There's Warmth: A Friends to Lovers Romance (Where There's Smoak Book 1) Read online

  ****

  Conner

  Rachel finishes chewing my ass out and storms away. I shake my head in amusement and turn back to my table where the rest of the guys are waiting to hear what happened.

  “Welp, that wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it was going to be,” I say smiling.

  They all start to chuckle.

  “I don’t get it, Smoak,” Bobby says, “she was easily a ten in my book. What the hell are you thinking man?”

  I smile. “Yeah, she’s sexy and all, but she’s as crazy as she is hot. It wasn’t going to last. Just not what I’m looking for,” I say, sitting back in my chair and taking a sip of my beer.

  “You’ve been saying that for as long as I’ve known you. I don’t even think you know what you’re looking for anymore,” he responds.

  My eyes wander around the bar as he talks, but then stop when they spot Brooke standing at the bar throwing back a shot, Mitch standing beside her. What the fuck?

  “I think he knows what he’s looking for,” Gabe interjects.

  I turn back to him and he stares at me as if he knows something I don’t.

  Feeling a bit unnerved, I change the subject while trying to keep my eyes on Brooke.

  “Alright, is this really bar room talk, fellas? Who wants to play some more cards?”

  I try to focus on the card game, but I’m too distracted. I glance back over to her and spot his hand on her leg. I can feel my blood start to boil inside me. This is typical Brooke. Her judgment is shit and of all people, Mitch? Really Brooke? He’s the exact reason I didn’t trust her judgment in the first place. He was the sleazeball that I had to kick the shit out of over the summer going into junior year. My mind flashes back to the locker room after football practice that summer.

  He stood there surrounded by all the other players bragging about sleeping with her. Exposing the details of her body and mocking her pain after he broke things off. On top of everything else, he bragged about sleeping with another girl the whole time he was with her. As he started to retell one of his endeavors with Brooke in detail I lost it completely.

  “She started grabbing at my dick and pulling her shirt off. She couldn’t wait to ride me….” he started and I lunged at him, connecting my fist with his jaw. I continued pounding on him repeatedly until three of the players pulled me off of him. “Don’t you ever let me hear you talking about her again! Do you fucking hear me, Mitch?” I screamed as I was being dragged away from him. “Don’t talk to her anymore, don’t look in her fucking direction, don’t even think about her!” I continued until they finally got me out of the locker room.

  A small smile spread across my face thinking about how satisfying it was to give him that beatdown.

  “Your turn, bro,” Bobby says, bringing me back to the present.

  I refocus on the game and lay a card. I smirk again at the thought of pounding his fucking face in again. I glance back over and they are still sitting there talking, laughing together. Look at him over there. All fucking smiles. You’re smarter than that Brooke. Don’t fall for his bullshit.

  Suddenly, I see her stand and follow him to the dance floor. You’ve got to be fucking kidding me. Brooke doesn’t dance. But she’s dancing with him. What the hell is happening? I try not to stare, but I can feel the adrenaline starting to build in my body. Anger raging through me. I can’t sit here and watch this happen.

  “I’ll be right back,” I say as I throw my cards down on the table and start toward them. Before I get halfway there, I feel someone grab my arm. I whip around to see Gabe holding onto my arm just above my elbow, a look of concern on his face.

  “You’ve got to let her make her own mistakes, Smoak. You can’t always be here to protect her. She’s a strong woman. She can handle herself.”

  Looking back to where Brooke and Mitch are dancing she looks almost happy. An unfamiliar feeling starts churning in the pit of my stomach. Maybe Gabe is right, but I don’t have to sit back and watch the train wreck happen. I shrug from Gabe’s grip and storm to the bathroom.

  Standing over the sink I splash some water on my face. Why am I so pissed? Gabe’s right. She’s a grown woman who needs to make her own mistakes. I don’t know why it’s so hard to see her with a man. That unfamiliar feeling rises in my stomach again. No. I can’t just sit out there and watch this. Not with him. Then, I get an idea.

  I walk back out to the bar and up to the jukebox. I slide my dollar bill into the feeder and start scrolling. My eyes search the screen from side to side looking for the song until I finally find it. I press play and wait by the bar for it to come on. I hear the deep humming of Bruno Mars as the music plays to the slower rhythm of Just the Way You Are and I’m taken back.

  Prom night. It was our junior year of high school. I was tearing it up on the dance floor when I spotted Brooke sitting by herself at her table. Her long blonde curls looked tame for the first time ever. Most of it was swept up neatly on top of her head, while a few trindles were left down perfectly framing her face. She wore light makeup that brightened and accentuated her large green eyes. She wore a gold and black form-fitting halter dress that flowed gracefully from her body to the floor. It had a slit going up the side that almost reached her hip. She looked so elegant. Stunning. Timeless.

  She never was big on dancing, but I felt like I needed to rescue her. I hated seeing her sad, even then. I walked over to the table just as Bruno Mars started playing.

  “Let’s go,” I said to her. And without giving her a chance to say no, I took her hand and pulled her from her seat, and drug her to the dance floor. She smiled brightly as I twirled her around. There’s my girl. I smiled back at her and laughed to myself at her two left feet as she stumbled through the spins. I spun her away from me and spun her back in, swaying her body with mine to the music. She looked so happy.

  Since then, that’s been our song. Whenever it comes on we dance. Sometimes I play it for her just to see her smile. Other times, I put it on just to make her get up and dance and come out of her shell a little. Tonight, it’s because she needs to be rescued again.

  I walk toward them and her eyes have already found mine. But she doesn’t look happy. I smile at her.

  “My turn,” I say, peeling Mitch’s hands from her body. Hands off fucker. I take her hand and spin her away from me and pull her back in holding her firmly against me. Don’t worry. I’ve got you. I hear her take a ragged breath.

  “You good?” I ask, trying to see her face, but she’s turned away from me.

  “I’m fine, Conner,” she says, but her tone sounds cold.

  “When I see your face..” I start to sing the words quietly to her, hoping she’ll smile at me, but she doesn’t react. Maybe she’s realizing the mistake she almost made? She rests her head against my chest looking away from me and we dance to our song, slower than what is intended for the upbeat rhythm. She lets out another breath and I feel her hand tighten on my bicep and I smile to myself, breathing in the flowery scent of her shampoo. I’m here, Brooke. I got you.

  ****

  Brooke

  Time feels like it’s flown by. I’m having so much fun with Mitch. Even if he’s not boyfriend material, maybe he could be tonight material. Just something to temper the sting of loving someone you can’t have. I entertain the idea for a few minutes, trying to decide if I can actually bring myself to sleep with him. Just as I start leaning toward a yes, a familiar song fills the room.

  No, Conner. Not now. My stomach tightens and I think about fleeing out the back door with Mitch. No, that’s ridiculous. As I dismiss the thought Conner appears. I watch him pull Mitch’s hands off of me and Mitch immediately backs down. You’re not even going to put up a fight for me? You pussy. Note to self, next time I need a distraction, make sure he’s at least going to be willing to stand up to Conner.

  Conner spins me around a few times then pulls me into his chest. My mind is screaming at me to get out. Don’t do it, Brooke. You’re not as strong as you think you are.r />
  He asks if I’m good and I lie. I’m not “good.” In fact, I’m the opposite of good. I’m a complete and utter mess. But my body betrays my mind. It feels so good to be in his arms. This is where I’ve always wanted to be. And for the next two minutes, I give into my body. I allow myself to feel good about touching him and holding him.

  I hear his deep voice start to sing the lyrics back to me and a lump builds in my throat. My eyes start to fill slightly with tears. You’re lying to yourself, Brooke. This doesn’t mean to him what it means to you. You need to stop this. But I can’t stop. I don’t want to let him go. I cling tighter to his arms wanting to hold onto this moment. Peeking out through teary eyes, I see Gabe across the room. He gives me a knowing smile and nods at me. I squeeze my eyes closed tightly allowing a tear to escape. I love you so much, Conner, but you’re killing me.

  My fantasy comes to an end with the song and I struggle to release my grip on him. Desperate to hold on even a few moments longer. He pushes his chest out making me lift my head.

  “Let’s grab a beer,” he says, smiling down at me like he’s some conquering hero. As we start back to our table, the busty brunette steps in our path. She glares at me then moves her eyes to Conner.

  “So she’s the reason isn’t she?” She looks at Conner, anger burning in her eyes.

  “I’m not sure what you mean,” I speak up trying to defuse the situation. I hate confrontation. I want so badly to disappear into the background.

  She turns her gaze back to me. Shit. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut.

  “Don’t give me that bullshit you little homewrecking whore.”

  I want to be mad but I feel more guilty than anything. Even though I’m not actually sleeping with him, I would like to so I suppose she’s right about me.

  “That’s enough, Rachel.” Conner growls, “Not that I have to explain myself to you but Brooke is a friend. That’s it. I may be a scoundrel but I don’t cheat. For the record we went on a few dates. We were never together. We were never a couple.”

  I’m a friend. That’s it. My body aches at his words.

  “I don’t want to hear your lies, Conner. I see the way she looks at you.”

  My eyes grow wide and I freeze. Until now, I thought I did a pretty good job of hiding how I feel. Maybe I need to do better. I wait in silence for his response.

  “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about. C’mon Brooke. Let’s go.”

  He leads me back to our table where we gather our stuff and head out the door.

  Six

  Brooke

  Conner tucks me under his arm and we make our way into the cool evening air. I turn to start back toward the firehouse, but he pulls me in the opposite direction.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Just walk with me. I need some fresh air anyway.”

  For a moment, I hesitate. Please, Conner. Stop doing this to me. But the desire to hold onto him just a little longer and step back into my fantasy still lingers in my body. Plus, I’m feeling pretty buzzed and could probably use the fresh air myself. We walk side by side in the direction of the river, his arm hanging around my neck. The smell of his cologne fills my nose with the apple and woodsy scent I’ve come to know so well.

  “Can you believe what Rachel said? I’m sorry for getting you caught up in all of that.”

  I ignore his question trying to avoid the topic. “Yeah, you really know how to pick’em don’t you?” I tease back.

  “Well, can you blame me? I mean did you see her? I’m only human yano?”

  No, I think you nailed it on the head earlier. You’re a scoundrel.

  “Yeah, she’s gorgeous,” I respond, trying hard to keep the irritation from my voice.

  Making it to the river’s edge his arm drops from around me. He bends down and scans the rocks on the ground with his hand. Picking one up he stands and sidearms it into the river hitting at least six skips.

  “That the best you got?” I ask with a challenging smirk.

  “You trying to say you can do better?”

  I walk up next to him and pick up a smooth, flat, oval-shaped stone and let it fly. We both watch as it skips across the top of the water.

  “That’s eight for me right?” I ask, smiling proudly.

  “Okay tough guy. Watch this one. This is the money shot right here,” he says holding up his own flat rock. He extends his arm back and flings the rock to the water.

  “Eight. That’s a tie, baby,” he taunts me.

  “We’ll see. My turn.” I look around for another rock to throw and finally find the perfect one. I pull my arm back and just as I’m about to release I feel a slap against my hand and I drop it on the ground. I turn around and find Conner staring up at the sky, a bewildered look on his face as he points in the air.

  “Did you see that? That big ass bird just flew down here and knocked that rock right out of your hand. Crazy.” he says, shaking his head. “Welp, guess it’s my turn then right?”

  I laugh. He makes some of the worst and corniest jokes but for some reason, I always laugh. He just knows how to make me smile. It’s one of the things I love about him. I walk over to the bank of the river and watch him show off his rock skipping skills. Resting my chin on my hand and propping my arm on my knee I sit in silence. His face is illuminated by the moonlight reflecting off the water. The river’s current creates small peaks of white as it courses over the rocks below.

  This is perfect. A moonlit walk. Skipping rocks by the river. I love this. I love him. Maybe I should tell him how I feel? Would it be so bad? I mean he defended me with Rachel. He must care about me more than her, right? And we had that moment in the kitchen. Perhaps he does have feelings for me after all. I smile at the thought. Conner walks up to me and holds out his hand.

  “Alright, you about ready to go?”

  “Yeah, let’s go,” I reply, taking his hand.

  ****

  Conner

  I’m feeling exhausted by the time I get home, but Bruno needs to go out. I hook him up to his leash and open up the back door. I stand at the top of my yard and let him handle his business. Damn, it’s been a long night. I rub the side of my neck. Standing there in the dark I think back on the events of the evening. It still infuriates me that Brooke would even consider a guy like Mitch. She deserves someone better or at the very least, someone who’s going to be faithful to her.

  Bruno finishes up and runs back to the door. We head in the house together and I flop down on the couch. He jumps up beside me and lays down, resting his head on my lap. I rub his head as I vent to him.

  “Women are crazy, Bruno.” I let out a sigh. “Turns out, Rachel’s a bit on the crazy side. How do I keep getting caught up with these insane women, huh?” I ask as if I expect him to answer. My mind goes back to Rachel’s comment about Brooke. I see the way she looks at you. What was that supposed to mean? I’ve never seen her look at me any differently than she does anyone else. Eh, she was drunk and hurting. She was probably just jealous and saw what she wanted to see. I shrug off the thought.

  “C’mon boy.” I stand and pat my leg. “Time for bed.”

  ****

  Brooke

  I pull off my jeans and slide into my bed. I try to close my eyes and sleep but my brain won’t turn off. I keep going back and forth in my mind. Why don’t I just tell him? Because you idiot, he’ll either break your heart or it’ll ruin your friendship and things will never be the same again. You saw how he handled Rachel. It’s true. He was pretty cold with her. But he also defended me when Rachel accused me of being a homewrecker. Maybe I can be different from all those other girls. After all, we’ve been best friends forever. I think I need to tell him. I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this.

  ****

  I’m sitting on the bank of the river again, Conner still there in front of me throwing in rocks. The cool breeze coming off the river hits my face, cooling me down. I’m wearing a flowy spring dress and based on the coldne
ss of the breeze blowing underneath it, I can tell I’m not wearing any panties. He turns around and smiles as he moves toward me. My body starts pounding with anticipation. He reaches up and takes the back of my neck in his hand and slowly lowers me to the ground. He lays on his side next to me in the grass. Taking my face in his hands, he kisses me hard.

  I moan against his mouth with desire. Wrapping my hand around his neck I pull him on top of me. He looks directly at me as he rests on his forearms, a hunger in his eyes. He kisses me hard again as I feel him push his hard cock against me. I bend my knees and spread my legs open, giving him full access to all of my body.

  “I want you, Brooke,” he whispers against my neck as he kisses me.

  “I want you too, Conner.” I plead back to him.

  Leaning to one side he reaches down, unzips his pants, and pulls out his dick. Hard. Ready.

  “Please!” I cry out to him.

  Answering my call, he gently slides into me. Filling me. He kisses me hard again. His tongue, tasting me. His hand finds its way to my ass and he squeezes it hard. With his grip on me, he pushes himself deeper inside of me increasing the pleasure with every deep, slow thrust. I reach behind him and grab his ass, pulling him into me further. I just can’t get enough of him. I want to feel every last inch he has to give me and I never want him to stop.

  I wrap my legs around his waist allowing him to hit my g-spot with each swivel of his hips. He sinks so deep inside of me that I can feel his pelvis grinding against my clit as he moves and I start to build. I hear his breathing accelerate as he continues his rhythm against my body. He wraps his fingers through my hair and squeezes tight. It’s painful. It’s pleasurable. It’s passionate. He’s all that I want. All that I’ll ever want.

  “I love you, Brooke.” he breathes against my mouth, before kissing me again deeply. With his words, I come undone. I spiral out of control and clench all around him and he follows right behind me.

  Seven