Falling For My Best Friend's Brother (11 page)

“What were the marks on Elizabeth’s wrists?” I asked quickly, the words darting out of my mouth before I could stop them.

“The marks on Elizabeth’s wrists?” He raised an eyebrow at me. “What marks?”

“She had red indents on her wrists,” I said. “I saw them. They looked like …” My voice trailed off before I could say the words ‘handcuff marks’.

“They looked like what?” He grinned and leaned towards me, his lashes looking longer then I remembered.

“You know.” I swallowed hard. How could I ask him what sort of relationship they had together?

“No, I don’t.”

“They looked like handcuff marks,” I said finally.

“Oh, really?” He smiled and licked his lips deliberately.

“Yes.”

“You’re asking me if Elizabeth had handcuff marks on her wrists?”

“I’m asking you if you’re seeing her, like, properly,” I said, no longer able to hold it in. “I don’t think it’s cool if you are seeing her and seeing me at the same time.”

“I’m seeing you?” he asked with a smirk and his eyes fell to my lips.

“Well, you know,” I said, feeling like a fool. Why had I said he was seeing me? He wasn’t seeing me. All we’d done was kiss.

“No, I didn’t know.” He laughed and pulled away suddenly and slid out of the car. “Come on.” He grabbed my hands and pulled me out to join him.

“I didn’t mean to say you were seeing both of us,” I mumbled as I stood next to him. The sunlight was blinding me, and I stared at his shoulder, instead of into his eyes.

“That’s good.”

“I mean, I guess you are dating her, but you aren’t dating me.”

“I am?” he asked.

“Well, aren’t you?” I asked and shifted my eyes to look into his. Aiden put his arms around my waist and pulled me into him.

“Do you want to be dating me, Alice?” he asked softly and my breath caught.

“I, uh, I …” I stammered, my face red and not just from the direct rays of sun on my skin.

“I liked kissing you the other night,” he said softly with a small smile and leaned down. “Did you like kissing me?”

“Yes,” I squeaked out.

“Good.” He leaned down and gave me a quick kiss on the lips. “You and me are having dinner tonight and we’re going to talk.”

“We are?” I squeaked out again, this time in a more indignant manner.

“Yes, we are.” He kissed me again, this time harder and for longer.

“You didn’t even ask.”

“I learned my lesson yesterday,” he said with his lips against mine. “I asked you if I could call you, and you gave me the run around. Today, I figure there’s no point in me just asking you. I need to tell you.”

“Well, I don’t know what to say,” I said breathlessly, my lips brushing against his.

“Just tell me what time to pick you up.” He sucked on my lower lip and tugged gently. “Actually, I’ll pick you up at eight.”

“Oh.” My stomach was doing flips and I put my hands around his waist to stop myself from reaching down to grab his ass.

“Be ready.” He laughed and pulled my face towards him and gave me one deep, hard kiss before pulling back.

“Or what?”

“Or you’ll see.” He winked.

“You going to punish me?” I asked lightly, and he just laughed. I saw the others waiting for us in the field and so I started walking towards them. I wondered if they had seen us kissing and if they had, what were they thinking? I sure hoped Elizabeth didn’t think that she had anything serious with Aiden. I sure hoped that they didn’t have anything that would prevent me from working my magic. I also hoped that they hadn’t kissed or had sex. Though I didn’t want to ask. I didn’t want to know if they had, only if they hadn’t. And how did you ask that question knowing that one of the answers had the potential to break your heart?

“I can’t wait for tonight,” Aiden said from behind me and I jumped as I felt his hand lightly tapping my ass.

“Hey!” I turned around and glared at him. “What was that for?”

“I was just answering your question,” He said and ran ahead of me. My heart thudded as I realized that tonight might involve a lot more than just talking.

***

Seduction is like a dance. You have to move in time, at the right moment, and just let yourself go. I stared at my reflection in the mirror. I looked sexy. Or as sexy as I could look without having a professional stylist and makeup artist at my beck and call. No one can ever say I’m a quitter. Nope, not me. When Aiden asked me if I wanted to get dinner, I thought I was going to faint. And I mean that quite literally. My body felt weak and my heart was racing. I could hear the humming of birds in my ear and everything in my world was bright and wonderful. All because Aiden asked me to dinner. I know, I’m a bit of a sad case, but that’s what it’s like when a guy you like asks you out. It’s magical. Absolutely magical.

I grabbed my handbag as the clock on the wall turned to eight and then I stopped for a few seconds to make sure I was ready.

Red heels. Check.

Sexy underwear. Check.

Handcuffs. Check.

Aiden waiting for me naked in his large king-sized bed with nothing but a sexy smile on his face. I hoped that would be a check real soon. Like tonight soon. I was so excited I could barely contain myself. I checked my handbag to make sure I had my box of condoms (I wasn’t going to let protection be the one thing that prevented me from getting down and dirty tonight). I had my red lipstick that matched my heels perfectly. I had some strawberry lipgloss. I had a small bottle of Vera Wang’s Princess perfume because it made me smell divine. I was going to spray myself with it again once I got to the restaurant because the scent never seemed to last long. I had a pack of Altoids mints because I wanted to make sure I had fresh breath and I knew a good blowjob trick with Altoids in your mouth. I also had my cellphone. Forty dollars in cash. My driver’s license, in case I got carded when ordering my cocktails. And I also had a small teddy bear that I always carried around with me. It was a bear that Aiden had given me when I was a little kid and he had won it at a fair. He probably didn’t even remember that he’d given me that prize, so many years ago, but I made sure to carry it with me everywhere. It was one of my prized possessions. Sometimes when I was in bed, late at night and feeling lonely, I would grab that teddy bear and squeeze it and kiss it and hold it close and imagine that somehow it was making me close to Aiden. It was a juvenile thing to do, but it was something that always comforted me.

“He’s here, Alice!” Liv screamed down the corridor. “I saw his car pull up.”

“How do I look?” I hurried out of my room in my short black dress and Liv whistled.

“Uhm, hotter than the Sahara Desert.”

“Hotter, huh?” I grinned and twirled around in my dress. “I feel pretty hot.”

“You’re more than pretty hot, you’re super-hot.” She laughed and came over to me. She poked her finger into my arm and screeched.

“What’s wrong?” I asked her with a confused frown.

“You’re so hot you just burned me.” She grinned and we both burst out laughing.

“You’re a goof,” I said. “It’s a good thing you’re not a man. You’d never get laid with pickup lines like that.”

“I think I’d make a good man,” she said with a smile. “I’d know exactly what to say to get the girls.”

“Uh huh.” I grinned, and she looked me up and down slowly and licked her lips.

“Man, girl, you look good enough to eat.” She paused and licked her lips again. “And I’m hungry, you wanna show me some sugar?”

“Oh my God, no, just no!” I started laughing again. “You will never get a woman with words like that. No to the no, to the hell, to the no.”

“Haha, that bad?” She grinned at me and then laughed. “Yeah, that was pretty bad. Thank God, I’m a woman and have Xander.”

“Yeah, you lucked out with Mr. Miracle Tongue.” I smiled. “Smooth with his words and his tongue.”

“Well, not always smooth with either.” She winked and I groaned.

“Liv!”

“What?” She laughed. “I’m being honest. He’s not always smooth. Sometimes he’s rough and bumpy.”

“Liv, TMI.” I groaned again and then froze as the doorbell rang. He was here. Aiden was finally here and I was going on what I thought was my first official date with him. I wanted to scream. “Liv, I think I’m going to faint,” I said, my throat suddenly dry.

“Why?” She looked concerned. “Do you need some water?”

“I’m going on a date with Aiden,” I groaned yet again as the doorbell rang another time. “Why is he so impatient?”

“Because he’s Aiden.” She rolled her eyes. “He has the patience of a dog.”

“I guess I’d better go and let him in.”

“Yeah, do that before he bangs the door down.” She made a face and then gave me a sweet smile. “You really do look gorgeous though, Alice. Aiden is lucky to be able to take you out.”

“Thanks, Liv,” I said and hurried to the front door. I opened it quickly to find Aiden standing there with his hand in the air. “You weren’t about to ring the doorbell again, were you?”

“I was.” He smiled and looked me up and down, his eyes widening as his gaze fell to my tall red heels. “You look nice tonight, Alice.”

“That’s it?” Liv walked over to the front door. “She looks
nice
?”

“Yes, she looks nice.” Aiden looked at Liv with an annoyed expression. “Don’t you think so?”

“Alice looks bloody gorgeous,” Liv said and shook her head. “Like a million bucks.”

“Thanks, Liv.” I laughed and I could see Aiden shaking his head at his sister.

“Yes, Alice, you do look beautiful tonight.” He reached his hand forward. “Very, very beautiful.”

“That’s more like it,” Liv said, and he groaned.

“Alice, are you ready to go?” Aiden muttered. “I’m afraid if I have to listen to my sister anymore tonight, I might go crazy.”

“I don’t have time to drive you crazy tonight, dear brother. Xander is taking me out to dinner as well.” Liv smiled at her brother and then continued. “And I know he’s taking me to a nice restaurant, not a Burger King.”

“More the fool him, then,” Aiden joked, and Liv glared at him.

“Let’s go,” I said and turned around to give Liv a quick hug. “See you later.”

“Bye, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do,” she said, and I quickly opened my handbag and let her see the contents. “Or maybe not.” She giggled as she saw the handcuffs.

“What are you two giggling about now?” Aiden said with an interested expression, but I quickly closed my handbag again and turned back towards him.

“Nothing,” I said innocently and hurried out of the front door. “Let’s go and eat. I’m starving.”

“I’m feeling pretty hungry too,” he said, and I felt his hand slip around my waist as we made our way out of the building. “I’m just not sure what I’ll get to eat yet.”

We made our way to his car, and Aiden hurried forward so that he could open the passenger door to his what appeared to be a new black Mercedes C300. “Not driving your Lincoln Navigator anymore?” I asked in surprise.

“No, it’s at home.”

“Oh, so this is a second car?” I raised an eyebrow at him. He had a Lincoln and a Mercedes now?

“Yeah.” He nodded and then closed the door after I slid into the luxurious tan leather seat. It felt plush and warm against my bare legs, and I sank back into the seat with a happy smile on my face.

“Why did you get another car?” I asked him as he got behind the driver’s seat.

“Because I wanted to.” He shrugged. “Why? Don’t you like Mercedes?”

“They seem fine. I’ve never been in one before.”

“Oh. They’re very smooth.” He turned on the engine and looked over at me. “Hear how it purrs for me?”

“No, not really.” I shook my head, and he put his hand to his ear and growled.

“You don’t hear that?”

“No, and thank God. If I heard that sound coming from your engine, I wouldn’t still be in your car.”

“Touché.” He laughed. “Okay, are you ready to eat?”

“I’ve been ready.”

“How is your knee?” His right hand reached down and touched my leg. My skin tingled as his fingertips gently brushed across my skin and to my kneecap.

“It’s okay. It tingles a bit, but it will be okay.”

“Good.” His fingers moved back up my leg and up my thigh, and my breath caught as they worked their way towards the middle of my leg. “I love your dress, by the way,” he said and moved his fingers back to the steering wheel.

“Thank you,” I said and looked over at him. “You look very dapper in your shirt and tie.”

“I’m glad you appreciate the tie.”

“I always appreciate a tie,” I said, and he looked at me with a smile.

“In all circumstances.”

“Yes,” I said, barely breathing as he gazed at me.

“Good.” He changed the gears suddenly and pulled out into the street.

“Where are we going?” I asked him as we zipped along the road with the other cars.

“I figured I’d take you out for a nice steak dinner,” he said as I adjusted in the seat and fiddled with the radio. “Anything but Top 40, please.”