Tempted (Thornton Brothers Book 2) Read online

  Gabe stretched back on the couch and I lay down, resting my head in his lap and staring at the hair framing his beautiful face. Absently, he reached down and stroked away the strands of hair that were covering my face. I reached up and pulled him down to me, kissing his lips hungrily.

  The music played in the background as we lay in silence, passing the cigarette from person to person. It was nice to see Jake smile.

  “What was it like over there?” Gabe asked.

  Jake kept his eyes closed. “I can’t really talk about it.”

  “Nothing?” Gabe asked. “Not even where you were?”

  Jake sucked at the last of the cigarette and blew the smoke into the air in a steady stream. “Nothing.”

  “So there’s this whole chunk of your life that you can’t share with us?”

  Jake nodded. “It was hell. Let’s just leave it at that.”

  Silence fell over us again until the next song came on. Gabe pulled me to my feet and started dancing and singing. “Why don’t they still make music like this?” he yelled as Jake turned up the volume.

  “You sound like such an old man,” Jake said, joining us and forming a circle. I was surprised at how well he could move. Throwing my head back, I laughed at the both of them as they danced towards me.

  “Man,” Jake exclaimed. “I need my guitar.”

  “You play?” I asked.

  “Does he play?” Gabe snorted and shook his head. “He can play the fuck out of the guitar.”

  “Go get it for me. It’s in my room,” Jake said.

  Gabe shook his head vehemently. “I’m wasted. There is no way I’m leaving this room. How do you feel about sleeping on the couch?” he asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “I’ll go get the guitar,” I piped up.

  They both looked at me stunned.

  “What?” I said. “I should be able to sneak up to your room without anyone noticing, shouldn’t I?”

  “Have you met Billie?” Gabe asked.

  “TV music it is,” I replied.

  We were so intent on enjoying the music, swaying to the songs that came on that we didn’t hear the trapdoor open, and we didn’t notice Tyler was in the room until he turned down the volume of the music. We froze, Gabe’s arms wrapped around my waist from behind, his mouth at my neck.

  “What the fuck do you think you are doing?” he asked angrily.

  I straightened, shrugging Gabe off, and looked at Tyler’s stern expression, eyebrows furrowed and arms crossed.

  I burst out with laughter. “My god, you’re so serious!”

  “We’re just chilling for a while,” Jake drawled, grinning at his older brother. “It’s no major.”

  “No major? Dad is upstairs with some of the men interested in investing in the casino and you idiots are down here stoned off your faces.”

  “Oops.” Gabe held his hand over his mouth, feigning regret.

  “Oops?” Tyler stepped towards Gabe. “That’s all you have to say? Oops? Grow up, Gabe. The whole lot of you are acting childish. Jake, I can understand because he’s just returned from a nightmare we can’t even imagine and I don’t blame him for needing to let off a little steam, and Gabe, well… no surprises there, but you, Lauren—”

  “Me?” I said, pointing to my chest.

  “Yes, you,” he growled angrily. “I actually thought you might be good for my little brother, but here you are, wasting your life away by hanging around with teenagers. That stuff kills your brain cells.”

  “I’m not a teenager,” Jake replied.

  Tyler turned on his heels and walked back up the steps, slamming the trap door behind him.

  Gabe twisted around. “See?” he said to me. “Absolute arrogant arsehole.”

  Jake rolled his head to the side. “Mum,” he said.

  Gabe dropped his head. “Yeah.” He sighed. “I forgot about that. He’s still an arrogant arsehole though.”

  “Mum?” I asked Gabe.

  He pulled me close, lowering his voice, but I could tell from the way Jake watched us, he could still hear every word said. “Ty and Jake’s mum had a bit of a problem with pills, and Tyler didn’t like it. Still doesn’t change the fact that he’s an arsehole though.”

  Jake stretched out on the bean bag, resting his hands behind his head and yawning as he spoke. “He doesn’t seem to remember that it’s still her.” He closed his eyes. “Her demons just speak a little louder than his.”

  “I hope she’s okay,” I said awkwardly, not sure how to respond.

  Jake shrugged, eyes still closed. “She’s been off them for years now, not that he would know that.”

  * * *

  At some stage during the night, I woke, my back uncomfortable on the couch, my head resting on Gabe’s lap, and ravenously hungry. I tried shaking Gabe awake, but he merely adjusted his sleeping position and continued to breathe deeply, the odd snore escaping from his lips.

  I crept up the stairs, marvelled at the length of the hallway, and snuck into the kitchen, surprised when I turned on the light to find Tyler standing at the window, staring out at the lights that dotted the edge of the lake, whiskey glass in hand.

  His eyes roamed over me, stained with what I could only assume was repulsion. I felt compelled to apologise under his glare.

  “Look, about earlier,” I started, but Tyler interrupted me.

  “Tell me something,” he said, his words slightly slurred. He was drunk. “Why are you with him?”

  “What do you mean?” I stammered out.

  “He’s a lot younger than you,” he said bluntly. “It’s noticeable. You’re a woman and he is a boy. And he works in a coffee shop with, as far as I can tell, no ambition to improve himself.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “I also work in that coffee shop. Does that also mean I have no ambition?”

  “That depends.” Tyler walked over to the table and pulled out a chair, sitting down and resting his feet on the spotless white surface. He was so handsome, so flawless. Too handsome, too flawless, even if in his current state he was a little less put together than earlier. His hair was slightly tousled and his shirt was unbuttoned, revealing his tanned and muscled chest. “Do you plan on always working at the coffee shop?”

  “So what if I do?”

  “But do you?”

  I hung my head a little, annoyed to admit defeat. “No. I would like to get back into photography.”

  “Right,” Tyler said, swirling the contents of his glass. “Well then, it’s different.”

  “What have you got against coffee shops? I know it can’t be the coffee itself, I’ve seen you drinking it.”

  Tyler took a sip of whiskey. “Nothing.”

  “Then what’s wrong with working at a coffee shop? You’ve got a rather elitist viewpoint.”

  Tyler placed his glass on the table, looking up at me with an irritated expression. “Enough about the coffee shop. It’s got nothing to do with the shop. It’s the fact that Gable has no plans.”

  “Yes he does,” I replied.

  Tyler just lifted a single eyebrow. It reminded me of Gabe.

  I lifted my chin a little higher. “Architecture.”

  Tyler smiled, though it wasn’t a warm one. It was one meant to placate me as though I were a child. “And for how long has my little brother wanted to be an architect?”

  “As long as I’ve known him.”

  “Which is how long, exactly?”

  I swallowed uncomfortably. “Three months.” It sounded like such a small amount of time when spoken aloud.

  “And Gable told you he wants to be an architect?”

  “Yes, Gabe did.”

  “And what exactly is he doing to ensure that happens? Is he studying? Enrolled in classes?”

  “No. But he’s taking a course next year.” I thought for a moment and corrected myself. “This year.” Midnight had passed without any celebration.

  “Right.” Tyler said it in such a way that made me want to slap him. “Because he ha
sn’t said that before.” He looked up, the amusement gone from his expression. “So Gabe is twenty-one, works in a coffee shop with no desire to change or improve himself, and that’s who you choose to be with?”

  I didn’t know why Tyler was firing all these questions at me. Maybe he really did think I would be good for Gabe and was disappointed to find the state I was in down in the basement. Maybe he really did care for his brother. I struggled to think of an answer. “He makes me feel good,” I said finally.

  Tyler stood up from his chair and walked over. He leaned in close and my heart started beating erratically. “He makes you feel good? Is it his smile that makes you feel good?” An exact replica of Gabe’s carefree smile passed over Tyler’s lips before he let it fall and leaned in closer, his breath brushing against my ear. “Is it his smooth skin?” Tyler drew his thumb over the stubble dusting his chin. A cold smirk covered his face. “Or is it the way he fucks?” Tyler laughed at my look of horror. “What? No come back? Well, at least Gabe’s doing the family name proud in one area of his life. If we Thornton men are good at anything, it’s how to fuck.”

  I took a step back, trying to make my escape.

  “Oh, I’m sorry,” he said. “Have I shocked your innocent small town sensibilities? Was my language too elitist?” He straightened and I couldn’t help but notice his bare and chiselled chest that showed through the exposed strip of his unbuttoned shirt. “Look, I’m sorry,” he said, moving away from me. “No doubt I’ve had one too many of these.” He swirled his almost empty glass in the air. “I will behave tomorrow. I just don’t understand how the little upstart did it.”

  “Did what?” I asked, even though I should have just turned and left.

  “You,” Tyler replied, his dark eyes burning into mine. He emptied the last drops of whiskey from the glass.

  “Be careful,” I warned as he walked past. “That stuff kills your brain cells.”

  Tyler didn’t turn back, only threw over his shoulder, “The leftovers are in the fridge. No doubt you are hungry. Goodnight.”

  And then he was gone.

  7

  LAUREN

  I decided to leave Gabe sleeping in the basement and crept up the stairs to the bedroom. But when I woke the next morning, Gabe’s hand was under the material of my nightshirt and gently cupping my breast. He didn’t do anything further, he didn’t move, just rested his hand on my breast, holding it protectively as the rest of his body warmed the side of mine. I was still tired from the night before, unsure what time it was when I had finally fallen asleep. After a few minutes of stillness, Gabe’s thumb moved across my nipple and my breath caught as it hardened in response. Gabe toyed with my nipple, gently caressing it with his thumb until he moved down in the bed and lifted the sheet so he could bring his mouth to my breast. His tongue took the place of his thumb as he teased and tugged, gently biting when I responded by arching my chest closer to his mouth. He moved over me, his face still shielded by the sheet and urged my legs apart with his knee, his mouth still fixed on my breast. He lay over me, the hardness of him pressing into my stomach as he took more of my sensitive flesh into his mouth, sucking and pulling. A moan escaped as he moved to my other breast and, after that sign of encouragement, he reached down and his fingers sought out the wetness that seeped between my legs.

  Lifting his head, Gabe brought his fingers to his mouth. “I love how wet you get,” he said, putting one finger to his mouth and sucking it from end to tip. “I want to taste you.” He started to trail down my body with his mouth, but I stopped him, knowing that I would only last seconds once he reached his destination.

  “No,” I panted, squirming with the intensity of the feelings that had risen. I pulled him back up and whispered in his ear. “I need you inside me.”

  Gabe didn’t need any further invitation and guided himself to sink into me gratefully. He kissed the tip of my nose as he rested, his cock hard and warm inside me. I felt full and content and stopped him when he started to move.

  “No,” I said. “Just let me feel you.”

  Gabe stilled and brought his mouth to mine, hungrily devouring me as we lay still and connected. The more we kissed the harder he got.

  “I’m not sure how much longer I can do this,” he moaned as I gripped onto his backside, stilling the small grinding movements he had begun. I moved my hips slowly in a circle and Gabe sunk to my mouth again, letting groans of frustration and pleasure pepper his kisses. Gabe rocked, moving his length up my body, the base of him pressing hard against my sensitive flesh. He rocked gently at first, encouraged that I didn’t restrict his movements, but the more he rocked the more I responded until he withdrew from me and thrust back down forcefully, my head getting shoved into the pillow.

  “Lauren,” he panted. “Lauren, I’m not going to last much longer. I need you to come. Let me taste you.” He began to withdraw so he could move down my body but I gripped onto his shoulders, holding him in place and digging my nails into his skin. Unable to control himself any longer, Gabe pounded into me. My head hit the headboard, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t stop. His body was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, his hair was slicked to the side of his face, and his lip was caught between his teeth. I reached behind and grabbed the headboard, holding it tight, as my head rammed against it time and time again until I saw the familiar tension creep into Gabe’s expression, and I let myself surrender at the same time he did.

  Gabe rolled off and lay beside me, arms resting under his head and his chest rising and falling with exertion. “And good morning to you too, Mrs Robinson.”

  I took the pillow from under my head and whacked him across the face. Gabe laughed and tugged it from me, throwing it aside before twisting to grab my wrists. “Care to play again?” he asked, a twinkle in his eye as he climbed over me, pinning my arms above my head and kneeling with a leg either side of me. His cock lay on my stomach. It swelled a little as his eyes fell to my breasts.

  I shook my head. “No way, Gabe Thornton. You seriously cannot recover that quickly.”

  Gabe let go of my hands and moved to touch himself. His eyes roamed my body. “Give me a minute.”

  I bucked my hips. “Get off,” I teased.

  He closed his eyes as I bucked under him. “That’s really not helping you,” he said. I looked down and saw him hardening, though his hands were now pressed over each of my breasts. Gabe moved up my body, straddling my sides with his legs until his cock rested between my breasts. He pushed them together until they engulfed his hardness, and then he began moving back and forth, rocking gently as he slid between them.

  A loud knock sounded on the door and I laughed as Gabe scrambled from me, pulling the sheet back up to cover us both. The knock sounded again.

  “Get up. Billie’s cooked breakfast.” Jake’s voice wasn’t tainted with tiredness like I had thought it would be.

  “Give us a minute?” Gabe called back to him.

  “Is that all it will take?” Jake joked.

  “Is he gone?” I whispered a few seconds later when there were no other words exchanged.

  Gabe threw the blanket off, his cock standing loud and proud. “Now,” he said scrambling back over me. “Where were we?”

  I pushed him off playfully. “This can be resumed later,” I said rising from the bed. “I believe breakfast is ready.”

  Gabe watched as I walked into the bathroom. “I don’t believe they will be serving what I want to eat.”

  I turned on the shower, ignoring his comments. Leaving the door open slightly, I knew he had the perfect view when I lifted my nightshirt and walked naked into the glass covered shower.

  Gabe flopped back onto the bed. “You’re killing me over here,” he yelled out.

  It wasn’t until my hair was covered in shampoo and I was rinsing it under the water that I felt Gabe’s arms slip around my waist.

  “Gabe,” I said, laughing.

  “I just need you once more,” he said, pressing me against the tiled wall. His ha
nds roamed over me. His mouth pressed against my neck. “Just once more, okay?” He lifted his head. “Please?” He batted his eyelashes. “I’ll be quick.”

  For an answer, I threaded my hands around the back of his neck and widened my stance. Gabe reached behind, cupping the cheeks of my backside and lifted me to gain better access. He entered me, his thrusts plastering my back to the wall, his fingers gripping into my backside as he fucked me until he shuddered and came, his head falling to my shoulder and nuzzling my neck once he was done.

  When we walked to the dining table, I didn’t meet anyone’s eyes. To be honest, our little meeting in the shower although satisfying Gabe, had only served to wake me again, and I was afraid my cheeks were flushed with desire.

  “About time you joined us,” Hamish Thornton greeted his son. The plate in front of him was empty, as was Billie’s and Tyler’s.

  Gabe’s eyes flicked to mine. “I was busy,” he said with a smirk.

  Tyler cleared his throat and Jake muffled a laugh around the mouthful of food he was chewing.

  “In this house, we prefer to serve breakfast before ten o’clock,” Hamish said sternly, tossing back the remainder of his coffee.

  Gabe ignored him and reached over the table to select a couple of pieces of French toast to put on his plate.

  “Did you sleep well?” Billie asked as she brought over a tray of bacon and sat next to me.

  “Quite, thank you,” I replied. The table was laden with every sort of breakfast food available. There were cereals, and fresh fruit, a rack of toast with every spread imaginable, bacon and even a little jug of maple syrup. “This looks delicious,” I said to Billie. “You must have been up super early to prepare all this.”

  Billie laughed, waving her hand as if to dismiss my comment. “The bakery opens very early,” she said. “But there is a motive for all of this.” She looked hopefully over at Gabe who was shovelling food into his mouth at a rate that rivalled Jake.

  “What?” he asked, mouth full of French toast and a slight frown between his eyes.