Her Best Friend's Brother, T. Dell [good book club books .TXT] 📗

town? I should kil him.” Now that kind of pissed Libby off. “No you shouldn’t do anything Tony! Because you aren’t responsible for me; you aren’t my big brother. Even if you were I am an adult and old enough to know which, and what type of friends I want in my life.”

“I know how old you are Lib.” Tony ground out.

“Sorry. I just. I don’t want to see you hurt Libby.” It sounded like he was calming down.

“Parker has never hurt me.”

Tony winced. He knew he had been the one to hurt Libby, but things were different now. “So Parker has Penny and you…?”

“And I am happy for them.”

“Okay. When are you finished classes?”

Libby was relieved that Tony had changed the subject. She realy didn’t want to have to discuss her relationships with Tony. She gave him the dates of her final exams (which were stil several weeks away) and when she expected to return to North Carolina. They talked for awhile about how it would be strange for her to be going

‘home’ to Stuart’s town house instead of the building where she had grown up. And when Tony could hear her yawns through the phone line he sent her to bed.

Chapter Eleven

Tony was waiting for her when she got to the bakery the morning after she returned to Lindstown. He was leaning against the back door with his arms crossed over his chest and a mile wide grin split across face. This was a new smile. Not quite her coveted only-for-Libby smile. Somehow it was more chalenging, and a little predatory, but that had to be her sleep deprived mind playing tricks on her.

He lifted her into a long tight hug. “I missed you Lib.” His soft whisper fel into her hair just above her ear, and Libby felt a thril she hadn’t alowed herself to indulge in since high school.

“What a surprise.” She managed to speak when he had set her back down and she was able to get the key into the door.

Tony folowed her inside, and watched her silently as she began preheating ovens and getting ready for the business day. It took al his self control, not to kiss her senseless. It was only 5:00 in the morning; her hair was puled tightly into a ponytail and there wasn’t a trace of makeup on her face. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. But he wanted to be cautious -- no more assumptions or misunderstandings. Tony was going to get this right and that meant keeping his libido in check for awhile longer.

“Okay, are you going to tel me what you’re doing here?” Libby broke the silence.

“I told you—I missed you.” Tony flashed her, his most charming smile.

“At 5:00 in the morning?”

“Especialy at 5:00 in the morning.” His smile grew a little suggestive. “I’m in town for a couple of days. I would have been at Stuart’s yesterday, but I thought your mom might want you to herself.”

“Actualy, Mom and Stuart did have a big dinner waiting when I got there. They had some pretty amazing news too.”

“I have some amazing news myself.” They had moved into the dining area, and Tony wordlessly joined her in lowering chairs off tables onto the floor. “Wel some of it is news and I have something else I want to talk to you about.”

“What’s that?”

“Wel first… Jack sold Thrills! It is a smal run, but they are talking a multi-book contract based on some sample chapters from the Isaac Raines books. It is a big deal…” Tony didn’t get to finish talking because Libby rushed him, throwing her arms around in a warm uninhibited hug.

For a second Libby was embarrassed at her actions, but Tony’s arms circled her waist without hesitation. He crushed her body to his, and lifted his big hands to frame her face. His mouth took hers in a passionate hungry kiss. Rough skinned fingers trailed down her neck, his hands opened and skimmed down her back.

Heat from his skin burned a path down her spine through her thin tee shirt. When she felt the tips of his thumbs brush the underside of her breasts she gasped. Tony growled into her kiss; his tongue explored her mouth with abandon.

her kiss; his tongue explored her mouth with abandon.

Gripping her waist he easily lifted her onto a stool.

Instinctively Libby parted her knees—inviting him closer.

He stepped into her, gliding his hands down past the hem of her shorts and massaging the bare skin of her exposed thighs. Lifting one of her legs to wrap around him, Tony ground his hips into her.

Heat pooled in Libby’s midsection. She could clearly feel Tony’s arousal even through the material of their clothing. Drunk with the power she had over him, she scraped her nails lightly down his back and when she reached the waist band of his jeans she urged him to press harder and closer. Slipping her hands under the hem of his shirt she gave herself access to al of his heavenly hard muscles. She mapped him with her palms as she pressed hot open mouth kisses down his neck until she was nibbling his colar bone.

“Unghh, Libby!” Tony rasped. He had one hand buried in her hair, the twister long since tugged loose and discarded, and the other wrapped around her knee holding her tight to him. Libby had never known how wonderfuly erotic a touch to the back of her knee could be. “We have to stop” he managed through his panting breaths.

“No way.” Libby nipped at the skin on his neck, and lifted her face for another taste of his lips.

“Stop.” Tony wrenched his hands from her beautiful soft smooth skin. He gripped the counter behind her caging her in his arms, but no longer touching her.

Libby felt a cold rush over her at the loss of his skin against hers. “Right, just friends.” Libby looked everywhere but into his eyes.

“No Sweetheart.” Tony’s voice was husky and tender between panting