Fireworks: A Holiday Bad Boy Romance (6 page)

"Not only no, but hell no." Emily
glanced over her shoulder as she slouched in her chair and yawned again.

"Suit yourself." I plucked a
crouton from the large salad bowl on the table and walked out to the patio
where Dedra waited for me.

"Thanks for this. I love Cindy, but
I'm at my limit on shopping and ogling at men for the week. The month. The
year?" She chuckled as she looked over at me.

"I'm just going to enjoy myself this
summer." I reached over and took the ball from her. "If I want to
shop, I'll shop. Sleep in? I'll do that, too."

"Have a one-night stand?" She
took the ball back, bouncing it around me as we moved down the sidewalk. Her
skills were incredible. It almost seemed like a waste to not watch her go into
the WNBA, and yet her shoulders were giving her far too many issues to push her
body to perform the way she would have to. She wasn't over the devastation of
turning down the offer, nor did I think she would ever be.

"A one-night stand sounds fun, but
I'm usually horrible with those." I shrugged and glanced over my shoulder.
"Let's cross the street."

"I think a one-night stand would be
perfectly acceptable. It's much better than falling for some guy that's headed
to Maine after college and you having to stay here."

"This is true, but I'm not worried
about any of it. Guys are the least of my worries, right now."

"Oh, yeah? What's your top
worry?"

"How I'm going to hold my tongue when
I whoop the Arizona State girls’ basketball captain at her own sport." I
ran by her and stole the ball, laughing as she raced after me.

She might be on the team, but she was
right about one thing: I could have been, too.

Chapter 6

Cora

Dedra let me get a few good shots in the
night before, but once I got within ten points of her score, that was it. She
pulled out the stops and stomped me to the ground without much effort on her
part. Where I should have been upset, I wasn't at all. Seeing her come alive
was well worth the massive loss on my part.

Dinner was outstanding, but with Cindy in
the kitchen, it was expected. Her dream of opening her own restaurant seemed
like a high possibility in the next ten years. She batted off our comments like
she always did, and we settled down in front of a movie with our bottle of
wine. I passed out before getting past the credits.

I woke the next morning from a dreamless
night to the sound of someone pounding on my bedroom door.

"Come on, sleepyhead. We're making
cinnamon rolls from scratch, and if you think you're missing out on this,
you're wrong." Cindy poked her head into the room and gave me a big smile.
Her red hair was a mess, leaving her looking beyond cute. Some guy was going to
finally realize what a steal she was and treat her right. I could only pray he
would show up before too many more of them used her and threw her away. How she
had the strength to keep moving forward and give anyone a chance was beyond me.

"Alright. Give me five minutes to
brush my teeth and wake up." I sat up and ran my fingers through my hair,
stretching and letting out a yawn. The boy from the day before still played
along the edge of my mind. That he was blond and a total dick should have sent
me scurrying away from even the thought of him, but it would seem my hormones
had a mind of their own.

"Let's go." Emily opened the
door and gave me a look. "Your only job today is to help Cindy understand
that we're not having an alarm clock this summer. Do I look happy?"

Emily's black hair framed her face and
accentuated the blue of her eyes, making her almost look like a Goth princess.

"You do look happy now that I'm
really looking." I tilted my head to the side and smiled. "Alright.
I'll figure out a nice way to tell her."

"You're up to bat first, but if she
keeps this Betty Crocker shit up, I'm going to hurt her feelings."

Dedra moved up beside Emily at the door of
my room. "It's been a long two weeks."

I laughed and got up, tugging at my tank
top to pull it back in place. "Alright. I get it. She's just excited, and
I'd take a homemade cinnamon roll over a cold bowl of cereal any day. Both of
you would, too."

I pushed past them and yawned again before
making a beeline to one of the two bathrooms in the house. After brushing my
hair and teeth, I put on my bikini, a tank top and some shorts. I made my way
to the kitchen to find Cindy humming something.

"Coffee's ready." She glanced
over her shoulder and smiled. "Will you braid my hair after we eat
breakfast? I want to go out on the boat today, and it gets in my face like
crazy."

"Absolutely." I got a cup and
poured the dark liquid into it before walking to the front door. "I'll be
right back."

"Five minutes and we're making these
cinnamon rolls!" She called after me in a perky tone.

"I wouldn't miss it." I closed
the door behind me as I inhaled deeply. I didn't mind Cindy's excitement. It
was almost refreshing, and getting up early wasn't too bad, either.

The soft sounds of birds chirping in the
trees above me caused my heart to flutter in my chest. I didn't have to be
anything or anyone but myself for the next six to eight weeks.

"Incredible." I leaned against
the railing at the front of the house and watched the sun play across the lake.
The house was nestled against the street that ran right in front of the large
blue lake, and our boat bobbed up and down with the waves at the edge of our pier,
tempting me to sneak away for a few hours.

The door behind me opened, and Emily
walked out with a cup of coffee. "You owe Dedra a thank you."

"Why is that?" I took a sip of
my coffee.

"She told Cindy that you and I needed
to get out of here for a while and that they could make breakfast together. We
have thirty minutes." She wagged her eyebrows. "I think she feels bad
for slamming you on the courts last night."

"She didn't slam me." I gave her
a silly grin. "Alright, yeah, she did."

Emily chuckled and nodded toward the lake.
"Let's go sit on the pier; you want to?"

"Hell yeah." I followed her
toward the lake, making sure to keep my eyes on the ground to avoid broken
glass. There was no need to end up with a staph infection in the hospital
before the summer really started.

"You sleep alright?" Emily
slowed a little, and I caught up to her.

"Yeah. I don't remember anything
after us sitting down for the movie. Did you guys take me to my bed?" I
took another drink of my coffee and turned as someone whistled just behind us.

A car full of guys slowed down, and the
goofy-looking one half hanging out of the back window called out to us.
"Party tonight at the big ass house as you drove in. Bring your own
beer!"

"Got it. Thanks." I waved and
turned back to Emily. "Sounds like everyone in the whole damn town got
invited."

"You got up and went to bed yourself
about halfway through the movie." She stood still as her gaze followed the
guys down the road. "That guy looked familiar. I think he was in my
Calculus class."

"Oh yeah?" I turned to look back
down the road, honestly not caring. "I'm not sure I'm going tonight."

"What? Yes, you are. You're
going." She lopped her arm into mine and walked with me down to the grassy
bank of the lake. "I'm going, and that means you're going."

"Why do we have to go?" I took
another sip of my coffee and walked out onto the pier, loving the way the sun
warmed my skin.

"Because, Cora, it is summer break
and we're in the middle of party central. Let's go meet all of these people,
and if they suck, then we'll rent a bunch of movies and survive Cindy's cooking
lessons instead." She smirked and sat down on the edge of the pier,
letting her legs dangle off the edge.

"Are there alligators in this
water?" I handed her my coffee before sitting down beside her.

"Doubtful, and even if there were,
they wouldn't be over here. They're scared of humans." She moved over as I
sat down beside her and let my feet skim over the warm water beneath us.

I took a deep breath. "You guys be
nice to Cindy. She's a good person. Cooking is just her thing."

"I get it, but it's not mine."
She handed me my coffee before leaning back and closing her eyes. "I'll
behave, though. I love her; you know that."

"Yeah." I lost my train of
thought as my eyes moved over the various boats across the lake. The one
directly in front of us caught my attention. The guy from the day before was
wrestling with some chick on his boat. His friends were laughing, and the girl
was having far too much fun. "Ugh."

"What?" Emily glanced up.

"That guy that was leaning against my
car yesterday is out there." I pointed to him and tried to keep the false
disdain on my face. His body was covered in an oily substance, and the way it
made his skin shine left my stomach tightening.

"That's the guy?" Emily leaned
forward as her mouth dropped open. "Wow. Next time he's leaning against
your car, don't dirty your hands with him. Just call me. I'll take care of
him."

"Brother." I leaned back,
letting my eyes move across him as he tossed the girl into the water. His
laughter was loud and fun. A smile lifted my lips as his friends moved up to
knock him into the water next. He swam to the girl and they laughed, dragging
each other under the dark blue surface.

"Is he taken?" She looked back
at me.

"No clue, nor do I really care."
I shrugged, caring more than I wanted to. I had the ability to locate the
douchiest guy in the whole place and attract him to my side no matter where we
were. It was a gift. A magical power. Now, if I could just figure out how to
not fall for them once they came close.

"I care. Damn, he would be fun for a
one-night stand." She moved back and tugged her shirt off, shocking me.

Her blue and white bikini top looked great
on her. She drove me nuts hiding her body behind her clothes when she had every
right to show it off.

"You look good." I leaned back
and pulled my legs up, resting my feet on the edge of the dock.

"No,
you
look good. I just look okay." She laid down beside me and
pulled her sunglasses off the top of her head and put them on. "We need to
get back over there. I bet the cinnamon rolls are almost done."

"Naw. They'll call for us." I
lifted my arms into the air and stretched. "I love it out here. It's so
peaceful."

I jerked up as someone yelled from beneath
the pier. "A little help?"

"What?" I moved up to my knees
and glanced down to see Brody bobbing in the water beneath me. "You
again?"

He laughed. "Yeah, princess. Help me
up?"

"Just walk out of the water over
there." I nodded toward the shore beside us.

"There are too many sharp
rocks." He lifted his eyebrow and turned his attention onto Emily.
"Hi, pretty girl. Any way you'd be willing to help me up? Your friend here
isn't being very neighborly."

"No, she's not, is she?" Emily
gave me a look and stood up, offering the guy her hand.

"Really?" I got up and gave him
my other one.

He got up with our help, forcing us to
step back several steps as he shook the water off of him like a dog. I glanced
down at myself and gave him a scathing look.

"Where is the girl you were
with?" I couldn't help but ask. "Did you eat her?"

"Yeah, all night long until she couldn't
walk." He turned and looked out toward the lake, lifting his middle finger
in the air toward the group of guys laughing loudly on what I assumed was his
boat. "Thanks, girls."

He moved past us without another word,
leaving me standing there in shock. I glanced over at Emily. "Did he just
say that?"

Her eyes were wide as she watched him walk
off. "Yeah, and for the first time in a really long time, I'm jealous. I
want to be that girl."

I turned and searched the surface of the
lake, not finding her. "I'm not so sure that's a good idea. I don't see
her anywhere."

"Let's go. Stop worrying. Everyone
out here is having a good time. We're going to that party tonight and will soon
be joining them." Emily tugged at the back of my bathing suit, and I
turned, walking back toward the house.

Brody was a little ways away from us,
walking down the center of the street like he owned it. I couldn't help but
admire how sexy his back was, littered with muscles and dripping with lake
water. His blond hair almost looked dark brown, and for a moment, I thought
maybe I was overreacting, but no: he was a cocky bastard for sure.

Did
you eat her? All night long. Good grief.

Chapter 7

Brody

I couldn't help but laugh at the
expression on the pretty brunette's face as I walked off. The night before had
been spend with the boys thanks to the hot little number behind me fucking up
my lay. She was everything I liked physically in a woman, yet her attitude left
her off limits. Dominate, bitchy, and cold.

As much as I wanted to look over my
shoulder to see her one more time, I forced myself to keep walking down the
road. Clint's party was that night, and something told me that she would be
there.

If so, I would try to see where I stood
with her. Anything more than a few minutes of flirting and I was out. I wasn't
trying to propose, just score for the night. There was only so much effort I
was willing to put into that venture before moving to the next woman.

"She is hot, though." I took a
shallow breath. She had warm brown eyes and shoulder-length hair that appeared
thick enough to grip during a long session in the sheets. Her little bikini was
beautiful on her, barely covering her nipples and leaving plenty of her tanned
flesh spilling over the sides. I groaned as I imagined her in my lap, bouncing
up and down as I treated her nipples like my only source of sustenance.

I walked into the house as my mood
plummeted. The fact that the woman hadn't so much as checked me out once in the
two times I'd been in front of her was concerning. I wasn't into someone
playing hard to get, and yet my dreams the night before had her center stage to
a few unconventional fucking sessions.

"Are you sporting that hard-on in
town? What the fuck, man?" Clay looked up from the table and shook his
head. "You seriously have no shame."

"Nope, I don't." I grabbed my
dick and shook it before walking to the kitchen and grabbing a bottle of water.

Daniel glanced over his shoulder as he
lifted a sandwich to his mouth. "You want-”

"Yep. Thanks." I snatched the
sandwich and walked back to the back as he cursed me. "I'm laying down.
I'll see you pussys after a while."

"Oh, Lord. He's in a mood." Clay
called from behind me. "He must have been denied."

"I don't get denied." I walked
into my room and locked the door behind me before sitting down on the edge of
the bed and making quick work of Daniel's sandwich. Every group of friends
needed an alpha asshole type. I was just playing the role given to me years ago
in high school. Derek took the position every once in a while and gave me a
break, but the older we got, the more often I found myself back in it.

"Can't even get the bitch’s
name." I licked my fingers before moving back on the bed and tugging my
shorts over my hips. My erection sprung lose, and I wasted no time grabbing in
and lifting my hips with a hard thrust.

I dropped down on the pillow behind me and
imagined the pretty brunette hovering over my thighs, her eyes locked onto mine
as she licked her lips.

"Suck it nice and slow, baby. Just
take your time with it. It's my first time." I groaned and pinched the tip
of my cock as a shudder ran through me. I hadn't been with a woman that
thrilled me in ages, but something told me that if I could just play my cards
right, the rich girl with a bad attitude would bring me back to life.

I rolled onto my stomach and pressed my
face to the bed as I lifted my ass in the air and worked into my hand at a pace
that had my heart racing, and yet...nothing. No excitement or thrill. No
promise of release.

"Come on." I groaned and bit my
lip, forcing my thoughts to the sexy blonde that had been on the boat with us
earlier. She was cute and fun. If the rich girl didn't put out within a few
hours of working my charm on her, I'd find the blonde from the boat.

I thrusted hard and rolled back over to my
back, treating my cock like an object as I took myself rough and hard.

Nothing. I felt nothing.

"Fuck." I sat up and reached
back, grabbing my pillow and launching it across the room. Anger burned through
me, and yet there was no outlet. I loved women and spent my nights in the arms
of a different one every night, but it was getting old.

I flopped back down in the bed and pulled
the cover up around me before turning on my side and forgoing my need to come.
It wasn't going to happen. Fuck, it hadn't happened in weeks. All those pretty
girls, and I was looking for something I couldn't find.

Daniel needed someone to talk to about
confidence, and I needed a shoulder to cry on. But it wasn't going to happen.
The guys believed me to be every bit of the cock I'd convinced them I was over
the years. No fucking way was I letting down my guard and baring myself to them
or anyone else.

Besides, I wouldn't even know where to
start.

*

"Hey, fucker. Get up." A bang at
my door accompanied by Clay's voice woke me up.

I groaned and rolled over, still half
naked under the sheets. "Get out."

"I'm not in the room, idiot. Get up.
We're going to for a burger at Jasper's before we head to the party. Let's
go." He hit the door a few more times.

I didn't respond, but pulled myself up.
Daniel's family was spotting the bill for the summer, and they'd put a spending
cap on us, but it was so high that there was no way in hell we would hit it. We
were all pretty responsible with it, but when it was time to eat, you ate or
you were on your own to lick up everyone's leftovers from the fridge.

A groan left me as I got up and fumbled
around in the bedroom as I tried to get dressed. The guys wouldn't want to come
back to the house before going to Clint's, so getting ready meant doing so for
dinner and the party. I needed a woman with me later that night, even if it
wasn't going to end with me finding release. The comfort of having one in my
bed was enough to stave off my angst.

I flipped on the light and found a pair of
khaki shorts and a polo before walking out and getting my sandals from the
porch. The guys were laughing about something as I pulled my deodorant from the
cabinet in the kitchen and put on a little bit of cologne. Daniel and Clay were
weird about wanting space in the bathroom, and the only solution was to take
over a cabinet in the kitchen.

"You awake, buddy?" Derek patted
my back as I pressed my hands to the kitchen cabinet and let out a long yawn.

"Yeah, I'm good." I ran my hands
over my face and followed them out to Clay's old blue truck. We piled in it and
rode to town with the guys singing loudly. I wasn't awake enough to do much
more than grunt here and there.

By the time we got to the burger joint,
their attention was on me and my lack of personality.

"What's up, man? Too many girls
getting away from the famous Brody Myers?" Clay pushed at my shoulder as
we walked into the burger place.

"Yep. I need to up my game." I
grabbed a menu and walked to a table in the middle of the room. The place was packed,
and the noise grated on my nerves a little.

"Up your game?" Daniel sat down
across from me as our other friends took the seats on my right and left.
"If you haven't upped your game yet, I'm not sure I want to see it."

They laughed as my lip turned up in a
smirk. "I'm going after this one chick I met yesterday."

"Oh, yeah?" Derek pulled off his
cowboy hat and moved it to rest on his knee. "Tell us about this woman.
I'm interested, seeing that you usually don't have someone on your mind more
than the three minutes you're plowing into them."

"Hardy har." I glanced up at the
waitress and smiled. "Sweet tea, please."

"Sure." Her voice was soft and
sexy. She was alright, but in the dark, that voice would sound delicious.

"Beers for the rest of us." Clay
handed her the menu. "We all want burgers all the way and two baskets of
fries. Right?"

We all nodded, and I leaned back in my
chair, ignoring the way the girl's eyes kept returning to me. I was after the
rich girl with big tits and an attitude problem. I wouldn't be diverted.

"You getting sappy on us?" Derek
popped me in the chest and laughed.

"Just ‘cause I ordered a tea?" I
smirked.

"No. You didn't even bring a girl
home this afternoon. Just seems rare." Derek shrugged. "I'm thinking
you might be growing up a little."

"Not a chance." I turned my
attention to the waitress as she delivered our drinks. "Hey, baby. Is
there a good place to go dancing around here?"

"Oh, yeah. There's a great club in
the center of town. Did you guys just get here?" She gave me a cute smile.

"We sure did." I lifted my
phone, checking the time. "You wanna go with me tomorrow night? Let me
watch you shake your ass on the floor for me?"

She glanced around at the guys around me
as her eyes widened a little. I extended my hand toward her.

"Don't mind them. They're just
protection in case I run into an adoring fan. Brody." I shook her hand and
bit my lip a little as I checked her out.

"Protection?" Her voice was
nothing more than a whisper. She was flustered.

"Yeah. My dad is a senator." I
shrugged and picked up my tea. "Anyway. You're cute. Let me get your
digits before we leave."

"Okay, yeah. Sure." She smiled
and walked off as I turned back to my friends and settled back.

"What the fuck was that?" Clay
leaned in and gave me a look.

"What? You guys are right. I'm in a
funk. Time to up the game." I shrugged, feeling a little better now that I
had plans for the next night. The chances of me bedding the hottie from earlier
were slim. Either way, if she was at the party, my main goal was to get her
name. It was hard to invite her into my daydreams without a name to groan.

"Incredible." Daniel laughed and
readjusted his glasses. "I need to figure out how to do this."

"No, you don't." Clay glanced
over at him.

"I think it's more about Brody being
a good-looking whore and less about a set of steps he could teach you," Derek
offered, causing all of us to laugh.

"Fuck you guys for being ugly and
making it harder than it should be." I smiled as they gave me shit.
"I'm going to the john. Don't steal my girl while I'm gone."

I walked to the back of the burger joint,
checking out a few new faces as I walked through the crowd. The party would be
fun, and I planned on getting fucked up. It was someone else's turn to play
responsible adult in the group. I'd taken the last round and been bored out of
my mind. Drunk chicks didn't seem appealing unless I was drunk, too.

The door to the women’s room opened at the
same time as I opened the door to walk out of the men’s room, causing them to
hit hard.

"I'm sorry." I moved out and
stopped short. The pretty girl that had denied me help at the dock was standing
there in the same shock I was. Her brown hair was curled at the ends, her make
up perfect, and tight smile sexy as fuck. "You again. You following
me?"

"You wish." She turned and
walked back toward the restaurant, ignoring me.

My stomach tightened as I let my eyes run
down the long line of her legs. Her dress was pretty, sensual, yet not over the
top. She was confident in herself. I could tell by the way she held her head up
a little, her shoulders back.

"Damn," I mumbled and followed
her back to her table. Three other girls sat with her, each of them pretty in
their own way, but nothing compared to her. "Hey, girls. I'm Brody."

The one from the dock earlier smiled and
extended her hand to me. "I'm Emily. Nice to meet you, Brody."

"Ahh... The pretty girl that helped
me out of the lake when her friend denied me so coldly." I gave a puppy
dog look and the other two laughed.

"You didn't need help." Hottie
glanced up at me. "And, we're not buying what you're selling."

"I might be." The dark-skinned
beauty beside her extended her hand. "I'm Dedra. Whatcha selling,
exactly?"

"And, I'm Cindy. Are you here with
friends, or do you want to join us?" The redhead at the table moved over
like she was going to share her chair with me.

"No!" The only girl at the table
whose name I wanted spoke up, sounding rather pissy. Surprise, surprise.
"He's got friends. He can sit with them."

"I'll leave you girls in peace. I
just wanted to invite you to a big party that Clint's throwing up at the
mansion in town." I turned my attention back to her, studying her dark
eyes and distrusting glare.

"We were invited by Clint last
night." Dedra glanced around. "Where are your friends? You should get
them. We love meeting new people."

"No, I want us to spend time
together. We just got here." Hottie looked around at her friends with a
look that had to be girl code for get rid of this dick.

"What's the deal, Cora? He seems nice
enough." Emily smiled over at me.

"Cora, huh? Awesome. I'll leave you
ladies in peace. See you tonight." I turned without another word, loving
like hell the look on Cora's face when she realized I'd gotten the only thing I
was after for the moment.