DaoistrS5CfO

There’s two sides to every love story. The how you fell in love, and the how you fell apart.

This is ours.

The cardinal rule of friendship is you don’t mess with your friend’s sister.
That goes double when she’s his little sister.

It was just supposed to be fun.

She wasn’t supposed to end up being the love of my life.
And I definitely wasn’t supposed to break her heart.

Ainsley is a wedding dress designer. That should’ve been a warning that she’s a hopeless romantic. That should’ve clued me in that she believes love conquers all.

But there are some things that love can’t fix. I’m one of them.

She thinks love is the answer.

But love is the reason I let her go.....

Just Loved

Most of my happy memories, you are there.


She's not agood liar, yet she fooled me. Just that brief second of thinking she had a date with someone else was enough to make me realize that she's mine. She needs to be mine. Jealousy isn't often painted as a positive emotion, but in this case, it was just the kick in the ass I needed. The idea of her hand in some dick wad's hand, her lips on his, his arm around her, made me crazy. What's even crazier is that I'm no longer conflicted.


Brody will have to be dealt with, but that can wait. Maybe he doesn't even have to know. We can have a little fun together, and no one will get hurt. That delusion fuels my desire, ignoring the parts of myself that know this isn't just a little fun, and never could be.


Right after Sadie's morning walk, I head to see Ainsley. It's barely nine in the morning, but I couldn't get her alone again at the party. I wanted to see her last night, but it was late when I finally escaped my parents' house. And texting her just didn't seem like the right move. Ainsley opens the door yawning, dressed in only a t-shirt and boxer shorts. Is there anything sexier than a woman dressed in man's clothes? I'll take her in one of my shirts over a tight nightclub dress any day.


"Rhett," she says, pulling her hair on top of her head in a messy bun. "Now's not the best time. I'm . . ."


Sadie comes alive, bombarding Ainsley with kisses. Immediately, I'm jealous of my own dog, who currently has her nose in a place I wouldn't mind being buried. Smiling, Ainsley motions for us to come inside. I remove Sadie's leash. Ainsley sits on the floor and lets Sadie give her a dog hug, wrapping her neck around Ainsley. "You know all my secrets, don't you, girl?"


I bend down, pat Sadie's head, and ask Ainsley, "What secrets?"


Sadie whacks me with her tail like she's telling me it's none of my business.


"Sadie got me through a lot of rough days those first few months after Mom and Dad died. I soaked her fur with tears more times than I care to remember."


I don't want to think about those times. It's a reminder that Ainsley should be off limits, that I'm supposed to be protecting her from guys, not leading her into the dark side, about to encourage her to lie to her brother. But that's exactly what I'm going to do. I take her hand and help her to her feet, running my fingers down her arms and feeling her quiver at my touch.


The wait has been long enough. My eyes land on the curve of her neck, and I lean down, letting my warm breath tickle her. I swear she wobbles, weak in the knees. Lightly trailing kisses down her neck, I let my tongue linger, tasting her sweet skin.


"Rhett," she says breathless. "You have to go."


"You really want me to go?" I ask, continuing to kiss her neck.


"No, but . . ." Ainsley moans, gripping my shirt and pulling me tighter into her body. Sadie runs to the front door barking, and Ainsley steps back, putting her hand on my chest. "Skye's coming over this morning to look at wedding dress sketches." I groan, and she shakes her head at me, smiling. "We can talk later."


Talking isn't what I had in mind. "Can you lie to Skye and Brody?" I ask.


"Do I need to lie to them?" she asks. Her lip pops out in an adorable little pout, but no matter how cute she is, it doesn't change the fact that whatever this is can't get back to Brody. She needs to know that. The last thing I want to do is hurt her. It's best to be honest about what this is. What this can only be.


Chapter 7