The Hot Mess: Brother's Best Friend

by Lauren Wood

  “Jack, hey,” I heard Jada’s voice behind me.

  I spun around, feeling a little embarrassed that I had been caught in my own hesitation outside the restaurant door. And things only got worse from there.

  Jada was wearing a short, tight, floral dress that hugged curves I never knew she had. Her bobbed hair was styled perfectly, even as she brushed one side of it behind her ear, giving a better view of that adorable smile of hers. She was precious and sultry all at once.

  “Hey,” I gawked. “You…you look amazing, yet again.”

  Dammit. That was definitely not a platonic greeting before dinner.

  I raced over to the door to open it for her, ushering her inside. I needed food and alcohol to distract me from my own weirdness. I didn’t know what was coming over me.

  We were shown to our table, and I hated the candle burning in the center. The dim lighting all around us and the soft jazz playing in the background…I should have picked a less romantic spot, but I couldn’t recall ever planning a platonic dinner with a woman. There were usually only three things that landed me in a restaurant…business, sex, or visiting with my sister. I didn’t worry about the ambience for the first and last of those.

  “Can I interest you in a bottle of our Dom Perignon this evening, sir? We have a very fine year available and…”

  “None for me,” I blurted, prompting a strange look from Jada. “But by all means, if you’d like a glass…it’s my treat.”

  “You’re not drinking?”

  “Not tonight. I have a meeting after this and don’t want to be too buzzed,” I lied.

  “Oh, okay. Well, sure…if you don’t mind. I’ll give it a try.”

  “Bring the bottle,” I snapped at the waiter. Jada could drink enough for the two of us if she wanted.

  “Strange times,” Jada remarked. “I’m used to being the one not drinking when I go out with people. Not the other way around.”

  I smiled and nodded. I wanted a drink more than anything, but it suddenly occurred to me that this was the worst time for my inhibitions to be weakened.

  “So…your interviews,” I stated, trying to stay on track. As in, not staring at the perfect curve to her graceful fingers as she brushed the back of her neck.

  “Oh yes! I did my first one today actually. With Isabella, your sister. That part was a surprise. You didn’t mention you two were siblings.”

  “Did I not? Oh, my mistake. I forget that Izzy went to a different school and that most of my old highschool pals have never met her. Probably for the best. I would have gotten suspended for beating up any guy who looked twice at her.”

  Or any friend of mine who dared to ask her out to dinner…

  Lucas and Joshua popped into my head and made me tense up all over again. “How did the interview go?” I asked, desperate to stay on topic.

  “It went well, I think,” she replied, thinking it over. “She’s definitely an intimidating person, like you. So I guess this is all good practice. It’s probably better for whoever you’re interviewing if it’s not obvious that you’re nervous. You two will give me nerves of steel.”

  “Nervousness makes you human,” I argued. “And that puts people at ease. Makes them open up to you.”

  “I hope you’re right,” she smirked. “I’ve certainly never been a smooth talker.”

  “What are you talking about?” I laughed. “In high school, you were the most eloquent student in the whole school!”

  “If I’m reading a paper or something.” She shrugged. “In real life, I’m fumbling all over myself. That’s why I wanted to revamp myself, so to speak. I’m tired of being that girl.”

  “Maybe the problem is more so that you don’t see yourself the way others do,” I offered. “And part of becoming this new you really just means you’re seeing yourself for the first time.”

  Her eyes glossed over with an unreadable look. They were too big and bright and luring me in like a moth to a flame. Sirens were going off in my brain, begging me to stop.

  “Anyway,” I cleared my throat. “Sorry for that. It seems I’m being very human tonight myself.”

  “And you were right,” she nodded, sipping her wine. “It is putting me at ease. I was thinking today about how much our families have in common. You and your sister’s parents are gone, and so is our dad. I was so sorry to hear about your mom.”

  “And I was very sorry to hear about your dad,” I smiled tightly.

  “I think we were all so frantic to fix our finances after he passed away, we barely had time to grieve,” she explained. “Maybe that was for the best. Everything we found out about him after he died kind of made it feel like we were just then getting to know him for the first time.”

  “I know what you mean,” I said softly. “I learned all kinds of things about our mother after she died. I hated myself for not getting to know her better while she was still alive. Izzy has one up on me there. She and my mother were very close.”

  “Do they have a lot in common? Isabella is so elegant and poised. I wasn’t sure if that came from your mom or her fancy boarding school.”

  “Both. But yes, she reminds me a lot of our mother. Don’t ever tell her I said that.” I grinned. “God, I’m sorry we keep getting derailed. Back to your interviewing. Let me think of some tips…”

  “Jack,” she said, reaching across the table. She wrapped her hand around mine, but my eyes were glued to her other hand across her chest. It drew attention to the cleavage peeking out from under her dress. “It’s okay, really. You were really kind to offer to help me like this. But maybe this is what I need more of…Just talking to people I don’t usually converse with. This is like a practice interview of sorts.”

  “Whatever helps,” I sighed, carefully pulling my hand out from under hers to wave over the waiter. “I changed my mind about that drink. Whiskey, neat please.”

  If I was going to survive this, alcohol suddenly seemed vital. The worst part about my attraction to Jada was that it was unexpected and hitting me out of nowhere like a ton of bricks. On top of that, she was totally unaware of it or just how beautiful and alluring she was. Every innocent touch to her was like an electric shock to me. No woman ever had me at that kind of disadvantage before.

  “Here’s a tip,” I said once the waiter brought me my drink. “This stuff? Liquid courage.”

  “Is that why people like it so much?” She took another sip of her wine. “I’m not so sure. I guess I never acquired the taste for it.”

  “Maybe wine just isn’t your drink,” I suggested.

  The sirens were going off in my head again as I reached for the cocktail menu, trying to place the perfect one that seemed to suit Jada and whatever assumptions I could make about her tastes. I didn’t know why it seemed like a good idea to get us both drunk. Actually, nothing about that seemed like a good idea, but here I was doing it anyway. I tossed back my drink and proposed a suitable one for Jada to order, silencing the warning sirens whether it was smart or not.

  “Your sister says you’re somewhat of a ladies’ man,” Jada said after her first cocktail was down. She must have liked that one better, because she ordered another. “I wasn’t surprised to hear it, but it does seem funny that so many of us permanent singles keep flocking to work on this dating app.”

  “Who better to solve the needs of the dating community than those of us who are still in it?” I proposed. “I don’t date much, though. I’m always too busy and never in the same spot for long.”

  “Oh. So you don’t date, but you…”

  “But I what?” I shouldn’t have asked, but the whiskey was setting in. I didn’t realize I was walking right into the danger zone until it was too late.

  “Have a lot of sex?” She asked before laughing and hiding her face. “See! Good practice interview. That’s a question I now know never to ask anyone ever again. I should slow down on drinking now.”

  I was wrapped up in her for a moment, entranced by her laughter. “Or maybe I should just dr
ink more so I stay on your level. I have a higher tolerance, so it will take twice as much.”

  “If you say so,” she smirked, lifting her glass. “Cheers.”

  “Cheers.”

  Several rounds later, I was laughing harder than I had in a long time. Being around Jada was like hanging out with one of your best friends, but one of your sexy, attractive friends that you had to pretend you didn’t want to sleep with.

  The effect she had on me was intoxicating, which I guess was what led me to suggesting we take a walk by the river. If she had been a woman I was trying to get into bed, the river was an obvious spot to follow up dinner. The air that night was crisp and clear, not too hot or cold. The moon was full and the stars were in plain view, sparkling across the water’s surface as we walked along it.

  We were both buzzed and in a great mood. Maybe that was why I accidentally slipped her hand into mine while we walked.

  8

  Jada

  I was so shocked by the feeling of Jack’s hand brushing against mine that I almost jerked away. I certainly didn’t want to, and maybe that’s how I managed to stop the initial instinct to run. But the current it sent shooting through my body, along with all the alcohol I drank, was overwhelming. My whole body tensed up with awareness, like I could feel every last hair standing on end. My skin prickled with goosebumps, and there was a stirring in my core that I had only felt from reading my romance novels up until that moment.

  Jack must have picked up on my anxiety. He stopped and pulled his hand back, dropping his head. “I’m sorry,” he laughed at himself. “I don’t know what’s gotten into me. I swear…I didn’t invite you out tonight to…I never had any intention of…”

  I turned to face him, finding it hard to swallow with how close we were standing. “No intention of what?”

  “This,” he whispered in a low sexy rasp before dipping his head down and pressing his lips to mine.

  The whole moonlit scene around us seemed to spin as my knees grew weak. The sensations of Jack’s tender lips stroking mine, his scent, his taste…it all swirled together, making it impossible to stand up straight. I stumbled, but barely noticed because I landed against his chest. My fall into him only deepened the kiss, and finally I relaxed into it. I tilted my head back and opened my mouth wider, inviting his tongue in to swirl across mine.

  He pulled his lips away finally, but didn’t move back an inch. I was still wrapped up in the warmth of his arms as he cupped his hands around the nape of my neck, guiding my eyes up to his. He almost looked as terrified as I was, but his fear was clouded by something else. I could see a desire in his eyes that he was all too familiar and comfortable with. He didn’t know that I wasn’t so confident when it came to certain things.

  “Do you want to come back to my place?” he asked finally.

  The dreaded question. I had avoided moments like this with men my whole adult life, just to evade that question and everything that would come after if I agreed. But I never dreamed of having a moment like this with Jack. With him, it all felt different.

  “Okay,” I murmured, surprising myself.

  He took off his coat and wrapped it around my shoulders before leading me back to his car. All I could think on the drive was how badly I wanted to kiss him again. My body was burning with a need that no one else had ever satisfied before. If anyone was going to do it, I wanted it to be Jack. I may have never thought it possible, but now that it was happening…I couldn’t imagine it ever being any other way.

  No matter how nervous I was, nothing could overshadow the intense need growing inside of me. A need for more of that kiss…more of him.

  But things felt less like a gravitational pull when we got into his room. For one, I was reminded that Jack wouldn’t be around forever. Maybe that was for the best, if this happened and then he left, removing the temptation to really fall for him. But then I remembered everything Isabella said and wasn’t so sure. He wouldn’t just be flying off to the next place. I now had an all-too-vivid idea in my head about how Jack operated and spent his time.

  I wanted to make small talk…to procrastinate. But when his eyes met mine again and he cupped my face in his hands, I was helpless. I had no choice but to give into him again, relishing in the rolls of his delicious tongue. I ventured to press my own tongue into his mouth, eliciting a sexy grunt that shot straight between my legs.

  My head was spinning so much, I barely noticed him leading us over to the bed. I fell backwards with him moving gently over me, not letting the kiss be broken for too long. Our movements became more urgent and desperate, our breath more ragged. My whole body tingled from the sensation of him kissing down my neck, and that is when my breath caught.

  I sat straight up, alarming him.

  “You okay?”

  “No,” I blurted. “I mean, yes. Yes, I am fine. More than fine. This all feels amazing, and I…I want what happens next.”

  “What happens next?” He puzzled.

  “I want to keep going,” I explained. “But…but there’s something you should know.”

  He managed to contain himself enough to roll over to the side of me, but his hands didn’t stop casually exploring my body as I tried to speak.

  “You have to know…before…before anything else happens that…I’m…well, I’ve never…”

  “No.” His brow furrowed. “You’re not…”

  “I’m a virgin,” I confessed, closing my eyes in embarrassment. I couldn’t stand to see the look of pitying judgment on his face.

  I was surprised to feel a gentle stroke of his fingers along my jaw, urging me to open my eyes and look at him. I was even more surprised to see that he didn’t look like he felt sorry for me at all. He wasn’t looking at me like I was some freak anomaly, like I had convinced myself would happen when this moment finally came. But once again, I never pictured the moment happening with Jack. That seemed to make all the difference.

  “Shit, Jada. I had no idea,” he murmured. “We can stop. I didn’t mean to talk you into coming here. It’s late, but you don’t have to go. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

  “I knew it,” I frowned, feeling my heart sink. “You don’t want me now, do you?”

  “What?” he laughed in disbelief. “That’s far from what I’m feeling or thinking.” He leaned in to kiss me again, more gently this time. “I just…I don’t want to hurt you. You’ve saved it this long. You obviously wanted it to be special. And I would love to do that for you. It’s just that afterwards…I can’t…I’m not in a place in my life right now to…”

  “You know the hardest part about being a twenty-five year old virgin?” I cut him off. “It’s convincing anyone who might want to sleep with you that you’re not going to go full-fledged obsessed stalker on them afterwards.”

  “I don’t think that,” he insisted. “It’s just that…feelings do happen. Especially the first time, and I don’t want to let you down.”

  I sucked in a deep breath, suddenly feeling more confident. I liked being able to talk so straightforward with him. And I had the feeling he’d be honest with me.

  “I don’t expect anything from you afterwards,” I decided, feeling determined to scratch the itch he sent blazing through me. “I know you’re never in the same place long, and I know you have no interest in settling down…in a place or with just one woman. It’s okay. I’m a big girl. I can handle it. I’ve waited so long, and now…I don’t want to wait anymore.”

  “Jada, are you sure? You want me for this?”

  I kissed him again. “There’s something nice about it being you. Maybe because we’ve known each other so long, but don’t really know each other…if that makes any sense.”

  “It does,” he rasped, swirling his nose against mine.

  I crashed my lips back into his, and felt him melt into me again. I let go and kissed him fervently, grabbing at his shirt and kneading into his skin. I wanted him to ravage me, chasing away any doubts I still had left. His body responded whether he meant for
it to or not.

  “Please, Jack,” I whimpered as I felt him hesitating. “I want you. I want you to take me. Please.”

  He seemed to give in too. All of his reservations vanished as he slid his hand under my dress, grazing along my hardened nipples. I cried out as he rolled each one between his finger and thumb. I didn’t know anything could feel so good.

  I was so lost in the overwhelming feelings, I barely noticed him pulling away my clothes. First, my dress. Then my bra and panties, until I was stripped down in front of him. I might have been insecure. He was the first man to ever see me completely naked. But the eagerness and excitement in his eyes assured me I had nothing to worry about. He was more than happy with what he saw.

  His lips crashed back into mine as his hand glided down in between my legs. I had thought him grazing my breasts was the best thing I ever felt in my life, until he stroked his fingers along my wet folds. I buckled up underneath him, but his strong hand moved over me, holding me down through the intense pleasure and guiding me against him.

  I didn’t think I could stand it when he started kissing down the length of my body. I was so dizzy I thought I might faint when his tongue darted against me. I think the only thing that kept me from fainting was not wanting to miss a second of what was happening.

  He sucked me into his mouth and ran his hands back up my breasts, squeezing my nipples again. Each new stroke of his tongue was more intense than the one before, and I could feel the orgasm building up inside of me quickly. It was so strange to have someone else be in control of my climax, after so many years of getting myself there.

  I almost wondered if another person even could, but an intense wave of pleasure ripped through me all at once and put that thought to rest in a split second. I cried out and convulsed in his arms, amazed at how much better it could feel coming from his mouth.

  Everything went dark, and I would have thought it was me finally fainting. But I was still very much aware of the sound of my own breath and the feeling of Jack’s body skin moving beside me, brushing up against me.