Off-Limits Bad Boy: A Brother's Best Friend Romance (Ruthless Bad Boys Book 3)

Chapter One

Emma

“Shouldn”t you be playing with mocktails, Em?” Kade’s voice is a low rumble in the quiet; playful yet edged with a challenge.

My hands still on the bottles that I’m arranging in a pattern I swear only I know. With a deep sigh, I try not to feel annoyed at his dig. That’s typical Kade for ya. The guy is a grade-a jerk and my brother’s best friend. So I try not to tell him off too much.

I hate how he just swaggers in wearing that leather jacket and devil-may-care smirk. I glare at him over my shoulder, the kind of look that makes lesser men back off. “Why don”t you find a corner to brood in, Kade? The adults are busy.” I adjust a bottle, turning it to be label out, even though I know by the end of the night, all my hard work will have been in vain.

He chuckles, his response, taking all the power out of my snarky response in that unflappable way only he has around me. I swear he likes the negative attention, but I can’t keep quiet or I’ll go insane. “Are you busy pretending you’re one of the adults now, Em?”

Gah, he drives me crazy. He leans on the counter, his eyebrow arching as he watches me.

“Mind your own business,” I say, pushing a bottle back a little too hard. The glass lets out a high-pitched clink as it meets the bottle behind it, making me wince. Honestly, the absolute last thing I need is his bad-boy bs disrupting my focus.

“Mmm, someone needs a nap.” His voice holds a dark note that sends an involuntary shiver down my spine.

“Seriously, Kade.” I look up from the shelf again, meeting those piercing dark eyes that always seem to see too much. “You need to learn that some thoughts don’t need to be said out loud.”

“You should hear what I keep back,” he says, his expression arresting me for a moment.

“You need to go away,” I say, feeling annoyed by and at him.

“Is that right?” He tilts his head, assessing me like one of his many adventures waiting to be conquered. Joke’s on him, nothing he can say or do would slow me down.

“Stop treating me like a child,” I say, feeling like a song on repeat. How many times have I told him this? Ignoring the way my heart hammers, I stare him down, waiting for him to back off. “I”m a full grown adult.”

“Of course, you are.” There’s something so... dismissive in his voice. He’s such a jerk.

“Ugh!” Frustration bubbles up in my belly. “Just—forget it.” I hate that he’s right. I’m only twenty.I still have a year to go before I can legally drown my irritation in the very drinks I order, haul around, and so carefully arrange behind the bar.

He seems to consider his response, walking around the bar and taking a glass before pouring himself some whiskey. He sips it, watching me over the rim of the glass and leaning on the bar. With a thoughtful expression, he says, “I could never forget anything about you, Em.” His words hang in the air, heavy and charged, before he pushes off the counter with a knowing look.

“Keep it up, and you”ll be wearing this drink instead of sipping it,” I say, internally battling the bewildering mix of annoyance and attraction that Kade always stirs within me. With my chin held high, I leave the area behind the bar to go grab a case of vodka to refill the shelves.

Picking up the top box, I realize that I forgot how heavy the cases are. But there’s no way I’ll show weakness, especially with Kade lurking like a shadow I just can’t shake.

But here he is sailing in with that infuriating smile of his. He doesn”t say a word as his hands close over mine, the heat of his touch searing my skin as he takes the heavy box from my grasp.

I tried to pull away before he can take it from me. “I”ve got it.” Of course, the snappy comment is more to convince myself than him.

“Sure you do,” Kade says, easily lifting the case out of my arms and placing it behind the bar as if it weighed nothing. That infuriating grin of his widens, and I wonder if he finds my irritation amusing.

“Stop smirking.” I follow him behind the bar, feeling a flush creep up my neck into my cheeks. “I don”t need your help.”

“I know,” he says the two words loaded with a teasing arrogance that makes me itch to wipe that smile off his face. The closest thing to me is a bottle of grenadine, and I could open the bottle and pour the contents over his head. And what would he do about it?

He glances at the grenadine, then back at me, the amusement in his expression growing.

“Keep it up and—”

“And what?” he says, cutting me off and leaning in, his dark eyes glinting with that never-ending challenge. “You”ll give me a syrup shower?”

How does he do that? “Try me,” I mutter. My hand hovers near the grenadine bottle, but I grab a mug instead, pouring myself more coffee.

“What”s that? Your fifth cup?” Kade leans closer, mockingly sniffing the steam rising from the mug.

I stare at him, and he meets my gaze with that unwavering stare of his that makes my insides weak. “Making sure there”s no booze in my coffee?” I ask in my most acidic tone, wishing I could burn him with words.

He nods his head.

“Ha-ha,” I say in a deadpan tone, glaring over the rim of the white mug as I take a sip of the bittersweet brew. His proximity sends unwelcome tingles dancing across my skin, an annoying reminder of the chemistry I wished didn”t exist between us. And as always, I remind myself that maybe it’s not chemistry - maybe it’s pure, undiluted hatred. That makes more sense, anyway. I’ve never felt the way he makes me feel.

He lifts his shoulders in a casual motion that shifts his dark jacket, and the warm scent of leather and Kade washes over me. “Can”t be too careful. Wouldn”t want our underage bartender getting tipsy.” He eyes me with a look that suggests he knows exactly what effect he has on me.

“I’m not a bartender.” You’d think he’d know the difference given how many times we’ve had some variation of this conversation. The man is my own personal groundhog’s day, and I can’t seem to do things in the right order to get rid of him. But there’s always tomorrow.

“Whatever you say, Emma Riley,” he says, that damned grin lingering as he pulls back, giving me space but taking none of the tension between us with him.

What the heck did I do to make him so obnoxious toward me?

“I’m sure your brother would want me to keep an eye on you. Keep you safe, you know?” His words leave my skin tingling, even though I kind of want to splash his drink in his face.

“I’m sure my brother doesn”t want you looking at me and if he’s smart, he knows you’re the one I need to be kept safe from.” I clutch the warm mug like a lifeline, trying to ignore the way my heart betrays my annoyance by thumping wildly in my chest.

“I’d never hurt you, Em,” he says, leaning in close as if sharing a secret.

I could tell him that there are plenty of things that aren’t harmful that also aren’t safe, but I’m tired of the back and forth. “Drop it, Kade.” His name rolls off my tongue so softly I almost sound like I’m asking. Almost.

He seems to notice, his attention locking on me and his lips parting as if he’s about to say something.

But Alex strolls in, his presence cutting through the tension like a hot knife through butter. There’s an easy smile on his face, and I can tell he’s oblivious to the silent battle raging between his best friend and me.

“Hey, kiddo,” he says, pulling me into a brief, one-armed hug that smells like home and safety.

“Alex.” My voice tightens, still tinged with irritation from Kade”s antics.

“I’ve got plans tonight, so I”m leaving you in charge.” As Alex says the words, his gaze leaps to Kade, missing the electricity arcing in the space he”d just breezed into. “You good working with Kade?”

“Sure.” I lie through gritted teeth, plastering on a smile that feels more like the way a dog’s lips lift away from its teeth in preparation of biting someone.

“Awesome, thanks, Em.” He claps a hand on my shoulder, blind to the way my eye is twitching with irritation. “You”re the best.”

Before I can respond, he walks toward Kade, pushing his friend’s shoulder. “Keep her safe, okay? Even from herself. She’s a pain in the ass.”

Kade’s amused eyes meet mine and my fists ball at my sides. “Will do,” he says to Alex without ever taking his eyes off me.

“Good, good,” he says, clapping his friend on the shoulder before making his way to the exit.

Silence lingers in his absence, but, of course, Kade has to go and ruin that, too.

“Looks like it”s just you and me then.” Kade’s tone sounds... odd as he leans against the bar. His eyes hold a spark of mischief that makes my stomach flutter with a mix of dread and something dangerously close to excitement. I must be misunderstanding my own response. Surely this is annoyance and dread.

“Thrilling,” I say in a dry tone, my gaze locked with his in a silent standoff that neither of us seems willing to break.

“Come on, Emma. We make a great team.” His voice drops to a husky whisper, sending shivers down my spine, despite my resolve to remain unaffected by him.

“Let”s just get through the night without any incidents,” I say, more to myself and this deep desire to stain him with grenadine. I also kind of hope that the weak humor of my words might mask how much he rattles me.

Intensity rolls off him like fog from the mountains. “I promise to keep my hands to myself.” He lowers his voice, making every hair on my body stand on end. “Unless you need help with heavy liquor cases again.”

Why? Why do his words have such an effect on me?

His infuriating grin is back in place as I try to figure out where I went wrong in life to earn his irritating commentary. The guy is a walking nightmare that I can’t shake.

“Keep dreaming, Kade.” Ugh, it’s the best thing I could think of while on the spot like this. I turn away, pretending to rearrange glasses on the shelf, all the while aware of his heated gaze tracing lines into my back.

“Is that an invitation?” His words startle me, and I nearly knock a glass off the shelf.

Struggling to keep my voice calm, I say, “Start working, or I swear—”

But he cuts me off. “Relax, boss lady. I”m on it.” He moves off to attend something else, thank goodness, leaving me to gather up the scattered mess of my thoughts while trying to make a game plan for both of us to survive the night.

With a glance, I see him talking to the bouncers, his effortless charm working on them, too, somehow. The guys look like they eat nails for breakfast, but he’s got them smiling and talking with animated expressions.

“We’ve got a long night ahead,” I whisper, steeling myself for hours of Kade’s relentless teasing and the undeniable pull I fight so hard to ignore.

At least he’s over there now, and I can turn my attention back to work. But he still sneaks back into my thoughts even as I try to banish him.