Brother's Best Friend is Back

by Eva Luxe

  My last thoughts before I drifted off were perfect. I had a feeling I would sleep like a baby for the first time in a very long time.

  Chapter 18

  Hanson

  I woke up the next morning, still feeling satisfied. More than satisfied. Happier than I’d been in a long time.

  Lacey had mentioned she’d needed to get up early and do some work. I guess she had decided to let me sleep in a bit.

  I got dressed, feeling like a million bucks, and headed to the training facility. Brian was already in the gym when I arrived.

  “Do you sleep here?” I asked. “You’re always eating up that treadmill when I get here.”

  “It’s a stress release,” Brian said, breathing hard in between words. “Not all of us can fuck women to relax.”

  I shrugged. It was relaxing. “You could if you wanted to.”

  Brian didn’t answer. His feet slamming into the treadmill was the only sound between us for a while, while I stretched out my muscles to warm them up.

  I couldn’t get her off my mind. It kept flashing on Lacey’s face and her body. I didn’t usually think twice about the women I’d slept with. Once we were done, that was it.

  Lacey was different, though. Not just in bed, but intellectually and emotionally. I wanted to see her again.

  Of course, I didn’t have much of a choice in that. She was my PR Manager, and we would still be working together for a while. That made me happier than it should have. The thought of seeing her again was just as satisfying as the sex had been.

  What the fuck has gotten into me?

  When I was done stretching, I hopped onto the leg machine and started my sets. It wouldn’t be long now until I would be back on the field, and I wanted to be ready.

  Brian finally switched off the treadmill and stepped off, breathing hard.

  “Why are you in such a good mood?” he asked.

  I looked at him, pumping my legs to my chest and down again.

  “Who can’t be happy about leg day, right?”

  Brian chuckled. “You got some, didn’t you?”

  I shrugged.

  “You’re an animal,” he said. “And another one bites the dust. Who was it? Or can’t you remember her name again?”

  I didn’t answer him. A part of me didn’t want him to know that I’d slept with Lacey, now that it had gone that far. Maybe it was because I cared about her enough to want to see her again. Maybe it was because I didn’t know what I was feeling about it, yet.

  Or rather, I knew exactly what I was feeling but I didn’t know what all it meant just yet. And I certainly didn’t want to admit that to anyone, not even Brian.

  Maybe I didn’t want him to think she was just another piece of ass. As much as I didn’t understand it, that was how I felt. I had no idea what I felt, but I didn’t feel that she was disposable.

  “Fine, if you don’t want to give me the dirty details, I’ll talk football.”

  I shook my head. “Bite me, Brian,” I said.

  He laughed. “Seriously, though. We need you back on the team. We’re barely pulling through.”

  I nodded. “That last game was a close one, but you still won.”

  “I think it was all because of the injury. On the other team. Otherwise, we would have had our asses handed to us.”

  I nodded. I hadn’t watched the game. And my head hadn’t been in the game lately, since I’d been so focused on Lacey. I’d only caught the highlights, but I knew what he was talking about. The injury had been bad, and it had knocked their team morale down a little.

  “Well, it’s only one more game, and then I’m back in the lineup,” I said. “It will be over in no time at all, and then we can kick some ass again, you and me.”

  Brian nodded. “And with your new image, who knows how much support we’ll have now.”

  I stopped pushing weights and blinked at Brian. He grinned at me.

  “You’re a real dick,” I said.

  “I just want to give the children so much money to say I’m sorry for sleeping around so much,” Brian said in a mocking voice.

  I grabbed my water bottle and threw it in his direction. He laughed, ducking away.

  “Hey, it was a pansy move, in my opinion, but the press ate that shit up. Your mysterious PR girl must have been right about her advice. And I was right to tell you to talk to the reporter. Did you see the article?”

  I shook my head. I had stopped reading the news about myself a long time ago. It was only ever bad.

  “You should. They’re painting you as a hero.”

  Lacey had said they liked heroes, not winners. With her, I had won, though. If the rest of them wanted to see me as a hero, cool. But with Lacey, I’d scored. But the last thing I planned to do was let Brian in on just how much I’d been thinking about her.

  Chapter 19

  Hanson

  “Have you heard from Coach yet?” Brian asked.

  I shook my head. “I didn’t think I would.”

  “At some point, he’s going to bring up this amazing stunt you managed to pull off. That woman you’re working with is good, even if she doesn’t put out.”

  I chuckled. I didn’t mention that putting out was exactly what she’d done.

  “I think she’s good for you,” Brian said.

  I couldn’t argue with that. Brian and I had different opinions about a lot of things. There was a reason I was known as the ass and the irresponsible guy on the team, and Brian quite the opposite.

  But this was something I would agree with him on. Lacey was good for me. I wasn’t sure how good yet. That remained to be seen. But I was excited to find out.

  When we were done, I walked to the locker room and grabbed my bag. A few of the team members were present, and they all looked at me. I half-expected a snide comment or a rude gesture. They hadn’t been very friendly toward me lately, but neither had anyone pulled any tricks like they had the other day.

  No one said anything now though. They all just stared.

  “What?” I asked.

  They turned back to whatever they were doing. I shook my head and walked to the showers. I was a part of the team, but I always felt a little left out, especially now that I’d been suspended for a while. We were loyal to each other on the field, but off it, it wasn’t the same thing.

  When I was done showering, I grabbed my bags and headed to my car. I pulled out my phone and dialed Lacey’s number.

  “How you doing, you sexy thing?” I asked.

  “Please, call me Lacey,” she said tightly.

  Right, she was in the office.

  “Lacey,” I said.

  I preferred to call her by any number of nicknames that came to the top of my head. Baby, beautiful, you sexy thing. But if she wanted to play it this way, okay.

  “I need you to come with me to Jackson Memorial on Friday,” she said. “They want you to come to the children’s wing and spend some time with the kids, hand out some signatures, that kind of thing. After your big donation, they want to do something to thank you.”

  “This Friday?” I asked

  “Yes, it would be good if you do this before you go back to the game.”

  I shrugged. “I guess I can make it. I only had gym on the agenda. I’m making sure I’m staying in shape.”

  “Good,” she said. “If we can go just after lunchtime, that will be great.”

  She ignored the comment about my body. There I was wanting to find out if she was reminiscing about last night as much as I was, but she was all business today, uptight and stiff. It made me want to do something to help her relax, something that had to do with my dick.

  My body throbbed in response to the thoughts of seeing her naked and doing things to her body.

  “It won’t interfere with your training schedule?” she asked.

  “I thought you told me to jump, and I had to ask how high,” I said.

  “That’s not how it works between us, and this isn’t the same thing as the charity event. Our wor
k can’t interfere with your career, but it can, and should, take over your social life. For now, at least.

  “Right,” I said. “Well, speaking of how things work between us. Have you thought about yesterday? Because I’m thinking about yesterday all the time.”

  “I’m in the office,” she said.

  “That’s okay. I can imagine a few ways to put that desk of yours to good use.”

  She sighed, sounding a bit torn. I guess I was tempting her a bit too much; I should ease up on the teasing.

  “I can’t even respond to that, Hanson,” she said. “I have to go. I have a lot to do today.”

  “Don’t go yet,” I said. “Why are you so uptight about this? You don’t want to talk about it?”

  “Not in the office, no. And the last time I tried to talk about it, it didn’t go exactly as planned.”

  I smiled. It had gone exactly as I had planned. When Lacey had invited me to lunch, sounding so serious about the talk she wanted to have, I had known exactly what she’d wanted to say. The truth was, I hadn’t wanted her to say it. I had just wanted her.

  When she’d started talking to me, her body had told me everything her mouth wasn’t telling me. I’d kissed her because she’d wanted more. Because I’d wanted more.

  God, every time I thought about her, I wanted more, all over again.

  “So, do you want to come over, and we can talk about it later?” I asked.

  “I’m not your booty call,” she said, almost in a whisper.

  I smiled. I liked the sound of it, but it wasn’t exactly how I saw her. No, a booty call was someone who made it easy to fuck them. Lacey was increasingly difficult and very unpredictable. She was the furthest thing from a booty call.

  “I’m not going to be able to see you until Friday, at the hospital,” she said.

  “Oh, come on. You can’t make a small space for me, not even after work?”

  Why was she so different when we weren’t together?

  I supposed that when it was her and me, she could let loose and be herself. But at work she had a certain image to maintain, just like she was always telling me to do.

  I imagined her shaking her head, her lips pursed together, and her face serious. I could get her to relax and get the serious mask to slip. I knew what those lips looked like, rounded in a silent scream when she orgasmed. I knew what they tasted like, too.

  “I’m sorry, Hanson,” she said. “I’ll see you on Friday. Double check your schedule, and let me know if the afternoon suits you. If it gets in the way of your training, I will see what I can do to move it with the hospital.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” I said. “The afternoon works for me. If I don’t manage to fit in my training, I can always think of another way you and I can get in some exercise.”

  The line went dead. She’d hung up on me. I chuckled and pocketed my phone.

  I knew she’d only hung up on me because she had wanted to keep talking to me all day long. She was fighting off feelings for me, but in the end, her most basic desires would win out.

  Holy shit, her stubborn attitude and her hard-to-get ways got me hot under the collar. When she was like this, it just made me want her more. The more she pushed against me, the more I wanted her. And then things happened like the dining room table being repurposed and the limousine becoming somewhere I would consider having sex.

  We hadn’t done it there. It had been nothing more than a kiss. But I could arrange for that to change.

  I wanted her anywhere I could have her.

  Friday, we would go to the hospital, and I would play hero again. And then, afterward, I would take her to my place and show her my super powers. I was eager to be inside of her again. My cock throbbed in anticipation.

  Man, it was going to be a long week.

  Chapter 20

  Lacey

  On the last Wednesday of every month, Kina and I went out. Sometimes life got so busy that if we didn’t have a standing arrangement, we wouldn’t see each other for weeks on end. So we made sure to keep this routine unless something really urgent or important came up.

  We always met at Jada Cole’s, where they had cocktails and live music, and a very unassuming atmosphere. Unlike some of the hang outs in this city, you didn’t have to act pretentious to be there. After spending all day every day teaching people to pretend, coming here was always a nice break away from the rat race.

  Jada Cole’s had wooden panel walls and tiled floors with a bar along the one side, a stage on the other, and wooden tables and chairs in the middle. Kina and I sat at the bar. It was easier and quicker to get our hands on alcohol that way, and the bartender knew us well enough to make anyone who bothered us go away.

  Not only did we have a regular meeting spot and a regular meet up date, but we also had regular drinks. We always kicked the night off with mojitos. Tonight, we talked about work, ranted about stupid bosses, and drank another round of mojitos before we ordered tequila. After that, we always got serious.

  “So, are you still flying solo, or have you decided on your new fling, yet?” Kina asked. “It’s been awhile since Luke now.”

  I shook my head. “Not long enough.” I thought about Hanson, but he didn’t count. What I’d done with him, although fantastic, had been a mistake.

  “Just casual one-night stands for now,” I said.

  “Yeah, me too,” Kina said. I ordered a Cosmo. Kina raised her eyebrows. “You’re mixing a lot, tonight. This is going to get you fucked.”

  I shrugged. “Sometimes it’s good to let loose, right?”

  The Cosmo arrived. Kina had ordered another mojito. She was being careful.

  “I guess so,” she said. “I think it depends on how far you go.”

  “Like sleeping with Hanson?” I asked.

  Kina blinked at me.

  “You slept with Hanson?” she asked.

  I shrugged. I sucked on the little straw that came with the cocktail. My head spun slowly, my veins were on fire, and I couldn’t feel my legs. The latter was because of the tequila. I also had an urgent need for sex. That would be the alcohol in general.

  “Are you being serious?” Kina asked. “I thought you said—”

  “I know, I know,” I said, interrupting her. “But he was hot as hell, and he kissed me, and I couldn’t help it. He’s fucking good, too.”

  Kina raised her eyebrows. “The way you’re sucking on that straw as if you’re trying not to burst while you tell me all of this, it has to be more than just good sex.”

  I frowned. “What do you mean?”

  Kina shook her head. “Nothing. It just seems dangerous. Doesn’t it? Won’t that screw up your business relationship with him? Or even your business in general? You know the reputation he has.”

  I shook my head. “You know I can hide this shit, right?” I spoke with the straw clenched between my teeth in the corner of my mouth. “This is what I do for a living. Besides, it’s not like it’s going to happen again.”

  I didn’t know if I believed myself. I didn’t get the feeling Kina believed me, either.

  “I’ve heard this before,” she said.

  “When?” I asked.

  “On Saturday, when you’d told me you wouldn’t sleep with him the first time.”

  Oh. Right. I shook my head.

  “I mean it,” I said.

  Kina sipped her cocktail a lot slower than I drank mine.

  “What was he like?” she asked after a beat.

  I grinned. I’d known she would ask. She was curious. It was the famous Hanson Bell we were talking about, after all.

  “Big. He knew what he was doing. A little rough, but in a nice way.”

  Kina shook her head, smiling. “He would be good at it. He’s been with a lot of women, Lacey. Doesn’t that bother you?”

  I shook my head. “I’ve been with enough men of my own. Casual sex has a way of increasing one’s numbers, and you know that the only kind of sex I have is casual.”

  Kina laughed, but I
couldn’t help correcting myself in my head, to the past tense.

  The only kind of sex I used to have was casual.

  Of course, I wasn’t going to say that out loud. If Kina was already this disapproving, she’d never want to hear how far I’d let a fantasy play out in my mind.

  “So, who am I to judge?” I asked her, keeping the conversation on surface things.

  It wasn’t like I loved the guy or anything. What he did with his life had nothing to do with me.

  Even as I thought it, I knew it was just something I was telling myself. Kina was right. I was in too deep. I was fucked.

  “I can’t believe you slept with one of the Florida Sharks’ players,” Kina said.

  I shook my head. “Technically, I didn’t, because he’s suspended.”

  Kina rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that makes all the difference.”

  I chuckled.

  When we finally left, I was a lot drunker than I’d meant to be. When I stood, I felt all the alcohol. My balance was questionable, and my skin burned.

  “I got you,” Kina said when she saw me stumble. She put her arm around my waist, and we walked outside together. She hailed a cab and helped me in.

  “You’re not coming?” I asked.

  She shook her head. I nodded, not trying to argue or ask why not. She gave the driver my address and closed the door, shutting me in.

  “Be safe!” she called through the window.

  I waved at her when the cab pulled away. There was barely any traffic, and we slid through the streets. I was hot and bothered. I was horny. Alcohol made me think about sex, and Hanson was on my mind.

  I scissored my legs and touched my collarbone. I needed attention. I needed to be touched, and not by myself when I got home.

  “Change of destination,” I said to the driver.

  I gave him Hanson’s address, which I was ashamed to say I had memorized from his file, and he turned around, heading in the other direction. I couldn’t believe I was doing this. But drunk Lacey’s brain was taking over and doing what normal Lacey’s body wanted.