A laugh belts from me. “That might be true, Masterson. Where are you headed? Back to yourmom’s?”
She sits up abruptly and snarls my way, “You have met my mother, haven’tyou?”
We share a quiet laugh. Bonnie Masterson isn’t exactly known for hercharity.
“But don’t worry.” She lifts her glass my way. “There’s always the Dungeon. My showers might be cold, but at least my roommates will behot.”
“I wouldn’t worry about cold showers or hot strippers. You’re no longerhomeless.”
“You have a spare house you want to lendme?”
“A sparebedroom.”
“Oh no,” she’s quick to protest. “And subject myself to the nonstop parade of harlots? The horrors that go on in your bedroom? No, thanks.” Her back shudders hard, and that sweater bounces in all the right places. Crap. I force myself to look up at hereyes.
She’s right about the harlots, but I’ll be the last to admit it. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll shut down the show until you get your own place.” My lower half demands to revolt, but the rest of me is glad I went there. “I think it’s time to give the boys abreather.
Besides—” I lean over the counter, toward this gorgeous girl I’ve known all my life and yet everything about her seems exciting and new. Her ocean blue eyes latch to mine, but it’s those pillow soft lips that call to me, and everything in me demands to go in and affirm exactly how soft they are. “You’re my wife. You’re the only one who belongs in mybed.”
Dirty Filthy Liar
Raven
Movinginto Brody Wolf’s home isn’t exactly what I had in mind, but my Range Rover—though pretty darn luxurious, wasn’t exactly high-end living. Brody’s place is set back on the outskirts of Hollow Brook in what’s known as Hollow Brook Hills, a comfy homey neighborhood that’s strewn with all the requisite Halloween decorations and white picket fences. What with all the basketball hoops, tether balls, tire swings, and abandoned bicycles on the driveways, I can tell it’s a regular elementary school here by day. I pull up behind him to a classic cape cod with the requisite aforementioned white picket fence, but nary a scary decoration waits to greetme.
We get out of our cars at the same time, and I skip over to him as we look at the house together. “Huh, who knewtheBrody Wolf would grow up someday and become a soccermom?”
“You really think you’re funny.” He gives my rib a quick tweak, and I scream with delight as he helps me gather the goods from the back of my car. “Geez,” he says as he lets us in and turns on the light, spilling all of my shoes onto the floor in front of him. “You do realize you only have twofeet?”
“Yes. And my, are they blessed by Manolo.” I clap my hands at his face. “Chop-chop. Get the rest of that stuff in here. I’m ready for a bubblebath.”
“Yes, ma’am.” He takes off, and I can’t help but drink in how cozy and ultra-masculine his home is. The walls are painted slate gray, and it matches the sofas, the floors, and the kitchen cabinets. The fireplace is made of tumbled stone that stretches twenty feet into the vaulted ceiling, and I’d die to see a lit Christmas tree in thisroom.
“What do you think?” he asks, coming back in and landing half my closet onto hissofa.
Those green flecks in his eyes glow like fresh-cut grass. His left brow hooks in his forehead, and suddenly everything about the moment feels sexual. Damn Brody Wolf to hell for looking so delicious sincebirth.
“I think your lair is beautiful. I can see why the captives don’t make an effort to leave. How many girls are stashed in your bedroom, anyway?” I give him the stink eye because we both know it’strue.
“Twelve.” He frowns into the false admission. “Come on. You and I both know I’m not getting any action with you holing up in here. You’re the monkey wrench in my game.” He gives a quickwink.
“Well, let the revolt of the skanks begin, because with my lack of employment, you’re liable to have me for the better part of the nextcentury.”
“We’ll both be dead bythen.”
A chortling laugh escapes me as I run a finger under his scruffy chin. “Yes, but it will be a fabulous way togo.”
The moment stills, and I move up a notch without thinking and, oh my God, can’t I kiss Brody Wolf just once on the mouth? Of course, I’m pretty sure it happened last night. But shit-faced kisses totally don’tcount.
His eyes widen just a notch as the air charges around us. Everything about this moment feels right in a greedy, my-God-I-have-to-kiss-him sort of way. And then Brody does the unthinkable. He leans in just a notch, and now the lip-lock ball is clearly in mycourt.
I swallow hard, panting like an idiot. I’ve always had two fears. The first being tight, confined spaces. Put me on an elevator and cut the power, and you’ll have one circus monkey on fire. I’m sure the footage from the security cam would go viral in a Lex Maxfield sort of way. Definitely not pretty. And two, rejection from a self-initiated kiss. Here goesnothing.
I lean in, and he slips his hands underneath my arms. “Whoa.” His voice lacks the right inflection, but I think I know where he’s going with this. “You almost fell.” His left eye comes shy of winking, and suddenly I want the floor to open up and swallow mewhole.
Here it is, the white-hot sting of rejection. My face heats like a thousand hellfires, and I’d rather have a million mortifying events take place in my life rather than one swift rejection from Brody Wolf, the love of my life. There. I said it. I love Brody. I always have. But now that he’s all but tarred and feathered me, there will be hell to pay and I plan on adding gasoline to the flames plenty andoften.
“Almost fell? That I did.” My spine straightens as I take a step back. “We’re goodfriends, right, Brody?” I couldn’t help it. I’m about to make it crystal clear that in no way am I interested in Brody I’ve-Got-a-BonerWolf.
