The Baby Arrangement (A Winston Brother's Novel #1) Read online

  “Hmmm, maybe.” Remy snickers, laughter filling his hazel-colored eyes. He looks the most like mom, inheriting her lighter skin and eyes. “Or maybe you did something stupid and she told Ryker about it ... who then told me.”

  I clench my jaw, my molars grinding against one another while my heart starts beating rapidly against my rib cage, so hard that it feels like it might actually beat through my chest.

  Why? Why would she tell him anything? Because you’re a shit friend.

  Gripping the armrests of my chair, I squeeze my eyes closed and count silently to ten. “Whatever you heard it’s none of your business. Fallon and I are very capable of working things out on our own.” I’m seething with rage inside but manage to sound somewhat calm.

  Remy rolls his eyes, and I know he doesn’t believe me, “Right. Just like you could deal with your feelings for her.”

  My mouth drops open in shock because I’ve never admitted to having feelings for Fallon, at least not out loud to anyone but Ryker, and it takes a few minutes for me to recover enough to speak. “I’ve never admitted to feeling anything more than friendship with her, asshole. Don’t assume things you know nothing about.”

  Remy chuckles. “Oh, I see. Your way of dealing with your feelings is to ignore them. Makes perfect sense.” His amusement over me getting angry only seems to drive the knife of hate for myself further into my chest.

  “Fallon and I are friends, so if you only came here to stir the pot and cause problems you can get out.” I point towards the door, showing him where he can take his shit comments.

  “Just friends…really?” He tilts his head, his blonde hair, so similar to our mom’s, falling over one eye. “Because Fallon said you kissed her, and that she kissed you back…” He cuts himself off when I slam my fist down on my desk, causing it to vibrate. The contents of my coffee cup slosh over the sides. Knowing Fallon went out of her way to tell my brothers about what happened infuriates me. If she wants someone to talk to, she should be talking to me.

  “Get the fuck out,” I growl. Remy uncrosses his legs, stands and smooths his hands down his suit. He’s still smiling, but I’m leaning over my desk on the verge of strangling him and Ryker both.

  “Sure bro, but just remember…” He stares me straight in the eyes as he says his next words, “Friends don’t kiss, so if you’re ready to face your feelings for Fallon now would be a good time to do so, since ya know the entire fucking company is riding on your shoulders.”

  “Out! Get out!” I shout, and Remy listens, leaving my office without a backwards glance. I run a hand through my hair in frustration, pulling at the ends hard enough to cause pain. It feels like Ryker and Remy are trying their hardest to get me to snap, and if I’m being honest, I’m real fucking close to doing exactly that. Staring up at the ceiling of my office, I start counting back from one hundred and trying to cool my heated blood by breathing in and out.

  Damn you, Remy. I scream inwardly to myself then shove my office chair, sending it flying across the room to slam into the built-in bookcase on the other side.

  I want to be the man that takes Fallon, the one that claims her and gives her everything her heart desires, but I also don’t want to lose our friendship if things don’t work out. I’m not the relationship type, so there’s a larger than normal chance it will all go to shit.

  Fallon deserves a relationship with someone who won’t fuck everything up. She deserves it all, with a big happily-fucking-ever-after right on top.

  “Office violence is extremely frowned upon, Mr. Winston.” My eyes hone in on her willowy frame as she stands in the doorway of my office, having seen my destructive behavior.

  I stare at her, wanting to be mad, to lash out and tell her how angry I am. The words burn against my tongue, but I hold them in because I’ve got other plans for her and pushing her away isn’t going to get her to to what I have planned for tonight.

  “It’s fine when you’re the boss of the place. Now what brings you to my office?” I gruffly ask. Fallon bites down on her bottom lip, her perfectly shaped white teeth sinking into it, and suddenly my thoughts turn from anger, to lust…the need to pick her up and place her ass against my desk so I can take what I consider mine is almost overpowering.

  The need to dip my tongue deep inside her…

  I bet she’ll taste like honey, the sweetest I’ve ever tasted.

  “I just need your signature on a couple documents. That’s all.” My skin heats with awareness as she crosses the room and hands me the papers and a pen. Our fingers touch for less than a second, but an electric current shoots through me, zapping me right in my cock.

  I want to groan at the intensity of it but I hold it in, afraid that hearing it might scare her away. Instead I’m shocked when a gasp escapes her, and her perfect pink painted lips form an “O.” She felt it too, the jolt of pain and pleasure.

  Clearing my throat, I scribble my name on the papers, not even looking at what I’m signing. Fallon just stares at me, her big green eyes telling me everything I need to know.

  She wants this, wants me, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let this moment slip away. Last time I made a mistake but this time I’ll make sure she understands where I stand.

  “Be ready at seven this evening.” I ignore the huff that falls from her lips and almost chuckle. Fallon’s always been adorable when mad, but it’s almost like a tiny dog biting your ankles. There’s no real heat behind it, and even when she hurls an insult, it’s not much of one. She hates being mean to anyone, no matter how much they deserve it.

  “No, thank you. I have plans this evening, and they don’t include you.” She says it haughtily, like I’m beneath her, and I’d be hurt if I didn’t know she would never think of someone that way.

  My tone brooks no argument when I reiterate, “I said be ready, Fallon. Seven. Sharp. We’re going to dinner. Just you and me.” I slide my chair back over by my desk and sink into it, noticing the way Fallon is holding the papers against her chest.

  Her green eyes narrow and the pain in them pierces me straight through my heart.

  “I don’t want you to waste your time.” Her face is completely void of emotion, which worries me, but I don’t say anything.

  “You’ll never be a waste of my time, so if you won’t go to dinner with me I’ll be at your place with Chinese at seven. One way or another we are going to talk about what happened last weekend and the offer you made.”

  Fallon’s cheeks heat at the reminder and she turns on her heels to face the door, her legs a bit unsteady. “Whatever. If you show up, you’ll be left standing outside alone because I. Won’t. Be. There.” She draws out the last sentence like she thinks if she does I’ll back down, but she knows me well enough to understand it’s only going to make me more determined.

  As she walks out of my office and back towards her desk, I smile because I’ve got her right where I want her, and for the first time in my life I’m on the receiving end of her feistiness. She’s not tiptoeing around me anymore, and all I can think about is having that fire she’s finally letting show underneath me, over me...and any other way she’ll let me have her.

  The closer it gets to seven, the more I freak out. My stomach is in knots, my hands are clammy and I told Reed I wouldn’t be here, that I have plans, but he saw right through my lie. How am I supposed to face him after what happened? Having to see him every day at work has made this the week from hell. I’m still so embarrassed, just as much as I was when it happened.

  It doesn’t help that every night when I go to sleep, I toss and turn until I can’t stay awake any longer, and then when I dream, I relive that night over and over again.

  Sometimes it ends differently. Those nights, it ends with him accepting my proposition and taking me to bed. Of course, I always wake up just before he enters me, panting and trembling and so close to orgasm all it takes is a few light strokes of my fingers against my clit and I’m coming apart. It’s ironic that the best orgasms I’ve ever had are the one
s I’ve given myself thinking of Reed.

  Is it bad to think of your best friend while you masturbate? Probably.

  Looking over at the clock on the wall, I realize I only have fifteen minutes before he’s knocking on my door. I panic because all I’ve done is take a shower and do my hair and makeup. I’m still wrapped up in a bath towel!

  “Deep breaths, Fallon.” I whisper to myself. Grabbing my phone off my nightstand, I call the one person I know will talk me down off the ledge...or worse, convince me to jump off.

  “Hey!” her chipper voice greets when she answers before the ring finishes. “What’s up?”

  I’m not even sure where to start, so all the events of that night last week come pouring out of me in a rush. All the stuff I didn’t tell her either day we met up for lunch, even though she knew something was going on and asked what was wrong both times I saw her. Mel’s a good friend, the kind who won’t push you until you’re ready for real talk.

  When I finish spewing it all, she’s silent. So silent I look down at my phone to make sure we didn’t get disconnected. I almost sigh in relief when I see her name on the screen because I don’t know if I could say all of that again. It was hard enough - mortifying enough - the first time.

  “Mel?” I ask, when another moment goes by, and she still hasn’t responded. “Did you hear me?”

  She laughs loudly at the question. “Did I hear you? Oh my God, Fal! I can’t believe you didn’t tell me any of that this week. How on earth have you been holding all that inside?” I know she doesn’t really want an answer, which is good because I’ve got nothing to give her.

  “I could smack you right now, you know that? I really could. I’ve been your best friend since kindergarten, and you didn’t tell me you offered to let Reed be baby daddy to your baby mama? That’s crazy...but I’m still so proud of you!”

  “Proud of me? For what? Being stupid?” I roll my eyes at her exclamation. She sounds excited, but I can’t find any reason to be. I’ve fucked up the only real friendship I have besides her, and she’s happy about it?

  She scoffs. “Psh, whatever. Offering yourself up to him wasn’t stupid. Girl, that’s been a long time coming. Haven’t I told you before that it’s impossible for guys and girls to just be friends? The only reason the two of you have lasted as long as you have is because you both have the hots for each other and are afraid to act on your feelings.” She pauses for a second to take a breath, and I try to jump in, but she talks right over me.

  “Uh-uh. Don’t even try to tell me it’s not the truth. Obviously it is, or he wouldn’t have kissed you. If he saw you as a just a friend, he would have let you leave instead of attempting to swallow your tongue.”

  “Mel...” Her name comes out as a whine. “You’re not helping the situation here.”

  Her bubbly laugh comes through the speaker again, and if I didn’t love her, I’d be pissed at her for laughing at me. None of this is funny. “Fal, you’re just mad because you know I’m right. Now, he’s going to be there at seven, right?”

  I gasp at the reminder, because now I only have five minutes to either get ready or leave. Oh, who am I kidding? I’m not going anywhere. I can practically hear Mel nodding through the phone.

  “Mmhmm. So, what are you going to wear for this date? It needs to be something sexy, something that will make him see you as a woman, not just the girl who’s been tagging along with him and his brothers since you moved in next door.”

  We both go quiet as we mentally go through my closet. Mel knows everything hanging in it since she’s the one who drags me shopping all the time. If it wasn’t for her, I’d be wearing white cotton panties and bras instead of silk and satin matching sets from one of the most expensive shops in the mall.

  “Oh!” I can practically see her clapping her hands with glee. “I know what you should wear. That emerald green sweater dress. You know, the one you got last month when we went shopping? It brings out the color of your eyes so well and looks amazing with your dark hair. Reed will take one look at you and lose. His. Mind.”

  The dress she’s talking about is probably the sexiest article of clothing I own. It’s a sweater dress, but it molds to my body, the neckline a deep V that shows a lot of cleavage, and even though it has long sleeves, it’s super short. Like, barely covers my ass short.

  Before I can protest, she continues dressing me from across town. “Make sure you wear the lingerie we got with it, too. That way, when he peels the dress off, you’re still wearing the same color green, just with some added black lace. He won’t be able to think straight when he sees it.”

  She sounds so confident and happy for me. I don’t want to burst her bubble, so I agree. With a quick “Good luck tonight!” she hangs up on me, leaving me to continue my freak out alone.

  I grab the dress out of my closet, along with a pair of sky high black heels, then go to my dresser to pull out lingerie and stockings. I’m just attaching the second stocking to the garter when my bedroom door opens to reveal Reed.

  The first thing I think is how did he get in the house, but the second thing I think is God, he’s sexy as hell. He’s wearing the same black suit he was wearing this morning, but he’s removed his tie and left the top two buttons on his crisp white shirt unbuttoned and open. My gaze travels up his body, and when I meet his eyes, he’s staring at my body with a deep rooted hunger that makes my entire body tingle. That’s when I remember the only things I’m wearing are my bra, panties, garter and stockings.

  Reed’s hand tightens around the bouquet of flowers he’s holding, and all I can do is straighten, holding my head up high while enjoying the look on his face as he devours me. When he speaks, his voice is almost a growl and the sound makes my thighs quiver.

  “Fuck me.”

  How did you get in?” I can’t take my eyes off of her. They eat up every single inch of exposed flesh. I’ve seen her half naked, in a bathing suit, but never like this, wearing stockings and lace.

  Lace I can picture myself peeling off with my teeth. This image of her is one that I’ll never get out of my head, one I don’t ever want to forget. I regain my composure, just barely, so I can answer her, “Spare key. The one you gave me, remember?” Holding up the metal key, I dangle it in front of her face so she can see it. My palms are sweating because I’m nervous as fuck, and her being almost naked in doesn’t help matters.

  “I gave that to you to use in case of emergency. This isn’t one.” She’s got an attitude and an aura about her tonight I can’t put my finger on. Against my better judgment, I come the rest of the way into her bedroom and look around. It looks just like I thought it would, clean, feminine and very her.

  Placing the flowers on the edge of the bed, I breathe in her floral scent, my eyes remaining on hers because if they drift any further south we’re going to have problems, big problems.

  “I knocked…” I lean into her pretty, ticked off face and tell her, “twice.” She continues to glare at me, so I continue. “You’re the one who said you had ‘plans’ tonight and wouldn’t be here. When you didn’t answer, I came in to make sure you weren’t hiding from me.” And, with what she’s wearing right now? I’m so fucking glad I did. Then again, the thought of her being in here with another man fills my mind, and my blood heats.

  Fallon bristles at my comment. “Hiding from you?” She shakes her head. “You’re a piece of work, you know that?” She’s so pissed at me right now that she’s forgotten she’s more than half-naked. Stepping closer, she hisses, “I told you earlier I didn’t want to do this tonight. Did you ever think maybe I didn’t answer because I don’t want to see you, or maybe I was busy with someone else?” She lifts a perfectly sculpted brow as if she’s challenging me, begging me to give in to her taunt.

  I accept her challenge, stalking over to her until I’m standing toe-to-toe with her, forcing her to look up at me. “Someone else? Baby, if there was someone else you wouldn’t have asked me to knock you up.”

  I smirk like the assho
le I am and watch as her small hands come up to rest against my chest, my heart pounding beneath them. I wonder if she can tell how nervous I am, but before I can revel in the feeling of her hands against me or come up with a coherent thought, she’s shoving me, hard. I’m not expecting it, so the force of her push makes me take a step back.

  Her eyes widen almost comically as if she can’t believe what she just did, but before she can say or do anything else I reach forward, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her body up against mine. She fits against me perfectly, each of her soft curves molding to my body and her bra so thin I can feel her hard nipples against my chest. I know she’s turned on and even though she’s scared of what the future for us holds, she still wants this like I do.

  That is the moment I lose control. A hunger deep inside me snaps free, and I’m on her like a lion staking claim to its prey. There’s no escaping me, no hiding behind our feelings right now.

  It’s just her and I. Just as it always should’ve been.

  When her mouth opens, likely to tell me to let her go or get the hell out, I cover it with mine, thrusting my tongue inside. I don’t give her a chance to talk back or say no, I just kiss her. The taste of her is addictive, mint and something else, and all I can think is I want more. I need more. Fallon struggles against me for a second before the hands trying to push me away fist in my shirt to pull me closer.

  She’s just as confused as I am and that’s fine because that makes two of us in this crazy situation. I deepen the kiss, my hands moving up her arms to her cheeks where I cup them gently, kissing her as if I’m breathing life back into her.

  Fallon moans against my mouth, and I smile, unable to curb it. Her moan of pleasure is music to my ears and I grip her tighter wanting to hold onto this moment forever.

  “Reed…” Her voice is raspy when she starts to pull away, her cheeks pink and her lips swollen. She looks ready to be fucked, but I’m man enough to wait that out.