“I didn’t mean to wake you.” Her lips touched his pec above his heart. He liked that. “But you’re in my bed,” she pointed out, and he could hear the cute little smile in her voice.
“You told me to be here.” He shrugged, opening his eyes, tilting his head down to see her. Her eyes were on his, an eyebrow raised high.
“I did, huh?” She grinned, and just like that, he was wide awake.
“Yeah.” His lips tilted up at her sexy attitude as her leg tangled with his. “You called me and were all, ‘Handsome, I have to work late.’”
“Hmm, that sounds familiar.“
“’I’m working late and need you to sleep in my bed.’”
“I said that, huh?”
“Yeah. Something about how you sleep better with me.”
“And you don’t?” she asked. It wasn’t lost on him that his sweet little goddess didn’t deny it.
“Well, you know I’d do anything for you. Especially when you were like, ‘I want you in my bed naked,’ and I was like, ‘Anything for you, Blondie,’” he playfully shared, though he was pretty sure there wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for her.
“Whatever,” she muttered, and he knew she was holding back from laughing.
“How was your day?”
“Long,” she huffed snuggling into him. “Tiring. I need sleep.”
“What time do you go in tomorrow?”
“Nine, and I can’t be late.”
“Okay, baby, I got you,” he whispered into the darkness, listening to her soft breathing.
He had already set the alarm for them so they would wake up with time for a long shower. His fingers lingered in her hair, stroking her silky tendrils as they both drifted off into a deep sleep.
***
He was ruined.
Done for.
The night they returned from his brother’s, he had lost his mind and took her. He hadn’t planned on it, but he had not been able to stop himself from taking them farther than he had planned. And he didn’t regret it.
He couldn’t.
Their relationship had moved to another level, one he hadn’t experienced with anyone else. Not even his ex-wife. He would tell Val more about why his marriage ended and hope to God she still wanted him.
They were three days into their four-day work week, and he couldn’t wait for them to have a couple of days together. Even if he had to tell her shit he hated talking about. Shit he didn’t talk about with anyone. But she needed to know before they went any further.
He had been able to finish his day on time and come home with a pizza the day before, hoping they would be able to sit down together, so he could talk to her, but she had called him sounding worn out saying she had to work overtime and was just going to sleep there before her next shift. So, that was when he decided to just wait for their days off.
He hadn’t even slept with her for a full week, yet somehow, he missed her body next to his.
Sipping his beer with his feet up on the coffee table as he tried to zone out on the game that was playing, he couldn’t stop thinking about her. He needed to get his shit together, because here he was, sulking like a school girl who got stood up for a homecoming dance. He had even turned down his brother’s invitation to a home-cooked meal. And as pretty as Marcus was, he was a hell of a cook. Instead, he came home, made a sandwich, and sat his ass down, counting down the minutes until she came home.
A knock at the door made him frown and wonder who the hell it could be. Could she have forgotten her key? he wondered. Opening the door, he groaned as he stared at two grinning, overly happy, smug faces.
“What do you guys want?” he asked, stepping away and going back to his spot on the couch.
“Well, thank you, Bryan, we would love to come in,” Marcus said, patting his shoulder.
“I’d love a beer, too,” Garrett added.
“In the fridge,” he called out, knowing Garrett would find his way.
His brothers settled in and he glanced over at Marc, who was looking around with wide eyes.
“What?”
“Nothing.” Marc shrugged, but Bryan wasn’t stupid.
“You have that look. What?”
“You left my place, where you lived rent free, might I add, so you could pay to live here?”
“Shut up.”
“No, it makes sense, though.”
“What does?” Garrett asked, bringing him a new bottle and handing another to Marcus, a soda for himself.
“This guy moving out to live here.”
“He didn’t know about her,” Garrett clued in Marc.
“What?” Marc asked, sitting up, and Bryan fought from rolling his eyes. “What do you mean?
“He didn’t know about Val. Right? You didn’t know she came with the place?” Garrett asked him, grating his nerves.
“Shut up.” If he had, he probably would have moved in a year before, but there was no way he was going to admit that to his brothers.
“I’m just saying…”
“Maybe I needed a place of my own?” Bryan suggested, and Garrett laughed, while Marc scowled.
“Why?”
“Why not? My own space without you two biting each other’s heads off all the time.”
“Hey, we’re getting along just fine,” Garrett pointed out. Bryan couldn’t help but shake his head.
“Now. Now you are getting along. Which is weird, to have you both here, since you two never hang out.”
Marcus shrugged. “Grace is under a deadline, and her sisters took Lex to Disneyland.”
“Donnie had a date.” Garrett wagged his brows, and Bryan looked away from them.
“So, you two decided to come here?”
“Why not? Not like you were going to invite us. So, where is she?” Marc asked, and Bryan looked at him with the most annoyed expression he could muster.
“Working late.”
“Ah.”
“Ah, what?” he snapped his head back to his brothers, who were both grinning like a pair of idiots.
“I understand the pissy attitude.”
“I’m not pissy.”
“Whatever, man.”
“B, you have any food?” Garrett asked, and Bryan looked at Marc.
“You didn’t cook for him?” Marcus looked at him like he thought Bryan was an idiot.
“You know I did.”
“What can I say? I’m a growing boy.” Garrett winked, and Bryan lifted his brows, shaking his head.
“There’s leftover pizza in the fridge.”
“Sweet.” Garrett left, leaving him and Marcus alone.
“He’s doing good, huh?” Bryan softly asked Marc and watched his older brother nod.
“It’s almost like how he used to be,” Marc responded in a hushed tone.
“Now, let’s not exaggerate.” Bryan felt the need to be realistic.
Garrett had come back a different man and the glimpses of the guy they knew and grew up with were always welcome. Especially after the way their last family trip had blown up, Marc and Garrett coming to blows after Garrett had been a dick of epic proportions to Grace. Thankfully, Grace was a kind and forgiving woman.
“How are the wedding plans going?” Bryan asked, and Marc beamed.
“Good. I can’t wait.”
“I bet.” Bryan shook his head.
“How are you and Val?”
“We’re just—“
“Don’t do that,” he warned, and Bryan looked at him and shrugged.
“It’s… I don’t know. We live together——“
“You like her.” Hell, yeah, I do. He liked her too much. He was half in love with her. No, that wasn’t true; he was already there. “She’s pretty awesome. Lexi liked her.” Marc kept talking.
“Yeah,” he murmured, remembering how Val had interacted with the kid, and he wondered if she liked kids and what she wanted in the future. “I don’t know, though—“
”She’s nothing like Court,” Marc pointed out.
&nb
sp; “Thank fuck,” Garrett muttered as he came back with a slice of pizza.
“Courtney wasn’t bad—“ he tried to defend his ex.
“You kidding me, man?” Garrett asked leaning his elbows on his knee. “She was a pain in the ass.”
“No.”
“Yeah, she was.”
“She was spoiled as fuck, too,” Marc added.
“That’s not—“
“And then you two ended,” Garrett pointed out as if Bryan could somehow forget.
“It wasn’t her—“
“She got remarried six months later, B,” Marcus gently pointed out.
“It wasn’t her fault our marriage went to shit.”
“Maybe, but she was a pain in the ass,” Garrett reminded him, and all Bryan could do was shake his head. They don’t get it. They wouldn’t get how it was his fault.
“What did happen between you two, anyhow?” Marcus asked for the first time, and Bryan chugged the rest of his beer.
No one had asked him that.
Not once.
He had always worried about the day someone did, and glancing at his brothers, he set his beer on the coffee table, feeling their eyes on him, but he didn’t look at them.
“I let her down,” he answered, pretending to watch the TV in front of him.
“How?”
“It doesn’t matter…”
“Was it someone else?” Garrett asked gently, and Bryan looked up at him, shaking his head. “Na, man. Nothing like that.”
“Then I don’t get how—“
“We were trying to start a family and I…” The truth was on the tip of his tongue, but he couldn’t get it out. “I changed my mind.”
“You changed your mind?” Marc repeated in a tone that told Bryan he didn’t believe him.
“Yeah,” he semi-lied. He hadn’t changed his mind. Not completely at least.
“You always wanted kids,” Garrett pointed out, and Bryan shrugged. Anxiety about having to talk about what a damn failure he was started to make it hard to breathe.
“Enough of the girl talk, ladies.” He tried to change the more than uncomfortable conversation.
“I just don’t get it. Why did you change your mind about—“ Garrett started to push, but he stopped mid-sentence, and Bryan looked over to the front door.
He sighed a sigh of relief at the sight of his pretty little blonde in an oversized hoodie, scrub pants, backpack over her shoulder, and her motorcycle helmet in her hand. God, she is sexy.
“Oh,” she gasped in surprise as she took in the sight of him sitting around with his brothers. They all stood, still looking at her. “Umm, hi, guys.” She waved with her free hand as she closed the front door.
“You ride?” Marc asked, obviously surprised.
“Only in good weather.” She grinned, shrugging out of her hoodie.
“A motorcycle?” he clarified, and she smiled.
“Well, it sure isn’t a razor scooter,” she answered like a smartass, and he couldn’t have been prouder.
“And you restore cars?” Marc asked. He could see the way her round cheeks brightened as she settled the rest of her things on the floor by the door.
“Umm…”
“And fix shit around the house?” Marc kept asking like an idiot. Bryan didn’t know what the asshole’s issue was.
“Well, fix and build. The entertainment center the TV is on.” She pointed, and all three Wright brothers turned to look at the piece where the television sat. Bryan was once again impressed with the kind of woman she was.
“Damn. If I had met you before Grace…”
“You would still have had no chance with her. She’s only watched one of your movies,” Garrett said out loud before Bryan could say a word.
“So?”
“So, it was the one on Netflix.”
“Really?” Bryan asked, grinning like an idiot himself.
“Umm... I have one on DVD that someone gave me in a secret Santa thing,” she shared, and Bryan chuckled. Fuck, she is perfect.
“I, on the other hand, Val, just saying, let’s be honest, I’m better-looking, older and wiser, and know what the fuck I’m doing. So, if you change your mind—“ Garrett started in, and now Bryan was done.
“Shut the fuck up,” he growled, having enough of his brother’s flirting with his girl. Stomping over to her, he brought her into his arms, breathed in the clean scent that was all Valerie, and ignored his brothers’ not-so subtle gawking. “Hey, Blondie.”
“Hey, handsome.” Her tone was soft and happy, and with the smile she gave him, the anxiety and worry from his day faded away, disappearing completely once his lips touched hers. Pulling away, he watched her eyes open, sparkling back at him. Fuck. He really wished his brothers would go home.
She pulled away from his touch. He didn’t like it, but he got it. “So, what are you guys doing?” she asked sitting on the love seat. He followed her like a lost puppy and sat next to her, his arm going over shoulder to bring her body closer to his.
“They came over to bug,” he mumbled.
“Bryan.”
“We came to see this ray of sunshine,” Marc chimed in. Both his brothers were grinning now. He fought from rolling his eyes. “We also wanted to invite you two over.”
“Oh?” she perked up, and Bryan wondered what the fuck they were up to.
“Family dinner. Talk about the wedding plans and shit like that. Mom wants all of us together.”
“Mom?” Bryan asked, his jaw clenching. What were his brothers up to?
“Yeah.”
“Oh, I don’t think I should be there,” she started to say, shaking her head. “That’s a family—”
“My mom and grandma made a point to make sure to invite you, Val,” Garrett said, and with that, Bryan’s eye twitched.
“Why?” She straightened so he wouldn’t be touching her. He didn’t like it.
“Well, you are living with this guy.”
“We’re not living, living, together!” She made sure to point out, something else he didn’t like. “We’re roommates,” she reminded them and stood up, tension radiating off her as she ran her fingers through her hair, hair he wanted to touch and smell and fucking wash if she let him.
What the hell is my deal?
“Umm, I’m sorry. I’m just tired. It’s been a long week and I have to go back in tomorrow. Give Bryan the details, and I’ll see if I can swing it.” She smiled, and he knew she was going to make whatever excuse she could so she wouldn’t have to go. Suddenly, the fact that this little family shindig had bulldozed over both of them didn’t matter. Now, he wanted to know why she didn’t want to go. She had been okay hanging out with his brothers. Hell, she was cool hanging out with his partner Ty and Tania.
“Lexi would like to see you. So would Grace,” Marc gently mentioned. His older brother knew she didn’t want to go and was trying to talk her into it, using the kid. Sneaky but brilliant. Looking at his girl, he saw the very moment she decided she couldn’t not go.
“Okay, sure, then.” She turned to look at him. “But you need to make sure your parents understand we are roommates not…”
“Not what?” he asked her. His? Because she was his. Isn’t she?
“I think that’s our cue to go.” Garrett stood and walked to Val, giving her a gentle hug. “See ya later, Val. Be safe riding that thing, okay?”
“Always.” She nodded looking up at Garrett, and Bryan could feel jealousy prick at his neck, wanting her attention on him.
He had never felt that need with a woman before. Not even with his ex-wife did he ever feel jealousy with anyone. Not even at the end of everything when she admitted she had fallen in love with someone else.
“I’ll walk them out.”
“Okay. Bye, guys!” She smiled, waving over her shoulder as she headed to her room.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
BRYAN
Even though it was late, the warm summer air was only starting to cool down. He took a dee
p breath after closing the front door behind him. Scratching the top of his head, he looked at his brothers, who were now grinning like idiots for some reason, and he didn’t like it.
“What?”
“Show him the car,” Garrett ordered, pointing at Marc. Bryan scowled.
“No.”
“Come on,” Marcus whined, surprising Bryan. Marc wasn’t a car guy; Garrett was.
Running his fingers through his hair, he looked at them and asked, “Is that why you two came over here? To check out her car?”
Garrett and Marcus looked at each other, clearly communicating something. He opened his mouth to tell them to go home, but before he could, Marc cut him off.
“Don’t be like that. We also came to visit, because we love you.” Marc ruffled Bryan’s hair, and he rolled his eyes.
“Follow me,” he muttered, leading them to the garage.
Light flooded the darkened garage as his eyes fixed on Valerie’s restored vintage beauty. Marcus’ low whistle of appreciation rang into the air, and a smile covered Bryan’s own face. That was how beautiful that car of hers was.
“That’s a fucking beauty.”
“Yeah, it is.” He grinned.
“And she did all this?” Marc asked with nothing but awe dripping from his tone.
“I’ll have her show you guys pictures next time of what it used to look like when she started it.”
“A wreck?”
“Worse than a wreck, scrap metal.” Bryan felt the need to share, proud of his girl.
“Check out the interior.” Garrett slid over to stand next to Bryan as Marc slowly rounded the car.
“She’s pretty cool,” Garrett muttered, and he nodded.
“Yeah, she is.”
“She’s gun shy, though,” Marc observed gently. Bryan crossed his arms over his chest.
“I know that.” And he did. Hell, the way she paled at the suggestion of her having lunch with his parents reminded him just how gun shy she was.
“I like her,” Garrett told him way too easily, and his frown deepened, his brows furrowing together.
“What?” he hissed, starting to get pissed, but Garrett only seemed to have an amused look on his face before he closed his eyes and shook his head.
“Not like that, you idiot.” Garrett opened his dark eyes and stared at Bryan. In front of Bryan was the man he had considered his best friend. Who he had missed more than he wanted to admit. Bryan was thankful Garrett was coming back to a recognizable version of who he used to be. “Look, I just mean I like her for you. You two… you mesh well. She doesn’t take your shit.”
STEAL (Right Men Series Book 2) Page 16