“And if you come first?” he countered.

She shrugged. “Then I get another tattoo.”

“You already have a million of them. How is that fair?”

He had a point. She mulled it over, then offered a decisive nod. “Fine, if I lose, I get more ink, but you get to choose what and where.”

Now she had his attention. For half a second, at least, before suspicion once more clouded his face. “No way. I don’t take any wagers unless it’s an even playing field.”

“How is it not?” she demanded.

“Because you’re a woman! I could shoot my load just from being near you, but chicks don’t come at the drop of a hat. You need foreplay and kissing and all that fun stuff. If you sit on my dick without any lead up, you could probably delay your orgasm for hours.” He crossed his arms. “No deal.”

Argh. AJ and his stupidly valid points.

Brett pondered the dilemma until she found another solution. “You get a handicap then. Ten minutes of oral sex.”

“Ha. I won’t last ten seconds if you put your mouth on my—”

“For me,” she clarified. “Ten minutes of oral sex for me.”

That shut him up, bringing the thoughtful glint back to his eyes.

“Think about it,” she said in her most tempting tone. “You’ll have ten whole minutes to tease me and torture me and get me close. And we both know how good you are at doing that.”

A sigh escaped as she realized she’d effectively stacked the odds against her. AJ knew it too as he splayed his palm on her belly and slowly dragged it over her mound. His eyes twinkled when he felt the evidence of her arousal.

Brett ignored the ripples of pleasure that danced through her. “So? Deal or no deal?” she challenged.

He chuckled. “Deal. Definitely deal.”

She moaned when he slipped one finger inside her.

“I can’t wait to pick your new tat, baby.” He ground the heel of his hand over her clit. “How do you feel about portraits? More specifically—a portrait of me giving two thumbs up?” He tickled the top of her mound. “Right here.”

His cockiness only fueled Brett’s competitive spirit. Arching one brow, she cupped his blond head with both hands and pushed him down to his knees. “Bring it, baby. Bring it.”





Chapter Ten


“He’s good for you.”

Brett looked up from her sketchpad to find her brother’s face peering down at her. She hadn’t even heard him approach, and yet there he was, tattooed forearms resting on the counter as he eyed her in amusement.

“Who’s good for me?” she said absently, her pencil still moving over the pad.

“AJ. Duh.”

She hoped her brother didn’t notice the way her shoulders had stiffened in discomfort. “Is he?”

“Absolutely. We all love him, by the way. Dude fits right in.”

Brett couldn’t even contradict him. AJ did fit right in. It had been more than a week since she’d introduced him to her family, and he’d already hung out with them several times since the barbecue. The night before, she and AJ had gone out for drinks with her brothers, which had turned a tad chaotic when Jordan and his on-again/off-again girlfriend Jessica had gotten into a screaming match.

Brett hated the woman, and to this day, she still had no clue what her brother saw in such a high-maintenance, manipulative bi-otch. But she’d been impressed by AJ’s composure during the fight. He hadn’t cut and run like she’d expected, and once the squabbling couple had left the pub, she and AJ ended up having a great time with Rob and Mike, whose shrilly impressions of Jessica were spot-on.

“Seriously, every time I see you, you’ve got a big goofy smile on your face. I’d totally bust your balls about it if it weren’t so frickin’ cute.” Rob was positively beaming at her. “My little sister is in love. I’m so proud.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not in love. AJ and I are just casual.”

Rob didn’t look convinced. “If you say so.” He shrugged. “Either way, it’s nice to see you happy for a change. I’m glad you kicked that fucker Troy to the curb.”

“Don’t remind me.” Her chest tightened at the mention of her ex. “God. I can’t believe he turned out to be such a jerk.”

“Forget about him. You’re with a guy that makes you happy now, and that’s all the matters.”

Brett faltered as the words sank in. She supposed she was happy. What she and AJ had might be casual, but she was perfectly content with that.

Though she had been making an effort to keep a slight distance from him. Not reveal too much, not push him too hard. She and relationships were like a bottle of alcohol and a loaded gun—not a great combo. When she was in love, she forgot about the rest of the world, so eager to please her partner that they ended up walking all over her.