The Other Brother (The Collision Series)

by Kristen Granata

  The tears that had been threatening now slid down my cheeks. “Tanner, I can’t believe you did all of this.” I turned around in his arms and looked up at him. “This is amazing.”

  “You are amazing, my sweet girl.” He unzipped my jacket. Letting it fall to the floor, he knelt down and slid my boots off each foot. Standing again, he cupped my face in his hands and kissed me. “I’m going to make you feel so good tonight.”

  My skin hummed with anticipation. I yanked the hem of his shirt until it was over his head, and made quick work of his pants, peeling his boxers off before standing again. I ran my fingers along his smooth, broad chest. My tongue followed everywhere I touched. I stopped when I reached his protruding hip bone and bit it gently.

  Tanner pulled me up with an impatient growl. He tore my dress off and slammed his lips into mine. His hands that had started in my hair traveled down my back. He unhooked my bra and I let it slide down my arms before tossing it onto the floor. He immediately took my breasts into his hands and then dropped to his knees so he could reach them with his mouth. I exhaled loudly when I felt his warm tongue.

  “You have the most perfect body,” he murmured. He continued licking his way down my body. The closer he got to my panties, the wetter I got inside them. My entire body was on fire. I watched as he pulled my panties to the side and lightly ran his tongue over my throbbing skin.

  “God, you taste so good,” he said as he rubbed his tongue against me. “You are my sweet, sweet girl.”

  I moaned, gripping handfuls of his hair as my knees buckled.

  Tanner picked me up and laid me on top of the rose petals on the bed. He slid off my underwear and positioned his head between my legs again. He teased me with his tongue ever so lightly as he watched me.

  “Tanner, please.” I raised my hips to get closer to his mouth.

  He flashed me a wicked smile and spread my legs further apart, slipping his hands under my ass to get a firm grip. His tongue swirled in between my folds, causing me to moan even louder. I never knew anything could feel this good. He worked magic with his tongue, and all I could do was press myself into his mouth and beg for more. I moved my hips in rhythm against his tongue.

  Many people fear fire. Understandably so. It’s a powerful force, too painful to touch. It spreads within seconds, reckless and out of control. It destroys homes. Forests. Lives. Fire takes everything, leaving nothing but ash in its wake.

  Still, we welcome its warmth. We need it to survive. We harness it. We fuel it. It’s exhilarating, the heat that spreads over you when you’re near it. The power you feel when you possess it. When it belongs to you.

  Being with Tanner was like playing with fire. I’d known it from the beginning. I am flammable. Combustible. I’m the moth to the flame. And I let it scorch me.

  The slow burn between my legs turning into an explosion. “That feels so good, Tanner. Keep doing that.”

  His tongue moved faster, and my knees fell completely open. He hit the perfect spot, causing an explosion throughout my body. I screamed his name several times, and my entire body shook as I came apart. Pure bliss blanketed me. When it was over, I couldn’t move.

  Tanner crawled on top of me, kissing my neck as I tried to catch my breath.

  “I’m sorry,” I panted.

  “For what?” He jerked his head back to look at me.

  “Did I pull your hair too hard? Was I too loud? I had no control over my own body. That has never happened before.”

  Tanner’s eyes narrowed. “What do you mean that has never happened before?”

  “Nobody’s done that before.”

  “Charlotte, have you ever had an orgasm?”

  I covered my face with my hands. “No.”

  Tanner sat up and moved my hands away. “But you’ve had sex before.”

  “We were in high school. I don’t think he knew what he was doing. Not like you, anyway.”

  A wide grin spread across his face as he leaned in to kiss me. “You will always orgasm with me, my sweet girl. I don’t unless you do.”

  I leaned onto my elbow. “Can you get my purse for me?”

  Tanner hopped off the bed and I enjoyed the view of his naked body as he brought my bag over.

  I pulled out a strip of condoms and dangled them in the air. “I hope I brought enough.”

  Tanner

  Charlotte kissed me with yearning. The kiss was deep and passionate. All of our emotion spilled onto each other.

  I got on top of her and pressed myself between her legs. I was hard as a fucking rock, and she was so wet. I needed to get inside her, fast. I was about to finish before we even got started.

  “I need you inside me,” she murmured.

  I ripped open a condom and rolled it on. Charlotte watched as I traced my tip around her entrance, teasing and waiting for her reaction. She wrapped her legs around my hips and dug the heels of her feet into my ass cheeks.

  We let out simultaneous gasps as I plunged inside her. I held her in my arms, kissing her over and over again as the light from the candles danced around us.

  “Are you okay, baby?” I gently caressed her face. “I won’t move until you tell me to. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  “You can move,” she assured me. “Just stay right here. I want you close to me.”

  Looking down into her eyes, I was overwhelmed by the amount of love I felt emanating from them. I had fantasized about this moment for so long, and now it was finally happening. Charlotte was giving herself to me—I was one with her. No one had made me feel this way before, and I was certain that nobody ever would again.

  I slowly pulled out before pushing inside her a second time. As much as it was killing me to go slow, I was going to take my time. I wanted to make love to her.

  She let out a moan and bit my bottom lip, digging her nails into the muscles on my back. She lifted her hips to meet each of my thrusts. Then her angelic eyes looked up at me as another moan escaped her lips. “Fuck me, Tanner.”

  I stopped holding myself back and took her hands in mine, pressing them above her head into the mattress. I drove myself deep inside of her, over and over again.

  “Fuck, you are so tight. You feel incredible.”

  Droplets of sweat had formed in between her tits, and her skin glistened in the dim light. I lowered my head so my tongue could graze over one of her perfectly hardened nipples. Charlotte’s back arched and she gripped fistfuls of my ass, pushing me deeper inside.

  “You like that, baby? Tell me what else you like. Tell me what you need.”

  To my surprise, she guided my hand down her body, placing it exactly where she wanted it to be. “Touch me,” she breathed.

  I rubbed her sensitive skin in small circles, watching the ecstasy wash over her face. Her thighs squeezed my hips as she writhed underneath me. Her moans got louder and closer together, before turning into screams. She called out my name, and I felt her insides clench around my dick as her entire body shuddered. The feeling of her orgasm instantly brought me to mine.

  It was the most intimate moment I had ever experienced. She held my face so close to hers while I shook from my release. My body tensed as I grunted a slew of words that made no sense when I strung them together. When I finished, we remained still, letting our breaths slow down. Then, I rolled onto the bed beside her.

  Charlotte showered my face with kisses, and curled around my body. “That was the best sex of my life.”

  I grinned. “You don’t exactly have much to compare it to, but I’m still taking that as a compliment.”

  “Sorry I don’t have all that experience like you do.” She rolled her eyes and jabbed my side.

  I took her hands in mine and looked at her with complete seriousness. “Tonight was the best night of my life.”

  She giggled. “Because we had sex?”

  “Because it was with you.”

  Her eyelids closed as she pressed her forehead to mine. When she opened them, something new sparked in her eyes.
/>   “Tanner, can you make love to me again?”

  “Yes, my sweet girl. I can.”

  Fourteen

  Charlotte

  My mom died in the springtime. It was April. I hadn’t known our last Christmas together would be our last. All I remembered of the few holidays with her was that she loved them. She loved to decorate the house and bake dozens of pies and cookies. So each year, that’s how Dad and I honored her memory.

  Tonight we were decorating our Christmas tree, and Tanner was coming over to help. The two most important men in my life were going to meet for the first time, and I couldn’t be happier. My relationship with my father was back to normal; Tanner’s anger was seemingly gone; my old memories were finally staying in the past; and my panic attacks had almost disappeared completely.

  I jumped up when I heard the knock at the door. Tanner was standing in the hallway with a bouquet of Gerbera daisies for me, and a bottle of red wine for my father. He was dressier than usual, wearing a black sweater with dark jeans. I had memorized every inch of him under that shirt. I couldn’t get enough of him, and whenever he was near me, all I could think about was getting him naked. Visions of him making love to me flashed through my mind, making it hard to concentrate on words.

  “Hi, handsome.”

  Tanner lingered near my ear after kissing my cheek. “You need to behave tonight, sweet girl.”

  A flush spread across my cheeks as I let Tanner into the apartment. “Dad, this is Tanner. Tanner, this is my dad, Frank.”

  Tanner extended his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Thompson.”

  “Please. Call me Frank. It’s nice to finally meet the boy who has stolen my girl’s heart.” Dad shook his hand. “And all of her free time.”

  Tanner smiled. “Sorry about that.” He handed my father the wine. “Charlotte said you like red.”

  “I do. Thank you very much. Let me take your coat.”

  I took the flowers from him as he slipped out of his jacket and handed it to my father. “Let me go put these in water. Dad, I’ll pour you a glass while I’m in there.”

  I filled a vase and situated the flowers within. Ever since I’d told Tanner my favorite flower, he continued to bring me fresh bouquets to replace the last wilted bunch.

  I uncorked the wine and poured my father a glass. Filling our apartment with little things like vases and wine glasses made it feel like home. More and more, I was getting used to living in New York. I’m sure being with Tanner had something to do with it, too. Being with him made me feel like I belonged.

  When I got back to the living room, my father was showing Tanner pictures of my mother in the frames on the wall.

  “You look just like her.” Tanner wrapped his arm around my waist.

  “Thank goodness for that,” my father said, laughing as he rubbed his bald head.

  I ran my fingertips over her golden hair in the photo. “She was so beautiful.”

  “I’m sorry to hear about your father,” Dad said to Tanner. “How’s he doing these days?”

  “He’s just weak and tired a lot. Doesn’t have much of an appetite. My little sister, Khloe, helps keep a smile on his face … on all of our faces.”

  Dad nodded solemnly. He knew all too well what the Brooks family was going through.

  “Did you decorate your tree?” I asked, wanting to lighten the mood.

  “We did. I even went with Chase and helped him pick out a tree for Merritt’s apartment. He plans on surprising her with it. She said she didn’t want one.”

  “Merritt is his brother’s girlfriend,” I explained to Dad. “She lost both her mother and father, and she’s all alone.” I squeezed Tanner to my side. “Tanner’s family has been taking care of her.”

  “They sound like wonderful people.”

  Tanner smiled. “They are.”

  I knew they were, though I hadn’t met them. “They have to be. They made you.” I stretched onto my toes and kissed Tanner’s cheek.

  Tanner’s father’s health was looming over us. I prayed every night that he would make it through the holidays. I wanted Tanner to have one last Christmas with his dad.

  Tonight, we could smile and enjoy the moment. Soon, it would all come crashing down.

  Tanner

  “I can’t believe your brother is giving Merritt a car for Christmas. She’s going to freak. I wish I could see the look on her face.”

  I chuckled at Charlotte’s enthusiasm. “It’s more than just a car. The car was her father’s. They built it together when she was growing up. It holds a lot of meaning for her.”

  Her eyes widened. “This is the car Merritt was in when she crashed the night of his funeral?”

  “Yup. This is the one. Chase didn’t have the heart to let them take it to the junk-yard. He brought it here and has been working on it ever since.”

  “And you’re helping him.”

  “I am.”

  “I thought you couldn’t stand your big brother.”

  I smirked as I grabbed the wrench I needed from the toolbox. “It’s more for Merritt than my brother.”

  In addition to helping Chase with Merritt’s car, I wanted to fix up Charlotte’s car for her as a surprise. She’d complained about the dents and scratches when she first bought it, and I wanted to make it look shiny and new. I just didn’t know how to get my hands on it without her noticing. It would take at least a few days. I needed a plan.

  “I like Merritt. I haven’t met her, but I like her.”

  “I like her, too. I feel like she gets me. She’s so different from Chase.”

  “They say opposites attract.” Charlotte wrapped her arms around my waist, gazing up at me with those mesmerizing eyes. “Do you feel like I get you?”

  I wiped the grease from my fingers so I could wrap them around her. “Of course I do, baby.”

  “Good.”

  “You should get back to studying before you end up naked on the hood of this car.” I smacked her ass playfully. I’d set up a beach chair for her to study in. She spent all of her free time with me in the shop while I worked overtime. She had finals to study for, and I didn’t want to get in the way of her schoolwork. But she insisted on being with me every chance she got. I was the luckiest man in the world.

  “I’m having a hard time concentrating with you looking all sexy working on that car.”

  “Smelly and greasy is sexy to you?”

  “You are sexy to me. No matter what you’re wearing.”

  “I feel the same about you, my sweet girl.”

  “Would you want to sleep over tonight?”

  “Is your dad going to be okay with that?”

  “He will be as long as he doesn’t hear us.” She wiggled her eyebrows with a devilish expression.

  “If you think I’m having sex while your dad is in the next room, you’ve got another thing coming.”

  “I can be quiet,” she said as she unbuttoned my shirt.

  “That’s the problem.” I lifted her by her ass and laid her on the hood of the car. “I don’t want you to be quiet.”

  Charlotte

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  I shot Mallory a look out my driver’s side window. I tried to start my car again, but it made the same sound and refused to start.

  “You want to curse right now. I know you do. Come on. Just let it out.”

  “Cursing doesn’t fix anything.” I dug into my purse and searched for my phone.

  “It helps get your frustration out.” She reached into my car and poked my shoulder with her gloved finger. “I bet you curse in the bedroom. The quiet ones are always freaks.”

  I giggled as Tanner answered the phone. “Hi, baby. We have a problem.”

  “What’s the matter?”

  “I’m stuck in the parking lot at school. This lemon of a car you sold me won’t start.”

  He chuckled on the other side of the phone. “Let me ask: did you put gas in this lemon?”

  “Yes. It has a full tank.�
��

  “Can you have Mallory drive you home? I’ll get Chase to help me to get your car. Once it’s in the shop, I’ll take a look and see what’s wrong.”

  “I’m gonna go warm up my car,” Mallory said. “It’s colder than a witch’s tit out here!”

  I laughed. “What does that even mean?”

  “It’s an expression!”

  “Okay. Mal’s going to drive me home. I’ll leave my key under the seat for you.”

  “Don’t worry, baby. I’ll fix it for you.”

  Mallory’s car was nice and toasty when I got inside.

  “So, what are you getting lover boy for Christmas?”

  “I literally have not one idea. I can’t think of what he would need.”

  “Christmas is not about what people need. My aunt Cathy sends me a toothbrush in the mail every year. Everybody needs to brush their teeth, but nobody wants a toothbrush for Christmas.”

  “She really sends you a toothbrush?”

  “In bubble wrap. I shit you not.”

  “Well, I don’t know what he wants!”

  “I’m taking you to the mall right now.”

  “What’s at the mall that Tanner wants?”

  “Two words: Victoria’s Secret.”

  I shook my head. “But that’s not for him.”

  “It’s for his viewing pleasure.”

  “I know, but I want to get him a gift, too.”

  “Guys are so easy. Get a bow and slap it on your vag. Boom. Instant gift. That’s all they really want, anyway.”

  I laughed. Though Tanner would love that idea, I had to figure something else out. Something special. I just didn’t know what.

  Tanner

  I had successfully stolen the battery out of Charlotte’s car while she was in class. I knew Mallory would be there to drive her home. Chase drove me to pick up the car from the parking lot and didn’t ask too many questions about who I was doing this for. He had his head so far up Merritt’s ass, he couldn’t see anything except her. I didn’t give him a hard time. The same could be said about me with Charlotte.

  Over the next few days, I worked as fast as I could to buff out the dents and scratches on Charlotte’s car. She was relentless with questions, asking if I’d figured out what was wrong with it. I had to make excuse after excuse to cover my ass when I sent it to my buddy’s paint shop. I couldn’t wait to see the look on her face when she realized what I’d been doing all along. I knew she was going to love it.