Tempted (Thornton Brothers Book 2) Read online

  “I need to lie down before I fall down,” I panted.

  Gabe reached up and held me firmly against the wall, my words only intensifying his attention. When he grew frustrated with the material between us, he pulled my underwear to the floor and sat back on his heels, stroking himself with one hand while finger fucking me, his bottom lip caught between his teeth, his eyes stuck on his fingers as they slowly moved in and out. I watched him as he pleasured himself, surprised by how much it turned me on. Gabe’s breath started to hitch as his hands moved faster. The further they plunged into me the harder he worked himself. After minutes of torture when all I wanted was to have his throbbing hardness inside me, he brought his mouth back to my wetness and used one hand to once again pin me against the wall, while the other still stroked his cock. My legs turned to jelly as his tongue moved faster and faster, bring me closer to the edge. I threaded my fingers through his hair as he tilted his head, gaining more access and inserting his tongue deep inside. I gasped when I came and Gabe latched on, sucking my clit as the pulses of pleasure rippled through me. And then, without any warning, he stood, let go of himself, his cock hard and strong and upright, and turned me so I faced the wall.

  “My turn,” he whispered.

  He held the cheeks of my backside apart, groaned with desire and then plunged into me hard, slamming me against the wall. Reaching around my body, he took my hands and stretched my arms high and wide on the wall, pulling back so only the tip of him stayed inside me. He held me like that, thrusting in and out as he pleased, my breasts squashed against the wall each time he drove into me. The urgency and forcefulness of his desire ignited another wave of pleasure and we came together, my front pressed against the wall, my rear covered by Gabe’s hot and sticky body. He came so hard I felt the force of each spurt. It seemed forever before his hardness finally softened and he pulled himself from me.

  Turning me back around, he gently held his lips to mine. “Thank you,” he murmured. “I needed that. Now I might be able to relax and enjoy drinks. Then again, my father will be there.” He flopped back on the bed and, even though I had just come twice, the image of him lying there excited me. I climbed on top, pressing my wetness against him and pressing my cheek to his chest. With a contented sigh, Gabe run his fingers lightly over my back. He lay there for a few moments until I felt him twitch beneath me.

  “Seriously?” I said, sitting up.

  His cock swelled a little more. “Don’t do that,” he said once I was sitting upright. “That just makes it worse.” He lifted his arms and looked at his watch. “Do you think they’d notice if we were a little longer?”

  I climbed off him and walked into the bathroom, calling over my shoulder. “You’re insatiable.”

  “Only around you,” he called back.

  Gabe joined me in the bathroom and we cleaned ourselves before hurriedly slipping back into our clothes.

  “Gable?” The faint sound of his father’s voice drifted up from below.

  Gabe hurried to put on his shoes as I tugged on my zipper.

  “Gable?” his father called again, more urgent and demanding this time.

  “Be right there,” Gabe called back. “You ready?” he asked, placing a quick kiss on my forehead and tucking a stray strand of hair behind my ear.

  I was feeling dishevelled and flushed but I had no choice but to nod. Gabe grabbed my hand and we ran down the stairs, laughing quietly between ourselves as we heard Billie asking, “What on earth are they doing up there?”

  We rounded the corner of the stairs to find Hamish and Billie joined by two dark haired men. Gabe stopped in his tracks and I bumped into him.

  “Jake!” he exclaimed and rushed forward to bear-hug one of the men. “What are you doing here? I thought you weren’t arriving until tomorrow?”

  Jake and Gabe clapped each other on the back, a wide smile spread across Gabe’s face. Jake had changed from the last family photo. His hair had grown and he sported a full beard. He looked nothing like I imagined. For some reason, when I heard he was returning from his post with the army, I had automatically expected him to have razor cut hair and be dressed in a camouflaged uniform. Jake’s frame engulfed Gabe’s. He was a large man and reminded me of a cross between a Dothraki warrior and Tarzan. Rugged, wild and untamed.

  My eyes shifted to the man standing beside them. Tyler looked just like he did in the portrait only, it somehow didn’t do him justice. I had never seen such a classically handsome man. He wore jeans and a t-shirt, though somehow, it still gave the impression of a fitness magazine cover. Unlike the unruly hair of his brother, Tyler’s dark hair was perfectly styled, too perfectly styled. His jaw was set in a hard line and dark eyes met mine from above perfectly chiselled cheekbones. He appeared as though he was amused as his eyes ran over me and I took a step back.

  If Gabe was an angel, then Tyler was the devil.

  His mouth curved slightly as he noticed my discomfort. “Jake decided we should travel down tonight, rather than spend the night at my apartment in the city,” he said, still looking at me with an amused smirk.

  “Well, I’m pleased you did,” Hamish replied.

  Gabe, having untangled himself from the brotherly embrace stepped back to my side. “Tyler.” He nodded at his eldest brother.

  “Gabe.” Tyler nodded back.

  “I’d like you both to meet my girlfriend, Lauren. Lauren, these idiots are my brothers, Jake and Tyler.”

  Tyler shook my hand politely while Jake stepped forward and engulfed me in another bear-like hug. I felt so small.

  “Well, you’re a surprise,” Tyler said. “I didn’t know my kid brother had a girlfriend.”

  “There are a lot of things you don’t know about me,” Gabe bit back.

  Hamish stood between his sons and once again swept his hand towards the lounge. “Shall we start with a drink?”

  “Perfect,” Gabe muttered. Jake clapped him on the back again and they walked together into the lounge.

  As I stepped to follow, Tyler’s fingers on my wrist stopped me. Just the slight touch of his skin against mine sent shivers down my spine. I tried to shake it off, blaming Gabe and my recent encounter in the bedroom as the reason I was so sensitive to his touch.

  “Lauren, is it?” he asked, his voice low and quiet.

  I nodded, my body frozen and all my awareness focused on where his fingers burned against my flesh.

  He waited until the others had moved into the lounge and then let my wrist fall, stepping behind me. His hand swept my hair across my back and over my shoulder. “I’m not certain what the custom is in your household,” his hand trailed down my back and tugged at my zip, “but here, in the Thornton household,” he pulled my zipper up to the neckline, “it is customary that we finished getting dressed before we come down the stairs.”

  Heat flared up my cheeks as Tyler walked past and joined the others in the lounge, not even glancing back to see if I followed.

  6

  LAUREN

  The rest of the evening was spent sipping on wine and listening to Billie talk about her fashion show. Tyler and his father talked over in one corner while Gabe and Jake chatted in the other. Billie occasionally pestered Jake, asking about his duties in the army, but every time it was mentioned, he ducked his head and said he couldn’t really talk about it. No one knew what he did, where he was stationed, but judging from the pain that flickered across his hooded eyes each time it was mentioned, we all knew it was something he hadn’t recovered from.

  I fell into bed exhausted and was a little relieved to hear Gabe’s gentle snores, brought on by the quantity of alcohol he had consumed.

  My mind raced back to the sensations that had travelled through me at Tyler’s touch, and I felt guilty that another man had distracted me. But I reasoned with myself that it was okay to notice another handsome man, and if the Thornton men were anything, they were handsome. Jake was wild and untamed, Gabe was gorgeous and had a smile like no other and Tyler was dark and dangerous
. Each had their appeal. It would have been almost strange if I hadn’t been slightly attracted to them. Besides, it was Gabe who lay beside me. Gabe who I loved. My beautiful, sweet, Adonis of a man. I inched across the bed and Gabe sleepily snuggled into me, draping his arm over my shoulder and pulling me close.

  Billie insisted we stay for the New Year’s Eve party, and I spent the next few days exploring the tourist-driven town with Gabe. My original attraction to Tyler faded, and I began to wonder if it was merely a wave of hormones that somehow flooded my system at the surprise of being surrounded by such beautiful humans. He had barely spoken to me since that night, and even Jake, although polite and respectful, kept his distance. It was as though there was an unspoken rule between the brothers. I was Gabe’s and Gabe’s alone. Nothing more than a considered and courteous friendship was required.

  Billie, on the other hand, never shut up. She dragged me shopping and took me to her studio to show me the strips of fur and frills of lace she called clothes.

  The New Year’s party was filled with well-dressed strangers. Since I had only brought a couple of dresses with me, and one was only a little cotton thing, I felt a little underdressed wearing the zipped up black number again, but it was my only option. Everything else was too casual. Music tinkered in the background, Billie floated around the house, slipping from room to room, exclaiming over this woman’s dress and laughing over that man’s jokes. She was the perfect hostess as I cowered in the corner with Gabe who sat on the couch, leg jiggling. It reminded me a lot of the cocktail parties I used to attend with Derek, only there was far more money represented at this one. I hid in the corner during those too.

  “I hate parties like these,” Gabe said, scowling at the peals of fake laughter pouring from Billie. Jake leaned against the wall behind him, beer bottle in hand instead of the long-stemmed wine glasses and crystal whiskey glasses in the hands of the other guests. He looked out of place among the well-groomed guest list.

  “It’s almost worse than war,” he said. He meant it as a joke, but the tightness in his throat betrayed him.

  Earlier, I had walked in on Jake and his father arguing over his long hair. It was longer, and if I was being honest, more beautiful than mine. His father hated it.

  “Real men don’t have long hair,” he had told his son.

  Jake hadn’t said anything and continued to stare at the newspaper.

  “What is it with you and Gabe and your insistence on embarrassing me?”

  Jake, who had been eating a slice of toast, merely lifted it to his mouth again and crunched loudly.

  “I’m going to book you into my barber,” Hamish had announced.

  “No,” Jake said, his mouth filled with toast.

  “No?” his father replied.

  Jake looked up. “No,” he repeated.

  It was only then that Hamish Thornton noticed me and excused himself gruffly.

  “Sorry about him,” Jake had said to me. “Sometimes he forgets he doesn’t rule the world.”

  Jake’s compromise had been to tie his hair back into a ponytail.

  “Got a pretty good grip on that bottle there, Jake.” Gabe nodded to where Jake’s fingers were white against the green bottle.

  “Can’t say this is exactly my scene anymore.” His eyes were fixed where Tyler was seamlessly integrating himself into the party.

  Tyler smiled easily. He flirted with the women and joked with the men. He was a perfect replica of his father and nothing like his younger brothers.

  “Doesn’t his perfection just make you want to retch?” Gabe asked Jake as he took a sip of whiskey. “Look at them fawning over him. I think some of the men even have boners.”

  Jake smiled. “Tyler’s alright.”

  “Whatever,” Gabe muttered. “Hey,” he said looking up at Jake. “Want to get out of here and escape down to the basement like old times?”

  “Like old times?” Jake repeated. “You were fifteen when I left, little brother. There were no old times.”

  Gabe rolled his eyes. “Fine. Like last time then?”

  Jake looked over to where Tyler and Hamish were cornered by a group of men who were nodding seriously, and then over to where Billie was busy playing barmaid, pretending to spin bottles in the air. He winced as one smashed to the ground and a squeal of laughter poured from Billie.

  “She coming?” Jake nodded to me.

  “She?” I repeated. “I have a name.”

  “Sorry,” Jake apologised. “Is Lauren coming?”

  “Oh, Lauren’s definitely coming. I’m not leaving her here alone with these vultures. We’ll get back and find her overly tanned or something, Billie’s orange having rubbed off on her.”

  Jake snorted. “Alright then. Why not?”

  Gabe got to his feet. “I’ll go grab something out of the jeep and meet you two down there. Try not to make it obvious we’re leaving or Dad will have a fit.”

  I tried to imagine the poised and controlled Mr Thornton having a fit. It wasn’t possible.

  “What’s he talking about?” I asked Jake as we made our way through the crowd of people. Every now and again someone would stop and exclaim over him, claiming they hardly recognised him under all that hair. Jake would nod awkwardly and take a step closer to me as if I could protect him from their over-exuberant onslaught. One man in particular gripped Jake’s arm, his fingers digging into the flesh of his forearm. He leaned in close, and whatever it was he asked Jake, it caused a storm to cross over his eyes. Jake peeled the man’s fingers off his arm and I saw the man wince.

  “Excuse me,” I said to the man, looping my arm through Jake’s, “but I’ve promised to introduce him to someone I know. Perhaps he can catch up with you later.”

  “Thanks,” Jake whispered when we walked away, swiping a bottle of whiskey from the table. He took me back out to the garage and opened a trap door I hadn’t noticed before.

  “What did he ask you?” I asked.

  Jake’s eyes clouded over again. “I don’t want to talk about it.” He held the trap door open expectantly. “Are you going down?”

  “Down there?” I asked, peering into the darkness.

  “It’s the basement.”

  “I’ll follow you.”

  That brought a smile to Jake’s lips and he began to walk down the steep steps. After a few seconds, a light switched on. “It’s okay now,” Jake called out, his voice coloured with amusement.

  I walked down the stairs cautiously. The room below was plain and simple, decorated only with a few couches and beanbags, a TV on the wall and an expensive looking sound system attached to it. The only windows were where the walls met the ceiling, just narrow strips illuminated by the street lights.

  Gabe pounded down the steps behind me, waving a plastic bag of tightly wound green leaves. “Found it,” he said to Jake.

  “Is that weed?” I asked, pulling Gabe aside.

  “Have you seen the guy?” Gabe said, nodding to his brother. “He’s like a caged animal. He is in serious need of relaxation.”

  “What about your dad? What about all the people upstairs?”

  Gabe grinned. “I haven’t got enough for them all.”

  “Gabe,” I scolded.

  “Lauren,” he mimicked and kissed my forehead. “It’s fine. Jake and I have done this before. It’s our brother bonding time, right Jake?”

  “Whatever you say,” Jake replied.

  I looked over to where Jake was pacing the floor, his eyes glancing at the small windows. Gabe was right. He was in need of relaxation. The party Billie had planned was meant as somewhat of a welcome home bash for Jake, but anyone could have told from his posture that he would have preferred to be anywhere but trapped in a house with all those people.

  Gabe turned on the TV and flicked through the channels until he landed on a music station. ‘Hits of the sixties and seventies’ was splashed across the bottom of the screen. Gabe started moving his shoulder seductively in time to the music as he rolled the joint,
licking along the strip of paper to seal it. The song changed and Gabe sang along with the lyrics. He handed the cigarette to his brother.

  “How on earth do you know this song?” Jake said. “It’s years before your time.”

  “It’s years before yours too,” Gabe replied, still crooning along to the lyrics.

  Jake took a drag on the smoke, coughing as he exhaled. “Shit,” he said pounding his chest. “It’s been a while.” He held it out to me but I shook my head.

  “Not with a house full of people upstairs, not to mention your father and your tightly wound brother.” I shook my head again. “I don’t think so.”

  Gabe wrapped his arms around my waist and swayed in time to the music, singing in my ear. “Come on, Lauren. You know you want to.”

  Gabe took the outstretched cigarette to his lips and inhaled, blowing smoke over my face, and then wiggled it before me. “No one will come down here, I promise,” he said, nuzzling into my neck.

  I took the offering from Gabe, and he released the hand wrapped around my waist to walk over and crack open the windows.

  “You can blame my mother for my tastes in music,” Gabe said to Jake, as Jake flopped his large frame down on a bean bag, a slow smile crossing his face.

  Jake’s eyes moved over to where I relented and sucked enough to send me into a coughing fit.

  “That’a girl.” Jake’s grin widened. “Fuck,” he said as he put his hands behind his head and sunk further into the bean bag. “I forgot how good this feels.” He closed his eyes, though his head moved to the beat of the music.

  Still not having recovered from my coughing fit, I pounded my fist against my chest as Gabe returned and pulled me onto the couch beside him. “This lot’s a little different from the last stuff you tried.” He took the cigarette out of my hand and sucked on the base. “Best to go a little easy.”