My Brothers Best Friend: A Steamy Standalone Instalove Romance Read online

  CONTENTS

  My Brother’s Best Man

  NEWSLETTER

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  One Month Later

  Six Months Later

  Eight Years Later

  NEWSLETTER

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS

  BRATVA BEAR SHIFTERS

  LAIRDS & LADIES

  RUSSIAN UNDERWORLD

  IRISH WOLF SHIFTERS

  INKED BY LOVE

  Collaborations

  About the Author

  MY BROTHER’S BEST MAN

  AN OLDER MAN YOUNGER WOMAN ROMANCE

  _______________________

  A MAN WHO KNOWS WHAT HE WANTS, 297

  FLORA FERRARI

  Copyright © 2022 by Flora Ferrari

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The following story contains mature themes, strong language and sexual situations. It is intended for mature readers.

  MY BROTHER’S BEST MAN

  My brother Alex is fifteen years older than me, and we’ve lived in different countries since I was fourteen, but that still doesn’t make this okay.

  Ben Bradshaw is his best man, his best friend. And all I can think about is the kiss we almost shared.

  I ran into him at one of Alex’s parties back in the States. We ended up alone…and he didn’t recognize me.

  I gave him a fake name. I didn’t even think about it.

  And then my dreams started to come true.

  I never thought Ben would want me. He’s a millionaire boxing champion.

  He’s thirty-nine years old, experienced, and handsome. He could have any woman he wants.

  I’m a twenty-one year old photography student, on the curvy side, and a virgin to boot.

  At the party, things get steamy. He leans in for a kiss….

  And then Alex calls out my real name.

  “You’re Becca. You’re Alex’s sister. We can’t do this.”

  I say sorry. I say he’s right.

  But now it’s the wedding day, and Ben won’t stop looking at me. His wolfish eyes glint possessively.

  Even if I know it’s wrong – even if I know it could break Alex’s heart – I can’t help but wonder if we’ll kiss properly next time. Or more…

  * My Brother’s Best Man is an insta-everything standalone instalove romance with a HEA, no cheating, and no cliffhanger.

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  CHAPTER ONE

  Becca

  “How does it feel being back?” June asks, taking a sip of her orange juice.

  I smile as I move my forefinger around the rim of my glass. It’s been seven years since I was in the States.

  I was fourteen when my family moved to England. My dad was offered a career opportunity he couldn’t turn down.

  But my big brother stayed behind to work on his business, and now he’s getting married.

  “Good,” I say, then my smile falters.

  June tilts her head.

  We were best friends growing up. I remember how we both cried when I told her I was moving, our fourteen year old hearts breaking at the prospect of not seeing each other every day.

  But she still has the ability to read me. Maybe it’s all the video calls we do.

  “What is it?” she asks.

  I study her for a moment. She’s taller than me, leaner, with long red hair and freckles across her cheeks. She’s got the sort of build and appearance I know men like…and I also know she’s pretty much the exact opposite of me.

  But I try not to let any negative emotions ruin this moment.

  I’m not going to dwell on how pretty she is, how unlike me she is. That’s just self-pitying and pointless.

  “Becca?”

  “Sorry.” I force my smile to return, but it feels tight. “It’s good. It’s awesome seeing Alex. And I’m so freaking happy for him.”

  June laughs. “At least England didn’t take freaking from you.”

  I grin. “You know it didn’t. I’ve been saying it on Skype for years.”

  She reaches across the table, touching my arm for a moment. “Yeah, but it’s so much better now you’re here.”

  “Thanks, June.”

  We pause, sipping our orange juices.

  “I cut you off,” she says, putting her glass down. “What were you going to say?”

  I look down the length of her backyard. I’ve spent countless hours in here, ever since we were little kids, running up and down its long length, hiding near the bushes at the back, discussing all the things we’d do when we grew up.

  As we grew older, we started staging photoshoots in here, working on improving our craft…or maybe we were just messing around. Either way, it was so fun.

  I sigh. “It’s so silly. It’s not even worth mentioning.” But my belly churns and goes taut, my heart thumping, my world spinning when I think about him.

  I was fourteen the last time Ben saw me, just a dorky teenager with braces covering my teeth.

  Will he see me differently now? Will he even notice me? Even if he did, Alex would freak.

  “Becca?” June shakes her head, smiling softly. “You know I’m not a mind reader, don’t you?”

  “Sorry. Do you remember when we were kids, and you had a bunch of crushes and a few boyfriends?”

  “Uh, yeah.” June looks closely at me, then her eyes widen. “But you didn’t. You had one crush.”

  My mouth is dry. I think she knows where I’m going with this.

  Classic June, seeing right through me.

  “Yeah,” I mutter.

  “You obsessed about him. I remember when you left, you said the only positive thing was that maybe you’d stop being so crazy over him.”

  I swallow. “Yep.”

  “So…I’m guessing that crush hasn’t gone away?”

  I face the garden again, watching as butterflies flutter through the air, their wings bright in the spring sunlight.

  Then my mind flits, and I remember the last time I saw Ben instead.

  My brother’s best friend, Ben, is the best man for his upcoming wedding.

  In two days, he’s going to be standing at the altar with my big brother, and yet I can’t stop thinking about him.

  I was fourteen, Alex was twenty-nine, which means Ben would’ve been thirty-one.

  He’d waited at the car outside as Alex came to say his final
goodbyes that last day before we moved. Sneaking to the window, I’d peered out, watching as he leaned against the car with his arms folded.

  His hair was turning a little silver back then, but it wasn’t the full iron it is now. His shoulders were wide in his T-shirt, showing the rippling muscles of his arms, his forearms tense.

  His eyes were dark and broody as he watched the house.

  I started thinking he wanted a family, a home in my frantic teenage mind. And maybe I could give it to him one day if he could see past my curviness, shyness, dorkiness…or whatever else, whatever it was that made boys either tease or look right through me.

  I imagined walking out there and his dark eyes turning down to me.

  “Don’t leave,” he’d say in his husky voice. “Stay with me.”

  But obviously, he never would’ve done that. I was only fourteen.

  Now…

  There’s nothing stopping us except for the fact Alex would hate me forever.

  “The crush hasn’t gone away,” I say after a long pause. “And I keep thinking silly things.”

  “Like what?” she asks.

  “Like maybe since I’m grown-up now, he might notice me. Like maybe something could happen. But what if Alex found out? Ben isn’t just his best friend, his best man…he’s his business partner too. It would make Alex’s life so messy.”

  “Have you seen him?” June asks.

  “I saw Alex last night, after our flight. But Ben wasn’t with him.”

  June looks at me, her eyes softening.

  “Do you think I’m pathetic?” I ask. It’s something in her expression. “I know I should’ve moved on. I know it was a silly girlish crush. I get all of that.”

  “I didn’t say any of that,” June mutters. “It’s just well, try not to get your hopes up. Ben must be in his forties now.”

  “He’s thirty-nine,” I say, a little too testily.

  It’s like I think I need to defend an age gap that doesn’t matter anyway. It would only matter if Ben was interested, which he’s obviously not going to be.

  “Fine,” June says. “But he might think you’re too young for him. Or he might find the Alex thing too awkward. I just don’t want to see you get hurt.”

  “Don’t worry,” I say. “I know nothing could ever happen.”

  “It could,” June counters. “But that doesn’t necessarily mean it will.”

  “I know you don’t want to hurt my feelings, so let me say it for you. He’s one of the hottest men who has ever lived, a millionaire or close, ripped as hell, a successful businessman and boxer. He’d never look at me, never notice me. There it is. The truth.”

  My voice is trembling. My hands are shaking. I need to calm the heck down.

  “I’m sorry,” I say a moment later. “I didn’t mean to go on a rant. I guess I’m preparing myself for disappointment.”

  “I think you’re the prettiest, funniest, kindest person ever, for what it’s worth. You’re not my bestie for nothing. Even if you do say freaking and heck.”

  I giggle, thankful for the rescue from my bad mood.

  “Other than that,” I say, smiling ironically, “I love being back.”

  I don’t tell June about the full extent of my want.

  I don’t tell her how I felt a physical tightening inside of me the moment the plane’s wheels touched down on the runway.

  I don’t tell her about the never-ending pulsing in my mind, as though guiding me to Ben, to his rippled arms, and the glint of savagery in his expression – like he wants to claim me, to make me his, like the wait has been worth it.

  But no. I’m the only one who’s been waiting. He hasn’t thought of me once since I left. I was only a kid.

  And now….

  My cell phone rings.

  “Sorry,” I say, checking it. “It’s Alex.”

  June waves a hand. “You better answer. It could be important wedding stuff.”

  “Hey, sis,” Alex says when I swipe the answer button.

  “Hey,” I reply. “How’s it going?”

  “All good. Rushed off our feet. Tiff has only threatened to call the wedding off three times this morning, so that’s a plus.”

  We both laugh in a good-natured way, knowing Alex and Tiffany are way too in love for her to want to cancel it. But it’s no secret she’s found the planning stressful, hence the jokes.

  “Don’t make any plans for tomorrow evening,” he goes on. “Mom and Dad are inviting a few friends over to the Air BnB for catchup. I thought it would be nice to turn it into a little party. Tiffany needs a break, and, honestly, so do I.”

  I swallow, heart pounding, as the question rises on my lips.

  Is Ben going to be there?

  But I can’t ask it.

  Alex would be able to sense the hunger, the misplaced desire. He’d know that a big part of me wants to betray his trust, even if I know it’s wrong, even if I’ve spent years trying to let go of this impossible crush.

  Instead, I say, “That sounds great. I’m looking forward to it.”

  CHAPTER TWO

  Ben

  I stand at the rear of the garden, holding a beer I’ve hardly sipped.

  Parties have never been much fun for me. It’s not just that I’m a grumpy bastard, as Alex likes to joke. Or maybe it’s that combined with something else….

  Maybe it’s because I always feel like I need to be moving, doing something, and being productive somehow.

  Maybe it has something to do with the darkness in me, or whatever the hell it is, this thing inside of me that makes it so I can’t think too long, too deeply.

  I have to do, act, fight, or work or something.

  But parties are the opposite of that. They’re about relaxing, talking, and letting go of the tension.

  “Are you trying to scare the guests, bro?” Alex grins, swaggering over.

  I smirk at my oldest friend. He’s around six feet, his shoulders wide, his stance that of a boxer’s. It’s probably the same way I stand, our posture making it clear we can handle ourselves if we need to.

  He runs a hand through his sandy hair, his color holding on for longer than mine did.

  “Because you look like you’re trying to scare the guests.”

  I chuckle gruffly. The garden has split off into small social circles, with people mingling and laughing.

  “All I can think about is the report for the new gym,” I tell him.

  Alex frowns. For a moment, I think he’s going to get serious. My mind starts frantically searching for escape strategies for a way to avoid a heart-to-heart or any emotional stuff.

  But then he grins as if deciding he doesn’t want to ruin the party’s spirit.

  “The new gym application is doing just fine,” he says. “Plus, it’s Friday evening. Even if you submitted the report now, they wouldn’t be able to read it until Monday.”

  “I know,” I sigh darkly. “I just hate doing nothing. That’s all.”

  Alex knows my history, what happened with my Mom, and my childhood. But he doesn’t bring it up often, and I’m glad when he chooses the same now. He’s not going to turn this party into a therapy session.

  “Do something then,” Alex says. “Mingle. Who knows, you might even find a special somebody of your own.”

  “Yeah, maybe.”

  I keep my expression neutral, not letting Alex see the effect his words have on me.

  Find a special somebody….

  But no woman has ever ignited anything in me. No woman has ever made me care, has ever made me want to claim her or to possess her. I’ve stopped trying. I’ve stopped caring.

  Work, growing our business, doing as much as we can for charity…that’s what matters.

  “Alex,” Tiffany calls across the garden. “Can I speak with you for a second?”

  Alex smiles at his fiancée’s voice, the love clear in the way his eyes light up. Ever since they met, Alex has been crazy about her. It’s the sort of obsession I thought I might feel once
upon a time.

  It’s the sort of obsession I’ve given up ever experiencing.

  “Duty calls,” Alex says. “See you soon.”

  I nod, taking a small sip of my beer. I’m not much of a drinker, and this will probably be my only one, but it makes me feel less awkward standing here with a drink.

  Alex walks across the garden, navigating between the groups, then into the house.

  As I watch, a woman steps out.

  My heart starts immediately beating quicker.

  My thoughts flood with conflicting images, some of them primal and hot and steamy, others loving.

  I see her on her back, staring up at me as I grind inside, as I pump deeper and hotter and take her so savagely she can’t help but whimper as she melts for me.

  And then she’s sitting in a garden, our garden, with the sun shining down on her. There’s a baby in her arms…our baby.

  I try to stop the crazed flow of thoughts, but it only gets more difficult as she steps onto the patio.

  She’s wearing a flowing summer dress; the material is like mist as it settles against her curvy body. She’s short, her breasts large and tempting, perfect for massaging and feeding our future children. Her hips are wide and make my fingers twitch, eager to grab them, to move her into position.

  And her face…

  She turns, smiling at somebody, her eyes lighting up.

  Her cheeks are full and flushed. Her wavy brown hair frames her curved lips with so much vivaciousness, so much enthusiasm.