap off the bottle. She seriously doubted Brent would’ve allowed his brother to do it, but that’s not saying he hadn’t let him help.
“Hell, are you kidding!” His eyes widened. “Brent kicked me out of the room. He wouldn’t even let me rustle through your garment drawer for a pair of socks. I picked out your outfit by the way.”
Yay for that. The garment drawer was where she’d kept her dildo. “So it’s your fault I look like a Christmas tree?”
He plopped down on the cushion beside her. “I grabbed the first things in reach. I didn’t want to take too much time, otherwise my older brother would’ve pulverized me for snooping.”
“Older brother?” she asked, putting three aspirins in her mouth. She chased them with half the glass of water.
“Ten minutes older. But older is older in my book.”
She smiled while setting the glass on the coffee table then leaned against the back of the couch. “I can’t imagine Brent pulverizing you. You guys look pretty equal to me.”
“In case you haven’t noticed, he’s the bad twin.”
What she’d experienced so far, she wouldn’t necessarily call bad. Exciting. Powerful. Dominating. She sighed deeply and closed her eyes. Handsome. Masculine. Even compassionate. But no, not bad.
“Are you taken by my brother, sweetheart?”
She felt Brody’s eyes caress the side of her face. “I guess I am a little.” Or a lot. “I always have been.” She smiled timidly. “We’ve known each other for a while.”
He laid his hand over the hand she’d kerplunked on her lap and gave it a squeeze. “I know. Believe me, I know.”
“I’m going to miss you guys when you leave. It’s been fun having you around.”
“If I had things my way, Brent wouldn’t be participating in this mission.”
Her lids popped open and she turned her head to
gaze into Brody’s eyes. “You’re not going?”
“No, I’m going home to visit the family while he’s gone.” His brows furrowed. “Hasn’t he told you?”
Her heart skipped a beat from the amount of concern in his tone. Now she too scrunched her brows. “Just that he’s leaving for an assignment.”
“You need to talk him out of it, Annalee. I’ve tried but he won’t listen.”
Her back stiffened. Not only had Brody addressed her formally for the first time, but he appeared downright worried and it unnerved her. “What’s going on?”
“I wish I could talk about it, but it needs to come from Brent. I can’t defy him on this. I tried broaching the subject the other day at dinner but he didn’t bite. Just take into consideration it’s serious enough that my parents want to see him before he goes.” He paused and studied her eyes. “Can we exchange phone numbers before I leave this morning?”
“Absolutely. And I promise I’ll talk to Brent, but if he won’t confide in me, there’s nothing I can do.”
He brought her hand to his mouth and kissed the backside. “I appreciate it.”
“Appreciate what?” Brent asked from somewhere close by.
Oh shit. Think fast.
Her heart pitter-pattered when he strode into the family room and stood at the end of the couch. “Opening my home to you guys,” she blurted.
Impossibly he appeared more handsome than the day before. His self-assured manner filled her with longing. Dressed all in black, he looked incredibly dangerous and sexy. His hair hung past his shoulders and blended with his unzipped leather. Even his eyes darkened to the mysterious shade of ebony.
He nodded once. “How you feeling?” He discovered her hand tucked inside Brody’s. He studied it for a minute before his gaze traveled to her eyes.
“I’m okay.”
“Bro, don’t you have something to do?” he asked.
That was either curt for Brody or short for brother, she wasn’t sure, but it didn’t sound too nice.
Brody released his grip on her hand and stood. “Yeah. As a matter of fact, I have to pack my clothes. We’ve got to be at the airport within the hour. Be ready in fifteen minutes.” He walked as far as the hallway then turned around, smiling cynically. “Oh by the way, sweetheart, the answer is no.”
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