Forbidden Kisses (3:AM Kisses Book 9) (6 page)

“Working the streets later?” I give a little wink.

“Never mind that.” She yanks me free from Rex and drags me toward the entrance where the noise level is slightly subdued. “You two can’t be doing this anymore.”

I glance up at Rex who has dutifully followed us over and frown, because for one, I’m actually loving the out she’s about to offer us. I know just where this familial train is headed, and, for once, it’s in the right direction.

“We’re going to be siblings,” Sabrina scoffs at Rex with a clear look of disgust. “Now that the branches of the Toberman-Kent family trees are touching, you’ll each have to bark up another drunk coed trunk.”

“I object.” Rex lands his arm around my waist in an act of clear defiance. Judging by that disgruntled look on his face, he’s putting on a pretty decent act.

“You can’t object.” Sabrina wastes no time in plucking me free from his grasp once again.

“She’s right.” I bite down on my lip in an effort to keep the smile from bouncing right back where it wants to be. He shakes his head, just barely as if to ask the question, and I give a little shrug in response. “I’m afraid, now that our parents are making it official, we’ll have to call it quits.”

“Just like that?” he flatlines. His lips twitch, but overall he’s pulling off quite the convincing act. Apparently, Rex Toberman is an Oscar-worthy force to be reckoned with. Maybe if that football thing doesn’t work out he can hit Hollywood.

“Just like that.” Sabrina pulls me next to her and lands her arm where Rex’s was warming my body just a moment ago.

“Wait a minute.” I step out of her grasp and land next to my fake ex. “What brings you to the Black Bear?” This is by far Sabrina’s stomping ground. She and Duncan are at another private university in the next town over where she’s busy majoring in every foreign language known to man. Speaking of Duncan, where the hell is he? A thought comes to me, and I gasp. God, she’s set her sights on Rex now, too. That jealous look in her eye should have clued me in. “Is that what you came for? Are you here ensuring my unhappiness?” Now it’s me wrapping my arm around Rex’s waist. Crap. This boy’s body is solid as iron. “Well, I’m not having it. If Sexy Rexy and I want to continue seeing one another, there’s no way you’re going to stop us.”

“Ugh!” She covers her ears a moment. “Really, Scar Scar?
Sexy Rexy
? He’s practically your brother. This is wrong. Lynette and Daddy will be beyond disgusted.” Her body goes rigid. Her fists dig into her hips. “You’ll have to keep it under the covers.” She smirks at the double entendre as if relenting. “Oh, that’s right. According to your little announcement last week, you’ve technically never been under the covers with anyone.” Her nose wrinkles with disdain.

She’s right, though. Lynette and my father are so social conscious they would probably die on the spot if they knew their soon-to-be stepchildren were knocking boots—or in my case, jumping on mattresses like six-year-olds. If word ever leaked that their newly blended family was quasi-incestuous in nature, that little bit of news might be tantamount to social suicide. Surely
Lyn Lyn
hasn’t spent the last thirty years subjecting herself to hoity-toity thousand dollar a plate dinners and fashion-based white parties to be ousted on her ear, no thanks to the fact her son can’t keep it in his pants.

Me likes where this crazy train is headed, and I look to Rex. “For as long as I can remember, my sister has tried to malign any sort of happiness I try to muster—case in point the fact she stole Duncan Wormier right from under me. And now she wants to disembowel my relationship with you?” I openly glare at Sabrina. It feels good,
warranted
, and a long time coming. “Well, I’m not letting her. This relationship is, and will, be kept under the covers.” I pull Rex in by the collar as a forced grin comes to me. “There’s no reason our parents need to find out. It’s not like a wedding is imminent.” I glance to my sister. “Unlike some people, I don’t plan on chaining myself to the first serious boyfriend I have. Oh, wait, you side-swiped the first serious boyfriend I had.”

“Now, now.” Rex pulls me in, his warm, thick hands finding a home over my back again, that budding grin of his struggling to take over. “You can’t be too broken up over that loser taking off. If he were still in the picture, we would never have made our way to one another. Ain’t that right, Muffin Top?” He brushes his finger over the tip of my nose.

Sabrina gasps at the not-so idyllic nickname lover boy here thought up on the fly. Apparently, spontaneous acts of cognition are not his strong suit.

“That’s right,
Goober
.” I smear that last word with a genuine grin I’m proud to call my own.

“Muffin Top?
Goober
?” Sabrina seems equally affronted. “What is this, the insult hour? You two are just kidding, right?”

“Nope.” I wrap both arms around my own personal Netflix and chill partner in adulterating crime and give him a life-threatening squeeze. “The Goobs and I are head over heels in love with one another. It’s just something Daddy and Lynette will have to get used to—yourself included.”

Sabrina lets out an exasperated breath, her hand pressing into her chest as if she might fall over. “You know Daddy has had a rough time ever since Mom remarried. Why can’t you give him a little slice of peace? Stop this madness, or I’ll tell you off in six different languages. We both know you and what’s-his-name are never gonna last.” She’s right back to glaring at him.

“It’s Rex,” he corrects. “Your soon-to-be brother.” That smug grin of his finds a home over his face once again.

“
Aaaargh
!”

A dull laugh pumps through my chest. “Is that ‘I approve’ in Swahili?”

Sabrina lets out a series of incoherent words, expletives in six different languages I’m assuming, as she speeds out the exit.

Before I can enjoy a moment of Sabrina-free silence, Cassidy pops up.

She jumps back once she spots our limbs still entwined, and we quickly free ourselves, lest Cassidy surmises the worst. “Oh my word. What in the?”

“Oh, it’s nothing.” I wipe down the top of my thighs as if Rex were beach sand I was looking to be rid of. “We were just—”

Cassidy clicks her tongue with delight. My countrified best friend would like nothing more than for Rex and me to be the real deal. She’s already convinced we’re traveling in that direction. Obviously, her couple’s radar is way off the mark. “I know what you two are up to!”

Cade, Cassidy’s other, far saner half, comes up and wraps his arms around her from behind. “What’s up?”

“These two are up.” Cassidy wastes no time in outing us—albeit falsely. At this point, it’s just rumors and speculation. Although, I’m guessing Cassidy will be the last to accept the truth. “I saw them locked at the hip, wrapped up in one another’s arms, and just about to share a hot, wet kiss!”

“Nope!” Rex holds up his hands in protest. Apparently, my fake other half has his limits.

“No way.” I’m quick to join in on the protest. “Besides, our parents are getting married in a few short weeks.”

“What!” Cassidy shrieks so loud both Daisy and Piper appear by her side with a look of fight-or-flight. “So, like, you’re going to be related?” Her blonde curls spill to the side as she tries to put the misshapen family pieces together.

“Yes,” I assure her. “So you can see why it would be totally disgusting for Rex and me to ever—”

“Date,” he finishes for me.

I give a tiny wink his way. I may not be Rex Toberman’s biggest fan, but I can appreciate his understanding in keeping the blurred lines of our fictitious relationship way the hell off the radar.

“We’re just friends.”

“And hardly that,” he grunts while folding his arms tight across his chest, and my panties melt at the bicep-laden sight.

Damn, he gets me every time with that. I shoot him a look that could slice his balls off for merely inducing the sexual response in me.

“Okay”—Cade rubs his hands over Cassidy’s arms—“so the two of you are friends—soon-to-be stepsiblings. You should at least get along. We’re headed out.” He gives a casual wave as he steers Cassidy toward the door, but that look on her face lets me know this conversation is far from over.

Daisy and Piper come up behind them as Rex heads over to Owen.

“We’re taking off.” Piper waves back at Owen, and he heads this way.

“And I’m off to Stilettos.” Daisy checks her reflection in the mirror adjacent to the entrance. “I’m on in an hour. You’re welcome to come with if you want,” she tosses out the offer just as I spot Rex slapping his friend Jet five as if he’s leaving himself.

“I’ll think I’ll stick around. Hey—what did we decide for the bachelorette party?”

“We’re going to a strip club!” Piper shouts as she and Owen disappear into the night.

“It’s tits and tails.” Daisy scrunches her nose as she follows them out. “You’ll be at Stilettos with me!”

The night begins to swallow her up, and I take a step outside. “Wait! I demand a recount! I want to see
men
! I need naked men in my life!”

“All right, Muffin Top”—that familiar cologne enwreathes me once again—“I’ll make all of your naked dreams come true. No need to beg. It’s a good look, though.” I turn to find cockier than hell Rex Toberman holding up his hands in surrender. “I’m kidding. I walked into it. I couldn’t help myself.” He circles safely around me. “I’ll be leaving now.”

“Oh, no, you don’t.” I grab ahold of his shirt and pull him in close. “You’re having coffee with me.”

S
carlett Kent is
a ball of pent-up aggression, and as much as my brain screams run the fuck away, something else, something decidedly stronger insists I follow her like an obedient dog all the way to the Hallowed Grounds coffee shop.

We put in our orders and sit out front in the cool night air. It’s still hotter than hell, and it feels appropriately so with this devilish redhead blowing steam through her nostrils at me.

“Let’s just go through this rationally.” She shakes her head, those neon green eyes piercing through the murky darkness like distress signals, beautiful signals, but distress is the operative word. “It’s not like either one of us wants this to happen.” She pulls a small plastic tube out of her purse and begins disinfecting her hands. She motions my way with the tiny bottle, and I’m quick to refuse. “No offense to your mother, but my father isn’t ready for any kind of commitment.”

“Why’s that?” I spin my iced coffee until I get a nice backbeat going. I completely agree with her, but at the same time, I’m amused as hell that she went there.

“He’s a free spirit. Always has been. Besides, his kids still need him.”

“You’re grown.” Not sure why I feel suddenly moved to play devil’s advocate, but I can see the flames rising in her eyes, and I’m in the mood to stoke them.

“Not really, my brother is a year younger than me. We still need his full attention. Anyway, the same can be said for your mom. The twins are still in high school. She’s still in full mom mode. A marriage is something serious.”

“And binding,” I lament right along with her. It’s true. Knox and Trixy still very much need her mothering skills, but more so than that, my father still needs her—he just doesn’t realize it yet.

“
Right
—binding. Legally now and forever.” Her voice grows small as she runs her finger over the rim of her cup over and over. “I guess everything I just said sounds pretty ridiculous.” Those serious eyes of hers fall to mine, and I hold them there, make them stay right where I want them. There’s something about Scarlett’s all too serious eyes that makes me want to linger. The urge to soak her in overpowers the urge to run like hell. That’s what I’ve been doing—correction, we’ve been doing for the last solid year that our parents have been seeing each other. For whatever reason, the more our parents’ mutual attraction grew, Scarlett and I have experienced a repelling of sorts. Normally, I would have found her attractive, in all honesty I still do, but the fact my mother is determined to land her father as her man, any inkling of acting on that attraction I feel toward Scarlett has efficiently been canceled out. Or, in the least, I’m hoping it will be soon.

“I don’t think your argument will hold up in a court of law.” I wink as I chug my coffee. It feels good going down, cold and sweet, and right about now, I’m craving my bed. A brief visual of Scarlett’s naked body lying on top of mine, her neck arched back, that waterfall of blood red hair dripping down her back, her hips bouncing over me, sweat trickling between her tits, riding me hard as if trying to punish me with her—

“Are you stoned or something?” she snips, physically irate over the idea I might be lost in a chemically altered state.

“No.” I try to shake that visual out of my head, but she’s still there, bouncing, bouncing, bouncing.

“Okay, well, knock it off. I don’t like it. You’re creeping me out. If I’m being honest, the entire lot of you Tobermans creep me out. No offense to Knox and Trixy, but that thing they do where they communicate without speaking? It’s a little creepy, a little too sci-fi for me. And your mom?” She shakes her head. Her eyes dart into the darkness as if she’s truly perplexed by the woman, and she should be. “There is just something about her. She’s nice enough—I just can’t put my finger on it.”

“You don’t think she’s good enough for your father?” It comes out inquisitive more than it ever does accusatory, but her eyes round out as if I’ve just declared war.

“I never said that.”

“But that’s what all of this protest is getting at, right?” I don’t know if it’s my growing fatigue or some real need to cut to the quick, but a part of me wants to call her out on it. “You think your father deserves someone better. It can’t be your mom because she’s been remarried for years.” A hot bite of acid detonates in the pit of my stomach. For the life of me, I don’t know why I’m nailing her to a wall—maybe because the more that pornographic fantasy plays out in my mind, I really do want to nail her to a wall. I can still see her there, grinding out a heated rhythm over my dick, switching it up and landing her sweet ass right over my face.

She takes a sip and laughs a dark, fatalistic warning. “Leave my mother out of this.”

“Why should we? My mom is in it. Fair is fair.”

Her head cocks to the side, those glowing green orbs narrow down to nothing as she slits my throat with her stare. “Anybody ever tell you you’re a dick?”

“Rexy! You lucky, lucky guy!” a female voice shrills from behind, and I turn in time to catch Savannah Anderson as she lands on my lap. When I first met Savannah, I was convinced she was a blonde cheerleading goddess, but as time went on, I’m convinced she’s a blonde cheerleading gnat that I can’t seem to shake. Her obnoxiously loud laugh explodes in my ear. The vodka radiates from her like heat off a summer sidewalk, and I turn my head away to avoid the blast. “Let’s blow this place.” Her finger finds a home over my lips as she bites down on a dirty grin. “Then we can blow each
other
.” Another round of intoxicated giggles goes off. “It’s been two whole weeks.” I shoot Scarlett a nervous glance, and her mouth rounds out in disgust. “I’m getting rusty, and your little man is getting dusty. I need to sharpen my skills.” She giggles into my neck, and I feel those good vibrations right down to my happy-to-see her balls.

“Little man?” Scarlett’s brows hike with amusement.

“She’s drunk.” I shake my head. “Trust me, there’s nothing little about me.”

“Oh, come on,
Goober
.” Scarlett gives a deep growl of a laugh, and, shit, here we go. “We both know it’s not the size of the ride. It’s the motion of the ocean. And, wow”—she bleats with that sarcastic drawl of hers she loves to inflect—“two girls inserting your dick into the conversation on the very same night? You
are
a lucky, lucky guy.”

My eyes snag on the pissed-off redhead sitting across the table, and all hope, all desire to have my dick sucked off by the cheerleader volunteering for the position has vacated the premises.

“Not tonight.” I give Savannah a gentle tap on the thigh until she dismounts, sticking the landing on her feet as if they were springs.

That dimple in her cheek goes off as she continues to flirt mercilessly. I’m familiar with all of Savannah’s flirtatious rules of engagement. Both my dick and I have been entranced by them a time or two. She’s heated my sheets on a few occasions. Nothing more than that.

“Since when does Rex Toberman turn down a solid proposition?” She swings her ponytail from side to side as her fingers brush over my face. “Oh, I get it.” A dark laugh strums from her, the exact same one she lets off just before she gets down and dirty. “You want to do that thing where you’re the big bad attorney, and I’m the—”

“No, no.” I hold up a hand. Dear God, anything but that.

“Yes,
yes
!” Scarlett leans in, suddenly enthralled by the blonde bombshell in our midst—the very same one I’d like nothing more than to be rid of at the moment. “By all means, do go on. What was
your
role in the raunchy legal drama? Wait—let me guess. You were the lonely housewife looking for a divorce and a quickie? Or maybe you were the call girl who accidentally wandered into the wrong office? Either way, I bet you got a chance to sharpen those skills of yours. Isn’t that right?”

Savannah steps into the light and squints at Scarlett as if trying to place her. “Like who the hell are you?”

“I’m Rexy’s future attorney. We were just going over payment plans for all the sexual harassment suits he’ll have pending. I’m thinking monthly installments.” She extends her hand for a quick shake, but Savannah’s not budging.

“Oh, that’s cute.” Savannah lacks the proper enthusiasm to back such a claim. “At first, I thought you were trying to scam off my man.” She gurgles a husky laugh that I’ve only heard once before, and I try to evict the scene from that “one time” right out of my perverted mind. “But then, this is Rexy—Whitney Briggs’s own prized possession.”

“Prized
perverted
possession,” Scarlett corrects, and I cut her a death stare. As much as I want to laugh, as much as I think it’s cute as hell that she thinks she has me pegged, I won’t give her the satisfaction.

“
My
prized perverted possession.” Savannah blows me a kiss. “Shoot me a text, and we’ll pick up where we left off. And you do remember where we left off.” She hops around and juts her bottom at me before taking off.

That’s right. If I recall, I was on an exploratory mission that involved K-Y Jelly and a box of glow-in-the-dark condoms.

“Hmm.” Scarlett watches pensively as the blonde ponytail fades deeper into campus. “Looks like you’ve got a busy night ahead of you.”

“I don’t have a busy night ahead of me. There’s nothing going on between the two of us.” Don’t know why I went there. Who the hell cares if Scarlett thinks I’m bedding that chick? It’s probably better that way. I don’t want to give her the wrong impression. The last thing in the world I want is for my new redheaded almost-stepsister to think I’m into her.

That image of Scarlett’s head thrust back in lust goes off in my mind like a grenade. Yes, that would feel like heaven.

“Hello? Did you hear a word I said?” She snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Never mind. You’re too busy mentally outlining the plot for your next skin flick with Miss North Carolina.” She jumps out of her seat so fast it tips backward, hitting the sidewalk with a clanging fury. Fifty people turn to gawk at us. “Don’t let me stop you. In fact, if you leave now, you might catch her before she
blows
one of your teammates into oblivion. Everyone knows Savannah Airhead Anderson does nothing but blow hot air!” she shouts so loud she’s actually managed to hold the attention of a small crowd passing by.

“Hey, don’t get so worked up.” I pick up her seat and motion for her to get back in it, but she makes a face like she’s about to get sick. “Please, sit down. We didn’t finish that conversation we were having. And I want to.” I’m pleading like a pussy. I’m not sure why I feel the need to make nice with this girl—perhaps because she is indeed about to become my stepsister in a few short weeks. Perhaps because I’m a glutton for punishment. “
Sit
.” It comes out a little sterner than anticipated.

“Nobody tells me what to do with my body!” she thunders so loud an entire crowd of girls from the next table gasps in horror.

“I wasn’t telling her what to do with her body.” God forbid I have my tires slashed by morning.

“Yes, you were!” She snatches her drink off the table with a marked aggression—I’m expecting to wear it any minute now. “Liar, liar, nose as long as a telephone wire! You and your entire family!” Her face is just as red as her hair against this dark, moonless night. “You’re going to pay for this!” she screeches as she takes off toward Cutler Tower.

“Pay for what?” I’m both perplexed and frightened of what exactly I’m about to pay for. “You’re a nut job just like your father!”

A large iced mocha coffee, coconut milk, decaf—her order, comes tumbling from the sky and narrowly misses my temple.

“Shit!” I touch the side of my head as if it had struck me.

One of the dudes who works here comes at me with a broom and dustpan, ready and willing to clean up her mess.

“Sorry.” I pick up her cup, the loose lid, and straw that rolled under the next table just to help the guy out. “She’s a little psychotic.”

He chuckles while sweeping up the ice. “The good ones always are.”

“She’s not a good one. Trust me on that.”

But my stomach wrenches, and my boxers twitch like maybe she is.

* * *

I
s there
something going on with Scarlett? Sabrina hinted at it. She mentioned it would be very upsetting but wouldn’t give details. Any information you could get would be valuable. Bradley is losing his mind. He says she can be a firecracker when she wants to. Please watch over her. She is practically your sister!

I stare at my mother’s text for a little longer than necessary. It’s early afternoon on Saturday, and I’ve trekked to the outskirts of Hollow Brook where my father traded his Bel Terra mansion for a split-level with wall-to-wall carpeting, an act my mother found both humiliating and repugnant.

I’ll see what I can find out.
I fire off the text and get out of my truck, taking in the scent bleeding from the pines mixing with the hint of something floral drifting in this heated, early summer air.

I happen to know exactly what is up with that little firecracker. It’s me. It sounds as if Scarlett’s scantly engineered plan of getting her sister to think we’re going at it has crested its first wave, ready and willing to crash over us at any moment. I’ll bring it up to her and see what she wants to do. I get it. She’s hurting. The pain in her eyes last night was palpable. A part of me wanted to let her know that it will all work out, that no matter what the outcome, we would survive this. But I also happen to know how much divorce hurts and how the wounds never seem to heal, and lastly, and pathetically so, no matter how old you get, you still have that underlying craving for your parents to fall madly back in love and stitch your family up again. And, ironically, that’s exactly why I’m here.