Wings to my Butterfly (My Brothers Best Friend)

six.

ZOE

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“Holy shít” I muttered under my breath as Ryan pulled the car to a stop. This house in the middle of nowhere looked like a bloody resort, one surrounded by thick forest and a lake. A fúcking lake.

As I was scheming in my head ways to convince Landon to buy this as a holiday house, the passenger door opened. I looked up, greeted by Ryan. Him holding out a hand for me as I stepped out of the vehicle.

“Does that come with the house?” I asked, pointing at the body of beautiful blue water.

“You wouldn’t necessarily own it, but yes” he confirmed, shutting the door behind me. I nodded up to Ryan, processing the information as we continued towards the house.

With my eyes wandering around the property, I almost walked into the steps instead of walking up them. Ryan’s hand darted out, holding the small of my back as I stumbled. I opened my mouth, looking up to him about to protest, only for another voice to beat me to it.

“Welcome, I’m so happy you could make it, Mr. Earnshaw” an older, well-dressed woman, stood at the top of the wide wooden stairs. Though there were only five, their diameter made up for their size.

Her blonde hair was pinned up at the back with a few loose strands framing her pale skin. She wore a black pants suit that almost matched Ryan’s, aside from the tailored waist and dressy heels that she had paired with it. I laughed imagining Ryan rocking his suit with heels.

Damn my brain thinking he would still look good. As I laughed to myself, I felt Ryan’s hand tighten around my waist while introducing me. “Lovely to see you again Nadine, this is Zoe, Zoe Pierce.”

“Ahh Ms. Pierce, will you be the lady of the house?” I greeted her with a smile until her words hit my ears. Lady of the house? I shot Ryan a pointed look to which he just smiled.

“Um no, Boss man and I are just…” I started to explain to Blondie, only for Ryan to interject, the smile widening as he did.

“Don’t be so modest honey, let Nadine here know all your needs so we can find the perfect home” I raised my brows at him. He held his stance, pulling me closer to him in challenge. So I was going to be his little housewife? Then I guess let the games begin.

“Can we dig a trench around the house? I’d like the lake to be closer and more accessible” I smiled excitedly up at blondie, enjoying the small twitch in her eye at my request.

Ryan’s tall frame rumbled beside me, struggling to hold in a laugh as blondie shook her head. “I um, oh what an odd request. I can definitely look into a uh, trench. Perhaps we should head inside?”

She stood aside, letting Ryan and I walk into the open property. Again, I gawked at the view before me. The resort-looking house was nothing like a resort.

Inside were high ceilings with dark wooden beams, and large skylights that filled the room with natural light. The white sandstone floors flowed perfectly through the open space, even covering the staircase that was left from the entry. In the centre of the room was a couch, built into the floor directly under the glass ceiling.

“You could bloody lie inside and go stargazing” I whispered under my breath.

“Could we now love?” Ryan’s arm that was still around me finally pulled away. I would be lying if I said I didn’t miss the warmth as it disappeared. This housewife challenge was going to be exactly that, a challenge.

“Yes, one of the main features of this beautiful structure is the allowance of natural light, guaranteed in every room” Blondie chimed in, stepping forward as she waved her hand in the direction of the kitchen.

Ryan and I eyed one another as we followed. I barely heard a thing she was saying, too consumed by his challenging stare. With one hand in his pocket, he traced the bench with his other. Eyes never leaving mine, a smile planted on his lips as I walked around the other side mimicking his actions. We continued, fingertips grazing the countertop, focused on nothing but each other until we met in the middle.

Standing before him, I almost lost my composure, feeling his hand slide over my own, a mischievous glint in his eye as he lent in “What do you think honey?”

I bit down on my tongue, ignoring the scent of his cologne no matter how good it smelt. Two can play at that game, buddy. Flipping our hands so mine was underneath, I pushed my fingers through his. Lifting our joined hands off the bench before twirling into his chest, wrapping our arms around us with a sigh.

“Oh darling, we both know you’re the one who will be cooking. I only know how to make one thing delicious, remember? You had it last night, what was it called…” I hummed, fluttering my lashes and tapping my chin.

His heart hammered in his chest, his body going tight around mine as his eyes darkened. I smiled in victory, basking in the feeling of making him break character first.

My celebratory moment, however, was short-lived as Ryan assured me the game wasn’t over. Before I could retreat, I froze, Ryan's free hand trailing down my side, pinning my ass to him. Leaning down, his warm breath fanned my neck, to which I shuddered. His hand gripped me tighter, holding me against what I now could feel was his growing length. Shít. Fúck… Plan backfired.

“I believe the delectable meal was called minou” his deep voice echoed around me, the vibrations in his tone shooting straight to my vàgina.

I didn’t even know what mean-oop meant, but the way he said it made me ache in places I didn’t want to ache. I took a deep breath, remembering the challenge at hand. Ryan may have thrown me off with his touch and his voice, but I knew how to knock him down a peg.

Rolling my hips, I ground back into his touch, letting his hand roam along my front. He groaned lightly, it vibrating against my back as I anchored my neck till my lips grazed the skin of his cheek.

“I bet yours tastes better…” My voice barely audible, but loud enough to reach Ryan’s ears.

His hand snapped to my chin, turning his head as he held mine in place. Fire danced in his eyes, I smirked up at him, watching him lose his composure once again. The only problem was, I wasn’t far behind him, slowly slipping into the desire that crept from how close his lips were.

I was thankful for the cough that sounded, Ryan and I widened our eyes before finally acknowledging the other party in the room. Pulling away from one another, Blondie cleared her throat, her cheeks flushed red from the display of our affection. If we’re being honest, more like the display of our dry humping in a bloody house that wasn’t ours.

“Perhaps you would like to see the bedrooms?” She waved her hand towards the stairs. I had to hold back a laugh as she herself realised what she had said. Yep, we were definitely dry humping. And Blondie was definitely watching.

I flashed Ryan a knowing look, him too seemingly amused by blondie's embarrassed face. Making my way to the stairs, I pointed back in the direction of the kitchen. “It could use an aquarium.”

Still flustered, she nodded as if not believing what she heard as Ryan followed behind me. His soft chuckles brought a smile to my face as we made our way up the winding staircase.

Topping the stairs, my jaw went wide taking in the structure. Daylight pooled into every room that we passed, bedrooms and bathrooms lined the hall, along with a balcony that wrapped around the building's edge. Ryan and Blondie completely diminished from my mind as I flowed from room to room.

Every room had an ensuite with deep grey stone tubs, and large windows showcasing the blue lake. Consumed by the views and architecture of this place, I was definitely falling in love.

"And this is the master bedroom, equipped with a his and her closet and ensuite" Footsteps, followed by blondies and Ryan's voice came into ears' reach. The sound dwindled from my senses as I stood in the bathroom, staring out the window admiring the water below with a smile.

It didn't take Ryan long to find me, his presence causing goosebumps to prickle across my skin. The soft pads of his feet hit the marble floor until he was close enough I could smell him.

"So, what do you think?" His warm hands circled my waist from behind, I lent back into him, eyes locked onto the water as it rippled, the challenge escaping the forefront of my mind as I sighed. This place was perfect, perfect for me, for my escape. But we weren't here for me, and the warm hands that held me were not real either.

Snapping from my daze, I pushed from his grip, escaping his arms and turning to face him. The same smile was planted on my face though it didn't feel as real. I scanned my eyes through the open doorway, Blondie stood in the main bedroom, clicking away at her phone like she wasn't intrigued by Mr. Boss man and his mistress.

"It's perfect... just not for her" I admitted. Blondie's eyes peeked up from her phone, wide with excitement at the obvious mention of another woman. I held my best solemn expression as I sighed, pushing from the room as dramatically as possible. I was never going to win this damn challenge by playing into a love story, no, I was going to win it by playing into the forbidden love affair.

As I made my way out of the house I tried not to giggle, Ryan's own smiling face seemingly holding back a laugh as he said his goodbyes. Pulling the keys from his pocket, he strode towards the car and I. Upturned lips and squinted eyes, shaking his head, I finally laughed.

"Well, I wasn't expecting that dramatic exit" He too, finally gave in, laughing along beside me, unlocking the car with a click of a button.

"Whatever do you mean darling?" I spoke, touching my cheek to my shoulder, fluttering my lashes as Ryan opened the passenger door to which I accepted. Slipping inside, I giggled to myself, waiting for Ryan as he too got in and started the engine.

“What does min-ooh even bloody mean?” I asked, clicking my seatbelt in place, curious about the word from the moment I heard it.

Ryan smiles, briefly shooting me a look before pulling onto the road. “It’s French, for Kitty”

My cheeks flushed. Of course, it was an innuendo for my v****a. With a shake of my head, I chuckled, unable to hide my amusement at his immature yet intelligent brain. Big, dumb, handsome i***t. Today was nothing like I had expected it to be. From the kitten heels adorning my feet, to the beautiful lake house, to the game Ryan decided to play. It was fun.

Perhaps if I hadn't been so stubborn the day before, I may have realised this wasn't the worst idea Landon had ever come up with. The idea of spending a few weeks with Ryan was starting to grow on me. I just needed to make sure there were no repeats of heads between legs, as good as it was.

With the soft hum of the engine and the light sound of the radio, I let go, relaxing back on the seat and turning to Ryan “I think we scared Blondie”

Ryan agreed with a nod, “I think you threw her off with the moat. Our tragic love story didn't help either.”

I laughed "Please, she was living for it."