by C. A. Harms
Slowly the guy reaches up to pull off his hat before spinning it around backward and setting it back in place. That movement alone does crazy things to me as chills cover my arms and my stomach flips. His entire face is now clear, and that moment is all I need to see the resemblance between Bennett and him. It's incredible, eyes that I've seen so many times before, only they didn't make me feel the things they do now. Where Bennett's jaw is defined, his brother’s looks to be etched out of stone. He's hardened as if life has given him so many obstacles to overcome, and he stormed through them without an ounce of hesitation. His dominating stance should intimidate me, but it only intrigues me. He seems so powerful, so strong. Like nothing ever phases him.
"You're home?" Bennett finally speaks, but I think it’s meant to be a question, but it resembles a statement. Like he's unable to determine if what he is seeing is real.
"Home to stay," the man opposite Bennett says, and with those three words, I watch as two grown men move closer and share a hug. The moment feels so loving before it quickly shifts to a bit of a wrestling match. The bigger guy grabs Bennett around the neck and pulls him in toward his body. Leaning in, he whispers something near his ear, and I watch closely, trying to see what kind of reaction it triggers in my friend. Bennett reaches up and grips the guy's hand, holding on securely. For a few passing seconds, the two remain close, sharing a moment I know is only meant for them.
"I wasn't supposed to say anything," Rory speaks at my side, and I glance away from the scene to find him smiling as he watches the other two men. "It was one of the hardest things I've ever had to keep quiet."
"Say anything?"
"About Brantley's return," He clarifies. I stare at him, still a little lost in that moment. "Bennett's never mentioned his brother?" He acts surprised.
"Yeah, a time or two, but isn't he a soldier or something in another country?" And to be honest, I couldn't remember his name.
"A Marine," he corrects me. "He was in Japan for a while then Hawaii, but when it came time to re-enlist this last time, he decided he was ready to retire."
“So, he's back?" My heart is racing incredibly fast.
"Yep, back home for good." Rory wastes no further time moving toward the group now forming around Bennett and the guy I now know as his brother. I can't seem to look away. Brantley O'Shay is gorgeous in that rugged; I've traveled the world and fought for the freedom of others, kind of way. He smiles at something one of the guys says, and I feel its effects roll through me like a heatwave. I want to move closer. I want to see him without the interruption of each of the guys moving in to hug him and welcome him home. I want to hear his voice, watch his mouth move as he forms the words.
"This could get a little tricky," Adley chimes in, and I know I shouldn't be surprised. She manages to pick up on everything, even when you are trying your damnedest to hide something. "Bennett is in love with you, and here you are, having dirty fantasies about his brother. I see drama in your future."
"He is not in love with me." I push her shoulder, and she laughs.
"You are delusional if you think he doesn't have feelings for you."
"It's not like that with us." There has never been a line crossed, and there never will be. We've never even considered being more than friends, or at least I haven't. Okay, there is flirting, but he flirts with all of us. Of course, the other guys do too, but that's it.
I glance toward him once more and wonder about what Adley said.
We're friends, that's it. Nothing more!
"Tink," I shift my weight from one foot to the other when Bennett calls out my nickname, and it echoes over the bar. He waves me over, and I fist my hands at my side because I can't decide what to do with them as my hands shake. Trying my best not to act as weird as I feel, I force a smile.
"Let the drama begin," Sophie says. I glare over my shoulder at her, which triggers Adley to snicker before quickly covering it up by placing her hand over her mouth. They shouldn't be enjoying this as much as they are.
They’re being ridiculous.
I do my very best not to trip as I move across the small space toward Bennett, who is smiling at the other man. Brantley isn't paying his brother any attention; instead, he stares directly at me with a smirk. He's scanning over me slowly, making the heat rise in my cheeks. He recognizes me from this morning; only then I had no idea he was Bennett's older brother.
I should run… I should run now!
Chapter Four
Brantley
* * *
It's her, the girl from the gas station this morning. The one with the nervous smile and great lips. What are the chances?
“Tink, come ‘ere,” Bennett hollers out again, motioning toward the beauty.
"What the fuck kind of name is Tink?" I say it louder than I mean to and hear Rory chuckle at my side.
My brother grabs the stunning blonde and pulls her to his side possessively. Just seeing his arm over her shoulder makes my hands twitch. "This is Sutton," he smiles at the woman, but she is staring at me nervously. Her lower lip is pinned between her teeth, and her eyes are wide in curiosity. I like her interest in me way more than I should. "But I call her Tink," he adds proudly.
"And so does everyone else now," she mumbles before quickly nibbling on her lower lip once again, glancing up at me through her long thick lashes.
Adrenaline pumps through me as I consider reaching out to loosen that lip from its confines. Fuck me; Sutton has those plump full lips that are made for kissing and a few other things that have my heart thumping harder with dirty images.
"Sutton, this is my older brother, Brantley."
"Hi," she says, her voice just above a whisper. I'm staring, I know this, but I can't look away. She’s breathtakingly gorgeous. "It's nice to meet you," she adds.
"You too," more than I can express, my body is already fighting with my mind.
I've been cooped up for months with men. It's been a long time since I felt a woman's body pressed to mine, and I'm wound a little tight. But had I not been bursting at the seams to let off some steam, I still would have found Sutton irresistible.
The problem is she's with my brother, and that's a line that can't be crossed.
"You ready for some music?" Rory interrupts the moment, and Bennett looks away, releasing Sutton as she steps forward. Rory jumps up, and Bennett stumbles a little in Sutton's direction, trying to support the weight of Rory. Without thinking twice about it, I step forward and hook her waist, moving her away from the possibility of getting trampled. My arm wraps around her hips, palm resting in the center of her back, and I try not to enjoy it so much, but it's impossible. With her hand on my chest, her hair hanging freely, tickling my arm, I take a moment and savor the way she feels in my arms.
I can feel her body rigid against mine, but still, I keep her close. Getting lost in the scent of vanilla, I assume, is her shampoo or body wash.
Damn, she feels good.
"They get a little wild," I look down and find her looking up at me through those long thick eyelashes which highlight her green eyes. With her being this close, my body has little hope of not reacting. Lust races through me, "The first time I came to watch Rory play, I went home with a bruise on my cheek from an elbow to the face."
My nostrils flare as I work my jaw to keep from saying something I still have no explanation for. I have no right to feel possessive or protective over this girl. I shouldn't feel the uncontrollable desire to keep her out of harm’s way. I shouldn’t need to fight the urge to taste her lips.
Finding the strength to let her go is one of the hardest things I've done. I step back and shove my hands in my pockets.
Again, Sutton worries her lip as she continues to stare at me. "I should get back to my friends," she points over her shoulder, but I don't bother looking in that direction. The way Sutton stares at me makes my pulse quicken. Even though I shouldn't allow it, she's the only one that holds my attention. "I'm sure I'll be seein’ ya around now."
"You w
ill," the words are out of my mouth before I can stop them.
Immediately I feel dirty from the thoughts rolling around in my head. Sutton is a knockout, but there is also a shy sweetness about her that is beyond appealing.
I watch her walk away and do nothing to control the images invading my mind of touching her and tasting her. Craving the sound of her whimpers and moans that invade my mind.
"That could get real messy, Brant," looking away quickly, I try to hide the fact that I was staring at Sutton's ass. Only my cousin Aaron isn't a fool. He knows exactly where my mind has gone. "Don't go there, man, I'm telling ya."
"She with Bennett?" I ask, knowing he'll be the one to tell me exactly how it is.
"No," relief hits me. "But he's been over the fucking moon for her for over a year." But unfortunately, my comfort is short-lived. "I'm not sure she feels the same way about him, and they've never crossed the line of friendship, but I know if she said Bennett kiss me, he'd be on that shit faster than you could blink."
I mull over his words. Technically, Sutton isn't Bennett's, but the fact that he has feelings for her only makes me feel like an even bigger ass for thinking about her the way I just was. She's his, though she may not know that yet.
"She's not from Hudson," I'd know if she was. There is no way I wouldn't have noticed her or heard about her before now. "How old is she?"
"She's twenty-two, and no, she lives in Montgomery," Five years younger than me. "Rory played in a bar there last year, Sutton and her friends were out celebrating her twenty-first birthday. So, we all met, and she and her friends have been a part of the gang ever since."
I nod, unsure of what to say.
"I'm telling you this because I noticed the way you two were looking at one another. I'm telling you this because I know right now your head is in a whole different place than it should be. Bennett catches wind of that, and it'll most definitely cause a rift between the two of you. One I'm sure that you don't want to create. Sutton's hot; don't get me wrong, we've all noticed. But—,"
"I got it," but I don't fucking like it.
Chapter Five
Sutton
* * *
"Mom," I holler out as I step inside the back door and begin down the hallway toward the kitchen. It seems deserted. "Hello," moving further into my parents' house, I pause when I hear a giggle followed by a deep moan.
My heart sinks… No.
My mother is soft-spoken and loyal; she wouldn't do this.
Again, I hear another giggle followed by something falling to the ground and the sound of it rolling across the hardwood floor. Then a consistent thump, followed by a creaking noise as if in rhythm syncing together on repeat. My heart aches inside my chest as I think of how this will break my father’s heart.
John West, the man who has always no matter who he is talking to, referred to my mother and I as his girls. The man who has done all he could since I can remember to give us everything we asked for and more. The man who never likes to see us cry and, if he finds out who is responsible for our tears is ready to pull out a shotgun and put a bullet in their ass for upsetting his girls.
How could she do this?
"Hold on, darlin'," I freeze, my hand on the wall as I listen to something I shouldn't. "This is about to get wild."
I know that voice.
“Oh my God… No.” I screech and start backing my way toward the door I'd come in only a short time ago. No… No.” shaking my head, I feel my stomach begin to roll.
"Sutton?" My mother calls out, followed by several loud thumps as if more things are tumbling to the floor. I’m experiencing tunnel vision as I spin around and practically run for the back door in a hurry to escape.
"Darlin'," I pause, and a shiver racks through my body. Then, with my hand hovering over the door handle, I look back over my shoulder to find both of my parents standing behind me, looking disheveled.
My father's buckle of his jeans is still undone, and his belt is hanging loosely. My mother, with her shirt buttoned unevenly, and her hair is sticking out in every direction.
"Darlin', you okay?"
"Don't call me that," I say to my dad, holding up my finger to make a point, "not after what I just overheard." The words he'd just spoken to my mother replay in my head. "I'm scarred, for life. You two have scarred me."
My mother smiles brightly, and my dad arches a brow. "Please, you said the same thing when you caught us in the living room last summer and the barn that morning when you came home early from high school with a headache." He dares me to argue.
"And that headache quickly changed to a stomachache that led to me gagging over the stool in the bathroom. I couldn't get that vision out of my mind for weeks." Again, I shiver as I shake my arms and attempt to rid myself of the memory.
"Just cus' I'm your daddy doesn't mean I don't have needs."
I gag, "Stop right there." I hold up my hand higher, shaking it to emphasize my need for him to stop. I'm unable to look my dad in the eyes. "I don't want to think about your needs, and I most definitely do not want to overhear them when they are in overdrive. What are you doing home from work anyway? I thought," I stop mid-sentence feeling shameful that I'd even allowed myself to believe my mother could ever cheat. Never in my life had I ever seen two people more in love than my parents. They have always had a hard time keeping their hands off one another.
Today is the perfect example of that exact thing.
"You thought your father was someone else?" I hear the hurt in my mother's voice, which only makes me feel like a complete asshole. My mother is entirely too loyal and loving to commit such an act.
"Where is your truck?" I finally look up at my parents, choosing not to answer my mother. I had no excuse for my thoughts, so there is no need to attempt to create one.
"Out behind the barn," he reaches down to buckle his belt, and I fight the urge to gag once again, quickly looking away. "I took the day off to repair the fence, and I was just taking a break for lunch, then dessert." When he says dessert, he looks over at my mother and grins.
"Dad," I groan, and my mother slaps his stomach softly, trying to hide her blush.
"What? Your momma has some delicious pie."
"Will you stop," I jump around like a kid throwing a tantrum as I spin around in a circle. "Those are things you should never tell me."
"Pull your mind out of the gutter girl," he leans in and kisses my mother's temple. "There's peach and apple on the counter, freshly made." He dips his chin and looks directly at me. "There's nothing wrong with parents still lovin' on one another."
"That was more than lovin'," I mumble as he walks toward me and pauses. "Next time, please hang up a ‘do not disturb’ sign on the door or maybe caution tape." He chuckles, leaning in to offer a kiss to my head. Then moving past, he walks out the backdoor, throwing a wink over his shoulder to my mother.
When I glance back at her and find her staring after him like a schoolgirl with a crush, it reminds me that my parents are amazing. They have always been people I can count on to be on my side no matter what. They are also the type of parents that make it easy for me to come to them about anything. And yes, they have always been a little over the top with their desire for one another. But watching how much they love each other throughout the years growing up has been inspirational. When I’m in my fifties, I still want to find the man I wanted in my twenties, to be irresistible and want him just as badly. I want a man that never hides how he feels about me, no matter who may witness it. I want to be loved so fiercely that I feel like a piece of me is missing when we’re apart.
“So, about that pie." I'm pulled out of my daydream to find my mother watching me with a smile on her face. "You want a piece?"
"I think you've already given away enough pieces this morning, don't you?"
Her laughter echoes through the entryway as she spins around and walks toward the kitchen. I follow with a smile, and the scene I enter stops me in my tracks. "It's like a windstorm ripped through the dini
ng room and into the kitchen."
"That man is more like a hurricane," I gape at my mother. She did not just say that! When she shrugs her shoulders and starts picking up fallen chairs and dishes, I shake my head. My parents are nothing more than horny toads without shame.
I can't help but smile as I join her in cleaning up the mess, they made.
Chapter Six
Brantley
* * *
"Coffee's on," lifting my arm off my face, I squint at the brightness that invades the apartment. Bennett moves around his small kitchen, banging cabinet doors and shit without care. "If you’re hungry, there's food in the cabinet in here," he slaps his hand on the closed door that I assume serves as a pantry.
"Are you always this loud in the mornings?" I may have had one too many during last night’s trip to Sully's, but honestly, I was trying to drown out the dirty thoughts in my head about a certain blonde. Someone that I had no right to fantasize about.
"Yeah," he chuckles. "I figured with you being a Marine, you'd be up before the sun and ready to face the day."
"That's when I got someplace to be and when I didn't put away more alcohol than I should have the night before."
"Well, I got someplace to be," little fucker is way too chipper.
I sit up and run my hand over my face, trying to wake my ass up. As I walk toward the kitchen, I find Bennett fully dressed and with shoes on his feet. "It's," I look around for a clock and groan when I see the actual time. “Seven-forty on a Sunday morning, where in the hell do you gotta be?"
"Montgomery," he smiles wide. "Every Sunday, the best damn waffles in Alabama, and the company is pretty good too."
I already know without asking who he is referring to, but it doesn't stop me from doing so anyway. "Would this company be a tiny blonde with green eyes?"