Author: Lexi Buchanan The lumps of the new sofa dug painfully into my back as I wriggled to a new position; equally as ufortable as the first. I would never understand how Callie had convinced me to purchase it. I hated it – from the color, a sickly brown; sienna according to the designer, to the numerous lumps and bumps that you couldn’t escape, regardless of how you were sitting on it. It reminded me of the old, beat up sofa in my mom’s sunroom. The very one my uncle had hauled out and deposited in the tree house we’d built behind the tall cottonwoods. I smiled at the memory. My first make out session had happened in that tree house, on that sofa. Ethan. Ethan Rock; the school jock and biggest asshole. He’d sweet talked his way into the tree house with every intention of getting to third base. I’d ended up kneeing him in his junk when my father shouted at me from the base of the tree; he’d frightened the shit out of us. Ethan, of course hadn’t spoken to me again, but what a memory. “Thalia, what the hell are you grinning at?” “Ethan Rock,” I replied to my roommate Callie, her voice shaking me from the memory. “Huh, I don’t think I know him. You going to eat this Spaghetti Bolognese?” I turned my head to look at her and burst out laughing. “Is there any left in the pan?” Her apron seemed to have a hell of a lot of red sauce all over it. Callie was the world’s worst chef, and always insisted the next meal she cooked would be better than the previous one. That was so not going to happen. “Ha, funny.” “When’s it ready?” “Ten minutes,” she said, before turning back into the small, cramped kitchen. “Okay.” I hoped I wouldn’t...
Sizzle Page 1 Chapter 1 Thalia The lumps of the new sofa dug painfully into my back as I wriggled to a new position; equally as uncomfortable as the first. I would never understand how Callie had convinced me to purchase it. I hated it – from the color, a sickly brown; sienna according to the designer, to the numerous lumps and bumps that you couldn’t escape, regardless of how you were sitting on it. It reminded me of the old, beat up sofa in my mom’s sunroom. The very one my uncle had hauled out and deposited in the tree house we’d built behind the tall cottonwoods. I smiled at the memory. My first make out session had happened in that tree house, on that sofa. Ethan. Ethan Rock; the school jock and biggest asshole. He’d sweet talked his way into the tree house with every intention of getting to third base. I’d ended up kneeing him in his junk when my father shouted at me from the base of the tree; he’d frightened the shit out of us. Ethan, of course hadn’t spoken to me again, but what a memory. “Thalia, what the hell are you grinning at?” “Ethan Rock,” I replied to my roommate Callie, her voice shaking me from the memory. “Huh, I don’t think I know him. You going to eat this Spaghetti Bolognese?” I turned my head to look at her and burst out laughing. “Is there any left in the pan?” Her apron seemed to have a hell of a lot of red sauce all over it. Callie was the world’s worst chef, and always insisted the next meal she cooked would be better than the previous one. That was so not going to happen. “Ha, funny.” “When’s it ready?” “Ten minutes,” she said, before turning back into the small, cramped kitchen. “Okay.” I hoped I wouldn’t regret eating what she’d made. I’d met Callie within a couple of weeks of starting our freshman year at college, both of us studying English Literature – close to three years ago. After the summer break we’d be back as seniors. We couldn’t wait to strut our stuff around campus. Shit, who was I kidding? We couldn’t wait to graduate and finally be out in the real world. We had it all planned, or at least Callie did. I had no clue as to where I wanted to go, or what I wanted to do, but I figured if I had an English degree, it would open more doors for me, once I’d fully made my mind up. All I did know was that I wasn’t going home when I graduated next year. I shuddered at the thought. Both of my parents treated me like a child when I was home, right down to the nine pm curfew. I sighed thinking of them. I was twenty-one and, wanted to be like most twenty-one year olds; allowed to enjoy myself before I got completely snowed down with a job and other responsibilities. Wherever I ended up, I knew that it would be with Callie, although at that thought I realized I’d have to learn to cook if we didn’t want to survive on take-out or die from food poisoning. Dragging my carcass from the sofa, I walked the short distance to the bathroom, which was as small as the kitchen. In the tight space, I could touch the toilet, washbasin and shower and feel cramped in doing so. There was barely enough room at the sink to wash up for dinner. Rent was cheap so I guess I shouldn’t complain too much. My parents gave me a monthly allowance that covered the rent, bills and food. I even had some left over, which I put away for rainy days or when I’d finished college, along with the money from my part-time job. I sighed, turning the faucet on, I splashed cold water onto my face. Green eyes returned my gaze in the mirror. Groaning, I realized my dark curly hair, which had been secured in a band at the back of my head, had come loose. Stray hairs were sticking up all over my head in disarray. I pulled the towel from the rail and dried my face, with an extra swipe over my freckled nose, in hope that one or two freckles would get stuck on the towel. I hated freckles! My red hairbrush was in the container to the side of the tub, so I quickly grabbed it, removed the band from my hair, and ran the brush through it, deciding to leave it hanging around my shoulders. Refreshed, I walked into the kitchen, and took a seat at our two-person table while Callie spooned sauce on to the pasta. She placed the plate in front of me and I couldn’t hold the grimace in as the sharp odor of unknown spices drifted from the plate. Oh boy. “Thalia, I promise it’s...tasty,” she reassured me between bites. “Are you for real?” “Okay, I’m hungry so here goes.” I picked up my fork, rolled up the long noodles dripping with sauce and placed it hesitantly into my mouth. Flavor burst on my tongue and to my surprise it was…edible! I glanced at Callie in surprise. “Told you so.” She smirked. “What happened? Why does it taste good?” That’s the thing about best friends – you could insult them without it going to heart. Callie was also honest with herself and knew she couldn’t cook. “Well, thanks for the vote of confidence. I kept telling you I’d get it right one of these days,” Callie replied, waving her fork around in the air. “Yeah, you did and watch what you’re doing with that fork.” We ate the rest of the meal in silence then I poured us both a glass of wine, which we carried through to the living room along with the rest of the bottle. We got comfortable on the sofa with our feet resting up on the coffee table, the conversation and wine flowing easily between us. Before we knew it we were on our second bottle of wine. “So who’s Ethan Rock?” I frowned at her. “It took you long enough to ask.”
Sizzle Page 2 “You still haven’t answered.” “Ethan Rock was the school jock, aka school asshole, who tried to get to third base in my tree house. It was cut short by my dad calling me,” I giggled. “I kneed him in the junk. He ended up rolling all over the floor in his shorts while I tried to hold a conversation with my dad without laughing. Ethan never spoke to me again.” “Oh my God. How old were you?” “Sweet sixteen,” I replied, starting to feel the effects of drinking nearly two bottles of wine with Callie. “Nothing sweet about what you nearly did.” We fell into each other laughing. After picking ourselves up from the floor, I walked into the kitchen for more wine and the cake I’d brought home with me from work. “Here, share this with me.” I passed Callie a slice before sitting back down beside her. “Why didn’t I get the job in the cake shop instead of the dry cleaners?” “Because you have a sweet tooth. You’re skinny now; if you’d taken the job with the cakes you wouldn’t be able to walk through the door,” I teased my sulking friend. “I thought you were my friend.” “I am. That’s why I work in the cake shop and you don’t,” I laughed. We both hated our jobs, which we considered slave labor, although I did have the slightly better one in the cake shop. Unfortunately today had been my last day. The cake shop was on campus, and only opened during the college semesters, whereas the dry cleaners where Callie worked was open twenty-four-seven, much to Callie’s constant dismay. “Before you get too drunk to think, I want to know what’s going on between you and Liam… and don’t tell me nothing.” I digested Callie’s question. How could I answer when, in actual fact, I had no idea? Over the past six months we’d been on a few dates and to the movies once or twice, but there was something missing. In honesty, I think if I hadn’t been so busy with my studies I would have said something to him, about the lack of closeness between us. He hadn’t even kissed me, other than a peck on the cheek. Liam was good company and rather entertaining so I’d just gone along with him as his ‘girlfriend’. Callie was staring at me with the patience of a saint. Her long legs rested beside mine on the coffee table and she was slouched on the couch. Her eyes half closed in a lazy manner; blonde hair falling in disarray from the ‘up do’ she had going on from the morning. “Liam is good looking, but he hasn’t tried to get into my pants; not even once. He’s kissed me, kind of, but no other touching...” I hesitated before blurting out, “I’m going home with him this summer.” Callie choked on the swallow of wine she’d just taken, the red liquid staining her white top as her eyes widened in shock. “Are you crazy?” “Probably,” I groaned. Callie dabbed at her shirt as she stared at me looking flabbergasted. “Look, you know I don’t want to go home.” I numbered out the reasons on my fingers. “All the summer jobs around here have already been taken. You’re going away with your family, and I don’t want to touch my savings. I can use some, but the majority I want to save; you know that.” I avoided her gaze as I reaffirmed all my reasons for going. “Liam said his parents want him to bring me home. He also said, I’ll have my own room, and I do like him, but as a friend. To be honest I think that’s what he wants, although he keeps referring to me as his girlfriend.” I frowned. “This can only end in disaster.” Callie sat up, her gaze serious, “What are you going to do if this is all a ruse to finally get in your panties? Because I can tell you’re not into him like that; though I doubt you ever were to begin with,” Callie finished, truth ringing in her words. “Then I’ll deal with it, if, or when that happens,” I muttered. Callie’s hard gaze bore into me, making me shift uncomfortably under it before she stifled a yawn with the back of her hand. “I need to get some sleep and don’t forget we’re going shopping in the morning,” she reminded me as she struggled up from the sofa and stumbled into her room. Despite her warnings, I was looking forward to going home with Liam, although I was a bit apprehensive about meeting his parents. Hopefully I’d meet a HOT cowboy there. They had cowboys in Alabama, right? I pulled myself up from the sofa and headed to my room where I collapsed on top of my bed. I was so tired. Chapter 2 Thalia Both Callie and I were still suffering the effects from last night’s wine drinking; Callie had been sick and I’d woken up with drums beating in my head. I’d taken some painkillers about an hour ago so the drum in my head had dimmed enough that I’d stopped feeling sick, which was just as well because we were in one of Callie’s favorite stores trying on dresses. I’d bought a pair of cowgirl boots about six months ago on a trip home with Callie to Texas for her parent’s thirtieth wedding anniversary, and I loved them. They were authentic cowgirl boots from Allen’s Boots in Austin, in soft, light brown leather. Deep brown, embroidered poppies decorated the boots making them the perfect accessory for any event. They’d set me back a bit, but I’d always wanted a pair and they were so worth it. All I wanted were some dresses to wear them with. You see, I had it in my head that I was going to fall head over heels in love with a cowboy, but I’d worked out that ‘said cowboy’ had to fall in love with me too, hence the dresses to go with the boots. I mean what guy could resist a woman in cowgirl boots and a short dress? Flashing naked thighs!
Sizzle Page 3 As I wiggled into the third dress, music started blaring from somewhere close by. Oh my God! Where the hell was that racket coming from? My head was about to explode. I could hear Callie groaning in the changing room beside mine. “Thalia, answer your goddamn phone,” she shouted. It was me? Shit. My fogged brain hadn’t registered the fact. I grabbed my jeans from the floor where I’d thrown them in my haste to try on the white lacy dress, and quickly retrieved my iPhone from the back pocket. My stomach rolled with nausea, so after taking some deep breaths, I answered, which cut off one of my favorite songs, ‘Here Without You’ by Three Doors Down. “Hello,” I answered, sliding to the floor, shutting my eyes, praying that everything stopped spinning. “Thalia, dear. Is that you?” “Mom,” I groaned, just what I needed, a lecture when I was still feeling the effects of too much red wine from the night before. “Yes, it’s me.” “I just wanted to know when you’re going to arrive home for the summer. We need to make plans.” “Ah… Mom, about that.” I took a deep breath, mentally bracing myself. “I’m not going to be coming home. I’ve been invited to a friend’s home in Alabama for the summer. So, having never been to Alabama before, I’ve accepted. I mean it’s not as though you and Dad will be there all the time, you both usually head out on a cruise.” I crossed my fingers. “Well! Do we know this person who you prefer over your own parents?” Ugh. Why did she always have to make me feel guilty? “No you don’t know him.” The silence on the phone was icy. I sighed before continuing, “His name is Liam. His father has a law firm which he jointly owns with another guy, so totally trustworthy.” “Now Thalia, lawyers are not trustworthy, they’re sharks.” Here we go again. All because one lawyer swindled Mom and Dad out of a load of money, they’re all sharks! “Mom, I don’t want to argue. His parents are already expecting me, and I’m sorry for not telling you sooner. I’ll come and visit before I head back here to school, okay?” “Look after yourself, Thalia. I’ll email you our schedule. Please make sure you email your contact details for Alabama.” She hung up. I rested my head against the wall of the changing room staring at the phone. No goodbye, the guilt trip had been minor for my mom. Sighing in relief, I realized the spinning in my head had stopped, and I felt much better having spoken to my mom, a conversation that I’d been putting off. “Thalia, you alive in there?” Callie banged on the door. “Yeah! Give me a minute.” I removed the dress and decided to take all five, even though I’d only tried on three of them. There was a mixture of colors: white, cream, pale lemon, pale green and pale lilac. Yeah, I liked pale colors. My jeans were in a heap on the floor so I picked them up, shook them out before I wiggled back into them. I gathered the dresses together and left the changing rooms in search of Callie. As it turned out I didn’t have far to look. She stood talking to Liam outside the door to the changing rooms. “Hey, Thalia.” He leaned forward, kissing me on the cheek. “Let me take those. You both finished here? I thought I’d take you and Callie to lunch.” Liam took the bundle of dresses from me so I took his arm and let him lead me to the check out. “Lunch would be great, now that my hangover has more or less disappeared.” “Hangover? I thought you said you were staying in last night,” Liam queried. “Girl’s wine night at our apartment,” I replied. “Okay. You buying all these?” Liam asked, placing them onto the cashier desk. “Yeah. I don’t have that many dresses, so I figured I’d add to my wardrobe as I’m going home with you.” I handed my charge card over to the sales assistant and turned to Callie. “What happened to the dress you had?” “I’ve changed my mind. I’m going to leave you two. I have some things to do before I head in to work in a couple of hours.” Callie started to back away from us. “You sure?” “Positive. I’d probably puke anyway.” She turned and headed out the store. Liam took hold of the bags with my dresses and ushered me out of the store to a new café that had opened across the road. I had slight misgivings about going home with Liam this summer. He…us…confused me. Was I his girlfriend or just a friend? He was gorgeous in so many ways. Tall, slim but still athletic and his blonde hair and blue eyes gave him the appearance of the All American Boy. All the girls on campus wanted his attention, but for some reason he was interested in me. As I admitted to Callie last night, we hadn’t gotten to the hot and sweaty part of dating yet, and I wasn’t too sure I wanted to. We got along fairly well, but I didn’t get all hot and bothered in his presence. No tingles or wet panties. Even walking beside him, all I felt was the warmth of friendship. Standing outside the Italian café in the sweltering heat we scanned the menu in the hopes that they had something worth eating. “Aha.” I slid my finger past the list of sandwiches and brought it to rest on the lasagna and garlic bread – just what I wanted. Liam glanced over my finger and grinned, “You are feeling better if you’re looking at that.” “I’m hungry now. What about you?” I grinned.
Sizzle Page 4 “I think I’ll have the same. Come on, let’s go and order.” Liam opened the door for me and we stepped into the dim interior. A maître’d cleared his throat before he led us to the terrace out back, sitting us in the shade. We placed our order with the server and sat back to relax while I let the breeze cool my skin. The café hadn’t been open long, so everything still looked new and fresh. Our table was beside the garden, which had a manmade stream flowing through, with brightly colored flowers along both sides of the embankment. How they’d managed to create a beautiful garden oasis in the middle of the city was beyond me. I glanced at Liam. “Will you tell me more about your family? What to expect?” He laughed. “It might scare you off if I do.” “They can’t be as bad as my parents.” “Not really. I guess.” Liam knew all about my parents. He took a sip of his water and peered at me, his blue eyes sparkling in mirth. He was obviously enjoying this. “Okay. My father is a lawyer and has his own law practice, which he jointly owns with an old friend of his, Lewis. My older brother, Jack is engaged to marry Lewis’ daughter, Mia.” “I didn’t know you had a brother.” Surprise turned to confusion. Why hadn’t he told me before? We’d had the sibling conversation during one of our earlier dates; if that’s what you’d call them, and he never mentioned a brother. “Yeah. They’re getting married over the summer, Jack’s twenty-five, and studying to be a lawyer. He’s been groomed since we were kids to take our father’s place at the law firm. Dad wants him to settle into life as a family lawyer, whereas Jack has always held a fascination in criminal law. He’s the golden boy because he’s studying law,” he sneered. “I take it you don’t get along too well with him?” “We get along well enough or at least we used to do. He seems angry all the time.” God, did I want to head to Alabama? Yeah, I did – one word – cowboys. Besides, I liked weddings, I’d had the pleasure of being a bridesmaid at twelve weddings in my twenty-one years, so it would be fun to go to one in Alabama. “Thalia, let’s eat and talk about something else. My stomach can’t take anymore talk about my family.” Chapter 3 Thalia In the process of trying to pull my skinny jeans up my legs, Callie came barging into my room with a brush stuck in her hair. The ‘stuck brush’ happened nearly every time we were getting ready to go out, often because she was trying to multi task. Multi tasking wasn’t exactly something Callie was capable of, probably why she was a bit hit-and-miss with cooking. With my jeans finally up around my hips, I left them unbuttoned to try and untangle the brush. “How do you always manage to get this thing tangled?” “Ouch!” “Sorry,” I said grinning; my fingers working the mess of hair through the brush. “I keep thinking about having it all cut off, but it wouldn’t be me, you know?” “Yeah, I know. Just try and remember to concentrate when you’re doing your hair in the future, because one of these days you’re going to end up having to have the brush cut out.” Slapping the now free brush into Callie’s hand, I laughed as she jumped up from my bed and ran back into her room. Tonight was our last night together until the end of the summer when we came back to our apartment to finish our final year of college. Oh, we’d be on the phone to each other, and maybe try to meet up at some point, but it wasn’t the same. I would miss Callie. While I’d been packing my clothes and accessories during the afternoon, I had second thoughts about going home with Liam. I liked him well enough, but after hearing about his family and his brother, I couldn’t shake the lump of worry that had settled in the pit of my stomach. “Thalia, you ready.” Callie shouted as she poked her head into my room. “What’s wrong?” I inhaled. “Nothing. Come on lets go.” I ushered her through our small apartment, grabbing our jackets and purses on the way out, before she could question me further. Once outside, I had to dash to keep up with her. Deciding that the night would go smoother with a few rules, I said, “I’m not drinking too much tonight. I have a long car journey tomorrow, so I don’t want to be puking all the way there. I also wouldn’t put it past Liam to leave me if I get sick in his car.” She stopped and turned. A worry line traced its way across her forehead as her gaze bored into me. “I think you’re making a mistake,” her tone was clipped as though she was holding back, “but it’s your decision.” She frowned as I tugged her arm to get her moving again instead of replying right away. I loved her like a sister, but I had to make my own decisions. If I didn’t, Callie would end up treating me like a little girl, just like my parents did. “I’m a big girl now.” I smiled to take the challenge out of my tone. “If I’m not happy there then I’ll head home, or to Texas.” “You promise.” “Yes Mom,” I laughed, pushing my way through the door of Luke’s as Callie followed me inside. Luke’s was a five-minute walk from where we lived, and every Friday night they had a live band. More often than not it was ‘The Leopards’, not sure where that name came from, but they were good. Luke’s always had a full house when they played.
Sizzle Page 5 We pushed our way through the crush of bodies to the bar; the eyes of some college guys tracking us like prey, which I guess single college girls were. I ignored the interested looks. Other college girls might not mind being prey, but Callie and I did. The guys in here knew to leave us alone, but a few couldn’t take no for an answer. Callie and I weren’t opposed to being hit on, I mean what girl doesn’t like a hot guy flirting with her, but after putting up with it for nearly three years, it kind of sucked. Standing at the bar, I spotted some friends on the dance floor so, after Callie passed me a beer, we headed towards them. We loved to dance and during the past six months had only allowed ourselves to let go once a month, due to the papers we had to get written before the end of the semester, plus, of course, there were our jobs. Our jobs being another reason why I hadn’t been too bothered about Liam’s lack of passion. It had been so long since I’d felt like a normal twenty-one year old. “Hey,” Jeff whispered into my ear, his arms wrapping around my waist as he snuggled in against my back. Jeff was harmless and totally not into me. As in, he much preferred someone with a dick! Callie and I were the only ones who knew that because we’d once seen him kissing a guy. We’d basically been in the wrong place at the wrong time. After a bit of a showdown we’d become friends, and now and again I would go out with him and let everyone think we were dating to help him keep his secret. He was a good sounding board and had let me rant about my family and guys, more often than I’d care to admit. Jeff pushed me further onto the dance floor with him. Keeping his hands on my hips he started swaying to a slow song that had come on. He was only a couple of inches taller than my five-foot-six frame so he was pretty easy to dance with. The Leopards usually played the slow song before they took a break, so any minute I expected the speaker system to kick in with ‘Panic! At the Disco’, which was pretty good, or something else as Mick was the bar tender tonight and he loved the kind of music that had a bite to it. I was one hundred percent into Three Doors Down, which drove Callie mad, as she was more Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood. I’d yet to admit to liking them as well. On my second bottle of beer, thanks to Callie, I continued to dance and grind against Jeff who wasn’t affected one bit with my ass rubbing against his dick. I placed my empty bottle onto a table at the side of the dance floor, before I practically threw myself into Jeff’s arms as we started jumping and singing along to ‘The Leopards’. After about an hour on the dance floor with Jeff, I turned to him and shook my head, to let him know I needed a break. Leaving him alone, I walked towards the table where Callie was sitting with Chase, David, Liam, Nadine and Kristy – some friends we occasionally hooked up with. Liam made room for me, so I slid into the seat. “You looked good out there,” he shouted, kissing me smack on the lips. My eyes flew wide open. Callie looked about as stunned as I felt. That was new. Liam had never shown me any affection in public before. Narrowing my eyes, I took his challenge. I turned in his embrace and straddled him, wrapping my arms around his neck and plunged in. I needed to see if there was anything between us once and for all. I put my all into it and maybe we had potential, because my blood started to tingle and Liam started to grow between my legs. I pressed against him. Liam broke the kiss and just looked at me. “God, you’re hot tonight,” Liam commented. Our breathing was labored while we continued to stare at each other in shock, in truth I felt confused. Liam was great to hang out with and we had been dating, kind of, for the past six months, but we hadn’t kissed like that before. “Wow, you two looked ready to get down and dirty,” Kristy said as Liam moved me from his lap with unsteady hands. “Thalia, do you want to leave?” I hesitated at Liam’s question. “I don’t mean to follow up with more than a kiss. I just meant because we have an early start tomorrow.” Liam practically had to shout in my ear to be heard. “Okay.” We stood to leave, the others giving us knowing looks, but Callie knew me better than anyone else and knew Liam wouldn’t be spending time in my bed. I leaned over to shout in Callie’s ear, “Are you coming or staying?” “Staying. I’ll get Jeff to walk me back.” We hugged, and then I let Liam pull me through the crowd to the outside. It was good to breathe fresh air after being squished in the sweaty bar. Liam grasped my hand, his grip sending tendrils of warmth up my arm while we walked back to my apartment in silence. He appeared to be as lost in thought as I was. He was probably replaying the kiss. The kiss, which had come out of the blue. Could I blame it on the alcohol? Probably not. He knew I’d only had two beers. The kiss had been hot; he certainly knew how to kiss. “Are you okay? You’ve been quiet since we left the bar.” His tone seemed unsure, but I couldn’t tell what he was unsure about. I reached up and touched along my tender lips with my fingers. His eyes narrowed as he watched me. “I was thinking,” I met his eyes, “can we try that again?” He shook his head, about to say something, but I didn’t give him time. I stepped into his space, took hold of his head, pulled him down to me, and sealed our lips together. I wanted to know if the kiss and reaction at the bar was a one off. Our lips met. Our bodies touched, chest to chest and… nothing. It was nice, but… nothing. I slowly pulled back and looked into Liam’s eyes. He looked flushed.
Sizzle Page 6 “Thalia.” He reached up and brushed the hair away from my face. “I’m not ready to become intimate with you. I like you a lot and I can talk to you. I guess I’m afraid of losing that if we hit the sack. You know what I mean?” “I’d like that – a lot.” I nearly laughed out loud when I saw the look on his face. He looked as relieved as me. “When I take you home tomorrow, would it be okay for me to tell everyone that you’re my girlfriend? I mean we may end up together anyway. It would just stop my mom from constantly parading girls through the house,” he asked, looking hesitant. “Okay, I guess.” I glanced up to the dark window of my apartment, “I better head upstairs.” I turned away and started to open the front door. “Thanks Thalia, you’re great.” He came up behind me, kissing me on the cheek before stepping back. I watched him turn back towards Luke’s for his car. “Goodnight Liam, I’ll see you bright and early.” “That you will. Goodnight Thalia.” Chapter 4 Jack Saturday night and I was knocking back a beer before it was Deception’s turn on stage. I lived for these nights. Deception being the group I’d started back in high school with a couple of friends. Reece was on the drums, while Donovan worked his electric guitar, which left me to sing solo, occasionally bringing my guitar out. Deception was also one of my big secrets. As far as my parents were concerned the ‘band phase’ had come to an end when we all left high school. Little did they know! I had another year of hard studying to do before I could get out from under them. It was going to be a hard year, not just because of the studying. I was going to piss good old dad off when he found out my program at college would be all geared to me practicing criminal law. All I had to do was get through summer before I headed back to school. A married man – Fuck! Kix had been open a couple of months and for the past couple of weeks, since we’d arrived home from college, Reece, Donovan and me had played on stage about three times. After our first appearance, people had been asking when we were coming back. Deciding it was a great way to spend the summer, we’d struck a deal with Ryder, and now we wanted to extend the deal to maybe a Wednesday night as well as the Saturday spot we already had. Ryder wanted to think about it. “You seen the chick over there?” Reece asked, pointing his bottle of beer in the direction of the blonde girl who looked to have melons for breasts. “Not interested.” The thing was I hadn’t been interested in close to twelve months, ever since I had Mia thrust on me. Mia my fiancée, the woman I was being faithful to. The woman I didn’t want, but was trapped with. “You need a distraction my friend, and that over there, is a distraction.” “Fuck. Reece, I am so not going there. If you’re that interested, you go for it.” After a minute of silence from me, he grabbed another beer and walked towards the ‘chick’. What my friends couldn’t understand was why I stayed faithful to someone I didn’t love and didn’t like spending time with. I may have allowed my family to push me into marriage, which would happen in about six weeks, but I wouldn’t cheat on the girl. I’d tried to tell my folks I wanted to wait until after college before I committed myself to her. I hoped she’d have changed her mind by then so I’d be off the hook. For some reason everyone, including my so-called fiancée, wanted the wedding this summer. I’d returned home from college to find the wedding arranged and to be told, all I had to do was show up. To say I’d gotten totally and utterly drunk that night would be an understatement. Why did I let my parents push me into a wedding I didn’t want? Well, I was so close to finishing college and my father had put my financial future on the line. I’d studied damn hard so the last thing I wanted to do was pull from the program. I tried not to think about it too much, and just hoped everything, including my feelings, fell into place. Looking at other women was out of the question, because I was frightened that if I did, I might find the woman I’d been looking for before my life got ‘arranged’. The one that I’d dreamed about. Regardless of what my friends thought, before my life had taken a turn, I would have loved nothing more than to find the woman meant for me. Instead of the constant stream of women gracing my sheets, I’d just have the one woman. “I see he’s found some company,” Donovan pointed out. “I’m surprised you’re not with him.” I stated, turning away from Reece’s flirting and looked at Donovan who was in his usual black jeans and white t-shirt, which was stretched tight over his abs. He’d been my friend for about thirteen years, and he knew me better than my own family did. Usually he’d go in for the kill with Reece, even if it was just the one woman. “Maybe later. We’re up in a minute.” Donovan turned and leaned against the bar. “We have a good crowd here tonight. Do you think they’d come and watch us on a Wednesday as well?” We surveyed the bodies, which were packed tightly into the place, here to let off steam to our music; it felt damn good knowing they were here because of us. “Yeah, I do. Maybe not as many, but I guess the majority of them would. The only problem I might have is work.” I took a long swallow of beer, grimacing at the thought of spending the summer under my dad’s watchful eyes. It had been my idea so I couldn’t complain too much. “I can shift things around and work when I get home if I have to. I really want the Wednesday slot.” I drained the rest of my beer knowing I needed our music to get me through the week.
Sizzle Page 7 I still dreamed of having a life of my choosing, but six weeks would be here all too soon and it took all my strength to stay strong. “Hey,” Donovan nudged me with his beer. “What?” “What?” Donovan repeated. “Where’d you go?” “Thinking about the shit I have to look forward too,” I replied with a heavy sigh. “Talking about shit, isn’t your brother home tomorrow?” I laughed, because neither, Donovan or Reece got along with Liam and vice-versa. “Yeah, he is and apparently he’s bringing his girl with him.” Donovan spat his mouth full of beer out, luckily onto the floor and not me. “You fucking with me?” I held my hands out. “Nope, he is. Moms been sprucing the place up, driving me crazy, following me around making sure I didn’t just dump my boots at the foot of the stairs. Trust me, I tried and within five minutes, they came flying in my room, with the door banging shut behind her. God, she’s driving me nuts.” “She always drives you nuts,” Reece pointed out, reappearing – alone. “They’re ready for us. Which song do you want to kick off with?” “Hero.” I’d written the song myself and it was loud with a bite to it. The crowd usually went wild when we sang it, especially when Reece lost his t-shirt towards the end, flashing his tattoos not to mention his muscles. “Okay, let’s bring this place to life,” Reece said, walking in the direction of the stage. “You girls coming,” he asked Donovan and me when we made no move to follow him. We finally started to follow Reece as Ryder climbed on to the stage. “Okay y’all, shut the fuck up,” came blaring through the speakers. Not one to mix words was Ryder, a thirty-year-old ex-marine with a bad attitude, who just happened to own the bar and for some reason liked us. “I know y’all are here to see my smiling face.” Half the crowd laughed and the other half whistled. “Sorry to disappoint y’all, but you’re going to have to put up with Deception.” With that he leapt from the stage as we climbed up on it. Chapter 5 Jack As I placed the mic back into the stand, I couldn’t help but smile in pride. We rocked the place tonight and even ended our turn on stage with ‘Love, Lost and Found’. It was a slow number to give the guys in the crowd a chance to get their hands on the women. While I’d been singing, I’d had a front row seat watching the ‘chick’ from before going between the three of us with lust clear in her eyes. She had no chance with me, but I’d glanced at Donovan and Reece a few times and knew as soon as our stint was over they’d be all over her, and in her. I’d be a liar if I said I hadn’t been turned on with the sizzling glances she’d kept throwing at me, because I had been. The boner in my jeans could attest to that. Unfortunately, I couldn’t act on it. Walking towards the bar to distract myself from the throbbing going on below my belt, I bumped into a dark haired girl, who started to tumble forwards. Placing my hands on her hips to stop her from tipping over, her ass rubbed up against my groin. She turned her head. “Is that for me?” she purred, rubbing against my dick, which had gone hard as fuck. Taking a deep breath, I gently pushed her away from me, “No. Sorry.” I carried on walking, but changed direction towards the back where I knew the guys had taken the ‘chick’. God, I hated that word. I needed to come badly; otherwise my dick wouldn’t go down. I hadn’t had sex in forever, but my fist worked fine, although I was getting fed up with it. Donovan and Reece were in the storeroom, so taking another breath; I knocked on the door. “Guys, it’s me,” I shouted through the door, knowing it would be useless trying to open it since it would be locked. I heard the lock click before the door opened slightly. I pushed my way in, much to Donovan’s shock. “You’re joining us?” Reece asked, in disbelief from between the woman’s thighs. “Not exactly.” I wasn’t sure what the hell I was doing in the room with them. Sex was out of the question; since Mia I’d stopped with the one-night stands. Once or twice I’d watched the guys with women, jerking off to the show. This wasn’t a first. We’d done a threesome with a woman on more than one occasion with our cocks in her cunt, ass and mouth. Yeah, it had been hot as fuck, and with just the memory, my dick hardened even more. “I’m staying over here,” I said, backing up to the wall, resting against it. I had a first class view of the naked woman on the desk, who was already groaning, thrashing her head from side to side. I wasn’t surprised as Reece had his mouth buried between her thighs, with Donovan sucking her tits; then she came with a squeal, which Donovan moved to capture in his mouth. I stroked my cock through my jeans, then thought fuck it, unzipped and unbuttoned the denim that had been keeping me contained and let my swollen dick burst free. Both Reece and Donovan had their cocks out now and had suited up. Donovan was standing to the side of her, his junk level with her face, while she lapped at his balls like there was no tomorrow. Taking hold of my cock, I started to move my hand back and forth, rubbing the wet tip with my thumb. Christ it felt good. What I really wanted to do was walk over to her and soak my cock in her cunt juice. Fuck, I slammed my head back against the wall. Through heavy lidded eyes, seconds from coming, I watched as Reece thrust into the woman’s wet sex, rubbing her clit with his fingers, while Donovan fucked her mouth, squeezing her nipples between his thumb and finger.
Sizzle Page 8 I knew the three of us were ready to blow, but we waited for the woman. Reece leaned over her while slamming into her like a fucking train, knocked one of Donovan’s hands from her tit, and started to suck her nipple; she came apart under him. Donovan started to come, followed by Reece, as they brought the woman up and over again, triggering my release. Biting my lip, I came all over the bottom of my fucking t-shirt, which I’d used to cover the tip of my cock, just before I blew. Coming back to my senses, I whipped the t-shirt off and cleaned up, before shoving everything back inside my jeans. Standing against the wall, I watched them dress the woman, who had a glazed, just been fucked, look on her face. As they walked her to the door, they took it in turns to kiss her, before patting her on the ass and sending her through the open door. Closing the door with grins on their faces, they both looked at me, and for once I was glad of the darkness where I stood, because I was slightly embarrassed, and probably blushed like a fucking girl. “Don’t say a word,” I told them, as I walked out the room, slamming the door behind me. Chapter 6 Jack It was late, but after jerking off to the show Donovan and Reece put on with the woman, who Donovan informed me was named Simone, in the backroom of Kix, I felt restless as hell. I thought I’d feel better after releasing the tension that gripped me, but no such luck. In fact, I felt worse than before. When our stint was over with, we’d loaded Donovan’s car with our gear, and then driven back to his place to chill for a while. I needed a place to relax before I could face going home. “Here,” Donovan pressed a bottle of beer into my hand. I took a deep drink from the longneck before stretching out on his porch. Both my best friends were lounging around with me, but it was Reece’s gaze that was starting to bug me. I turned my head full on to return his stare. “What?” “It’s been a while since all three of us have done anything like we did tonight. You should have joined in more. She tasted fucking good. She’d rubbed some strawberry stuff over her pussy.” Reece smacked his lips together. I groaned remembering what it was like to go down on a woman, which was a bad idea considering what that image was doing to my dick. “How long’s it been since you got your dick wet? Twelve months? I’m telling you, get rid of Mia and break the dry spell. God, Simone’s cunt was so fucking wet and tight.” Glaring daggers at Reece, I willed him to shut the fuck up. My dick was hard as a fucking spike again and there was nothing I could do for it. By the look of things, Reece and Donovan weren’t faring any better. “You’re a bastard,” I informed him. “Just wanted you to know what you missed.” “I could see real well from where I was standing.” “Watching her little mouth wrap around my cock with bright red lips was such a turn-on,” Donovan added, laughing when he glanced at my groin. The bastards knew what they were doing to me, but at least they’d gotten boners as well. I inhaled, counted to ten then exhaled. “Fuckers.” With that being said, I stood and walked to my car, retrieved my guitar with Reece and Donovan walking up behind me, their chuckles of amusement filling the air. Ignoring them I walked back to the porch, lifted my guitar from its case and started moving my fingers over the strings, wanting the guys to hear what I’d done so far with the new song I’d been working on, ‘Tonight’. Donovan was the first to break the silence, following the last note I’d strung. “Wow.” “Fucking awesome,” Reece commented, sitting beside me with his guitar. “Play it again without the lyrics.” Reece had a talent. One I wished I had. He only had to hear music, and within ten minutes he’d be able to repeat it, flawlessly. Chapter 7 Thalia Ugh, the shrill buzz filled the air and my arm shot out searching for the snooze button. The alarm could wake the dead, or rather Callie, if I let it go on too long. Six o’clock flashed in the dark room and I groaned, closing my eyes only to be jerked awake again as it went off at five past six. Even still, I ignored the need to get up until the third time the alarm went off at a quarter past six. Dragging myself out of bed, I groaned again. I needed about a gallon of coffee before I could function properly, especially after a late night. With that in mind, I walked to the kitchen first; opening and closing the cupboards looking for the canister of coffee that Callie had trouble keeping in one spot. Not finding it was a good enough excuse to stop at Starbucks on our way out of town, the only thing wrong with that plan though, was that Liam wouldn’t let me consume it in his car. Ugh, where the hell could she have put the coffee? Thirsty, I opened the fridge, reached for the milk and spotted the canister of coffee on the shelf next to the cheese. What she’d been thinking about at the time could be anyone’s guess. With a sigh of relief because I would get some caffeine, I quickly sorted the coffee machine out then ran to the bathroom to grab a quick shower while it brewed. The shower took all of three minutes because the water was damn cold. The hot water heater had obviously stopped again, which was a regular occurrence. I shivered all the way back to my room where I quickly threw on my pale blue jeans, dark blue t-shirt, thick socks, which used to belong to my dad. My cowgirl boots fit snuggly over the socks and I slipped on a sweater in an attempt to make my goose bumps disappear.
Sizzle Page 9 Finally dressed, I dashed back to the kitchen and poured my first coffee of the day. I inhaled it before taking a sip, loving the rich aroma, something that I did every morning. And yes, I’d burnt my nose once or twice when I hadn’t been paying attention to what I was doing. There was nothing worse than walking round campus looking like Rudolph in the middle of summer; embarrassing. Sitting on the lumpy sofa, I finally took a sip of coffee, which tasted delicious, while I waited for Liam. After the kiss last night, I hoped everything wasn’t going to be strange between us. The kiss in the club had been close to hot, but the kiss downstairs had felt – odd. My phone buzzed with a message – Liam. I quickly text him back to let him know I’d be down in five. I left the coffee cup in the sink in the kitchen, then snuck into Callie’s room to say goodbye. Callie’s room had Twilight posters all over the wall, or rather Edward posters; she was in love with him. I told her on numerous occasions that there was something wrong with her, because at twenty-one she shouldn’t be in love with a guy on a poster. She just laughed and told me I was jealous, which was so not true. Callie had her head buried under her pillow, her quilt pulled up to her neck, so all I could see were bits of blonde hair sticking out. I lifted the pillow, and asked, “You alive?” She started to groan and turned over onto her other side, fighting to stay asleep. “Callie, I’m going. I need a hug.” She huffed, turning over to look at me and then held her arms open. I crawled on to the bed with her for our farewell hug. Callie’s bed was so damn comfortable, all I wanted to do was stay and go back to sleep, but instead I pulled away with tears in my eyes. “Take care of yourself Thalia, and remember if it gets too much in Alabama, you can come and stay with me in Texas.” She grinned, “Lots of cowboys in Texas.” Climbing off the bed, I tucked her back in, and then started to walk from the room, when I turned back to her, “Stay in touch Callie. Promise me?” “You’ll be sick of me.” I frowned down at her. “I promise,” Callie grumbled half asleep. Shutting her bedroom door behind me, I quickly grabbed my bag, left the apartment and walked down the stairs. I felt as though everything was happening in slow motion, and I had the feeling that everything was about to change, but there was nothing I could do about it. As my foot hit the last step, Liam was there at the door waiting for me, looking refreshed and wide awake, in turquoise jeans, and a white t-shirt, which peeped out from beneath his grey sweater. He also looked as though he’d just gotten out of the shower with his hair damp, sticking up in spikes. I would need three more cups of coffee to look that awake. I unlocked the security door, stepping outside into the cool morning air, which was the best time of day for me – not as many people around. “Morning.” I grinned at Liam. “Well, you look awake,” he returned my grin. “And no you are not drinking coffee in my car.” Liam glanced at me then my bag. “Is that all you’re taking?” he asked, removing my bag from my hands and carrying it to his car. “Yeah. I travel light.” He threw my bag into the trunk before opening my door. Ever the gentleman. I was about to climb into his car, when he took hold of my arm and just stared at me, while I looked back at him. “Thalia… about last night.” With my right hand, I reached up and covered his mouth with my fingers. “We’ve already decided to leave it alone for now and to see what happens. Don’t worry about it.” “Okay, but I think.” He frowned. “Never mind. Come on, let’s get going.” Climbing into the car I wondered why he wouldn’t let the kiss drop. Liam climbed behind the wheel, started the car and pulled out into the early morning traffic. All I wanted was to go back to sleep, but didn’t think that would be fair to Liam, although when I offered to share the driving with him, he’d nearly had a coronary at the thought of someone else driving his precious Mercedes. I chuckled. “Are you sure you don’t want me to drive some of the way?” Liam quickly looked at me then started laughing. “Nice one – so not happening.” “Okay, I can’t travel in silence. So, what’s your brother like? Is he all prim and proper? I mean studying to be a lawyer and all.” “Maybe.” “Is that all you’re going to say? It’s going to be an awfully long drive if it is,” I said, knowing he would probably hold out maybe ten seconds. He was so predictable. “Only when the parents are around… and Mia.” Yes. “Don’t stop now. What do you mean only when your parents and Mia are around?” He sighed and didn’t look too happy. “Liam, please tell me what’s going on? I’m spending the summer at your house. Don’t I need to know?” “Sometimes, I catch the brother that I grew up with trying to come out, but he stays locked inside as though he’s frightened about what would happen to his well ordered life if he did. As kids I used to call him Phoenix. He once told me, that one day he would crash and burn, and when he did, he wanted to be reborn, like the mythical bird, the Phoenix. You need to see for yourself. I feel sorry for him,” he sighed, “and angry with him for trying to be perfect. But mostly, I feel relieved that it’s not me who’s expected to be like that.”
Sizzle Page 10 That was sad. I’d never met him, hell, I didn’t know until yesterday that Liam had a brother, but I couldn’t help feel sorry for him too. “Thalia, why don’t you get some sleep?” Grinning, I turned to look at him, “Is that your way of telling me to shut up and to stop asking to share the driving?” “No,” he replied, with the corners of his mouth twitching. “Yeah right,” I smirked, “but I’m going to take you up on the offer, as long as you wake me up before we get there.” “I will.” I reclined the seat slightly, shutting my eyes to dream about my cowboy – tall, muscular, dark hair and he had to have a tattoo, hidden under his clothes for my eyes only. Mmm…. Chapter 8 Jack I’d had every intention of being gone from home before my mother was up and about, but thanks to the jamming session after our stint at Kix last night, I’d overslept. I was still feeling exhausted, but wanted to try and plan a way to stabilize the rickety bridge that hung over the river running through our property. One of these days, the thing would collapse and someone could get hurt. The bridge was over the deepest and most dangerous section of river with the rapids running rampant so anyone falling from the bridge would be fucked big time. After a shower to try and wake myself up, I dressed in worn jeans and t-shirt then quickly dragged my boots on before going in search of coffee and something to eat. Opening the bedroom door I came face to face with Mom. Great. “Well it’s about time you showed your face. What did I tell you yesterday about wearing boots in the house? Your brother will be home sometime today with his girl, I don’t want you showing me up by trampling mud everywhere.” My jaw clenched, I stepped from my room. “It’s Liam mom. His girl can hardly expect working men not to wear boots.” “Put your boots on at the door and make sure you take them off before you come in. It’s not brain surgery to remember all that,” she huffed out, walking to the room next to mine. “I need coffee.” I slammed the door shut behind me and made a point to stomp downstairs to the kitchen. Yes, I was being childish, but she pissed me off. The thing was, more often than not, I would take my boots off at the backdoor and carry them up to my room, where I’d wash them in the sink in the bathroom and leave them on the boot stand, which I’d put in the bath to dry. No mess through the house – shit! In the kitchen I rooted around for a bagel in the breadbasket, which seemed full of those French things my mom seemed to like, croissants. Grabbing the last bagel, I popped it into the toaster oven, before I poured myself a much needed, strong coffee. From the looks of the dark liquid, it had been brewing for a couple of hours. By the time I’d drained one cup of coffee and poured another, the bagel had popped up, so trying not to burn my fingers I practically threw the slices onto my plate before I slathered them with butter. I was about to take a bite when my mom walked through the kitchen door. I’d thought I’d missed out on more of a tongue lashing, but I was wrong. I watched her walk across the kitchen to place a couple of pots into the sink before she turned to look at me. “When she’s here I expect you to show some manners and not act like you were raised in a barn.” That statement wouldn’t have pissed me off as much as it did, but for the fact I had perfectly good manners. Yeah, I could act like a first class jerk, but around women, I was polite and watched my mouth. “I think I can manage that. I suppose saying ‘fuck’ every other word is out of the question, and why do you keep calling her ‘she’? Doesn’t ‘she’ have a name?” I stood with my back against the counter top, my ankles crossed as I watched her…blush. “Of course she has a name. Liam didn’t see reason in supplying that when he told me he was bringing her home with him for the summer,” she replied, biting off each word in agitation. If I knew Mom, she was pissed my dear brother hadn’t supplied a name. I couldn’t help myself; I roared with laughter, which she ignored. “You need to remember to lock both doors in the bathroom while she’s here, because she's in the yellow room.” I started to choke on my coffee. Hell no! “Why?” I coughed. “Why is she in the room next to me? Why not Liam? In fact why isn’t she sharing a room with him? Fuck, I can’t believe you’d put her next to me.” She was standing in front of me, hands on her hips; looking furious. “You’re not too old for my hand across the back of your head. You will not curse in my kitchen.” Fire danced in her eyes and I had to stifle the chuckle or I would have received that slap. “She is next to you because the room next to Liam is being used for storage, as you well know. Liam asked that she have her own room so she is in the yellow room… Next to you.” Why me? I hated that. My privacy was something I valued and to have it invaded by a total stranger was getting to me. I had secrets. Not many, but some, and the ones I was worried about were visible. Goddamn it. Mom started dashing around the kitchen tidying up after me, which I tried to ignore. I’d used a knife, plate and cup, but the way she was acting you’d think I’d used every damn thing in the cupboards. “Oh, and another thing,” I met her gaze, which was as serious as her tone, “just remember she’s your brothers girl. Hands off.”
Sizzle Page 11 Stunned, I opened my mouth to reply, but nothing came out. Never had I ever taken a girl from Liam. “I’m about to be married, or have you forgotten?” I gritted my teeth before anything else came out of my mouth. “I most certainly have not forgotten. I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t.” The air filled with tension as she turned back to the dishes, “so keep your hands… and other body parts… off Liam’s girl.” What the hell! I was stunned that she’d spell something like that out to me. “I’m not listening to this anymore, its total crap.” With that said, I stormed out of the kitchen. I could imagine that she was busy cursing me for being born. I quickly walked across the yard to the barn where I kept my dirt bike, under covers because, heaven forbid, Mia should see it. Yanking the covers off, I wheeled it out of the barn through the doors at the back before climbing on and speeding towards the river. Chapter 9 Thalia “Thalia, wake up… come on, we’re here.” I could hear Liam, but I didn’t want to open my eyes because if I did the guy in my dreams would disappear. “Thalia, we’re outside my parents house, you need to wake up.” We’d arrived already? I shot up from my seat in shock. “I asked you to wake me before we got here,” I moaned, while trying to wipe the sleep from my eyes. Liam was sitting beside me grinning like an idiot. “I tried, but you carried on snoring.” “I do not snore,” I huffed out. “Yeah, you do.” He laughed. “Okay, I’m not arguing. How do I look?” I asked, running my fingers through my dark, curly hair, to try and bring some order to it. “You look great, Thalia. Stop fussing.” Liam climbed out of the car and ran around to open the door for me still looking neat as a pin, whereas I probably looked like the cat the dog dragged home. He held his hand out to me so I placed mine in his and let him pull me from the car. While I stretched my legs, I took my first look at his childhood home. It was a large colonial style house with a wraparound porch, or at least I thought it was from what I could see of it. Colorful flowers lined and filled the porch and a well-maintained garden surrounded the house with a barn off in the distance. The house was painted white with pale blue trim. It was gorgeous. “You like?” Liam stood beside me and looked…nervous? “It’s beautiful.” “Yeah, I guess it is,” he took a deep breath, “let’s do this.” Why was he nervous about being home? I followed a reluctant Liam up the front steps to the porch, and noticed the two-person-swing and chairs to the right with a low coffee table between them. It looked welcoming. Liam opened one side of the huge double doors on the front of the house so we could enter. Walking inside the large entrance, which was decorated in pale lemon with white accessories, I spotted an elegant looking woman over to the left, standing watching us. “Liam, you’re here?” The rich voice was filled with affection. “It would appear so,” Liam answered as he walked towards the woman and wrapped her up in a hug. She was about the same height as I was, with short blonde hair styled into a sleek bob. She wore minimum make up and looked elegant in a white pantsuit. Liam pulled away, but kept his arm around her. “Mom, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend,” he winked, “Thalia.” “It’s nice to meet you, Thalia.” She took hold of my shoulders and kissed the air next to each side of my face. “That’s an unusual name, pretty, but unusual. Please call me Stephanie.” I stepped away from her. “It’s nice to meet you, Stephanie.” I continued to look around. “You have a beautiful home.” This woman made me feel uneasy for some reason. She’d been welcoming, but kept looking me up and down as though I fell short, or at least that’s how she made me feel. “Where are Dad and Jack?” “Your father is playing golf and Jack took off on that bike,” Stephanie replied in disgust. “Why he uses that dirty thing, I have no idea. I just pray Mia doesn’t find out about it.” About to laugh, I caught Liam watching me. He gave a slight shake of his head. “Mom, everyone needs to let off steam now and again.” “Yes, well, he’ll be married in just short of two months, so he’ll have to get it out of his system before then.” She glanced at me, shaking herself like she just remembered I was standing there. “Sorry Thalia, you’ll meet my husband, Graham, and Liam’s brother, Jack, at dinner… You do have a dress with you?” She looked me up and down again. It was clear from the thin line of her lips and the jut of her jaw that she didn’t think I was good enough for her son. “Yes,” I replied while I tried to hold my tongue. If she saw my family home she wouldn’t be acting as though Liam had dragged me in from the street. She’d be throwing her son at me! “Good. I’ll let Liam show you around. I’ve put Thalia in the yellow guest room. I’m meeting friends in town so I’ll see you both at dinner.” She breezed out the front door leaving me stunned. For someone married to a lawyer, she wasn’t diplomatic. “Oh boy. Jack’s pissed about something.” “Why do you say that?” “He only takes the bike out when he’s pissed and because Dad isn’t here, I’d say Mom is the reason.” He ran his hands through his hair and let out a breath, as though he’d been holding it in. “Give me a minute to grab our things from the car. After that, I’ll show you to your room.”
Sizzle Page 12 “Okay.” While Liam went to retrieve the luggage, I wandered into the hall where the stairs were located. On the side table to my right were a handful of photographs, letting my purse drop to the floor I moved in for a closer look. I noticed Liam straightaway; in fact there were a few of him and a couple of his parents. There was only one of another guy, who I presumed must be Jack. It was obviously high school graduation. So that cute guy was Liam’s brother. “Jack,” Liam commented, glancing over my shoulder. I’d been so engrossed in the photographs I hadn’t heard him come back inside. “He looks a bit different now. That was high school graduation.” Liam started up the stairs, so I followed him, wondering why, if Jack was supposed to be ‘the golden boy’, weren’t there more photographs of him around the house. The ones lining the walls were mainly of Liam. Oh, there were baby photographs of them both, but only Liam as an adult. Strange. “Jack removed all his pictures after an argument with Dad, not sure what it was about, but it pissed Jack off pretty badly,” Liam answered my unspoken question. We came to a stop outside what I presumed to be my room. Liam opened the door allowing me to enter first. “I hope you like it. There’s a great view from the window,” Liam informed me, dumping my bag on the floor at the end of the bed before he tugged me over to the window. Wow, he wasn’t kidding, the view was amazing. I could see the barn, fields and lots of trees that appeared to have a river tucked away behind. The only thing missing in the room was a window seat so I could read. “The bathroom is through here, but you need to remember when you use it to lock both doors and to unlock both when finished. For some reason, you’re sharing with Jack.” My eyes widened in shock. “What do you mean?” Surely he didn’t mean my room was separated from Jack’s by a bathroom. Liam looked uncomfortable, hovering around the bedroom door. “I’m not sure why you’re in here, but you and Jack share the bathroom. Look, he’ll keep his distance. Plus you’re my girlfriend,” he met my eyes, “so he won’t break the brother’s code.” “Some guy code, I guess. Okay, never mind. It’s a lovely room and I could spend all day looking out of the window so don’t worry.” Sitting on my bed, I watched Liam pace back and forth. He paused occasionally and I could have sworn that he wanted to say something, but he stayed silent. “Do you mind if I rest till dinner. I’m tired after the ungodly hour you made me get up.” I yawned. Being tired wasn’t an exaggeration. Not only did I have a lot to take in about this family, I was expected to share space with the mysterious brother. “Yeah, I’m going to hit the sack as well.” Liam turned to leave and if I wasn’t mistaken he looked relieved. “What time’s dinner? Please tell me the dresses I bought will be okay to wear?” “Dinners at seven and your dresses are fine, but for dinner I suggest you wear shoes instead of your boots. Mom would zero straight in to your foot wear…I’m sorry, Thalia.” Liam walked back over to me and pulled me up from the bed and straight into his arms for a hug, which he kept brief. He then kissed me on the top of my head. Stepping back, he walked towards the door again, quickly exiting and closing it behind him with a thud. I shook my head at the closed door. He was all over the place and I was even more confused about the relationship we had. Sighing, I tried to shut my brain down for a little while. After a quick trip to the bathroom, I lay down on the bed and remembered I’d left my purse on the floor beside the table downstairs. I’d have to retrieve it later when I woke up because my body was too tired to move. Chapter 10 Jack I pulled the bike up short on the opposite side of the river. Not enough distance from the house, but it would have to do. I needed space before I did or said something I’d end up regretting, or if I didn’t regret it, I’d still probably piss a lot of people off – starting with my parents. Hell. I stripped, needing to burn my anger off, and the safest way to do that on the ranch, was to swim. I waded into the water, forgetting that this part of the river was always freezing, because the sun couldn’t get through to warm it up. With a deep breath I dived in and swam, and then swam some more. My life was a mess. I couldn’t put my finger on the exact moment I started to lose control of my life, but it sure as hell happened. I was engaged – to be married. I knew what was expected of me after I’d qualified as a lawyer, plus everyone would expect me to have Mia pregnant. Fuck, I felt sick. Since I was sixteen I’d always done what was expected of me. Instead of rebelling, which I’d wanted to do, I’d gone along with everyone’s plans so they’d leave my brother alone. They’d left him alone, but still treated me as though I was some big disappointment. Liam was bringing his girlfriend home for the summer, and she’d been put in the room beside mine with a shared bathroom. Yeah, that was why I was so pissed. Add to that the fact that I’d been told to keep my hands off her and I couldn’t help seeing red. I snorted in derision as my arms sliced through the cold water. As though, I was going to go after my brother’s girl. It was a total no-no. I was supposed to be getting married in just under two month’s time to Mia. That fact, I kept pushing to the back of my mind so I wouldn’t freak out. Mia was pretty, had a slight build, but had been brought up to never lift a finger. She had no interest in anything other than TV shows and going out with friends to dinner. Not a bar, but a restaurant.
Sizzle Page 13 She bored me within two minutes, but what the hell could I do? I’d been hoping Liam would hook up with her as he’d always had a crush on her when we were growing up. No matter how many times I’d told him to go for it with her, he’d ignored me and blown me off. So I’d ended up being pushed into an engagement and marriage that I didn’t want. There was no way to find my way out of it either, at least not without losing my tuition fees. Yeah, that was what Dad was holding over me. If I married Mia and all would be fine; if I didn’t, then I could kiss my law degree goodbye. Even with a part-time job, I wouldn’t be able to afford the fees as well as living expenses. Exhausted, I pulled myself out of the river and tried to shake the water from my body. I dressed quickly, which was easier said than done considering I was soaking wet and the denim didn’t want to cooperate. With a heavy sigh, I climbed back onto my bike and started it up. I felt better for swimming off some of my frustration. I just hoped the calm I felt lasted me through the evening meal with Liam and his girl. I wondered what she looked like as I headed towards the barn. His usual taste in women wasn’t too good so hopefully this time he’d improved. I concentrated on staying on the bridge as I roared over the river. I’d been planning on making a start on repairing the bridge, but I was in too much of a bad mood to be of much use. I just hoped it didn’t give out before I could get back to it, especially with anyone on it. The barn was up ahead so I pulled my bike in through the back entrance and covered it up again with the sheeting I used to keep it hidden. That done, I walked up to the house knowing my brother would already be there. As I pushed my way through the entrance to the kitchen, Liam was sitting drinking coffee. I removed my boots, dropping them to the mat, and stared at my brother. “What did Mom say this time?” he asked in greeting. I frowned. “It doesn’t matter now. How you doing, little brother? It’s been a while.” I walked further into the room and grabbed a cup from the shelf, pouring coffee into it. I turned back to my brother and leaned against the cabinets, holding his stare. “So where’s your woman?” I couldn’t resist asking. “I’m fine and she’s asleep. I wanted to leave early this morning and we didn’t get to bed till late. You’ll meet her soon enough.” So my little brother was serious about this girl. He must be to not only be fucking her, but to bring her home for the summer. “So does she have a name? Family?” “Thalia, and yes she has family. They don’t care what she does or where she goes, but when she’s home, they expect her to act as though she’s still a child. That’s why I asked her to come home with me. She’s amazing, not to mention hot with curves in all the right places.” My hand tightened around the coffee cup, while I listened to him going on about his girl. I wished I had that. I’d been engaged for twelve months and never slept with her. Never held her. Never been held by her. Our relationship was based on our parent’s friendship, and because of my dream to become a lawyer. I’d never felt so damn alone. The last time I’d been intimate with anyone was about eighteen months ago, but that had been a one-night-stand and felt like a lifetime ago. Lost in my own thoughts Liam stood and started to walk out before pausing at the kitchen door. “Will you take Thalia’s purse upstairs and leave it outside her bedroom door for her?” He didn’t even wait for my answer. I picked her purse up from the kitchen table, my boots from the mat, and then climbed the stairs to my room, shutting my bedroom door behind me. I leaned back against it and let out a frustrated sigh, dropping my boots to the floor. Needing a shower before dinner, I pushed away from the door to head towards the bathroom when I remembered I still held her purse. Curiosity got the better of me; I needed to see the girl who’d caught my brother’s attention. Walking across my bedroom, I pushed the bathroom door open, then walked across, opening her door slightly so I could look inside, making sure she was asleep. Walking into her room, I placed her purse down on the dressing table. About to walk back to the bathroom to take a shower, I found myself standing at the side of the bed, looking down at Thalia, my brother’s girl, who was asleep on top of the covers. I felt as though I’d been punched in the gut. She was beautiful with her dark brown hair splayed out over the pillow, a sprinkling of freckles over her button nose, her slim build and long, long legs. My dick started to harden. She wasn’t even wearing makeup. Before I could stop myself my hand was reaching out to touch her cheek. I pulled back at the last minute. Fuck, I needed to get out of there pretty quick. I took a deep breath and started for the bathroom door, but stopped and turned back to have one last, unobserved, look at her. I hadn’t been expecting to react to her the way I had. I needed to keep my distance from her while she was here. She was my brother’s, and I was engaged. Fuck, I was so screwed. Chapter 11 Thalia Startled, I jerked awake suddenly; convinced I’d heard a door shut close by. Sitting up on the bed, I looked towards the bathroom door, which was closed, but I noticed my purse on the dressing table to the side. Had Liam brought it up for me and left it there? Had he stayed and watched me sleep? Why did that thought make me feel uncomfortable? I threw myself back on the pillows and closed my eyes. My thoughts drifted back to Liam’s brother, Jack. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to meeting him. He intrigued me – like a puzzle that needed to be solved. With a quick glance at my watch, I realized there was an hour before dinner. I needed a quick shower, because I felt uncomfortable after traveling and then sleeping in my clothes. About to climb from the bed, I heard the shower go on. Jack was in there.
Sizzle Page 14 My travel bag was on the floor so I climbed from the bed to retrieve it and placed it on top of the bed to make it easier to unpack. Luckily my dresses weren’t too creased as I’d rolled them when I’d put them in. After meeting Liam’s mom and the look she’d given me when she’d met me, I decided to wear the cream lacy dress, which came above my knee, with my matching cream ballerina pumps. I knew I looked good in this outfit, as Callie had made me try it on for her when I’d arrived home after having lunch with Liam. The shower switched off. I hope he doesn’t stay there all night, I thought as I glanced at the closed door. I heard the door open and shut. I didn’t hear a lock though. Did he leave the door unlocked? I smiled. What a pity; I might have gotten one hell of a view. The bathroom door opened easily when I tried it, so I slowly peeped inside, and to my relief the room was empty. I quickly ran to the other door and locked it, then went back and locked the door to my room. The shower was wonderful. The water pressure was amazing and not only cleansed me, but massaged my aching muscles. Which I had to say, I didn’t know were aching until the shower got to work on them. With the towel wrapped around my body, I blow dried my hair and applied a light application of makeup, which I only wore for special occasions. Well tonight I would be looked over by Liam’s father and his brother so I wanted to look my best. Not sure I’d call it a special occasion though! My dress zipped up the back and boy what a sweat it was to fasten the damn thing. Someone was knocking on my door; I was just about to ask who it was, when I heard Liam calling my name. I quickly opened the door, grabbed his arm and yanked him inside. He looked stunned to say the least. I presented my back to him. “Will you zip me up? I’ve been messing with this for five minutes. I’m going to need another shower at this rate.” He laughed, seeming to hesitate as he struggled with the zipper. “What are you doing back there?” “Admiring your underwear or lack of it,” he answered. I’d forgotten I only had a thong on and a delicate cream lace bra. “Stop ogling the goods and get the zipper up, before your mother comes looking for us.” He chuckled, managing to get the zipper fastened, and turned me around to face him. “Listen, Jack will be at dinner and he can be a pain, okay? So if he starts, or the parents start on him, just try to ignore him or them for that matter.” “Surely he can’t be that bad?” I gave him a quizzical look. “Usually it’s only Mom and Dad in the dining room, and occasionally, if I’m home, I’d eat with them, but most of the time I’d eat in the kitchen with Jack, which is where he prefers to eat. They can’t have a go at him that way.” “Liam, I thought you said he was the golden boy. If that’s the case, why would your parents have a go at him?” “That I don’t know. He’s done everything they’ve asked of him and still it doesn’t seem to be enough. But for some reason they leave me alone and I rarely do what they ask. Let’s go and get this over with.” Liam opened the door and ushered me through, leading me to the stairs. I was walking behind Liam, and about half way down, I felt as though I was being watched. I glanced to my right and down, and nearly stumbled, when my gaze clashed with the smoldering look Jack was throwing in my direction. He was hot – and – and hot. Oh God, I tried to act as normal as I could with my insides turned all upside down. I looked for Liam, but he’d left me and walked off into another room. At the bottom of the stairs, Jack met me; we just stared at each other. His gaze and closeness had me all hot and bothered with wet panties. He was Liam’s engaged brother. I had to remember that. He shouldn’t be looking at me as though he wanted me for dinner. And I shouldn’t be returning his look. “You must be, Jack.” I nervously held my hand out to him having found my voice. He took hold of my hand, and the instant he did lightening shot up my arm. I lifted my eyes to his, searching for a reaction. There was no doubt that he’d felt it too. My heart pounded, as I looked closer at his face; strong cheekbones, long lashes, over heated blue eyes. His jaw, which he held tightly as though it was about to snap with tension, was covered by what could only be described as five o’clock shadow. “And you must be, Thalia.” “You’ve met Jack I see,” Liam said, as Jack quickly released my hand. Liam smirked as he walked up to me and slipped his arm around my waist. Obviously wanting everyone to think I was his girlfriend. Well, I did agree to that. “We’ve met,” Jack said, turning away. Liam looked at me and stepped away slightly. “Are you okay? You look flushed.” He glanced in his brother’s direction then back at me. “I’m fine; just hungry.” His arm tightened around my waist as he led me to the sitting room, but despite Liam’s presence, my thoughts were stuck on Jack. He looked nothing like Liam. Perhaps he took after his father, where Liam took after his mother. I needed to keep my wits about me though, because I had no right reacting to an engaged man like I did. My heart pounded and I wouldn’t have been surprised if it jumped right out of my chest. He was like my fictional cowboy and would look damn good in well-worn denim, a tight t-shirt and hat. He was tall with short dark hair and I could imagine falling into his eyes. And what eyes – untamed, intense blue eyes and the abs – wow. He was wearing black jeans with a long sleeved pale blue t-shirt, which was molded to his body; my mouth went dry.
Sizzle Page 15 “Thalia, you look lovely. Come and meet my husband, Graham.” Stephanie took hold of my arm and pulled me over to where her husband was standing in what looked to be a heated discussion with Jack. “Graham, this is Liam’s girl, Thalia, and this is Jack.” Why did that sound like an insult when she introduced Jack? “We’ve already met,” Jack said, turning his back on me. I held my hand out to Graham, “It’s nice to meet you.” Graham looked pissed when he glanced at Jack, then turned back to me and shook my hand. “Call me Graham… Jack, don’t be rude to your brother’s girlfriend.” Inwardly I groaned. The last thing I wanted was to piss Jack off via his father. Jack turned back to me with a furious expression. If I could have moved, I’d have run, but I was frozen to the spot. “As my brother has abandoned you, let me take you in to dinner.” Jack turned, took hold of my elbow and pulled me out of the room. I shivered at his touch, which dragged a giggle from between my lips. What the hell had possessed me to giggle, I’d never know, but I’d also taken Jack by surprise. He stopped in his tracks and looked down at me with eyes full of heat. He pushed me away from him. “Stay away from me. My brother doesn’t bite, but I do!” With that comment he stomped off and took his seat at the table. Liam walked over to me, looking between the two of us again. “What did he say?” “It doesn’t matter.” I could see Jack watching us out of the corner of my eye. After a minute Liam put his arm around my shoulders, and pulled the chair out at the table for me. The meal was going to be hell considering I was sitting opposite Jack. I took my seat, moving my chair closer to the table then did what I’d decided was best – ignored Jack. The meal was a very uncomfortable, silent affair and I nearly sagged in relief when I ate the last spoon of the chocolate dessert, feeling ready to burst. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten so much. I leaned back in the chair, meeting Jack’s eyes from across the table. “You enjoy that, little girl?” he sneered. Ugh, I hated that. I gave him my ‘you’ll give me anything smile’, which Callie constantly told me made big men weep. “Very much, did you?” I replied in a sultry voice. He shifted in his chair, glaring at me before standing up. “I’m out of here.” Thank God. “Thalia, please excuse Jack. He’s always been a difficult child. Believe it or not, he does have manners,” Stephanie apologized. “It’s okay, don’t worry about it.” I took another drink of my water, standing when Liam did. “Excuse us.” Liam took my hand and dragged me out of the room. As soon as he’d pulled me on to the porch he started laughing. “God Thalia, I’m sorry. Eating in there was a nightmare and Jack. I’ve no idea what was wrong with him. He’s usually okay when someone else is around.” “It doesn’t matter. Just promise me we don’t have to eat in there every day?” I was on the next plane to Texas if he answered in the positive. Liam ran his hand through his hair as he perched on the porch railing. “No, we don’t have to eat in there everyday, maybe once a week, on Sundays.” “Okay, I can handle that.” I was sitting opposite him, hoping he suggested going to bed, because I needed to lie down after all that food. I wasn’t used to eating so much in one sitting. Oh, I could eat junk food constantly throughout the day, but sitting down to a large meal was just too much. “What do you want to do now?” I smiled. “I was just thinking I could do with lying down. I’m really full and I guess I’m still tired.” “Okay we’ll do something tomorrow. Maybe go to the lake or in town.” “I’d like that. Goodnight, Liam.” I stood and walked through the house upstairs to my room. Opening the door I stopped dead in my tracks. Jack was in my room leaning against the door to the bathroom. Closing the door behind me, I met his eyes. “What are you doing in here?” I demanded, moving closer. How the hell could one look from him make my panties wet. I’d never reacted to anyone like I reacted to him. We’d only just met as well. Damn it! “I’m sorry about dinner.” His angry gaze sliced through me, making me feel like the apology was my fault. “I never apologize, but I’m never usually rude to a guest either.” Standing in front of him, I rested my hands on my hips. Anger flushed my cheeks and I fought the urge to…to…I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hit him or kiss him. “Why were you mad at me?” Undisguised hurt made my voice crack. “You’re my brother’s girlfriend, and I’m engaged.” “I don’t understand.” The anger drained out of me as I moved closer to him. “I know you don’t, but you need to stay away from me, because I’m not sure I have the strength to stay away from you. There’s something about you….” He reached out and caressed my face. A lightening heat spread through my body and I thought my knees would buckle. “Thalia,” he whispered holding my stare then he turned, and walked back into his room. I heard the lock engage. What the hell had just happened? For some reason I just wanted to wrap him up in my arms and never let go. That was so bad.
Sizzle Page 16 Chapter 12 Jack I’d needed to leave the house for a while after being so close to Thalia, and that was how I found myself standing outside Kix, undecided as to whether I wanted to enter or not. While I contemplated what I was going to do, I stood there glaring at the sign Ryder had put up on the building the other day. It said Kix, in a camouflage design. It looked pretty good and I wouldn’t have minded hearing the full story behind the name. Ryder had mentioned it was named after a friend of his who didn’t make it back to the states, but that was as much as he said. “You planning on admiring the sign all night?” Ryder asked, standing about four feet away. “Just might.” I grinned, following him around the back. “Your ‘boys’ are making use of the storeroom again. I should slap a sign on the door, ‘Fuck Room’.” Roaring with laughter, I made a mental note to stay away from there. With how wound up I was, thanks to Thalia, I didn’t trust myself not to use a more ‘hands on’ approach if I joined them. “Do you know who they’re with?” I couldn’t resist asking. “Same one as the other night.” That brought me up short. They never did the same girl twice, just in case she got ideas into her head. “She’s only visiting, and flies home tomorrow,” Ryder answered. “Your face gave you away.” He laughed, handing me a longneck. Taking a long draw, I leaned against the bar, looking around the place. Before Ryder had taken it over it had been a real dump, now the floors shined after being stripped and re-varnished and the walls had been painted. Pictures of baseball players and rockers had gone up on the walls. He’d burned the old tables, replacing them with circular, four-person ones as well as new chairs. The small stage had been rebuilt and just fit our gear on nicely. The guys liked being close to the ‘fans’. According to Reece, it made it easier for them to pick up company. I’d shaken my head as I’d walked off, but I’d missed the trysts we’d participated in; we’d had some fucking hot women. The other night had felt odd. Oh yeah, I’d gotten my rocks off watching, which had happened a few times, but it had left me feeling slightly embarrassed. Standing in back watching your two best friends with their jeans around their thighs, flashing their naked butt’s and hard dicks wasn’t something that made me comfortable. Yeah, the three of us had done the same woman at the same time before, but that had been different. “Hey, I need to get in the storeroom. Go tell them to get the fuck out,” Ryder asked. “Fuck…Your storeroom. You go.” “Not a chance in hell. I’ve kept it zipped a hell of a long time. I do not want the image of what they’re up to in my head.” I really did not want to go in that room. With heavy feet, I walked slowly towards the room in question. Running my fingers through my hair, I glanced back and spotted Ryder standing behind the bar grinning in my direction. The bastard. I banged on the door. “Guy’s? Ryder wants in the room. Hurry it up.” Hell. All I could hear was grunting and moans. I did not want to go in that room. No, I did not. Shit. I tried the door, which, surprisingly was unlocked, and pushed it open, slipping inside. Instant boner. Donovan was sitting on the desk, legs spread with the woman wrapped around him, his hands on her hips while she bounced up and down on his cock. Reece stood between his legs with his cock in her ass and his hands on her tits, kissing her neck. Twelve months ago, she’d have been in a slightly different position with my cock in her mouth as well. Fuck, fuck, fuck! Simone came apart with them both groaning and following her over. “Ryder needs the room. Fuckin’ hell!” With that being said, I walked out of the room, slammed the door and came face to face with Ryder. He was leaning against the wall opposite laughing. “Sounded good.” “You’re a bastard, and you owe me.” Walking back to the bar, I was stopped once or twice by someone asking if we were playing later. Seeing the disappointment on their face when I replied in the negative made me smile. Our music was good. At the bar, I grabbed another longneck Suzie passed me, knocked it back in one only to have Reece wrap his arm around my neck with a huge grin on his face. “Oh man. Going to be sorry to see her go. She had the biggest fucking tits I’ve had the pleasure to suck in a while.” I did the only thing I could do; I ignored him. For my own peace of mind, I’d needed to leave the house this evening, only to arrive at Kix and witness my two best friends fucking the same woman. I should have known, but needing the escape I hadn’t thought that far ahead. “Where’s Donovan?” He was usually the first to appear afterwards. “Giving the woman a ride back.” I raised an eyebrow in question. “She was about to leave with her friend when we arrived so Donovan offered her a ride back.” “Seriously?” He roared with laughter. “I told her he’d give her a ride back. Don’t have my wheels tonight. Why are you here?” “Needed some space.” I was keeping Thalia to myself tonight. There would be plenty of time to mention her, and for them to meet her. Tonight she could be in my thoughts without Reece adding his cent’s worth. “Well, as you’re being talkative, I’m going to go and find myself some company for tonight. This new tats hurting like a motherfucker.”
Sizzle Page 17 I watched him walk towards a group of three women, who I hadn’t seen before. Chapter 13 Jack With a large coffee poured, I was sitting outside on the back porch enjoying the stillness of the morning. The best times of day for me were in the morning before everyone was up, and the evening after everyone had gone to bed. There was no one to harass me, or to remind me of what was expected, and I had total peace. I’d been awake since five, unable to sleep because of Thalia. She was sleeping in the room next to mine and all I’d wanted to do was climb into bed with her. Not for sex, but to hold her, to feel her arms wrapped around me. It’d been a hell of a long time since I’d had a woman in my arms, for anything. Coming home last night had been difficult, and my shoes had felt full of lead as I’d walked to my room. I mused at the night before. All through the dinner I’d watched her and tried not to make it obvious. I’d been pissed with my reaction to her, which had caused me to use the term ‘little girl’. Somehow I’d known it would piss her off, but instead, she’d smiled and replied in a sexy voice; my dick had hardened to steel at the tone. Thank God my t-shirt had covered the evidence. Before I ended up embarrassing myself I’d made a quick escape back to my room. Nobody had ever affected me the way she did. What the hell had possessed me to go into her room to wait for her, to apologize for being a dick at dinner? We’d been standing so close when I’d reached out and caressed her face. Thalia’s reaction had told me she was just as affected. I hadn’t wanted to leave, but it was either that or drag her into the shower with me. A shower, which I’d ended up taking when I climbed out of bed this morning in an effort to relieve my throbbing cock. I sighed. My peace was broken, someone was in the kitchen cluttering around, and then the porch door opened. My coffee half way to my mouth, I looked up and froze. Thalia, she was beautiful. “You coming out?” I asked, seeing her hesitate. She looked like a deer caught in headlights. “If I’m not in the way.” Shaking my head, I offered her the seat across from me. There was no way I wanted her sitting beside me, but as she sat down, I got a look at her deliciously long legs. She had her pale pink robe on, which came down to her toes. Her dark hair was haphazardly piled on top of her head with bits flying around her face and neck. I gripped the cup of coffee tighter as she looked at me. She took her time looking at me, but for the blush slowly creeping up her cheeks, I would have said she was in a trance. “It’s beautiful here. I could sit here all day and never move.” I chuckled at her enthusiasm. “Oh, you’d move alright. I’d give you maybe ten minutes from when good old mom joined you before you’d think up excuses to leave.” “That’s not a nice thing to say.” She scowled. “Yeah, well it’s been a while since anything nice was said about me.” Shit, why the hell did I go and blurt that out? It was the truth, but not one I’d ever admitted to before. She’d started to look at me with pity and I felt anger narrowing my eyes. I didn’t want pity. I wanted… “Do not pity me,” I growled at her. Thalia looked away from me, and then took a deep breath before she met my eyes again. “Don’t get pissed with me, Jack. You’re the one who told me that.” “What’s going on?” Liam asked, walking onto the porch with his own coffee making us both jump. “We were just talking or debating something. Depends on which way you look at it,” Thalia said, looking straight at me. Having her eyes on me hurt, knowing she was with my brother. It was crazy and I needed to leave. Standing, I risked a glance at Thalia, and she looked disappointed that I was leaving, whereas Liam looked relieved. “I’ll catch you guys later.” I was half way down the porch steps when I remembered I still held the cup. Fuck. I turned and started back up the steps, nearly knocking Thalia, who’d stood up, off her feet. I made a grab for her, pulling her against me. I dropped the cup; my arm went around her waist while I steadied us both by grabbing hold of the railing with the other. Thalia had one of her hands wrapped tight in my t-shirt, against my back, causing a shiver to run through me. She felt damn good in my arms. I briefly tightened my hold before letting go. “Fuck.” I shoved her at Liam as I picked the cup up from the floor, which surprisingly hadn’t broken. With a quick glance at them both, I slammed the cup down onto the table, practically running to the stables to let off steam on my bike. Around Thalia, I needed to think about Mia, to stop myself from practically falling over my tongue when I looked at her. There was no way she would have missed the instant erection I’d gotten when she was in my arms. I’d felt her curves and those large breasts. God, I needed a cold shower or to call Mia, although I had the feeling it was only the latter that would get me to calm down! Chapter 14 Thalia “What’s going on between you and Jack?” So I hadn’t imagined the tension between us? Sitting back down, I looked at Liam. “Nothing. Why?” “When he crashed into you, he looked ready to sling you over his shoulder and take you with him,” Liam grouched. I wish he had. Liam’s forehead creased in worry and I sighed. “There is nothing going on between me and your brother. He was sitting out here drinking his coffee when I walked out, not five minutes before you, plus we only met last night.”
Sizzle Page 18 He ran his hands through his hair, and then looked at me. “Thalia, you need to remember he’s engaged and getting married in a few weeks. No matter what happens, he will be getting married, that I can guarantee you. Just be careful with him.” “I have no intention of needing to be careful with him, okay? I would like to be his friend, because something tells me he doesn’t have that many.” Liam scowled not looking too keen on that idea. “He’s your brother so why can’t we be friends? Wouldn’t you expect to be friends with his fiancée, Mia? After all she’s going to be your sister-in-law.” At first glance he looked upset, but then he offered me a wry grin. “Okay, you have me there. Let’s just forget it. Do you want to go to the lake today? You’ll probably like it there. We could take a boat out as well.” Liam held his hand out, so I placed mine in his and let him pull me up from the chair. “That sounds great, but I think you should know, I’m not a very good swimmer. I tend to stay in my depth, otherwise I struggle.” “If we go out on the lake, we have to wear life preserves anyway, so you’ll be okay. Just remember not to get too close to the bank without wearing the preserve, because it drops pretty deep within four feet.” Liam held my hand all the way back through the house and upstairs. He only let go when he shoved me back into my bedroom telling me to get dressed so we could eat breakfast by the side of the lake. The idea of going out on the lake filled me with dread, because of my fear of deep water. I could spend all day sitting on the beach watching the ocean, but being in it was something else entirely. It was a warm day and as it got closer to noon the temperature would creep up as well, so as I wiggled into my jeans and a black and pink ‘Pink’ t-shirt, I tossed a bottle of sun lotion into my bag. I sure as hell didn’t want to end up looking like a lobster while I was staying with Liam and his family. Which brought my mind back around to Jack. He’d felt good and hard up against me. Yeah, he had tight abs, but I’d also noticed the hardness against my stomach. Liam said that he’d looked ready to carry me off with him; I wouldn’t have protested. Sitting down on my bed, I buried my face in my hands. Jack made me all hot and bothered, which was so not good because I was with Liam and Jack was getting married. He didn’t look or react like a man who was about to get married. How could he react to me like he did when he already had a woman? It just didn’t make sense. I wasn’t stupid and knew that some guys were unfaithful to their girlfriend or wife, but Jack didn’t come across like that. He came across as – lonely. “Thalia, you ready?” Liam shouted through the door. “Yeah. One minute.” I grabbed my purse and met him on the landing. “How far is it to the lake?” I asked walking down the stairs. “Not too far. Maybe about ten minutes in the car.” He picked his car keys up out of the dish on the table by the door. “The restaurant at the lake has tables out on the deck with views across the lake.” “That would be great.” “What would be great?” Stephanie asked. I hadn’t noticed her standing in the doorway to the kitchen. She didn’t look as elegant as she had yesterday; today, she was in jeans and shirt, and she actually looked like a ‘mom’. “I’m taking Thalia to the lake for breakfast.” She frowned. “Are you sure? I can make you some pancakes if you’d like?” Oh God, no! “It’s okay, mom. I promised Thalia we’d spend the day there, and I want her to see the view from the restaurant. You know it’s not as busy in the morning as it is for lunch and dinner.” Stephanie turned around and started to head back into the kitchen. “I’ll see you both later then. Enjoy yourselves.” Liam took my hand and dragged me out of the house. “Glad we had that arranged before my mom spotted us. I need a break after last night.” I laughed at his response, because it had been what I was thinking. We’d no sooner climbed into his car; we were speeding down the drive. “Slow down a bit. I can’t look around at this speed.” He glanced over at me, rolling his eyes, but a warm smile spread across his face. He shifted into a lower gear and the sights of Alabama became clearer through the window. “You do realize that there are only trees and fields between here and the lake?” “That doesn’t matter. I’ve never been to Alabama before so I want to take it all in.” Take it in I did, the hills, trees, farms, the covered bridge we drove through and then the beautiful view of the lake as we approached. The day was starting to warm up some, as Liam pulled the car in to the lot at the restaurant which didn’t look too busy. He parked out front of it before climbing out of the car and running over to open my door. “Thalia, I’m not sure this was a good idea,” Liam said, looking worried while I climbed out of the car. What was he on about? I thought it was the best idea he’d come up with. “Why?” He seemed on edge. “Jack’s here with Mia.” He pointed towards two cars parked towards the back of the lot. “I haven’t met Mia yet so let’s go in.” I took his hand while we walked towards the entrance, about to let go once we were inside, but Liam tightened his hold on me. I gave him a quizzical look. “Liam?”
Sizzle Page 19 He glanced over my shoulder then groaned. Turning I spotted, who I presumed to be Mia, sitting with Jack, a frown on her face. “No escape,” Liam grumbled. As we walked closer I chanced a look in Jack’s direction, only to find his eyes fixed on me, while Mia hugged Liam in greeting. “Mia, this is my girlfriend, Thalia. Thalia, this is Jack’s fiancée, Mia.” Mia seemed to wince and I wasn’t sure whether it was because Liam introduced me as his girlfriend or herself as Jack’s fiancée. “Hi,” I said, feeling embarrassed with Jack’s gaze not wavering. What was he doing looking at me like that when his fiancée was sitting across from him? “Thalia, that’s a real nice name. Why don’t you and Liam join us? I’m not eating anything so you can keep Jack company.” Without waiting for a reply, she pulled Liam down beside her on the bench seat, which meant I had to take the seat next to Jack. Jack slid further along to make room for me to slide in next to him. I met his eyes again, which hadn’t moved since I’d walked into the restaurant. He made me so damn hot with just one look. It was so unfair. Why didn’t I have that kind of reaction to Liam? The server appeared with menus so I ordered sausage, pancakes with syrup and a large coffee. Sitting back in my seat I ended up brushing against Jack’s arm. He froze and straightened in his seat; his thigh brushed against mine. He cursed under his breath, but didn’t move. All I wanted to do was climb astride him. I could feel my blush working its way up my neck as tingles shot through me from where we touched, ending between my thighs. I felt like squirming. “How can you eat so much?” Mia asked, as our piping hot food was placed in front of us. Mia had a glass of water and that was it. “I’m hungry, plus I like my food. Fast metabolism, I guess.” I shrugged and glanced at Liam. “Are we going on the lake after breakfast?” “That’s the plan.” I was really unsure about going out on so much water; it just made me feel uncomfortable. “Thalia, you’ll be fine,” Liam said, trying to reassure me. I’d just taken a bite of my pancake when I felt Jack looking at me; again. I turned my head and met his look head on. “Why are you nervous about going on the water?” he asked under his breath. Shifting in my seat to face him, it brought our thighs even closer together, in fact any closer and I’d be sitting in his lap. His eyes flared. I gulped and replied, “I don’t swim too well. I get kind of nervous when I’m in, or on water, out of my depth.” He stayed silent, brooding. “What’s the big deal, she’ll be fine. If the worst happens and we end up in the water, then I’ll be with her, and I can swim fine,” Liam grumbled, carrying on eating his breakfast while he listened to Mia going on about what she’d been up to since she’d last seen him. “How well do you swim?” Jack asked. “I can’t,” I whispered under my breath. “Fuck. Perhaps going out on the water isn’t such a good idea.” Jack seemed worried about me. “You need to have lessons.” Teach me please! I wouldn’t mind seeing him in swim shorts. Reaching out, I touched his thigh, before I even knew what I was doing. “Liam said I’d have a life preserve on. I can do this.” I tried to convince Jack at the same time as myself. I went to remove my hand, but found it engulfed in his under the table. He held on briefly, squeezed then let me go. Through the rest of the meal I was conscious of Jack sitting beside me with our thighs touching, and an occasional brushing of arms. I tried to concentrate on finishing my breakfast, which was easier said than done, because all I wanted to do was run my hands all over him. I glanced at Liam to see if he’d noticed the exchange between his brother and me, but luckily he’d decided to switch off, and Mia was watching the antics of some girls at the side of the lake through the window. When Mia turned back to the table, she glanced at my plate, then me, and then my plate again. She seemed shocked that I’d eaten everything that had been put in front of me. Mia pulled herself back together and looked at Jack for the first time since we’d started to eat. “Jack, I’m just going to the little girl’s room. I’ll be back in a minute.” She shoved Liam out of the way and, standing up, sauntered off towards the restrooms. “I need to take a leak as well, before we go on the water.” Liam followed Mia. Sitting alone with Jack felt awkward, I chanced a glance at him, but he was looking out of the window. Without a word to Jack, I stood, and started to walk to the cashier desk, only to have Jack come up on my right side taking hold of my arm, which he held on to, until we’d reached the front. I reached into my purse, but Jack put his hand over mine. “It’s on me,” he said holding my gaze before looking away. I gulped, his hand felt good and his take charge tone had me wanting and lusting for him to really take charge. “Thank you.” Jack paid and guided me to the alcove by the door to wait for Liam and Mia. I looked at him, but he was too busy gazing outside so I carried on looking at him. He was a hot guy and for once I was glad that Callie wasn’t with me, otherwise she’d be flirting, and I think I’d have to cause her bodily harm. I had no right feeling the way I did and the fact that I did pissed me off.
