Destiny's Detour

by Mari Brown

Copyright © 2013 by Mari Brown

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Published in the United States of America

First Published, 2014

MTK Publishing, Summerdale, AL 36580

Cover Design by Juliana Cabrera @ JMH Designs

Editing By Katie Mac @ Indie Express

e-book formatting by Integrity Formatting

Table of Contents

Dedication

One

Two

Three

Four

Five

Six

Seven

Eight

Nine

Ten

Eleven

Twelve

Thirteen

Fourteen

Fifteen

Sixteen

Seventeen

Eighteen

Nineteen

Twenty

Twenty-One

Twenty-Two

Twenty-Three

Epilogue

Acknowledgments

About the Author

Sneak Peek at
On the Edge
(The Knight Series)

To Randy, My Hulk

None of this would have been possible without you. You are My Everything!

To My 3 Cubs

Thanks for letting your mom have a dream of her own! I know it’s been different for us. I actually have a life outside being your mom and y’all weren’t sure how to act or feel but you still gave me the space I needed.

I love you...always and forever.

When I wake up, I realize two things. One, I have a hangover. And two, someone is in my bed. I am almost afraid to turn over to see who it is. I was pretty drunk last night, but forgetting who or what I do is not a common occurrence.

I peek over my left shoulder to see just who owns the muscular arm thrown across my waist. My breath catches. It’s Troy Daniels, who just happens to be my brother David’s best friend. OH SHIT! David is going to kill us!

Completely shameless, I stare at sexy Troy. His short dark brown hair is mussed from sleep and his face looks relaxed and content. I hope I am the reason he looks so happy. Troy’s eyes are closed but I can clearly picture those beautiful hazel eyes. When he looks at me, I swear he sees into the hidden depths of my soul. Troy’s body can melt any woman to her core. At 6’ 3” and 230lbs, the muscles on that boy make me want to trace every perfectly toned inch. His highly defined six-pack is chiseled as if the gods themselves sculpted it. Should a man really have abs like that? It's just not fair to rest of the male population. His biceps are undeniably the sexist thing on him. Just looking at them makes my mouth water with the need for them to be wrapped around me. Right now, he is on display, only for me. I wish I could see the rest of his body. Fucking sheet! Ugghh. I should feel like the world’s biggest perv, but no, I’m just enjoying the view.

I quietly slide out of bed, and making my way to the bathroom, I catch a glimpse of my naked form in the mirror hanging on the back of the door. My emerald green eyes are shining brighter this morning. My long, wavy, black hair has that just fucked look going on. I look around as the shower warms up and it seems like everything in the bathroom is brighter this morning. The burgundy and black color scheme of my bathroom is more vibrant. The counter littered with my makeup sparkles from the palette of color. I step in the shower to try to wake myself up. I have a feeling that today is going to be a long day. As I struggle to remember the events of the party last night, it seems the hot water may be helping my memory return. Bits and pieces start coming together.

Sometime last night, a game of Truth or Dare was played. I was dared to kiss Troy, and it was one hot kiss, too. Thank god, David wasn’t around for that. On a positive note, I can now stop wondering what Troy has that made all the girls in high school trip over themselves. At the time, I didn’t dwell much on the kiss. It was just for the game. It wasn’t until later that shit came back to bite me in the ass. I made my way to my bedroom and ran into Troy coming out of his. I couldn’t help looking at him and thinking about that kiss. He seemed to be thinking the same thing with the way he was looking at me. Troy grabbed my hand and led me down the hall to my room. He never said a word to me and I just followed along. I have trusted Troy for as long I can remember and things weren’t going to change now.

After we entered my room, he shut the door. I just made out the sound of the door locking when I found myself thrown up against it and Troy’s lips came crashing into mine. We kissed feverishly for what seemed like eternity. When we finally broke apart, I was shocked at how labored my breathing was. My legs were securely wrapped around Troy’s waist. Oh crap, I was hot for my brother’s best friend. Growing up, I’d had a crush on Troy, but like all childhood crushes, I outgrew it. But this was not a crush. This was pure animalistic need.

My memory starts to get foggy again, but I know we made out some more, and then the clothes started coming off. My thoughts end with me begging him to take me. Alcohol is the devil.

As I step from the shower, I grab a white bath sheet and wrap it loosely around my body. Cold water dripping down my back causes goose bumps while I search for a towel to dry my hair. I’m not sure how to handle this situation with Troy. I don’t want to freak out on him, but I also have no idea what to say to him this morning. I am not saying that I myself was innocent last night, but one-night stands are not my thing. This is doomed to be awkward if I don’t handle it the right way.

I slip back into my room to find Troy is still sleeping. That’s really not a bad thing since I still need time to think. I make my way to the closet and pull on some clothes. Brushing my hair out, I notice I do not look so bad for being hung-over. Now if I can just figure out what to do with the sexy football player in my bed, then all would be right with the world. Since I’m a coward, I’m trying to delay that little occurrence for as long as possible. The house sounds pretty quiet, which means everyone is still asleep.

It’s nice living off campus with my brother. David and Troy have been living in this house together for the last 2 years, but this year Amy, my best friend, and I have moved in. We are finally college freshmen and excited for all the adventures that come with it.

David is 2 years older than I am, and there is no denying that we are related. At 6’3”, 245 lbs. of pure, toned muscle leaving no doubt that he plays football. As wide receiver for National University, he is Troy’s go to guy, and always has been. Troy throws the balls and my brother catches and runs with it. Picture his short, messy black hair and emerald green eyes… eyes that we share in an almost eerie way that come from Mom’s side of the family. David towers over me and makes me look like a pixie. I am small, but standing next to my brother always makes me feel so tiny. We get our dark hair and complexion from our father. David is built like our dad, too. Dad is a retired NFL player and now he coaches football at our local high school. Our family lives and breathes football.

Somehow, I did not expect my first adventure to be sleeping with Troy, after my first college party, no less. I have to get rid of him, and then somehow talk to Amy about all that happened last night. My mind is going in too many directions right now for this shit. Amy and I have been best friends since we were in diapers. There are no secrets between us, ever. I can’t wait to hear what she has to say about this. She is going to freak. Shit! I am freaking. I have done some stupid things when drunk, but this, this right here, may take the cake.

I finally sit down on the edge of my bed, take a few deep breaths, and shake Troy by his shoulder. I need to get him up, talk to him, and get him out of my room. It takes a couple of nudges before his eyes slowly flutter open. He looks at me with a small smile, and then the events of last night hit him like a sack of bricks. He sits straight up in my bed, looks at me, looks down at himself, and lets out a groan.

I couldn’t help the small chuckle that escapes.

“It’s not that bad, Troy.”

He grins at me again.

“No, but David is gonna kill me if he sees me in here with no clothes on.”