My Best Friend's Brother (A Bashir Family Romance Book 1) (10 page)

I could feel him between my thighs, and I instinctively opened them wider.

“Scarlett, this might hurt a little. I’ll try to go slowly. It’s important you tell me what feels good and what doesn’t.”

He kissed me and then stared intensely into my eyes, gauging my reaction to his approach.

I felt him enter me—
it did hurt
.

I whimpered.

He kept his eyes locked on me while holding back a bit.

“My love, I’m sorry. I’m trying to be careful,” he whispered.

The pain slowly gave way to an intense desire to feel him inside of me—
all the way inside.
I moved my hands down his back and pulled him to me.

“I’m ready, Dev. Please…I want you.”

He didn’t need me to ask again. He obeyed instantly, moving deeper inside of me. It was pleasure and pain married together in some primal dance performed since the beginning of time.

I sighed in release.

“Dev…”

He kissed me, feverishly. It seemed as if he morphed into some wild animal, lust overtaken his body.

“Scarlett, you feel so good,” he breathed into my neck. “Please, stop me if it hurts.”

He moved his hips with mine. It was a new sensation, merging our bodies together in this way. It felt amazing in the deepest part of my being, truly becoming one with him in this physical act. I rocked with him in a smooth, wave-like motion, our breathing synchronized and heavy.

It wasn’t long before his body stiffened and his climax overtook him. I stared into his eyes as they were possessed in heady pleasure.

We rested in front of the fireplace, the storm raging on outside. Dev made us a bed of blankets and pillows, and brought me some hot tea to drink.
Like in my dream
, I mused to myself.

“Are you sore, Scarlett?” he asked, tracing his finger over my breast. I tried to feel if I was.

“I don’t think so. Should I be?”

“It wouldn’t be uncommon if you were. It won’t be as painful the next time. It will feel even better…I promise.”

I smiled. “The next time, Dev? When will that be?”

“Anytime you want, my love. I am your slave.”

He kissed my neck and I melted at his touch. Would I always feel this way with him?

We made love again, but this time he didn’t move as carefully or restrained. It was primal and animalistic…and delicious. He watched my responses intently, and touched me in ways that brought me over the edge in pure bliss with him. I could have died in his arms, content that I had lived enough for my 18 years, if the future had not promised more of the same with him.

Finally spent, we fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms sometime in the early morning hours.

As I drifted off, I felt safe, secure, loved and treasured…for the first time in my life. With his arms around me, I was…a complete woman, complete in my heart, completely in love.

Sometime in the wee morning hours, wrapped up in each other and drifting toward sleep, I heard him whisper.

“I love you, Scarlett.”

I knew at that moment I loved him back.

But that knowledge could never have prepared me for what happened next.

It must have been late morning when I woke to him shaking me.

“Scarlett, wake up. I think my family is back.”

I
rather he had said anything else at that moment…that the house was on fire or that the Communists were invading—
anything else but that
. I sat up confused, terrified…and
buck
naked
.

“What? They’re not coming back for three more days.”

He was pulling on his pants in a hurry.

“Scarlett, I just saw their car pull up. Please hurry!”

I scrambled from under the covers, frantically searching for my clothes. Dev handed me my jeans and blouse.

I would have made a run for it, but the stairs were perilously close to the garage door. There was nowhere to go.

He was helping me button my blouse when Annika bounded into the room. She squinted at us like we might have been ghosts.

“Dev, what are you doing
here
?”

Her eyes moved from Dev to me, and then to the pillows and blankets on the floor behind us. The realization of the intimate party she stumbled upon was hitting her, and her face was going white before my eyes.

I could hear Mrs. Bashir coming in behind her, shouting from the hallway. Her husband and son along with her.

“Annika, you didn’t get your luggage!” She yelled.

Suddenly, just as I got the last button closed on my blouse, the whole Bashir family stood there in front of us. Typical Rasheed noticed nothing amiss and headed straight for the kitchen. I heard the refrigerator swing open.

“Scarlett made biryani. Score!”

I glanced at Mrs. Bashir and then quickly away when I saw that her face was pinched in a horrific expression. I took a few steps away from Dev and tried to act casual.

“I didn’t know you came home. Why are you here, Dev?” She asked, averting her eyes from me as I picked up a blanket from in front of the fire and started to fold it while keeping my hands from shaking.

Dev, always cool and controlled, folded his arms across his chest and smiled like nothing was amiss—like the whole family didn’t just walk in on two lovers getting dressed in front of their make-shift bed on the Persian rug. As a matter of fact, his tone was strangely icy when he spoke to her. “I needed to check some documents, mother. So I came to Texas at what turned out to be a convenient time.”

Mrs. Bashir looked distressed at his words. She pulled her long, cream colored coat tighter around her. “What documents?” she practically sputtered.

Mr. Bashir seemed as oblivious as Rasheed—or else he put on a good show. He patted Dev on the back and joined his son in the kitchen.

“Scarlett, you made my morning! Is that chicken biryani? So much better than plane food.”

I finally spoke. My voice sounded small, like a frightened field vole.

“Yes, I made it last night.” I met Mrs. Bashir’s face, but she wasn’t looking at me. “I’m glad…you’re all home…safely.”

Mrs. Bashir was staring at something intently, her brows furrowed. I followed her gaze and turned pale. It was my white lacey panties…in the middle of the floor! Annika caught a glimpse and choked. Mortified, I picked them up and hurried to the stairs. Before I could escape, Dev stood in my path.

“See you soon, Scarlett.” He grabbed my face and kissed me on the lips in a dramatic display obviously meant for his mother. I heard Annika gasped in horror. As soon as I started to breathe again, I broke free and ran upstairs.

I could hear Mrs. Bashir’s demanding voice fade behind me.

“Dev, what did you do with that girl?”

That girl.

It was clear that the most passionate, beautiful night of my life with the man I loved was abruptly transformed into some poorly written scene from a raunchy teenage movie.

And I was
that
girl.

In my room, I met my image in the mirror over the wardrobe. The girl I saw reflected back was fragile and self-pitying. I chastised her.

Toughen up, Scarlett. There are worse things in the world. So, maybe they know. Maybe this is a good thing…to get it out in the open. Dev and I were in love and had nothing to be ashamed of.

He would tell them.

It would be fine.

A quick knock on the door a few minutes later interrupted my silent dialogue. Annika rushed in and quickly shut the door behind her. Her eyes were huge and I couldn’t tell if she was amused or horrified…or both.

“So…when did you start sleeping with my brother?”

“It’s not how it looks,” I explained, my voice quiet. “I love him. We love each other.” Tears were threatening, but I held them at bay.

Annika sat on my bed in shock. She didn’t say anything for several painful seconds. Then she looked at me like I was a stranger.

“When did this happen? Nope, nope, nevermind, I don’t want to know the details.” She took a deep breath and then spoke to me like I was a child. “Scarlett, you know my brother is a
player
, right?”

I wasn’t sure what she was getting at.

“I know he’s seen other women.”

“Okay, you have to know that you’re now
one of those other women
. He was just having fun with you or trying to shock my mother—probably both. Trust me, he always has some angle. You do understand, Scarlett, it’s not like he can marry you.”

My mind stalled.
Of course he could. This was me, Scarlett. Her best friend. Beloved by the Bashir family. An A student. An aspiring writer. A decent cook.

A good girl.

“What do you mean, Annika?”

“Um, you’re not quite on the approved marriage material list. I don’t know how else to say it.” Then she flinched like just smacked with some dreadful reality. “Holy crap, Scarlett, this is such a mess. My mother is literally having a heart attack downstairs. Dev is being so horrible—I mean worse than usual. She’s already left a message for her therapist.”

“Where is he?”

“After my mother slapped him, he said something about being tired of all the lies—whatever that means—and then he stormed out. Typical Dev.”

“Oh.”

She stiffly walked to the door, not a crumb of compassion or kindness to toss my way. All the respect I thought we built between each other seemed to have evaporated.

“I better go,” she said.

“Okay, bye, Annika.”

I crawled into my bed and gave my mind permission to drift to all the darkest places it wanted to go.

Was I just another conquest?

Did he set this up to shock his mother?

Did his family think I was some trailer park whore?

Does Annika hate me now?

Through all of it, I wondered…

Dev, where are you?

I
t was several hours later when my cell phone rang. As I lay in my bed in shattered pieces, I slowly reached for it. It was Dev.

Two hours too late, Dev.

I didn’t answer it. A minute later, my phone beeped with a text.

Sorry I left you there, my love. I’m in the middle of something rather important and I don’t want you to be involved. I’ll be in touch.

He would “be in touch.” It’s what actors are told by unimpressed directors after a bad audition. My heart sank. Annika was right. He used me.

My phone beeped again with another text.

P.S. I told my mother your panties must have fallen out from the laundry basket. Not sure she bought it. ;)

It was a punch to the gut—making light of the worst day of my life. Needless to say, I didn’t text back. I hunkered down in bed for the rest of the day and weakly fought off the waves of self-pity trying to smother me.

The next morning I took a long shower and imagined that the hot water held the power to wash away every trace of Dev and the shame I felt having foolishly given him my body and my heart. For a brief moment last night, I thought I finally belonged to someone.

How could I be so stupid?

So trusting?

I wouldn’t cry over him anymore, or anyone else. I bit my lower lip hard in an effort to stem the threatening tears. The pain felt strangely good, a reminder I was still alive. I could move on. I could put this behind me.

I was Scarlett. I wouldn’t be down for long.

When I stepped out, I seemed to have grown some courage and perspective, so I put on my best poker face, took a deep breath, and joined the family for breakfast downstairs.

Mr. Bashir and Rasheed were the only people around the table and they were uncomfortably solemn. I sat down next to Rasheed and asked him to pass the eggs. As he did, he leaned into my ear and whispered.

“It’s world war three around here, Scarlett. I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is, it’s big. I recommend you keep your head down.”

I scooped some eggs onto my plate and tried to act normal.

I guess he didn’t yet know that I was the cause of the tension. Poor, naïve Rasheed. I wanted to trade places with him.

Mr. Bashir was reading the Wall Street Journal, but he looked like his mind was a million miles away from the stock market report on page five. I didn’t dare speak to him.

Without a word, Annika came in, grabbed her plate and left with her breakfast.

I guess to eat in her room.

Okay, so she hates me now too.

I brought my dish to the sink feeling that it was a mistake to come down. I should have eaten my secret stash of almonds. I could live off of them if I needed to.

On my way out of the kitchen, Mrs. Bashir met me, her expression unreadable.

“Scarlett, you’re up.”

“Um, hi. Good morning.”

“I was just running out to the store. Would you come with me?”

I hesitated. Who would I be getting into the car with? The woman I saw as a kind of mother-figure to me? Or the woman who thought I was destroying her family by moving in on her son?

I had to find out where I stood regardless. Better now than later.

“Sure. Let me get my coat.”