Vicious Daddy by Bianca Cole
Alicia
Iwait by the front door, knowing that my brother is going out. I saw Niall pull up Malachy’s car in front of the house. My brother rarely goes out. The only time he does is when he’s going to one of those barbaric virgin auctions. It’s about time I intervened in his sick ways once and for all. He’s forty-two years old.
He needs to find a girl to settle down with, although I guess I can’t talk since I haven’t settled down myself. It doesn’t help that Malachy always chases away any guy I’m interested in. I stopped bothering bringing men home years ago.
Malachy marches toward the door and doesn’t notice me until the very last moment.
“What are you doing, Sis?” he asks, brow furrowing.
I shrug, as I know Malachy hates being told what to do. My questioning him about his actions won’t go down too well. “Are you going to one of those terrible auctions again?”
Malachy’s jaw tenses. I know he hates that I’m aware of his penchant for virgins and buying them, but he’s not exactly discreet about it. He’s messed up from our childhood, or lack of it. I wish he would realize that he deserves to be happy, despite the shit he went through in the past.
“What does it matter?” He asks, looking frustrated.
I sigh, knowing that he’s never going to change his ways. It makes me feel guilty as half the terrible things he went through were to protect me. “Why don’t you give my friend Jane a chance and go on one date?”
There’s a flash of amusement in Malachy’s eyes at the suggestion. “Believe me, little sis. Your friend wants nothing to do with me.” I know that may well be true. The bruises that the virgins he buys often have on them scare me. By the time he’s through with them, they’re empty shells floating through the hallway of our home. I wonder if he would treat Jane that way. Malachy leans toward me and kisses my cheek. “Don’t wait up.” Before I have the chance to protest, he walks out of the front door.
“I’d give up on that one if I were you,” Niall says from behind, startling me.
I swallow hard and turn to face my brother’s best friend, who is the epitome of a gorgeous bad boy. Six foot four of pure muscle and covered in tattoos. He’s a world away from the scrawny boy that approached us that night while sleeping in the underpass. I shake my head. “He needs to settle down and find a girl to marry, not buy a virgin every couple of months.”
Niall laughs. “The guy is as stubborn as hell, Ali. There’s no way he’s settling down soon.”
My stomach churns at hearing him call me Ali. He’s the only person who does. A silence falls between us as we stare into each other’s eyes. An unmistakable tension floods the air between us as I feel myself lost in his ice-blue stare. I lick my lips as the nerves inside of me surge. Everything has been different between us lately.
Desperate to break the tension, I clear my throat. “What are you up to tonight?” I ask, instantly regretting asking him when I realize it sounds like I want to hang out.
“Not much.” There’s a brief silence between us. “Do you want to watch a movie?”
My brow furrows as Niall never asks me to spend time with him. “I thought you’d have a hot date on a Friday night.” I wink at him playfully, even though inside, green envy flows through my veins. He’s often out on the weekend, no doubt picking up women at bars. We’ve known each other since we were children and never once has Niall had a steady girlfriend.
He laughs that deep, rumbling laugh that sends goosebumps over my skin. “Yeah, a hot date with you,” he says, shrugging. “We can order pizza.”
It’s pathetic, the way my stomach dances with butterflies when I hear him say he has a hot date with me. I know he’s joking.
As I stare into his eyes, I know this is a bad idea. Lately, I can’t stop thinking about him in ways I shouldn’t think about my brother’s best friend. Ever since he saved me from that bastard two months ago, Niall has become a bit of an obsession. I think about him all the time and it’s getting worse with each day that passes. He’s always looked out for me, ever since the first day we met.
“Okay,” I say, smiling to hide my reluctance. “Let’s raid the kitchen for snacks and alcohol.”
Niall laughs. “Sounds like a good plan, little lass.”
I can’t understand why my stomach flips every time he calls me that. It makes me hot under the collar. “Great.” I walk past him toward the kitchen, feeling my heart race in my chest. An entire evening spent with a man I’ve been having questionable urges toward for the past two months is a terrible idea.
I can sense him following me as I lead the way to the kitchen. Once I enter, I head straight for the fridge in search of wine. “I guess you’ll want beer, right?” I ask.
He smiles that unbelievably handsome smile and nods. “You know me so well, lass.”
I shake my head and pull out a six-pack of beer. “Six enough?”
He rubs a hand across his neat beard. “Between us or just for me?”
“Just for you.” I pull a bottle of white wine out of the rack in the fridge. “I’ll stick with wine.”
He nods. “Then six will be enough.” Niall rubs a hand across the back of his neck. “At least until the pizza arrives.”
Ever since the day in the library two weeks ago, there’s been a tension between us I can practically feel in the air. It’s full of unbridled passion and forbidden desire that neither of us knows how to quench. Both of us spending the night alone and drinking alcohol probably isn’t the best idea.
“Check out what snacks we’ve got,” I say, glancing at the cupboard next to him.
Niall opens the door and pulls out a bag of cool ranch Doritos. “Your favorite.”
I smile and walk over to him, grabbing them from his hand. “And all mine, you better get your own.”
Niall shakes his head. “That’s greedy, little lass.” He rustles in the cupboard and pulls out another bag of chips for himself.
I shrug. “I’ve got a good appetite.” Leading the way, I walk down the corridor toward the movie room. Niall’s presence close behind me is ever apparent. His masculine scent of musk overwhelms the air, making my knees week. Niall’s eyes are on me as I can practically feel them burning a hole into my back.
The tension is higher than ever. It all started when he saved me from that rapist. A change in the dynamic between us. It’s why spending the night together watching a movie is a stupid idea. Despite neither of us acknowledging the chemistry between us, it’s clear that we both want each other in ways we shouldn’t.
Malachy isn’t exactly the most understanding brother. Although I’m a full grown woman, he still sees me as this little girl he needs to protect from everyone, including men. It’s one reason I’ve never really had a steady relationship, since Malachy chases prospective partners away.
Instead, I’m a member of Euphoria in Boston. An exclusive sex-club I’ve been going to for a while now. Malachy would kill me if he knew, but I make sure he could never find out.
“What movie do you want to watch?” Niall asks, flopping down on the sofa in front of the TV and grabbing the remote.
“I’ve wanted to watch Lawless for a while.” I glance at him. “You up for that?”
He smirks. “The only reason a girl ever wants to watch that movie is because they have the hots for Hardy.”
I laugh and hold my hands up in surrender. “Well, he is hot.” Although, not as hot as you. There’s no way I’d admit that out loud, but it’s impossible to stop my mind from thinking it. Niall has always been hot since he was sixteen years old, but the older he got, the hotter he became. Especially as he filled out and started getting tattoos. I shrug. “But, I’ve heard it’s an excellent film.”
He stares at me for a few moments before nodding. “Sure, why not?”
I sit next to him and he selects the movie, hitting play. My heart is pounding in my chest as I’m painfully aware of him so close to me. The warmth of his body radiates toward me, making me long to move closer.
I fold my arms over my chest and lean back into the plush cushions of the couch, trying to focus on the movie as it plays. The tension in the room makes it almost impossible to breathe. Ever since the night by the river, there’s been a shift in our relationship. I can’t work out if it’s just my imagination or whether he wants this as badly as I do.
I grab the bag of chips and open them, knowing the only way to keep my mind off of the six foot four muscled and tattooed god sitting next to me is to stuff my face.
Niall reaches for the bag and grabs one, smirking at me. “You can’t eat that entire bag yourself.”
I narrow my eyes at him and snatch the chip back, shoving it in my mouth. “I can and I will. Keep your hands to yourself.” The remark ignites something dark in his eyes that makes my stomach churn.
He laughs. “What about the pizza?”
I shake my head. “You clearly don’t know me very well if you don’t know how much I can eat.”
His eyes flash with an emotion I can’t quite place. “I know you well enough, little lass.”
I can’t understand the intensity in his gaze and why it makes me slick between my thighs. He holds my gaze and the apprehension between us crackles in the air. For a moment, I’m lost in the depth of his ice blue irises, overpowered by a craving that no amount of chips or pizza can overcome. It feels like forever passes by until Niall finally breaks the passionate tension, clearing his throat and glancing at the screen on the wall.
I force my attention from his flawless face and onto the movie which has started. Niall’s invitation to watch a movie tonight is dangerous. Unless I’m insane, we both want to cross a line that we should never cross. We’ve known each other our entire lives, and Malachy is his best friend.
The worry isn’t just how angry Malachy would be about it, but he’s harmed men that got too close to me. I can’t subject Niall to that danger, no matter how close they are. Neither of us could be sure what Malachy’s reaction would be to his baby sister and best friend fucking.
He knows Niall better than he knows anyone. There’s no chance in hell Niall would ever hurt me. The problem is the same can’t be said for what Malachy might do to him. I won’t risk his life over a silly crush, no matter how badly I want the man sitting by my side. His blood would be on my hands if we crossed the line and Malachy found out and took it badly.
