by E. K. Blair
Between my thighs, I was wet and throbbing, where I wanted his lips.
“This is wrong.” He moved from one strawberry to the next leaving a trail of kisses in his wake. By the time he’d finished his hands were on my naked butt, having smoothed them up my legs and up past the bottom of my shorts. His cheek was resting against my stomach. I was falling for this guy.
I stroked down to his neck and the top of his shoulders. He let out a sigh as I continued to – soothe him, I guess. Jack seemed to need some comfort. Darn it, but he probably never got any from his family or even his fiancée. In fact the latter seemed more like an arranged marriage than one of love.
Jack started to pull back, standing he met my eyes, and then reaching out, he caressed my face. “You have me tied in knots. I’ve missed you so damn much these past couple of weeks. I don’t know what the fuck to do about it.”
He took a deep breath. “I’ve tried keeping my distance, but here we are. I’m getting married, Thalia, nothing can happen between us – it would hurt us both too much in the end.” He laughed. “Hell, what am I saying? You’re my brother’s girl. I shouldn’t even be touching you. There’s just something...” He shook his head and rested his forehead against mine.
My hands quivered as I placed them on his hips. “I’m not his girl,” I whispered.
His eyes met mine.
“We went out a few times, but prefer to be friends. He asked me to pretend to be his girl while I’m here.”
He smiled. “Probably so Mom doesn’t start throwing every available woman at him. She can be such a pain in the ass. You probably shouldn’t have told me that.”
I took a deep breath and reached up to run the back of my hand along his cheek to his jaw. “I better go back into the bedroom.”
“Yeah,” Jack agreed.
Neither of us moved.
My hand started to trace the outer edges of the eagle on his chest, moving slowly towards his nipple ring. He reached up and stopped me with his hand.
“You touch me there and I won’t be able to stop myself from taking you back to my bed. I’m having a hard enough time as it is.”
I stepped back - reluctantly.
“You need to go back in there and lock the door.” He gave me a slight push.
At the door I turned back to look at him. He was standing with his hands on the washbasin, gripping it for dear life, while he watched me through heavily lidded eyes with his jaw tense.
He breathed heavily. “Please go.”
Walking through the door, I shut it behind me and turned the key in the lock then collapsed back against it. What the hell just happened?
Jack made me so darn hot. I was still aroused. My clit throbbed and my breasts ached. I needed a distraction so I ran back to the bed, grabbed my cell and was about to dial Callie when I realized the time. Shit, I’d have to wait a while. Instead, I pulled up Facebook and tried to get lost in my newsfeed.
Chapter 25
Jack
The edge of the sink bit into my hands, but I couldn’t keep myself from gripping it – the only thing that was keeping me grounded. I wanted her so damn much. My cock was stiff as a spike and with one touch; I’d probably come. I’d known she was in the bathroom when I’d climbed out of bed. I’d heard the lock slip into place, climbed out of bed and stood waiting for the lock to open.
I knew I had to see her to give me peace so I could get through the day. I knew it was wrong, but I couldn’t stop. I needed to see her. See her smile and just touch her, although I hadn’t expected to touch her in quite the way I had. Seeing her strawberry tattoo on her stomach had my morning wood twitching. When I’d dropped to my knees to kiss and lick her stomach, I’d felt her quiver. I’d wanted to pull her shorts down, and shove my tongue in her cunt to taste her.
Damn! Whipping around, I turned the shower on cold, dropped my shorts and stepped under the spray. I sucked in a breath as the freezing water hit me, resting my hands against the wall, while I watched my raging cock finally start to shrink, thanks to the temperature of the water and Mia, who popped into my head.
Mia. What the hell was I going to do about her? I knew what was expected – marriage and children. Until Thalia came along, I was all set to go ahead with everything, until I graduated. When I thought about my future, I saw Thalia. She’d gotten under my skin from the moment I’d seen her; lying asleep on her bed, exhausted from her early morning travel with my brother. She’d taken my breath away.
I quickly rubbed myself dry and walked bucked naked into my room to dress, stopping in my tracks when I spotted Liam sitting on my bed.
“What do you want?” I moved towards the closet, which was open, and retrieved a pair of jeans and a blue t-shirt. Glancing at Liam, who was looking at me in disbelief.
“Um, tattoos? God, Jack.”
“Why are you in my room?”
He blinked. “What are you doing with Thalia?”
“Nothing,” I replied and could have kicked myself for such a lame, defensive answer.
“It doesn’t look like nothing. You need to stay away from her. What happened to the code of brothers? ‘Thou shall not steal my brother’s girl’.”
My temper had started to kick in. “She isn’t your girl though, is she?”
He looked startled. “She told you? When?”
Sitting in the chair opposite him, I exhaled, feeling frustrated as hell. “When doesn’t matter, but she told me, and I know why you want her to pretend. I won’t be saying anything to the folks; that I can guarantee.”
“You can’t keep spending time with her, because you’ll only hurt her in the end. She’s getting attached to you. Wherever we go, she’s always looking for you and tries to hide her disappointment when I tell her you’re elsewhere. You should see her face when I tell her you’re out with Mia.”
I let out a sigh and ran my hands through my hair. “She wouldn’t be the only one to get hurt.” Liam met my eyes and I continued, my voice gruff with emotion, “I look for her too. I shouldn’t, but I do. Meeting Thalia has made me want things that I gave up ever hoping to have, twelve months ago; I’m so screwed.”
“You aren’t messing with her, are you? I’ve never known you to be like this over a girl. You need to end things with Mia and tell the folks to take it or leave it.”
Until I could figure out what the heck Mia was thinking, there was no way I was admitting to my brother that I’d already tried to call the whole thing off, only to be ignored as though I hadn’t said anything. Not to mention the fact it was damn embarrassing.
“Hell! Come on. I need to eat.” I stood and led the way out of my room.
“I’ll see you down there,” Liam said, walking off towards his bedroom.
I turned and walked downstairs, shoving my way into the kitchen, which I discovered I had to myself. Just about to pop a bagel into the toaster oven, my cell started to ring.
My cell was in my back pocket so juggling the bagel, I reached back to retrieve it, and noticed Lewis was the caller, Mia’s father. What the hell did he want?
“Morning Lewis,” I said and tried to inflict anything, but pissed off into my voice.
While I listened to him going on and on about some charity event Saturday night, I finally managed to slice the bagel and popped it into the toaster.
Shit, he was waiting for an answer. “Ah, sorry could you just repeat the last bit? My cell slipped.” Okay, one small lie.
After he’d repeated his question, I wished he hadn’t. “Sorry Lewis, I have another commitment Saturday night, so Mia will have to go with someone else.” I cringed inside as soon as the words left my mouth.
Lewis pointed out that Mia was my fiancée and it would look strange if someone else accompanied her. It sure as hell wasn’t going to be me.
“I’m sorry Lewis, but you and my father are always telling me how important it is to have a good reputation, which I guess means not letting anyone down. So, I’m afraid I won’t be able to attend. I’m sorry, but I need to go.” I remov
ed my cell from my ear and slipped it back into my pocket, removed the bagel from the toaster oven and started to slather butter all over it.
“Jack.”
Fuck, my father. That was quick!
I turned to face him. No doubt Lewis had been in touch with him as soon as I ended his call to complain about my refusal to fall into his plans for Saturday night.
“What is so important that you can’t take your fiancée to the charity event?” His voice had risen by the time he’d finished.
“I have something else planned.” I refused to meet his eyes. I knew what I would see anyway – disappointment.
“What?”
“I’m twenty-five; I don’t have to give you my schedule.”
He slammed his fist onto the countertop. “As long as you live in this house, you do!” he shouted.
Fuck, I’d only come home last night as well. The morning had started amazingly with the hottest girl I’d ever seen and turned into a fuckin’ nightmare. “Tell me to move out and I will. Hell, most of my things are already at Donovan’s anyway.” I faced my father.
He was momentarily startled, because it was rare for me to answer back. Normally I would do anything to keep the peace, but not anymore.
“You’d move out, throw the chance to be married to the loveliest young girl in town, not to mention your dream of becoming a lawyer, all because you don’t want me to know what you have planned for Saturday night?” Thalia was the loveliest – inside and out.
“Yeah, I’d move out before I had to give anyone my schedule.” I carried on eating my bagel even though the pieces kept getting stuck on the way down, but I refused to let my father know how he affected me.
“Are you fucking another woman?” He spat it out, distaste clear on his face.
Frozen with the bagel half way to my mouth, I told him, quietly, “There hasn’t been anyone, including Mia, since I got dumped with her.”
He took a step back at the anger he could probably see on my face. I needed to leave before I did something I’d regret.
I pulled an insulated cup down from the cupboard, poured my coffee into it and left through the back door without glancing in my father’s direction.
Chapter 26
Thalia
I paused at the kitchen door at the sound of raised voices. Jack and his father.
Not knowing what to do, I took a couple of steps back, intending to go up to my room, only to pause, when I heard his father shout ‘are you fucking another woman’. I wanted to hear his response and couldn’t believe it when I did. If I heard right, Jack just admitted to not having sex since he’d become engaged to Mia. Wow. Well at least it proved he honored his commitments.
He’d wanted me upstairs, and yes I’d wanted him. Having his hands and mouth on me had me ready to combust, and I still wanted him. He’d turned me inside out with just one look. He’d loved my strawberry tattoo, which made me wonder what he would do when he saw the one on my right hip or the other two. Yeah, I had a tattoo fetish, but in places that my parents would never get to see, unless I had my bikini on and then only the ones on my belly and hip would be visible.
“What are you doing out here,” Liam asked making me jump.
“Jack and your father were having a bit of a heated discussion in the kitchen,” I said, chewing on my lip.
“Sounds quiet now.” Liam pushed his way into the kitchen so I followed.
I’d heard Jack leave, because his father had cursed to high heaven just after I’d heard a door close. I wanted to go after Jack to make sure he was okay, but I didn’t think it would look too good if I did.
I walked over to the back window and looked out just in time to watch him roar out of the barn on his dirt bike.
Liam walked over, standing beside me. “You’re worried about him.”
“Yes.” I wasn’t about to start lying, plus Liam knew there was something happening between his brother and me.
He ran his hands through his hair, a gesture I’d come to associate with Jack. “Thalia, you’re both going to get hurt if this thing keeps growing between you both. I’ve seen the way he looks at you. He’s just as affected.”
I raised an eyebrow.
“In case you were wondering.”
“Thank you for that. I’m confused right now, so do you think we could get breakfast?” I asked, laughing.
He took hold of my hand and tugged me towards the toaster oven. “You shove some bagels in there and I’ll make the coffee. We can eat out back.”
“I’d like that.”
“Then I’ll take you to get a new pair of cowgirl boots – Alabama style,” he told me with a grin.
I gave him a friendly shove. “Hey, there is nothing wrong with the boots I already have.”
“Yeah there is. They’re Texas style.” He smirked and dodged past the hand I slapped towards him.
Rolling my eyes, I turned my attention back to the bagels spreading cream cheese over them. “I’ll take these out back.”
Pushing the door open with my butt, I walked out to the porch swing, placing the plates holding the bagels onto the coffee table before taking a seat on the swing. The swing, which, for the past two weeks, had reminded me of Jack, and our early morning snuggle.
“Do you want to have lunch in town? Or back here?” Liam asked, sitting opposite me.
“Why don’t we decide later, seems as though we’re only just having breakfast.”
Liam started to chuckle. “Okay. Point taken.”
Sitting back in the swing, I started to wonder where Jack had gone, because he’d torn out of the barn like no tomorrow.
“He’s probably gone to the river.”
I frowned.
“That’s where he goes to let off steam.”
All I wanted to do was go after him.
“Why do your parents treat him like that, if he’s always done what they’ve asked of him?”
“Because with my folks it’s never enough. He’s always worked harder to try and get their approval, which he’s never had. He’s not falling in line anymore, things are changing with him and my parents can sense that. And it all started with our arrival or more to the point when you arrived.”
I lifted my eyes to his. “I haven’t done anything.”
He smiled. “Thalia, you didn’t have to do anything other than be yourself.”
Liam ran his hands through his hair, which seemed to be a family trait. “I was watching Jack that first night here and when he caught sight of you, he didn’t notice anything, or anyone, else. You had all of his attention even through dinner.”
“Considering you asked me out, way back when, you don’t seem too bothered that I’m attracted to your brother.” There was something about Liam that I couldn’t quite put my finger on. He wasn’t gay, I don’t mean anything like that, because he looked at enough girls when we were out and about, but there was something.
“At first I thought there might have been something there between us, but there wasn’t. I like you as a friend, something of which I don’t have that many of.” He let out a sigh. “You know I think we need to clean up and then head into town.”
“Okay. I’ll quickly clean these while you go and find your shoes.”
Liam left me in the kitchen while I put the pots away and unable to help myself I kept looking out of the window to see if I could spot Jack.
“Who are you looking for?”
“Jack.” I spun around with my hand to my chest. “You scared the shit out of me.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” he said walking towards me.
My back was against the sink as Jack came to a stop, just inches in front of me. He looked angry and his hair was all messy.
Without a thought as to what I was doing, I reached up and placed my hand to his chest. I could feel his heart racing. Moving my hand away he clutched it in his and placed it back to his chest.
“Who you looking for, Thalia?” he whispered.
I moved my other ha
nd to his face in a light caress and kept it there as I replied, “You, Jack. I was looking for you.”
Standing so close to him, my whole body felt hot and tight, my breasts ached, my stomach quivered and all I wanted was to wrap myself around him.
“You’re back!” Liam stated, walking back into the room.
“Fuck,” Jack briefly leaned his forehead against mine, placing a kiss on my nose, before walking out of the kitchen and up the stairs.
“Looks like I walked in at just the right time,” Liam said grinning.
“Or not,” I mumbled.
Chapter 27
Jack
After making my escape to my room to shower and change again, I grabbed my keys, climbed into the car and drove to Donovan’s place.
What the fuck was I doing with Thalia? If Liam hadn’t walked in when he had I’d have kissed the life out of her and I wasn’t sure I’d have been able to stop. My cock had throbbed and been taken care of in the shower with images of how aroused Thalia had been standing in front of me. I’d noticed her erect nipples poking out underneath her t-shirt and I’d bet that if I’d touched her between her legs, she’d have been wet.
Goddamn, my cock was causing a restriction in my jeans, which was bordering on painful. I needed to think about something else before I arrived at Donovan’s with a boner.
Mia popped into my head. Since yesterday she’d sent me a few text regarding the wedding and I’d replied with maybe one or two words. One of the messages had been to tell me she had a best man lined up for me, to which I’d replied, that if she expected me to turn up, the best men would be Donovan and Reece. I hadn’t heard anything since, which I hoped was a good sign. I could have kicked myself afterwards though for not turning it more to my advantage by telling her it wasn’t going ahead so she didn’t need to fuss anymore.
I was chickenshit. The whole thing could have been stopped by now, but for me wanting to please everyone and finish college.
Climbing out of the car I noticed Reece’s bike parked at the foot of the path. Why he couldn’t park the thing next to Donovan’s car was anyone’s guess, but he always blocked the damn path.