A Dose of Pretty Poison: A Brother’s Best Friend Romance (Pretty Poison Trilogy Book 1)

Things are tense for a couple of days. It’s like every time Cam’s phone goes off, I wonder if it’s Monty. Even as Mali and I went to brunch with Monty, I sat there the whole time, wondering if he was going to spill my secret. But so far, nothing has changed.

Cam still doesn’t know.

Monty is acting like everything is normal.

And I’m still falling deeper in love with Hayes, even if it means my heart could get shattered into a million tiny pieces.

It’s not like I can help it. I’ve known that from the start. When it comes to him, I’m hopeless. All I can do is hope that he doesn’t end up breaking my heart after all.

I WALK INTO THE surf shop, holding an ice cream cone I bought before I came in. Hayes looks up from the counter and he smiles when he sees me.

“Hey,” he greets me, glancing at the time. “You know I don’t get off work for another hour, right?”

“Yeah, I know,” I tell him. “But Mali couldn’t drop me off later, so I had to come a bit early.”

His brows raise as he sees right through my bullshit, and after only a few seconds, I cave and roll my eyes.

“Fine. I missed you,” I grumble. “Sue me.”

He chuckles, leaning over the counter to kiss me before going back to what he was doing. Meanwhile, I sit on the stool beside him.

It only takes a few minutes before I start to realize that getting this on a cone was probably a bad idea. It’s melting faster than I can eat it, and every time it drips, I have to catch it with my tongue to keep from making a mess.

All the licking and slurping I’m doing must go straight to Hayes’s dick because he drops his head and laughs quietly. He turns to look back at me, but that was probably a bad idea on his part. Sticking my tongue out, I drag it up the ice cream and wrap my mouth around the tip.

“What?” I ask him innocently.

He narrows his eyes at me. “You’re cruel, did you know that?”

The corner of my lips raises as I smirk. “And you have a one-track mind. Did you know that?”

Shaking his head, he goes back to focusing on the computer. “Sure, I’m the problem here. Has nothing to do with you blowing an ice cream cone like it’s your favorite cock or anything.”

“I mean, I’d much rather do the real thing,” I tease. “But he’s busy being a working man and all.”

He closes his eyes and whines. “That’s not fair. Why do you have to torture me like that?”

“Because it’s fun,” I quip.

“Mm-hm,” he says as he gets up and starts walking toward the back. “We’ll see how fun you think it is later.”

WITH THE SHOP CLOSED up and two surfboards lying in the bed of Hayes’s truck, the two of us head off to a remote beach. It’s the same one we came to the night we finally had sex for the first time. And it’s just as empty now as it was then.

It’s not like there is anything wrong with this beach. For a while, it’s where all the locals would come when the tourists would take over the main ones. But when the seabed shifted one year after a rough storm, the waves made it more worth it for the surfers to deal with the crowds.

Fortunately for us, this empty beach is exactly what we’re looking for.

We carry the surfboards across the sand, setting them down so Hayes can wax them up. Meanwhile, I pull a towel out of my bag and spread it out for somewhere to sit. Removing my shirt and shorts, I start to apply sunscreen, when I realize Mali isn’t here to do my back.

“Babe?” He looks up from the board at the sound of my voice. “Mind putting this on my back for me?”

Smirking, he comes over and takes the sunscreen from me. “Rubbing my hands all over you? How could I ever say no to that?”

At first touch, it’s cold against my skin, but the more he rubs it in, the better it feels. He starts massaging my back, and his lips move to my neck—kissing the spots he knows I’m the most sensitive in.

“One-track mind,” I remind him.

He hums, moving his hands to my stomach and pulling me back against him. “Are you sure that’s a bad thing?”

No, because it’s never a bad thing. But I’ve heard enough horror stories from Mali about having sex on the beach. The sand gets in places you never want it to be, and it’s just not all it’s cracked up to be.

But God, it’s so tempting to just fall right into him when he’s touching me like this.

Forcing myself to move, I pull his hands away and stand up. “Come swimming with me.”

He lets out a mix between a laugh and a groan as I start to walk down toward the water, but when I turn around, he’s still in the place I left him.

“Are you coming?” I call.

He forces himself up and grumbles under his breath. “I fucking hope so soon.”

“I heard that,” I say through a chuckle, and the determined look in his eyes tells me I should run.

Hayes takes off, starting to chase me as I run into the water, and I make the rookie mistake of looking behind me. His arms wrap around my waist, lifting me up as I squeal. The water is cold on my feet, and as he tosses me into the air, I prepare myself for the blow.

If anyone saw us splashing each other and playing around, they would probably think we’re just some loved up couple. Because when we’re alone, there’s no reason to assume anything different.

He holds me the way a boyfriend would.

Kisses me the way a boyfriend would.

And sometimes, I let myself pretend that there aren’t a million obstacles in the way of us being that couple.

We stop to catch our breath as Hayes dives under the water. When he comes up, he moves his head in a way that moves his hair to one side and sends water flying. It really shouldn’t look as hot as it does, but when he smirks and comes toward me, my heart feels like it does a flip.

“Hey,” he says as he wraps his arms around me.

I stare up at him, unable to keep from smiling if I tried. “Hi.”

Bending down, he covers my mouth with his own—completely unaware of what he does to me. I arch up on my tiptoes and revel in the feel of his hands on my back, pulling me into him as closely as possible.

“Are there any sharks in this water?” I ask, suddenly remembering the would you rather question I gave him at the airfield.

He hums and looks around. “I don’t think so, no. Just really big crabs.”

Okay, there is no greater fear I have than my feet being attacked by something I can’t see. Have you ever been pinched by one of those things? I have, and it fucking hurts. So, it’s no surprise when I yelp, jumping up and wrapping my legs around Hayes’s waist.

It isn’t until I feel his hard cock pressing against me that I realize what just happened.

“I just played right into your hand, didn’t I?”

He chuckles. “You’re not the only one who can use tricks to get what you want.”

I know what he’s referring to—the night at billiards when I had him thinking I had no idea how to play pool. Not going to lie, I had every intention of kicking his ass that night, but the way it played out was so much better. And I still got him to come around again.

It was a win-win. But I’m not so sure I love my own tactics being used against me.

“You’re mean,” I tell him.

He chuckles, ghosting his lips across mine. “Should I remind you of the ice cream cone from earlier?”

Instead of answering, I close the gap between us and let my tongue dance with his. He groans into it, and his hands on my ass hold me up as I use my legs to pull him closer. I grind against his dick, and the more I do, the more turned on I get.

“Fuck me,” I breathe. “I want you to fuck me. Right here. Just like this.”

The corners of his lips raise as they’re still pressed against mine. “Gladly.”

He unties half of my bathing suit, making it fall out of the way and hang on my one leg, and the thought of a condom doesn’t even cross my mind until he’s slipping inside of me.

Our grip on each other tightens. It feels so much better like this, with nothing in between us. I can feel every inch, every ridge. And if it feels this good for me, I can only imagine how much better it feels for him.

His breathing stutters and his whole body jerks as he bottoms out. He sucks my bottom lip into his mouth and groans. And when he releases it, I throw my head back and start to bounce on his cock.

“Goddamn,” he moans against my skin. “You feel fucking incredible like this. Always take me so well.”

His fingers dig into the flesh of my ass, gripping and kneading as I slide myself on and off his cock. With each movement, his hands slide closer to the center. And when his finger presses against my hole there, I feel every part of me tense up.

“Relax, baby,” he says softly. “Keep your attention on me. On the way my cock feels, completely raw inside your pussy.”

I do as he says, and as he starts to push his finger in, I didn’t anticipate how good it feels. It’s just one finger, but somehow, it’s so much more intense. Between his dick being deep inside of me and the way he slowly moves his finger in and out, I feel so fucking full of him.

“Holy shit,” I moan.

“Fuck. I can feel myself inside of you,” he tells me, his voice cracking. “I can’t wait until the day I claim this hole, too.” I whimper slightly, and he smirks. “Yeah, you’d like that, wouldn’t you? Being such a good girl for me as I fill your ass with my cum.”

“Yeah,” I pant, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. “It scares me, but I want it. I want all of it with you.”

“Oh, don’t worry. You’re going to get it all. There’s not an inch of your body I won’t claim,” he growls. “Going to make you wish every guy you ever fuck is me.”

“There is never going to be anyone else. No one can make me feel the way you do. I’m ruined. You’ve ruined me. Nothing will ever feel as good as this.” I may be rambling, but not a thing coming out of my mouth is a lie. “I’m yours. Only yours.”

He starts to take over, slamming me onto his cock as he fingers my ass. “You’re damn right you are, baby. All fucking mine.”

The pressure builds in my core, growing faster with every time I feel him deep inside of me. All I can hear is the sound of the water sloshing, mixing with his heavy breathing and my quiet moans. And as my orgasm rips straight through me, I bite down on his shoulder.

“Yes,” he growls, removing his finger for a better grip on my waist. “Fuck, yes.”

With a few more harsh thrusts into me, he pulls me off him at the last second, letting his cum spill into the water around us. I kiss his neck and taste the salt on his skin as we both calm down.

“What if a fish gets pregnant with your baby?” I ask, thinking about the millions of sperm that are in one drop of cum. “Wait, they can’t like swim back up me or anything, can they?”

He snorts and starts to fix my bathing suit for me. “If they can, that is one determined sperm. We’d be the parents of the next Bill Gates.”

It’s a joke. I know that. There’s no confusion there. But even the simple thought of us being parents together, raising a kid with him by my side, it releases butterflies in my stomach—fluttering around with their false hope and pointless dreams.

Standing up, I force myself to think of anything else. “Okay, I’m ready to try surfing now.”

“I don’t know, Lai,” he says, looking unsure. “There’s a pretty strong current, and the water is crashing pretty hard against the rocks. Maybe we should go surfing another day.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Are you underestimating me?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I know better than that. I’m just not sure it’s the best idea.”

“Nuh-uh.” I walk backward, still facing him but moving toward the shore. “You promised me surfing. We’re going surfing.”

He exhales, giving in and coming with me to get the boards, and I start to wonder what else he would be willing to do for me.

SPOILER ALERT: I SHOULD have listened.

We should’ve laid on the beach, talking about anything we wanted and sharing lazy kisses. But I insisted on going surfing. And to make matters worse, I was so determined to impress him, so focused on looking good, that I put myself in danger.

I realize all this as I hear Hayes scream my name, just in time for me to see the rocks before I fall off the board. The water tosses me around without mercy. I can’t even tell which way the surface is. And when I feel something slice into my side, all the air I had left leaves my lungs.

The likelihood that I could die right now passes through my mind. I wonder what Hayes would tell Cam. Would he be honest and tell him what was going on between us? Would he lie and just say he was giving me surfing lessons? Would Mali kill him before he would tell him anything? There’s so many questions I don’t know the answers to.

Time moves so slowly as my panic settles. It’s not that I want to die. It’s more accepting my fate. Just as I start to feel like I’m losing consciousness, I feel two arms wrapping around me and pulling me to the surface.

I inhale deeply the second I reach the air, only to break into a coughing fit. Hayes carries me to the shoreline, and I collapse onto my hands and knees. Every breath hurts my chest, but it doesn’t compare to the pain on my side.

“Are you okay?” Hayes asks, still trying to catch his breath.

I nod. “I think so.”

But as I turn to look at the damage, I hiss. The gash that goes from my back toward my side is probably four inches long, and it looks nasty. Blood drips down my body and Hayes’s eyes widen as I turn to show him.

He stands up and extends his hand toward me. “I have a first aid kit in the truck. Let’s go.”

I’m a little lightheaded, feeling everything spin as I stand, but Hayes holds on to me as we walk across the beach. He puts down the tailgate and grabs the first aid kit from the back.

“You’re bleeding, too,” I tell him, seeing the cut on his leg.

He shakes his head. “I’m not concerned with that right now.”

“I am!”

But he doesn’t listen. Instead, he takes extra time cleaning me up and closing it with butterfly strips before covering the whole thing with gauze. Then and only then does he work on his own.

“How did you get that, anyway?” I ask.

He answers like it’s no big deal. “I dove into the water the second I saw you go under.”

It shouldn’t surprise me. Of course, he would risk his life to save mine. That’s just how he is. But the fact that he tried to talk me out of surfing and I pushed the issue makes me feel bad.

We both got hurt, and it’s no one’s fault but my own.

Before I can think up a way to apologize, he closes the first aid kit and opens the passenger side door.

“Get in,” he tells me. “I’ll go get our stuff.”

I do as he says, sitting in the truck and watching as Hayes goes down to grab my bag, the towel, and the wax he brought. As far as the surfboards go, though, they’re currently floating out to sea. The cord ripped off my ankle at some point while I was flipping around like I was in a washing machine. And I’m guessing Hayes took his off so it didn’t keep him from getting to me.

He comes back and tosses everything into the back seat before climbing into the truck.

“Are you okay?” he asks me again.

I nod. “Are you?”

Starting the truck, he puts it into reverse to pull out of the space. “I am now.”

My mind runs wild with all the things he could mean by that, but I don’t think I’m in the place to ask him about it. Not right now, anyway. So, I lean my head against the window and watch all of the boats out in the distance.

THANKFULLY, HE ISN’T MAD. I did, however, have to hear him lecture me on how he knows the ocean a lot better than I do, and how next time I should listen when he tells me something is a bad idea. He’s not wrong, either. But ultimately, he’s just glad I’m okay.

Now if this cut could heal, that would be great.

The first time I showered hurt like a bitch. The warm water getting in and cleansing it was necessary, but fuck. It burned so bad. It also wasn’t easy to apply new butterfly strips and a big Band-Aid the way Hayes did it, but I managed.

It’s been three days and I’ve managed to keep it a secret from everyone by wearing t-shirts bigger than I usually opt for. It works pretty well…until I move a certain way at Mali’s without thinking.

“What the fuck is that?” she says. “Please don’t tell me you got Hayes’s name tattooed on you.”

Monty scoffs. “Jesus Christ. You let him brand you?”

“Would that surprise you?” Mali asks him. “Because it wouldn’t surprise me.”

I roll my eyes and wince as I pull the bandage half off. “I didn’t let anyone brand me. It was a surfing accident.”

They both cringe as they look at it, and I realize it’s not nearly as healed as I hoped it would be by now. Covering it back up, I drop my shirt and sigh.

“I fell off the board and got tossed around,” I explain. “Hayes got the same kind of cut on his leg jumping in to save me. There must have been a sharp rock beneath the water or something.”

Mali smirks. “Was this before or after you had sex?”

We haven’t talked about that day, but she knows me well. “After.”

Monty snorts as Mali rolls her eyes. “I swear, you two must have some sort of exhibitionist kink or something with the amount you two fuck in public places.”

“We do not,” I scoff. “First of all, we were in the water and no one else was around. And second, we have to work with the opportunities we have. It’s not like we can just fuck like rabbits at my house.”

“You could if he just told your brother about you two,” Monty says.

I turn to glare at him, and he puts his hands up in surrender. But while he may be afraid of my wrath, Mali isn’t.

“He does have a point, you know,” she says.

But honestly, it’s not something I’m willing to hear right now. The way things are right now—it’s working for us. There isn’t the pressure of everyone knowing our business or cracking on us for it. I’m not fighting with my brother or worrying that he’s going to get pissed at Hayes every time I’m not in the best mood.

Don’t get me wrong, I would love nothing more than to be an actual couple, but it’s not as important to me as it once was. Not when he treats me like I’m the only one that matters when we’re together.

Judge me for being okay with the circumstances, I don’t care.

I’m happy.

I go to answer Mali when my phone vibrates in front of me, and I see it’s from Hayes. A smile makes its way to my face as I open it.

How’s your day going, baby?

The giddiness I feel from something so simple must be written all over my face, because Mali leans over to read the text before I have a chance to stop her.

“Baby?” she asks. “That doesn’t sound very casual of you.”

I shrug, playing with the string hanging from my shorts. “It doesn’t feel casual. Not anymore, at least. Not since he told me that I’m the only one who has his attention.”

Mali hums, an impressed look on her face. “Hmm, Hayes might not be the lost cause I thought he was after all. But if I see another cut like that on you again, I’m going after him.”

“I told you,” I whine. “It wasn’t his fault.”

She rolls her eyes and focuses back on her computer. “Yeah, yeah. You got hurt surfing after going to the beach to have sex.”

The way she explains it makes me laugh, because she’s not exactly wrong. Almost every time we’re together, we end up messing around in some way. But it’s not like he’s only hanging out with me to hook up. We just have a problem with keeping our hands to ourselves.

“Here’s an idea,” Mali exclaims, like she just cured cancer. “Stop fucking in public!”

“Victims of circumstance!” I shout back, smiling when she flips me off.

“Actually,” Monty chimes in. “I may be able to help with that.”

My brows furrow, wondering what on earth he could do to help—except pay for a hotel room, but that would be weird. “I’m listening.”

“I have a boat,” he tells me. “And if Hayes has a license for it, I wouldn’t be opposed to letting you two take it out for the day. Maybe then he won’t hate me so much.”

That’s unlikely, but I’m not about to turn down the offer as I lunge off the bed and jump into his arms. “Thank you! You’re the best!”

As I grab my phone to text Hayes about it, I can’t stop myself from imagining spending a whole day with him, out on the water where there is no risk of getting caught.

A whole day of just being us.