Falling For My Best Friend's Brother (4 page)

“Anyway, I should go now,” he said cheerfully. “Tell Liv to text me back or call me when you see her. I hope to see you soon.”

“Where are you going?” I said, knowing I sounded pitiful, but I didn’t want the conversation to end.

“I have a date,” he said. “I’m taking her to a Degas exhibit.” He groaned. “Don’t I sound boring?”

“No,” I said lightly as my heart lurched.

“You’re too sweet, Alice,” he said, his voice sounding sexy as hell. “I just hope Elizabeth enjoys it.”

“Elizabeth Jeffries?” I said, unable to stop myself.

“Yes, how did you know?” He sounded surprised.

“Good guess,” I said and then sighed. “But I have to go. Talk to you soon.”

“Oh, okay. Bye, Alice,” he said softly, and I hung up. I looked at Liv and Xander and I knew that I looked like a sad case because that was how I felt—really sad and sorry for myself.

“What’s wrong?” Liv jumped up and ran toward me. “What did my brother say? God help me, but I’ll kill him if he was a jerk.”

“He has a date,” I said softly, my voice cracking.

“You did just tell him another guy had called you,” Xander said and closed his mouth as Liv glared at him.

“Oh, no.” She rubbed my shoulder.

“And he knew it was me that night.” I rubbed my forehead and then sank down into the couch. “He knew it was me before the next morning,” I said again in a daze. “I can’t believe it.” I shook my head and my mind went back to that night six years ago, the night that had been both the best and worst in my life. The night that I was determined to experience again. Only this time I was a woman and I sure wasn’t going to sneak out of the room the next morning with anything other than a grin and a well-loved body.

“So what are you going to do?” Liv said, her eyes wide with shock.

“I don’t know,” I groaned. And I really wasn’t sure. “I guess I’ll start by joining the flag football team.”

“Hold that thought, I’m going to get us some drinks.” Liv jumped up and hurried out of the living room. I nodded at her and sat back and closed my eyes, my heart still thudding from my call with Aiden.

“So I need to talk to you.” Xander moved closer to me on the couch as Liv left the room. My heart raced as his voice lowered, and I felt him next to me. What was he doing? Was he going to make a move on me? What sort of woman did he think I was? Did he really think I was going to let him come on to me when he was dating my best friend?

“About?” I looked up at him warily, and his green eyes looked amused as he gazed at me.
Oh God, please don’t tell me you want me to experience your miracle tongue as well, please do not make me have to slap you.

“What are you thinking, Alice?” he said softly, a small smile on his face as I glared at him.

“Liv is my best friend, and I will tell her if you do anything inappropriate.” I made a face at him and then took a deep breath. “And then she’ll leave you, and you’ll—”

“Alice.” He cut me off as he rolled his eyes. He looked as if he wanted to laugh at me. “I need to tell you something, and I don’t want Liv to hear. Not because I’m trying to hit on you, but because I don’t want to make her uncomfortable.”

“Uncomfortable how?” I asked him suspiciously.

“It’s about Aiden.”

“What about Aiden?” I frowned and leaned forward as my heart raced. What did he have to tell me about Aiden that he couldn’t say in front of Liv?

“I think Aiden is a Dom.”

“Say what?” My eyes widened as he spoke.

“I think Aiden is a Dominant.”

“What?” I screeched as I stared at him. My face was reddening as I thought about Aiden with a whip in his hand and me lying across his lap. Wait, could that even work? And would I even want him to use a whip? I chewed on my lower lip as my mind raced. Maybe I’d just be on his lap and he could use his hand. Yes, that was preferable to a whip.

“A Dominant is someone who takes a superior position in the bedroom and—” Xander interrupted my thoughts, and I blushed as a dart of embarrassed heat spread through my body.

“I know what a Dom is.” My face reddened. “I’ve been around town, you know.” Well, I’ve kinda been around town. I’ve never been with a guy that was into much experimental play, not that I haven’t tried, but, well, it’s just never worked out for me.

“Okay, Alice,” Xander answered me smugly.

“Why do you think he’s a Dom?” I asked him curiously, my heart racing quickly again, this time in excitement. Had Aiden told Xander that he wanted me to be his submissive? I wasn’t sure what I’d say to that. I’m not exactly the submissive type. I think I talk too much and I don’t take orders well. In fact, I like to order men around. Especially in the bedroom; I like to let a man know what I want very clearly.

“Shh.” Xander shook his head. “Keep your voice down. I don’t want Liv to know.”

“Why not?”

“Would you want to know if your brother was a Dom?”

“I don’t have a brother.” I shrugged.

“Would you want to know if Liv was a Dom or a sub?”

“She would tell me.” I shrugged again and then grinned at him. “We share all of that information.”

“Hmmm.” He frowned for a second and then shook his head. “Well, I don’t think that this is something Liv wants to think about her brother doing.”

“What?” I laughed. “Spanking women?” I winked, and I was almost positive that I’d made Xander blush. I had said spanking on purpose, of course. Liv had told me that Xander had a penchant for giving her a quick spank before doing doggy-style, though I wasn’t going to tell him I knew that. Not in an even more obvious way, anyway. I wasn’t sure that he’d be happy knowing I knew intimate details about their sex lives. At least not if the frown on his face was any indication.

“I don’t know what he does exactly.” Xander grinned. “But it seems like you would be into that, huh?”

“Into what?” I frowned and looked down, not wanting him to see the eagerness in my face.

“The kinky stuff,” he said with a light in his eyes. “Maybe that’s a way for you to entice him,” he said softly. “Let him know you’re down for experimenting.”

“Ooh.” I nodded thoughtfully. Maybe Xander had a point. Maybe Aiden was being wary because he didn’t know if I’d be interested in getting down and dirty in all sorts of different ways. Maybe I needed to show him I could be a sub. Not that I’d make a great one, but I could try. And maybe I could be a great one. I was great, after all. And I had skills. Though, I didn’t know if the skills I had were the sorts of skills I needed to be a sub. I wondered what I would have to wear as a sub. Would he have me in leather chaps? Would he expect me to wear nipple clamps? I cringed as I thought about the pain I’d feel wearing nipple clamps. The sex had better be good if I was going to wear nipple clamps. I’d have to look them up online or maybe even go to a sex store. I’d convince Liv to go with me. Maybe I could pick up a sexy outfit or some toys that I’d casually let Aiden see the next time I saw him. I could let some handcuffs fall out of my bag the next time I saw him or something.

“Alice, you okay?” Xander’s voice sounded concerned, and I looked up at him with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry, I spaced out a little bit.” I shook my head to clear my thoughts. I was getting carried away already. Even if it was only in my mind. I couldn’t wait to speak to Liv about what Xander had told me. Though I wouldn’t tell him that I was going to tell her. I’m not sure what Xander was thinking, but how could he possibly think I wasn’t going to tell Liv? We told each other everything. There was no way I was keeping this to myself. I was going to let Aiden see that I could be the best sub he could ask for, and Liv was going to help me.

“That’s okay.” He looked at me uncertainly. “I hope I didn’t shock you with the news.”

“Oh, not at all.” I smiled sweetly, my mind racing. Xander hadn’t shocked me at all. In fact, he’d just given me the perfect idea to try and get Aiden once and for all.

Chapter Four

Master of the Universe

Game night at the Taylors’ house was a tradition that had been going on for years. What was funny about game night was that only Aiden and Liv were interested in playing board games. Their parents never played, Scott played sometimes, and Chett never played at all.

“I’m going to take you all down.” Aiden wiggled his eyebrows as he looked at Xander, Liv and me with a serious face and I tried not to laugh. He was so far from intimidating when he made that face, but I knew he wasn’t joking. Aiden never joked about board games. He played to win, and he pretty much always did.

I stared at Aiden’s face for a few seconds and wondered how it was that he could be so good looking without being completely cocky. Aiden Taylor is classically handsome in the way that means that pretty much any woman can look at him and find something to appreciate. That’s not why I like him, though. Yes, his eyes are vividly blue and remind me of the sky on a clear summer day; yes, his hair is dark and silky with a slight curl that makes him look dangerously sexy; yes, his lips are full and pink, and have a curl to them that makes him look roguish; yes, his skin is a tan olive brown and his body is fit and muscular without looking like he’s Mr. Universe … Yes, I’m attracted to his looks, but what I like most about Aiden is the fact that underneath his bossy-older-brother persona, he is deeply caring, wickedly intelligent, and he has a secret naughty side to him that I love seeing come out. And even more than that, he’s always been there for me even when I didn’t know I needed him.

“Are you going to play, Alice?” Aiden asked me and poked me in the shoulder.

“Sorry, I was just thinking,” I said and smiled at him as I picked up the dice. He smiled back at me and then looked away and started counting his money. I laughed at the happy look on his face. Aiden had always loved playing Monopoly, and he was the king of property buying. He always acted as if the game were real life and he was always a sore loser when he happened to lose a game, which had only happened once. And if I’m completely honest, I wasn’t sure if he had lost on purpose or not.

“Thinking is not acting,” he said with a stern face. “Roll the dice and move.”

“See what I told you, Xander?” Liv said and kissed her boyfriend. “Aiden takes this game so seriously. He really thinks he is buying real properties and hotels.”

“Don’t be a sore loser, Liv,” Aiden said, and Liv laughed.

“We just started playing ten minutes ago. You haven’t won yet.”

“Yet,” he said with a smirk and then looked back at me. “Are you going to play?”

“I’m playing, jeez,” I said and rolled the dice and then moved my piece. “I’m not buying the property,” I said as I looked at my cash.

“What?” Aiden looked at me like I was crazy. “How can you not buy it? You always have to buy.”

“I’m saving my money.” I shrugged and adjusted the strap of my top as it was sliding off of my shoulder. I noticed Aiden’s eyes shift from my face to my shoulder and his gaze became more intense as he watched me adjusting my bra strap as well. My fingers got stuck underneath the strap for a moment, and Aiden moved towards me. For a second I thought he was going to help me untangle my fingers, but he didn’t. I released my breath, and he moved back.

“You can play now.” I smiled at him sweetly. “My turn is done.”

“That was a bad move,” he said and shook his head. “How many times do I have to tell you and Liv to always buy a property?”

“I didn’t want to,” I said, and I saw Liv rolling her eyes as Xander smiled.

“Well, you should have,” Aiden said and picked up the dice. “I know you like being difficult, Alice, but really you should listen to me when it comes to playing board games.”

“I know, I know,” I said and picked up my bottle of water. “You know best. You’re the king of Monopoly, the baron of fake-property buying, the master of the universe.”

“The master of the universe, huh?” Aiden smiled and licked his lips. “I don’t know if I’m the master of the universe, but I can be a master of other things.”

My breath caught, and I looked away as my face grew red. Was Aiden confirming what Xander had told me? There was no way that he knew that I knew he was a Dom, so I wondered if he thought he was being smart. I stared at his hands and shivered slightly as I imagined them doing dirty things to me. Very, very dirty things.

“What other things?” I said softly and looked down at his belt. “Leather things?”

“Leather things?” His eyes caught mine, and I couldn’t read his expression. “Okay, I’m buying Park Avenue.” He changed the subject without continuing and I looked over at Liv, who was looking very confused. I really needed to talk to her about what Xander had told me. I knew it would be awkward for her to hear that her brother was a Dom, but my sanity was more important than her feeling awkward at this point.

“Get ready to pay me all of your money, bitches.” Aiden sounded gleeful, and Liv gasped.

“Is that any way to speak to women?” she said tartly. “Bitches? Really, Aiden?”

“No.” Aiden jumped up from the ground. “Sorry, girls, I got a bit carried away. My apologies to you two gentle damsels.”

“I’m no damsel,” I said and sipped some more water. “You don’t need to be gentle with me.”

“That’s good to know.” Aiden winked at me and studied my face for a few seconds. “Anyone want a beer or anything else from the kitchen?”

“I think I’ll come with you and grab a beer.” Xander jumped up as well. “Girls?”

“I’ll have a Blue Moon, please. And some chips.”

“I’ll have a Blue Moon as well,” Liv said. “And bring some more salsa out.”

“Anything else, ma’am?” Xander teased her, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

“Yes, some popcorn too,” she said as they exited the room. “Don’t forget the popcorn.”

“How could I forget the popcorn?” Xander looked at her from the door and then exited.

“What is going on?” Liv screeched as soon as they’d left the room.

“What are you talking about?” I said with a frown. “What do you mean, ‘what is going on?’”

“You and my brother are flirting.” She pointed a finger at me. “Master of the universe and damsel in distress?” She giggled as she studied my face. “What are you two going on about?”

“We’re not flirting.” I groaned. “I wish we were flirting. I wish he were interested in me.”

“Alice, trust me. Aiden is flirting.” She cocked her head to the side. “Why do I feel like there is something you haven’t told me?”

“Liv,” I whispered as I stared at the door. “You will not believe what I have to tell you.”

“Oh my God, what?” She leaned forward eagerly.

“Xander told me …” My voice trailed off and I lowered my voice some more. “You cannot tell him I told you.”

“Oh my God, what did he tell you?” she said, her voice growing louder.

“Shhh, Liv!” I groaned. “Look, I don’t have time to tell you now, but I will tell you later.”

“You’re killing me.” She made a face. “I want to know now.”

“I seriously can’t tell you now,” I said, and Liv frowned.

“Give me a clue, at least. You can’t just leave me hanging.”

“I’m not leaving you hanging,” I said and then leaned forward. “Let me just say that Aiden likes to be in control.”

“Huh?” Liv looked confused. “What does that mean?” Her eyes searched mine. “What do you mean he likes to be in control?”

“I mean he likes to be in control.” I emphasized the last word and widened my eyes. I moved my hand back and forth in a quick slapping motion, but I could tell that Liv had no idea what I was acting out. The look on her face was one of deep confusion.

“Okay, here are the beers.” Aiden walked into the living room then, and I blushed as I took the beer. Every time I looked at Aiden now, all I could think about was him spanking me or bossing me around in the bedroom. Unfortunately, I had no real clue what went on in a Dominant/submissive relationship, so I knew I was going to have to do some research if I was hoping to get him to believe that I was interested in being a part of that lifestyle.

“So who’s up now?” Aiden said as he sat down and handed me a bowl of chips.

“Liv,” I said with a smile, and we both turned to Liv who was busy kissing Xander. “You’re up, Liv.”

“Oh, sorry,” she said with a small smile as she played with Xander’s hair. I looked at the board and smiled to myself as we waited for her to play.

“Reminds me of old times,” Aiden said softly, and I looked up at him with a small smile.

“Oh?” I said just as softly.

“Liv being preoccupied with a boy and us having to wait,” he said and reached over to grab some chips. “Do you remember that night we played by ourselves?”

“I do,” I said quietly, surprised he had remembered. “I was thirteen and you were eighteen,” I said with a laugh. “And it was Valentine’s Day.”

“Yup.” He nodded. “And you were so upset because Liv spent the whole night chatting to her friend on the phone.”

“What friend?” Xander frowned, and Liv giggled as she punched him in the shoulder.

“I was thirteen.” She shook her head. “His name was Lucas Johnson, and he was fourteen, and I thought we were going to get married and live happily ever after.”

“Hmph,” Xander said, and I smiled at his slightly jealous expression.

“They weren’t even really dating,” I said. “Liv just had a crush on him, and they spent most of their calls talking about wrestling.”

“Ugh, and heavy metal.” Liv made a face. “I don’t know how he believed that I enjoyed listening to heavy metal.”

“Heavy metal?” Xander looked confused.

“Liv told him she loved heavy metal and wrestling because he loved them and she wanted to connect with him.” I giggled as I thought back to the silly lies we’d told as teenagers.

“Hey, he liked to talk about music,” she said, defending herself. “I used to sing that one Guns and Roses song every time I saw him.”

“Knock, Knock, Knocking on Heaven’s Door!” At the same time we both sang out loud the title of the only Guns and Roses song that we knew and then burst into laughter.

“I guess you’ve both been a bit immature for a long time, then?” Xander asked in an amused tone as he gazed at Liv lovingly.

“I wouldn’t say immature,” I said defensively, thinking about my current plan to try and seduce Aiden.

“Yeah, we’re not immature,” Liv said and punched Xander in the arm again. “We’re just fun-loving.”

“Uh huh,” Aiden said and shook his head, his eyes never leaving my face. I looked up at him, and I wondered what he was thinking. He had a half-smile on his face, and I wanted more than anything to be able to lean forward and just kiss him. I let out an involuntary sigh, and I watched as Aiden’s eyes dropped to my lips and then back up to my eyes. A sharp thrill ran through my stomach and the room went quiet. I felt tense and excited and I could barely breathe. The electricity between us was tangible and I waited with bated breath for Aiden to say something else.

“Back to my story.” He grinned. “Remember how I saved you from eternal depression and disappointment?”

“Hmmm, eternal depression and disappointment, eh?” I raised an eyebrow at him, but my heart was thudding. I could remember that night as if it were yesterday. It was one of the moments between us that reminded me why I’d fallen so hard for him.

I’d been thirteen and a bit awkward. In fact, both Liv and I had been awkward. We’d been average students, both with braces and slight acne. We weren’t cool kids and we weren’t really smart, either. We’d been just normal teenage girls: a bit goofy, really into boys, really into talking about boys and really into wishing boys would notice us. Liv had invited me over for a slumber party on Valentine’s Day, but had gotten a call about ten minutes after I’d arrived, and I’d sat in the Taylors’ living room watching TV with her parents and feeling sorry for myself. Scott and Chett were out, and Aiden was busy studying for some test. At thirteen I’d already felt like a bit of a loser, and I’d been so excited when Aiden had seen me sitting with his parents watching
Jeopardy
and asked if I wanted to be his Valentine’s date. Now, he hadn’t meant in a romantic sense—I’d been thirteen and he’d been eighteen—but he’d wanted to cheer me up. Of course, I’d eagerly said yes. I mean, Aiden was a like a Greek god to me, so hot and so untouchable. I’d jumped off of the couch so fast and we’d gone into the kitchen and to the games’ cupboard. He’d pulled out Monopoly (his favorite game) and asked me if I wanted to share a pizza. Of course, I’d said yes, even though his parents had already fed me lasagna. Aiden had taken a frozen pizza out of the freezer, and poured us each a glass of orange Sunkist. We’d sat at the kitchen table and played Monopoly all night. I’d felt like a million bucks; especially after he’d made strawberries dipped in chocolate for me. That was perhaps the first time I’d ever thought of Aiden in a truly romantic way. My heart had soared at how caring he was being. I could still remember the words he’d said to me as I’d complained to him that I was afraid I’d be alone forever. Liv had a valentine and had left me to just watch TV with his parents, and I’d had no one. He hadn’t laughed and told me I was too young to have such worries. He hadn’t called me a loser. He hadn’t made comments about me being thirteen and too young for love. No, he’d smiled at me and picked up my hand and leaned forward and looked deeply into my eyes. His voice had been deep as he spoke and told me that “one day I would meet a guy that would make me feel like the only girl on the world. One day I wouldn’t care about Valentine’s Day because every day of my life would feel special. That the man that I ended up with would be worth the wait and that I should never settle for anything less than true love.” He’d then stroked the top of my head and told me that one day I’d meet the right guy, the guy made especially for me and that nothing would be more important to me than that guy. In that moment, I’d known deep in my heart that he was that guy. I hadn’t said anything of course, since I knew he just saw me as his sister’s best friend. I knew that I was someone he cared for, but I was still a little kid; deep inside, though, I’d known:
he
was that guy for me. The moment hadn’t lasted long because he’d let go of my hand within seconds and gone back to playing Monopoly and telling me off for not upgrading my houses to hotels, but I hadn’t minded. The fact that Aiden had spent his Valentine’s Day trying to make me feel better and special had meant more to me than anything in the world. It meant that I could put up with his superior attitude when we played Monopoly because I knew deep inside that while Aiden was bossy and arrogant, he had a heart of gold and he cared about me and my feelings. I knew that he was a guy who I could always count on; even if for him, I was just his sister’s best friend.