A Long Time Coming (Cane Brothers, #3)(73)

And before I can stop myself, I tell her exactly what’s on my mind.

“You look fucking sexy. Not that you didn’t before, but Jesus fuck, Lia. You look so fucking incredible. I love it.”

“Thank you,” she says, a light blush staining her cheeks. “I sent a picture to Brian, still waiting to hear back from him. I hope he likes it as much as you do.” I bet the fuck he does. But I don’t fucking care.

“He will,” I say, still touching her hair as this wave of lust pours through me.

I want to sift my hand through her hair. I want to pull her close. I want to slip my hand under her crop top. I want to show her just how much this transformation turns me on. And it’s not just how she looks. It’s her confidence, her smile, and how proud she is of herself. I want to pin her to my bed and run my mouth up and down her neck.

“And the outfit, it’s not too much, is it? I thought I’d try something new.”

I look down at her crop top and the hint of her lace bra strap lining her shoulder as I shake my head. “No, not at all. You look really fucking amazing, Ophelia.”

“Ooo, two Ophelias. You must really approve.”

I swallow as I squeak out, “Yeah, I do.”

I approve so much that I’m struggling to remind myself that she’s engaged, and that I need to take this slow. That I can’t touch her the way I want to.

Pulling it slightly together, I ask, “But more importantly, how do you feel?”

“Well, after your reaction, I feel really sexy.”

“You should.”

“I’m just excited to see what Brian has to say.” Ah, yes, we’re all waiting on bated breath for Brian’s reaction. Did you hear the sarcasm in that? From the kitchen, her phone rings, and she glances up at me. “Speak of the devil. I bet that’s him. I’ll answer, and you can divvy out the food. Don’t hoard the garlic naan.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I say as she moves past me, and my eyes follow, falling straight to her rear end.

Fuck, would you look at that?

Bubbly, pert, all shown off in her skintight pants.

I swear the universe is testing me and will decide my fate on how I can control myself in this situation. My best friend, who I’ve always thought was incredible, turned into a smokeshow in a few short hours.

I reluctantly remove my eyes from her ass and fall in step behind her. While she reaches for her phone, I open up the bag of Indian food while my eyes casually drift in her direction, taking another opportunity to check her out.

Even her tits look incredible in that shirt.

Yup, the universe is testing me for sure.

“Hey, Brian,” she says cheerfully. “How are you?”

I try to block out her conversation because I don’t want to hear him tell her how much he loves her new hair, so I focus on dividing up our food.

That’s until I hear her say, “What? You don’t like it?”

That snaps me to attention. I forget all about the food and focus on her instead.

The confidence—which was propping her chest out only a few moments earlier—vanishes.

Her beautiful smile that had stretched from ear to ear falters.

And I can feel the pained disappointment in her voice as she lowers her voice to reply.

“I wanted a change,” she says. “Because I wasn’t feeling myself. Yes, I feel like myself now.” She pauses and then turns away from me. “Brian, can we talk about this later?” Another pause and then, “For how long? A week? I mean, it’s not like I can stop you, right? Business is business.” I crumple the paper bag in my hand as I continue to listen, my hatred for the man growing stronger. “Yes, but we’re supposed to get married shortly. It would be nice if you were here.” It would be great if he wasn’t. “Okay, fine. Yeah, talk to you later.” She hangs up and drops the phone to the side of her.

I wait a few moments, and when I notice she’s not going to move, I decide to move to her. I sit down next to her on the couch, lift her eyes so she’s looking at me, and that’s when I notice the tears.

I’m going to fucking kill him.

“I’m sure you got the gist of that conversation,” she says. “But he didn’t like my hair. Said it was a mistake.”

Yup, murder is in his future.

“He’s wrong,” I say as I cup her cheek and swipe the tears away. “He’s so fucking wrong because the moment I saw you, my heart skipped a beat, Lia. You look gorgeous. So fucking stunning that I had to remind myself that you’re my best friend.”

“You’re just saying that.” She shakes her head.

“I’m not,” I say as my eyes fall to her lips and then back to her eyes. “I’d never just say something to appease you. Brian is an idiot because the fact that he can’t see how you shine with this new hair, can’t see your confidence, is his loss.”

“He thinks his mom is going to be really mad.” Who the fuck cares? Is he still attached by his umbilical cord, or what?

“Good,” I say. “I hope she is mad. Gives us more fodder to fuck around with her.”

She lightly chuckles. “He’s also going to be gone for a week, maybe more. I guess what he’s dealing with in San Jose requires more attention than he initially thought, so that’s great. Not like we’re getting married or anything.” She sighs. “God, why did he have to be such an ass? Maybe he’s stressed.”