Brandon: The Wilde Brothers (Excerpt Only) - BWWM Billionaire Romance

Brandon: The Wilde Brothers (Chapter 2)

CHAPTER TWO

Had Brandon lost his mind? Why would Stanley be jealous?

Oh, let me count the ways: because you're fucking hot, for one, she answered Brandon silently, although she would never say such a thing out loud to anyone. Besides, Brandon already knew; she had no doubt about it. Forget the part about him being charismatic and all those millions he made—even before he came into cash, girls flung themselves at him pretty much since junior high when he suddenly shot up six inches in height and his shoulders broadened, and he bulged muscles and veins, oozing masculinity and testosterone.

She was powerless against his charms back then, too.

Second of all, Stanley, nearly twenty years his senior, barely maintained a lower six-figure income—a solid amount, sure, but weren't all guys a little put off by another dude with more stuff? Didn't they all feel some kind of way about some guy richer than them? Especially a non-relative in their girl's life?

Thirdly, this hunky friend of hers had known her since she still had her milk teeth, from the day she and her mom moved next door to his family. That's something Stanley could do absolutely nothing about. How can you make up for nearly twenty years of friendship? All those memories she and Brandon made in the most formative and impressionable times of their lives—from camping in the front yard to hanging out in a tree house—there was no equal in adulthood once obligations started settling in. And then there were a few other memories she dared not share with Stanley, or else he likely wouldn't ever want to meet him, and might not want her to continue their connection either. Those other memories from their adolescence would have to stay between the two of them.

She wondered if Brandon had ever shared any of those stories with his temporary bed-warmers. Did those memories come back to him every now and then like they did to her?

Erica tried to keep her composure as she hugged Brandon goodbye. She tried not to think about how good it felt to have his arms around her and have her body pressed against his hard, warm one, and how easily she melted against him. Her heart ached at having to leave him again and to go along with pretending to be blasé about finally seeing him after three long years. She had to pretend that she hadn't missed him as much as she had and that she wasn't more hurt that he had changed his number and never passed the new one on to her; she had to figure out how to find him from someone else.

Why had he bothered to keep her number when he obviously had no intention of using it?

She couldn't look at him as his arms left her body, and she realized that she was looking away when his rumbling voice said, "Hey," making her look up at him.

"I look forward to your return," he said, arresting her with his blue eyes—whirlpools she had found herself lost in more than once.

She discovered the spell he could cast with those eyes ten years ago—a hypnotic gaze leaving her feeling like she never wanted to look away.

They were sitting on the bed in her room, cards displayed between them after she taught him to play Gin Rummy. She was about to gather the cards up for another game when he suddenly said, "Your eyes are really pretty." She looked up at him. "They're sort of brown, but sort of green. I don't really see eyes like that often," he continued.

Erica felt like she would melt right into a puddle.

What was he doing talking about somebody else's eyes when his should be outlawed? His stare captivated her to the point that whatever his next move would be, she could only go with it. It wasn't fair that his eyelashes were so full; there was no resisting those gorgeous blue eyes of his.