fuck with me tonight,” I holler over my shoulder as I walk down the hall in the direction of the front door. Looking down to my watch, I realize I’m already running behind.
Shit!
“Fuck with you? No offense but you aren’t exactly my type,” Ryker jokes.
My cheeks burn as I try to stop the grin from pulling at my lips. One minute he’s driving me insane, starting trouble, and the next he’s making me feel better.
“That’s not what I mean and you know it.” I swing around and we almost collide. The longer I stare at him, the more I wonder if he would be the better man for Fallon. If someday she could be with someone like him, someone that can love her without fear of things failing, of losing her to something out of his control.
“I know what you mean. I’m not going to fuck anything up tonight. Believe it or not, I don’t want the company being sold to some asshole that doesn’t know the first thing about our family name.”
I nod in agreement, trying to push my fears down. I feel like I’m fucking drowning and there’s nothing like gasping for air just to get more water into your lungs.
Don’t think about it, I tell myself, exhaling before turning around and leaving him in the hall. I take the glass he gave me into the kitchen and head towards the door, snagging my car keys off the island.
“Hey, can I ride with you?” He follows behind me, just like he did when we were kids.
“No.” I laugh, grabbing the knob and pulling it open. Before I can step across the threshold, he’s talking again.
“Right, sorry, you’re planning to get laid tonight. Can’t have your little brother, who is actually an adult now, cramping your style.” His sarcasm is palpable, and I roll my eyes.
“Lock up before you leave. I’ll see you at the gala.” I sigh, closing the door behind me, then clench and unclench my hands, trying to calm myself even though it’s a lost cause.
Nothing can stop the dread tightening my belly.
Something is going to happen tonight.
The worst part is, I have no idea what it is.
When I arrive at Fallon’s, I’m twenty minutes late and my hands are clammy when I grab the pink roses I got her off the passenger seat. We might just be friends who screw, but she deserves the best, so any time I can get her a present, I will. When I get to her door, I use my fist to beat against the heavy wooden door.
She answers in what seems like a second, like she was waiting for me, and once again I’m left gasping for air. This time it’s for a much different reason. The red dress she’s wearing hugs every single inch of her body. It’s far worse than the green one she wore on our first date.
My cock is instantly begging to be deep inside her.
“Is it okay? Do I look all right?” She blushes, her green eyes piercing mine as she speaks. I swallow down the lump in my throat painfully and fist the flowers in my hand. She has no fucking clue how beautiful she is.
“Seriously, you’re asking me if you look okay?” I lean in to place a soft kiss against her cheek before finishing, “I have half a mind to tell you to go back into that bedroom and change. Every single client and partner we have is going to be looking at you tonight.”
Fallon smiles as a faint blush colors her cheeks, but I can see through it. She’s worried, unused to this much attention. I can relate, because neither am I.
“You look good enough to eat. In fact, if we had time, I’d spread you out across the countertop and devour you.” Fallon looks away shyly, as if my words embarrass her. Her hair is curled, the strands resting softly against the swell of her breasts. Each rise and fall tells me how affected she is by me.
She wrings her hands together and confesses, “I’m just a little nervous.”
Taking her hands in mine, I feel her nervous anxiety wash over me, and she confides, “I just want to be perfect for you, and if the dress isn’t great…” She tries to twist out of my grip, but I hold on, pulling her into my arms.
“I won’t let anything happen to you. You’re perfect, and what anyone else says or thinks doesn’t matter, because we know the truth.” I tilt