No Feelings Involved: A Brother's Best Friend Standalone Romance Read online

  Table of Contents

  CHAPTER 1

  CHAPTER 2

  CHAPTER 3

  CHAPTER 4

  CHAPTER 5

  CHAPTER 6

  CHAPTER 7

  CHAPTER 8

  CHAPTER 9

  CHAPTER 10

  CHAPTER 11

  CHAPTER 12

  CHAPTER 13

  CHAPTER 14

  CHAPTER 15

  CHATPER 16

  CHAPTER 17

  CHAPTER 18

  CHAPTER 19

  CHAPTER 20

  CHAPTER 21

  CHAPTER 22

  CHAPTER 23

  CHAPTER 24

  CHAPTER 25

  CHAPTER 26

  CHAPTER 27

  EPILOGUE 1

  EPILOGUE 2

  WHEN FOREVER CHANGES – SAMPLE

  About The Author

  Books by Siobhan Davis

  Copyright

  CHAPTER 1

  Summer

  “We should’ve worn bikinis,” my bestie Hannah jokes, plucking at the lacy tank top clinging to her chest like a second skin, as we navigate our way through the throngs of people toward the bar. The popular Newark bar-slash-club is teeming with people, loud music pumping from speakers as the Indie band on stage works the crowd like pros.

  “That would’ve been one guaranteed way of achieving my goal,” I shout in her ear with a grin. “Why didn’t I think of that?”

  “You seriously think you’ll have any issue finding a hookup in here?” Jordan—Hannah’s boyfriend—inquires, quirking a brow as he glances around the room. “You could wear a sack and easily find someone to rid you of that pesky V-card.”

  Hannah thumps her boyfriend in the upper arm. “Don’t be so flippant. Summer has standards, and the guy needs to meet the criteria.”

  “What criteria?” he asks, shoving his way to the bar and propping his elbows on the grimy countertop.

  I scoot up alongside him, with Hannah on my other side. “He needs to be older and know what he’s doing. I haven’t waited this long to give it up in a sweaty encounter with some drunken frat boy who needs a compass to locate my clit.”

  Jordan smothers a laugh as the bartender approaches. He casts a skeptical glance over us, but the magical bands around our wrists, and the line of thirsty customers, are enough to convince the overworked bartender to let his suspicions over our age go, and he accepts Jordan’s order of three beers without question.

  That hundred bucks I spent on a fake ID is already paying dividends.

  With beers in hand, we navigate our way around the other side of the bar where it’s not so packed.

  “Damn, why does it have to be so hot,” Hannah moans, fanning her face with her hands.

  “We won’t stay long,” I promise, patting her arm. “Once I find my prey, I won’t be hanging around.” My eyes flash with intent as I take a sip of my beer, scanning the talent in the room.

  Jordan rolls his eyes. “You’re something else, Summer.”

  I shrug, smiling back at him. “You know what I’m like when I set my mind to something.”

  “Pigheaded,” Hannah quips, smirking as she brings the bottle to her mouth.

  “Determined,” I correct her.

  “You know I can call Justin, and he’d come to the city in a heartbeat for you,” Jordan says. “He’d help you out for sure.”

  “I love Justin. You know I do, but only as a friend, and it’d be weird having sex with him. I value his friendship too much to risk it.”

  Justin is Jordan’s best friend from Bridgeville, our hometown, and when Hannah and Jordan started going out in freshman year of high school, Justin and I kissed a few times. I know Hannah and Jordan would have loved for us to become a couple too, but I realized, almost immediately, that Justin and I would be much better off as friends. Still, that hasn’t stopped my bestie and her boyfriend from trying to play matchmaker over the years. But you can’t force chemistry. It’s either there or it isn’t.

  “Are you sure you’d rather do it with a random?” Hannah asks, for like the millionth time.

  “We can’t all be as lucky as you.” I clink my bottle against hers, smiling warmly at Jordan, while I continue to check out the guys in our vicinity. “And you didn’t have three overprotective big brothers cock-blocking you at every turn.”

  “True dat.” Jordan scrubs a hand over his stubbly chin. “Charlie had every fucking guy terrified to even ask you out.”

  “Hence why I’m still a virgin starting college.”

  “It’s not that unusual, Sum,” Hannah says, “and I’m just worried you’re going into this without thinking it through.”

  “I don’t need to think it through,” I confirm, my eyes homing in on the heaving dance floor with interest. “I’m ready. I want to have sex, and I want it to be a night to remember. That wouldn’t have happened with any of the guys back home. I want to find some hot, older guy to rock my world and ensure I’ll never forget the night I lost my virginity. And I want to walk away in the morning with no regrets and zero plans to see him again.”

  I extend my hands into the air, swaying my hips in time to the music. “I’m finally free, Han. Free to do anything I want. Be anyone I want. And the last thing I want to do is hold off for a boyfriend and tie myself down freshman year of college. No offense to you two, but I want to spread my wings before settling down.”

  “None taken,” Hannah says with affection. “And if you’re sure, then you should go for it.”

  “I’m glad you approve,” I say, putting my beer down and handing hers to Jordan. “Because you’re dancing with me.”

  I tug the hem of my short black minidress down, smoothing a hand over the front to remove the wrinkles. It’s a simple dress, but it’s well made, and it hugs my delicate curves in all the right places. I’ve always been a believer that less is more which is why I’m not wearing too much makeup and I’ve got my pink Converse on my feet instead of the red stilettos Hannah favored.

  “C’mon.” Hannah gives Jordan a quick kiss before looping her arm through mine. “Let’s get this show on the road.”

  We push our way into the middle of the dance floor and move in time to the music. I toss my long, dark, wavy hair over my shoulder, shimmying my hips back and forth and losing myself to the rhythmic beats. I’ve no clue who the band is, but they’re awesome, and it’s not long before I’ve forgotten all about guys and I’m letting the music carry me away. My eyes are closed, and I’m swaying my hips with my hands roaming my body, absorbing the melody and lyrics, feeling the music all the way through to my bones, when Hannah nudges me in the side.

  “Hottie alert dead ahead,” she shouts in my ear. “And he hasn’t taken his eyes off you in the last five minutes.”

  I jerk my eyes open, looking straight in front of me, and my gaze instantly locks on the guy in question. He’s standing at the front area of the bar in a small circle of guys and girls. But he’s not paying any attention to the surrounding conversation. He’s blatantly staring at me, not even attempting to disguise his interest.

  He’s smoking hot, and the way he’s devouring me on sight has my body tingling all over.

  “I think my ovaries just exploded,” Hannah hollers over the loud music, flattening a hand over her chest as her eyes drink him in.

  “Mine too,” I murmur, readily agreeing as I confidently return his inquiring gaze. His biceps flex as he brings a bottle of beer to his mouth, and I watch in fascination as his throat works while he drinks. Watching him swallow is one of the sexiest things I’ve ever witnessed,
and my panties are already wet, my core aching in a way I haven’t felt in forever.

  He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he drinks, and his intense stare sends a shiver coursing through me. His long, slim fingers grip the bottle with ease, and now I’m imagining his big hands exploring every inch of my body. Setting his beer down on the bar, he runs a hand through his dirty blond hair, muscles rolling in his arm with the motion.

  Hannah and I are captivated, watching him as if we’ve never seen a hot guy before. And I know it’s obvious as fuck. Because we’re standing in the middle of the dance floor, motionless, with our jaws trailing the ground, bits of drool clinging to the corners of our mouths. The guy’s voluptuous lips twitch at the corner, and I curl my fingers at him in a “come hither” gesture. His smile expands as he walks toward us, and a shot of liquid lust pools in my core.

  “Holy fucking hotness,” Hannah exclaims, and I couldn’t agree more.

  I hold his gaze as he walks this way, unashamedly ogling him, making sure he knows I return his interest. With the way his shirt clings to his broad shoulders and toned chest, it’s clear this guy works out, and I’m betting he has a body made for sin.

  Check box number one.

  While I’m not the greatest judge of age, he’s definitely no frat boy, and he exudes confidence and maturity that confirms he’s older.

  Check box number two.

  He’s weaving his way through the masses, and I swear I hear a collective swoon from the largely female crowd. A few girls make grabs for him, but his focus is singular, and locked on me. He’s already making me feel hugely desired, and I’m seriously turned on, and we haven’t even spoken yet.

  Check box number three.

  His cocky swagger is like an aphrodisiac as he stalks toward me, quickly eating up the distance with his long strides. I can’t tell the color of his eyes yet, but he’s sexy and good-looking, and he sure looks like he knows how to use his equipment.

  Check. Check. Check.

  I throw out my mental checklist, already knowing this guy fits the bill.

  I keep a heated smile on my face as he approaches, my heart beating excitedly behind my rib cage.

  He stands directly in front of me, towering over my five-foot-six-inch frame, like some Greek Adonis. “I’m Ryan,” he says, in a rich deep voice that does funny things to my insides. “And you’re beautiful.”

  His gorgeous, big blue eyes suck me in, and a shiver runs through me.

  It’s hard not to gawk.

  This guy is seriously gorgeous.

  Dark cobalt eyes framed by a thick layer of long lashes. Chiseled jawline with just the right amount of stubble peppering his chin and cheeks. Strong nose. Kissable lips. And that hair. My hands curl into fists as I fight the craving to drag my fingers through the dark blond strands to see if they feel as silky as they look.

  Snapping out of my daze, I extend my hand. “I’m smitten, and you’re sexy as hell.”

  His chest rumbles as he chuckles, taking my offered hand and bringing it to his lips. My knees buckle when he presses a kiss to my knuckles, delicious tremors ricocheting all over my body. “Dance with me?” he asks, moving behind me before I’ve even replied. His arm wraps around my waist, and he pulls me flush against his lean, hard body. I place my hands over his, loving the feel of his skin against mine.

  My body’s on fire as we move in sync to the music, and it’s not from the dense heat in the room.

  Remembering Hannah, I look around, but she’s disappeared. I glance over my shoulder, at the place where we left Jordan, breathing a sigh of relief when I notice her draped around her boyfriend.

  Ryan pushes my hair aside, nuzzling into my neck, and a little moan escapes my lips. “You feel so good pressed up against me,” he whispers, grazing his lips along the column of my neck, his body moving fluidly against mine as we dance a provocative dance.

  I arch my head back, granting him more access. “Don’t stop,” I plead. “I want more.”

  His body shakes with silent laughter as his mouth turns more urgent. He presses hot, wet kisses up and down my neck, nibbling on my earlobe, as his hands begin to softly explore. His fingers brush against my sides, moving up and down my body. My movements become harder, and I push my ass back into his groin, gasping as I feel the hard length of his erection pressing into me.

  We’re grinding against one another in a way that’s hugely obvious, and my body is humming and purring, my arousal elevated to “don’t give a fuck if I’m in public dirty dancing with some hot, random stranger” mode. My heart is soaring in my chest, my pulse throbbing in my neck. I’ve done nothing like this before, and the exhilaration is addictive. Sure, I’ve made out with guys, blown guys, and let a few go down on me, but it was all closeted, in quick, drunken fumbles at parties.

  My brothers would freak the hell out if they could see me now, but that acknowledgment only pours more fuel on the flames.

  I have spent my entire life in the quiet little town of Bridgeville.

  A place I’m proud to call home.

  A place I love wholeheartedly.

  But it’s insular and suffocating at the best of times. I couldn’t sneeze around town without someone finding out about it. I’m unbelievably excited to be starting UD in a few weeks, for a variety of reasons but especially because of the freedom it offers. I love my parents and my brothers to the moon and back, and I’m so damn lucky I have them watching out for me, but their smothering protectiveness has clipped my wings, and now it’s time to let them soar.

  I’ve so many ambitions. So many plans. And I can’t wait to begin this new phase of my life.

  Ryan’s hand subtly grazes the side of my breast, and my core throbs painfully. We’re pressed tight against one another, with no gap between us, his enticing body melded against my spine, and I want more.

  I want all of him.

  I don’t care that I don’t know him.

  That we’ve barely exchanged any words.

  This is exactly how I want it to be.

  One hot illicit night with a stranger.

  A memory to cling to when I’m old and gray.

  It’s clear this isn’t his first rodeo, and I’m under no illusion. His moves are practiced and assured.

  He does this a lot, but I honestly don’t care.

  Reaching my arm back, I cup the nape of his neck, angling my head around as I pull his face down to mine. Our lips collide in a searing-hot kiss I feel all the way to the tips of my toes. He takes over, his mouth gliding with skill against mine. Keeping his lips locked on mine, he repositions me with a gentle touch until my front is pressed against his. He leans down, and I stretch up, my arms circling his neck as his arms wrap around my waist. His tongue licks the seam of my mouth, requesting entry, and I open freely for him. Stars explode behind my closed eyelids as his tongue plunders my mouth, licking me all over, and I whimper against his lips, pulling him tighter.

  He grabs hold of my ass, prodding his erection into my pelvis, and then my hands are exploring, roaming the ripped planes of his muscular back down to his delectable ass. We’re panting and groaning, and I’m ready to combust when he pulls back, peering down at me with lust in his eyes. “Want to get out of here?”

  I nod, barely able to string a coherent sentence together.

  He presses his lips to mine in a tender kiss that’s completely at odds with the way we were just ravishing one another. “Fuck, you’re so sexy. I can’t remember the last time I was this horny.”

  His words shouldn’t thrill me, but they do. “Try forever, in my case,” I honestly admit.

  His mouth twists into a devilish smile as he leans in closer. “You’ve gorgeous legs,” he whispers into my ear, sweeping his fingers up the side of my thigh, and my legs almost go out from under me. “And now I’m imagining them wrapped around my neck.”

  My core throbs in a way it’s never throbbed before, and butterflies scatter in my chest at the thought I might get what I’d hoped for. Ryan is all man,
and the thoughts of him moving over and in me has me in a nervous-excited space. “That can be arranged,” I tell him in a breathy voice, hoping he doesn’t see through my façade. I doubt he’d be as keen if he knew how inexperienced I am.

  “Your place or mine?” he inquires, taking my hand in his much larger one.

  “Mine.” I had already agreed to this with Jordan and Hannah in advance. They want me to be safe, and close by, in case anything happens. “I’m staying at the Regency for the weekend.”

  “You’re an out of towner?” he asks, looking happy at that news.

  “Yes,” I semi-lie. While I’m technically an outsider now, I won’t be come August when classes start. But he doesn’t need to know that. The less we know about one another, the better. “Is that a problem?” I inquire, already guessing it’s not.

  “Nope.” He plants a hard kiss on my mouth. “Quite the opposite.” He waggles his brows.

  “You want no attachments. Got it.”

  His eyes drill into mine. “If that’s a problem for you—”

  “It’s not,” I rush to reassure him. “Not at all. I’m only interested in one night. I’m not interested in forming any attachment either.”

  “Cool.” He tugs me forward, assertively forging a path through the crowd.

  Curious by nature, I ask, “Do you do this a lot?” as we exit the dance floor.

  “Define a lot.” I can hear the smirk in his tone.

  Maybe I should be offended or disgusted, but I’m not. All I can think is this guy will have mad skills, and he couldn’t be any more perfect. He’s not interested in making small talk for hours to charm me into his bed. He’s direct about what he wants, and that speaks to me on a base level. We’re both on the same page, and I want to lose my virginity to him. We’re attracted to one another, and I can tell this will be a purely physical encounter.

  It’s exactly what I’m looking for—mind-blowing sex with a random stranger.

  One night.

  No expectations.

  No strings.

  No ties.

  “There’s no such thing,” I cheekily retort. “And I couldn’t care less.”

  He spins me around as we reach the edge of the dance floor. “You genuinely mean that.” I nod. “That’s really fucking refreshing,” he adds, caressing my cheek. “I’ll give you a night to remember.” His voice drips with promise, and my core pulses in response. “I’ll worship you like a queen.” And, as he lowers his mouth to mine, kissing me deeply and unhurriedly, I don’t doubt him for a second.