Beast Brothers 2 Read online

  I make arrangements for a taxi, then head to the ladies room to check my makeup. This time, I bypass the still-long line since I’m only going to be using a mirror. I brush my hair, reapply my lipstick, and undo a top button on my blouse.

  There’s a cluster of bars not far from here. I have one in mind that’s usually filled with executive types on a Friday night. A little dancing, a little drinking, and a little something — make that a big something — to make my toes curl. That’s all I need tonight.

  5

  More Than Frisk Her

  Lucas

  “Well, look who it is.” The words are out before I think — very unlike me. Miss Zoe Kelleher has me off my game tonight. Her veil of golden blonde hair catches my eye, this time as she exits a women’s room.

  Alex stops in his tracks behind me. Shit. I should have kept my mouth shut. Maybe I could’ve sent Alex off to do some kind of busy work with our team while I asked her out.

  We haven’t competed for a girl since junior high. We swore then we’d never do it again, which was sometimes tricky because we have similar taste in women. Joining the service solved that problem. We were in different units, not even in the same country most of the time.

  Now that we’re working together, we’ve managed to keep our social lives separate ... until now. It figures we’d clash over the first woman I’ve really craved in a long time. “Dibs,” I say, half-joking, wondering if our adolescent protocol still holds any weight.

  Alex shoots me a look that says it doesn’t. Both of us are cutting across the flow of the crowd to get to her, moving in sync as we so often do. He steps into her path and I come up beside them.

  Her eyes flash. “Don’t shoot, officers,” Zoe says, voice dripping with sarcasm. “I used the little girls’ room this time, I promise.”

  What is it about a sassy woman that gets me every time? I want to turn her over my knee and — “We’re not cops,” I say.

  “I know what you are,” Zoe says. “Glorified mall guards.” Alex laughs out loud while I grit my teeth. “What am I doing wrong now?” she continues. “Walking the wrong way in a one-way hallway? Want to check my bag again in case I’ve swiped a roll of toilet paper?”

  “Lucky for you we can’t haul you in for attitude,” I retort. God, her smart mouth gets me hot.

  “We’re sorry about earlier,” Alex says, going for the smooth approach. “Can you give us one second?” She crosses her arms, hip jutting out, toe tapping impatiently. “One second,” Alex repeats, and pulls me back a step.

  “Luke,” he says in an undertone. “I really like this girl.”

  Oh, hell. I blow out a breath. “Me too, little brother.” It’s our old joke; I beat him into the world by about two minutes. We were both in a hurry to get on with the business of living.

  “Let’s not fuck this up for both of us,” Alex says. “We take her out, show her a good time, and let her choose. Right?”

  It’s the only thing that makes sense. If it were any other woman I’d just walk away and clear the field, but something about this woman and her sass is already under my skin. “Right,” I say at last, and we go back to her.

  “About before,” Alex says. “We were just doing our jobs.”

  “Some job.”

  “It’s not always quite so fun,” he says, his eyes roving down her body. Dammit. Even though we’ve agreed, I can’t resist the urge to muscle in.

  “Would you like to go out for a drink?” I say. Screw smooth; I’m more of an action guy.

  Zoe’s eyes widen before narrowing again. “You know who I am, not to mention my date of birth, and one of you is intimately acquainted with parts of my body that rarely see the sun. I don’t even know your names.”

  Alex extends his hand and starts to speak, but I outpace him again. “I’m Lucas Wolf,” I say. “This is my brother Alex.”

  “It’s nice to meet you properly,” Alex says, taking Zoe’s hand and not letting it go. “We drove here together, Lucas. If you go for a drink, I’ll have to go along.”

  Zoe laughs, and it’s a beautiful sound, which I’d be enjoying more if I weren’t irked by my brother. She looks between us, eyes sparkling. “I could use a drink,” she says. “I had a very stressful evening, what with being pushed up against a wall and frisked like a criminal.”

  Would anyone notice if I locked my brother in a broom closet? Then I could take Zoe into the restroom again, push her against the wall and do a hell of a lot more than frisk her.

  She’s finally disconnected from Alex, so I touch the small of her back and turn her toward the exit. “How about Renzey’s?” I say, naming a popular spot nearby that’s usually not too noisy. “I’ll drive?”

  “Sure. Just give me a second to cancel my taxi. Lucas, you said?”

  “Yeah,” I confirm. “Nice to meet you, Zoe.” I resist the urge to throw Alex a look that says this is on.

  6

  Rushing South

  Alex

  Getting down and dirty with Ms. Zoe Kelleher is going to be all the sweeter after I win her away from my brother. I’ll be gracious in victory, though. I’ll even pay for his cab when I borrow his car to drive her to my place.

  Of course, we live in the same building so I could just give him a ride. But I’m not going to be quite that gracious.

  I can’t believe Lucas and I are competing for a girl. Ever since Jodie Meyer in seventh grade, we’ve managed to stay out of each other’s way. But Zoe is too sweet to let go.

  Too bad I didn’t drive tonight. I’m stuck in the back seat while Lucas and Zoe talk up front. Luckily, the drive is short so I’ll easily make up whatever points he’s gaining. “So what do you do, Zoe?” my brother says.

  “I’m assistant manager at Fleur de Lis,” she says. When neither of us says anything, she adds, “It’s a boutique.”

  That explains her style. “What brought you to the fight?” Lucas continues. “Are you a big fan of martial arts? Maybe you fight yourself?”

  She laughs again, head back, uninhibited. The sound goes straight to my cock. Damn, I can’t wait to get her in bed.

  “No,” she says. “I was there with friends. I’m more of a lover than a fighter.” I’ll just bet she is. “And you and Alex …” her voice trails off, and I can tell she’s trying to be delicate.

  “We own our own security and investigations firm,” Lucas says. He’s probably been chomping at the bit to share that information. The mall guard comments must have stung — even though I could see he was getting off on her smart mouth.

  Too bad for him. We’ll have a drink, and then her mouth will be mine. He and I both know I’m better at turning on the charm.

  Lucas pulls up to the valet, and I jump out and open Zoe’s door. Her skirt has shimmied further up her thighs, and looking down into the car, I have a perfect view of the soft fullness revealed by her low-cut shirt. Forget all those high-performance statistics; this is probably the real reason sports cars are built so low to the ground.

  She takes my offered hand, and I help her out and escort her through the double doors before Lucas has even gotten his ticket from the attendant.

  Renzey’s is busy but I find a dark, quiet corner for us. Unfortunately, there’s seating for four, and my brother joins us before we get settled. There’s a tense game of chicken as he and I exchange glances, trying to figure out how to get drinks without either of us leaving our date alone with the other. I’m about to suggest a coin toss to decide who’ll go to the bar when a waitress approaches.

  Zoe orders a scotch, a choice that seems very fitting with her elegant style. When she’s not telling us off, she’s all cool confidence.

  “So what was actually going on tonight?” she asks, looking between us as we sit on either side of her. “I’m still not clear on why I was felt up like that.”

  While I’m distracted remembering what her body felt like under my hands, Lucas answers. “We had to locate a stalker fan tonight. Maybe you saw her jump onstage.”

>   “Oh yeah,” Zoe says, recognition lighting up her features. “Doesn’t seem like you quite got to her in time.”

  My brother’s jaw tightens. That’s a sore spot for him. “No harm was done,” I say. “The crowd got two shows for the price of one.”

  As the waitress delivers our drinks, Zoe says, “It’s so funny you thought I might be the fangirl.”

  “I can tell that’s not your style,” I say. “You wouldn’t jump a guy like she did.”

  “Not in public, anyway.” She arches a brow, her lips curving into a grin that makes my jeans way too tight. I silently ask the universe for an emergency to call Lucas away and leave me with Zoe.

  Instead, he says, “Let’s toast. To meeting in strange places.” He clinks his glass with Zoe’s, ignoring me completely.

  “To frisking,” I say. Usually my lines are better than that, but all the blood in my brain is rushing south.

  Lucas stands. Maybe he’s going to hit the men’s room and leave us alone. Instead, he bends to Zoe. “Would you like to dance?”

  7

  Exactly What He Wants

  Zoe

  I wish Megan were here to see this. As Lucas leads me to the dance floor, I glance over my shoulder. Alex gives me a wink, but there’s a gleam in his eye that says he’s plotting his next move.

  In all the stories Megan’s told about the Beast Brothers’ courtship of her, and all the scenes I witnessed personally, Brock and Cody never competed for her. They worked together as a team to win her — conquer her, even. Very successfully, I might add.

  My fantasies about finding the same thing have apparently blinded me to the fact that most men, even twins, don’t share that way. Alex and Lucas are acting like one of them has to win and the other has to lose, and I’m just the spoils of war.

  But maybe before the night is over, I can run a stealth initiative of my own and convince them there don’t have to be any losers. These men are too gorgeous to give up on.

  My few sips of whiskey have loosened me up just enough to let it all hang out. I shimmy up to Lucas, letting the music take me. He moves well, and my mind keeps wandering to how good his moves might be in a more horizontal setting.

  Maybe it’s the whiskey, or the pounding beat, or the heat in his silver-blue eyes. Or maybe it’s just me. But when the song ends and another one begins, I boogie over to where Alex is still watching us. “Come on!” I say happily. “Let’s all dance together!”

  He doesn’t waste any time in accepting, and as he follows me to the dance floor I see Lucas with a face like thunder. Pretending not to notice, I go right back to dancing with him, turning every few steps to face Alex.

  The music casts its spell over us. Speech disappears, and everything is physical, our bodies the only language. Lucas touches me first, his hands coming to my hips while my back is to him, his hard body rubbing against me. Alex gets into the act a few seconds later, lacing his fingers through mine.

  And so we move, the three of us, me pinned between them, right where I want to be. When the song ends, there’s a long moment where none of us break position. Lucas’s fingers tighten on my hips; Alex’s eyes are locked on mine.

  Then a drunken couple bump into us on their way past, and the spell is broken. The twins herd me back to our booth. Their intensity has ramped up during the dancing, and I can practically smell the testosterone in the air.

  The men are so intent on me that it’s as if each of them is trying to pretend the other isn’t there. For my fantasy to have a chance of coming true, I need them on the same page. “So, how long have you been working together?” I ask.

  Their eyes flick, almost reluctantly, to each other, then back to me. “Not quite a year,” Lucas answers.

  “And before that?” The more I can get them talking about each other, the harder it should be for them to maintain their animosity. Unless they actually hate each other, and I don’t get that vibe at all.

  “Military,” Alex says succinctly.

  I turn my head to him. “You don’t like to talk about it?”

  “I’ve got other things I’d rather talk about.” He smiles. “Like you. Have you lived here all your life?”

  “Born and bred. You?”

  “We were born in Texas,” Lucas says. “But our dad was military, so we moved all over growing up.”

  I shake my head. “I can’t imagine. It must be so difficult, having to start over and make new friends all the time. I’ve known my best friends since junior high.”

  “We had each other,” Alex says. Something about his tone seems almost wistful. I glance between the men and think I see the same emotion in their eyes for just a moment.

  “You must have been very close,” I say, choosing my words carefully. “Not just being twins, but sharing so many experiences.” I put the barest emphasis on the crucial word. “I can imagine it would create an indelible bond between you.”

  There’s a long silence, one that grows heavier with every passing second. And then Alex says, very softly, “Shared experiences are definitely … good for bonding.” When I look at him, he’s no longer watching me; his eyes are on his brother.

  It only lasts a moment, and then his gaze comes back to me and it feels like his pupils are bigger than they were. Behind me, Lucas says, “Do you have any siblings?”

  “Half siblings,” I say, turning to him. “From my father’s second marriage. But I didn’t grow up with them.”

  Those extraordinary eyes capture mine and I can’t look away. “So you haven’t had many … shared experiences.”

  My heart speeds up. I think my men may be catching on. “No,” I say. “It’s a shame, really. It takes the right sort of person to share … certain things.” I reach out to each of them and rest my hands on their forearms.

  “But you believe in that,” Alex says, leaning closer, his mouth next to my ear. “Those sorts of bonding experiences.”

  “With the right people,” I repeat, and watch Lucas look over my shoulder at his brother. They’re definitely having a wordless conversation. Megan tells me that Brock and Cody do that all the time.

  Lucas shifts closer to me at the same time that Alex presses in from the other side. They both turn me slightly, as if they’d planned it, so that my back instead of my side is more toward Alex. He’s practically leaning on me now, while Lucas is almost close enough to kiss me.

  And then he says, “Do you mind?” and I realize that’s exactly what he wants to do.

  “No,” I answer, and his mouth lowers to mine.

  8

  Greedy

  Zoe

  The moment the kiss begins, my doubts vanish. Part of me wondered if maybe I was making a mistake, but nothing has ever felt so right as Lucas’s mouth on mine. He’s gentle at first, but when I give myself over he deepens the kiss, teasing my lips apart until his tongue plunges inside.

  At the same time, Alex’s hands skim up my sides and around to my front. When he cups my breasts in his hands, I moan into his brother’s mouth. My head’s tilted to one side, and he grazes his lips along the exposed side of my neck while his thumbs brush my nipples, teasing them to hard peaks.

  Lucas gets in on the breast action too, sliding one hand up to heft me on his palm. Alex adjusts so he’s tormenting my nipples with his thumbs and forefingers, pressing and twisting and pressing again. We’ve barely gotten started and my panties are soaked.

  When Lucas breaks off the kiss, we’re all breathing hard. He stares at me for several long moments, his chest rising and falling, before he says, “You. And us.”

  “Yes,” I say, and I swear I can sense them getting hard even though those parts of them aren’t touching me at the moment.

  “Now?” Alex inquires, his breath hot on my neck.

  “Yes. Tonight.”

  That ends the conversation. The men get us out of the booth and escort me to their car, not exactly in a rush, but not wasting any time. Lucas opens the front passenger door again, but Alex tugs me into the back s
eat with him instead.

  Lucas drives like a madman while Alex makes out with me in the back seat. I think it takes about five minutes to cover the 20-minute drive to their part of town. “Good thing you’re not really cops,” I say when Lucas slams the sports car into a parking slot. “You’d have to give yourself a ticket.”

  It comes out breathless because Alex, like his brother, is a very good kisser. We scramble out of the car and I realize I know this complex; it’s the same high-rise the Beast Brothers used to live in before they and Megan all moved to their ranch outside of town. I take it as a sign that this night was meant to be.

  Lucas doesn’t want to wait until we’re inside to get his hands on me again. He backs me up toward the door, kissing me as we go. Alex backs up with me, guiding me with his hands on my hips. Another dance, but with their positions reversed.

  As soon as we’re in the elevator, Alex goes for it. His brother has his mouth on mine and his hands on my breasts, so Alex slides his hand under my skirt and inside my panties while we rise. I whimper and jerk against him when he pushes a finger inside my tight, wet heat.

  “Delicious,” he says against my ear. “I can’t wait to eat you.” I clamp around him as the elevator doors open, but he doesn’t release me. “Get her legs,” he says to Lucas, and wraps an arm around me to anchor my upper body against his.

  The two of them carry me as if I weigh nothing, which is really far from the truth. But I can barely think about that because Alex still has his hand inside me, and I’m getting a kinky thrill from the chance that someone might see us like this.

  Lucas lets my legs down long enough to get the door open, and Alex takes advantage of the pause to work another finger inside me, pumping them in and out. My head goes back against his shoulder and I bite my lip to keep from moaning. Then his brother lifts me again, and they carry me inside.