Forced Proximity (Bluebell House Duet, #1)

by Jaymin Eve

His eyes popped open, and I was greeted by the darkest green irises I’d ever seen, framed by inky black

My breath caught in my chest as Brodie Keller—superhero heartthrob and drop-dead-gorgeous icon—looked my way. For a second our gazes locked and he ground to an immediate halt. Color drained from his golden skin like he’d just seen a ghost, and then he shook it off, a smile breaking through whatever had shocked him as he approached and took the vacant seat on my other side.

“Eve,” I mumbled, the pounding in my head so intense I needed to close my eyes. “Call me Eve.” He gave a small, husky laugh. “More like Lilith than Eve with lips like that.”

I was about to find myself sharing what sounded like a shithole of a house, with five men. One of whom was the professor I was crushing on and had already crossed far too many lines with.

“Breathe with me, sweetheart,” he whispered, his husky voice close to my ear. “In and out, regulate your breathing. No one will hurt you. I promise. I will destroy anyone who tries.”

Right. Because it was easy to forget six and half feet of asshole, who looked like a Greek god, with the personality of a garden gnome.

“Who was it that hurt you?” I felt his rasp all the way to my center, and this time I couldn't speak for other reasons. Ethan Sullivan was a fucking nice distraction from the worst day of my life, especially when he wore a murderous stare like he wanted a few minutes alone with my shooter.

I wasn't fixed. Not even close. But Ethan did what he had done best since the first time I ran into him: he eased my pain.

“Don’t run from me,” he whispered against my hair. “I won’t ask for anything you’re not ready to give, and I’ll always be your friend, sweetheart. I’ll be the best friend you’ve ever had. Just stop running. It’s stressful when I don’t know where you are or if you’re safe.”

A sobbed laugh escaped me. “You’ll have to fight Brodie for the best friend title.” Against my hair, I felt Ethan smile. “...

Without hesitation, Ethan was out of bed, arms wrapping around me as he lifted me from the floor and into his body. He felt all warm and rumpled from sleep. “Come on, baby,” he whispered against my cheek. “I’ll keep you safe.”

“I don’t… What does that mean? Are you angry?” He groaned, one hand leaving my body to rake through his hair. “Furious,” he admitted, “but not at you, beautiful Lilith.”

His chest rumbled, and his fingers flexed against my skin. “Don’t get me wrong, sweetheart. I intend to do everything possible to capture your whole focus, but I won’t begrudge you exploring things with him if that’s what you want to do.”

“You won’t be jealous?” Ethan laughed. “I will. I’m already intensely jealous of him sitting next to you while I present your Economics of Crime class. Did you even notice he was playing with your hair during today’s session?”

“Jealousy isn’t a bad thing, Lilith. It just makes things…spicy. Trust me to manage my own emotions, beautiful.” He kissed my jaw, then nipped my earlobe between his teeth. “But if he hurts you, all bets are off. I’ll fucking kill him.”

“I’ve been dying to taste you,” he murmured, his touch slow and firm as he traced over my breasts. “I’m going to take my time with you, Evelyn Lewis. I’m going to enjoy every fucking moment of this.”

“Quiet, baby,” he murmured against my skin. “If you bring the other guys, the fun stops.”

“But I agree. Storms are my new favorite weather event. I hope it storms every night forever.” Every night. Forever.

“Morning, baby,” he murmured against my throat, his nose brushing

“Remember,” he rasped and pressed slow kisses to my skin, “there are no expectations. Our lives are both complicated, sure, but I also decided long ago not to waste days. You never know how many you have. Don’t expect me to walk away from you, Lilith.”

He pressed against me firmly. “Breathe. Be stronger than your demons, Eve. You can’t keep falling apart, you don’t have the luxury of it, and I wouldn’t rely on Ethan to keep pulling you together.”

At no point did I stop and ask myself why I cared. It was simple: she intrigued me, and she fit. With the house, with my found family, and oh so perfectly on the back of my bike. Andrew might think this was a short-term assignment, but I knew better. She was ours now. For good.

“Thank fuck,” he uttered on an exhale. “I’ve been going out of my damn mind all week, watching Brodie’s hands on you during class…” In a quick motion, he tugged my panties clean off my ass and I stepped out of them as he cupped my pussy.

“I so badly want to make you scream right now,” he confessed in a dark whisper. “But we can’t get caught, so be a good girl and bite your lip while you come, okay?”

“You look…so fucking delicious right now, Lilith,” he murmured, reluctantly rising back to his feet and cupping my face in his hands. “Your lips are flushed and pink, your pupils are all blown out with arousal…I could get hard again just looking at you.”

“You okay?” Brodie asked as I dragged him down the stairs, suddenly able to run in heels when I could barely walk in them before. “Because I can go back in there and beat the fuck out of him if you’d like.”

“I’m sorry you went through that, babe, but I’m so happy you trusted me with your secrets. I want to say that you’re the bravest, kindest, prettiest woman I’ve ever known.” His voice was husky as our kiss eased. “You’re the most real thing in my life, and I never ever want to put you in an uncomfortable situation. We can skip the movie and just go to dinner, if you want?”

Brodie turned me toward him and rubbed my back soothingly. “I’m right here, Evie babe. I’m not going anywhere.” He whispered it over and over,

“Holy shit, Evie. You’re gorgeous.” His hands cupped my breasts through the sheer bra I’d worn, teasing my nipples into hardened points.

“So fucking responsive,” he groaned, the sounds obscene as he growled and lapped against me. “You’re better than anything I could have dreamed up, if I knew to dream of perfection.”

“You’re delicious,” he said as he rose up and settled between my thighs. “You want to taste?”

He didn’t give me a chance to answer as he slid the two fingers that had been inside me into my mouth. “Taste yourself, babe. Taste how fucking delicious you are.”

Brodie’s harsh breaths joined with mine, until eventually he lifted his head and stared right into my soul. “I think I’m falling in love with you, Evelyn. Like…almost fucking certain.”

Brodie nudged me gently, before he pressed a kiss to the side of my neck, sending shivers to pool in my gut. “You’re my girl, Evie babe. And I need you to remember that.”

Anticipation had me pressing my thighs together. “Leave your door open,” I whispered. “It’s always open for you, Lilith. Always.”