The little firecracker standing in front of me is the most intriguing woman I’ve come across in a really long time. I just came out to collect the gift bag I left in the back of Nate’s truck, and suddenly I’m confronted with five feet of pissed off brunette. Her chestnut hair falls over her shoulders in a sleek sheet and her denim blue eyes burn with indignation at being stopped at the door. As those same eyes drink in my imposing physique, I size up her luscious curves. She’s an absolute knockout, if not my usual type. I tend to go for arrogant, leggy blondes, and look where that’s got me.
Her annoyance is cute, and I can’t help but laugh at her attempts to shove me out of the way.
“Now, now, little one. What’s the rush? Are you here for the baby party?” I ask as she finally gives up trying to move me and stands back with her hands on her sexy hips.
Fuck, I need to stop checking her out like this.
“I’m here to see Matt Landon,” she states firmly. “And you’re standing in my way.” The firecracker digs around in the pocket of her tight jeans and produces the cheapest looking cell phone I’ve ever seen, holding it up so I can see the contact with Matt’s number programmed in. “Now, do I really need to call my brother?”
The last piece of information hits me like a sledgehammer. Shit, this is Matt’s sister. I’ve heard him talk about her plenty, but I thought she lived in Paris.
“Hello? Anybody home?” she asks, knocking the door frame to my left. “Are my words getting through your thick hockey skull?”
I dumbly nod my head and step aside, noticing the smug smirk that tips up her pouty lips, and her sassy attitude makes my dick twitch to life.
“Finally,” she mutters as she breezes past me, and her vanilla scent fills my nostrils. I can’t help but follow her into the main room like a lovesick puppy; this feisty firecracker has me by the balls, and I think I’m okay with that.
“Jesus, Thor, where’ve you been?” Beth asks, stalking up to me. “And where’s the gift bag? You had one fucking job, you big goon.”
My head snaps down to look at the feisty blonde, her red lips pressed together in annoyance.
“Sorry, I got distracted,” I reply, my eyes never leaving said distraction as she makes her way through the party toward her brother.
Beth’s gaze follows mine. “Who’s that?” she asks.
“Matt’s sister, apparently,” I say, absently watching as Matt finally clocks his sister and pulls her into a massive hug.
“Oh, that’s so awesome. Mila says Lana’s a blast,” Beth enthuses, clapping her hands. “Go get the gift bag.” She shoves me in an attempt to get me moving and heads toward the commotion caused by the unexpected guest.
Not wanting to miss a moment of what’s about to unfold, I jog out to the truck and retrieve the gift bag, depositing it on the gift table. I find Matt and the rest of my line hanging out in the kitchen, surrounding his sister, who looks a little bit freaked out at all the attention she’s getting.
“What the hell are you doing here, Squirt?” Matt asks, his thick tattooed arm draped over her shoulders.
“Don’t call me that, dick face,” she growls, shoving him in the ribs, making me smirk into my hand. She really is a firecracker.
“C’mon Lana. I thought you had four months of school left,” Matt persists. “In fact, I didn’t think you’d ever come back. You seemed so settled in Paris.” He ruffles her hair, and she swats his hand away.
I notice the uncomfortable look that crosses Lana’s pretty face, but it’s there one moment and gone the next, and she’s back to sassing her big brother.
“Paris is so over,” she says, rolling her eyes. “I have enough credits to graduate so I figured I’d come back and get a job here. The Seattle food scene is really happening right now.”
“Do Ma and Pop know you’re back?” Matt asks, scowling a little.
“Not exactly.” Lana laughs nervously, a cute dimple popping out in her cheek, matching her brother’s. “Anyway, enough about me. Are you and Mila having a baby? What’s this party all about?”
Suddenly, it’s Matt’s turn to look freaked out, and as his head snaps toward Mila, she bursts out into hysterical laughter.
“Easy, big guy!” Mila soothes once she’s stopped laughing. “It’s Cam and Bugs with the baby, remember? You are so not ready for that yet.”
With a smirk, Matt wipes his brow in fake relief and pulls Mila into a deep kiss which elicits gagging noises from his kid sister.
“Is there any booze at this party?” Lana asks no one in particular as her brother sucks face with his woman.
This is my moment.
“I’ll show you,” I volunteer, which causes Nate and Ford to smirk at me as I push forward and take Lana’s arm, leading her toward the bar. She allows me to hold her arm for all of two seconds, and that’s all it takes for me to notice how silky her skin is and how good she smells. I’m just beginning to enjoy having her next to me when she steps away and throws me a cautious look.
“I can walk myself, thank you,” she sasses, moving her arm away from me and marching off to the bar. Yet again, I can’t seem to stop myself from following her, my dick leading the way and doing all my thinking for me.
“What can I get you?” I ask, joining her at the counter where Matt set up the bar.
“I can get it,” Lana says, turning to face me. Well, she faces my chest because she’s so tiny, but her chin is tilted up, so her deep blue eyes are locked with mine. “Where’s your accent from? Are you Austrian, like Arnie?”
What the fuck? She thinks I’m Austrian? But as I look at her in shocked indignation, I notice the cheeky smile that plays on her lips, and I realize she’s messing with me.
Before I can correct her and while thinking about spanking her peachy, round ass for being so cheeky, Matt appears again and grabs a beer from the bucket of ice.
“I see you’ve met our goalie,” he says to his sister, obviously not sensing the tension that crackles between us. “Lana, this is Thor.”
At the mention of my team nickname, she smirks into her hand and rolls her eyes. “Thor? You hockey players and your nicknames.” She laughs, shaking her head.
Damn, this feisty little minx is really turning me on, even when she’s laughing at me. “You can talk—Squirt.” I chuckle, enjoying the little growl my comment elicits. “Alex,” I say, thrusting my hand out for her to shake. “You can call me Alex.”
For some reason, my correction seems to take the wind out of her sails, and she stops scowling and looks at my outstretched hand.
“I’m Lana,” she replies in a husky little voice that does nothing to ease the tightness in my jeans.
I notice her take a sharp intake of breath as I wrap her hand in mine; it’s tiny, but she has a strong grip, and I can feel small rough calluses on her fingers. At that moment, I wonder what it would feel like to have it wrapped around my hard cock. However, as I drag my gaze away from her and notice the angry scowl on her brother’s face, I realize that thinking about Matt’s little sister and my dick together can end very, very badly for me.
Suddenly, I feel Matt’s hand on the back of my neck. “Thor, a word,” he mutters, steering me away from eye fucking his sister to a quiet corner where he releases me and fixes me with a death stare. “What the fuck, man?”
“What?” I ask, raising my hands and laughing at how serious Matt looks all of a sudden.
“She is absolutely off limits.” Matt pokes me in the chest and the nerve in his jaw twitches. “That’s my fucking sister, and if she’s hanging around, I’ll be telling all the guys the same thing. No one touches her. Spread the word.”
“Hey! We were just talking,” I protest, still chuckling at what an overprotective asshole he’s being. As the youngest of four brothers, I have no idea what it’s like to have a little sister, but Matt looks ready to chop my balls off if I don’t agree to stay away from his.
“You forget that I know you well enough to know when you’re zeroing in on your target,” Matt continues. “She is not gonna be one of your conquests, man. Stay the fuck away.”
I shake my head and slap him on the back. “Of course, man. You’re my brother, which essentially makes her my sister. I’ll have nothing but brotherly thoughts toward her.”
By the way Matt relaxes, I think my words have calmed him. I just need to give my dick the memo because he still seems extremely interested in the firecracker who’s talking to Cam across the room, cooing over baby SJ. As I continue to stare, her sapphire blue eyes catch my gaze and I feel the room fall away.
This is going to be a problem.