Chapter One

 

Hutton Everest

A few beauties are perched on stools nearby.

Two friends. One blond—pretty, but the brunette is stunning with her amber eyes and long legs. I can tell by the way they’re eyeing me that I could probably chat up either or both and score, but that’s not what, or who, I want tonight.

When they eye up my brother Ethan, I roll my eyes, and I say, “Looks like you have your pick.”

“I have one night in Austin. I don’t want to spend it on women who would be happy with any guy who buys them a drink.”

“Wise choice.”

I haven’t seen my middle brother since Ethan officially moved to New York City. He doesn’t seem to have the time to come back to Houston anymore. I’d like to say he came down to hang out with me, and our friend Gear, for a guys’ weekend, but he was in meetings all day.

It’s okay because I can’t say I came into town without ulterior motives either. I miss my little wildcat in the sheets. I miss laughing with her, and hearing her voice. I probably bored the guys with talk of her at dinner.

Despite them starting to get toasty, I’ve only had a beer since we arrived an hour ago.

I’m anxious.

I’m ready to see her, the woman I can’t stop thinking about. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her. A couple of months feels like years.

As soon as I see her walk in, my core calms and I slink into my role. I won’t be able to play for long. She’s looking damn good. Tight jeans. Leather jacket with a tight top underneath and black boots that hug her calves.

“Damn.” Ethan beats me to the punch.

“Eyes off, bro. She’s all mine.”

“That’s the woman you were talking about earlier?”

“That’s her.”

“You failed to mention how . . . Wow, she’s something.”

It’s my brother so I won’t kick his ass. This time. “She is,” I reply, appreciating the view as she walks by. “Now eyes off.”

Gear says, “Hut dragged our asses from Houston to Austin to see the band. I thought, but I should have known he had ulterior motives. You’re lucky your brother’s in town, Hutton, or I’d be pissed for being dumped for a lay.”

“She’s not a lay, man.” It’s amazing how in a loud bar, I can still hear their silence as they stare at me. “What?”

“What?” Ethan asks. “You never talk about women like that.”

“You make it sound like I don’t respect them. I have way more faith in the kinder, smarter sex.”

“Let’s just say you never disrespected a woman who didn’t ask you to and leave it at that.”

It’s true, and funny.

Wrapping his arm over my shoulder, he pulls me in. “It’s been too long. We’ve got to do better. You know you can fly up to the Big Apple anytime you want on my dime.”

“On the jet?”

“Dime. Not jet.”

“First class?”

“All the way.”

“I knew there were perks to having a sibling who struck it rich.”

He swallows half his beer and lets out a big sigh. “I earned every dollar, my friend. Anyway, I have a job waiting for you when you’re ready to make the move up north.”

“How’s the pay?”

“Better than you’re making now working for Dad, and it comes with perks.”

The band takes the stage and the crowd’s cheer temporarily drowns out our conversation. I say, “Let’s talk before you leave.”

Gear says, “This band is awesome. They’re going to be huge one day.”

Ethan asks, “Who are they?”

“The Crow Brothers.” My favorite little hottie walks back by, batting her eyelashes, and letting her eyes linger on mine before she’s tugged away by her friend.

Elbowed by my brother, he then says, “Just because I flew a few thousand miles to hang out, doesn’t mean you’re stuck with me all night.”

Rubbing my thumb over my lower lip, I watch as she walks away, that ass round and enticing my mind to remember how fucking great it looks naked. I’m not doing a good job at sticking to the role I’m supposed to be playing—stranger who picks her up at a bar and has my wicked way with her later. That role was once real, but now I’ve tasted her too many times to pretend I don’t know her. The feel of her skin still burns my fingertips in a delicious way, making me crave her all the time. Living in two different cities is not convenient when the only woman you want to get off with is three hours away. “She’s hot, huh?”

“Very.” He nudges me. “The band’s starting. Why don’t you go over and see what’s going on with her? I’ll be here with Gear.”

“She has a cute friend,” I say, hinting. “Maybe the Everest brothers need to put the act back together.”

“Too bad Max isn’t here.” He laughs. “I’m tempted to make it a duo. You always did make a solid wingman.”

“What can I say, I got Mom’s good looks and Dad’s charm.”

“What did ya get from me?”

“A hard time.”

“Fuck off,” he says, laughing even harder. Grabbing the pitcher, he refills his pint. “She’s still got her eyes on you.”

“We’ve hooked up before.”

“I used to hook up with a flight attendant based out of JFK. I got more than first class service on those flights. It was a real bummer when she got engaged to a pilot on her route.”

“What’d you do?”

“I bought a jet and now fly private.”

Shaking my head, I can’t help but laugh. His eyes are still on my girl when he asks, “So, this is a game you play?” His voice straddles interest and distraction.

“Something like that.” I look back at her—Ally Edwards moved well past one-night stand just over a year ago when I came back to Austin the following weekend just to see her again. We don’t date.

We meet up to fuck.

I decide to go over, but I order a gin and tonic with a twist of lime before I do. Carrying that and my beer in the other hand, I work my way through the crowd to the back of the bar just as the band kicks in.

Ally keeps her gaze ahead, watching the band on stage. It’s not lost on me that so many guys have their eyes on her. Her angular jaw leads to the tip of her chin at the bottom of her heart-shaped face. Her lips are red and full with a sweet little bow at the top. Soft waves of cappuccino colored hair caress her shoulders and lower. It’s grown a lot since I’ve known her. I love it long though she looked great before too. She has the body of a tennis player—strong, but lean arms, thigh muscles that show her efforts to stay fit, and full breasts shadowing a toned stomach.

Her signature scent has hints of seduction layered beneath floral tones despite trying to leave her smelling of the subtle claims I try to stake when I’m with her. From behind, I lean down and whisper, “I wasn’t sure you’d show.”

Without turning back, she replies, “But here I am.”

“Yes. You are, Ms. Edwards. And looking more beautiful than ever.”

She turns around, her hand slipping under my shirt, her fingertips dipping into the top of my jeans. Closing the distance between us, her heat radiates. “Are you alone, Hutton?”

“I’m here with a friend and my brother.”

“I meant a woman. Are you still single or are you seeing someone in Houston?”

She’s never asked me about other women. There’s an unspoken understanding between us. We have never held each other accountable for anything other than when we’re together and then time stops. I wish it would move backward to give us a few more seconds, minutes, hours together.

I’m never granted my wish, so we remain in the comfort of meet up to fuck. That’s it. Until tonight. I don’t see jealousy in her eyes though I would pay good money to know she felt that strongly for me. “Not in Houston, but there’s a woman in Austin I can’t stop thinking about. Drink?”

Taking the glass from me, she takes a sip and then says, “Thank you. About this woman—”

“She’s beautiful—long hair that covers me when she’s on top and looking down into my eyes as she takes what she wants.”

A sly smile appears, and she teases her fingers around the top of my underwear. “She sounds selfish.”

“No, she’s not selfish. She just knows what she likes and likes to feel good, but she gives as good as she gets.”

When her middle presses to mine, I slide my arm around her waist and hold her close. “Tell me more about this woman that gives so good.”

“She’s got these eyes that see through my lines, so I don’t lie or waste my best moves. She’s too smart for that, so I stick to the basics and open myself up for rejection.”

“If you’re so open, she’ll see your sincerity.”

“And if she doesn’t?”

“Then come find me.”

“Found you.” Tilting my head, I lean forward and rest my temple against her. “I’ve missed you, or are we not allowed to say that?”

Her silence is palpable. When I lean back enough to draw her gaze from the stage to me, she says, “We shouldn’t,” before she looks down at the drink in her hand.

“Okay. We’ll keep it light, no strings.” I start mentally packing away my carabiners, ropes, and other gear I brought this weekend to attach my strings to her in some form of commitment.

The warmth is gone when her hand joins her other by wrapping around her sweating glass. “We used to be a lot simpler.”

“After the first time we kissed, it was never simple again.”

The crowd is loud as The Crow Brothers finish another song. “They sound amazing.”

Nice try, Ms. Edwards, on the distraction technique. I’ll give her a little space on the issue. For now. “Yeah, they do.” I take her by the wrist, wanting all of her attention, and time. “Hey?”

Her sea-green gaze slides from where I’m touching her wrist up to my eyes. “You hurt me, Hutton.”

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. This is new information. “How’d I hurt you?”

“The last time we talked—”

Oh, yeah. I remember a different version of that conversation, but we can start with her hurt feelings first. “I hurt you because I told you I wouldn’t wait around for you any longer?”

“My life is already complicated, and you didn’t understand. I still don’t think you do.”

“I want to though. That should matter.”

She lets out a heavy breath and says, “You came along and made things messy.”

Meet up and fuck. “Relationships are messy.” Maybe I judged her wrong. Maybe we’re more than what we said. Maybe we’re what we felt inside but never shared instead. I’ve been hoping we were for a while, but she didn’t seem to be onboard. Taking her hand, I hold it, running my thumb over the delicate skin of her knuckles. “I wouldn’t know how complicated your life is because you never share it with me.”

“I share my body and soul with you, which is more than I have to give most days.”

“We wasted a perfectly good weekend by not being together, a weekend we had planned to share more than our bodies and souls. But you didn’t show up. So tell me something, Ally. What’s so fucking complicated in your life that you can’t come see a good friend?”

She laughs, and although it’s good to see her smile, it doesn’t reach her eyes. Lifting up on her toes, she kisses my cheek when I’d rather have her kissing my mouth, and then she whispers, “Is that all you are, Hutton Everest? A good friend of mine?”

“I’d be more for you.”

“You once told me you don’t do more.”

“That was before I knew you, Ally.”

“You’re smooth.”

“I’m honest.” I wish I wasn’t holding this beer so I could hold her tighter, feel the curve of her waist to her hip, and then slip under her shirt to feel the skin of her lower back. Images of that lower back before me as I fucked her and then turning her over so I could see her face . . . “I want to see you.”

“You said you wouldn’t wait—”

“I waited. For you, I’ve waited.”

Turning around, her back presses to my chest. “Maybe you shouldn’t have.”

“I know every inch of your body, probably better than you. Let me get to know the rest of you.”

“Complicated—”

“I know. I know. Messy. I don’t care though. I like messy.”

She laughs and there’s a genuine sincerity to the sound this time. “You like getting messy between the sheets.”

“I can’t lie. When it comes to you, I do. As for complicated, we can simplify things in time. What do you think about going from having an occasional meet up to dating exclusively?”

Her head whips to the side, her mouth open . . . God, I love that mouth. “Hutton?”

“Ally.”

“Your brother is over there and I’ve never even met him?”

I’m not sure the question she’s asking, but I think I’m following her train of thought. “I’d like you to, but not meeting my family before we start dating can’t be the reason you’re holding back.”

After taking another sip of her drink, some of the tension leaves her body and she turns to face me, her arms maneuvering around my neck. I like when she gets publicly possessive. With that sexy sweet smile on her face, the one that attracted me to her the first time I ever saw her, she asks, “How long are you in town?”

“Tonight.”

“Then we’ll make the most of it.” The pressure of her lips on mine is a quick reminder of the heat we’ve always had between the sheets.

I give into her like I always do and kiss her back. I’ve started caring for her, about her. I can’t stop thinking about her and what she does when we’re not together, which is ninety percent of our lives.

I like the way she feels against me. I like the feelings she stirs inside. I like that hope seems to find it’s way through the dark nights we’ve spent together, letting me believe, if only for a short time, that we might be together come dawn.

When the audience starts clapping, her friend eyes me and then asks her, “I’m heading home in a few songs. Are you staying?”

Ally smiles at me. “I am.”

“Are you sure?” she follows up.

“Absolutely.”

“Okay then.” I’m tapped on the shoulder, her friend’s amber eyes zone in on me. “Take care of her.”

“I will.”

“I meant her heart.”

“So did I.”

My response earns a smirk before she turns to Ally and adds, “I’ll see you in the morning.”

They give each other a hug and say their goodbyes. When Ally turns to me, I say, “Your friend doesn’t like me.”

“She doesn’t have anything against you. She just doesn’t like some of my choices.”

Chuckling, I shake my head. “Like me.”

“Stop it.” Playfully patting my chest, she still smiles, amused by the conversation or maybe I make her happy. “It’s me, not you. That sounds like a cliché but it’s true.”

“She knows about us.”

“I’ve told her how I feel.”

“Maybe you can clue me in.”

There’s that sigh again as she rolls her head to the side. “Hut—”

We’re having a good time and I don’t want to ruin it. I nod to my left. “Come meet my brother.”

“That feels pretty big.”

“I know firsthand that you can handle big.” I wink.

Her laugher fills the air. “I meant a big step.”

“Why take any if they’re not big and moving in the right direction.” Leading her by the hand, we cut through the audience watching the band. When we reach my brother and Gear, I pull Ally up from behind, so she’s in front and wrap my arm over her middle.

Perfect timing. The song ends and the band does an equipment check. I take advantage of the quick break. “This is Ally. Ally, this is my brother Ethan, and my friend Gear.”

She shakes their hands, and then glances between Ethan and me. “You and your brother look a lot alike.”

“Strong genes,” I reply.

“Genes of Everest proportions.” She laughs with a little snort punctuating the bad, but completely adorable joke. “You have an older brother, too, right?”

“Yes. Max.”

Peeking up at me, she says, “I can only imagine the trouble the three of you were in high school.”

“And college,” I reply, laughing. “But we don’t need to talk about that.”

Orrrr we can . . . To Ethan, she says, “I bet you have some good stories about Hutton.”

Ethan chuckles, but is smart enough to not get into that. “Too many to tell.”

“I can imagine,” she replies as if she’s in on the joke. Confidence was something else that caught my attention the first night we fucked. She continues to talk to him, “Let me ask you something. Was he always such a ladies’ man?”

Glancing between us, he takes a swig of beer. “I’m pretty sure that anything I say will be used against him, so we’ll go with, he was popular in school with the ladies. Their boyfriends, not so much.”

It’s only a light punch to the shoulder, but I was tempted to do more like when we were growing up. As the youngest and most picked on, I learned from the best, he and Max. I’m pretty certain I owe them a few real punches from all the years of younger sibling torture I endured.

Ally looks up at me. “They had boyfriends?”

I’d love to avoid this conversation. Clearly, I’ve matured since then. I almost laugh at my thought. I answer instead, “Only a few—the head cheerleader, the homecoming queen, that cute girl who worked at Subway, and . . . okay, more than a few had boyfriends, but I can’t help that they stepped out on their relationships.”

Shaking her head, she continues to laugh. “No, you’re the innocent one, right?” This time she winks at me.

She always starts out a little cold at first and then gradually warms up again. The distance and time between us creates this weird current as if we’re being reintroduced every time we meet. I’m starting to think it’s the complications when we’re apart that does it.

One gin and tonic in and her transformation begins.