Irresistible: A Brother’s Best Friend Romance Read online

  Irresistible

  A Brother’s Best Friend Romance

  Kate Hunt

  Copyright © 2019 by Kate Hunt

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  All rights reserved.

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  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Contents

  1. Austin

  2. Chloe

  3. Austin

  4. Chloe

  5. Austin

  6. Chloe

  7. Austin

  8. Chloe

  9. Austin

  10. Chloe

  11. Austin

  12. Chloe

  13. Austin

  A free novella!

  Chapter One

  Austin

  “Don’t tell me you’re staying late tonight,” groans Rob, leaning over my desk to look at my computer screen. “Seriously, dude? You’re still messing around with the copy for the website? I told you. It’s good.”

  I lean back in my chair and roll my neck in an attempt at relieving the tension that’s built up from endless hours of work. Our company’s success means everything to me. Rob should know that. He’s the goddamn cofounder, after all.

  “I’m just making a few tweaks,” I say. “It’s almost there. I won’t stay past six.”

  “You better not be bullshitting me,” says Rob.

  I look him straight in the eye. “I’m not bullshitting you.”

  He narrows his eyes, looking at me carefully to judge whether or not I’m telling him the truth. Rob and I have been best friends since grade school and we can always tell when the other is lying.

  “Okay, fine,” he says. “I believe you. But if you’re not working, what are you going to do tonight?”

  I shrug. I glance around our small office and notice that everybody else has left. “I dunno. Hit the gym. Maybe grab takeout. Chill out at home.”

  “Right,” says Rob. He smirks. “As someone with a toddler, I gotta say…do you even know how good you have it?”

  “Hey, you chose to have a kid, man.”

  Robs sighs. “Yeah. Fair enough. I did.”

  I laugh. I’m glad I don’t have to deal with the antics of a toddler. I’m perfectly fine with going home every night to an empty, quiet bachelor pad. Some people might think it’s sad, being single at thirty-four. But I’ve never been interested in married life or being a dad.

  “Hey, by the way,” says Rob, straightening up and drumming his fingers on my desk. “Have you decided about tomorrow?”

  Tomorrow? Oh. Right. Shit. I’d completely forgotten about the invitation that Rob extended to me to spend Thanksgiving with his family. Normally, I’d head back home, too, to see my folks, but they’re in Europe on vacation right now. A few weeks ago, when Rob found out, he extended his invitation. Not just to spend it with him and his wife and kid—but with his parents and sister, too.

  It’s nice as hell for Rob to invite me along. But I’ll be fine on my own.

  “Yeah…I’m just going to hang out here,” I say. “Thanks, though. I appreciate it.”

  Rob looks disappointed. “Oh, come on. Why don’t you want to come? My mom cooks a mean turkey.”

  “I’m sure she does, but…”

  “Come on. Just say yes, man.”

  I smirk. “You don’t take no for an answer, do you?”

  Rob smiles guiltily. “I might have already told my parents you were coming.”

  I groan. “Goddamn it.”

  “Sorry. Look, if you really don’t want to come, I can tell them I misunderstood.”

  “You’re fucking manipulative, you know that?” I grumble. I sigh. I hate the idea of his parents thinking I backed out. They’re sweet people. “Fine. I’ll come.”

  “Awesome.” Rob grins. “We can pick you up tomorrow morning. I did mention we’re going up for two nights, right? You’re cool with that?”

  Fuck. Of course he would remind me about that after I agreed to go with him.

  “You know, on second thought…” I say.

  “Nope. You already said yes.” Rob grins. “Come on. Suck it up. My family’s not bad. My parents aren’t crazy. My sister’s even tolerable. You remember her, right?”

  Chloe? Yeah, I remember Chloe—as a loud, crazy kid whining about being excluded from whatever Rob and I were doing. I haven’t seen her since we were in high school, but Rob has periodically mentioned her. Pretty sure she’s a junior or senior in college now.

  I run a hand over my chin, feeling light stubble. “So you’re saying I should want to spend two days with your family because your parents aren’t crazy and your sister’s tolerable?”

  “It will sure beat eating a sad microwave Thanksgiving dinner alone,” says Rob.

  Something pinches in my chest. Shit. Rob is right. I mean, not about eating a microwave dinner on Thanksgiving. But about it being sad if I spend it all alone. As much as I might try to ignore the holiday this year, it’s going to get to me. I just know it will.

  “Fine,” I say. “Two nights. Whatever.”

  “Awesome,” says Rob. He shoulders his bag, gives me a hearty slap on the shoulder, and starts to head out. “Pick you up at nine tomorrow morning.”

  “Yeah, yeah,” I grumble, and turn back to my computer screen.

  I do exactly what I said I was going to do that night—leave at six, go to the gym and work out until I’m exhausted, pick up takeout, and spend the rest of the night chilling at home. The next morning, I get up early, shower, and pack a bag for the next two days.

  Rob is out in front of my building at nine o’clock sharp. When I head down, weekend bag slung over my shoulder, I see his wife, Denise, getting out of the passenger seat and moving into the back.

  “Figured you’d rather sit up front than in the back with the kid,” she says, smiling at me.

  “You sure?” I ask. It’s not exactly a short drive. It’s almost a four-hour trek to where Rob and I grew up.

  “I’m sure,” says Denise. She smiles at me again. “I’m glad you’re joining us, Austin.”

  “Yeah. Me too.” I throw my bag into the back of the car and then climb into the passenger seat.

  “Morning,” says Rob.

  “Hey, man,” I say. Then I twist around and give little William a grin. “Will! How’s it going?”

  “Remember Uncle Austin?” Denise says to her son.

  “Un…cle…Aus…tin,” says Will, and lets out an infectious laugh. The three of us adults laugh, too. But it’s not just amusement that I feel at hearing the kid call me that. Unexpectedly, it melts my heart a tad, too.

  “Sorry, I should have asked,” says Denise, glancing at me. “You don’t mind if he calls you that, do you, Austin?”

  “Nah, it’s cool,” I say.

  “Everybody buckled up?” Rob asks.

  “Yes, Dad,” I say, throwing a smirk at him.

  “All right,” says Rob. “Thanksgiving, here we come.”

  Chapter Two

  Chloe

  I chop one of the potatoes in half, then cut the pieces into quarters.

  “Is this small enough, Mom?” I ask.

  My mom looks up from the fresh rosemary she’s chopping. “That’s perfect. Thanks, Chloe.”

  My flight got in late last night and I’m happy to be home. I’m so focused on school these days—it’s my senior year of college, I’m a photography major—and I rarely take time like this to just relax and bond
with people I love.

  Mom and I have been cooking since both of us got up this morning. As much as I enjoy the eating part of Thanksgiving, it’s this part of the holiday, the quiet hours of cooking and spending time with my mom, that I really love. I also really love my dad’s tradition of bringing out his acoustic guitar after the meal and playing for all of us. Right now, my dad’s upstairs replacing the strings on his guitar.

  I pause from slicing potatoes to glance out the kitchen window.

  “Think it’ll snow before December?” I ask.

  “It sure doesn’t feel like it,” says my mom. “I heard someone say on TV the other day that we’re supposed to get a super snowy Christmas, though.”

  “I’d love that,” I say. “Well, as long as it’s not too snowy to shut down the airports.”

  “Or the roads,” my mom says. She checks the time. “Speaking of which, Rob and Denise should be here soon. Did I mention that Rob’s friend is joining us, too?”

  “Friend?” I ask, concentrating on slicing another potato.

  “Austin Hayes,” she says.

  I stop cutting. Austin. I haven’t seen him since…well, forever ago. He and my brother have been best friends their whole lives, and when I was growing up, Austin was always over at our house.

  I had a serious crush on him back then.

  The severity of my crush went away as soon as Austin graduated high school and wasn’t around our house any longer. And even though my brother and him run a business now and I hear Austin’s name being thrown around whenever my brother talks business, it’s been easy enough to tune out my brother’s mentions of him. They’re just words, after all.

  But seeing Austin in person again…the very thought of it fills my stomach with butterflies.

  “Don’t his parents live up here?” I ask, confused why my brother would invite Austin to our house for the holiday.

  “I think Rob said Austin’s folks are out of the country for a few weeks,” my mom says, filling a pot with water.

  “Oh,” I say. “Gotcha.”

  “Actually, that reminds me,” says my mom. “I still need to wash the sheets for the guest bedroom. I’ll be right back. If the water comes to a boil you can throw those potatoes in, okay?”

  I nod. As my mom steps out of the kitchen, I go back to slicing potatoes. Austin. Staying the night in the guest room. For multiple nights, possibly.

  This shouldn’t be making me so nervous.

  And yet it is.

  The thing is…my little childhood crush on him wasn’t just a crush. It was intense. I’d practically feel my knees buckle whenever I was around him. I mean, the crush was pretty innocent, because I was so young. But I also literally remember thinking to myself, Austin and I are going to get married someday. I just know it.

  I remind myself that things are different now. I’m twenty-one, no longer a ridiculous little kid. I have control over my feelings. In fact, I might not even feel anything toward Austin when I see him again. We’ve surely both changed a lot.

  Still, there’s this little pestering thought in the back of my head. Because the way I felt about Austin when I was young? Well, I’ve never felt that way about anybody else since. All the crushes I’ve have had paled in comparison.

  I shake my head, trying to rid myself of the thoughts, and look down at the potatoes I’ve been mindlessly chopping.

  I’ve way over-chopped them. They’re in haphazard, tiny pieces on the cutting board.

  Mom is still upstairs getting the guest room ready when the water comes to a boil. I dump the potatoes in, grab a timer, and walk over to the bottom of the stairs.

  “How long do the potatoes boil for, Mom?” I call up.

  “Set a timer for ten minutes,” she calls back. “I’ll be down soon.”

  “Okay,” I call back. I set the timer and head back into the kitchen to see what else I can keep myself distracted with. There’s a couple bags of cranberries out on the counter, so I cut the packages open and rinse them off, then grab a bag of sugar from an upper shelf.

  I’ve just measured the right amount of sugar into a pot for the cranberry sauce when the doorbell rings.

  Instantly, nerves tingle all over my body.

  “Can you get that, honey?” my mom calls from upstairs.

  “Yep,” I call back. I head toward the front door. As I approach, I hear a little voice say, “Mama, look at the pumpkin!”

  Opening the door, I’m greeted by my brother, his wife, and my little nephew. Will looks up from gazing at the pumpkin on my parents’ porch to grin at me.

  “Auntie Chloe!” he says, leaping forward to hug my legs.

  “Hi, cutie,” I say, laughing at his enthusiasm. As soon as he lets go, I give both my brother and sister-in-law hugs.

  “Hey guys,” I say. “Happy Thanksgiving.”

  “Happy Thanksgiving, Chloe,” says Denise, smiling warmly. Then, seeing William about to grab something, she rushes off to stop him. Rob steps into the house and starts to take off his coat.

  Finally, I bring myself to look at the last person standing in the doorway. Austin.

  And he’s no longer just my older brother’s cute best friend. Now he’s my older brother’s hot-as-hell best friend.

  I swallow. I feel my knees quiver. I force myself to smile as naturally as possible.

  “Hi Austin,” I say. “It’s nice to see you.”

  Chapter Three

  Austin

  Uh…that crazy, talkative, annoying little sister of my best friend?

  She’s gorgeous now.

  Those big, pretty eyes, those plump lips of hers, those curves—good God, those curves. I’ve got a feeling she looks incredible no matter what she’s wearing, but in that little fuzzy sweater she’s got on, the way it’s hugging her body…

  Okay. I really need to stop gaping at her.

  “It’s nice to see you, too, Chloe,” I say. “It’s been a while.”

  “Yeah,” she says. Something trembles lightly in her voice. Are these feelings mutual? “It has.”

  “Where’s Mom and Dad?” Rob asks, taking off his shoes.

  “Mom’s upstairs getting the guest room ready,” says Chloe, pulling her gaze away from me. “Dad’s messing around with his guitar.”

  “Should have known,” says Rob. He glances over at me. “I forgot to mention. It’s a Thanksgiving tradition for our dad to play music post-meal.”

  “Oh, nice,” I say. God, I really hope Rob can’t see my lust for his sister in my face. “Hey, can I use your bathroom?”

  Rob snort-laughs. “You don’t have to ask. You know where it is.”

  I nod and excuse myself, navigating on my own to the bathroom. I haven’t been in this house since high school, but the place is still familiar to me, of course. The layout of the house, the feel of the hardwood floors beneath my feet…even the temperature of the rooms feels nostalgic.

  In the bathroom, I shut myself into the small space and heft a sigh. I steady my palms on the edge of the sink, shut my eyes, and breathe.

  Okay. Chloe’s hot. I’m crazy attracted to her. And I’m pretty much in the worst scenario possible right now, having to spend two nights under the same roof as her.

  But I’m a thirty-four-year-old man. I can control myself. I have no choice but to control myself. She’s Rob’s little sister. My best friend’s little sister. My business partner’s little sister.

  I’d never want to do anything to put strain on that relationship.

  That in itself is a pretty damn good reason to keep my feelings under check. But I remind myself that it’s not the only reason. Even if she weren’t my best friend’s little sister…she’s too young for me. She’s, what, twenty? Twenty-one? I have no business going after someone over a decade younger than me. Nothing good would come from making a move.

  This is lust. That’s all it is. It’s fucked up, badly-timed lust.

  And I can deal with it.

  I can.

  It’s not difficult to
avoid Chloe for the next few hours, since she’s in the kitchen with her mom and Denise and I’m in the living room with Rob and his dad and Will. While I’m hanging out with the guys, though, something unexpected happens. As I watch Will run back and forth between his dad and grandpa, I’m struck by how touching the scene is. I’m not usually one to get all sentimental and shit, but it’s hard not to, seeing these three generations in front of me, just spending time together, enjoying each other’s company.

  And I have to ask myself: Am I really not interested in having that for myself someday?

  Even when Will has a melt down a little later, it doesn’t seem that bad. I mean, yeah, I’m sure it eventually wears on the nerves. It’s not like I actually know what being a parent is like. But there’s a reason people have more than one kid, right? The good stuff has gotta significantly outweigh the bad, right?

  My thoughts are interrupted as Rob’s mom calls out that the meal is ready.

  “Come on,” says Rob, standing up and stretching. “Let’s get our feast on.”

  Rob wasn’t kidding about how good of a turkey his mom makes. Hell, everything on the table is absolutely delicious. The turkey, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes…even the cranberries are something magical.

  “I put orange zest in them,” says Rob’s mom, looking flattered when I compliment the dish. “Or I guess I should say that Chloe put orange zest in them. She helped out so much with the meal.”

  I glance over at Chloe, who’s talking to her sister-in-law about how school is going. I’ve gathered bits and pieces throughout the meal and I’ve loved hearing Chloe talk about her passion for photography. But of course every glimpse I get of her also makes me want her more.