The Wrong Perfect Match (Fullilove in the House Book 1)

by Sidney Bristol

  Brandi stood there in momentary surprise wearing nothing more than her really boring, no-lines microfiber panties. At least her bra had been cute.

  “Don’t mind me.” Jayden sounded far too pleased with himself.

  She glanced over her shoulder at him doing her best impression of annoyance. Judging by the grin he flashed her, she failed.

  He bent his head while his fingers toyed with the utilitarian band of her panties.

  “Do you need some inspiration?” he asked.

  She arched her back just enough to press her ass to his groin. “Care to offer any?”

  “I think I can...” His hand dipped past the elastic.

  Brandi gripped the kitchen bar tightly. It was that or lose all ability to stand on her own as he boldly cupped her mound. She widened her stance, making more room for his large hand.

  “Oh.” She groaned as his fingers slid through her folds.

  “Done yet?” His voice was rough, so unlike the polished picture he presented the world.

  “What?” The word was practically a whimper as he expertly avoided her clit.

  Jayden kissed her shoulder.

  “Are you,” he kissed the juncture of shoulder and neck, “done yet?”

  “Oh my God. You are infuriating, do you know that?” She clutched the pen.

  Jayden’s hand slid back between her legs. He pressed one digit to her opening.

  “You are the worst,” she muttered and forced herself to focus on the paper. “Your presence is requested at my place of residence tonight for dinner and making out, heavy petting and fucking. Kindly fuck me now, Brandi.”

  She slammed the pen down just as Jayden hauled her back flush to his front. He kissed her cheek, the corner of her mouth, everywhere he could reach, all while knuckles deep in her pussy.

  Brandy covered her breasts in an effort to cut back on the stimulation, but even her hands felt good.

  Jayden turned her. She pried her eyes open just enough to look at him. She whimpered at the loss of his touch.

  “You are so very beautiful,” he muttered as he pulled her hands from her chest.

  She tightened her hold on him. “Bed. Now.”

  He could be fancy with his complete sentences. She did not care so long as he got very naked very soon.

  Brandi walked backward, Jayden following.

  The duplex had three bedrooms. Nicole had taken the master bedroom this time, which meant that Brandi’s bedroom was the first door on the right.

  “This has to go.” She grabbed the slim belt circling his hips and yanked the tail free.

  Brandi got the button of his slacks undone, then shoved pants and underwear down. She froze as his cock sprang free.

  Holy mother of...

  Jayden tugged on her hair, forcing her head back as he walked into her, backing her toward the bed. He kicked out of his shoes and clothes, all while kissing her. She lost her panties in the handful of feet. At the very last moment Brandi pivoted. Jayden shifted with her, but that was exactly what she wanted.

  Brandi pushed at his shoulders and he sat down on the edge of the bed. Just where she wanted him.

  Grinning, she wrapped her hand around his cock and stroked.

  Jayden groaned and grasped her wrist.

  “None of that right now,” he said in a strained voice.

  “You’re no fun.” She gave him a gentle squeeze then reached for the nightstand.

  Brandi might have chosen to say no to relationships, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t prepared. She pulled a condom out from a box tucked into her nightstand.

  “You are a saint,” Jayden said.

  She arched a brow. “What? Not prepared?”

  “No.”

  Brandi paused.

  There was something so refreshing about him. At every corner she found something else to like.

  Jayden took the condom from her and ripped it open. He rolled it on with quick, efficient moves.

  While she was taking in the moment, admiring every ridge of muscle, Jayden took advantage of her distraction. He wrapped an arm around her and tossed her onto the mattress.

  She sputtered her surprise.

  Jayden followed her, pinning her to the mattress and twining their fingers together.

  “Something wrong?” he asked.

  “I wanted to be on top,” she muttered, though right about now she was willing to negotiate.

  Jayden shook his head.

  She arched her back and watched his gaze stray lower. “You’d like me on top.”

  “I’m pretty sure I’d like you anywhere.”

  Brandi grinned and twined her arms around his shoulders. “You have to fuck me now.”

  “Someone isn’t very patient.”

  “No. No, I’m not.”

  He sighed. “Fine.”

  Jayden eased up just enough for her to slip her hand between them. She watched his eyes widen as she grasped his cock. Their eyes met and everything else faded away.

  He pressed against her entrance.

  Jayden clutched her other hand tight, and then he moved. It was a gentle thrust at first. She was so damn wet he slid deeper than she was truly ready for.

  They both gasped and stilled as sensation reigned.

  Brandi couldn’t help closing her eyes against his gaze. It was too much intimacy given how he was stretching and filling her. She squeezed his hand back and wrapped her leg around his thigh for better leverage. He dropped kisses on her chest and shoulders, never missing an opportunity.

  Jayden rolled his hips, sinking in a little bit more. She gasped and felt as though she’d reached her breaking point.

  A hand covered her breast. He slid fingers over her too sensitive nipple.

  “You feel so good. So damn good,” he muttered.

  Has she ever heard him curse?

  It was an odd thought, all things considered, but there it was.

  “Brandi?” He swiped his thumb over her hand where they were still clasped above her head.

  “Yes?” She took a deep breath, drawing in his cologne, the fabric softener from her sheets, sweat and sex.

  The hand at her breast rose to cup her face. “You okay?”

  “Yeah, it’s just been a minute.”

  A muscle at the corner of his jaw twitched. “We can stop.”

  She barked a laugh.

  She couldn’t help it.

  He frowned at her.

  She slid her hand down to his hips and hugged him to her. “There is no way in hell you’re stopping.”

  His shoulders sagged a bit. “Good.”

  Brandi kissed him. He kissed her back, his tongue making love to her.

  And then he moved, gliding in and out. He clenched her hand and with the other cupped her face, giving her no choice but to look at him. The only light they had was from the hall, but it was enough for her to see him clearly.

  It was as if he could look into her heart, her very soul.

  Her orgasm took her by surprise, jettisoning her over the edge. Her spine arched up off the bed and she shouted something incoherent as pleasure rippled through her, so intense a single tear leaked from one eye. Jayden held her close, his pace never faltering.

  She dug her nails into his hand and shoulder, holding on as the wave of sensation seemed to crest.

  “Brandi!” he shouted right before he tensed and stilled, shudders wracking his body as he came.

  She blew out a breath and felt as though she sank even farther into the mattress.

  Holy shit.

  Holy fucking shit.

  She hadn’t had sex in a while, probably close to a year now if she had to count off months. It could be that her body was so overly sensitive. But that wasn’t giving credit where it was due.

  Jayden was better than okay in bed. By a long shot. If she had to guess, he’d applied that same thoroughness of his to mastering pleasure.

  He kissed her cheek and pried his fingers from around her palm.

  They were completel
y wrapped around each other.

  There wasn’t any weirdness either. At least not the usual first time awkwardness she was used to. This was...comfortable.

  That was not what this was supposed to be. Not at all.

  JAYDEN’S HEAD SWAM. He knew he should move, and yet he wanted to remain right where he was.

  Brandi fit him. He fit her. This, the connection, was what he’d been hunting. No, this Amazon woman with the fierce heart wasn’t what he’d been looking for, but experience had taught him he didn’t always know what he needed.

  This, right here with her? It was special, and he wanted to keep it. Her. Them together.

  As perfect as that sounded, he doubted it would be an easy sell to Brandi. He hadn’t intended for them to fall into bed. All he’d wanted to do was talk. But as with everything involving Brandi, they’d blasted forward. Always moving. Always doing.

  The silence stretched on, no longer as easy as it had once been.

  He brushed Brandi’s hair off her cheek, already missing that connection.

  “You can use the hall bath.” She glanced at the door.

  “Thanks,” he muttered.

  It was time.

  They were physically connected, but she was pulling back and he didn’t know how to stop it.

  Jayden grit his teeth and eased their bodies apart. Brandi gasped and hugged herself.

  She really was beautiful, inside and out.

  He paused, committing her image to memory just as she was.

  Dark hair spread out over the pillows. Her cheeks sunken in as she struggled with sensory overload, eyes mostly shut. Her chin was tipped up just a tiny bit. The way her arms were wrapped around her plumped her breasts, but he only saw the very edge of one dusky brown areola. Her mound was mostly hidden by the shadows cast by one knee, but he wouldn’t soon forget the feel of her soft skin.

  She was stunning, and he wanted her to be his. But he didn’t know how to make that happen. There were no standard rules of engagement for a woman like Brandi. She rewrote everything, and had no idea the chaos she created.

  He stood before she caught him staring.

  Their clothes were everywhere. The bedroom. The hall. All over the living room.

  He spent a moment gathering his clothes and hers. Somewhere in all that, Brandi disappeared from her bedroom. It stood to reason there was at least one other bathroom in the house.

  What was he going to do? What could he do to bring them back together?

  Jayden had no answer by the time he’d cleaned up in the bathroom. He opted to put on his jeans and the T-shirt he’d brought instead of his work clothes.

  With no plan in place, he exited the bathroom.

  The soft sounds of the TV added a layer that hadn’t been there before. He stepped into the living room and found Brandi standing in the kitchen frowning at something. She’d thrown on what looked like a T-shirt dress and her hair was up in a messy bun.

  She didn’t look at him as he came to stand opposite of her.

  Lying on the counter was a binder. Inside plastic sheet, protectors were menus.

  He couldn’t help but smile. That was a page out of his book. He didn’t have a binder of menus, just an expandable file folder with each menu kept alphabetically.

  “Anything I can do?” he asked to break the silence?

  “No, actually I was going to take tonight to catch up on my TV.” Her gaze finally rose. “That’s why I was trying to tell you to not come over tonight.”

  There was a decidedly hostile edge to her tone.

  He nodded. “I will do better in the future.”

  Her lips quirked into a not-quite-smile. “I’m sure you will.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Exactly what I said. I don’t have any doubt that you will avoid the same mistake twice. I’m not saying that as an attack. I’m annoyed I know it’s true.”

  “Oh.” Jayden had the bad feeling that things weren’t going his way right now. “Well, can I invite myself to stay? Maybe pick up dinner and hang out? Tell me about this promotion?”

  “No.” She titled her head a tiny bit. “I don’t think that is a good idea. I don’t think we should do whatever this was tonight again.”

  “Can we talk about it?”

  “To what end?” She threw her hands up in the air. “I’m not interested in a relationship right now. My plate is overflowing. I barely have time to myself to watch TV. A boyfriend or fuck buddy or whatever doesn’t have a place in my life right now. We were just blowing off steam.”

  “I don’t think we were.” He braced his hands on the counter and fixed her with his most serious stare. “If you’re honest with yourself, really honest, you know you felt something.”

  “Of course I did, but I’m not letting sex determine my decisions.”

  He clenched his jaw. She was showing off her stubborn streak. They could be good together. They’d both felt it. But he couldn’t make her want him.

  “Is this because of Nicole?” he asked.

  “No, but that doesn’t help your case. You come here trying to win her back, but end up fucking me instead?”

  He narrowed his gaze. Now she was being crass to get a rise out of him. “We did more than fucking.”

  Brandi scowled at him. She was back in Amazon mode. “We don’t know each other well enough for it to be anything more than a one-time fuck that isn’t going to happen again because you are leaving.”

  Yes, he knew aspects of the last few days were bad. He’d screwed up. Was that going to cost him this opportunity? Should he try to out-stubborn her? Or would that be proving her point? What did he do in a situation like this?

  He tapped his knuckles on the counter.

  Was he going to leave and just hope she called him again?

  “I know you’re stubborn. Passionate. Hard working. Determined. You’ve got a big heart. You’re right, though.” He steeled himself and looked deep into her hazel eyes. “We did just meet. That doesn’t mean what we have isn’t special.”

  “But here’s the thing, I’m not looking for anything from you. Nothing, understand?” Her tone was steel.

  She was freezing him out.

  He couldn’t fight it. Not if he wanted to see her again.

  So he made the calculated decision to leave. He nodded at her, gathered his things and let himself out without another word. She’d made herself as clear as possible and it was time for him to do the hard thing and listen to what she was saying she needed from him.

  Jayden stalked out to his car and pulled out his phone.

  At a time like this, he needed his brother. Asher. Maybe he’d know what to do.

  Jayden got into the car and hit dial. The phone rang through the speakers all of once before voicemail picked up. Frowning, he hung up and dialed again. Only this time it didn’t ring at all.

  Wash Asher ignoring him? Why?

  Jayden punched another recently dialed number and eased the car onto the street, heading away from Brandi’s house.

  “What’s up, brother?” Axl muttered.

  Jayden glanced at the clock. “Did I wake you up?”

  “Nah. What’s up?”

  “You home?”

  “Just got here. Wizard needs food badly.”

  “What?”

  “Never mind.” Axl chuckled.

  “What if I grabbed a pizza and swung by?”

  “I’d say you were the best brother ever.”

  “Be there in twenty. Can you put the order in and I’ll pay?”

  “Sure thing.”

  Jayden hung up, grateful that he’d caught Axl at home.

  Twenty minutes later, Jayden nudged the front door of Axl’s apartment open while juggling pizza and a six pack.

  “You left the door open,” Jayden said.

  Axl’s voice came from the vicinity of the sofa. “I did that so I wouldn’t have to get up.”

  “Lazy ass fool.”

  Axl barked a laug
h, and Jayden chuckled.

  Out of all the brothers, Axl was far from the laziest. If he was this tired, it was no joke.

  Jayden put the beer in the fridge, then locked the door. Axl lived in a decent part of town. Nothing close to where either of them had spent their earliest years. It never hurt to be careful, though.

  The apartment was tidy, if a bit sparse. There was possibly the largest commercially available TV, a sofa, some barstools and a sizeable desk. That was it.

  It was also interesting that while Axl’s general appearance could be described as hobo, his home was spotless enough to please Jayden.

  He grabbed two chilled beers, some plates and the box of pizza before heading to the sofa.

  Axl lay sprawled on his back, shaggy hair hiding half his face, and the beard the rest. “What brings you here?”

  “Move your feet.”

  He sat up and Jayden set the food on the coffee table.

  “So, what’s up? You haven’t stopped by in a while.” Axl asked.

  Jayden turned to face his brother. “Have you or anyone heard from Asher?”

  Axl scowled. “No. Maddox asked everyone. Mom. Dad. Sawyer. Luca. Kingston. Diego. The only boys at the house came after Asher was last by.”

  “Wait, what about JJ and his brother... Sam?”

  A smile tugged at the corners of Axl’s mouth. “Their parents picked them up two days ago.”

  “Seriously?” Asher blew out a breath.

  “Yeah.”

  “Damn. That’s great to hear. Man, really great. Wow.”

  Axl closed his eyes and smiled. “You should have seen their faces.”

  Most of the kids who came to the Fullilove house had families who still wanted them. Separation was never ideal, but sometimes parents had to focus on themselves. In the best cases, those parents got the chance to work out whatever they were going through or weather life’s trials then reunite their family. Reconciliation was what they all hoped happened for the boys who came to the Fullilove house. And every time a kid got to go home with their parents was a good day.

  “So, what’s up?” Axl asked.

  Jayden stared at the pizza. Where did he start? What did he say?

  His feelings about Brandi were swirling, intense and new.

  “Can we just...hang out?” he asked.

  “Of course, man. Where do you think Asher is? Or should we table that until later, too?”