Fool’s Errand: Cartwright Brothers, Book 4

by Anderson, Lilliana

  Abbot.

  He was boisterous, cheeky, persistent but in a good way. He made me laugh so much that my cheeks hurt. And I wanted him, badly. It would be so easy to relieve some of that longing between my legs with a few well-aimed passes of the shower’s handheld spray. But I resisted. Rules were rules. And I wanted to play fair.

  Besides, Abbot was right. This slow teasing was a hell of a lot of fun. I think that when the time came—if the time came—for us to take this all the way, the build-up would make the moment explosive. No real technique required. I imagined that the simple connection would be enough to tip us both over the edge. Wham bam pow! I laughed to myself at the thought.

  Once out of the shower, I towelled myself off and pulled my gym clothes on, packing my swimsuit in a backpack so I could take full advantage of the club’s facilities.

  With my hair combed and pulled into a ponytail, I paused with my hand on the door handle when I heard voices.

  “When did you two get back last night?” The voice sounded like it came from Breaker. He’d obviously caught up with Abbot in the kitchen.

  “I got back this morning,” Abbot replied. “Not sure about Sloane.” I could tell he was trying to sound purposefully disinterested to cover his lie. At least that’s what I hoped I was hearing.

  “She spent the night here?” Breaker wasn’t convinced.

  “You tell me.”

  Their silence stretched a little longer than seemed comfortable, so I took that as my cue to intervene. “Hey guys,” I said, a big fake smile on my face as I wandered over and gave them both a friendly tap on the arm. “How’s it hangin’?”

  Breaker frowned. I didn’t think he liked me much. “A little to the left,” he responded. “How about you?”

  “Neatly tucked between my legs like all good vaginas should be, thank you very much. Any coffee on?”

  Abbot moved his hand across his mouth, obscuring a grin before he gestured to the coffee pot. “Help yourself. Sleep well?”

  “Oh, I don’t really sleep much at all,” I said, pouring a mug of black gold.

  “You two get separated last night?” Breaker asked casually. Abbot opened his eyes like he was trying to send me telepathic messages.

  “Not really,” I said, blowing on my coffee as I lifted it to my mouth. Abbot slapped his hand against his face and it was my turn to hide a smile. “I just came back early. Read a book on my phone. Abbot was busy with some bimbo, so I didn’t want to stick around like a third wheel.”

  “A good wingman always knows when it’s time to go home,” Abbot added and I pointed at him while winking because it seemed the right thing to do in the moment.

  “Didn’t hear you come in,” Breaker said, still looking a little doubtful.

  I shrugged. “I don’t tend to make a lot of noise if I think someone is asleep.”

  Breaker looked between us. I felt like I was being interviewed by a fed.

  “Morning,” Jasmine said as she stepped out of the stairwell wearing a long white silk robe with large pink flowers printed on it. “We’re all up early.” I was so thankful for the timing of her entrance because I didn’t think Breaker believed a single word Abbot and I were saying, which would obviously lead him to question why we were lying. I honestly wasn’t completely sure why myself, but it seemed important to head the warnings and not let Jasmine learn about Abbot’s and my…attraction? Game? I wasn’t really sure what to call it, which further added to the need to keep whatever it was to ourselves.

  “I was going to the gym to get some training in,” I said, offering her coffee. She smiled gratefully.

  “Are you going with her, Abbot?” she asked, seeming super chipper, as if her question was innocent as opposed to being an order. It was a little strange, because she’d been very short with me during the week. Perhaps Breaker rocked her world last night and she was revelling in her post-orgasm glow this morning?

  “I was gonna surf, but sure, I can take her. There’s a gym at the aquatic centre if you want to go there?” he asked as if we hadn’t already made these exact plans.

  “Sounds great.” I smiled, picking up my bag and heading for the door, my coffee forgotten. “I’ll meet you in the car.”

  He followed me out about ten minutes later, and I wasn’t sure if I was pissed or just confused. That whole interaction just felt wrong and uncomfortable.

  “Thanks for that,” he said once we got in his Jag.

  “Don’t thank me, Abbot. Every time I interact with your family I feel like shit.”

  “I don’t know what to tell you besides they can’t know anything is going on between us.” He started the car and backed out of his spot.

  “Because there are rules I don’t know about and you’re petrified your mother will start planning your wedding too. I get it, Abbot. I do. And I’m not getting too attached. I’ll get out of here the moment the job is through. But that doesn’t mean I enjoy lying about you fucking some other woman when I was the one in your bed last night.” Memories of my last relationship fuelled my disappointment in this conversation, the commitment phobia, and the way Mark had always downplayed our relationship around others. It felt like that all over again. It wasn’t even that I’d started to like Abbot as more than a friend—because I understood exactly what this was—it was that he seemed so fucking freaked out that anyone could possibly want him in a relationship with me…of all people. He was going to great lengths to keep them guessing, when it was obvious that he’d never hidden one of those beach bimbos from them. Why is having a fling with me so different?

  “Sloane—”

  “Leave it, Abbot. I’m fine.”

  “I’m not trying to rush you out of here.”

  “That’s only because you want more time to play this game of ours. What if I said I don’t want to play anymore?”

  “Then we stop,” he said simply, and for some reason that felt more offensive than lying to his family about our friendship and my sexuality. I hated that he seemed so blasé.

  “Fine. Then I think we should stop.”

  “You want to stop?” No. Fuck no. I want to keep going, I want—

  “It’s for the best,” I said, folding my arms over my middle as I looked out the window. “It’s obviously too complicated for you. I don’t want to be in the way.”

  With a sudden swerve of the wheel, he pulled the car off the road then grabbed my hand. “You aren’t in the way, Sloane. That has never been what this shit with my family is about. It’s…it’s just complicated. But you, you aren’t the complication.”

  “I still think we should cool it,” I said, looking at our joined hands. I didn’t want to cool it. Lord knew I wanted to do a hell of a lot more than make it to second base with this man, but it was a stupid game. One that could cost me dearly. Financially, obviously, but also my heart if I wasn’t careful. And I’d had enough of that in my life already.

  “OK.” He released my hand, seeming absolutely fine with my decision as he pulled back into traffic.

  One small taste, and he was done. Fuck. Me. I’m that easy to pass over?

  Story of my life.

  “Back to just friends then?”

  “Yep.” He twisted his hand on the steering wheel as we stopped at a set of lights. “But, ah, if you change your mind, I’m cool with that too.” Glancing at me, his eyes did a quick sweep of my body and he licked his lips. “I’d be very cool with that.”

  Wait. Why do I feel like this is another game?

  With a short laugh, I reached out and hit him in the arm. He was such a dick. But in a funny way. He easily diffused any sort of tension between us with a little humour. Nothing seemed to faze him. And as we drove to the aquatic centre, everything seemed fine between us. Normal. We were back to being just friends. Just like that.

  No more sex games…which was for the best. Obviously.

  Really, it was.

  It was…

  Chapter Seventeen

  Heads or Tails

  “How
many sit-ups do you reckon you can do?” Abbot asked when he found me on the gym floor, peddling the stationary bike.

  “I don’t know,” I said, puffed, sweaty, pumping my legs while trying not to focus on his ripped and glistening chest. He was making me ridiculously thirsty and regretful. I already missed our game. “I’ve never tried to the point of failure.”

  He placed his hand in the centre of the handlebars. “You know, if we were still doing this thing, I’d challenge you for third base.”

  “Third base, huh? You only just got second. Plus, we’re not doing that anymore.” I pushed my legs harder, faster, trying to distract myself from thinking about what that would be like. Why, oh why, did I tell him I wanted out?

  “What if we were still playing? What would you have said?”

  I stopped peddling and grabbed my towel, mopping the sweat from my face, neck and chest. “I’d say that you needed to pick something smaller than third base.”

  “How about I pick to restart our game?”

  “We only just called it off.”

  “I miss it already.” I’d missed it straight away.

  “From the beginning, or where we left off?”

  “Where we left off, but with one major change. I move you out of the main house. We can stay at the apartment and forget about the shit with my family.”

  “Don’t you think they’ll be even more suspicious if we shack up together?” It would be so much harder to say no to him without having to worry about getting caught. Is he trying to kill me? No. Just fuck me.

  “I’ll tell Jasmine her and Breaker fuck too loud for me, and since I’m your designated keeper, it makes sense that you’d stay there with me.” Designated keeper? So much for that trust they went on about.

  I got off the bike. “I don’t know, Abbot. It sounds too convoluted to me.”

  He ran his hand through his hair. “It’s perfect really. We get our privacy and we won’t have to worry about my family. Tell me last night wasn’t awesome for you and I’ll back right off.”

  “Well, I’d be lying if I said that,” I replied, blushing slightly from the memory.

  He grinned and placed his hands on my hips, pulling me closer to him. “Play with me again, Sloane.”

  I rolled my eyes. “You still won’t win,” I whispered, fighting a smile.

  With a chuckle, he hooked a finger beneath my chin and tilted my head up, his lips brushing against mine as he spoke. “Maybe. But I’ll have a fantastic time trying.”

  ▪️▪️▪️

  “Fuck! OK, you win,” I groaned, dropping back on the mat, my abs screaming in pain. Almost a thousand sit-ups later, Abbot sat up and pumped his fist in the air triumphantly.

  “Oh, it is on, Slater. On like Donkey Kong.”

  “Nerd.” I laughed and it hurt like a bitch. “Ow.”

  “Donkey Kong isn’t nerdy, so you deserved that. It’s a classic.”

  “Do you still have those little handhelds we used to play as kids?”

  “Sure do. They’re in my wardrobe at Jasmine’s.”

  “Tucked away with your comics and porn mags?” I teased.

  “I never brought porn magazines. My charm let me learn about women firsthand.”

  I chuckled. “Such a Casanova. Help me up.”

  He got to his feet and held out a hand, helping me slowly stand up. I stretched my arms above my head and leaned back to lengthen my tight abs. He stood there watching.

  “How are you acting like your abs aren’t burning?” I asked, twisting from side to side.

  “Because they aren’t. I do a couple thousand sit-ups every day.”

  “Guess that explains the ripped abs. And why you chose this competition to get your way. Touché, Mr Cartwright. Touché.”

  “I’m not just a pretty face,” he said, handing me some water. I drank thirstily. ”Ready to head back?”

  I shook my head. “I need to swim first. It’ll help with the pain in my abs.”

  “Tell you what,” he said, checking his watch. “You go swimming and I’ll come back in about an hour.”

  “Where are you going?”

  “To get our shit from Jasmine’s. We’re moving out.”

  “Wow. You move fast.”

  “No point in wasting time claiming my prize. Especially when I don’t know how long I have with you.”

  I laughed. “Not long. A few more days and I’ll have that puppy open.”

  “You’re coming to the wedding next weekend, so technically, I have at least a week. Which, mind you, is way less than the month you originally quoted me.”

  “Hey, I’m better than I thought. But I can go home and come back for the wedding,” I pointed out. And since our little competition would be over by that point, we could finally bump uglies in glorious fashion. I’d have my money then come back for my reward. It was a perfect plan. I could hold out just a little longer.

  Abbot narrowed his eyes slightly. “I can see we need to discuss our deadline again.”

  “No discussion needed. When the safe is open, the game is over, I go home half a mill richer, and you can go back to your regular beach bimbo-fucking schedule.” I tapped him on the chest. “I’ll see you in an hour, Abs.” It was the first time I’d called him by his nickname, but it seemed fitting after what I just witnessed.

  ▪️▪️▪️

  “OK. So, I’ll be taking this room over here and you get the main bedroom since technically this is your place,” I said, walking across the living area to the farthest door. My body snapped to a halt when Abbot took a hold of my arm.

  “I don’t think so, S. Same rules as before. Just without the pillows down the middle of the bed.” He pulled me towards the main room. He’s persistent. I’ll give him that.

  Planting my feet, I extracted myself from his grip and smiled sweetly up at him. “We weren’t sharing at Jasmine’s, hot stuff. I had my own room and you were sneaking into my bed each night.”

  He grinned and slid his hands around my waist, fingers finding their way under the fabric of my T-shirt, brushing at my skin. My breathing grew heavier, completely undermining any protest I put up. “You’re just afraid you can’t trust yourself around me twenty-four-seven.”

  “I doubt I’ll be here for a full seven days.”

  He grunted unhappily, having already made it clear how put out he was to only have a few more days to win the next two bases, the final one needing to be given willingly—begged for, even. I was pretty sure he was starting to doubt his prowess, which must have been hard for a man who was used to getting what he wanted. I loved watching him squirm.

  “All the more reason to share a room.” I rolled my eyes then he tipped my chin up until I looked back at him. “Come on, Slater. I’m gonna be in your bed, anyway. What difference does it make if we share a bathroom and a chest of drawers too?” It made a huge difference. The times when I showered and changed were the moments where I gave myself my daily pep talks. I needed that reprieve to stay strong. Still, it was tempting...

  “Play me for it,” I suggested as a compromise while twisting the button at the centre of his chest. He’d come back from Jasmine’s wearing a short-sleeved button-up shirt with a pair of jeans. He looked so good in everything he put on his body. Better when it was off, though.

  “It’s the first Sunday of the month. I have to go back to Jasmine’s for a family meeting and don’t have time for a game.” At least he sounded disappointed.

  “Then flip a coin. Heads I take that room and sleep alone.”

  “No way.” His eyes grew big at the prospect of losing the most intimate part of our relationship.

  “Tails.” A cheeky grin curved my mouth as I pointed to the second bedroom. “And I share with you, always shirtless, underwear on, no barriers.”

  A grin curved his mouth too, and I was pretty sure his dick just got hard.

  “So, skin to skin? All night long?” He narrowed his eyes as he waited for clarification.

  “Skin to skin. All n
ight long.” I pressed my body against his, confirming he was definitely hard. Pulse, pulse, pulse.

  “OK. I can get behind those odds,” he said, releasing me then pulling a fifty-cent piece from his pocket.

  “Wait. I want to check it.”

  “Sloane, I don’t carry double-sided coins in my pocket.” He flipped it back and forth so I could clearly see the Queen’s silhouette and the Australian coat of arms. “Not that you’d ever know it if I did.” He closed his hand around the coin in his palm then turned his fist from side to side and opened it again, the coin now gone.

  I gasped like a little kid. Magic was cool at any age. “I have zero faith in your coin toss being fair now.”

  He reproduced the coin. “I’ll be fair.” With a wink, he showed me it was the same coin then balanced it on his thumb and forefinger, preparing to toss.

  “Don’t catch it,” I said. “Let it fall to the floor.”

  He laughed. “The floor it is.” Then he flicked his thumb, sending the coin spinning in the air, catching the light on the silver surface before it landed with a soft thud on the carpet. The Australian coat of arms face up, an emu and a kangaroo depicted either side of a shield. Tails. I lost.

  Is it bad that I’m happy about this?

  “Yes!” He pumped his fist in the air before picking me up and throwing me over his shoulder, carrying me into the room caveman style.

  I laughed as he flipped me onto the bed and I landed with my head against the pillows.

  “Congratulations,” I said as he climbed over the top of me, holding himself so our legs were entwined and I was caged beneath him.

  “I’m not even gonna pretend that I wouldn’t have been pissed if I’d lost that one.”

  “Seems you just keep winning, Mr Cartwright.”

  “Funny that. It’s almost like you want me to but don’t want to give in too easily.”

  I grinned and placed my hands against his ribs, loving how broad and firm he was. “You don’t think you’ve been winning fair and square?”

  He brushed his lips over mine. “I know I haven’t.” Then he took my mouth in a toe-curling kiss that had my fingers searching for his buttons and twisting them open.