Celina (Connelly Cousins #1) (3 page)

Jamie was on his feet in a second, in Kyle’s face the next. “The hell you will.”

Stunned, Kyle narrowed his eyes. The whole aggressive male thing was not Jamie’s style, but he was feeling especially protective of Lina at that moment.

“Whoa, take it easy, little brother. Christ, you’re really serious about her, aren’t you?”

Jamie’s attitude dropped down just a little. “Forget it, Kyle. Just forget I ever mentioned her.”

“No way, man. I
have
to meet her now. Set it up. I’ll be there.”

Jamie had a sinking feeling in his gut, wishing he’d never brought it up. He left Mo’s feeling worse than when he went in. What the hell had he been thinking when he asked Kyle for help? Why couldn’t he have just kept his big mouth shut?

A
week after that fateful day, Jamie arranged for the three of them to have dinner together at a popular, out-of-the-way place where he thought they’d all feel comfortable. It boasted an interior dining room, as well as an open-air patio, complete with brick ovens and grills for the more casual fare.

It was on the outside patio where Jamie sat with Celina under the darkening skies of the sunset. She looked gorgeous as usual - the perfect blend of sweet and sexy, a timely and fragrant reminder of what had driven him to this point in the first place. He was a patient man, but even he had limits.

Torch lamps flickered around them, lending everything a warm, cozy glow. A soft breeze blew the scent of pine and mimosa over the terrace; the muted sounds of the patrons provided a pleasant background hum while soft rock played through mounted outdoor speakers.

“Should we wait for your brother?” Celina asked when the waiter came over to take their drink orders.
Sweet Celina,
Jamie thought.
Always thinking of others
. A slight pang of guilt hit him. What was he subjecting her to tonight? Then she looked at him with those big green eyes and that unease in his chest became a stronger, visceral ache farther down.

“No, I don’t think he’ll mind.” Jamie ordered himself an imported Pilsner. “Wine spritzer?” he asked, looking to Celina.

“Smithwick’s, please,” Celina spoke up, surprising him.

“You drink beer?” he asked when the waiter had left to get their orders.

“Sometimes,” she said, lowering her eyes as though embarrassed. “It sounded good when you said it.”

Jamie placed his hand over hers and smiled. “That’s okay. I like it.” He watched as her face relaxed a little, then her eyes grew overly large as she looked over his shoulder. He turned to see what had captured her attention, and was instantly sorry he did.

Kyle was parting the crowd like Moses through the Red Sea, leaving panting females flopping like water-deprived fish in his wake. He wore snug-fitting blue jeans with a black leather belt, a white button-down shirt opened only at the neck, and his black leather jacket.

Even in the twilight he wore his dark sunglasses. Most people thought it was to feed the whole bad boy persona, but Jamie knew his brother had a form of photophobia. Kyle’s eyes were overly sensitive to light and he needed the filtered lens for protection.

Kyle’s black hair hung loose, framing his face, so shiny it reflected the flickering torches like polished black marble. He strode right up to their table, bringing with him the scent of clean, male soap and leather.

Jamie had practically begged Kyle to keep himself low-key for this dinner, but that was asking for the impossible. Jamie grudgingly had to admit he’d done his best, though. There was nothing flashy about blue jeans and a plain white shirt, or the leather work boots he always wore.

Except when they were on Kyle, of course.
He could wrap himself in scraps from the dumpster and the women would be lining up to lick them off
, Jamie thought with a touch of irritation.

Kyle’s shaded gaze took in Celina and he paused for only a moment before nodding to his brother. “Jamie,” he acknowledged, dropping smoothly into the chair across from them. Jamie flicked a quick glance at Celina, and was pleased to see that her eyes were already cast downward. At least she wasn’t openly drooling like so many of the women now staring at Kyle’s back. Kyle seemed totally oblivious to the attention.  Or maybe he was just used to it.

“Kyle, I would like you to meet Celina,” Jamie said with a proud smile. “Celina, this is my older brother, Kyle.” Celina raised her eyes briefly and offered a shy smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Kyle,” she said softly. Kyle nodded, but otherwise his expression didn’t change. Her smile faded, and her eyes dropped again almost immediately.

The waiter arrived with their drinks. “For you, sir?”

“I’ll have what he’s having,” Kyle answered, pointing at Jamie’s Pilsner. His voice was rough, as if he hadn’t used it in a while. In a smooth move, he reached across the table and twisted the cap from Celina’s beer, tossing it on the table and leaning back again. Her eyes flashed up at him, but she said nothing.

Jamie inwardly cursed himself for not thinking to uncap her bottle himself. “I’ll get you a glass when he comes back,” he told her.

“That’s all right,” Celina said. “I don’t mind.” She lifted the bottle to her lips and pulled hard, downing half the contents in one shot. Jamie didn’t even try to hide the look of surprise on his face.

* * *

T
he corner of Kyle’s mouth twitched. He didn’t know what was more amusing – the cute blonde chugging her beer like it was the last one on earth or the priceless look of shock on Jamie’s face as she did. He hadn’t been looking forward to playing Jamie’s personal sex counselor, but this might actually turn out to be fun.

The chick – Celina – suddenly realized they were both staring and lowered the bottle, blinking rapidly and blushing furiously. “Sorry,” she managed. “I was a little thirsty.”

Kyle knew it was impossible for anyone to see his eyes behind the heavily tinted shades, and he was thankful for that because he simply could not take his eyes off the woman sitting across from him.

Jamie hadn’t been exaggerating when he said how gorgeous she was. She was on the petite side, so he could only glimpse her from mid-chest up – and quite an abundant chest it was. She was wearing some kind of simple cotton sundress, a light pastel color that showed off her bronzed skin to perfection. A brief scan revealed no visible tan lines. Did she sunbathe topless? The thought had him shifting slightly.

His eyes raked over the parts of her he could see, mentally cataloguing her with the skill of a man who was an expert when it came to sizing up women. Her jewelry was understated. A simple gold chain, semi-choker, hung around her neck. Small gold and diamond studs in her double ear piercings, and – was that a chain dangling from one hole to the other in her right ear?
Interesting
. A hint of naughty, perhaps? Spiral gold thumb ring. No other adornments, though he would bet she wore a matching gold anklet beneath the table.

He was sorely tempted to drop something to check. As it turned out, he didn’t have to. A mild breeze blew her menu off the table and Kyle reached down for it.
Bingo
. Knotted gold anklet and matching gold strappy-heeled sandals, adorning perfectly shaped, curvy legs. Legs made expressly for wrapping around a man’s hips.
Damn
.

And that innocence thing? She was a real pro. Right down to the baby powder and cocoa butter scents wafting his way, with subtle overtones of a citrusy shampoo that had his pants suddenly two sizes too small. And her voice – it was soft, almost purring - a total bedroom voice. Make that three sizes.

Amazing green eyes, too. The way she flashed them at him did nothing to alleviate his burgeoning arousal. Oh yeah, she could play the proper little prude all she wanted, but he saw the fire in her eyes. Deep down, she was a hellcat; he knew that as surely as he knew his own name. Get her in bed and she’d pull a man’s soul right out through his dick, then make him sit up and beg for her to do it all over again.

When she tilted her head and started pulling on that beer again, his mind was assaulted with images of her pulling on something entirely different with that incredible mouth, swallowing something thicker and saltier than that swill she was downing.

Holy shit.
He was close to coming in his jeans.

Kyle’s beer arrived. He was enjoying the show so much, he ordered another for Celina. Jamie had barely touched his, so he didn’t bother. Kyle wondered what she would be like after the second beer. Would she start to loosen up a little? Or would she maintain her quiet, shy girl act?

The server disrupted his train of thought. “Are you ready to order?”

Yes, kitten,
thought Kyle
. What are you hungry for this evening? Gonna play dainty and get a little salad with a light vinaigrette on the side, perhaps?

The men deferred to Celina, allowing her to order first. “I’m starving,” she said, looking at the plastic-coated menu before her. Her tongue peeked out absently, running slowly along her top lip while she perused the choices. Kyle shifted quietly across the table.

“Um, let’s see. Can I have the meatball parm, heavy on the parm, and, um, maybe something gooey and deep-fried in the meantime?” This time Kyle could not completely contain the grin that tugged at the corners of his lips. Jamie didn’t seem at all fazed by her order, and said that sounded good to him. Kyle kept it simple by saying “Just make it three.”

Jamie did most of the talking, which was all right with him. It gave him a better opportunity to study the mystery before him. He had to hand it to her – she was good. The light, musical laughter that tickled him somewhere deep in his gut, the natural way those golden curls fell when she tilted her head to look at whoever was speaking. And when she did, she seemed really interested, not just listening politely.

No wonder Jamie liked her. She could listen to him drone on incessantly yet gave the impression that she thought he was the most fascinating man on earth. He himself hadn’t heard a word Jamie said all night.

Another bonus - she was one of the few women who actually had longer hair than him, though maybe those were extensions. After all, that couldn’t possibly be her natural hair color, could it? All of those shades, combining together into silky waves with the hues of precious metals. The question made him want to find out in the worst way, though she’d probably notice if he crawled under the table and relieved her of her panties to check...

“I’m not wearing any,” she said, laughing. Kyle jerked from his musings and choked on his beer. Before he could pull away, she was leaning over the table, treating him to a close-up view of her well-endowed chest. She didn’t smack his back, like most people would, but rubbed it.
Sweet Jesus
, her hands were making his skin burn. How was that even possible? He was still wearing his leather jacket, though it
was
getting damn hot.

“What?!?” he managed to ask when the choking subsided.

“I asked what perfume she had on this evening, and she said she wasn’t wearing any,” Jamie explained, looking at him oddly.

Celina resumed her place next to his brother, taking those full hips and tiny waist out of his immediate line of sight. Hell, she could have been the model for the original hourglass. Not super slim and streamlined like so many women these days. Why anyone thought that was attractive he’d never know. Celina was pure woman with all those soft curves that had his hands itching to cup and knead and squeeze, and his cock stiff and aching, knowing she would be sweet and soft and yielding beneath him.

Oh, man
. He hadn’t been this hard for a woman since he first became aware of exactly what that particular piece of anatomy could be used for. Over the years, he’d had lots of women begging for the pleasure he could provide, but this time
he
was the one in danger of begging.

Kyle gave himself a mental shake and forced himself to get a grip. This was Jamie’s girl, and he was only here to observe and offer advice. His role was to decipher her subtle tells and provide his brother with a no-fail plan for getting a piece.

She was a challenge, he’d give her that. Not many women could pull off that combination of sweet, sexy, innocent, and hot so seamlessly. Even he might have had to put a bit of effort into seducing this one, though the thought shouldn’t have been as appealing as it was.

It didn’t help that she kept sneaking glances his way, either. This time, Celina was looking at him as though she was trying to figure out what he had
thought
she said. He knew the second the plausible explanation came to her, because her eyes widened and she blushed furiously.

Thankfully, their food arrived and provided a much-needed distraction. Kyle was finding it hard to swallow past the constriction in his throat. It only got worse when he saw her two-hand the long sandwich, her tongue licking the sauce that dripped along the meatballs on the end. Her eyes closed in ecstasy as she rolled the first bite around in her mouth and moaned appreciatively. Oblivious to everything else around her, she handled that sub with total focus and intent. He glanced at his brother. Jamie was happily tucking into his own meal, completely ignorant of the X-rated sideshow going on right next to him. No wonder he couldn’t get himself laid.

“Is everything alright?” Celina asked when she’d taken several bites from her sub and he had barely managed one.

“Not hungry,” Kyle rasped, pushing the plate away. Jamie was looking at him strangely again, well aware that under normal circumstances, Kyle had the appetite of a linebacker. Celina was watching him again too, but her eyes were ... curious. She reminded him of a little girl peeking through the bars at the lions pacing around their cages at the zoo, one without enough sense to be afraid.

“Do you ever take them off?” she asked, forgetting the sandwich.

“Excuse me?”

“Your sunglasses. Do you ever take them off?”

Usually when I’m burying my face in something hot and wet.
He thought about saying that out loud just for the pure shock value, but his common sense prevailed and he said instead, “Sometimes.”