Recipe For Seduction (A Madewood Brothers Novel) (Entangled Brazen) (2 page)

Still…Finn could be a nice test run in the sexy department. To make sure she hadn’t forgotten how to use her most intimate of assets. The second step in reclaiming her womanhood. Step one had been signing up for the burlesque class. And Finn would be her next exciting adventure.

But there was just one problem. “What happens afterward?”

Madison shrugged. “You thank him and move on.”

She made it seem so simple. But it was easier said than done.

“Yeah, except he’s catering a wedding I’m planning next month. He’ll be around a lot. It will be awkward.”

“Only if you make it awkward.”

How could it not be? It was bad enough Veronica had pretend images of a naked Finn inside her head whenever she spoke with him. What would happen when those images were suddenly real?

Hmmm…
Now, there was a tempting thought.

“I wouldn’t even know what to do,” she protested.

Applause filled the dressing room as one of her classmates finished her routine and was greeted with praise and hugs for a good minute before the noise level settled.

“Be confident,” Madison told her, and winked. “Be dirty. Everything you think about him doing to you in your head, say it out loud. And most important…show him how much you want him.”

“I’ll think about it.”

How could she not? Seducing Finn O’Reilly was the opportunity of a lifetime. One that might never come again.

But did she have the courage to seize it?

The rest of the show ran smoothly, and Miss Trixie praised them all for a job well done. Looking around the dressing room at her friends, Veronica wondered if she was the only one who felt such a forceful transformation.

Her classmates were young, old, professional women, students, and everything in-between. A cross-section of females from every stage in life.

Her biggest fear in signing up for the class had been encountering someone she knew in the audience. There would be so many questions and wide eyes. But fear obviously wasn’t a deal-breaker because it hadn’t stopped her from stepping onto that stage tonight.

Over the last six weeks she truly had transformed. Even her siblings had noticed a difference in her. Their sideways glances at her out-of-character behavior was the biggest tip-off. Singing. Adding a hip thrust to everyday activities like making dinner—not that anyone would consider frozen pizza a dinner.

Madison left the dressing room with her classmates and headed out to the bar for an after-show drink. Veronica was the last to leave. She was hiding, and she knew it. But she wouldn’t hide forever. She’d go out there and join the rest of them. In public.

If Finn was there, so be it.

In fact, all the better. Her fears would not control her desires.

She took a deep breath. Unwilling to waste this opportunity, she was determined to put Madison’s advice to good use.

Be confident and talk dirty
.

She took one last look in the mirror and readjusted her breasts inside the bra cups of her bustier. She’d spent way too much time pulling together the perfect costume, and she wasn’t about to take it off so soon.

“Confident, dirty. Dirty, confident,” she mumbled, straightening her pillbox hat and securing it with another bobby pin.

She walked out of the dressing room. “Dirty…confident…”

Before her first step even made contact with the floor in the hallway, she jumped at the sound of a familiar voice.

“Going so soon?”

Chapter Two

Finn O’Reilly tried his best to remain calm.

Really. It wasn’t a big deal to see your best friend’s sister naked on a stage.

Veronica stood frozen, like a wild animal caught in the glare of a headlight. Her eyes were wide and her hands wavered at her sides. She was so busted.

“Finn!” she squeaked.

Flashbacks of the nakedness, of the wild woman, he’d seen on stage came rushing back. It was unlike any behavior he’d have expected from her. And didn’t that just fuck up his decision to keep far, far away from the woman he’d known since childhood, the woman who was the sister of a man he loved like a brother.

“Does your brother know you get naked on stage?” he asked.

Her trepidation washed away quickly with his words, and she jammed one hand on her hip. “First of all, this is a one-time thing. I took a class, and tonight was my graduation.” She squared her shoulders, straightening, as if she’d gotten an influx of confidence. “And second, what I do in my personal life is none of my brother’s business.”

If only that were true. Mark Whitfield was an overprotective brother and Finn knew it. He had been ever since the day the two siblings were separated as kids and put into different foster homes. Mark had blamed himself for not being there to take care of Veronica even though he was only a child himself.

“I would disagree. Why don’t we call him?” Finn reached into the inner pocket of his jacket.

He had no intention of calling, but he couldn’t resist having a little fun.

“Over my dead body, Finn O’Reilly.” She lunged forward and grabbed for his hand as it went to his pocket. Their fingers touched. Immediately a rush of heat spread through his entire body.

She gasped and jerked away. The book she’d been holding fell to the floor. Had she felt it too? The heat—the spark that had ignited as soon as they touched?

Finn shook it off. That spark needed to be contained—doused with water to keep from spreading. To keep from morphing into something the two of them could never recover from.

Before she had the chance to pick up the book, he bent forward and grabbed it.

“No, Finn, I’ll—”

“What do we have here?”

He smiled. Tonight was shaping up to be the most eye-opening, the most intriguing evening he’d had in a long time. Ever.

“
How to Seduce a Man
.” He read the title out loud then looked up and met her gaze. Her mouth hung open in shock. “What’s going on with you?” he demanded.

“None of your business.”

He leafed through the pages. “Do you have a special someone you’re trying to impress?”

He’d kill him. Whoever he was. There was no way little Veronica was going to try any of these things with some jerk-off who’d only use her to play out a few fantasies and then take off.

“What do you need this book for, little one?”

“Stop calling me that. I’ve just gotten naked on stage in front of a room full of people.” She pulled open her red jacket and flashed her sexy lingerie. “And in case you haven’t noticed, I am
not
little anymore.”

“Damn it, V. Close it up.” He reached out and tugged on the edges of the fabric.

Veronica ripped the book away and whirled around, walking out the back door of the club into the warm evening air.

“Speaking of getting naked…” He followed her outside into the alley. “This class you took. So, you’re stripping now?”

She stopped and turned, her hip cocking out to the right, as she glared at him from the alley. “It’s not stripping, it’s burlesque.”

Tomato. Tom-ah-to
. “There’s a difference? Naked is naked.”

“Burlesque is an art form. A tease. A formulaic routine of magic…or so Miss Trixie likes to say.”

What kind of people was she hanging out with? “Miss Trixie?”

“My instructor.” She hugged the book against her body, covering the swell of her deliciously sinful breasts. “What did you think of the show, anyway?”

What did he think? He thought she was the most sexy thing he’d ever laid his eyes on. The others didn’t hold a candle to her talent. And boy, did she have talent. The way she moved her hips. The tiny glimmer of naughtiness in her beautiful brown eyes…

A shivered raced up his spine. “The show was…interesting.”

She scowled. “We all worked really hard on our routines. Six weeks.”

He had been dragged to the show by his sous chef, Chris Landry, who, it turned out, was dating one of her classmates—the mermaid routine. Small world. Too small.

Veronica had obviously put a lot of time and effort into her routine, he could tell that much. But he didn’t understand why. What could possibly have possessed her to sign up for this class? What did she get out of it?

“What did you think of my act?” She walked a bit closer, and he stepped back. He needed the distance. The distance kept him in check. The closer she got, the less his brain wanted to work.

“Your act?” He gulped. It was fucking fantastic. A fantasy come true—his number one fantasy…or at least half of it. The other half consisted of her bent over his kitchen counter, screaming his name, wearing nothing but an apron while he spanked her with a spatula and she begged him to fuck her. Not that he’d thought about it much.

“Come on, Finn. I don’t have anyone else to ask.”

“Christ, V.” He shoved his hands in his pockets. “I can’t answer that.”

She bit her bottom lip. “You’re a man, right?”

He straightened, rolling his shoulders and clasping his hands behind his back. “Last time I checked.”

“Did you like it? Or did I just embarrass myself?”

“Oh, no. There was nothing embarrassing about you.” He ran his hand through his hair. “In fact, I may be biased, but your act was the best.”

Her eyes widened and her mouth formed a tight O.

Sweet Mary. She was killing him with the facial expressions. And he’d said too much. “I… I shouldn’t have said anything. It was really nice.”

“
Nice?
”

He groaned. She was pushing toward a conversation he didn’t want to have. One he had promised himself he’d never indulge in. “What do you want from me, V?”

Stepping close, he could smell her perfume and see the sparkles on her skin shimmer in the soft moonlight.

The night air was still. A car door slammed in the distance and a cackle echoed from the end of the alley.

“Tell me what you really think,” she said.

He shook his head.

“Please, Finn.” Her eyes pleaded with desperation. Was she seeking approval? Validation? She didn’t need practice. She’d had every man in the audience mesmerized, including his sous chef, whom he almost decked when his groans became far too frequent.

“I need to know I’m not a joke. I need to know—” Her eyes darted away toward the brick wall. “I need to know I’m desirable.”

She had no fucking clue. She was desirable every damn day. Despite her frumpy clothes and glasses, and even though she always pulled her hair away from her face, she was sexy as hell. But now, like this, her sexy level had been kicked to unfathomable heights.

“V… You’re…” He swallowed hard around the desirous knot in his throat.

Her body went rigid and her mouth turned down in a frown. Shit. She was really worried about this. He saw the pain in her eyes. The fear of what his answer might be. And although his brain told him to lie—lie his pants off—his heart just couldn’t break her spirit.

With a deep breath, he laid himself out on the line. “You were the hottest, sexiest thing I have ever seen, and I couldn’t take my eyes off you.” He swiped a stray hair away from her face. “You’re beautiful every day, V, half naked or not. You’re always the most beautiful woman in the room.”

She smiled, and if he wasn’t mistaken, her eyes watered.

“The housewife thing?” he went on. “I know you, and it was the perfect way to describe what I was watching up on that stage. You obviously have some kind of inner siren dying to get out.”

Before he could think about the ramifications of his words, she vaulted toward him and wrapped one arm around his neck, giving him the biggest and hardest hug he’d ever received. She was still holding the book tight against her body.

He stood still, but only for a moment, then lifted his arms and put them around her back, returning her affection.

They had hugged before, but never like this. Not with chest and pelvis flush together.

Her embrace tightened one last time, then she pulled away slowly. She kept her face close to his, and her soft breath tickled his neck when she whispered, “Thank you. You always know just what to say to make me feel better.”

It was true. He remembered telling her how beautiful she was when a scared little girl needing something to smile about. But tonight, saying those same words, they took on a whole different meaning. Tonight, those words were never more true.

Her nose grazed his with her retreat. When she stood only a breath away, their eyes met. His pants grew tight across the zipper at the sight of her pink tongue swiping her bottom lip. He couldn’t help it. The feel of her in his arms had been too overwhelming to ignore.

She lowered her eyes and her palm brushed over the book she held in her hands. Silence fell between them as she opened the cover and flipped through the pages. When the colored sheets stopped on their own, he focused on the chapter heading.

Male fantasy number three. The Shy Siren.

This particular fantasy was very fitting. Right now, the Veronica standing before him wasn’t the shy, unassuming girl he’d known forever. This Veronica was a devil just waiting to be set loose on the first man who paid attention.

“What are you doing with this book, V? It’s just…so not you.”

Her expression hardened and she let out a heavy breath. “Admit it. You think I’m a straitlaced dweeb who doesn’t know a penis from a finger.”

Finn had to suppress his laugh at her example. “I don’t think that.”

“You think I’m shy. Inexperienced,” she accused.

He had offended her. He heard it in the tone of her voice and tense way she fidgeted.

Defiance blazed back at him through the fiery brown depths of her eyes. She grabbed his hand and pulled him farther into the alley. They ducked into a small alcove. She grabbed a rusty old metal chair and patted the seat.

He obliged hesitantly. “Veronica, what are you—”

She silenced him when she took off her coat and rested it on the ground on top of her bag, along with the book of seduction.

That same confidence she’d had on stage manifested itself again. The Sexy Siren had returned, and Finn had a sinking feeling she was going to make him eat his words.

“Does it turn you on? Thinking about how fearless I might be in bed?” She lowered the zipper of her skirt to just below her waist, and lifted her leg, resting her foot on a cardboard box—giving him a perfect view of the area between her legs. She ran her fingers from the strap of her heel to her supple thigh, where she fiddled with the lace band of her stocking.

“Does it turn you on thinking about how that little girl you used to know could bring you to your knees now?”

Holy shit. This was not the conversation he needed to be having with his best friend’s little sister. It was completely inappropriate, especially considering the fantasy she was spinning was something he’d always wanted to do. What man didn’t relish being taken by surprise in the bedroom?

He tensed, squirming in his seat, trying his best to balance on the small metal chair barely holding his body weight. “What turns me on doesn’t matter.”

Why was she talking about turning him on? Why was she taking this conversation to a place he knew was wrong?

But despite the questions and hesitation going on in his brain, the lower half of his body didn’t feel the same way.

She sauntered over to him, taking strong, confident steps in her fuck-me heels. She leaned forward, her breasts spilling out from her bustier, and he groaned. She grabbed the outside of his legs and pushed them together, straddling him, pressing her body closer to his face. She smelled like sweat and citrus.

Her body lowered, and her ass made contact with his lap as she pulled up her skirt. The scant fabric of her thong had moved, and it hugged the plump lips of her sex. He turned his gaze away, not wanting to stare, but she grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her. The whisper of his name was the last thing he heard before she closed the distance and pressed her lips to his. And even though it was August, the sky lit up like it was the Fourth of July.

Her lips were soft, heavenly, even better than he had imagined. And she knew how to use them. She bit his bottom lip and pulled. Christ, he loved that. She was showing signs of kink, and was quickly becoming a woman he could let loose with. Someone he trusted more than anyone to meet his demands and certain…proclivities he had in the bedroom. A woman he had yet to meet. Or had he…?

She moaned against his lips and he remembered who he was with, and what he was doing. He grabbed her arms and pushed her away. Her chest heaved and her lips were wet and plump from kissing him. Sexy as hell. But this was not a road they should be going down.

“You were right about the siren,” she confessed in a husky whisper. “I have so much passion dying to escape. So much need. And no one to share it with.” She slipped her hands around his neck again and played with the wisps of hair at his nape.

Have mercy
. This girl was dipping her sexy stilettos into dangerous territory.

“Do you have fantasies, Finn?”

He had a shitload, but this was the first time he could actually check one off the list. Two, rather. Tonight he’d gotten two checks.

“Sure I do,” he said warily.

He wanted a woman to cook for him wearing nothing but an apron. To use kitchen utensils for purposes other than cooking. To have sex in the public dining room of his restaurant in front of the large open window.

“Tell me all your fantasies.”

He cocked his head. “Why are you so interested?”