Markus
THE WASABI HELL had been worth it. Just seeing a smile break across her face— Hell, I’d go through that torture again happily, if it meant that I’d have a chance at breaking through that wall she built around herself, keeping me out.
If I didn’t stop staring, she was going to catch on, and that was the last thing I needed. But I couldn’t force myself to glance away; rather, I drank her in.
Bryce cleared his throat, and I noticed we weren’t moving anymore but had parked just in front of the restaurant.
“Dude, you okay?” he asked.
No. “Yeah.” Clearing my throat, I gave a tight smile and slid out of the car.
It was always easier for me to be seen in places than Bryce. Heaven help us all if he went in for the food. He was high-profile enough that he’d be signing autographs and shaking hands for at least an hour, and, being the great guy he was, he’d stay till he signed them all. It was part of the job. As his agent, my job was to both promote and protect him, even from himself.
It might sound odd, but really, time was money. Bryce needed to eat, take an ice bath, and rest so that he was all set for practice tomorrow — not sign autographs and socialize.
As expected, the restaurant was buzzing; at least half the customers wearing Seahawks colors. It was easy to pick up keywords in conversations, all revolving around the win. As I gave the hostess my name and card to pay for the food, I made a mental list of the potential ways to capitalize on Bryce’s success this season. He’d made a few awesome plays, so his name would be popping up on SportsCenter a few times before the night was over. I needed to strike while the iron was hot.
I nodded my thanks and left with four huge bags of takeout, thankful that Ava couldn’t read my mind. Surely, she’d jump to the worst conclusions at my thoughts, thinking I was out to get ahead.
Talk was cheap, but I was proving it, step by step, in the way I was making sure that Bryce was protected, financially secure, and in turn, she would be as well.
I opened the door and slid into the back seat.
Ava moaned and turned in her seat. “That smells amazing…”
I couldn’t swallow, my body immediately reacting to her voice as if it were a deliberate stroke, intentional touch, meant to set me on fire.
“What are you waiting for? Move it!” Ava hit her brother’s arm playfully, and I glanced up, only to meet Bryce’s gaze in the rearview mirror. His eyebrow arched in warning, and I glanced away guiltily.
He’d never said anything, but he had to know.
We didn’t keep a whole lot of secrets — it hadn’t really been a viable option with first starting off as roommates then me knowing the ins and outs of his finances as well. But this… was different.
The only sound was the deep rumble of the engine as Bryce drove toward his home, a beautiful modern structure right on Lake Washington. Thankfully, it only took a few minutes to arrive, giving my body a little time to cool down.
At least cool down enough.
“Finally.” Ava huffed as we pulled into the garage. She slid out of the car and strode to the door. Her long legs drew my gaze, and I watched till Bryce’s voice cut through my admiration.
“Dude. Seriously. If you don’t hurry, I’m going to start eating my car. Get out.”
I shook my head and left the car. I passed through the garage, into the hall, and set the bags on the wide island in the middle of Bryce’s kitchen.
“Mine. Where’s mine?” Ava asked, already pawing through the bags till she snagged all the steak sauce and one of the foam containers.
“Damn it all, Av, share!” Bryce stole one of her containers of sauce, and I bit back a grin. They were more than siblings; they were best friends.
“Hey, you should call Dolce.” Bryce spoke around a huge bite of steak, making the name slur slightly.
I frowned. Dolce? I hadn’t seen her for at least four months, and even then, we’d only dated a few times, and he knew that.
“Who?” Ava asked just as I said, “What?”
“Dolce.” Bryce shrugged, as if what he was suggesting made total sense.
I narrowed my eyes, trying to figure out his angle.
“Girlfriend?” Ava asked, her eyes distant and cold.
Thanks, Bryce.
“Uh, no,” I answered. “That’s been over a while now.”
“Oh.” Ava shrugged, turning back to food, picking up a fry.
I took out my own food and watched as Bryce gave me a wink.
Aw, hell.
“She was hot.” He walked over to the fridge and pulled out a beer then raised it, arching a brow inquiring if I wanted one too.
“Sure.”
He twisted the top off and slid it across the counter toward me, and I caught it before it sailed off the edge, wishing it was something stronger.
“I’d give you her number, but I don’t have it.” I took a long swig, my gaze flickering over to Ava, curious of her reaction.
For a moment her, expression lost its unreadable mask, giving me a glimpse of something deeper, but before I could study it, the icy glare was back in full force. “Please, you can do better than his rejects.”
“You mean reject. Singular. Markus here is all but celibate. I about had a stroke when I learned he’d gone on a date.”
Bryce’s comment had me clenching my fists. Don’t go there.
“Ah, a player with no game. That sucks.” Ava popped a fry in her mouth and gave me a pitying grin.
“Can we stop talking about this?” I took a long swig of beer and then opened up my food container, needing something to do with my hands, so I didn’t try to strangle Bryce.
“It’s all good. At least after the Dolce thing, we knew you hadn’t switched teams— Had me worried for a minute, man. No offense, but you’ve seen my bare ass far too many times, and I was concerned it was too much.”
“Done. You’re so cut off.” I stole the beer from his hands. “And believe me, seeing your naked ass has only increased my interest in women. Seeing that could scare anyone straight,” I shot back with a grin.
“Jealousy will get you nowhere.”
“Here, still here, and I don’t want to know about your man parts. Ever. Especially you.” She glanced to her brother. “You’re asexual as far as I’m concerned.” Ava held up her hands and then dusted them off, shivering slightly, apparently at the topic at hand.
“Whatever. Are you going to finish that?” Bryce walked over to where Ava sat, pointing to her last remaining fries.
“Touch it and die.”
“Do it,” I encouraged, earning a glare from both of them. “She’s too small to put up much of a fight—”
“Dude. I have scars on my hands from forks. Seriously. You’ve seen them. Do you want me to not be able to catch next week?” Bryce shook his head and took a step back.
Damn.
“I’m going to take a shower. If I leave you two alone, can you promise that you’ll both survive? Ava, I’m really just talking to you. Markus is really more of a lover than a fighter.” He jabbed his thumb toward me.
“Yeah, not scared of four-eyes over there.”
“Mature,” I said.
“If the glasses fit…” She shrugged.
“Wear them and look like a badass.” I shrugged and then high-fived Bryce as he walked by, leaving the kitchen.
“No comment.” Ava rolled her eyes, and as she started to collect the trash, I picked up the remote and turned on SportsCenter.
“Yes,” I muttered as I turned the volume up. They were just starting the evening highlights.
“Going deaf as well as blind?”
Ava’s comment had me glancing back to her.
“What was that?” I teased, grinning as she glared. “I can’t see. Are you smiling or pissed? I’m going with pissed, your usual.” I turned back to the TV and watched, smiling to myself as she growled.
The host started going through the main plays, and I watched carefully, keeping track of my guys; then he mentioned the Seahawks.
“Bryce Cummings was an animal tonight on the field, taking the Seattle defense up to a new level of intense. With two sacks, one resulting in a forced fumble, he was the cornerstone of the Hawks’ defense in this matchup.”
“Yes,” I whispered. This would do nothing but boost Bryce’s ability to market his brand. With any luck, he’d clench the Sprite deal we’d been working on. It was all about name recognition, and tonight’s game had given his a huge boost.
“I swear if you turn around, and I see dollar signs where your eyes should be, I’m not going to be held responsible for my actions.” Her tone was acidic, grating on my final nerve.
“What the hell is your problem?” I turned, wishing I could take the words back as soon as they filled the room. Because it wasn’t going to help anything — not her, not Bryce. Sure as hell not me.
“You!” She gave a sarcastic neck twist, eyes blazing.
“Really? Because I’ve never had a problem with you, Ava. Ever.”
Her gaze flickered to the ground then back to me, just enough hesitation in her expression to tempt me to push my luck. “And maybe… maybe if you’d stop focusing on your own assumptions, you might see that I’m not your enemy. But I get it. It’s easier to be pissed at me than Bryce. And I’m good with that. I’ll pretend with you because he did make the choice to play when you asked him to quit. I’ll take the heat for that every damn day.” I started to walk toward her, each step slow and measured as her caramel-colored eyes studied me, but she didn’t back away.
“Just don’t delude yourself into thinking that I have anything against you, Ava. I never have. Never will. So… deal with it.” I shrugged, stopping just before her, yet close enough for her floral perfume to assault me with lethal force.
“As if you see anything past his bank account.” She gave a cold glare.
“You really have no clue, do you?” I shook my head, intense frustration warring against the insane ideas that kept popping into my mind. “Everything — everything — that Bryce does is for you. And even if he didn’t take every step with you in mind, I would.” The words were soft, but the heavy nature filled the room, weighing it down. I was pushing my luck to the limit.
Ava tilted her chin lightly, her expression shifting. The light from the kitchen illuminated her lips as her pink tongue darted out to lick them. “What do you mean that you would?”
I shook my head, a slight smile teasing my lips. “And you say that I’m dense.” Without giving her a chance to respond, I gently nipped her lower lip, breathing in her small gasp at the contact before meeting her lips once more before pulling away. Part of me was tense, waiting for the slap that would inevitably come, but rather than a hard smack, her hand reached up and cupped my chin, pulling me in tighter. And my body reacted like a match to the flame.
Every inch of me was painfully aware of the distance between us, impatient even, as I slid my hands from her hips and up her back, drawing her close. As her tongue swept into my mouth, I groaned, experiencing her flavor for the first time. Honey and spice were my new addiction. Tilting my head, I worked a new angle, sliding my lips over her plump ones, nipping, tasting, sucking — every possible way — knowing it would never be enough.
Her hands traveled down my jawline, her fingers sweeping against my collared shirt as she rounded my shoulders, her nails just long enough to bite into my skin, the slight pain erotic as hell.
“Markus! Did SportsCenter cover the Hawks yet?”
Bryce’s voice sliced through the air, and immediately I felt the loss of Ava’s lips as she jerked away.
As I opened my eyes, I studied her expression — shock, confusion, worry and finally anger flashed through her caramel gaze before she slowly reached up, touching her lips, still wet and swollen from my kiss.
“Ava—” I started
“Dude. You alive? Ava, tell me there’s no blood!” Bryce’s voice boomed as his footsteps sounded on the stairs.
“He’s alive.” Ava called out, her gaze never even flickering away from mine. “For now,” she added, a slight smirk on her face.
The tension melted away, and I reached over, slowly lacing my hand through hers. “For now?” I asked with a grin.
“Tomorrow’s a brand-new day. I’d say it’s a fifty-fifty shot right now.” After a slight squeeze to my hand, she released me, reached up, and touched my lip, smiling this sexy-as-hell secretive grin, and walked to the stairway, just as Bryce took the last step.
“Did they mention me?” Bryce asked, his gaze giving a quick flicker to Ava and then back to me, curiosity evident in his expression, but whether it was about Ava or SportsCenter, I wasn’t sure.
“Yeah, you got some awesome PR, and we’re going to the table tomorrow with Sprite, so it couldn’t have been better timing.” I slapped him on the back, his Henley slightly damp.
“Sweet. Damn right. Whoo!” He chuckled then turned to Ava, who had paused on the stairs. “Going to bed? What? Weak.” He shook his head.
“Some of us have grown-up jobs. Ones that save lives,” she shot back, heading up the stairs.
“Fine! Be lame!” he shouted, giving her a wave. He watched as she disappeared down the long hall and then shoved me with his elbow. “Did it work?”
I frowned. “Did what work?”
“Ava, dude. I was totally your wingman tonight. Which is huge, since that’s my sister.”
“Ah, yes. Your little Dolce stunt. Seriously. You’re the worst wingman ever.” I avoided the question, turning my attention back to the TV, hoping he didn’t see my guilty expression.
“Dude.”
I ignored him.
“Mar-ku-s-s…” He drew out my name.
“What?” I clipped.
“Did. It. Work? I mean, man, you’ve had it bad for her for years. You can’t hide shit like this from me. I know you too well. Which is also why I’m okay with it. I think I’ve been pretty awesome — not killing you and all for kissing my sister. You do realize you have lipstick on the corner of your mouth, right? You’re not fooling me, dumbass.”
“What?” I reached up and guiltily swiped my fingers across my lips.
“I KNEW it!” Bryce smacked me on the back, his laughter filling the room. “It is lipstick! Ha! It could have been steak sauce for all I knew. I was just guessing.”
“Damn it. You can’t say anything. I’m on seriously freaking fragile ice here. And I don’t need your help — it’s not actually help. It’s like you’re trying to drown me. So just back off. Let me… do my thing.”
“Because that’s worked so far.” Bryce gave me an exasperated glare then shook his head sadly. “Did she kiss you back?”
“Yeah.” I felt a grin widen across my face, thinking back over it.
“No more details. And so help me, if you screw her, I’ll shoot you. I’m big enough to deal with life in prison.”
“I thought you said you were fine with—”
“I am, but keep it in your pants. That’s still my sister. She damn well better have a ring on it before you even think about—”
“Chill.” I held up my hands in surrender, a stark contrast to the way my body tightened at just the thought of Ava in my bed… her bed… the counter…
“Shit, dude. That’s a weird expression, and you’re making me feel really uncomfortable—”
“Shut up. I get you. We’re good… end of discussion.” I made a slicing motion with my hand and turned back to ESPN. I damn-well needed a distraction.
“Just… take it easy too.”
“I told you I’m so done discussing this.”
He held up his hands. “Fine. But just be careful, okay? Go slow. You’re kinda like a chick in the aspect that, once your mind is made up, you’re done. You’re probably already naming your kids. But Ava might take longer to get there. Okay?”
I turned to my friend, hating how he knew me so well. I was a planner, a thinker, evaluating my options, studying every angle and then pouncing when I found that one-in-a-million opportunity. It worked for me; it worked for my clients. It was how I had made a name for myself at my firm and others. But I could see his point, much as I hated to admit it.
“Fine.”
“Good.”
The ESPN coverage continued as the game reels displayed different plays of the day, and I tried to focus, but my attention was elsewhere — upstairs, actually, on the third room to the right — wondering what the hell was going to happen tomorrow.