“Come check out this view.” I grab her arm and lead her to where I was just standing minutes ago.

Nicole gushes and Maxton yells, “Thank you,” over his shoulder.

I fight the urge to roll my eyes. Sexy, infuriating man. It’s a shame really, such a waste of good eye candy. He’s great until he opens his mouth.

“What?” Nicole asks, shocked.

Shit! I must have said that aloud. Great. Shrugging, I answer, “I just call it how I see it.” The corner of her mouth lifts in a smile and I know what’s coming next. Me and my damn big mouth!

“I think he’s hot as hell,” she says, bumping her shoulder into mine.

“I’ll give you that; he’s fucking beautiful to look at. It’s when he opens his mouth that he loses appeal.” Just as the words leave my mouth, Nicole’s eyes go wide and I know I’m busted.

I feel his hands on my hips and his breath on my ear. “I’d like to show you what I can do when I open my mouth, sweetheart.” He places a kiss on my neck just below my ear and then he’s gone. I instantly miss the heat of his body and it pisses me off. Guys like him are all the same. I know this. My body is betraying me because he looks so damn edible.

The sound of Nicole’s low chuckle breaks me out of my trance. “See what I mean?” I ask, exasperated.

This causes her to throw her head back and laugh. “Oh, I see all right. That man has you twisted,” she says through her laughter.

“Really? He’s an asshole.”

“Time to eat, ladies,” Max yells out.

Nicole slips her arm through mine and leans in close. “I just call it how I see it,” she throws my words back at me.

This time I let my eyes roll back in my head, letting her know what she’s insinuating is ridiculous. We reach the table and Bright pulls out a chair for Nicole. I make my way around the table to take a seat, and Max is suddenly there, pulling out my chair with the ever present smirk on his face. My manners rule in this situation as I whisper, “Thanks.”

Max leans down, his lips once again against my ear. “You smell fucking edible,” he whispers.

I shudder at his words. Before I can regain my composure and reply, he’s already seated in the chair next to me as the bowl of salad is being passed around.

What the hell was I thinking coming here?

I SHOULD HAVE never got close enough to smell her, to taste her. I couldn’t resist taunting her when I walked up on her saying she thought I was sexy. My cock was instantly hard, begging to take her. The gentle kiss of her neck just about had me blowing a load in my pants. I need to fuck this girl out of my system. I’ll need to be careful so I don’t piss off Bright’s girl. I don’t want to mess things up for him. He’s really into her and was even talking about making things more permanent. Why he would want that, I will never know. He saw what happened to my dad, but he’s still falling for the feminine charms. At least he can’t say I didn’t warn him. I did, just this morning. He took it well as he laughed at my warning. He then proceeded to tell me how one day I would fall to those charms and he was going to sit back and enjoy the show when it finally happened.

I need to come up with a plan to get her under me, or on top of me, I’m not picky. I just need to work her out of my system. I watch her face as Bright pulls Nicole’s chair out for her. I could swear I see longing on her face, but it’s gone before I can really study her. My feet are moving on their own accord and I find myself beside her, pulling out an empty seat for her. The wind picks up and I get a scent of her, her sweet flowery scent with a hint of coconut.

I quickly take the seat next to her so I don’t embarrass myself with my rock-hard dick standing at attention. Fuck! I reach for the bowl of salad that Bright is offering and quickly place some on my plate. I sit the bowl in front of her and reach in to grab a steak and baked potato. I busy myself adding butter and sour cream, dousing my steak in A1. I shift in my chair to try and get more comfortable. Nothing is working. Shit, my mind races for a distraction, and that’s when my dad runs through my mind. He loved my mother with everything in him and she killed him. He used to tell me I would find the one and just know. That nothing would be able to keep me from her. I used to believe him. I used to believe in that fairy tale he talked about. That all ended the day he ended his life, because of her. The anger I feel toward my mother does the job. My dick is effectively deflated.

Both of the girls thank us for dinner and say how great the steak is. I can grill a mean steak, if I do say so myself. They insist on helping us clean up since we took care of dinner. Bright and I both protest, but they want no part of it. Cleanup is fast with the four of us working together. I take every chance I can get to rub against or touch Kensington during the process. I need to work on wearing her down.

Bright asks the girls if they want a tour of the property. I watch as he grabs a sweatshirt off the back of the chair and I know what he’s doing. He’s taking every opportunity to get his girl close. He’s being a gentleman. I decide this is my best bet. Kensington seems to like Bright as does Nicole. Maybe I need to change up the game to get this girl in my bed. I run down the hall to the laundry room and grab a hoodie from the dryer. I meet back up with them as I slip it over my head. The girls don’t seem to notice that he and I are both prepared for the night air, but didn’t offer them the same. They are too busy admiring the landscaping. Once we reach the pond, Bright takes them across the bridge to the gazebo. He leads Nicole to the other side and I watch as she shivers and he wraps her up in his arms. I’m thrown off by this behavior. He and I have always been the same. Take us like we are, you don’t like it, move on. There are plenty out there that do. This is not what he’s doing with Nicole.

Kensington remains on the same side as me. I watch her as she leans against the railing and looks out over the water. She rubs her bare arms and I watch as she shivers. I move next to her. Gripping her hips, I turn her to face me. I expect her smart mouth to unleash on me, but she doesn’t. Her eyes follow my movements as I lift my sweatshirt over my head. I turn it around and pull it over her head. She immediately places her arms in the sleeves. My eyes never leave her and she leans down and inhales deeply. She’s sniffing my fucking shirt! She’s smelling me, and from the look on her face, she likes it. My cock is again standing at attention for this girl.

I step closer to her. She peers up at me and smiles. “You smell fucking edible,” she says and I cannot contain the smile that crosses my face. She fucking gives it right back to me and that only makes me want her sassy smart mouth even more. Makes me want to bury myself deep inside of her. Makes me want to worship every inch of her until I’ve got her out of my system.

She looks away, a slight blush against her cheeks. I bend my knees so I’m more her height. Placing my index finger under her chin, I lift her face so she’s looking at me. My left hand moves to her hip. I stand to my full height and tug her close to me. My right hand slides behind her neck. I caress her cheek with my thumb as her eyes find mine. I’m just about ready to make my move. I lean in, closing the distance, when I hear footsteps against the creaky boards. I’ve been meaning to get out here and fix that, but with the remodel, I just haven’t had the time. I’m thankful and pissed all at the same time. I’m glad I stopped before our best friends were witness to what I would have done, witness to how bad I want her. I’m pissed off because my fucking mouth is watering at the thought of tasting her.