Something smelled delicious, like spice and heat. I wanted
to wrap it around me like a blanket.
I snuggled closer to the source, enjoying the strong, solid warmth beneath my cheek. I didnโt want to wake up, but Iโd promised Bridget I would volunteer at a local pet shelter with her this morning, before my afternoon shift at the gallery.
I allowed myself one more minute of cozinessโhad my bed always been this big and softโbefore I opened my eyes and yawned.
Weird.ย My room looked different. No photograph prints papering the walls, no vase of sunflowers by the bed. And did my bed just move by itself?
My eyes latched onto the broad expanse of bare skin beneath me, and my stomach dropped. I looked up, upโ straight into a pair of familiar green eyes. Eyes that stared back at me with no hint of the humor from last night.
He flicked his gaze down. I followed itโฆand realized, to my abject horror, that I was touching Alex Volkovโs dick. Unintentionally, and he had on sweats, but still.
I. Was. Touching. Alex. Volkovโs. Dick. And it was hard.
Mortification washed over me in a tidal wave.ย Move your hand. Move it now!ย My brain screamed, and I wanted to. I
really did. But I stayed frozen, paralyzed by shock and humiliation and something else I would rather not name.
A brief image flashed through my mind of what Alex must be packing beneath his pants. I had a feelingโpun intendedโit would rival that of any male porn star.
โPlease remove your hand from my cock unless you plan on doing something with it,โ Alex said coolly.
I finally yanked my hand away and scrambled back, my heart beating a wild rhythm in my chest as I tried to get my bearings.
โWhat happened? Why am I here? Did weโdid you and I
โโ I gestured between us, sick with anticipation.
Oh, God, Josh would kill me, and I couldnโt even blame him.
Iโd slept with my brotherโs best friend.
Shit!
โRelax.โ Alex rolled out of bed, lithe and graceful as a panther. Sunlight streamed through the windows and illuminated his sculpted frame, casting his perfectly carved chest and abs in a pale glow. โYou fell asleep during that dog movie and it was raining, so I brought you up here. The end.โ
โSo we didnโtโฆโ โFuck? No.โ
โOh, thank God.โ I pressed a hand to my forehead, relief a cool balm to the heat on my cheeks. โThat wouldโve been awful.โ
โIโll try not to take offense to that,โ Alex said dryly.
โYou know what I mean. Josh wouldโve murdered us, brought us back to clean up the mess, then murdered us again. Not that I want to sleep with you either way.โย Liar,ย an annoying voice in my head whispered. I shoved it aside. โYouโre not my type.โ
Alexโs eyes narrowed. โNo? Then who, pray tell,ย isย your
type?โ
It was too early for this. โUmโฆโ I scrambled to think of a safe answer. โIan Somerhalder?โ
He let out a derisive snort. โBetter than the sparkly vampire,โ he muttered. โNewsflash, Sunshine, you and Ian arenโt happening.โ
I rolled my eyes and got out of bed, flinching when I saw my reflection in the mirror. Wrinkled dress, tangled hair, pillow creases on my cheek, and was that a line of crusted drool on the side of my lips? Yeah, I wouldnโt win a beauty contest anytime soon.
โThanks, Captain Obvious,โ I said, discreetly wiping the drool from my face while Alex pulled a T-shirt over his head. His bedroom was as sparse as the living room, with nothing except his massive bed, a nightstand with a lamp and alarm clock, and a dresser decorating the space. โDonโt get your panties in a twist. Iโm not your type either, remember? Or maybe I amโฆโ I raised my eyebrows at the obvious tent in his pants.
He wanted to be a jerk again? Two could play this game. โDonโt read too much into it. Itโs morning wood. Every
guy gets it.โ Alex ran a hand through his hair, which of course was still perfect after a nightโs sleep. โAnd my panties areย notย in a twist.โ
โIf you say so,โ I sang. โAlso, stop calling me Sunshine.โ โWhy?โ
โBecause itโs not my name.โ โIโm aware. Itโs a nickname.โ
I released an exasperated breath. โWe donโt know each other well enough for nicknames.โ
โWeโve known each other for eight years.โ
โYes, but we donโt have that type of relationship! Plus, Iโm sure youโre mocking me, bleeding heart and all.โ
Alex raised an eyebrow. โEnlighten me. What type of relationshipย doย we have?โ
We were treading dangerous ground. โWeโre neighbors. Friendly acquaintances.โ I racked my brain for more
because those terms didnโt seem right. โMovie buddies?โ
He closed the distance between us, and I gulped, holding my ground even though I wanted to run. โYou always sleep in the same bed as your acquaintances?โ he asked softly.
โI didnโtย askย to sleep in the same bed as you.โ I tried not to stare at the region below his waist, but it was difficult to ignore. My nipples hardened and scraped against my bra, and my skin flushed with arousal.
What the hell was happening? This wasย Alex,ย for Peteโs sake. The Antichrist. The asshole. The robot.
Except my body mustโve not gotten the memo, because I was suddenly fantasizing about pushing him on the bed and finishing what my hand had inadvertently started earlier.
No. Get it together. You are not sleeping with Alex Volkov, now or ever.
โAnyway, IโI have to go. Volunteer. Pets,โ I stammered, barely making sense to myself. โThanksforlettingmestayoverseeyoulaterbye!โ
I beat a hasty retreat down the stairs and ran home. I needed a cold shower, ASAP.
PHASE SADNESS STATUS: FAILED
 |
โYOUย TOUCHEDย ALEXโS DICK?โย Bridgetโs eyes widened. โWhat did it feel like?โ
โShhh!โ I glanced around to see if anyone was listening, but everyone was too busy with their duties to pay attention to us. Bridget had volunteered at the shelter long enough the staff didnโt blink an eye at the princess in their midst, and we were always the only volunteers on the days Bridget came in, per the royal familyโs request. โItโs unbecoming for a princess to say the word dick.โ
Especially in Bridgetโs posh, lightly accented voice, which sounded like it was made to discuss fancy galas and Harry Winston diamonds,ย notย male genitalia.
โIโve said worse things than dick.โ
As someone whoโd been friends with her for almost four years, I could confirm. It still sounded wrong though.
โSo?โ she prompted. โWhat did it feel like?โ
โI donโt know what you want me to say. It felt like a penis.โ A big, hardโnope. Notย going there.
Not now. Not ever.
Bridget and I were cleaning and sanitizing the cages at Wags and Whiskers, a pet rescue shelter located near campus. She was a huge animal person and had been volunteering here since sophomore year. I accompanied her when I had time, as did Stella. Jules was allergic to cats, so she stayed away. But this shelter was Bridgetโs baby. She came twice a week without fail, much to Boothโs consternation.
I stifled a smile at the sight of the burly, redheaded bodyguard eyeing a parrot with suspicion. Despite its name, Wags and Whiskers took in all sorts of animals, not just cats and dogs, and it had a small but robust bird section.
Booth wasnโt scared of birds per se, but he disliked them; he said they reminded him of giant flying rats.
โHmm.โ Bridget seemed disappointed by my uninteresting response. โAnd the movies really didnโt make him sad? At all?โ
โNope.โ I rolled up the newspaper from my cage and dumped it in the garbage can. โWell, I fell asleep before the end ofย Marley & Me,ย but I doubt he cried or anything like that. He looked bored the entire time.โ
โYet he continued watchingย bothย movies.โ Bridget raised a perfect blonde brow. โInteresting.โ
โHe didnโt have a choice. I was already at his house.โ
โPlease. This is Alex Volkov weโre talking about. Heโd throw someone out in a heartbeat if he wanted.โ
True.
I frowned and considered her words. โHeโs nicer to me because Iโm Joshโs sister.โ
โRight.โ Bridget let out a soft laugh. โWhich phase is up next again?โ
Ugh, the stupid Operation Emotion, or OE as Iโd started calling it. It was the bane of my existence.
โDisgust.โ I had no clue what Iโd do, but that phase seemed easier. I had a feeling lots of things disgusted Alex.
โIโd pay good money to see that.โ Bridget tossed a laughing glance in Boothโs direction. โAre you all right, Booth?โ
โYes, Your Highness.โ He grimaced when the parrot squawked, โOoh, yes! Spank me, master!โ
โI am not your master,โ he told the bird. โGo away.โ
The parrot drew itself up and ru๏ฌed its feathers in indignation.
Bridget and I burst into laughter. Apparently, the parrotโs old owner had been quite active sexuallyโฆand kinky. Its outburst today was tame compared to its previous tirades.
โIโll miss you.โ Bridget sighed. โI hope my next bodyguard has a sense of humor.โ
I stopped scrubbing the cage. โWait, what? Booth, youโre leaving us?โ
Booth scratched the back of his neck, looking sheepish. โMy wife is giving birth soon, so Iโll be on paternity leave.โ
โCongrats.โ I smiled, even though I was pretty sad. He was Bridgetโs employee, but weโd accepted him as an honorary member of our group. Heโd bailed us out of many dodgy situations in the past, and he gave pretty good boy advice, too. โWeโll miss you, but that is so exciting!โ
His face flushed with pleasure. โThank you, Miss Ava.โ
He was unfailingly polite and insisted on calling me โMissโ no matter how many times I told him he could use just my first name.
โWeโre throwing you a going away party when the time comes,โ Bridget said. โYou deserve it for putting up with me all these years.โ
Boothโs blush deepened. โThatโs not necessary, Your Highness. It wasโisโa pleasure serving at your side.โ
Bridgetโs eyes twinkled. โSee, this is why you deserve a going away party. Youโre the best.โ
Before Booth could explode from how red he was turning, I added, โWeโll make it parrot themed.โ
Bridget and I collapsed into laughter again while the bodyguard shook his head with a half-resigned, half- embarrassed smile.
It was almost enough to take my mind off Alex.
