Don't Need You: A Brother's Best Friend Romance (We Shouldn't Book 3) Read online

  So much for having a comfortable, stress-free Thanksgiving away from my own messed-up family.

  I guess every family has their issues—I just wasn’t expecting a foot chase and a deep well of forbidden desires.

  Forbidden.

  I need to remember that, especially when Serena walks out of the spare bedroom in nothing but boy shorts and an old T-shirt, her tantalizing legs making my mouth water.

  Cursing myself, I turn away. She disappears into the bathroom, and I hear an electric toothbrush start to whirr. Robbie appears in the living room, jerking his chin at the sheet-covered couch.

  “Sorry about this.”

  “It’s fine. Is your sister okay?”

  Robbie takes a deep breath, glancing at the bathroom door. When he swings his eyes back to me, his face is lined with concern. He nods. “She’ll be fine.”

  “Who was that guy?”

  “Her ex.”

  “Oh.”

  “He’s been bothering her.”

  “I figured.”

  “It’s one of the reasons she needs to leave.” Robbie’s face is dark. His eyes are hard and his voice is low. “He’s been bothering her for a long time.”

  I gulp, trying to keep my face steady. “Should I be worried?”

  Robbie snorts, shaking his head. “Coward’s afraid of flying. She’ll be fine on the other side of the country.”

  “Is that why the rest of the family doesn’t know where she’s going?”

  “They don’t see the problem with her ex. It’s like they don’t believe her. They just want her to settle down, like the rest of our sisters. We’re worried if everyone knows, someone will tell Serena’s ex where she is.” He lets out a dry snort, shaking his head. “You know, not once has anyone talked to me about settling down. We’re only eight minutes apart in age, but they treat Serena completely differently.”

  Before I can answer, the bathroom door opens. Serena glances at Robbie, then swings her eyes to me. Fire roars through my veins, and I do everything I can to conceal the effect she has on me.

  Right now, it’s not even lust. Sure, I’d love to feel her skin beneath my palms. I’d kill to drag my tongue between her legs. How could I not?

  But what I really want is to wrap my arms around her and keep her safe. I felt the way she trembled against me. The strength in her thin arms when she clung onto my body in her kitchen. I felt her terror, and I want to take it away.

  It’s a strange feeling. One I’m not used to. The only thing I’ve ever felt that comes anywhere close to this is the protective instinct I have for my little sister, Esme. She was sick for a long time, and I had to be her champion.

  But this? What I feel for Serena?

  It’s more intense. It comes from somewhere deeper. More primal. It’s laced with lust and tinged with desire. It’s protectiveness with a side of I want to fuck you to oblivion.

  So, yeah.

  I’m screwed, basically. Unfortunately not literally.

  “Good night. And…thanks.” Serena smiles at the two of us, her eyes lingering for a moment on mine. As her gaze drops to my shoulders, my chest, and down to my waist, heat erupts in my core.

  It’s not until her bedroom door closes that I’m able to take a deep breath. Robbie stares at me for a moment, then pinches his lips together and nods.

  “Thank you for this, Kit. I know I’ve sprung a lot on you today and we haven’t even known each other that long.”

  I shake my head. “We’re friends, Robbie. I get it. I’d do the same for my sister.”

  Robbie reaches over to me and gives me a rough hug. When he pulls away, I think I hear him sniffle. He turns his head, though, mumbling good night and turning his back to me.

  I slump down on the sofa, letting out a long breath.

  This was supposed to be a simple Thanksgiving weekend away from the mess I left in Woodvale. It was supposed to be easier than dealing with Finn and Esme.

  But I’ve walked into a tangled web—and the worst part is, I don’t want to leave.

  Serena has hit me in the gut with a sledgehammer, and I’m standing here asking for more. I let out a breath, leaning my head on the back of the sofa as I close my eyes.

  It’s fine. She’ll crash at my place for a while, then she’ll move out. I’ll barely see her—I work all the time, anyway. I’m doing Robbie a favor. He’s my friend, and he’s been helpful at work. He’s the only person who’s made me feel normal since things at the skydiving business imploded.

  I lie down on my makeshift bed, twisting and turning to get comfortable. I stare at the ceiling, then try to squeeze my eyes shut.

  Serena’s face flashes through my mind. The fear in her eyes when we were at her apartment makes my mind race, and I can’t get my brain to quiet down.

  It’s not just how afraid she was. It’s how much I wanted to be there for her. How much I wish I were in that bedroom with my arms wrapped around her. How good it felt to have her in my arms.

  Finally, I give up. I sit up and let out a breath.

  This is bad—but it’ll pass, right? It’s a fleeting attraction and an unusual situation. Once she moves to Woodvale, all this will be a distant memory. She’s attractive, and my body is rebelling. It’ll blow over soon.

  It has to.

  Talking myself down, I try to take deep, cleansing breaths—but it’s no use. The door behind me opens and I turn to see Serena emerging from her bedroom with a grin on her face.

  She’s still wearing those tiny little boy shorts and an old T-shirt, except now, she has my pilot’s jacket on over her shoulders and my hat on her head. I resist the urge to groan. My cock jumps up and I shift to hide it, letting my eyes drift down over her body.

  I didn’t think I’d find that so hot, but damn. Heat roars through my stomach, and I tear my eyes back up to meet hers. Serena does a little twirl, glancing over her shoulder as she tips the hat toward me. When she turns back around, she opens the jacket up and gives me a view of her pebbled nipples through her thin T-shirt.

  My cock throbs. Aches. Needs.

  She smiles. “Hey.” Glancing down the hallway toward her brother’s room, she tiptoes over to stand next to the sofa. “You left this in the bedroom.” She gestures to the cushion next to me. “May I?”

  “Please.”

  When Serena sits down, my whole body thrums. I want to shift closer to her. I want to fuck her relentlessly while she wears my uniform. I want to tug her hair and bite her neck. Hear her pant my name as she comes, dragging her nails down my back.

  I want it all. Every bit of her. I want to suck her dry, then give her life. Watch her come apart and stitch her back together again.

  Serena quirks those lush lips, eyes flashing. I have to look away, even though a magnetic pull is dragging me toward her. Stealing a glance at her bare legs, I suck in a breath.

  She’s attractive.

  I almost laugh at my own thought. Attractive? Serena isn’t attractive, she’s deadly. She’s viciously beautiful. Wickedly sexy. She looks like she was built for the sole purpose of bringing men to their knees.

  And by men, I mean me. I’d drop to my knees right now, and I’d do it gladly.

  As she slouches down and props her feet on the coffee table, I let my eyes wander up her smooth skin. Her boy shorts slide up to the crook of her hip, and my jacket falls open as it rests on her shoulders. I simultaneously wish she were wearing a bra so I wouldn’t see the outline of her hard nipples, and praise everything that’s holy that she isn’t.

  You’d think she was advertising kinky lingerie by the way my body’s reacting. Heat burns through my core, squeezing me from the inside as I struggle to breathe. My cock throbs, pulsing between my legs as all the blood in my body rushes exactly where I don’t want it to go.

  I inhale. Orange creamsicle. Bet it would taste good on my tongue right about now.

  Serena’s dark chocolate eyes find mine. She gives me a shy smile. “Sorry about earlier.”

  “No need to
be sorry.” My voice is thick as I shake my head. “Robbie told me that was your ex.”

  She grunts in response, folding her hands over her stomach. I try not to stare at the outline of her breasts as they poke through the worn fabric of her shirt. Try not to watch how her legs move as she stretches them out. Try not to imagine what it would feel like to trail my tongue across her clavicle. Closing my eyes, I turn my head forward. Heat lashes across my body, sending long whips of fire across my chest and around my abdomen. I shift away from her, crossing my ankle over my knee to conceal my growing erection.

  There’s something about this girl I can’t resist. She seems totally relaxed. At ease with herself. From the looks of it, she’s been through hell with her ex-boyfriend, but she sits here as if nothing at all is wrong.

  And shit, she looks good when she’s wearing my uniform.

  Finally, Serena takes a deep breath. “Angelo and I dated for nearly ten years. He was my first boyfriend. My only boyfriend.” She lets out a dry laugh, shaking her head. “The perfect Italian boy my whole family loves.”

  “But you don’t.”

  “I did.” She pauses. “I think.” Serena shrugs, looking at me with a grin twitching over her lips. “We all make mistakes.”

  I snort, nodding. My mind flicks back to the string of casual relationships I’ve left behind. “Ten years is a long time.”

  “We were kids,” she says.

  “The longest relationship I’ve ever had was six months.”

  Serena’s lips curl up as she arches an eyebrow. “Well, at least you’re being up-front about your red flags. Angelo wasn’t so kind.”

  “Red flags?” I fight a smile off my face. My voice rises a bit, and Serena glances toward her brother’s room as she laughs.

  “Definitely a red flag. I would think twice about dating a guy who couldn’t hold down a relationship.”

  “Yeah? Well, I would think twice about dating a girl who had just gotten out of her only one.”

  “I guess it’s a good thing we aren’t trying to date, then.” Her eyes flash. She leans toward me, and her sweet scent floods my nostrils. My mouth waters. I want to eat her. I inhale, fighting the fire burning in my core, and wish it would consume me whole.

  “Yeah.” Is that disappointment in my voice?

  Serena doesn’t seem to notice. She leans her head back, her wild, curly hair splaying out around her like a halo. Is it wrong to long to run my fingers through it? Twist my fist into it and pull her close to my body?

  I’m losing control. My mind is fraying, pulled apart by her presence. The desire she awakens inside me is cruel. It cackles in my brain, calling me a hypocrite as it laughs.

  Isn’t this exactly what Finn did to me? Lusted after my little sister? I’m no better than he is.

  Serena shifts her weight, angling her head toward me. I stare at her mouth, wanting to run my fingers over it, tracing the curve of her cupid’s bow, and feel the fullness of her lower lip. She lets out a sigh, and my eyes snap up to hers.

  “I haven’t told my family about moving to Woodvale,” Serena says quietly, more serious now.

  I nod. “I know.”

  “You don’t think that’s weird?”

  “I don’t not think it’s not weird.”

  Serena laughs. “That doesn’t even make sense.”

  I grin, shrugging. “We all have our shit.”

  “Yeah? What’s yours? Besides the whole never been in a relationship thing.”

  “How much time have you got?”

  “All night, baby.” She chuckles, nudging me with her elbow. Sparks fly across my skin, spattering my cheeks with red. Thank fuck it’s dark in the living room.

  I take a deep breath. “Right, well, I’m basically running away from Thanksgiving with my family. My half-sister is dating my best friend-slash-ex-business partner, and I feel too weird about it to be in the same room as them. I’m afraid he’ll hurt her, but I don’t know if that’s just jealousy for thinking they’ve found each other when I’m still on my own.”

  Serena stares at me and finally nods. “All right. You win. That’s a lot of baggage.”

  “I didn’t realize it was a competition.”

  “Kit, come on,” Serena starts, turning to face me. “Everything’s a competition.”

  I almost audibly groan at the sound of my name on her tongue. My eyes flick down to her lips, and they look a little too kissable.

  Words hang on her tongue, but Serena says nothing. Her eyes linger on mine as her mouth drops open.

  My whole body clenches. Need rips through my core like a wildfire, blazing straight down my spine. She’s close enough to kiss. Close enough to touch. Close enough to do a lot of things I shouldn’t even think about doing.

  Serena’s eyes grow hooded, and her tongue slides out to lick her pouty lips. She flicks her gaze to my mouth, and I know she’s thinking exactly the same thing as me: How bad would it be, really, if we leaned toward each other and gave in to temptation?

  6

  Serena

  There’s something wrong with me.

  I want to kiss Kit. Like, really want to. He’s sitting there, all man and muscle and irresistible pheromones, and I’m pretty much powerless against it. My eyes flick down to his lips, and I wonder what it would feel like to have them on me.

  On my own lips. My body. My breasts. What would those lips feel like between my legs? Would his tongue feel good if it twirled around my clit? Would he like the taste of me? Would it make him groan as he reached down between his legs to jerk himself off?

  What would it feel like to have his hands all over me? To feel his arms wrapped around me like they were earlier, but this time, take it further?

  All the way.

  It’s here again. The heat. Whenever Kit’s near, I feel it. Right now it thrums with every heartbeat, sending pulses of fiery blood thumping through my body. Between my legs, wetness slicks my folds.

  His gaze darkens. The air between us is thick, and I know I shouldn’t be here. I shouldn’t be thinking about kissing him, never mind anything else.

  I definitely shouldn’t be wet. He hasn’t even touched me, and I’ll probably leave a damp patch on his sheets when I stand up.

  I shake my head, trying to clear the thoughts away. Heat still clings to me, though, skating under my skin and making everything feel more sensitive.

  I try to talk myself down. I repeat all the reasons I shouldn’t be thinking about his cock driving inside me and fucking me until I can’t walk or talk or see straight.

  I’m moving in with him, for one.

  He’s my brother’s friend.

  And maybe most importantly, I’m fucked in the head. Wrecked. My self-esteem was all but shredded, and I’m only just starting to build myself back up again. I dated a guy for ten years, and now I’m going to rebound to the one guy from whom I should be keeping a respectful distance?

  I should be running. Not just from Angelo. From everyone. I should be trying to find myself, not fall into bed with the first guy who smells like safety.

  Clearing my throat, I break away from his gaze. My blood burns through my veins as my whole body clenches, craving his touch.

  I want those broad, strong hands on me again. I want to wrap myself in his arms and inhale his scent. I want to feel safe and warm and hot. I want that fire in his eyes and breathiness in his voice. I want to be a woman in his arms, without worrying about what it means and what the consequences will be.

  I haven’t enjoyed sex in years. It was a chore, and Angelo just took what he needed without giving back. The way my body’s reacting to Kit, though? Out of control. Wrong. Forbidden from now until the end of time.

  When I cross my legs, he lets out an almost imperceptible groan. Does he know I’m only doing it to quell the throbbing in my core?

  “So, what’s Woodvale like?” I ask, my voice thick. I can’t meet his eye.

  Kit shifts away from me, and I feel the distance like an ache. “It’s nice. You
’ll like it. Lots of trees. Lots of rain, too.”

  “Snow?” I try my best to sound casual, but my body is raging. Whether it’s his presence or just the messed-up cravings of my body, I’m not sure. All I know is my heart is thumping and it’s hard to speak, and it’s all Kit’s fault. I nuzzle into his jacket as his scent wraps around me, and I know I’m only making it harder for myself.

  “Not as much as over here. It’s wet, more than anything.”

  “That’s good,” I answer, stealing a glance at him.

  His eyes are still on me. They run down my body and back up again, sending sparks flying across my skin. My nipples pucker and goosebumps erupt all over my legs.

  If his gaze can do that to me, what would his hands do? Wetness leaks out of me and soaks into my bottoms. I inhale sharply, tearing myself away from my own thoughts. “I should go to bed.”

  “Yeah,” he answers, his voice a low rasp.

  I stand up, loving the way his eyes darken as I strip his jacket and hat off. When I hand them to him, he nods. “Thanks.”

  “Good night.” My body thrums, screaming at me to stay.

  “Night.”

  I don’t dare look at him again. Instead, I slink back to the bedroom and close the door, letting out a heavy sigh. Slumping down in bed, I bury myself underneath the covers and try to ignore the pulsing ache between my legs.

  Robbie has already made coffee by the time I get out of bed. I can smell it when I head to the bathroom for a shower. When I finally get dressed and make it to the kitchen, my brother offers me a steaming mug.

  I accept it with a grateful smile, stealing a glance at Kit, who sits at the kitchen table.

  “Good sleep?” my brother asks.

  “The best,” I answer, smiling into my mug. Kit’s eyes roam down my body, and delicious heat curls in the pit of my stomach.

  “I bet,” Kit says dryly.

  “What, you didn’t like the couch?” I grin.

  “I haven’t crashed on a couch since I was a teenager,” Kit answers. “I must be getting older, because my back isn’t very happy right now.”