My Best Friend's Brother (Make Her Mine Book 1) Read online

  “What?” I ask.

  “You took her out, slept with her, and kissed her yesterday. You didn’t give her reason to think that?” One eyebrow arches high.

  “It’s not like that. I took her out as a friend. We had too much to drink and slept together. And I didn’t kiss her yesterday. She kissed me,” I say, pointing my finger.

  “But you didn’t stop that kiss either, now did you?” Now she’s back to enjoying seeing me squirm.

  “What are you suggesting?”

  She shrugs her shoulders. “I’m suggesting that you tell her how you feel. Whether she likes it or not, it can’t be wrong. I’m sure she will admire your honesty.”

  My heart starts beating faster. “Would you admire my honesty?”

  She smiles slightly. “I would,” she says with a nod.

  I bite the inside of my cheek to keep myself from telling her about these new feelings I’m having. Before anything else can be said, my phone is ringing. I lean forward and answer it.

  “Damon Strickland.”

  “Hey, man. I need you to come up to my office really quick,” Bennet says.

  “Be right there,” I tell him, hanging up the phone. I stand and make my way toward the door. “I’ll be right back. Bennet needs me up in his office,” I tell Jazz.

  She nods once but doesn’t say anything.

  I get in the elevator and hit the top floor. Bennet is the CEO of Windsor Wealth Management. We’ve known one another for years. We went to college together, and I think had we not been together, neither of us would be living the life we are. He helped me just as much as I helped him. And when we graduated, and his father left the business to him, I was the first person he hired. To say we’re close is an understatement.

  “Hello, Gladys,” I say, walking past his assistant and letting myself into his office.

  Bennet is standing at his drink cart, pouring two drinks when I walk in.

  “What’s up, man?” I ask.

  He turns to face me, holding out a glass. “I’m going to be needing some help this afternoon. I have a high-profile client coming in, and I need help explaining how we lost a small portion of his retirement.”

  Already, my nerves skyrocket. “How much is a small portion?”

  He moves his head from side to side. “A quarter of a million dollars,” he replies, eyes growing wide.

  “Fuck, man,” I mumble under my breath as I raise the glass to my lips.

  “We also have to explain how things are about to take a turn for the better, so he doesn’t pull out on us completely. I mean, this man has been with us since my father started it up back in the eighties. We have to keep him happy or…” He shakes his head. “I’m afraid of what he could do.” He sits down across from me. “Dad’s been itching to come back, using every little excuse to get away from my mom and back into this building.”

  I laugh. “I knew retirement didn’t suit your father.”

  “It was the number one reason why I was so iffy on even working here. I knew once he got bored with traveling the world, he’d want to come back, even though he assured me he wouldn’t. But every time I go over there for dinner, it’s just one question after another. Are you doing this, are you doing that? This shouldn’t be done like that. I ran that business for almost forty years. You’ve been there for a year and already you’re running it into the ground,” he says, mocking his father. Sweat begins beading up on his brow, and he wipes it away.

  “Alright, calm down. We’ll figure this out. Let me go down and tell Jazz to take care of my messages and cancel my appointments and I’ll be back up to go over the files to see what we can do.” I get up and walk back into my office to find Jazz still at her desk. She looks up when I walk in.

  “Jazz, I need you to cancel all my meetings today, and if anyone calls, please take a message. I won’t be in the office.” I go back to my computer to shut it down.

  “Do I need to stay here, or should I leave?”

  I stand up and think it over. “Once the meetings are canceled, you can turn the machine on and go if you want. Take a day off; after yesterday, I’m sure you could use it.”

  She shrugs. “Thanks,” she says, but her voice is off.

  I stop what I’m doing and look over at her. “What’s that?”

  “You’re just being nice today. It’s weird.”

  I laugh and pick up my briefcase. “Yeah, I figured if we’re going to work together, I should probably go easy on you. Enjoy your day.” Without another word, I walk out.

  5

  Jazmine

  It doesn’t take long to reschedule all the meetings. Within the hour, I’m clocked out and leaving the building. I pull out my cell phone and call Maddie.

  “Hello?” she answers.

  “I got the day off. Want to hang out?” I ask, walking up to the street and holding out my hand for a cab.

  “Sure, there’s a festival going on downtown. Want to check it out? We can get food on sticks. I know how much you like that.”

  I laugh. “Sounds good. I’ll be at your place in a few.”

  “Okay, I’ll get up and get dressed.”

  “You’re still in bed? It’s almost ten.”

  “Don’t judge me,” she says before hanging up the phone.

  I laugh to myself and shake my head as I slide my phone into my purse.

  A cab pulls over, and I slide into the backseat. I mumble off Maddie’s address, and the car takes off. Instead of staring out the window, I open my new dating app and pull up the conversation from last night.

  Jazz: I got the day off and me and a friend are hitting up a festival downtown. Want to join?

  Brandon: Wish I could, but I’m stuck at work. Another crisis that can’t be handled without me. I hope you have fun though. And thanks for the invite.

  Jazz: Maybe another time. I know we haven’t talked much, but I hope to meet you one day. You seem like a great guy. Just please, don’t turn out to be a serial killer j/k.

  Brandon: I promise, when we come face to face, you’ll be surprised, but it won’t be because I’m a serial killer.

  Surprised? Why would I be surprised?

  Jazz: Why would I be surprised? You don’t have two heads or anything, right?

  Brandon: No! I’m completely normal, in a boring way. But I have a feeling we’ll be great together. Have to get back to work. Feel free to send me some pictures of all the fun I’m missing.

  I smile to myself as I turn off the phone and put it back in its place. My mind immediately starts drifting off, imagining our first meeting. I picture us meeting one another on the street. Our eyes lock and we both freeze until we can form thoughts again. Slowly, we walk up to one another, meeting in the middle. He smiles and steals my breath. I lean in for a hug and feel his heart pounding.

  “We’re here, Miss,” the driver says, breaking me from my thoughts.

  “Oh, thanks.” I quickly pass over the cash and climb out.

  As I walk into the building, I find that my heart is racing just from imagining our first meeting. My breathing is fast, and my palms are sweaty. I laugh to myself. This is silly. I’ve only talked to the guy one time, and honestly, there is no proof that he even is a guy. I shouldn’t let myself get this worked up. But there is something about him I find comforting. It feels like he’s the one I’m meant to be with, like he’s been with me all along. I can’t for the life of me figure out why, though. This man that I’ve never met feels like home, like my past and future all held in one place. Half of my brain wants to run around screaming, I finally found the one, but the other half is saying I’m crazy for even thinking that so soon.

  I let out a deep breath and shake my head at myself as I push through the door at Maddie’s.

  “Hey, what’s up?” she asks, turning to look at me from her couch.

  I drop my purse on the floor and zombie walk to the couch, collapsing beside her. “I’m so confused,” I complain.

  “About what?” she asks, pointing the remote at the TV and silencing it while giving me her full attention.

  “Okay.” I pull my legs up onto the couch and fold them beneath me. “Damon has been so hot and cold at work. Like, one minute he’s checking me out, and the next he’s using folders to build a fence between us. Then he’s making out with some woman right in front of me but goes and tells me I’m cute. I don’t know what kind of signals he’s trying to throw at me, but it’s getting confusing. So then, I thought I’ll listen to Maddie and download that app because there’s no better way to get over someone, right?” I ask, only pausing for a moment for her answer.

  She nods.

  “Well, I met this guy, and, Maddie, he’s hot and sexy and kind of reminds me of Damon a little, but he has a sense of humor and doesn’t try to torment me like Damon does. Something about this guy just reminds me of Damon so much, other than he’s said some things I could never imagine Damon saying. I feel like I know him and I’ve never met him, and that’s good and also bad. I mean, it’s good because we clicked immediately, but it’s bad because I’m already falling for this guy and I don’t even know him.” After my long, fast rant, I fall back against the cushions of the couch and take a deep breath.

  “Okay, whoa, that was fast.” Her blue eyes are wide, and her brows are lifted high. “Secondly, I get why you’re so confused. But Jazz, I thought we talked about my brother?”

  “I know,” I cry.

  “Look, I get that you’ve had a crush on him since, like, forever, but he’s not the kind of guy you’re looking for. My brother is a whore. And let’s say he is starting to look at you differently, you know you’d just be like the rest of those girls. Do you really want that?” She looks down at me with sympathy.

  “No,” I reply.

  “Okay, so you
need to stop trying to analyze every little thing he says. If he flirts, it’s probably just to watch you squirm, and if it’s not for that reason, you’ll end up heartbroken in the end anyway, and I’d hate to have to kill my stupid brother.”

  I nod in agreement.

  “Now, as far as this other guy goes, it’s okay to get excited. I mean, you haven’t even met yet and already you’re clicking like some people never do. So, be excited! But don’t try and link him with Damon. He’s not Damon, and he never will be. And that’s not a bad thing. If Damon were that great, he would’ve scooped you up a long time ago. Just enjoy getting to know this guy and take it one day at a time. Okay?”

  I nod. “Okay, you’re right.”

  “Feel better now?”

  I smile. “I do. I just needed everything out and put into perspective. Thanks, Maddie.”

  She smiles. “Now, let’s go get day drunk and listen to live music.” She throws the lap blanket off her legs and stands, looking me up and down. “But first, let’s head to my closet to find you something a little more comfortable than work clothes, huh?”

  I laugh. “Thank you! I wasn’t even thinking about clothes when I came over here straight from work.”

  Jazz: How’s it going?

  Brandon: Good. How was the festival?

  Jazz: Fun. Me and my best friend had a blast drinking craft beer and listening to all different kinds of music. I wish we could’ve met up, though.

  I quickly attach a picture Maddie had taken of me. In the pic, I’m smiling wide, eyes glazed over while holding two massive cups of beer.

  Brandon: Me too. It sounds fun. Being an adult sucks sometimes. I got stuck doing someone else’s job today and had to work four hours later than normal.

  Brandon: LOL love the pic! You’re beautiful.

  My cheeks feel like they’ve been lit on fire, but I ignore his comment and instead reply to the message he sent before the picture loaded.

  Jazz: Yuck! I don’t know why I was in such a hurry to grow up LOL

  Brandon: Me either. I couldn’t get you off my mind today. All day I caught myself daydreaming of you.

  My heart begins to pump harder, faster. I giggle to myself and pick up my glass of wine, taking a small sip.

  Jazz: I’ve thought about how our first meeting would go all day.

  Brandon: And? What do you have in mind?

  Jazz: I pictured a hundred different ways, but all of them ended the same.

  Brandon: With a goodnight kiss, I hope.

  Jazz: When can we finally meet? I hate to be so persistent, but I feel like I know you, like we’re clicking better than anyone I’ve ever been with. It’s a bit exciting, don’t you think?

  Brandon: I feel the same way. I’d love to meet up with you one of these days.

  It feels like I’ve been kicked in the stomach. One of these days? Why not today? Why not now?

  Jazz: Any idea when that will be?

  Brandon: Things are crazy right now. I wish I could say that it would be soon, but I don’t know for sure. I’ve been putting in so many extra hours that by the time I get home, I just fall into bed. But please don’t take this as a sign that I don’t want to meet, because I do. I really, really do.

  Jazz: Okay, maybe I should slow down. I mean, we’ve only been talking for a day. We should get to know one another a little better first, that way when we do meet, it will be like we’ve known one another for years.

  Brandon: I like the sound of that.

  Jazz: Goodnight, Brandon.

  Brandon: Goodnight, Jazmine.

  I wake in the morning with a pounding headache from drinking too much. I have to force myself to get out of bed, and I walk like a zombie to the bathroom. I don’t wake up fully until I’ve stood under the hot water for a good ten minutes, but finally, I pull myself together enough to wash off before I’m late for work.

  I blow dry my blonde hair and pull it into a sleek ponytail. I use a bit of concealer to hide my dark circles and add a little mascara and lip gloss. Finally, I pull on a pair of black dress pants, heels, and a light pink shirt. Grabbing all my things, I leave my apartment in a hurry.

  When the cab pulls up in front of the building, I pay him quickly and look at my watch to see that I still have ten minutes left. I rush across the street for a cup of coffee and a muffin. I need the coffee to wake up, and the muffin to absorb some of this stomach acid left from drinking all night.

  Walking into the office, I find Damon behind his desk looking as handsome and refreshed as ever.

  “How was your day?” he asks with a smile, watching as I place my things on my desk and sit down.

  “It was good. A little too good, actually. I’m a bit hungover, so if you could take it easy on me today, that’d be great.” I take a sip of coffee and a bite of my muffin.

  His smile widens. “I don’t know why you think I try to give you a hard time.

  I snort and roll my eyes. “You don’t try to give me a hard time. It just comes naturally to you.”

  He stands, picks a folder up from his desk, and walks over to mine. He sits on the edge as he looks down at me with those dark, tempting eyes. “Per your request, I just have a few desk jobs for you to do today.” He drops the folder in front of me. “I need this typed up and sent to every employee in the building. It’s just some updated fine print.”

  I smile, happy that he’s taking this seriously and not trying to make the day any harder on me. “Consider it done.”

  I immediately open the folder and start looking over the work but look up to find him sitting on my desk, still watching me.

  “Is there anything else?” I ask, a little unsure of why he’s still here, hovering over me.

  “What would you say to grabbing some lunch today?”

  His question confuses me. “You want me to run out and get your lunch?”

  He laughs. “No. I mean, would you like to have lunch with me today?”

  “Why? Is this work related?” I feel my face contort with confusion.

  He lets out a deep breath and rubs his eyes. “No, Jazz. I just thought that since we’re working together, we should get to know one another a little better as adults and work colleagues instead of as brother of the best friend and annoying little girl that pisses me off.” He stands and clenches his teeth, making his angular jaw flex.

  “Oh. Umm, okay. If you’d like.” I nod.

  His chest starts moving once again, making me realize that he’s been holding his breath, awaiting my answer.

  Without a word, he turns and walks back to his desk to sit down, and I turn my attention to the work at hand while picking at my muffin.

  Lunchtime rolls around and Damon and I both walk out of the office together. We don’t talk as we leave the building. I just follow along behind him and wonder what this is really about. Is he about to fire me? Is he buying me lunch to soften the blow and break the bad news? My heart has doubled its pace by the time we walk into the restaurant across the street.

  He leads me to the back, and we sit at a booth across from one another. He picks up the menu, and I study him. While one hand holds the menu, the other is clenched into a fist so tight his knuckles are turning white. He’s mindlessly biting his lower lip.

  He’s nervous.

  I’ve never in my life seen Damon nervous. He’s always so damn cocky and self-assured.

  Seeing him this way only brings out my nervousness.

  We both order a glass of water and I pick it up, drinking it down as fast as I can. He watches me with amusement in his eyes and a smile playing on his lips.

  6

  Damon

  Just sitting across from her causes my heart to double its pace. Sweat begins beading up on my skin, and there’s this weird feeling in my gut. I’m nervous, but I have no idea why. I wish I could just come out and say what I’m thinking. I wish she would respond in a way that would make me happy, but I feel like if I told her how I’m really feeling, she’d laugh in my face. I mean, that’s what I would do if I were her. I’ve done nothing but tease her for her entire life, and now I’m asking if she has feelings for me? Of course she doesn’t.