“That’s better. I like looking at that mouth of yours. You were hindering the view,” I said then winked. She flattened herself further against the wall. This had to be the oddest experience I’d ever had with a female. Most of them threw themselves at me and it was easy. I liked it. Less work. But damned if I wasn’t enjoying this one and her skittish behavior. It was refreshing and unique.
“I’m Grant. Brother of the groom,” I explained, hoping that would calm her a little. It worked. She frowned and a wrinkle between her eyebrows appeared, making her perfect face more human. More accessible. I liked it. A lot. Maybe I could make her frown more.
“Rush doesn’t have a brother,” she replied matter of factly.
So she knew Rush. Interesting. I’d never seen her or I sure as hell would have remembered. I’d assumed she was with a guest or knew Blaire somehow. There were a few people here I didn’t know. “Well, that’s where you’re wrong, beautiful. Rush and I became stepbrothers when we were kids. Just because our parents didn’t make it doesn’t mean we didn’t.”
Her eyes flickered with recognition. She knew who I was. Time for fair play. I wanted to know who she was.
“Want to tell me who you are? Since you’ve obviously figured out who I am.”
Her eyes dropped from my gaze to study the floor. “I think I need to go back inside,” she whispered. Her already soft voice was even softer when she whispered. I wondered if she was so quiet and mannerly when she was coming. At the moment that was all I could think about. All I wanted to know.
“You can’t leave me now. If you go back in there I’m going to stalk you all night,” I warned, hoping it didn’t make me sound like a psycho.
That mouth of hers made an “O” shape and my imagination went wild. I wasn’t one to be attracted to the uptight female but this prim and proper attitude coming from a walking sexual fantasy was working for me.
“Why?” she asked. The musical sound of her voice reminded me of the tinkling bells often overlooked in songs because of their simple beauty.
“You want the truth?” I asked, leaning closer to her and invading the personal space she was trying so hard to protect.
“Please,” she replied, so softly I almost didn’t hear her.
“Because all I can think about is the way those eyes of yours would look flashing with need and the way your f**king amazing mouth would look as you cry out from pleasure. And this hair,” I replied slipping my hands into it and tugging gently. “Fuck me baby, this hair should be illegal.” I’d gotten too close and her breathing was short and quick. And damn it all to hell, she smelled amazing. Like strawberries and cream.
“Oh,” she replied, looking up at me with eyes that I could now tell were a clear hazel. Just as unique as she was. There was also not one drop of mascara on her lashes. This was natural. Completely natural.
“Who are you?” I asked in awe at the vision of perfection pressed against me.
She blinked several times as if she couldn’t understand my words. I was almost prepared to pick her up and drag her outside to my truck with or without a name. “Harlow,” she replied.
Slowly realization ran down over me like a bucket of ice-cold water. FUCK ME! This was Nan’s sister.
RUSH
I was watching as Blaire danced with her dad when I saw Grant stalk into the ballroom like a man running from a demon. What the hell was wrong with him? I glanced back over at Blaire and she was smiling happily up at her dad. So I left our table to go check on Grant. He was normally an even keel kind of guy. This behavior wasn’t normal.
I found him as he picked up the straight shot of whiskey that the bartender set down in front of him. He slung it back then handed the cup to the bartender and demanded another. Something had definitely crawled up his ass. “Why didn’t you f**king tell me?” Grant growled without looking at me.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, watching him down another drink and ask for more.
He turned his glare toward me. “Harlow. I met f**king Harlow. You could have mentioned that Nan’s sister is a walking goddess. Mentally prepared me not to mind f**k her every way imaginable and convince my dick it was going to get some of that action before it finds out that it’s impossible.” He took another swig and slammed the glass down on the bar. “That’s better,” he sighed.
“So you met Harlow?” I asked, still not following him. Why was he so pissed? I’d told him about Harlow.
“Yeah, I met Harlow. Jesus, Rush, you need to warn a man first.”
I was still completely confused. He had yet to make sense. “I’m gonna be honest. I don’t know what the hell you’re upset about.”
Grant let out a hard laugh. “Fuck, you really are tied up tight by the balls,” he muttered. “Since you can’t seem to remove your Blaire-colored glasses and see other females anymore, let me clue you in. Harlow is f**king perfection. Damn Rush, her mouth,” he shivered and shook his head. “God, what she could do with that mouth. And her eyes. I swear I’ve never seen anything like them.”
So he was going on and on about how Harlow looked? “Okay. And this has you pissed off why?” I asked, thinking that maybe I needed a drink for this conversation.
“Because I can’t touch her and f**k me. I want to touch her so bad. In so many, many ways. I’ve never been that turned on, that damn fast in my life. And then to find out I can’t ever touch that. Fucking sucks,” he growled again.
Ah. So Harlow was the toy Grant couldn’t play with. Great. I was glad she was going home in two days. I didn’t need this drama. Harlow was not Grant material. She was too innocent for the likes of my brother. “Yeah, well that’s a good thing because Harlow isn’t your speed. You’d break her.”
Grant scowled at me. “What’s that supposed to mean?”