Hotter Than Ever

But…he needed Dylan too.

He just had no idea how to reconcile those two conflicting needs.

Chapter Four

Claire emerged from the bedroom later that evening and realized she was a lot tipsier than she’d thought. Like swaying-on-her-feet tipsy. How weird. She hadn’t felt drunk when she’d been sprawled on Dylan’s bed, nursing that Lagavulin bottle, but evidently she’d misjudged her sobriety level.

Everything seemed to be spinning as she made her way down the hall, so the first thing she did when she entered the living room was collapse in the black recliner before the floor gave way under her feet.

It wasn’t until she heard someone clear his throat that she noticed Dylan and Aidan sitting together on one of the L-shaped leather couches. Both men were staring at her. Aidan with amusement. Dylan, disapproval.

“Are you drunk?” the latter demanded.

“No,” she said belligerently. Her gaze moved to the enormous flat screen mounted to the wall, which was turned to a football game with the volume down. “Oooh, is Tom Brady playing? I wouldn’t mind me some eye candy.”

“Oh, for f**k’s sake,” Dylan grumbled. “You’re drunk.”

“I am not.”

“And FYI, this is a college game,” Aidan piped up. “No Brady, I’m afraid.”

She pouted, but football didn’t stay on her mind for long. She was suddenly far more interested in the two men on the couch. Aidan, unfortunately, had put on a shirt, but on the bright side, it was a sleeveless basketball jersey that revealed his muscular arms. Dylan had changed out of his suit and into sweats and a white wifebeater, which also showcased his arms.

“You guys have great arms,” she declared.

Aidan grinned.

Dylan scowled. “Where did you even get the booze? Don’t tell me you packed some in your suitcase.”

“Actually, I did. It was a surprise for Chris. His favorite scotch so we could toast to our happiness.”

Her response softened some of the hard edges in his expression. “Shit. Sorry. I guess you’re entitled to get sloshed after what happened today.”

“Gee, Dylan, thanks so much for giving me permission. I felt so wrong drinking without your blessing. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he said graciously. “By the way, you can go ahead and be as sarcastic as you want. You get a free pass tonight.”

“Really?” She feigned delight. “So I can verbally abuse you without repercussions?”

“Yup.”

“Golly gee, how wonderful.”

Aidan snickered, then reached for the remote and flicked off the television. When Dylan uttered a protest, the dark-haired man shrugged and said, “You two are way more entertaining than this football game. So please, keep going, this is a lot of fu—um, probably not a good idea to sit like that, sweetheart.”

It took Claire a second to grasp that he was talking to her. She’d just drawn her legs up so she could sit cross-legged, and when she glanced down, Aidan’s warning suddenly made sense. Since she was still wearing the skimpy beach dress, and with her legs positioned the way they were, both men had a perfect view of her lacy white panties.

“Oh,” she blurted out. “I forgot to change into comfy clothes.” She paused in thought. “No, wait. I did take off my bra.”

“I can see that.” The heat that filled Aidan’s dark eyes was almost hypnotic. He was staring at her chest like he wanted to devour her whole, and her ni**les instantly responded to his hungry appraisal, hardening and poking against the fabric of her dress.

He wanted her.

The notion caused a thrill to shoot through her. Maybe the alcohol was messing with her head, but a man didn’t look at a woman the way Aidan was looking at her unless he wanted her, right?

She could have sworn she heard Dylan murmur, “Don’t even think about it”, but she was too busy maintaining the heated eye contact with Dylan’s roommate, whose sensual mouth now donned a tiny smirk.

“So let’s get to it,” Aidan told her.

A jolt of desire streaked through her, and she felt her already flushed face turning redder. Was he suggesting what she thought he was suggesting?

“I want to hear you abuse Dylan for a while,” he clarified.

The disappointment that flooded her belly was laughable. Okay, she really was drunk. Of course Aidan wasn’t propositioning her, a woman he’d met mere hours ago. And she was probably misinterpreting his lustful expression too.

“Or we can feed the lady,” Dylan spoke up, his tone wry. “Because I’m pretty sure she just downed a shit-ton of liquor on an empty stomach.”

“I did,” Claire confirmed with a broad smile.

To her surprise, Dylan actually laughed. “Not something to be proud of, honey. Trust me, you’ll regret it in the morning.” Now he sighed. “I’ll fix you up something small. Maybe a sandwich?”

When he started to get up, she waved for him to stay put. “I’ll eat in a bit, and don’t worry, I’ll feed myself. I feel bad making you wait on me.”

“Like I said, you’ve got a free pass. My brother was a total dick to you today.”

Stretching her legs out, Claire stared at her red-polished toes and wiggled them around. “Hey,” she said absently, “I’m not seeing double anymore. I have ten toes again.”

She shifted her head and met Dylan’s eyes. He had the most gorgeous eyes, she decided. They were the palest shade of green she’d ever seen, so vivid they looked photoshopped. Chris’s eyes were also green, but darker, and definitely not as pretty.