Pleasure With Purpose (4 page)
Read Pleasure With Purpose Online
Authors: Lisa Renee Jones
There was a part of him, the wholly male part of him, that was here for reasons he shouldn’t be. He'd always had a thing for Heather. Something he had never, and would never, share with anyone. Because there could never be a place for him in her life. Not on an intimate level, not unless he was a selfish hound dog. His family was Heather’s family. He couldn’t, he wouldn’t, ever do anything to jeopardize her feeling that she had them to come to, to be her foundation, especially not now that her mother had passed away. No. He and Heather could never be. Their past had carved that in stone. But that didn’t mean that hearing her talk about seducing
another man didn’t twist
him
i
n
knots
. His role, though, was protector, brother, friend. Not the lover he’d often fantasized about being. And protect her now, he would.
Brad knocked on th
e
fron
t
doo
r
o
f
th
e
store
, then knocked again. His brows dipped. He’d seen her car in the parking lot. He knew Heather was here. Worried for her safety, he
reac
hed
fo
r
th
e
doorknob
,
an
d
t
o
his
surprise, it turned. That only worried him more. If he could get into the store, then someone else could as well. He snatched his cell phone from his pocket and punched in 911, his finger one push from the "send" button.
Fighting the urge to call out to Heather, to ensure her safety, he eased the door open, careful not to jingle the bell, or alert an intruder that he was present. Th
e
soun
d
o
f a
televisio
n
dre
w
hi
s
attention, and he covertly moved toward it.
Severa
l
step
s
later
,
h
e
froze in the entryway of the dressing room, his heart in his throat, his cock instantly thick and standing at attention. Standin
g
befor
e
hi
m
wa
s the
Heather of his fantasie
s, wearing nothing but "fuck me" high-heels and two tiny strips of black lace, with her long, brunette hair draped over her shoulders. Hair that he’d imagined draped over his stomach a hundred times before.
Hi
s
eye
s
dropped
, to the creamy white, perfectly round and high cheeks of her backside.
Hi
s
mout
h
wen
t
dry
. His zipper expanded yet again. A soft
muffle
d cry slid from her lips, and he jerked his gaze upward. Their eyes collided in the mirror.
She
turned
,
an
d
quickl
y
crosse
d
he
r
arm
s
i
n
fron
t
o
f
he
r
chest, sliding them beneath her breasts, but she only managed to lift them, her nipples stretching the limits of lace until one rosy-red peak exposed itself.
“
Ho
w
di
d
yo
u
ge
t
i
n
here?”
He forced his attention to her face, to her red lips parted seductively in demand. Red lips he wanted on his mouth, on his body…around his cock. Damn it to hell, he was an asshole for thinking such a thing.
This wasn’t who he was with her–the guy who desired her, the guy who wanted her. Nor was this who he could ever be with her. “Th
e
doo
r
wa
s
unlocke
d. You know, you really should
b
e
mor
e
careful.” There. That was who he was with her, no matter how much he wished it weren’t the case, right here, right now.
No matter how much he wanted to pull her into his arms, onto that pink couch, and have his wicked way with her, once and for all.
Chapter Three
She’d wanted a hot man and wanted him now, and here she had him–Brad was standing in her dressing room. And for just a moment, she’d been sure he was about to become her fantasy. She’d been sure she’d seen lust and desire in his face. But then he’d opened that damnable sexy mouth of his, and reprimanded her. She wanted to take off one of her sexy shoes and throw it at him. She let her hands drop to her sides, no longer hiding herself. Doing so had been instinct born of years of suppressing her sexuality. She darn sure wasn’t going to hide anymore.
“
I
f
yo
u
cam
e
her
e
t
o
ac
t
lik
e
m
y
paren
t
o
r
eve
n
brother,
g
o
home
,
Brad.
”
Sh
e
hel
d
he
r
hand
s
ou
t
t
o
he
r
sides,
intentionally
displaying her bo
dy
.
“A
s
yo
u
ca
n
se
e,
I'
m
al
l
grown
up, and I assure you I c
a
n
tak
e
c
a
r
e
o
f
myse
l
f.”
H
e
le
t
on
e
bro
w
inc
h
u
p
a
s
h
e
leane
d
hi
s
shoulde
r
against
th
e
doo
r
jamb
,
a
n
indiscernibl
e
expressio
n
o
n
hi
s
face
. A perfect display of that cool, casual thing he did so damn well.
As
if he hadn't just been, and still was, staring at her in her underwear.
“I couldn’t be more aware of just how grown-up you are.”
That wasn’t what she’d expected. And was that simmering heat in his eyes? “Wha
t
doe
s
tha
t
mean?” she asked cautiously.
H
e
ignore
d
he
r
question
.
“Goo
d
thin
g
i
t
wa
s
m
e
an
d
not
someon
e
els
e
wh
o
walke
d
throug
h
tha
t
unlocke
d
door
.
You
might have ended up in trouble.”
Her nerves prickled again because
again
he was turning on the brother routine. Laughter, and there was no humor in the tight sound, slipp
e
d from her lips. “I can't believe you. I'm
standin
g
her
e
i
n
practicall
y
nothing, and you still
manage to lecture me as if I were a child.”
Hi
s
eye
s
seeme
d
t
o
darken
,
bu
t
hi
s
voic
e
softened
.
Gone
wa
s
th
e
reprimand
.
“
I
wa
s
onl
y
worried.”
She softened as his voice had. H
e
care
d
abou
t
her
.
Sh
e
kne
w
that
. Her stomach fluttered with the reality she'd always struggled to swallow. He cared, but just not
th
e
wa
y
she
ha
d
alway
s
hoped he would
.
“Wh
y
ar
e
yo
u
here,
Brad?”
Hi
s
eye
s
narrowe
d
an
d
locke
d
wit
h
hers
.
Neithe
r
spoke,
bu
t
th
e
roo
m
wa
s
fa
r
fro
m
silent
.
Th
e
soun
d
o
f
sex,
compliment
s
o
f
Sharo
n
Stone
,
wil
d
an
d
hot
,
dance
d
t
h
rough
th
e
air
,
seductiv
e
i
n
it
s
presence.
Heathe
r
fel
t
th
e
warmt
h
o
f
aw
a
renes
s
creepin
g
alon
g
her
skin
,
makin
g
he
r
tingl
e
al
l
o
v
er
.
He
r
nipple
s
puckere
d
against
th
e
thi
n
lace, and she was suddenly aware one of them wasn’t covered. It was all she could do not to reach up and cover herself. No. No, no, no. She would not. If this man could stand here with her damn nipple sticking out and manage not to touch her, then she would easily put this old infatuation to sleep tonight. She’d know it was never going to happen between them. Suddenly, she needed to know, she needed an answer to a question she’d not realized she’d still been asking for years.
