Shameless (St. Martin Family Saga) by Gina Watson Read Free Book Online Page B

to his upper body. It must have been raining outside, and Brook couldn’t have been more thankful. Cory looked good wet. She was completely mesmerized as she drank him in. She couldn’t even speak. Only the most primitive responses were possible—breathing, pumping blood, consciousness.
    Bony, pale fingers slid over his shoulder, drawing Brook out of her trance.
    “Corrigan, mmm, I’ve missed you. Come over and have a beer with me.” The maid of honor scraped her thick sculpted nails—red, of course—across Cory’s wet chest. He grabbed her hand and moved it from his body. She shot a narrow-eyed look at Brook before smiling provocatively at Cory and asking, “How about a repeat of last Friday night?”
    Cory’s eyes caught Brook’s gaze. He flexed his neck to the right. Then, still holding Brook’s gaze, he said, “Julia, go scratch your claws somewhere else.”
    Today was Friday so that meant there had been three days between Julia and Cory when she’d been with him. Why did that bother her? He’d had Mrs. Simms the same day they’d also had sex, but the thought of him with Julia made her nauseated. She was about to walk toward the kitchen when she felt a jolt of electricity on her skin.
    He reached out a hand, latched on to Brook’s wrist, and pulled her out from behind the counter. “Please come with me. I need to speak with you.” He never let go as he led her from the bar all the way to Logan’s office. Fading in the distance, she heard the exasperated pants emanating from Julia.
    He closed the office door and massaged his right temple with his fingers. “Look, Brook, I was not judging you or your lifestyle. I apologize if I came across that way.” He dug into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a stay and play keychain from one of the local casinos. Attached was a copper key. “Here.”
    Brook held the key in front of her face. Wrinkling her nose, she asked, “What’s this?”
    “It’s the key to your new front door.”
    Oh God. She’d been worried about her door situation since he’d brought it to her attention. Brook wasn’t prone to crying, but her eyes blurred. She looked down to hide the tears from Cory. He put a finger under her chin and slowly tilted her face to meet his. Brook whispered, “Thank you. I don’t know if you could ever understand what this means to me. No one has ever helped me like this before. Just help with no expectations. Thank you, Cory.”
    A few tears spilled over and down her cheeks. He wiped them away with the pads of his thumbs. “You’re welcome.”
    The door to the office opened and in walked Logan in full-on rant mode. “There you are. It’s megalomania out there. Crazy bleach-blond bachelorettes—too much peroxide has damaged their brain cells.” He looked from Cory to Brook. “Something going on between you two?”
    Cory offered a sly smile. “We’re friends.”
    Logan frowned, and then he drew Brook away from Cory.
    “No, no, no. I like this one, Cory, and don’t intend to lose her to one of your boneheaded moves. It ain’t gonna happen.”
    Brook ducked her head, trying to hide her smile. “I was just leaving,” she said.
    Logan helped her through the door, not allowing her a chance to say goodbye to Cory.
    As she left, she heard them whispering. Their voices got louder the farther she moved away until she heard Cory say, “Fuck off.”
    Brook returned to her duties, hoping that she hadn’t caused trouble between the brothers. She liked Logan, respected him even. But she couldn’t help her attraction to Cory. She knew it wouldn’t go anywhere—the guy hated kids and didn’t want marriage, things she knew she wanted one day, but why couldn’t they enjoy one another while the attraction lasted?
    Brook was behind the bar washing and drying pint glasses when sinewy arms wrapped around her from behind and a pair of hands covered her eyes.
    “Hey!” she yelled.
    She whirled and found Parker Avants, wearing his sexy smolder,