by Elle Kennedy
The climax hit him like a sledgehammer to the chest. Knocked the wind right out of him as paralyzing ecstasy pulsed in the base of his spine and then shot out in every direction. He wasn’t sure when—or how—he crashed back to the earth, but when he was able to think clearly again, he registered Brett’s soft laughter.
“What?” he croaked.
Her wide grin pierced through his foggy vision. “Nothing. I was just thinking that if I’d known you were this good of a lay, I would’ve tried harder to hook up with you in high school.”
He choked out a laugh of his own, gently easing out of her core before collapsing at her side. He ran his hand over her breasts, but his fingers still felt like limp noodles, so he splayed them over her flat belly and nestled closer to her. “Trust me, you didn’t miss out. I was an amateur back then. No moves.”
“An amateur, huh?” Her lips tickled his shoulder. “Does that make you a professional fucker now?”
“Yup.” He moved his hand over her stomach in a sensual caress. “These days I know what I’m doing.”
“God. You totally do.” She sat up and brushed hair off her forehead, then gave him a little shove so that he was on his back. “Okay, that was a long enough break. Let’s do it again.”
Her eagerness made him laugh, but she silenced the husky sound with a kiss.
And proceeded to rock his world all over again.
They slept. They screwed. Slept some more. Screwed some more.
By the time AJ crashed for the night, he’d reached several important conclusions. One—casual hookups were not as sleazy as he’d previously believed. Two—it was possible to pass out from sex-exhaustion. And three—he’d had the best sex of his life tonight. Hands down.
Those warm and fuzzy thoughts carried him into slumber, and he wouldn’t have been surprised to learn that he’d fallen asleep with a smile on his face. God knew he woke up with one.
The moment he opened his eyes the next morning and found Brett curled up beside him in bed, his lips curved in satisfaction.
They’d eventually found their way into her bedroom, and were now tangled together between the sheets. She was naked, one leg hooked over his hip, one arm flung across his chest. The beams of sunlight slipping into the room through the gap in the curtains cast a halo of light around her face, and he smiled when he saw that her cheek bore the impression of the blanket.
She really was beautiful. Not in the classic sense, but in an interesting way. Her mouth was a tad too wide, her chin a little too angular, and those dark eyes were too big for her face, yet the combination of details created a striking package that fascinated him.
He would’ve liked to give her a wake-up she’d never forget, but unfortunately, his bladder wasn’t cooperating. Stifling a curse, he slid out of bed and quietly searched the bedroom for something to wear. His clothes had been abandoned in the living room, but he felt weird walking around naked in Brett’s apartment, so he swiped the pink towel that had haphazardly been tossed on the dresser and quickly wrapped it around his waist.
It only took a minute to pop into the hall bathroom and do his business, but just as he was about to head back to the bedroom, a loud creak echoed through the apartment.
AJ froze.
Was that the front door?
Shit. It was.
Heavy footsteps suddenly thumped from the hall, accompanied by a deep male voice. “Brett? You up?”
Fucking hell. Did Brett have a boyfriend?
The thought flew into AJ’s head like a fastball, bringing a jolt of panic. He hadn’t thought to ask her last night, but…she had to be single, right? She wouldn’t have slept with him if she wasn’t.
Right?
He was two seconds from diving into the bedroom when the footsteps got closer. “Yo, why are there clothes on the living room floor? I thought you learned how to pick up after yourself—”
A tall, dark-haired man rounded the corner and stopped in his tracks.
“Oh. Hi.” Confused dark eyes collided with AJ’s sheepish face before narrowing in suspicion. “Who the hell are—Walsh?”
Recognition dawned on the other man’s face at the precise moment that AJ experienced a déjà vu of his own. “Conlon?” he said in surprise.
“Holy shit, it is you.” Rob Conlon broke out in a broad smile. “AJ Walsh. Dude, it’s been years.”
Many years, in fact. AJ hadn’t seen Rob since high school, and Conlon was the last person he’d expected to run into this morning—while wearing a pink towel.
AJ studied his former classmate, noting that the guy hadn’t changed much over the years. Rob was as tall as he’d been back then, with the same cropped haircut and scruffy facial hair. Definitely more muscular, though, and the full-sleeve tattoos were also new.
“How’ve you been, man?” Rob charged forward to pull AJ in for a macho side hug, which he uneasily returned.
“I’m good. You?”
“Doing great.” As Rob took a step back, the joy he’d been emitting reverted back to distrust. His gaze lowered to the towel slung around AJ’s hips, as if he’d just noticed the pink monstrosity.
“What are you doing here?” Rob asked warily. “Where’s my sister?”
Sister?
Oh crap. Brett was Rob’s sister?
But a hasty examination of the other man’s face was all it took to spot the resemblance. They had the same eyes, AJ realized, though while Rob’s features were sharply masculine, Brett’s were soft and delicate. Not to mention that Rob Conlon was a frickin’ mountain compared to Brett’s pixie frame.
“Seriously, where the hell is she?”
AJ was about to answer, but Brett’s calm voice cut him off.
“I’m right here.” Like a graceful feline, she sauntered out of the bedroom wearing an oversize T-shirt that hung to her knees.
AJ saw through her composed facade. She’d clearly thrown her shirt on in a hurry—the damn thing was inside out—and her hair was noticeably tousled from sleep…and other much less innocent activities. AJ remembered tangling his fingers through that inky-black hair many, many times last night. Pulling on it, too. Hard.
Before he could stop it, a parade of vivid memories marched into his head, the most prominent involving Brett’s lips wrapped around his cock.
He had to will his lower body not to respond, because the last thing he needed was to spring a boner in front of Brett’s brother. Christ. That would go over like a punch to the face.
A literal one, most likely. With AJ’s face being the one in question.
“What are…?” Rob looked from AJ to his sister. “I didn’t realize you two knew each other.”
AJ would have given his left arm to be able to fade into his surroundings. The friendly reception he’d received from Rob had all but disappeared, and the man was currently eyeing him like he’d pickpocketed his wallet or some shit. Gone was the old friend from high school—replaced by a big brother in full-on protection mode.
“Well, we do know each other.” Brett’s tone was flippant, but AJ didn’t miss the flush rising in her cheeks. “What are you doing here? I thought we talked about calling before you stop by.”
Rob ignored her. His scowl deepened as he turned to AJ. “Why are you at my sister’s apartment at nine in the morning?”
AJ had to choke back a laugh. Talk about the most obvious question on the planet. He was wearing a pink towel, for fuck’s sake.
On the same token, there was no way in hell he was admitting to Brett’s brother that he’d picked her up at the club last night and brought her home for sex.
To his relief, Brett didn’t seem interested in sharing that juicy tidbit, either. “What are you doing here?” she repeated.
“Why is Walsh here?” her brother countered.
Brett’s hands curled into small fists at her sides, and AJ could tell she was trying very hard not to lose her temper.
He searched his own brain for a suitable response, one that didn’t feature the words one-night
stand or hot, sweaty sex, but again, Brett beat him to the punch.
“He’s here because he’s my boyfriend.”
Chapter Five
Shit on a stick.
Of all the times her big brother had showed up unannounced, this had to be the worst. She’d finally been making headway in her quest to prove that she’d put her wild partying days behind her. She’d even managed to finagle a promise out of Rob that he’d speak to their dad on her behalf and vouch for her new, responsible ways.
Now any endorsement from her brother was about to be shot to hell. He’d just walked in on her and her one-night stand, for Pete’s sake—how was that going to convince him she’d changed? And no matter how tough he looked, Rob happened to be the biggest daddy’s boy in her family, which meant he’d rat her out in a heartbeat.
Panic scurried up her spine as she envisioned her infuriating brother telling their dad about the scene he’d just stumbled on.
Crap. She couldn’t let that happen.
Please, please, please just go with it.
She silently pleaded at AJ from behind her brother’s head, praying that he’d back her up. AJ’s green eyes had filled with surprise at her announcement, and she could practically see his brain working to make sense of it.
“Your boyfriend?” Rob said incredulously. “Since when?”
AJ spoke up before Brett could. “It’s been a few weeks now.”
The response was so smooth and sounded so genuine that even Brett believed him, and she knew he was lying. A rush of gratitude flooded her belly, which she tried to convey wordlessly when their gazes locked again.
“Yeah?” Rob shook his head a few times, still looking confused. But it didn’t take long for him to adjust. With a big grin, he glanced over at Brett and said, “This is awesome. Dad will be thrilled.”
She furrowed her brow. “He will?”
“Are you serious? You’re dating the Ten Grand Touchdown!” her brother exclaimed. “I bet he throws you a celebratory parade.”
Her confusion only heightened. “What the hell are you babbling about?”
Rob sighed heavily, as if he couldn’t believe the comment even warranted an explanation. “Remember that game back in senior year, when half the Hawks players got injured the week we were scheduled to play the division leaders?”
“No.”
He kept going as if she hadn’t spoken. “Nobody thought we stood a chance of winning that game—bookies were giving us twenty-to-one odds. Well, Dad bet five hundred bucks on the Hawks.” Rob shook his head in amazement. “End of the fourth, we’re down by six, one play left, and then this guy”—he gestured to AJ—“ends up catching a Hail Mary in the end zone.”
“Oh crap, I remember that game,” AJ blurted out, laughing softly. “I’m pretty sure I was as shocked as everyone else in the stadium when I actually caught that pass.” He paused. “Your dad bets that kind of money on high school football games?”
“Oh yeah. He bets on everything.” Rob was still grinning from ear to ear. “He worships the ground you walk on, dude. To this day, he still brags about that payout.”
Brett had a vague recollection of her father boasting about some touchdown that had made him a lot of money, but as the only female in a family of males, she’d learned to tune out her dad and brothers whenever they jabbered on about sports.
And as the youngest sister of three overbearing older brothers, she was used to them interfering in her life, and so it didn’t surprise her that Rob didn’t make a single move to leave, despite the fact that he was certainly not welcome at the moment.
“Do you still talk to Miller?” Rob asked AJ. “I remember you two were tight.”
“Yup. Actually, we co-own a nightclub together.”
Brett wrinkled her nose. Were they talking about Reed Miller? She remembered him from high school, too. Reed had been a bad boy to the core, and not someone she’d seen AJ hanging out with.
The fact that the two men had been close, and apparently still were, made her realize she hadn’t known AJ at all back then. She’d invented a fantasy version of him, one that included a load of assumptions that he’d rapidly poked holes in since the moment they’d crossed paths again.
“It’s a shame he got kicked off the team. He was damn good.”
“Yeah, Reed was a force of nature on that offensive line.”
Much to her displeasure, the two men were oblivious to her presence now, chatting as if she weren’t even in the room.
“I heard you got into MMA,” Rob said.
It took a serious effort to keep her jaw closed. AJ was a mixed martial arts fighter? Since when?
“Yeah, I fought pro for a few years. So did Reed.”
Brett opened her mouth to press for details, but her brother didn’t give her the chance.
“That’s hardcore.” Nodding with approval, he looked over at Brett again. “Honestly, B? Normally your taste in dudes sucks, but I’m totally digging this arrangement.”
“Wonderful. I’m glad you approve.” She crossed her arms and fixed him with a glare. “Now will you please go away? I’ll see you at the shop in an hour.”
Rob rolled his eyes. “Fine. I’m gone. I know when I’m not wanted.” He stepped forward to give AJ a hearty slap on the shoulder. “I’m sure I’ll be seeing a lot more of you, man. Actually, I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”
AJ blinked. “Tomorrow?”
Rob turned to Brett with visible displeasure. “You didn’t invite him to the barbecue?”
She stifled a groan. Crap. Why had she lied, damn it? She’d never had a problem inviting boyfriends to family events in the past, and now that she’d launched this foolish charade, it would look insanely suspicious if she didn’t bring AJ over to her dad’s place tomorrow.
“Of course I invited him, but he might have to work.” She stalked forward, forcibly dragging her brother away from AJ and toward the front hallway. “It’s time for you to go. I have to shower and get ready for work.”
“Fine. We’ll talk later.”
Since he was a good foot taller than her, he had to hunch over in order to plant a kiss on the top of her head, and the familiar gesture instantly had her softening. As nosy and overprotective as her brothers could be, she still adored each and every one of them and knew they felt the same way about her.
“I’ll see you in a bit, okay?” she said, squeezing his arm.
The second the door closed behind him, Brett released a sigh of relief and made a beeline to the bedroom, where she found AJ getting dressed.
She lingered in the doorway for a moment, soaking in the sight of his lean, muscular body. The way his abs tightened as he pulled a shirt over his head, the flexing of his biceps as he reached down to zip up his pants. Now that Rob was gone, she allowed the memories of last night to flood her mind, and the wicked images made her heart beat faster. God, it had been an incredible night. She hadn’t expected AJ to be so…dirty.
His head turned sharply as he became aware of her presence. Then he relaxed and offered a wry look. “So.”
“So.” She drew a deep breath. “I guess we should talk about the whole boyfriend thing.”
To her surprise, he smiled at her. “Naah, I get it. You didn’t want your brother to think we had a casual hookup. Makes sense to me.”
“Normally I wouldn’t care what Rob thinks, but there’s some stuff happening right now, and…” A sigh slipped out. “Truthfully, my past isn’t very spotless. I’ve done some stupid stuff I’m not particularly proud of, which includes going out with a lot of assholes. I don’t sleep around,” she added hastily, not wanting him to think she was a raging ho-bag or anything. “But I haven’t picked many winners in the love department. And my family is already super overprotective because I’m the youngest, so my rebellious bullshit didn’t exactly help the situation.”
“I can imagine. I remember Rob from high school. He was very in-your-face, always thought his way was the right one.” AJ’s head tipped thoughtfull
y. “You have another brother, right? A year younger than Rob?”
She nodded. “That’s Jordan. Me, Rob, and Jordan were all born a year apart. And our brother Mike is two years older than Rob. My folks wanted all their kids to be close in age. That’s what both their families were like, all the siblings only a year or two apart.”
Her cheeks warmed as she realized she was reciting her family history to him like she was in a genealogy seminar, but she was nervous again, and when she got nervous, she babbled.
As if sensing her agitation, AJ crossed the room and swept a gentle hand over her cheek. It amazed her how attuned he was to her every response.
That keen intuition definitely extended to sexual responses, too. Because holy moly, the man had rocked her world last night. He’d known exactly where to touch her, how to make her scream, moan, beg…Yep, she clearly remembered doing some begging, just like he’d promised her she would.
Bottom line: AJ Walsh had dominated every inch of her last night.
And she was dying for him to do it again.
He must have glimpsed the sexual longing in her expression, because heat flared in his own eyes. “That was some really good sex, huh?”
“Amazing sex,” she corrected.
Their gazes held. A bolt of awareness streaked between them. AJ’s gaze dipped to her bare legs, and the predatory gleam she witnessed sent a shiver dancing through her.
God, she wanted him again.
And if the growing bulge beneath his zipper was any indication, he wanted her too.
“Anyway.” Brett cleared her throat, trying to drag her mind out of the gutter. “I’m in the process of trying to convince my family that I’ve cleaned up my act, and right now it’s more important than ever to prove myself to them.”
“Why is that?” He led her to the bed and tugged her down beside him.
“My family owns a couple of tattoo parlors. Rob runs the one in Southie—I work there as an artist—and then there’s the west-side location that opened a couple years ago. Mike manages that one. But my dad is planning on opening a third location in the north end.” She let out a breath. “I want to run it.”