Page 22 of A Wrong Bed Christmas: Ignited\Where There's Smoke

“Well, you’ve plainly never experienced a good gingerbread cookie, which you will once you eat mine.”

“I’m willing to be wowed, but you ought to temper your expectations, just in case.”

“Never.”

He laughed. “Okay,” he conceded and then added, “You asked about unglamorous station life? Well, it’s like this... When things are slow, we’re out mowing the grass, washing the trucks, doing outreach at the schools and renewing our certifications. Like I said, totally unglamorous.”

“Well, it beats being a perpetual student,” Alexis admitted. “I’m ready to be done.”

“You’re smart going all the way. Being at the top of the food chain is a good thing.”

Alexis appreciated his vote, even if they were going to keep things casual. “I wish you weren’t my brother’s buddy,” she said, mostly under her breath, but it was a titch louder than she’d meant it to be. She risked a glance at Layton and he seemed to understand her comment.

“You’re the one making the rules,” he said by way of saying, Hey, things can be different if you want them to be, but she knew better than to give in to that flimsy hope. Layton read her mind and added, “I think Erik would be cool.”

She chuckled. “No, he most definitely wouldn’t be cool about you and me. He’s very protective, especially of late. It feels good that he cares, but it does get a little tiresome when he treats me like a kid.”

“Older-brother gig. Occupational hazard.”

“Yeah, I guess so. Anyway—” she cast a wry look at Layton “—he won’t be chill about his best buddy shacking up with his little sister, and I would never want to come between you and Erik.”

“I can handle Erik,” Layton returned stubbornly, and in that moment she believed him, but she didn’t want Erik and Layton going to blows just because she’d practically seduced Layton and now they both wanted more. “Besides, you’re an adult. He has to come to grips with the fact that you’re capable of making your own decisions, good and bad.”

“True, but it’s probably not a good idea to shove it in his face.”

Layton leaned in. Her breath caught and, for the life of her, she couldn’t speak. His big, rough hands gripped her ass and pulled her to him. Their parts fit together so perfectly it was almost a sin not to allow them to interlock. His tab was aligned exquisitely with her slot and she almost giggled at the ridiculous bent of her thoughts only because laughter was her defense mechanism when she was nervous.

“Here’s the way I see it,” he said in a seductively low voice, “for whatever reasons, we mesh pretty good. Unless I was mistaken and you’re the world’s best actress, you were having a pretty good time, too. The cat is out of the bag, babe. Can’t stuff that genie back in the bottle now.”

“I get the idea,” she said, lifting her chin and meeting his gaze. “Doesn’t mean I’m willing to put a wedge between you and my brother just because epically good sex is on the line.”

He gently backed her against the counter. “Are you sure about that?”

“Positive,” she said with a breathy tone that even to her own ears sounded like a come-on. But before she could try again and set him straight, he turned her around and she was bent over the counter and his hand was up her robe, squeezing her bare ass. “What are you doing?” she asked, biting her lip to keep from smiling. She knew she ought to stop him but she’d always been a sucker for a good time and a bad idea. “The cookies!”

“Screw the cookies,” he said with a growl as the sound of foil tearing made her turn and she gasped when she saw him sheathing himself in a fresh condom. He’d brought it with him out of the bedroom. Kudos for thinking ahead, but she really ought to give him hell for being presumptuous. Except she was lifting her ass, closing her eyes against the inevitable sensation of his cock pressing past her folds, going in deep, and she couldn’t wait.

“Do it then,” she said, eager to feel him again, even though she’d just made a big show of saying they should forget it ever happened. Okay, maybe just one more time and then she’d really put her foot down.

And then, as if he’d read her mind, he didn’t waste time sliding inside her, pushing hard and hitting that sweet spot with unerring accuracy when most guys had to have a little direction. She groaned like a cat in heat, losing herself in the pleasure of being bent over, taken and used mercilessly. It worked for her, and the fact that Layton seemed to appreciate that hidden part of her was an even bigger turn-on.

---