Chapter Five

Why the hell had he ever thought sleeping with Andrea again would be a good idea? Friends with benefits? He had to have been out of his fucking skull to even suggest it.

Brian braked at a red light and shot a sidelong glance at the woman beside him. God, she was beautiful. Even now, he wanted to touch her, to run his fingers through the golden silk of her hair. Instead, he raked a hand through his own. Could he get any more hopeless? What was he doing, waxing poetic about her hair, of all things? She’d made it clear that romantic feelings had no place in this…fling. It had to be a fling. There was no other word for it. It wasn’t a relationship, because people involved in one of those talked once in a while. In the past week, since he’d proposed her little friends with friggin’ benefits scenario, all they’d done was fuck.

Not that he was complaining about that aspect of this new territory. He’d never been so satisfied. Physically. He’d been with her every single night. For a few hours, until it had been time to go back to his own apartment. Emotionally, well, that was a different story. If he’d known she was going to stop confiding in him, or that their easygoing friendship would hit the rocks so quickly, he never would have shown up with the pizza in the first place.

Because her car was in the shop, he’d offered to make the half-hour commute to pick her up and bring her with him. Big mistake. A half-hour in the car with Andrea, surrounded by her scent and struck with the near-constant need to touch her, was not a place he needed to be right before facing his parents. Especially his mother. He hadn’t seen her in a few weeks, and she was sure to have another lecture for him.

“The light is green,” Andrea said softly, turning a curious gaze on him. Her words jolted him into action and he put his foot on the gas.

“Oh, right. Sorry.”

“What’s the matter today? You’re so quiet.”

I miss my best friend.

Of all the stupid, sappy crap. Like he’d go and admit something like that to her? Not in this lifetime, or the next. “Nothing. I’m fine. Thanks for coming with me today.”

Her fingers brushed his arm, but they were gone too quickly. “Your mother invited me. She likes having the whole family around, doesn’t she?”

Brian nodded. His mother loved being surrounded by her children—and the recent addition of some long-awaited grandchildren. His sister Amanda had given birth a few months ago to daughter Kylie. Amanda’s boyfriend, Joe, had two grown kids of his own, but Miriam Storm considered them grandchildren anyway. And now, with his brother David married to Lucy Parker and a stepfather to her four boys, their mother had even more reasons to smile. Thankfully, she was now too busy to bug Brian about getting married. He understood where she was coming from, but he had no plans to settle for anything less than everything when it came to his future.

Every couple months, his mother and father held get-togethers for the family, and for the past five years, they had extended invitations to Andrea as well. The message was clear. Andrea was family. This time, though, his mother had told him she had a special announcement to make. He had to wonder which one of his siblings was expecting a baby now. It could be any of the others save Amanda. Brian was the only single one left of five.

And didn’t that just grate. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. Over the past few years, the urge to settle down had gotten stronger and stronger. It figured that fate would keep him from attaining that goal. He hadn’t even come close.

He shook his head, trying to focus on Andrea’s question. They’d agreed to keep their…whatever she wanted to call it secret from everyone, including their families. No sense alerting anyone—especially his mother, who tended to get a little crazy sometimes—to the problems that had suddenly developed between them. And they did have problems, no matter what Andrea might think. At present count, they were way too numerous for comfort.

“Yeah, she loves having us all around. She always tells us she’s been waiting way too long for grandchildren. As if we didn’t know already. She’s been hounding all of us just about nonstop for ages.” And there had been that time a few years back when she’d tried rush things along by relentlessly pushing Brian to set Andrea up with his brother, Jake. Luckily, neither of them had been interested and now Jake had a wife. Up until Jake had met Amber, he’d been a big believer in one-night stands. Andrea deserved so much more than that.

And he was the man who could give it to her? If so, he’d done a hell of a job showing it so far.

“You seem…surly today.”

He shot another glance at Andrea. “Surly” was a good choice of words. He was acting like an ass again. Not the way to show her they could really mean something to each other. “Sorry.”

To his surprise, she laughed. “It’s okay. I’ve met your mother. I understand why it can be a little stressful to visit her.”

He raised his eyebrows, but he didn’t refute what she said. If she wanted to think he was dreading visiting his family, let her. It would be so much easier for her to take than the truth.

He pulled up in front of the family house and smiled. There were so many memories attached to this place. Good memories and bad. It didn’t matter. Routine and familiarity brought him comfort when the rest of his life was a wreck, like it was right now with Andrea. At least for today, they could pretend everything was still normal between them.

As they walked up to the front door, he barely resisted taking Andrea’s hand. Keeping himself from touching her in public didn’t come easily. He wasn’t a huge believer in public displays of affection, but he liked to hold a woman’s hand when they walked down the street. Instead, when he and Andrea walked anywhere, a few feet separated them. She used to welcome his hugs and the occasional arm around her shoulder, but that was when they’d been friends. Now the only time he could touch her at all was when they were behind closed doors. He gritted his teeth.

His palm itched to press against the small of her back, and he allowed himself that one indulgence, but only for a second before he dropped his arm. Actress that she was, Andrea didn’t show any sign of reaction, but at least she didn’t try to hit him. The touch wasn’t nearly enough, but it would have to do.

Just before he opened the front door, she surprised him by grabbing his hand and squeezing his fingers. “I love this house. I always have. Coming here is so much fun. It’s always so warm and inviting.”

He nodded, understanding she was comparing it to the cold, sterile place she’d grown up in. As crazy as his mother could get, he had to admit he’d gotten damned lucky in the family department. He and his siblings were closer now as adults, than they’d been in childhood.

He turned the knob and pushed the door open, and they stepped over the threshold into the big open space of the living room. It looked like they were the last to arrive. His sister Rachel and her husband, Doug, sat nestled on the love seat against the staircase. Amanda, Joe, David and Lucy sat on the couch across from them, with Lucy’s two youngest blond sons at their feet. The oldest two—twins Trevor and Lucas, were huddled together in a corner with their video games. Jake and his wife, Amber, stood against the wall by the door leading to the kitchen, and his parents stood in front of the fireplace, his mother ready to hold court. Even after all these years, not much had changed.

Miriam Storm loved being the center of attention. Sometimes he swore she’d had five children and had made such a push for grandchildren so she could have a big audience.

She smiled when she saw Brian and Andrea. “Good. You two are here. We can start now. As I mentioned on the phone, your father and I have an announcement to make.”

“Don’t keep us in suspense any longer,” Amanda said, rocking a sleepy-looking Kylie in her arms. “What’s going on?”

Their mother’s grin widened more than Brian had seen in a long time. “Your father and I have decided to sell the house and move into a condo in the new over fifty-five development they’re building across town.”

 

 

 

The second Andrea heard Miriam’s announcement, her gaze flew to Brian. Just as she expected, he looked shell-shocked. His jaw had dropped and his eyes widened. His throat worked as he swallowed. Oh, damn. This was so bad. Why had Miriam blindsided her children with this news? Just because they were excited didn’t guarantee the kids would be. Poor Brian. Her heart ached just looking at him, though she had to give him credit for hiding his emotions.

Family was a big deal to him. He always talked about his brothers and sisters and growing up in this house. How he’d always known he wanted to raise a big family in a house just like this someday. His whole body had stiffened, and the look of disbelief on his face made her want to pull him into her arms and hug him. He wouldn’t appreciate the gesture, though. Not in front of his family. Brian, like most men, didn’t want anyone to know he was sensitive.

She sighed. What a crime it would be for his relatives to find out he actually had feelings.

When he leaned back against the wall, hands in the pockets of his khakis, she looped her arm through his and moved a little closer, pressing against his side. Brian was a touchy-feely kind of guy. She hadn’t been much for that sort of thing when they’d first met, but she’d learned to accept the occasional hug or friendly touch over the years—though she still couldn’t comprehend a family who actually hugged on a regular basis. She and her sisters were close, but the open gestures of affection didn’t really enter into the relationships.

She expected Brian to move away, but instead he leaned closer, bumping his arm against her shoulder. A brief smile let her know he appreciated the small amount of comfort she could offer him.

Glancing around the room, she noticed different levels of shock and disbelief on everyone else’s faces. Rachel was the first to get up and hug her parents.

“Congratulations, guys. That’s great news.”

No big surprise there. Out of all the children, Rachel was the most distant. Always calm and in control. Even if the news upset her on the inside—though Andrea doubted it would, since Rachel didn’t seem like the type to be swayed by memories—she would never reveal her true thoughts, at least not surrounded by the whole family.

Soon the room was buzzing with congratulations. Brian dislodged her arm and, with a quick smile in her direction, told her he was going over to speak to his parents for a second. “Want to come?”

“No, thanks. You go ahead. I want to say hi to your sister and see the baby.”

“Okay. I’ll be right over there if you need me.”

She had to laugh at the teasing tone in his voice. When she’d first met Amanda, they hadn’t gotten along. Over the years, they’d learned to tolerate each other, but hadn’t really become friends until Amanda had met Joe. Andrea had always thought of Brian’s oldest sister as flighty. It wasn’t until recently that she’d realized her assessment was wrong. “The same goes for you. Come find me if you need to get away from all of this, okay?”

With a nod, Brian walked away.

Andrea moved over to where Amanda stood, cradling the gorgeous, blonde-haired baby in her arms. The little girl had the Storm family features, but the coloring of her fair-haired father. Andrea smiled down at the child. “She’s gorgeous.”

Amanda beamed in response. “Thanks. I like to think so, but of course, I’m biased. I still can’t imagine why I never wanted one of these in my life.”

Andrea could relate. Her brother, Todd, had a couple of preschool-aged boys, and though she loved them to pieces, she was always more than happy to give them back to their parents.

“Do you want to hold her?” Amanda asked when Andrea ran her finger down the smooth skin of Kylie’s arm.

“No, thanks. Maybe another time.”

Amanda grinned. “I was like you before I had her. The nervousness passes, you know. By the time you get out of the hospital after having the baby, you feel like you’re an old pro. Of course, it helps to have someone like Joe around. He’s been through this before with his older kids, and he knows what he’s doing.”

“She seems like a good baby.”

“She is. I got very lucky. I never thought I’d say this, but I think I want more. Joe insists we get married first, but I don’t want to jinx anything. I haven’t exactly had the best luck with weddings.”

Andrea laughed. That was a huge understatement. Amanda had been married three times before she met Joe. It would have been more, if fiancé number four hadn’t left her at the altar.

“What’s going on with you and my brother?” Amanda asked without preamble, managing to change the subject and set Andrea off balance at the same time.

Andrea groaned. Leave it to her to get right to the point. Amanda had never been one to mince words. She had no problem saying whatever she felt, no matter what the situation. Andrea’s gaze flickered to where Brian stood near his parents before returning to Amanda’s. “We’re friends. We’ve been friends for a long time. I don’t see that changing anytime soon.”

She said the words, but already she could feel her face starting to flush.

Amanda smiled, and the knowing look in her eyes made Andrea cringe. The last thing she needed was everyone finding out what was really going on. If it got back to Gerald, she could kiss any promotion—and her job—goodbye. Ridiculous reasoning given that the office was thirty minutes from Lilton, where the elder Storms had raised their children and their boys still resided, but she couldn’t afford to take any chances.

“Uh-huh.” Amanda turned and handed the baby to Joe before she snagged Andrea’s arm and led her into the kitchen, away from the crowd. Once the swinging door closed behind them, Amanda settled at the table and picked up a carrot stick from a platter stationed in the middle of the round surface.

“You might as well tell me,” she said in between bites. “It’s not like I don’t already know.”

Andrea slumped into the chair across from Amanda, picking up a celery stick and studying the ribs to avoid answering the other woman’s question. Had Brian told Amanda what was going on? She’d kill him if he had. He’d promised not to say a word to anyone.

Though she’d told Claire, hadn’t she? It wasn’t right to expect him to keep it from everyone. “Did he say something to you?”

“No.” Amanda tapped the tabletop. “You’re sleeping with him, aren’t you?”

Was it really that obvious? Andrea groaned. “It’s nothing. Really.”

“That’s too bad, because I know my brother. He isn’t looking for nothing.”

As if she didn’t know that already. Andrea took a bite of the celery and chewed thoughtfully for a few seconds before she answered. “He knows I’m not ready for a relationship. He says he’s fine with that.”

“He also told my parents he’s fine with them selling the house, when it’s clear to everyone around him that he’s not.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Look, I’m not trying to give you a hard time, but maybe you need to rethink this. I like you a lot, but I don’t want to see Brian get hurt. He deserves better.”

Andrea swallowed hard. She didn’t need the lecture. Her conscience had been giving her one since that first night. “I know. Believe me, I know.”

“That said, he really needs a friend right now, too.” Amanda smiled, and the tension in the room broke almost as quickly as it had appeared. “I’m really not trying to give you a hard time. I just know what it’s like to be hurt and I don’t want to see it happen to anyone. Go talk to him. I need to go check on Joe and the baby.”

Amanda quit the room, leaving Andrea to think about what she said. Of course she was right. Brian deserved all the happiness he could find. But he’d agreed to keep things casual. Had even been the one to suggest their current relationship. “Friends with benefits” had been his words, not hers, though she’d readily agreed. He wasn’t as needy as Amanda seemed to think he was. He was a grown man, perfectly capable of making his own decisions. If he decided he wanted to sleep with Andrea, she’d be ten times a fool to tell him no.

Instead of going back into the living room to face his family, she slid down a little in the kitchen chair and picked up a piece of raw broccoli from the platter. If Amanda had known, Rachel, the observant one, probably did, too. If Brian hadn’t told Jake and David, he would soon. She dropped her head to the tabletop and groaned. What they must think of her. She’d never be able to face this family again.

A few minutes later, Brian stepped into the room. “Why are you hiding?”

She laughed, though it sounded a little strained to her own ears. “I’m not hiding. I came in here to talk to Amanda.”

His expression turned suspicious. “Did she give you a lecture?”

Instead of answering the question, she patted the chair Amanda had vacated. “Sit. Maybe we should talk.”

A nervous grin spread over Brian’s lips. “Is this one of those it’s not you, it’s me sort of talks?”

Maybe it should be. Guilt swelled her gut and clogged her throat. Amanda was right. Brian deserved better than what Andrea could give him. No matter how she tried to reason it, what she was doing to him wasn’t fair.

Now wasn’t the time to get into that particular issue. They had more important things to deal with. “No. It’s a gab session between friends.”

“Uh, not really my thing.”

“Just sit down, okay?”

He shrugged, but settled into the chair anyway. “What’s up?”

“How are you doing?”

Understanding lit his eyes, along with a flash of something akin to anger. “This is about the house, isn’t it? If so, save the sympathy. I’m fine. Whatever Amanda said, she’s probably blowing the whole thing out of proportion.”

She nodded, settling her hand over his. Typical male denial. Though he’d learned to open up to her over the years, she would never understand why he felt the need to put on the tough act. “I know how much this place means to you.”

“It’s just a house. I don’t see what the big deal is.”

“Brian, really. I’m more than willing to listen.”

His gaze darkened and he leaned forward, narrowing his eyes at her. It was a few seconds before he spoke, and when he did, the tone in his voice made her blink. “First of all, I couldn’t care less what they do with this place. It’s theirs. I moved out over a decade ago, and this has nothing to do with me. Second of all, confiding in you is the last thing on my mind. Listening hasn’t exactly been your strong suit lately.”

Andrea leaned back in her chair, taken aback. What had come over him to make him so ticked off all of a sudden? Part of it could be the denial he was in over his parents selling the house, but there was more to it than that. His anger was, once again, directed at her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Not a goddamned thing.” His expression softened a little and he let out a harsh sigh. He dropped his gaze to the tabletop, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath, as if he was trying to collect himself. She hadn’t had many glimpses of this side of him. He wasn’t passive by any stretch of the imagination, but before, when they’d only had friendship between them, he’d been so easy-going.

She liked the passion she was seeing in him, but the anger unsettled her. Probably because she knew she’d caused it. She reached her hand out to him, settling it over his, and he flinched.

“Brian, talk to me. Please. We can’t work this out if I don’t know what’s going on.”

He barked a bitter laugh. “You got your benefits. What else could you possibly want?”

The tone of his voice told her there was something he wanted. Something he wasn’t getting from her. Her heart constricted. He’d told her he was okay with the situation. Why had he lied? Clearly he wasn’t nearly as fine as he’d professed. “You should have told me you didn’t want to do this anymore.”

His head snapped up, his gaze locking with hers. Disbelief warred with the aggravation she caught there. “I want you, Andrea. Don’t ever doubt that, no matter what happens.”

“Then you have me really confused. I don’t understand what the problem is.”

He pushed out of the chair and paced across the room, shoulders hunched and fists clenching and unclenching. When he finally stopped, he fixed her with a glare that had her gulping. “You know what? It isn’t important. Let’s get out of here.”

 

 

 

Brian wanted to speed down the road toward his apartment, but he forced himself to keep the car at a reasonable pace. He might be feeling self-destructive right now, but that didn’t mean he needed to endanger Andrea along with himself. He was the one with the issues. Andrea, as always, was perfectly in control.

The fact that she was trying to calm him even though his anger was directed at her made his teeth clench. Her hand resting on his arm was almost too much for him to take. Did she really think she would be able to offer him comfort right now? Everything in his life that had been constant had suddenly been shaken up. Over the past few years, he’d thrived on consistency. Now it had all been pulled out from under him.

Instead of getting angry with her, instead of venting his frustrations, he kept his mouth shut and fumed. Yeah, it freaked him out that his parents were selling the house, but the situation with Andrea was what was really bothering him. If things had been fine between them, he probably wouldn’t have gotten upset at all.

She squeezed his arm. “Keeping it in isn’t healthy.”

Damn it. She knew him too well. That was the problem with having a fling with one’s best friend. There weren’t many secrets between them. Now she seemed to be able to read him even better than she had before. “I’m not keeping it in. I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not. Talk to me, Brian.”

Her request irked him. This was the first time in a week she’d seemed to be interested in anything but his body. He wanted to open up to her, but at the same time, he couldn’t. He no longer knew how. Things had gotten too messed up. Instead of taking her up on her offer, he braked in front of his apartment and shut the car off. “Are you coming upstairs or do you want me to drive you home?”

“Are you going to talk to me?”

“No.”

“Then I think I’ll just call a cab. It’ll save us both a lot of trouble and a very uncomfortable ride back to my place.”

She got out and started walking down the sidewalk, pulling out her cell phone as she went, but he jumped out of the car and called to her to stop. No way did he want her to leave right now. He’d do whatever it took to keep her with him, even if it meant opening up when he wasn’t sure if he could trust her anymore.

She turned around, her hands on her hips. The look in her eyes was pure fire. “What?”

“Don’t go, okay? Please.”

For a harrowing few seconds, he thought she might deny his request, but then she strode over to him and took his hand.

 

 

 

What am I going to do with you? Andrea followed Brian into his apartment, squeezing his fingers just before she dropped his hand. He was such a guy. Never wanting to talk about his feelings. Sure, he’d confided in her in the past, but she was starting to realize most of the stuff he’d said had been superficial. The tattoos he’d never before mentioned—and kept hidden—showed her there was a lot about Brian Storm she had yet to learn.

She looked forward to uncovering every detail. But not now. Now he needed to vent his frustrations, one way or another.

He closed the door behind them and reached for her, and she didn’t even think about turning him down. If he needed touch instead of words, who was she to deny him? At the moment, faced with the very real possibility of losing him, she needed to feel connected to him again.

His lips came down on hers in a crushing kiss that sent a jolt of pure lust straight through her. He nudged her backward until she hit the wall, and even then he crowded closer, pressing his body against hers. His tongue stroked into her mouth at a fevered pitch, his hands roaming her body and pulling at her clothes. Already she could feel his erection straining against her belly, and her body responded in kind, dampening and softening in anticipation. Her fingers worked the zipper on his khakis and she freed his cock from the confines of his underwear.

Her touch seemed to drive his need higher. He released her, but only long enough to sheath himself with a condom from his pocket. He unzipped her jeans and pushed them down her legs, along with her panties. Once she’d toed off her shoes, she stepped out of her clothes and Brian lifted her legs around his waist. Without preamble, he slid into her, all the way to the hilt.

Andrea cried out, wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him down for another kiss. His strokes were frantic, his breath hot against her skin when he broke the kiss. He pressed his lips to the side of her neck, his hands on her hips, lifting her to change the angle of his thrusts.

Whatever he did, he was enough. His cock brushed something inside her with each thrust and drove her closer and closer to the edge. Her head dropped back, her lips parted and her eyes closed. In this position, she couldn’t move. Couldn’t do anything but hang on and enjoy the ride.

Moments later, she came just like that, screaming Brian’s name as he stiffened and followed her into orgasm.

She was still trembling when he lowered her to set her on her feet and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. “I’m sorry,” he whispered in her ear.

She couldn’t help the little sliver of disappointment that wedged itself into her euphoria. “Are you?”

“Not about this.” He gave her hips a squeeze. “About earlier. I was an ass. I didn’t mean to be.”

She cupped his cheek in her palm. “You were upset, and rightly so. It’s not your fault.”

“That’s no excuse for me to treat you that way. I’ll try not to let it happen again. Why don’t we move this conversation into the bedroom and get more comfortable?”

“Sounds like a plan.”

At least it had, until he picked her up in his arms and cradled her close as he carried her down the hall. She rested her head on his shoulder, but at the same time, warning bells went off in her mind. She didn’t need his tenderness. Much more of this and she’d forget why she didn’t want a long-term relationship.

Getting involved with Brian would tear apart her plans.