Chapter Forty-Six

I listen.

Simply listen, letting Braden’s words morph into pictures in my mind.

…

She was beautiful, if you like blondes. Braden had always favored darker hair.

“They’re both on the prowl,” Ben said to him. “And they’ve got their eyes on us. Might be a lucky night for the Black bros. We can get some high-class pussy.”

“Shut the fuck up,” Braden said.

“What’s up your ass?”

“Nothing. I’m just not in the mood.”

“Not in the mood for sex?” Ben laughed. “Fine. Have a drink. Have five drinks. I’m going to get me some of that.” He walks toward the Ames sisters.

Identical twins, both blond and beautiful. Ben began working his magic on the one with longer hair. Soon they disappeared.

The other one, though.

She was… Braden couldn’t put his finger on it. She was staring at him, trying to get his attention all night, but something was off with her.

Still…he hadn’t had sex in a while. When you worked construction six days a week in the hot sun, you were dirty as a pig and fucking exhausted the rest of the time. What little free time he had he spent researching. He had an idea—an idea that could be big. He just had to figure out how to get it off the ground. With so little time and even less money, it didn’t seem likely. Still, it was his dream, and he spent his off time working on it. No time to get dressed up and cruise for chicks. How could he find women who liked what he liked, anyway? Not all girls let a guy tie them up. At twenty-four, he was getting too old for casual sex. Ben was barely twenty-one and still liked flashing his ID at bars.

This was his scene, not Braden’s.

Ben had heard about the party at the Ames’ mansion through a friend of a friend. When he suggested they check it out, Braden finally agreed. They’d had the day off work, so he wasn’t dead tired as he usually was. While the time might have been better spent working on his ground floor idea, Ben had finally persuaded him.

The other Ames twin approached him.

Braden looked around. Shit. No escape. The house was getting crowded.

She smiled at him. “Hi there. Welcome. I’m Addison Ames.”

“Braden Black.”

“Who’s your friend? The one who went off with my sister?”

“He’s not my friend. He’s my brother, Ben.”

“Oh. So what do you do, Braden Black?”

“Construction.”

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Construction? Do you live around here?”

He shook his head. “South Boston.”

She smiled. South Boston seemed to please her. Why? He didn’t know.

“Can I get you a drink?” she asked.

“Wild Turkey.”

“What’s that?”

“Bourbon.”

“Oh. Well, we have several bourbons. Follow me.”

She guided him to the bar. “Hmm. Buffalo Trace. Eagle Rare. Kentucky Gold. No Wild Turkey. Sorry.”

“Any of those is fine.”

“Okay.” She poured two fingers into a glass and handed it to him.

He took a drink. Nice. Smooth.

He could get used to this.

“Want to go to my room?” she asked.

He nearly spit out his mouthful of booze. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. You’re hot. Let’s get busy.”

“Exactly how old are you?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m legal. I’m eighteen. I’ll even show you my ID if you want.”

“It’s not legal for you to drink what I’m drinking, then.”

“No, it’s not. But it’s legal for me to have sex. That’s what I’m after tonight.”

He took another drink. Yeah, she was beautiful. And ready and willing. A quick fuck might be nice.

But a quick fuck had never been what Braden was after. He had more…exclusive tastes.

He finished his drink and set the empty glass back on the wooden bar. “That’s a nice offer, but I have to pass.”

Anger flashed in her eyes.

He got it. He was turning down an Ames hotel heiress, and she was pissed.

Well, she’d get over it.

“Thanks for the drink,” he said. “If you see my brother, tell him I went home.”

…

Braden had a small apartment near the rental where his dad lived. Ben still lived with their dad, but he spent a lot of time crashing at Braden’s.

“Time you started chipping in for rent,” Braden said.

“Aren’t you going to ask me about my evening last night?”

“I already know how your evening was. You plucked an Ames twin. You got laid. That’s why you have that dumbass smile on your face.”

Ben kind of always had that dumbass smile on his face, but this morning it was more dumbass than usual.

Man, six o’clock in the morning came early.

Ben seemed raring to go, though. Getting his rocks off agreed with him. Of course it pretty much agreed with all men.

Braden poured himself a cup of coffee and took a drink. “Damn!”

“You burn your mouth every time,” Ben said. “Think you’d learn by now.”

“It’s what gets me moving. Come on. We’re going to be late.”

Ben nodded.

One thing the Black boys had in abundance was work ethic. They both had their issues with their dad, but he’d taught them that much. He’d learned the hard way, burning their house to the ground when the boys were little. Their mother never fully recovered, but she’d saved both their lives.

…

“She saved you?” I ask.

Braden nods.

“There’s so much you haven’t told me about your mother.”

“It’s all related to the story I’m telling you,” he says. “Be patient.”

Patience isn’t my strong suit, but I’m getting better. I nod.

…

No clouds at all that day. None. The sun was blistering hot, and by the end of the nearly ten-hour day, Braden was dehydrated, fatigued, and sunburnt. Ben had gone out for a beer with some of the guys, but Braden only wanted to get home and take a cool shower.

So he was more than a little surprised when someone was waiting for him at his truck.

Addison Ames. The heiress from the party last night. She wore denim cutoffs and a hot pink crop top. Her belly was flat and her navel sported a pink jeweled piercing.

“Hello there, Mr. Black,” she said.

“It’s Braden. What can I do for you?”

“I could use a ride.”

“Yeah? How did you get here?”

“Just happened to be in the area.”

Okay. That could be true. They were working on a mall near the Ames house. But she was lying. Braden could tell.

“Sorry, I have somewhere to be. I’ll be happy to call you a cab.”

“Don’t be like that.” She batted her long brown eyelashes. Then she went around to the passenger side and slid right into his truck.

Shit. Now what? He was tired and dirty and really didn’t need this distraction.

He got in. “Fine. I’ll drive you home.”

He did, only to find her waiting for him again at the end of work the next day.

This went on for four days straight, until he finally said, “No dice today, Ms. Ames.”

“Call me Addie.”

“No dice, Addie. Find your own way home.” Braden got in his truck and left her there, hands upon her hips.

He hadn’t seen the last of her. He knew that. But he was tired of her games.

He hadn’t given her any reason to think she had a chance, though he was close to losing control around her. She was beautiful, and she was offering.

His age, which he’d used the first night to keep himself in check, wasn’t working anymore. He was still damned young with a damned strong libido.

So this had to stop now.

Unless…

Could she possibly give him what he wanted?

He wasn’t looking for love, but he wouldn’t mind a roll in the hay. Several rolls even, as long as they were on his terms.

The next day, she wasn’t waiting for him after work.

Good enough. No roll in the hay, and that was okay, too. She’d finally gotten the message.

He drove home, and—

“Fuck,” he said under his breath.

Addison Ames, this time dressed in a trench coat—yeah, a trench coat in this heat—was waiting outside the door to his apartment.

Braden’s jeans were covered in sawdust, and what seemed like five layers of grime covered his body and lay beneath his fingernails.

“What are you doing here?” he demanded.

“What do you think?”

“I’m exhausted.” He unlocked his door. “I don’t have time for these games. Go slumming somewhere else.”

She pushed out her lower lip, and he couldn’t help himself. He thought about biting it.

Hard.

“You sure that’s what you want?” she teased.

No, he wasn’t sure at all. In fact, despite his fatigue, he was getting hard.

Fuck. Just what he didn’t need.

“That’s what I want,” he said gruffly.

She opened her trench coat. “Still sure?”