Page 3 of Decidedly Off Limits

Trent shook his head and parallel parked on the street near his parents’ home, a two-story, light-blue Victorian house with white trim. “No, his wife’s pregnant and due any day now. They couldn’t get away because of that.”

Even though I already knew this, disappointment rolled through me. Unlike with Trent, I had never crushed on Curtis. His claim to fame was that he could make me laugh. Usually during dinner.

Usually to his mom’s chagrin.

As Holly and Trent walked toward the front door, I slowed down for a minute, working hard to get air into my lungs.

And it had nothing to do with them being together.

Okay, it might’ve had a smidgen to do with that.

Trent was introducing Holly to his parents when I stepped into the house. The place hadn’t changed much over the years, with its nautical-themed decorations and antiques. As always, his father’s arm was around his mother’s waist. I almost sighed out loud at seeing them this way. There was never any doubt how much he worshiped his wife—and vice versa. My parents used to be the same way.

“Mom, Dad,” Trent said, “This is Holly Whittaker. She’s an investment analyst at my firm.”

So not only was she gorgeous, she was smart. And let’s not forget super nice. Darn it. Why couldn’t she have at least been bitchy? Then it would’ve been easier to hate her.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Joanne said, smiling at Holly.

Trent’s father shook Holly’s hand as my best friend walked into the foyer, hand resting on her protruding stomach. Whereas I was tall, Erin was short, which made her look more pregnant than her current four months.

She grinned when she saw me and hugged me. “You’re late.”

“Sorry. My car broke down on the way.”

“And if I hadn’t done my civic duty and rescued her, she’d still be stranded.” The corner of Trent’s mouth jerked into a one-sided grin, his usual look when he was teasing me.

“Holly,” Joanne said, “have you met Trent’s sister yet?”

Holly shook her head while Erin eyed the woman like she was a curious science experiment that could go wrong at any second. She quickly glanced at me and I shrugged. Not that she knew how I felt about her brother. As much as she loved him, she had never considered him good boyfriend material—as his track record with girls clearly illustrated.

And there was also that incident back in college, when She-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named (AKA Michaela, Erin’s former classmate and close friend) dated him. Let’s just say it didn’t end well for all parties concerned. After that, Erin made it clear that none of her friends were allowed to date Trent.Ever.

After the introductions were over, Erin grabbed my hand. “C’mon,” she said, and dragged me into the living room where my brother would be waiting.

As soon as I spotted him near the couch, talking to Erin’s husband, my body put the brakes on and refused to keep moving.

2

Trent

Kelsey stood frozenin the doorway—and shit, all those feelings I had for her from high school slammed into me, hard. Those feelings that had temporarily done a number on me when I first saw her stranded on the road. Those feelings that Liam, her brother, would’ve pounded on me for if he knew about them.

Best Friend Rule #1: never fuck the guy’s sister.

Best Friend Rule #2: never think of fucking the guy’s sister.

Best Friend Rule #3: never think about her naked whilenotthinking about fucking her.

My dick twitched, reminding me why these were all great rules for self-preservation. Especially when your best friend was a Navy SEAL trained to fight and win. Those assholes he was sent to take down during a mission? They would have it fucking easy compared to what he would do to me.

And then once Liam was done, my sister would finish me off. Together, those two would make a killer team.

Kelsey continued standing in the doorway. I longed to rip the elastic from her ponytail and knot my fingers in her soft blond strands. Maybe tug on them and see how she responded as I kissed her long and deep.

Holly placed her hand on my arm, snapping me from my fantasy, the fantasy I often thought about while jerking myself off in the shower.Sorry to disappoint, Mom. Holly’s only a friend. She and I had an agreement for events such as this.

And no, I hadn’t fucked her yet. Wasn’t planning to either. She was my colleague, for Christ’s sake. A brilliant one at that. And I’d already witnessed the carnage left after the last office romance exploded.