I stared at his lips.
He studied mine.
One of us had to make the first move. It wouldn’t be Drake. He would never cross the line again, even though he wanted me. So, I closed the distance and pressed my lips to his, waiting for the rejection that never came.
Hooking his arm around me, Drake pinned my back to the wall and parted my lips with his tongue. He tasted of scotch and mint, and the scent of his sweet cologne invaded my senses. Drake kissed me like he wanted to brand me with his sinful touch and claim every part of my body for himself.
He was mine.
All mine.
But then, he paused as if he remembered his stupid deal with my brother. Our lips were still touching, but he was no longer kissing me. Then, he inched backward, locking eyes with me, his chest rising and falling faster.
“Liv,” he muttered, stepping out of my grasp. “I shouldn’t have done that.” He tugged at the ends of his dark hair. “Fuck. That was stupid.”
I shoved him out of my way and headed toward my bedroom, needing to escape.
Drake entered the room before I could shut the door in his face. “I didn’t mean that. Please just look at me, Liv. You could never be a mistake. But we—us—we can’t happen ever again.”
I spun around to face him, arms crossed under my breasts. “You don’t have to protect me anymore. I can make my own decisions.”
His eyes lowered to my chest and then went back to my face as he blew out a deep breath. “If you were mine, you would be in danger. Men would come for you. They would hunt you and hurt you just to get to me. I can’t… No, I won’t take that risk, Liv. You mean too much to me.”
“Who?” I fired back, getting in his face. “Who are you talking about? In the time I have known you, no one has hurt me but you.”
His expression darkened at my confession. “I would never… If I upset you, it was not my intention. I’m only trying to keep you safe.”
Before I could respond, I heard footsteps on the hardwood floor as someone approached my bedroom. Judging by the direction and the sound, it was my older brother. I glanced down at my towel-covered body and took a few steps back. Drake did the same, spinning around to face the door as Tate appeared.
Running a hand through his dark, sleep-mussed hair, Tate leaned against the doorframe. “It’s almost one o’clock. What is going on in here?”
As Tate’s eyes shifted from Drake to me and then back to me, his jaw tightened. He shook his head and sighed. “I’m too tired for this conversation. Both of you go to bed. We have an important day at the office.”
Without another word, Tate returned to his bedroom, slamming the door in his wake.
Drake looked at me with tired eyes. “Get some sleep. You’ll need it.”
For the rest of the night, I lay in bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering if my brother would ever accept how Drake and I felt about each other. Until he did, we had no future.
CHAPTER 18
DRAKE
Olivia kissed my neck and rutted against me, making my cock harder than steel. This woman knew all the ways to torture me. Gripping her waist, I rocked my hips and kissed her. I’d waited too long to touch her. Too long to make her mine. After years of denying myself what I wanted, she was in my arms and purring in my ear.
“Drake,” she moaned, wrapping her thick legs around me. “Oh god. Yes.”
I tilted her head to the side and licked her neck, loving how she shivered from my touch. Her big breasts rubbed my bare chest, and I loved how she felt on top of me.
And then…
She slapped me.
Olivia gripped my shoulders and shook me. “Open your eyes, you idiot.”
Just like that, my perfect dream transformed into a bitter reality. I blinked to clear the sleep from my eyes. My head pounded from all the shots of Blue Label I drank last night after we kissed.
I glanced at the clock.
