A Dose of Pretty Poison: A Brother’s Best Friend Romance (Pretty Poison Trilogy Book 1)

The devil is testing me.

I’d blame it on God, but I think he’s too holy for the things that have been running through my mind lately.

 There isn’t a single thing I haven’t tried to get my thoughts off Laiken. Dead puppies, naked grandma. I’ve done it all. And still, I woke up on Cam’s floor this morning to find a tent in my pants big enough to fit a family of five.

Let’s just say it didn’t get any better when Laiken came downstairs wearing only an oversized T-shirt. That’s an image that won’t be leaving my mind any time soon.

Everything about this is wrong. Wanting your best friend’s sister is the easiest way to break bro-code. But just because I can’t have her doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.

The smoke fills my lungs as I take a drag of my cigarette. The roof is a little moist from the early morning dew, but I don’t care. I’ve always loved it up here—a little oasis I can escape to. Cam and I started coming out here a few years ago, and while he stopped doing it after the time he slipped and almost plummeted two stories down, I still can’t resist.

It’s peaceful up here.

“Hayes Beckett,” Cam’s mom calls from the ground, and I quickly hide the cigarette. “What on earth are you doing up there?”

I give her my best I’m a good boy smile. “Just enjoying the view.”

She shakes her head in dismay. “Fine, but be careful.”

“Always am, Mrs. B.”

Walking over to the car where Cam’s dad is waiting for her, she sighs. “I swear, these boys all have a death wish.”

I watch as they both get in and drive away, leaving me here.

Alone.

With Laiken.

Cam was gone when I woke up, and I honestly didn’t even notice until I saw a text from him telling me that he got called in for an early shift. It’s not the first time I’ve been here when he wasn’t, and I’m sure it won’t be the last. But there’s something different this time—knowing it’s just Laiken and me.

I should leave. Get in my truck and drive away. It’s what I planned to do anyway after this smoke. But as the sound of Laiken singing meets my ears, a better idea comes to mind.

Climbing up the slope that leads to her skylight is tricky, the dew making it a little more slippery than usual, but I manage. The cigarette hangs out of my mouth as I lie on my stomach. And then it immediately falls out when I realize what I’m looking at.

My plan was to scare her. Swear to God, I thought it would be funny to bang on the glass and make her jump. Bring us both back into safe territory where flirting and kissing at parties isn’t a thing. What I didn’t plan for, however, was to find her in a towel, fresh out of the shower.

Look away. Fucking look away.

My subconscious is ready to riot, and yet, I can’t move. If someone sees me up here, peeking into her skylight like a perverted peeping Tom, I’ll lose everything.

My best friend.

The respect of his parents.

My reputation—because getting arrested for something like that is bound to get out.

I know all of this, but as she removes the towel and lets it pool on the floor, it’s clear I don’t have a say in the matter. My body and my brain are on two totally different circuits. There’s nothing I can do.

Her singing dies off as she stands in front of the mirror, running her fingers through her wet hair. The faint sight of a tattoo down the middle of her spine has me more intrigued than I’d like to admit, and it’s only getting worse. She drags her fingertips gently down her arm and over her stomach.

No.

Please tell me she’s not about to…

But she is.

Of course, she is. Like I said before, the devil is testing me. And by testing, I mean torturing…brutally.

Laiken’s head falls back as she slides her hand further south, and I bite my lip in an effort to keep quiet. I wonder if she has any idea how fucking seductive she is. If she knows that she has the power to make a guy fall flat on his face with a single look. But I think that’s part of her sex appeal. She knows she’s not ugly by any means, but has no idea exactly how fucking gorgeous she is.

Walking over to her bed, she lies down and closes her eyes as she starts to rub circles over her clit. Just the sight of it is enough to have me rock solid against my jeans in seconds. Her movements are slow and deliberate, but as she starts to speed up too soon, they get messy.

Slow down.

You’re doing it wrong.

Her head turns from side to side as she chases her own high, but she just can’t seem to get there. My fist clenches in frustration as I watch her struggle.

It’s not a goddamn scratch off card, Laiken.

Slow the fuck down.

It’s painful, literally, to see the frustration on her face and the way she switches hands when her wrist gets sore. And when she finally gives up, without the orgasm she so obviously needs, I can’t stop myself from throwing caution to the wind.

I knock on the skylight, smirking when Laiken shrieks. I grin broadly and wiggle my fingers at her, instantly pissing her off. She glares at me and grabs the closest throw blanket to cover herself, but if she doesn’t remove that thing soon, I won’t apologize for what I do next.

“Unlock it,” I demand.

She stares in disbelief for a second before getting up and flicking open the lock.

“You do know this is illegal, right?”

Yeah, I don’t give a single fuck right now.

“You’re doing it wrong.”

“I’m—” she pauses, dumbfounded. “What?”

I push the skylight open further and hop down into her room, staring down at her and the blanket pressed against her chest that only covers the front of her naked body.

“You’re. Doing. It. Wrong,” I repeat, enunciating each word.

She hesitates for a moment, and then with a sexy sort of confidence I never expected, she squares her shoulders and looks up at me. “Like you could do any better.”

Fuck me. “Is that an invitation?”

“Do you want it to be?”

Their mom was right about one thing—I do have a death wish, because if Cam finds out about what I’m about to do, I won’t make it out alive. But I can’t seem to help myself.

I take a step closer, forcing her to move with me until she can’t go any further and falls back onto her bed. “I never turn down a challenge, especially when my skills are in question.”

Her breath hitches, but I won’t touch her.

Not yet.

“Do it again.”

Her eyes widen in surprise, and maybe a hint of embarrassment. “What?”

“You heard me,” I growl. “Touch yourself the way you were before.”

Her mouth opens and closes as she tries to find the words. “Touch my—no. I can’t—”

Lacking patience, I grab her hand and put it there for her. Her jaw clenches, and a moan that has no business being as pornographic as it is comes out of her mouth as I press her own fingers against her clit.

‘Fuck,” she breathes.

I wish.

Her movements start to speed up entirely way too early again, but this time, I’m there to stop her.

“Shh,” I say, slowly shaking my head. “Relax. Stop trying to rush it. Close your eyes and just enjoy the climb.”

She exhales, letting her eyes fall shut and pressing her head into the pillow. I keep my fingers on top of hers as I guide her motions. Breathy moans fill the room, and I swear, if my dick doesn’t self-combust from this, it’ll be a damn miracle. She starts to whimper, losing control by the second, and I know exactly what she needs.

“Slip two fingers inside.”

Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth, she lets her eyes flutter open, and her gaze doesn’t leave mine. “Show me.”

Shots.

Fucking.

Fired.

The way she says it, so innocently, like she has no idea what this is doing to me, I don’t stand a chance in hell at denying her. It’s so wrong. So damn wrong that I’m drowning in a sea of bad choices. And yet, I need her orgasm just as bad as she does.

I use the heel of my hand to slide hers lower, until her fingertips start to tease her entrance. Grabbing her index finger, I slip it inside to the second knuckle and pull it back out. She presses her lips into a line to muffle the noises she’s making, but I won’t have it.

Using my free hand, I rub my thumb over her lips. “Don’t rob me of those delicious sounds. I want to hear how good you feel.”

She smirks and opens her mouth just slightly, covering my thumb and sucking on it in a way that is way too fucking obscene. I instantly picture her hollowing those cheeks around my cock, and if this wasn’t about her and her only right now, I’d show her exactly what teasing me like that gets her.

“You’re such a fucking cocktease,” I growl.

Glancing down at the way I’m still slowly pumping one of her own fingers into her, she purses her lips. “Says the guy who won’t actually touch me.”

She’s calling me out and throwing down the gauntlet all at the same time, and I’ve never been the type to pussy out. I lay my own finger over hers and press them both in at the same time. If it were my dick, the way she clenches around me would probably make me cum on the spot. She’s so fucking tight, and if I didn’t know any better, I’d think she’s a virgin.

“Use your own cum to lube up your fingers,” I instruct her. “It’ll feel better on your clit.”

An exasperated huff leaves her mouth as I pull our fingers out, but it’s quickly replaced by a whine when I go right over her sensitive bundle of nerves. Her own sweet honey makes it so I can slide our touch back and forth with ease. If she thought she was turned on before, it doesn’t even begin to compare to the way she starts to lose control. Her moans go up an octave, and her whole body shakes with unmatched need.

“I can’t,” she whimpers as she gets close. “It’s not enough. I need you to do it.”

I want to. God, I want nothing more than to be the one to push her over the edge. But I shouldn’t. Even what I’m doing now is going to send me to hell. I have no right being anywhere near her. And yet, here I am, my hand pressed over her tight little pussy and licking my lips at the thought of getting my mouth on her.

“You’re learning, baby,” I say softly. “You’re almost there. Just keep going.”

She shakes her head and pulls her hand away, leaving nothing between my fingers and her clit, but I follow suit.

“Laiken.” Her name weighs heavily on my tongue, reminding me of the severity of what I’m doing. “I can’t.”

“Can’t, or won’t?”

I watch as her chest rises and falls with each breath. “Both.”

Her eyes soften as she stares up at me. She slowly wraps her fingers around my wrist and pulls my hand back where she wants me.

Where she needs me.

But it’s what she does next that tells me I haven’t been the one in charge since the second I climbed through her skylight.

She blinks and her tongue darts out to wet her lips. “Please? I want you to,” she begs. “Want you to make me cum so bad. I’ll be so good for you, I promise.”

My jaw drops, and my throat goes bone dry in an instant. Never in my life did I imagine there would be a point in time where Laiken would be in front of me naked and pleading for me to get her off. Maybe it’s the shock of it, or the way her voice already sounds so wrecked from what we’ve done so far, but before I can tell myself it’s a horrible fucking idea, I close the distance and put just the right amount of pressure directly on her clit.

“Is this what you wanted?” I murmur roughly. “Wanted me to make you feel good?”

“Yes. Fuck, yes!”

She keeps a tight grip on my wrist as she arches her hips into my touch, but when her other hand grazes over where my cock is straining against my jeans, I stop her.

“Keep your hands to yourself, or I stop,” I warn.

Her bottom lip juts out as she pouts. “But I want to touch you.”

“Those are the rules. You said you’d be good for me. Were you lying?”

She pulls her hand back as if she’s been burned and shakes her head. Fuck, I could get used to this, and that’s what makes it dangerous.

“Look at me,” I demand, and she obeys immediately. “Keep your eyes on mine. I want you to see nothing but me as you explode.”

The look on her face, so helpless and compliant and desperate for me, it’s fucking sinful. And the way her mouth falls open as I push two fingers inside and stretch her open a little more is just another thing I’ll remember when I’m in hell for this.

“You going to come on my fingers, Rochester?” I taunt, using my thumb to rub her clit while I bend my two fingers to reach her g-spot.

Her breathing quickens as she nods but doesn’t look away from me, being a good girl just like she promised. “Yes.”

“Then do it. Clench around them and cover them with your cum.” I speed up my motions slightly. “Show me what a good girl you can be.”

Any ounce of control she had left vanishes as her movements get frantic. She can’t seem to decide whether she wants more pressure or less with the way she starts to ride my hand, treating me like her own personal sex toy.

She looks so fucking good like this.

“Come on, baby,” I growl. “I want it, now give it to me. Let go.”

“Not yet,” she protests.

My brows raise. “Excuse me?”

For the first time since I ordered her to look at me, her eyes flutter closed. She’s losing herself in the feel of it all.

The pleasure.

The pain.

I lean down and ghost my lips across hers. “Let me feel you explode. Come for me, Laiken.”

Her hips arch once more as she screams out, and I’m right there to take her right over the edge. My fingers don’t stop as I ride her through it, sliding them up to her clit then back down inside of her repeatedly. Her whole body shakes as her orgasm takes no prisoners.

The feeling of her nails digging into my wrist is just a taste of how incredible sex with her would be, and in order from taking this from wrong to worse, I bite my lip to keep myself from kissing her. The cut she so kindly closed for me last night splits right back open, but it’s the last thing on my mind as she squirms from being oversensitive.

I chuckle, skimming my lips against hers once more before reluctantly pulling my fingers out of her and backing away. Her eyes stay closed as she comes down and slows her breathing. When she finally looks at me again, the fear in her gaze goes hand in hand with the guilt building inside me.

“So, you were saying? Something about I couldn’t do any better?”

A smile forces its way through, and she flips me off. “Fuck you.”

See, but that’s exactly the problem.

I wish she fucking would.

Giving her a cocky grin with my tongue in my cheek, I walk backward toward the door. Just before I leave, I slip the two fingers that were just deep inside of her into my mouth and let the sweet taste of her pussy overtake my senses. Her jaw drops as she watches me, and with a wink, I turn around and leave her to replay everything that just happened on a loop inside her head.

God knows I will.

I’M AN ASSHOLE. THE absolute worst person I know. There is no excuse for what I did this morning. The line I crossed was one I swore I never would. And the more I think about it, the guiltier I feel.

My balls ache as I slam my fists into the punching bag. I considered jerking off when I got home, but I decided against it. There isn’t a single part of having blue balls that I don’t deserve. Shitheads like me don’t get to come, especially not when it means I’d be thinking about her while I do.

The bag swings back and forth with every hit. It’s probably the last thing I should be doing right now, given how bruised my knuckles are from Isaac’s face yesterday, but the pain helps. It grounds me. Reminds me of what a fuck-up I am.

Kissing her at the party was a mistake, but at least that I could pass off as a favor, even though it’d be partial bullshit. But this morning was so much worse.

I fingered my best friend’s little sister.

And the worst part, the part that scares me the most, is how bad I wanted to do so much more than that. I wanted to stretch her open with my cock and feel her walls quiver around me. Wanted to watch her tits bounce as I slam into her. Wanted to listen to her beg for me to fuck her harder.

Son of a bitch.

I rip one of the gloves off and throw it across the basement.

What happened cannot happen again, no matter how much I may want it or how often the memory haunts my dreams. There’s too much at stake. Too much I would be risking.

Sitting on the floor, I pick up my phone and open up a new text with Laiken. It takes a minute to figure out what I want to say, and in the end, I’m not sure any words are good enough, but it needs to be done.

Please don’t hate me. What happened this morning was a bad judgment call. I never should have touched you like that. I promise you that it will never happen again. You have my word.

I press send and lie back on the floor. The coolness of the cement feels good against my skin. My breathing is harsh as I let my eyes fall closed, only to open them again when my phone dings.

The way my dick starts to stir simply by seeing Laiken’s name on the screen is just another reason why there can never be a repeat of this morning. She’s a fucking temptress. A siren luring me in with the innocent look in her eyes and the sound of her pleas. And she has no idea how lethal she is.

I swipe it open and read the text.

but what if I want it to?

The grip on my phone tightens. It would be so easy, so effortless to just tell her to come over and fuck her into my mattress. But the fallout I’d be risking by doing that would be devastating—the most life changing thing to happen to me since my dad walked out on us all those years ago.

I have no other choice.

I have to stay away from her, no matter how hard that may be.