A Drop of Pretty Poison: A Brother’s Best Friend Romance (Pretty Poison Trilogy Book 2)

Have you ever had one of those moments that take your breath away? Not like a two-second gasp. I’m talking about the kind that literally sucks the air straight from your lungs. The kind that makes you need to grip onto something just to keep you upright.

The life-altering, feel-yourself-step-into-a-whole-new-chapter-of-your-life, never-going-to-be-the-same kind of moment.

This was mine.

The moment I hear his truck roaring down the street, I lose my focus. Standing in my driveway, in the middle of a conversation with Mr. Zimmerman, and my every thought just falls right out of my brain. All I can focus on, all I can see, is Hayes haphazardly throwing his truck into park and marching toward the detached garage like he’s about to do something impulsive. Something dangerous.

“What are you doing?” I call out, feeling like I’m about to witness a bloodbath.

And when he doesn’t answer, that feeling intensifies. It’s as if I’m not even here. He keeps his eyes on his destination and his feet moving.

“Hayes!” I shout, but still nothing. “Shit. Hayes, stop! What are you doing?”

I try to catch up to him, try to stop him from whatever life-threatening thing he’s about to do, but I can’t. He walks through the doorway seconds before I slam into it—gripping the doorjamb as I watch him hand Cam his switchblade.

“You’re going to need this,” Hayes says with a level of confidence I’ve never heard.

Cam takes it from him. “What? Why?”

“Because I’m falling in love with your sister.”

Hearing the words come from his mouth, I expel all the air I had in my lungs. Never did I imagine this is how he would tell him, while giving him the weapon to kill him with. Either this is a suicide mission, or he’s trying to call Cam’s bluff when he said that he would kill any of his friends for touching me.

Everything plays out in slow motion in front of my eyes.

Cam puts his tongue in his cheek, laughing dryly as he puts the blade down. For a second, I think I can breathe again. Even Hayes looks relieved, if a little confused.

“Wow,” Hayes says. “I thought for sure you were going to—”

His words are cut off as Cam turns, fist clenched tightly as he slams it into the side of Hayes’s face. The blow is so hard that it spins him around and knocks him into the table.

“Cam!” I scream, taking a step forward, but Hayes stops me.

“Don’t!” he demands. The look in his eyes keeps my feet glued to the floor. “It’s fine. I deserved that.”

Cam scoffs as he shakes out his hand. “You’re damn right you did! My fucking sister? Half the goddamn town wants you, and you have to have my sister?”

Hayes puts a hand on the side of his face, stretching his jaw. “You think I planned this? I tried for weeks to stay—”

“Weeks?” Cam roars. “How long has this shit been going on for?”

As he realizes his slip up, Hayes’s eyes fall closed, and he sighs. “Cam.”

“No, you know what?” Cam shoves past Hayes. “I can’t do this right now.”

I step out of the way, letting him leave and going over to Hayes. He leans back against the workbench as I carefully inspect the damage. There’s already the start of some swelling and the cut on his cheek looks painful.

“You’re insane, you know that?” I tell him.

“It’s really not that bad.”

Giving him a no-bullshit look, I lightly press my finger against his injury, and he hisses. “Yeah, not that bad.”

He smiles and rolls his eyes. He knows better than to think I wasn’t going to call him out on that. And speaking of…

“So, you’re falling in love with me, huh?” I smirk, still in disbelief that he spoke those words.

His expression turns skeptical as he hums. “I mean, you’re all right.”

I chuckle. “Oh! Well, in that case…”

As I start to walk away, he grabs my wrist and pulls me back to him. My hands rest on his chest as he stares into my eyes, like he’s been missing this all his life.

“I’m already there, but I figured you deserve to hear it first.” He takes a nervous breath and tucks my hair behind my ear. “I love you, Laiken. I am so massively in love with you, and I’m sorry that I didn’t realize it sooner.”

There are no words that even begin to explain the feelings shooting through me like the finale of a fireworks show. Three years. Three damn years I’ve fantasized about him telling me those words. And hearing them now, I don’t think I ever could’ve imagined it would feel this incredible.

My eyes fill with tears of joy as a gush of air leaves my mouth and I smile back at him. “I’m in love with you, too.”

I wish someone was getting this on camera—the way we’re looking at each other like there’s nothing and no one that could make us happier. Sliding his hand to the back of my neck, he pulls me in and kisses me.

It feels so different, being able to be with him like this and knowing that it doesn’t matter who walks by. He won’t push me away or play it off like nothing was happening. It’s just us, and this moment, and the love between us that demands to be felt.

As he pulls back to look at me, my mind clears a little and my eyes narrow.

“Are you fucking crazy?” I ask, smacking his chest with every word. He catches my wrists and chuckles, but I’m not done yelling at him. “What were you thinking, handing him a knife? What if he actually stabbed you?”

The grin doesn’t leave his face as he shrugs. “I would’ve deserved it. I knew the rules. But I couldn’t stand to be away from you anymore. The pain of missing you is worse than anything he could’ve done to me.”

Sighing, I wrap my arms around him, and we hold each other close, my head on his chest. “I wasn’t trying to force you into telling him, you know. I just wanted to know it could happen eventually. That you saw a future with me.”

“Lai,” he says, bending his neck and moving me away so he can look into my eyes. “You are the only future I see.”

I kiss him again, unable to help myself. It’s been too long since I’ve been in his arms like this. And now that I know that my feelings are reciprocated, I just want to stay here and never move.

But an old garage turned workshop isn’t exactly the most sanitary place, and the things we’re sure to be doing soon will only cause further injury if done in here.

Hayes grabs his switchblade and closes it, putting it back in his pocket before interlacing his fingers with mine. It honestly feels surreal to be able to walk outside holding his hand. Something so small to anyone else, but it’s everything to me.

As we get closer to the house, I cringe when I realize Mr. Zimmerman is still here. It probably wasn’t the smartest decision to ditch my boss and run after Hayes like a crazy person, but if I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have heard his confession.

So, if he fires me for being rude, at least it was worth it.

“I should probably handle this,” I tell Hayes.

He nods. “Do what you need to do. I’m going to go attempt to defuse the chaos bomb I just set off.”

“Be careful, please.”

“I will.”

Kissing the top of my head, he releases my hand and I instantly feel colder without his touch. Hayes gives Mr. Zimmerman a respectful smile and heads inside.

“I’m sorry,” I tell my boss. “That was rude of me.”

He waves it off, much to my relief. “Don’t worry about it. Is everything okay?”

I don’t think there’s any way I can explain this without someone coming out of it looking like an asshole. “It’s a long story, but it’ll be okay.”

“Are you sure?” he questions. “Your brother looked pretty pissed.”

He did. And now he’s inside. Alone. With Hayes.

Glancing back at the house, I wince. “Yeah, I should probably get in there before you lose your best player because his best friend slaughtered him with a broken hockey stick.”

Mr. Zimmerman nods as he snickers. “I’d appreciate that. I’m looking to take home another championship title this year.”

“Then I definitely need to get in there,” I joke.

Or at least I hope I’m joking. Right now, I’m not sure I put anything past my brother. Betrayal is one thing he’s never really had to deal with, and I’m sure this one cuts deep.

Mr. Z opens the car door to climb inside. “I’ll brief my assistant on everything we talked about and have her reach out to you to go over anything you may need from us and vice versa.”

I nod. “Thank you. I really appreciate the opportunity.”

Sitting at dinner and finding out that I was officially getting to take full control of the lessons department, I thought that would be the highlight of my week. Little did I know, it wouldn’t even end up being the highlight of my night.

“You earned it,” he replies through the open window. “You’re a talented skater. I’m excited to see you succeed at this, too.”

He pulls out of the driveway as I head inside, and I’m not sure if the silence I walk into makes me feel frightened or relieved. Everything looks in place, not like there’s been a struggle. Even the kitchen is completely untouched—the knife block full.

Well, that’s a good sign.

I make my way up the stairs, only to find Hayes sitting on the floor outside Cam’s bedroom. He’s leaning back against the wall, and I frown at the defeated look on his face.

“He won’t come out?”

He shakes his head, exhaling heavily. “I tried to go in, but he threw this at my face.” As he holds up the hockey puck, my eyes widen. “Don’t worry. I managed to catch it.”

Ruining his friendship with my brother was never my intention, and I can see that Hayes is trying to play it off like it’s not a big deal, but it is. They’ve been best friends for almost six years—hanging out almost every day for most of that time. It makes me sad knowing he may have given that up for me.

And to be honest, a little nervous.

I put my hand out to help him up, grateful when he takes it. “I’m sorry, H.”

He doesn’t let go as he trails behind me up the shorter stairs to my bedroom. “Don’t be. It sucks, but I don’t regret it.”

“You don’t?”

“Not at all.” As we step into my room, he turns me around to face him. “You have no idea how much I hated being away from you.”

My nose scrunches as I hum. “I think I did, but if you want to show me, I won’t complain.”

He doesn’t need to be told twice. His hands move to grip my waist, and I jump into his arms. The kiss is frantic, desperate, as my legs wrap around him. He carries me over to my bed and lays me down.

The whole fucking time we were apart, I was a mess of heartbreak and sexual frustration. No matter what I did, what vibrator I used or what I pictured in my head, none of it was enough. It didn’t feel the same. It was missing something.

His touch is magic, and I need it again like air.

“Fuck, I missed you,” he groans against my mouth.

I press my head into the pillow as he starts kissing my neck. “I missed you, too.”

It feels incredible, and all I can imagine is getting him inside me again. I need to stretch around him as he fills me completely. But as I arch up against him and let out a moan when he grinds down into me, he stops.

“Don’t,” I beg. “I need it.”

He chuckles breathlessly. “I do, too, baby. Trust me. There’s nothing I need more than this right now.”

“Then why aren’t you fucking me right now?” I whine.

“Because Cam is right downstairs,” he says. “And you tend to lack volume control. I don’t regret telling him about us, but I’m also not trying to rub it in his face, either.”

Everything he says is totally understandable. And that sucks because I know I can’t beg him to do it anyway. I don’t want to make the situation worse for them anymore than he does.

“Okay,” I tell him, pouting slightly.

He smirks and presses a quick kiss to my lips then sits up. I run my fingers through my hair, but the sexual tension in the air is still so thick I could choke on it. I can clearly see the outline of his cock through his jeans, and my pussy clenches around nothing.

Silence falls over us and I’m about to suggest watching a movie, when he comes up with a better idea.

“So, you want to go for a drive?”

“Yes!” I answer without missing a beat.

The two of us jump up and start to head for the door when he stops. My brows furrow as he turns around, tossing me two pillows before he grabs my comforter and my chunky knit blanket.

“What are these for?” I ask, still confused.

He bites his lip and bounces his brows once. “You’ll see.”

THE MOON SHINES DOWN from the sky, reflecting off the ocean at the abandoned beach. Our beach, as Hayes called it. To think we were here a couple weeks ago with shattered hearts and broken dreams. It feels so surreal now. I wish I had known then that we needed to fall apart to fit back together.

Maybe then it wouldn’t have hurt as much.

Eh, scratch that. It still would’ve sucked.

Hayes hops out of the truck and stops for a moment before nodding. “Perfect.”

It isn’t until he grabs the comforter from the backseat and pulls me toward the beach that I finally figure out his plan. We each take a side and spread the blanket out over the sand. As he goes back to get the pillows and the other blanket, I sit down and wait for him.

I watch the waves crash against the rocks, remembering how he saved my life. The cut may have healed, but the scar that remains will always be there—as will the memory.

“One for you,” Hayes says as he hands me a pillow.

He tosses the other one down on the comforter and lies down, kicking off his shoes and covering us both with the second blanket. His arm slips underneath my neck as we lie on our sides, face to face.

The sound of the ocean fades into the background as our gazes stay locked on each other. It’s like our eyes are saying all the things we’ve kept behind our lips, locked away out of fear.

Fear of letting the other in.

Fear of revealing too much.

But that was then, and this, being here with him, is the only thing that matters now.

“Tell me again,” I say softly.

He smirks. “I think I can show you better.”

With his hand on my lower back, he pulls me closer, covering my mouth with his. It starts out slow. Gentle. He licks into my mouth and hums as our tongues tangle together. I throw my leg over him, needing to be closer.

“I need you.” My words come out like a desperate plea.

Hayes deepens the kiss, only stopping for a second to respond. “You have me, baby. You always have me.”

This can’t be real. There’s no way I’m not about to get woken up by Mali jumping on me or screaming wake up, sleepyhead in my face. But as he bites my lip, shooting a mix of pleasure and pain right through me, I know it’s real. I can feel every inch of him pressing against me, making me want him even more.

His hand slides up my leg and underneath my dress. “You need to wear dresses more often.”

“Why?”

“Easier access.” As he says it, he hooks his thumb around my panties and starts to pull them down.

Rolling onto my back, I let him slide the only clothing keeping him from me down my legs, discarding them to the side. He teasingly lets his fingertips graze my skin on the way back up. He’s barely touching me, but it’s still leaving me breathless.

“It’s been too long since we’ve had sex for you to tease,” I tell him.

He chuckles and stops his movements. “Then show me what you want, babe. I’m all yours.”

Yes. He. Fucking. Is. I grab his wrist and put his hand right where I need him, damn near exploding just from the contact. He bites his lip as he slides his finger down over my clit and into my pussy.

“Look at you,” he murmurs. “So wet for me and I’ve hardly even touched you yet.”

As he switches back and forth between fingering me and rubbing my clit, he starts to move faster. My head presses into the pillow, and I moan softly. It feels incredible, like he knows exactly where to touch to make me putty in his hands, and he uses it to his advantage.

“Hayes,” I beg, needing more. Needing him. “Please.”

“Please what, Laiken?” he asks.

I try to arch into his hand, but he lets up on the pressure.

“Nuh-uh. Use your words.”

“Fuck me,” I breathe. “I want you to fuck me.”

He slows down as he leans forward and kisses me. “Not tonight, baby. Tonight, I want to love you.”

God. I swear if he was touching me just right when he said that I would’ve flown right over the edge. Still, it brings me closer. It’s one thing when we fuck. When the only goal is for both of us to be sweaty and panting, completely sexed out and sated by the end of it. But when he holds me and slides into me for the sole purpose of being closer, like that night on the boat, it’s everything.

I watch as he undresses, still stopping every few seconds to touch me in sensitive places. At one point, he even bends down to suck on my clit. My whole body trembles at the feeling, and he can’t put the condom on fast enough.

I fucking need him now.

He lines his cock up at my entrance and laces his fingers with mine as he pushes in, and holy shit, going without it for the last few weeks was too damn long. I feel him bottom out before he pulls back. He rubs circles in my clit as he slowly slides in again, and I swear I’m not going to make it through this.

My orgasm is going to cause my heart to burst.

Hayes hovers over me, holding my hand and kissing each one of my fingers as he slips in and out of me. His movements are deliberate, and when he pulls out for a second just to rub his cock against my clit, the moan that leaves my mouth is animalistic.

“You’re flawless,” he tells me as he presses back in. “So fucking perfect. And beautiful. And mine.”

“All yours,” I confirm.

He smiles in that way he has and my insides melt. I know there isn’t a thing in the world I wouldn’t go through for him. All the pain and all the heartbreak—it was worth it because it got us here, where he’s loving me the best way he knows how.

“I need it, Lai,” he groans. “I need you to cum on my cock.”

With each slow thrust, he pushes his dick into me as deep as he can, moving his hips just right to rub against my clit. I moan, and he bends down to kiss me as his motions continue.

“That’s it, baby. Always so good for me. Feels so damn good.”

I bite my lip as the pressure builds until finally, I’m freefalling. The pleasure that rips straight through me is nothing but pure euphoria, and it pulls Hayes right along with me. He breathes heavily as he pushes deep into me, his cock pulsing against my walls.

“Never make me go without that again,” I tell him through labored breaths.

He chuckles quietly and drops a kiss on my forehead. “Never.”

After a moment, he pulls out, rolling over and pulling off the condom. I watch as he stands up, stark naked and gorgeous, and walks all the way back to his truck to throw it away. I can’t help but watch him the whole way back, checking him out and reveling in the fact that he’s mine.

Hayes fucking Wilder is mine.

I don’t think I’ll ever tire of that.

As he gets closer and sees me staring at him, he smiles and winks. Sometimes I wonder if he has any idea what he does to me. Or how something as simple as that can make me feel like I’m floating.

I may not have ever done drugs, but I can’t believe anything could feel better than this.

Hayes puts his boxers back on and helps slide my panties back up my legs before lying beside me. He covers us with the blanket as I rest my head on his chest, hearing the sound I’ve been craving for weeks.

“I love you, Laiken,” he says softly, pressing a kiss into my hair.

My stomach flips in the best way. “I love you, too.”

I know without a doubt that I’m always going to remember the night he threw caution to the wind and then made love to me under the stars on our special beach.

And if in the morning, we go skinny dipping just to fuck in the water again…well, that’s just how it goes when you’re young and in love.