“No, dirty girl, no,” he says, a hint of sadness and despair coming through.
I pout and slump my shoulders. I’m ready. I look down at him. He’s obviously ready. What the hell?
I cross my arms around myself and retreat inside my brain.
“Don’t,” Duane says in a forceful yet pleading voice, “Don’t do that. Ann. You know how I feel about you.” He grasps my hand to place it on his long and still very hard cock. “You can see what you do to me, but I’m not going to fuck you on the bathroom sink. At least,” his eyes sparkle, “not yet.”
My breathing spikes again and lust fills my senses full force. I’m about to succumb to my wave of passion when Duane roughly slaps wet my ass with his hand. I shake my head to erase my naughty-filled thoughts, and bite my lip. Those thoughts aren’t going anywhere, but I can put them in a drawer and attempt to forget about them.
Moving a wet piece of hair out of my face, I give him my best smile. “Okay, you win. No fucking on the bathroom sink.”
Duane quickly brings his lips to mine. “Good girl,” he murmers.
Grabbing a towel from the rack behind me, he slowly, and with exact precision, dries me off. I’ve never been so thoroughly dried in my life.
I turn to the mirror and wipe the condensation off with my hand. Duane sneaks up and loops his arms around my body, which is wrapped snuggly with the towel he enfolded around me.
“You know what the best part about this morning is?” He asks, chin on my shoulder.
I lift an eyebrow at him in question, but say nothing.
He snickers into my shoulder, and kisses, ever so sweetly.
“That Liv is downstairs probably throwing a fit, and you have to deal with it.” He gives my bum one last slap and hauls ass out of the bathroom, retreating before I can respond to his jab.
My bedroom fills with the sounds of his howling laughter.
Damn him. Prick-face.
I huff in annoyance, but know he’s right. I’m never going to live this down. I swiftly turn to my phone and notice that we’ve been in here messing around for forty-five minutes.
She’s going to kill me.
“See you tonight, baby,” Duane calls from my room.
He’s cleared the door when I poke my head out. “Hey, you!” I call to him.
He grabs the doorframe and peeks his head back in. “Yeah, sweet girl?”
I walk out of the bathroom, hands on my hips. “You better not be leaving without a kiss.”
He plays with his bottom lip again, and walks toward me with purpose. When he reaches me, he pulls the towel from my body and gives me a once over.
My mouth twists, and I lift my eyebrows. “Like what you see, Cowboy?” I tease him.
He pulls my body to his, and lifts me under my ass to coax my legs around his middle.
“Fuck yes, I love what I see,” he says, a little breathless.
I give him a little squeeze with my lower half, which earns me a low growl. “Well then, kiss me,” I say again.
He obliges while Liv shouts my name from downstairs.
We ignore her.
The bounce in my step is irrevocably noticeable all day long. I can’t count how many times Liv rolled her eyes at my giddiness.
“Sweet mercy, woman,” Liv exasperates as I sashay by her, for the hundredth time. “Please give me whatever you’re taking. I want some.”
I snicker over my shoulder and mouth, “Duane.”
Liv fans herself and mutters, “I need to get me one of those. Damn delicious lawyer man.” She stops in her tracks. “Wait, does he have a brother?” She shouts from across the shop.
I’m standing at the cash register and she’s tending to a couple regulars seated near the glass storefront. Her outburst makes them laugh. I put my hands on the counter with a slap; they really shouldn’t encourage her. I give them stern looks and glare at Liv. She’s making her way to my side behind the counter.
As she approaches, in a hushed tone, I answer, “Yes, he has a brother, but he’s younger.”
Liv, less subtle, shrugs her shoulder and jokes, “How young? Like I’d have to tuck him in bed at night, young?”
My customers hoot laughter, and I sputter, trying to find an answer.
“No, dillhole, he’s like twenty one. No tucking required,” I answer, wondering why I’m giving her any type of encouragement to begin with.
She taps her blood-red fingernails on the glass countertop in thought. “He’s only a few years younger than me. I can handle a little fresh meat. I want to meet him,” she decides.
The customers exit with a wave, leaving us alone in the shop. “You want to meet him, or meat him?” I joke.
Taking no time, she answers, “Yes to both. It’s been ages since I’ve been meated.” A sly smile stretches across her face. “Only if he looks like Duane, though. Hot damn, he is tasty.”
I hip bump her and we giggle with each other like a couple of teenagers as we move to clear the now-empty tables.
When we control our laughter and wipe our eyes of laugh-happy tears, I say. “I’ve yet to meet Mr. Rynard Jr., but I imagine he’s a looker. He’s Duane’s brother after all.”
Liv breathes out in bliss. “Yeah. So, double date tonight? Call the guys, have them come over and we’ll all hang together.”
I look down at my watch. It’s almost five.
“Liv, we are supposed to have our first official date tonight. Can we take a rain check so we—”
Liv’s shakes her head before I can finish my thought.
Stubborn ass.
“No. Come on, let’s have some fun. You can have your flowery, candles-and-wine date another night. Liv needs something fun to do.”
“You mean someone to do,” I deadpan, “and quit talking in the third person, you weirdo. It’s creepy.”
I should have kept my big mouth shut, I don’t know how I’ll get out of this.
Always tell her that the brother is a teenager. She’ll run screaming for shelter.
She puts a hand on her hip and gives me a firm look. “Liv loves talking in the third person when she knows it pisses you off, you noob. So shut up and let me do it.”
The woman is incorrigible. I scoff at her theatrics and concede. “Fine, you suck, but I’ll do this for you, since you are obviously hard up.”
Liv walks around the counter to clean a table and says, “You have no idea,” she flips me off, her signature style, “and thanks for bringing it up.”
I give her a fake-guilty grin. “Anytime, best friend. Anytime.”
She rolls her eyes. “Just because you are sort of getting some doesn’t mean you have to rub it in.” She pouts with a playful smile.
She’s totally egging me on.
I relent, like the damn pushover I am. “Ugh!” I grunt. “Fine, you ass. I’ll call Duane and see what he says,” I stop to point my finger into her chest, “but if Aiden is busy, or Duane isn’t down for the stupid double-date thing, it’s off. Got it?”
She smiles, entertained by me, but knowing she’s won.
I could tackle her right now. Smug wanker.
“You are a total dillhole, you know? Stop smiling at me like that.” I devilishly grin at her.
She bites her nail and flashes her puppy-dog eyes. “What? I’m not looking at you any sort of way.” Her short blonde hair only adds to her innocence.
I turn for the stairwell. Might as well call Duane now. He’ll need some time to get Aiden figured out. “I’m going up stairs!” I holler. “Try not to burn down the place while I’m gone.”
A large object buzzes by my head and I quickly turn to face Liv, eyes wide in accusation. She almost hit me! “Seriously?” I question, picking up the cookie cutter.
A heart. So not appropriate.
I heave it back at her.
She sidesteps the cookie cutter and points at me. “That wasn’t funny the first time you said it and it’s still not funny.” Narrowing her eyes, she folds her arms. “Go call our men and
let me know. I’ll close up.”
With that, she puts on her happy face and goes about closing the shop.
My best friend, ladies and gentlemen.
I pull out my iPhone and dial Duane’s number. He answers, but it’s briefly muffled. There’s laughter in the background, and then finally hear his voice.
“Hi, sweet girl,” he greets me.
Before I can say anything back, the noisy background seems to grow louder.
“No,” he says to someone in the background, “it’s my girlfriend.” He chuckles and, much quieter, adds, “Yes, the redhead. Jesus, Matt. I’ll show you a picture later.”
I’m laughing and slightly confused. What the hell is going on?
“I’m sorry, baby. Hi.” He breathes softly into the phone.
Butterflies soar in my belly, and I Disney-sigh. I’m full-on princess meets her prince, right now.
Opening the door to the loft, I walk to the kitchen and perch myself on a chair at the island. “Did I interrupt? Are you in a meeting?” I ask. I didn’t even think he might actually be busy.
Face palm.
“Shut the hell up, Matt,” Duane grumbles. “Hold on, Red. I’m going to step outside. These guys are dickheads.” The sounds of swishing and swirling echo through the speaker, so I wait. A door finally clicks and Duane returns. “Hi, again.”
I may not be able to see him, but I know he’s smiling.
My insides settle, and I grin. “Hi, yourself.”
He laughs. “What’s up, Red? Everything okay?”
I bite my lip, trying to rationalize the fact I’m about to cancel our night because Liv wants a new hot piece—in the form of my boyfriend’s younger brother. Insert gag here. God, why am I doing this again?
I groan and cover my face with my hand. Bringing it down slowly, I take my time spitting the words out. “Liv wants to meet your brother.”
Duane stutters unrecognizable words before managing, “She—she what? She wants to meet my brother? Why?”
For real? How do I answer that?
He sounds confused. I don’t blame him. Liv is so going to get a swift kick in the ass for making me do this.
I rack my brain. “Uhhh—.” I can’t think! “Uhhh—.”
Dammit, why didn’t I think about this before? Of course he’d want to know why. It makes sense. I would want to know, too. I can’t just tell him my best friend has the hots for him and wants to get her jollies by meating his younger brother. Holy hell, I’m an awful person.
Think!
I’ve got absolutely nothing.
Nada.
Zilch.
Shit.
Ahh, to hell with it.
“Sweet Lord, Duane. I’m just going to say it.” I pound on my forehead with the pad of my hand. “Liv likes you, or at least thinks you’re hot. I mean…if she liked you for real, I’d kick her ass. She thinks Aiden will be gorgeous because, well, you two are related, and she wants to know if you’ll bring him over tonight.”
Oh my God, I’m rambling. Shut up, Ann. Do I have an IDIOT sign on my forehead? I should probably go look in the mirror to make sure.
Did I just hear crickets on the other end of the line?
I begin to open my big mouth to start apologizing when Duane bursts into a fit of laughter.
He’s laughing? Oh, thank all that is holy.
I guess it is kind of funny—in a weird way. It’s also kind of wrong, right? I don’t know any more. They are both two adults, so if they hit it off, who am I to say no? I haven’t even met the kid and I’m already defending him. Poor Aiden, mama-bear Ann needs to simmer herself.
“Red, baby,” he sputters amusement, “shit, this is funny. Alright, well, if she wants to get together with him, I guess that’s fine.” He snorts. “We can ditch them.”
Ditch them? Why hadn’t I thought of that? Simple, yet effective. I like it.
I smile into the phone. “I like the sound of that,” I say seductively.
Thinking about being alone with Duane gets me uncomfortably hot and bothered. Damn him and his sexual magnitude.
Duane’s breathing hitches a bit, catching my drift. “Me too. Fuck, Ann.” He takes a second and clears his throat, trying to shake off the excitement that is yet to come. “Alright. Moving on. Thank you for the instant boner, by the way,” he says in an overly-sweet tone I know too well as of late.
Blue balls, anyone? Oops.
“Let me get back to my meeting and I’ll see you in about an hour.” The sound of the door clicking again breaks through his voice. “Aiden actually called me earlier asking to hang out. I told him I was busy with you, but damn fate stepped in, I guess.”
Don’t let Liv hear that. Liv is not fate. She’s horny. Big difference.
I look around the loft. It’s so not date ready for two damn couples. “Okay, Cowboy. I’ll wrangle Liv and we’ll get ready. I’ll order in, and we can watch a movie or something. Dammit. I had such a fun night planned,” I say in a clipped tone.
“Sweet girl,” Duane soothes, “tonight is going to be perfect no matter what happens, okay? Being together on any day, whether it’s with my kid brother or just us, is a good day.”
He is officially the adult in the relationship.
Adoration and joy spreads throughout my body. His words hit straight home.
I stand from the chair with a sense of ease. Duane’s words of reality make me realize I should be happy simply being with him. And I am—so damn happy.
“You’re right,” I chime in. “I can’t wait to see you. Hurry, okay?”
“You know it, Red. Bye, baby.”
I blush at the love in his voice and end the call.
I quickly text Liv.
Me: Dear Dillhole, we are on for the double date. Close up shop and get your ass up here. Xoxo
Not twenty seconds later I get a text and hear faint screeching downstairs. I giggle while I walk around, picking up as I go.
Liv: Hell yeah, you noob! You did it. Closing up now. See you soon. Time to get sexy.
I snort at her text and head to my bedroom to get ready.
Forty-five minutes later, Liv and I are dressed and ready. Liv decided on an off-white vintage lace dress that cuts mid-thigh. With black pumps and red lipstick, her ensemble makes her look insanely dazzling.
She decided we’d be going out dancing at the last second, shooting down my dinner and a movie idea. Then, my so-called best friend forcefully shoved my skinny jeans and tank top into the dirty clothes hamper.
“You cannot wear that to a club, Ann!” She had shrieked, as if going to a sweat-and-alcohol-soaked club in jeans was a damn catastrophe.
I could have paired them with heels, right? That’s appropriate…right? Jesus, I have no clue about fashion. I’d wear my Converse dancing if I could. Lord knows my feet wouldn’t hurt after.
I turn to the mirror one last time assessing my outfit. I already tried on five inappropriate dresses from Liv’s closet before we finally agreed on the one I’m now wearing. I mean, come on, I can’t successfully dance with my boobs hanging out of my dress. I’d be worried about flashing a freaking nip for God sake. I don’t think Duane would be okay with other men oogling my bits either.
So, after ten minutes of bickering like a married couple, we decided on a dark green dress that hugs my curves, and brightens my red hair. The sleeves cut off right at my elbow, and the hem hits in the middle of my thighs. I’d complain it’s too short, but I get a little ecstatic knowing it’s going to drive Duane wild. He loves my thighs.
Of course, Liv had to do my makeup. With a smoky eye, pale pink lips and nude heels to top off the outfit, I think I look pretty damn hot. And I don’t say that often about myself.
I just think I’m…plain. Not striking. I don’t think I stand out in a crowd. The only thing that really sets me apart from every other woman on the street is my bright, natural red hair.
“Ready to go? The boys will be here any minute,” Liv says as she walks past my room.
It’s a few minutes to seven. Let the butterflies begin. I’m—well, I’m—I’m hopeful. Hopeful for what’s to come.
Am I planning on sexing him up later? No.
Liar, yes you are.
Okay, maybe just a little bit. And by a little bit, I mean I totally am.
Am I hoping that he’ll have a hard time concentrating on anything or anyone but me? Hell yes.
It’ll help with my masterful plan.
“Yeah,” I call out, “I’ll be just a sec.” I reach for my lotion and as I’m bending down to lotion around the ankles, I feel him—my skin tingles. I continue with my legs, knowing the show he’ll get if he comes to get me.
“Hey, you. Miss me?” Duane asks with a husky voice, almost strained.
I stand up straight and turn slowly to find him standing at the door. With grey slacks that hang perfectly on his hips, and a light button-down shirt, my mouth goes dry. Like, sandpaper, I-need-a-freaking-drink-of-water dry. Swallowing, I attempt to produce some damn moisture. It’s no use. It’s the Sahara Desert in my mouth.
Jesus.
Eyes wide, I drink him in.
My cowboy has some serious style.
Leaping into his arms, I breathe a sigh of relief, “Yes, of course I missed you.” Why am I relieved? Was I worried he’d change his mind?
Possibly.
A little.
Hey, I’m a woman.
Duane gulps and smiles. “Good.”
Smirking, he looks into my eyes then presses his lips to my forehead making my breath shallow. How can such a simple gesture seem so intimate? My legs turn to Jell-O and my heart starts to race.
I love this feeling.
Duane pushes me an arm’s length away and his eyes sparkle. From head to toe, he assesses my every—asset, and I revel in the lust showing though his eyes. He licks his lips and closes his eyes in pain when he sees where my dress ends and my legs begin.
I touch his cheek in a comforting gesture. “You alright, Cowboy?” I toy a bit.
He groans and pushes against my hand forcefully. “You’re a damn minx, you know that, Red? A fucking minx.” He places a kiss on my hand. “You look absolutely stunning. I’m going to be the luckiest guy in the bar tonight.” He drags his hands to my hips.
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