Page 19 of Trick or Tease

Before Garrett could say another word, Billy launched himself forward and wrapped his brother in a bear hug that lifted him clean off his feet. I watched Garrett’s carefully constructed facade crack completely as he hugged Billy back just as fiercely.

“Holy shit, I can’t believe it,” Billy was saying into Garrett’s shoulder. “Mom’s gonna lose her mind. Dad’s gonna cry. Hell, I might cry.”

“Don’t you dare.” Garrett laughed, but his voice was thick with emotion. “I have a reputation to maintain.”

Lucy was grinning. “Mission accomplished.”

She held up her beer bottle and I held up my glass in toast.

Billy really did know his brother. He just knew if he saw Garrett face to face he would convince him.

And he was right.

Lucy yawned, covering her mouth.

“We should get to bed,” Billy said. “It’s been a long day and we’ve got a long drive home tomorrow.”

I closed the guest room door behind me and leaned against it, my heart still racing from what had almost happened on that balcony. Had that really been real? Had Garrett actually been about to kiss me, or was I so wound up from seeing him again that I’d imagined the whole thing?

Damn Billy and his terrible timing.

I sat on the edge of the bed and pressed my hands to my cheeks, feeling how flushed they still were. What would have happened if Billy hadn’t interrupted? Would Garrett have actually kissed me? Would I have let him?

Who was I kidding? Of course I would have. I’d been wanting him to kiss me since I was sixteen years old.

I changed into my pajamas. The old T-shirt and cotton shorts weren’t what anyone would call sexy. I wasn’t prepared to spend the night with a man. I tried to settle into the ridiculously comfortable bed. But sleep was impossible. Every time I closed my eyes, I could feel Garrett’s presence next to me on that balcony. How close we’d been sitting, our knees almost touching.

I rolled onto my side and stared out the window at the glittering skyline. What if it had just been the two of us out there?

In my mind, I let the scene play out differently. Garrett’s hand reaching up to cup my face, his thumb tracing along my cheekbone. His lips finally, finally pressing against mine. Would he have been gentle at first, testing, or would years of wanting have made him desperate?

Heat pooled low in my belly as I imagined his hands tangling in my hair, pulling me closer. The taste of scotch on his tongue. The way he might have groaned my name against my mouth.

I squeezed my thighs together, my body responding to thoughts I had no business thinking in his guest room. But I couldn’t stop. In my fantasy, his hands were sliding under my flannel shirt, finding warm skin. His mouth trailed down my neck while I arched against him.

The ache between my legs was becoming impossible to ignore. I listened carefully for any sounds from the rest of the apartment, but everything was quiet. Billy and Lucy had probably passed out immediately after their earlier activities.

I slipped my hand beneath the waistband of my shorts, biting my lip to stay quiet. I imagined it was Garrett’s fingers instead of mine, exploring and teasing. His voice in my ear, telling me how long he’d wanted this, how beautiful I was.

I came quietly, my body trembling as I pictured his face above mine, his eyes dark with desire. Afterward, I forced my brain to stop so I could get some sleep.

I woke up to the smell of something incredible wafting through the apartment. For a moment, I forgot where I was, expecting to see the familiar walls of my bedroom back home. Instead, I found myself staring out the window with a view of Manhattan that looked like a postcard.

I took my bag into the bathroom and took a quick shower, putting on the clean jeans and yet another T-shirt and hoodie. I really wished I had brought nicer clothes.

I walked into the kitchen and paused. Garrett had transformed his pristine kitchen into something that looked like a cooking competition. The granite countertop was covered with white takeout containers. He leaned against the counter, phone in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other. He looked more relaxed than I’d seen him since we arrived.

“Good morning,” he said, glancing up with that smile that made my stomach flip. “I hope you’re hungry.”

Billy and Lucy emerged from their room at the same time, both looking rumpled and satisfied. Billy’s hair was sticking up as usual, and Lucy had that sleepy, content expression that came from a good night’s sleep and great sex.

Bitch. Some of us had to fly solo.

“Holy shit,” Billy said, surveying the spread. “Did you cook all this?”

Garrett laughed. “No. I don’t cook. Not really. I ordered from this place around the corner. They do incredible breakfast.”

I moved closer to examine the containers. Everything looked like it belonged in a magazine. Did people really eat like this? There were delicate crepes filled with what looked like fresh berries and cream, fluffy omelets that were perfectly golden, toast that somehow looked too perfect to be real.