Fall for Me (Danvers #3)(3)
Any other man would be confused by such a statement, but Gray seemed to take it all in stride. “Good evening, Beth.” When she smiled weakly at him, he turned back to Suzy. “Ah, baby, it would appear that I’m in the doghouse again. We could save time if you just tell me what I’m guilty of.”
“You’re guilty of having a horny brother who lowered his zipper in the wrong place this time!”
Beth could see the instant Gray looked at her and made the connection. “Oh, hell. I’ll kill him,” Gray sighed.
“You won’t have to; I’m going to stick my foot so far up his ass, he may never walk right again.”
Beth looked back and forth between her sister and Gray as they each threatened bodily harm to Nick in turn. This was really absurd. Nick hadn’t seduced some teenager; she was an adult, fast approaching thirty. What did it say about her that they thought she was this easily led astray? Poor fat Beth, she has to be protected from evil Nick. Show the big girl some attention and she loses her head.
Screw this, she had had enough.
“Stop! My God, do you hear yourselves? Nick hasn’t done anything wrong. Let me tell you—I wanted him. Hell, I still want him. I like sex; actually I love sex! Nick tried to be a gentleman and walk away after our first kiss, but you know what? I grabbed him and crammed my tongue down his throat and ripped the buttons off his shirt right in your kitchen. I have been fully willing and eager every time we have had sex and, believe me, we’ve had plenty. I’m enjoying myself and when I’m ready, I’ll walk away.”
When Beth paused to take a breath, she saw the stunned expressions on Suzy’s and Gray’s faces. Okay, possibly she might have gone a bit too far in her defense of Nick. Maybe a simple sentence letting them know it had been consensual would have been better than, “Hey, I’m a slut.”
“Um, I think I’ll go upstairs to my office. You know, take care of a few things. I’m sure you two would like some privacy.” Gray left the room as fast as his Italian loafers would carry him.
Great, I’ll never be able to look him in the eyes again. Every time he goes in his kitchen, he’s going to imagine me ripping his brother’s clothes off against his granite countertops.
Suzy pointed her to the couch in the living room before she walked into the kitchen. Moments later, she returned with a bottle of wine, orange juice, and two glasses. She motioned for Beth to be quiet until she had filled her glass to the rim and then proceeded to drain half of it. Taking a deep breath, she said, “All right, start at the beginning and feel free to gloss over any parts that you know will make me want to puke.”
Beth picked up the glass of juice that Suzy had poured for her and took a sip while trying to decide where to begin. Well, heck, if she wanted the whole story, then that was what she would get.
Chapter Two
Six Months Earlier
Beth stood in the waiting room of the hospital with Claire and Jason. Her sister had been injured in an accident and Beth was waiting to see her. She was talking to Claire when a drop-dead gorgeous man strolled through the emergency room doors. Immediately the eyes of every woman—hers included—were riveted to him, or more specifically, to his butt. She was surprised when Jason said, “Hey, Nick, over here, man.”
Mr. Hunk flashed a blinding smile that would do Colgate proud and swaggered over to where they were standing. He shook hands with Jason and then pulled Claire in for a hug. When those blue eyes landed on her, she had the urge to step behind the ficus tree beside her and try to blend into the scenery.
Jason stepped forward to make the introductions. “Beth, have you met Gray’s brother, Nick?”
“Um, no, I haven’t.” She cringed as Nick extended his hand. He was so attractive she was almost hesitant to touch the man. Reluctantly, she placed her hand in his and was surprised to feel a bolt of heat race through her. She instinctively pulled her hand back quickly, making his eyebrows arch in question at her.
“Nice to meet you, Beth. I’ve heard only good things about your sister.” She could feel her cheeks blushing furiously as he continued to study her.
Unable to bear his scrutiny another moment, Beth mumbled, “I’m going to see if they will let me back there to see her yet.”
“Good idea, I’ll walk with you,” Nick offered.
Well, damn, that didn’t work out at all. Not only am I still stuck with him, he’s right on my heels where he can’t help but see every lump in my oversized butt. Mr. Perfect probably hasn’t seen this much wiggle since his last bowl of Jell-O. She walked to the nurses’ station and was told that Suzy had been moved to a room. She had hoped Nick would at least wait in the waiting room or the hallway, but no such luck; he was practically stuck to her back as she opened the door to her sister’s room.
Another hot specimen of manhood was sitting at Suzy’s bedside holding her hand. This must be Gray. Why in the world was Suzy trying to get rid of him? The man was hot with a capital H! This whole situation was becoming something of a nightmare for Beth. She had never felt that comfortable around the opposite sex, even though she was working on that particular issue, but to be in such a small room with not one, but two of the hottest guys she had ever met, well, it felt like pure hell. She resisted the urge to start tugging at the long dress she wore. Was it riding up? Did her back look fat? Did she have granny-panty lines? The list of insecurities seemed to go on and on. These were men who would have you panting one second, and then praying to God that they would never see you naked the next.