A Drop of Pretty Poison: A Brother’s Best Friend Romance (Pretty Poison Trilogy Book 2)

There’s no better birthday gift than waking up in the best way possible—with a blowjob. Or that’s what I’ve been told, anyway. I wouldn’t know firsthand. But I can’t see any better way to be woken up than with Hayes’s head between my legs, so it must have some validity.

I carefully slide his boxers down his legs and wrap my hand around his cock. He stirs in his sleep but doesn’t wake up. His dick, on the other hand, is another story. Just a few tugs of my hand and it’s standing at attention.

Sergeant Boner reporting for duty.

Starting off slow, I lick the tip and swirl my tongue around it. Hayes takes a quick breath in, but still doesn’t move. I smirk, watching him as I take him fully into my mouth. He moans in his sleep, until his eyes blink open and he looks down at me.

“Fuck breakfast in bed,” he says, his voice groggy with sleep. “This is much better.”

Instead of answering, I slip him deep into my throat, and he jolts. His head presses into the pillow and his hips arch as I hollow my cheeks around him. He bites his lip hard while groaning and mumbling how good it feels.

I slide my own panties down and start to play with myself. There’s something so exhilarating about the way he reacts to the feeling of my mouth. Like it’s the greatest thing he’s ever felt in his life. But when he sees me doing it, his eyes darken.

“Spin around,” he says. “Lie on top of me.”

Pulling my mouth off him with a pop, I shake my head. “Today is all about you.”

But he isn’t having it. “If you think getting to eat your pussy for breakfast isn’t a present, you don’t know me at all.”

Before I can argue it further, he grabs me and uses his strength to flip me around. My stomach rests on his as my legs straddle his face. And as I take him back into my mouth, he licks over my clit.

We’ve never done this, and I’m failing to understand why. The vibrations of our moans only make it more intense, for both of us. And the deeper I take him, the more pressure he gives me. It’s the perfect give and take.

Hayes’s hands grip my ass as he pulls me down against him. It feels so good, the way he goes between licking and sucking on my clit and fucking me with his tongue. I lay my tongue flat against his cock and lower my head, taking him as deep as I can until I can’t breathe. I gag around him as I choke, and I gently take his balls into my hand.

“Fuck,” he pants.

It’s like a game, racing to see who can get the other off first, and I’m a sore loser. Letting him beat me at pool once was just to find out what he would ask for. But there’s no reason to let him win this one.

I lift my head for only a second to get some air, then I’m right back down, deep throating him in a way that I know is driving him crazy. His tongue is frantic as he tries to get me to break first, but I can tell he’s getting close. The muscles in his legs are tensing and he’s bucking up into my mouth.

But he’s just as stubborn as I am, and I know he’s holding back until I come first. And when he presses his thumb into my ass, it reminds me of the night he filled me there, and I lose it. My orgasm has me grinding against his face, and I moan around him, only for him to shoot everything he has into the back of my throat.

After swallowing it all down, I roll off him and collapse onto the bed. My plan was to blow him and then cook him breakfast, but after that, I’m not sure I can move.

“There is nothing better than getting the taste of you on my tongue first thing in the morning,” he tells me.

I chuckle, lifting my head for a second to look at him. “You’re filthy.”

“No. I’m honest. And you’re delicious.”

I swear, his mouth is going to be the death of me one day. Whether it’s from the magic of his tongue, or the dirty things he says, I’m not sure. But it’s going to kill me.

Oh well. At least I’ll die satisfied.

Forcing myself to sit up, I smile at him. “Happy Birthday, baby.”

“Thank you.” He props himself up on his elbow and kisses my cheek. “Can it be my birthday every day?”

My nose scrunches. “Are you sure you want that? You’re already getting kind of old.”

“Twenty minutes.” he chuckles. “You could only go twenty minutes without insulting me on my birthday.”

I press my fist to my mouth as I giggle. “You walked right into it.”

His eyes roll playfully. “Can we just stay in bed all day? I just want to have you to myself, over and over again.”

“Yes,” I agree, because there is no part of that I don’t like. “But we have to leave by four.”

“Where are we going?”

“Your mom’s, for dinner and cake with her and Devin,” I explain. “And then I think Cam and Mali are going to come over so we can drink. Monty had offered his boat, but I turned him down.”

To be honest, I’ve been trying to distance myself from him—at least as much as I can, anyway. He’s a great friend and I appreciate all he’s done to help me, but he’s not worth losing my marriage over. I know what it’s like when someone wants to steal what’s yours, and whether his assumption of Monty is accurate or not, I don’t want him to feel threatened in any way.

Hayes’s lips purse as he looks at me. “I don’t know. Maybe we should take him up on that.”

What? “Babe, he would be there. This isn’t like last time. He said we could take his boat, meaning him included.”

“Yeah, so?” He shrugs.

“You hate Monty,” I deadpan.

His hand reaches out to take mine. “Yeah, but I have fond memories involving that boat.”

I melt, becoming putty in his hands. He can’t stand Monty, but spending his birthday on the same boat where he first realized he was falling in love with me is worth the guy being around on his birthday. Just when I think I couldn’t possibly love him any more than I already do, he goes and does that.

“Are you sure?” I ask. “Because it can just be the four of us here. He doesn’t need to come.”

He shakes his head. “Nah, really. It’s fine. A night on the boat sounds fun. Besides, soon it’ll be too cold for it.”

“Okay.” I grab my phone off the nightstand. “I’ll text him and let him know.”

Hey. Does the offer for your boat tonight still stand? Thinking we’ll all meet at the docks around six? That way we’re out there for the sunset.

It only takes a minute for him to respond.

Sounds good. I’ll grab Mali and meet you there.

I smile, sending him a quick thank you and putting my phone back where it was. “All set. We’ll head out at six and watch the sunset.”

“Great,” he says, reaching out to grab me. “Now get back over here. I just turned twenty-one, which means you owe me twenty more of your orgasms.”

Pretty sure that’s not how that works, but no part of me is about to argue.

LET ME TELL YOU, mama’s boys are so slept on. They know how to treat you with respect, have someone they can go to if they need ideas on what to buy you for a present, and most of the time, they put your pleasure before their own. Not to mention the way Hayes is with his mom is the fucking cutest. Their bond is unmatched. It’s like she’s not just his mother, she’s also one of his best friends.

She carefully carries the cake over with the lit candles as we sing happy birthday. Devin, of course, adds her own lyrics for the sake of roasting him. But as we get to the end of the song, where he’s supposed to make a wish, he smiles at me and pulls me onto his lap, wrapping his arms around me.

“I already have everything I could ever want,” he murmurs, kissing me quickly.

When he goes in for another one, I grab his face. “Nuh-uh. You can’t just not make a wish.”

His eyes narrow. “Fine.”

Turning to the cake, he pinches his eyes closed tightly, like a little kid does when they think about their wish. And then he blows out the candles. When he turns to kiss me again, I let him.

“Ooh. Those things almost never come true.”

I chuckle as Devin shoves her finger in her mouth, pretending to gag herself. But his mom just watches us in awe as she takes the cake away to slice it.

“So, how’s it feel to be twenty-one?” Devin asks him.

His hand on my waist slips just beneath my shirt, needing to feel my skin against his. “Well, I definitely didn’t think I’d be married and opening a bar at this age, but I’m not complaining.”

She grins like she’s trying not to make fun of him. “It’s weird, seeing you all domesticated and shit.”

“Especially because the first time I came over, I had to teach you how to do the dishes,” I add.

He pouts. “Are you ever going to let me live that down?”

“Absolutely not.” I look over at his sister. “He didn’t want to leave the fork and plate he used in the sink, so he just threw it in the trash.”

Devin loses it, throwing her head back as she laughs, while his mom’s jaw drops. “Hayes Beckett Wilder.”

“Oh, what? Are you going to ground me? Send me to my room?” He pauses, and I can practically see the gears in his head turning. “On second thought, that’s a great idea. You should definitely do that.”

She closes her eyes and sighs. “You did not just make a sex reference to your mother.”

As if he realizes the line he just crossed, he breaks into a fit of laughter. And all I can do is watch him, thinking about how this, right here, is what happiness truly is.

WHEN WE’RE GETTING READY to leave, Hayes brings his sister out to the truck to show her the new sound system he put in it—a joint birthday present from Cam, Mali, and me. Because what else do you get someone who claims he has everything he’s ever wanted?

I watch them from the doorway as he excitedly turns up the music and Devin stands there, shaking her head at him. When he starts dancing like an idiot in the front yard, she barks out a laugh and joins him.

“You know, I never did get a chance to thank you,” his mom says.

My brows furrow. “For what?”

“Showing him that real love can be selfless and genuine. That not every relationship has to turn out like mine did.”

I can see the pain in her eyes, and it hurts my heart. “He doesn’t blame you for any of that.”

“I know he doesn’t,” she replies. “But I also know it’s the reason he didn’t take any relationship seriously. It’s why he never brought a girl home. Until you, anyway.” She comes over and stands beside me, watching her kids. “You’re really good for him, Laiken. And I’ll never be able to thank you enough for how happy you’ve made him.”

I’ve always known that his mom loves me. Hell, she’s been in my life since I was twelve—not there all the time, but she was there. Some people have horror stories about their mother-in-laws. Not me, though. Mine is an absolute goddess.

“Thank you for raising him to be the man he is,” I tell her. “All the good things about him, and how deeply he loves when he finally lets someone in, that’s all because of you.”

Tears fill her eyes, and she wraps her arms around me. “You’re something special. It’s no surprise he loves you so much.”

Hayes and Devin come back up, and he tilts his head when he sees his mom hugging me. “You trying to steal my mom now, Rochester?”

“Yep,” I say with a smirk. “That was my plan all along.”

“Went through a lot of work for something you could’ve done from the start,” he jokes. “She would’ve picked you over me before we hooked up.”

His mom rolls her eyes, lightly smacking him in the chest as he laughs. “It’s a little true, though.” Hayes’s jaw drops at her words. “What? She’s a lot less of a handful than you are.”

He snorts. “Try living with her.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “Watch it. There’s an empty room here I could easily move my things into.”

His bottom lip juts out. “You can’t threaten me on my birthday.”

Devin cocks a single brow at him. “Are you seriously pouting right now? You’re twenty-one years old.”noveldrama

But he doesn’t answer. Instead, he covers her face with his whole hand and pushes her away. I’ve always loved his relationship with his family. Having kids might not be in the immediate plans for us, but sometimes, when I see him with them, it makes me think about what he would be like with a daughter of his own. It warms me from the inside out.

One day.

WE GET TO THE docks to find Cam, Mali, and Monty already waiting for us. They each wish him a happy birthday, and Hayes even shakes Monty’s hand. It’s surprising to see, especially after what happened the last time Monty attempted that. But he’s in a good mood, and I don’t think he’s going to let anything get in the way of that.

Climbing onto the boat, Cam shows Hayes the massive cooler stocked with beer and liquor. There’s enough for an entire frat party in there, and it’s only the five of us. Something tells me we’re going to need to take an Uber home, but that’s fine. We deserve to let loose a little.

“Jesus Christ, man,” Hayes says. “Did you raid a liquor store?”

Cam chuckles. “It wasn’t me. Monty had it when I got here.”

Monty shrugs. “It’s no big deal. Not like it broke the bank or anything.”

I wince, expecting some smartass remark from Hayes about how he’s rubbing his money in our faces, or something about rich people, but one doesn’t come.

“Thanks.” He puts a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a generous man, Rollins.”

Leaning closer into Mali, I don’t take my attention off them. “What the fuck kind of twilight zone did we just step into?”

“The kind where Hayes can be bribed with alcohol, apparently.”

And here I thought sex was the best tool to use against him. Turns out, all I needed to do was get him some beer. Go figure.

Monty gets everything ready to go and we pull away from the dock, raising our drinks in the air to cheers the fact that Hayes is finally twenty-one and can legally obtain the liquor license for the bar.

WE’RE ALL DRINKING AND having a good time as we wait for the sun to start setting. I don’t know who suggests it, but we start playing truth or dare. The last time we played this, Cam ended up calling chicken for the first time ever. Thankfully, I don’t think anyone is going to dare him to kiss Mali with her boyfriend right there.

Or at least I hope not.

I don’t think that would go over too well.

“Cam, truth or dare?” I ask.

He looks bored. “Dare.”

“I dare you to jump into the water.”

His eyes roll as he scoffs. “Fuck that. It’s bad enough I’m already the fifth wheel. I don’t want to be soaking wet, too.”

I scoff. “Please. You’re just afraid you’re going to get eaten by a shark. You have no balls.”

“Oh, and you do?” he counters.

“Yep!” I answer proudly. “They’re just too big to go between my legs, so God put them on my chest.”

Hayes sputters on his beer, coughing and gagging dramatically. Mali chuckles while Cam watches him like a circus act he doesn’t understand.

“What the fuck is wrong with you?”

It takes Hayes a few seconds to catch his breath enough to answer, until he finally chokes out, “They were in my mouth this morning.”

Cam looks like he’s never regretted a question more in his life as he groans and throws an empty beer can at him.

The rest of us laugh while the two of them roughhouse, only stopping when Hayes almost throws Cam into the ocean. That’s when he calls mercy and admits defeat, only to follow it up with the excuse that he wasn’t going to kick his ass on his birthday.

It’s apparently “rude.”

But if those two were to ever really go at it, it’s a toss-up as to who would win.

I LEAN BACK AGAINST Hayes, with his arms around me, as we watch the sunset in the same spot we were the day we escaped the rest of the world and just enjoyed each other on the open water. This time, however, I don’t think the sunset will be followed up the way it did then. Mali probably wouldn’t give a shit, but Cam and Monty might have some complaints.

“Did you have a good birthday?” I ask him.

He lowers his head and drops a kiss on my shoulder. “I had the best birthday, and it’s all thanks to you. I don’t deserve you.”

“You do. You just don’t realize it yet.”

The sunset is beautiful, but instead of admiring it, Mali is too busy watching Monty with an unreadable look in her eyes. I glance over and see him making yet another drink. He’s supposed to be driving the boat, and if he’s drunk, that doesn’t mean good things for us.

“Everything okay, Mal?” I ask softly.

She pulls her attention from her boyfriend. “Yeah.”

But while her words say one thing, she silently nods her head toward Monty—a message to keep an eye on him. If need be, Cam and Hayes have been driving boats since they were ten. And even I know how to work one. But for now, we’ll just see how this plays out.

Besides, as long as he doesn’t crash the boat, the worst that could happen is he gets in some legal trouble for boating while intoxicated. And something tells me he has enough money to get out of it.

I focus back on the sunset and the feeling of Hayes’s arms around me. “It’s so pretty.”

He hums. “It’s got nothing on you.”

Once the sun is gone and the colors start to fade, Monty begins to turn the boat around, but I don’t think any of us are ready for the night to end. There are a few ideas being tossed around, like going back to our house or having a fire at my parents’ place. But Mali spots a better idea.

“What’s that?” she asks, pointing to the faint outline of something in the distance.

All the guys look, but it’s Monty who answers. “That’s Slaughter Island.”

“Slaughter Island?” She repeats, looking skeptical.

He nods. “Some say it got its name from all the dead horseshoe crabs that used to wash ashore, but legend has it there was a family that lived there before the man of the house went crazy from the isolation and slaughtered his entire family. If you go late at night, they say you can still hear their screams.”

“Oh, I’ve heard of that place!” I say as I remember the myth. “I’ve never been, though.”

Mali gets excited. “Can we go now?”

We all exchange glances at each other and when Hayes and Cam both shrug, not pushing to go home, Monty turns the boat toward the island.

THE PLACE LOOKS CREEPY, I will give him that. There’s remnants of what used to be a dock but is now just a few pillars—probably destroyed by a storm. An abandoned house is off a little ways in the distance. While I’m not sure I believe Monty’s story, the evidence definitely supports the claims.

As he pulls the boat as close to shore as he can, he jumps out and uses the anchor to keep it from floating away. Hayes hops down into the water and helps both Mali and me get down safely. It’s already too dark to see, with only the boat lights illuminating the area, but I want to go exploring.

“Monty, do you have any flashlights?” I ask him.

He pauses to think and then climbs up into the boat to look around. “I should.”

A few minutes later, with a small ah-ha, he pulls a flashlight out from under one of the seats. He passes it to me and I thank him before turning to Hayes.

“Are you coming?”

He shakes his head. “I think I’m going to hang out here.”

It’s risky, leaving him alone with Monty, but Cam doesn’t seem to be coming either. Mali loops her arm with mine and the two of us head off toward the abandoned house.

“Give me the flashlight,” she says, putting her hand out.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t trust you not to freak me out.”

My hand moves to my chest as I clutch my metaphorical pearls. “Mali Elizabeth. I am hurt.”

She gives me a look that basically says I know you too well, and I chuckle. But I still don’t give her the flashlight, because she’s right. I do want to freak her out. The girl is such a badass all the time, but she scares so damn easily. How could I possibly pass up the opportunity?

The door squeaks as I push it open and the floor creaks as we step on it. Going in probably isn’t the greatest idea we’ve ever had, but we’ve already come this far. There’s no turning back now.

Cobwebs cover every corner of the inside. Though, how spiders even got here is not something that makes sense to me. We’re on a small island about ten miles off the coast. It’s not even big enough to show up on a map, and there’s nothing around it but miles of water.

The furniture that sits covered in each room makes it look like someone just randomly up and left this place. But the sand spread across the floor and the water damage makes me think that maybe a storm drove them out. I can’t wait to get home later and look this place up—find out what really happened here.

Mali sticks right by my side as we look around, until we stumble upon a bedroom. The iron rod bed has been stripped down to just a mattress that has definitely seen better days.

“Imagine having sex on that bed and seeing a ghost watching you,” Mali says.

I snort at the idea. “Your boyfriend is right outside. You have fun with that.”

It’s meant to be a joke, but her demeanor changes a little. “We actually haven’t…we’re just not very physical.”

Her words surprise me, but not as much as I thought they would. After everything that happened, it’s totally normal if she doesn’t want to go there with him yet. But Mali used to be such a sexual person.

“Because of you or him?”

She shrugs. “Both, I guess. He barely even kisses me, let alone tries to have sex with me.”

I hum. “Maybe he really is gay.”

But she’s thinking the reasoning is something else. “Or maybe Hayes is onto something, and he really does have a thing for you.”

My head falls back as I groan. “Not you, too.”

She snickers at my dramatics. “All I’m saying is he might have a point. I mean, what kind of boyfriend only wants to be with his girlfriend when her best friend is around?”

I look at her, seeing no sign of any lies. Not that she even has a reason to lie. “Seriously? That’s the only time you see him?”

She nods. “Even tonight. He told me yesterday that he had plans with a friend, but then magically he was free after you asked about taking the boat out. And the only time he kisses me on the lips is when you’re with me. Other than that, he kisses my cheek.”

The more she says, the angrier I get. It could just be a misunderstanding. Him just being nervous about being alone with Mali and doing the wrong thing. But if she’s right, if he’s actually lying and using my best friend, I will fight him. I don’t care how powerful and influential he is.

“Dude, look. There’s a crib over there.” She squints as she gets a little closer. “Wait, is that blood?”

I’m so lost in my thoughts that I’m not looking where I’m going, and I accidentally kick an old metal box. It screeches as it moves across the floor. Mali, of course, startles and screams at the top of her lungs, but it’s the loud bang that follows that has my whole body going cold. Our heads whip toward each other and we both move at once, running from the house and back to the boat.

When we get there, Hayes and Cam are looking at each other with wide eyes.

“What the hell was that?” I ask, wondering if they heard it, too.

But before they can answer, Mali lets out a blood curdling scream. It isn’t until I see what she’s looking at that I realize what happened.

Monty is lying on the ground, blood staining his shirt as it comes from his stomach. His breathing is harsh and unsteady. I throw myself onto the sand beside him as I panic, trying frantically to stop the bleeding.

“What the fuck happened?” I wail.

Cam looks like he’s in shock as Hayes answers. “He pulled out a gun and started waving it around like a psycho! I took it from him because he’s drunk, and it just went off!”

“Oh my God,” I cry. “We need to get him help. Someone call 9-1-1.”

“Laiken,” Hayes says, but the only thing I’m worried about right now is my friend bleeding out in front of me.

Mali pulls out her phone. “I don’t have any signal.”

“Laiken,” Hayes repeats, a little louder this time.

I grab my own phone from my pocket and realize the same thing. “Climb onto the boat and use the radio. That’s what those things are for, isn’t it? See if you can get a hold of the Coast Guard.”

Pulling my shirt over my head, I’m left in only my bikini top as I try to press the material onto his stomach to stop the bleeding.

“Laiken!” Hayes shouts.

“What?” I snap.

There’s fear in his eyes as he stares back at me. “We have to get out of here.”

Nothing about what he’s saying makes any sense. “Get out of…what? We can’t! He needs to get to a hospital!”

“He won’t make it to the hospital,” he argues. “And we will all go to jail.”

“B-but it was an accident.” Wasn’t it?

He shakes his head. “That’s what the manslaughter charge is for. We will all go down for this. Think of who his dad is. You really think Jeremiah Rollins is just going to let this go? He’ll make sure they throw the damn book at us.”

Not wanting to hear it, I ignore his every word and turn back to Monty. My vision blurs as tears flow from my eyes, but as I go to wipe them away, I’m only getting his blood on my face. Because it’s all over my hands. All over me.

The sound of Hayes ordering Mali to get into the boat barely registers in my mind as Cam grabs the anchor and tosses it onto the bow. Then, Hayes’s arms wrap around my stomach and he starts pulling me away.

“We have to go, Lai,” he says softly.

But this isn’t right. “No! We can’t just fucking leave him here!”

“We have no choice.”

“But he’s going to die!” I kick my legs and try my hardest to rip myself from his grasp. “We can’t just let him die!”

Hayes sighs. “Laiken, he’s already gone! There’s nothing we can do!”

“No,” I breathe. “No, he’s…”

“He’s gone,” Hayes repeats. “We have to go.”

My heart sinks as I notice the way I can’t see his chest moving anymore, and his head is slumped to the side. Sobs rack through me and I go to cover my mouth, but I realize I can’t. My hands are still stained red and covered in his blood.

Everything goes numb.

I can’t feel the rest of my body.

I can’t move.

Can’t look away from the sight of Monty lying on the sand.

Hayes passes me to Cam who sits me inside the boat, and I can hear the sound of Mali’s cries somewhere nearby. But as Hayes pushes the boat off the sand and climbs in, all I can do is watch as we leave Monty behind.