Title: The Rental, #1
Series: The Rental
Author: Rebecca Berto
Genre: Erotic Romance
Expected Release Date: September 22, 2014
Cover Designer: Berto Designs
Synopsis
At first, Rick Delaney watched Vee Wyland with the hungry eyes
of a fox as if she were a rabbit … his rabbit. But one day, he slunk away
without notice.
Months away from graduating high school, Vee’s life is on the
verge of crumbling. At home, dire finances and long hours test her family. Her
boyfriend hardly pays attention to her. And she can’t shake her feelings for
his older brother, Rick.
Then, all in one night, tragedy tears her teetering life into
shreds.
When Rick and Vee reunite, the sparks fly. However, she
unwittingly signs away a future for both of them. In his world, a place called
The Rental, she becomes Victoria and Rick becomes Rhett. One part of her
watches with fascination, while the other unfurls and embraces her sexual
awakening. It began as a game, but the consequences are real.
Following their heart’s desire is forbidden, but walking away
could strip their hope for a future.
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Chapter 1
Rick Delaney was parked outside
my house with my boyfriend. He stepped out of his car and lifted two fingers,
saluting me at the front door. He shouldn’t have been.
How
could he return to Melbourne after a whole year when I resigned to a life
without him—a life, specifically, with the brother he’d arrived? Bottled-up
feelings pounded in my chest so hard I was glad no one was home to witness it.
And
my boyfriend? He tripped getting out of the passenger seat. That’s what can
happen when you looked at your mobile phone instead of your girlfriend’s
smiling face. My expression soured as he passed me, not even a peck on the
cheek.
“What’s
with the ride?” I called.
Their
mum, Mrs Delaney, should’ve been dropping Justin off like usual. But he ignored
me and trudged farther into my house.
Rick
noticed my expression and jogged up the stairs. Elder by three years, he stood
tall with the composure of a man compared to his teenage brother. Strong
shoulders filled out his dark T-shirt. He was bigger in not only his upper body
but everywhere—thick arms and thighs and a solid build. Add that to a smile and
he melted the hearts of women everywhere—seventeen-year-old girls included.
“Mum
and Dad are in Europe,” Rick said. “They call it a long-awaited honeymoon.
Justin and I call it a mid-life crisis.”
My
jaw hung open. How could Justin not tell me? I thought this type of thing
excited a boyfriend. Weeks of no parental supervision at home—it’d excite me if
not for the sudden pit of worry in my belly. “They’re away? They’re not here?”
“That’s
what a holiday is.” Rick deadpanned.
“It’s
just that Justin never told me anything.”
“It
was only a few days ago.”
As
if that made it okay. If Justin didn’t spend so much time with his phone in his
face, he might have remembered to tell me. I didn’t know why, but it cut me
that I didn’t know an important change in his life. I told him every time my
dad left to truck interstate for work and that was every few weeks. He was gone
more than he was here, and Mum worked odd hours. It was lonely and hard to stay
away from the temptations Justin and my best friend, Cara offered me at parties
or when we hung out.
“Hey,
bro,” Justin called behind us. He came up and slammed his hand on the side of
the front door. “Come fix the washing machine.”
“Washing
machine?” I asked. Why are you acting
like you live here? I was close to adding.
“Yeah,”
he held out the front of his top, “got a Coke from your fridge and it squirted
everywhere.”
“We
don’t have any Coke left in the fridge.”
“You
do in the spare one.”
I
bit my lip and flexed my fingers by my side. Facing him, I cracked a thin
smile. Most of the time, Justin wasn’t like this. Correction, before recently,
my boyfriend wasn’t like this. He kissed me like no one else, and made me
laugh, but damn it, he either had the memory of a goldfish or was too ignorant
to care.
“That
was for tomorrow night!” I stared into his eyes with hope of making him feel
guilty, but he was clueless. “Dad’s back from Sydney tomorrow, and Mum’s got a
dinner for us three. You know he
loves Coke. You know he’s been away
for weeks. You know Mum’s too busy
working to buy more groceries before then.”
Justin
shook his head. “So uptight.” He squeezed my ass, smiling as he planted his
lips fully to mine. “I love that about you, but seriously, I forgot. And, your
mum works at a supermarket, for fuck’s sake.”
True,
but Justin drank Coke, and ate all the ice cream, and ate all the chips, and I
got sick of explaining to Mum why I was so selfish as to keep putting her out
when she only requested little favours like these on special occasions. Such as
tomorrow.
“I’m
not uptight.” I paused. “It’s fine about the top—I’ll hand wash and Rick—”
But
as I turned to tell him not to worry about fixing the washing machine, my hands
met a rock solid chest. I froze. My palms lingered on the contours of his
defined pecs with my fingertips at his collarbone. Not able to look at his
eyes, I dropped my hands, as if that would undo our moment.
It
didn’t.
I’d
spend sleepless nights dreaming about his body, as I did when he was far away and
stopped talking to me. Pictures and memories of him were all I had.
Justin
was hot with his dark eyes and brown hair, but compared to Rick, he was
scrawny. Mostly bones everywhere, and when we made out, his hips rubbed into
mine. I’d forgotten his shortfalls when it was just him and me. I liked him
plenty and that grew to love. But now my past was back, and I had no idea what
to feel when seconds ago my hands were on his brother.
That
brother with a firm build, one that wouldn’t rub against me if we were to … I
shut down that thought pattern. I shouldn’t imagine Rick on top of me. We were
three years apart, and at my age, sex with him was illegal.
I
pulled my thoughts in and mumbled, “Oh, um,” then took a breath and tried
again. “Dad’s back tomorrow, so don’t worry about it. He’ll fix it then. I feel
terrible putting you out.”
“It’s
fine, Vee, really. Kill some time.”
“Thanks,
fag,” Justin said, pulling at my arm to drag me away.
“God,
Justin, you’re such an ass sometimes.” I shook out of his grip. He looked
offended, so I added, “Gotta go clean up the Coke, remember?”
“Seriously,”
Rick said, “you two just chill. I’ll let myself through. This way?” He pointed
down the hall.
I
nodded. “I’ll come with you.”
“Fine.”
Justin walked the other way. “You two have fun. I’m hanging in Vee’s bed.”
“Such
a tool,” Rick said, walking to the washing machine.
“I
know,” I mumbled.
I
took out the mop and bucket, and then went to the cupboard to grab the
concentrate liquid.
“I
was born with a link to him, but indulge me,” Rick crouched by the washing
machine on his haunches, legs spread and hands dangling between, “why is
someone as smart and gorgeous as you with him?”
“I
ask myself why—”
I
stopped.
He
said I was smart and gorgeous.
“Oh,”
I managed between strangled breaths, “thanks.”
He
half-smiled then got to work. His T-shirt rode up on one side as he leant over.
Just above his pant line, the angular ‘V’ at his lower back peeked out. Hard as
I tried not to gawk, it was
impossible when I was alone with him in this small space.
“The
um,” I started and almost forgot what I was going to say. Luckily, I recovered.
“The machine won’t start. Not sure what it is. Mum and I have been hand washing
for now.”
Rick
turned, focusing his attention on the washer. I wiped the laundry bench and
cupboard and mopped the floor, trying to concentrate on the mop end and not
Rick’s ass or his body bent over the machine.
After
I was done, I went to my room to hang with Justin, but he wasn’t there. I did a
lap of the house, called his name, and checked the other rooms too, but he had
literally disappeared. I paused a moment in the kitchen, steadying myself on
the corner of the bench while I let the realisation absorb. He left without a
goodbye, without much of a hello for that matter.
“Rick!”
I called.
He
emerged wiping his top down his face. I looked away as fast as I could, but the
image of his lean eight-pack projected in my imagination anyway.
Justin
might’ve been outside or somewhere I hadn’t checked. He had to be. I pushed
aside the topic. It would be stupid to suggest he left.
“Thank
you so much,” I said, meeting Rick’s eyes, “for in there.” I pointed behind
him.
“But
you don’t know if I fixed it.”
“You
tried.”
He
smiled with his lip jutted out and nodded, as if I impressed him. “Well,” he
said, “you can be a woman of modern technology from now on. All fixed. It was a
loose belt. Slipped off.”
“Oh,
lucky me.”
The
silence became louder, and judging by the tightness between Rick’s eyebrows, he
had just noticed Justin’s absence.
“Justin?”
I queried, and he nodded cautiously. “Yeah, I looked everywhere for him. This
might sound stupid, but I think he left. I couldn’t find him. He’s just not
here.”
Rick
tensed his jaw, scoping the open living area. “Bull,” he said, but by the
dismissive tone, he sounded like he was saying it to himself or about something
else.
He
stalked off toward my backyard without another word, so I scampered after him,
my little legs no match for his long strides. I flipped the light on outside
and Rick walked down the steps, following the shallow lighting spilling over
the clumpy, yellowed grass and shrubs lining the property fence.
“Unbelievable,”
Rick muttered, I thought, but I couldn’t be sure with his back facing me or by
the growl to his tone.
He
eased me back with a polite hand and walked around to my front door and beyond.
He surveyed the porch and front yard in the same swift and efficient manner as
the back, and then turned to me. We were facing each other separated by my
whole house. The front light slammed behind him and it made him glow. I
supposed I looked the same, and wondered if I seemed as mysterious and alluring
as he did. Not possible.
We
shut the doors and walked towards each other, meeting near my kitchen bench.
“Did
he tell you he was leaving?”
“Not
at all,” I said, scratching my head. “I just came from the laundry and he was
gone. Maybe …” but I trailed off, feeling stupid for thinking it.
“What?”
Rick said, eyes narrowed.
“Maybe
he texted me letting me know why.”
Rick
shrugged. “You could check.”
I
did, returning with my mobile phone. I had one new message.
“Unbelievable,”
I muttered, embodying the same rage as Rick.
“What?
He didn’t—” Rick looked at my mobile which I handed over, and he cut himself
off to read. “He did. Where did he even go? What a bastard.”
Rick’s
cheeks were inflamed now, and a telltale vein popped from his forehead. He
scrubbed his temples with the heels of his hands.
I
remained there not doing a thing. I hadn’t seen Rick for so long. I hadn’t a
clue how to calm him down or what would be appropriate.
“It’s
not a big deal,” I said. “He’s my boyfriend, not yours.”
“He’s
my brother. I’m here to look out for him and the kid slips from my fingers.”
“Look
out?” I asked.
Rick’s
face blanched. He stood there with these big helpless arms dangling on either
side of his body. He coughed and said, “Parents are away. Someone’s gotta keep
him out of trouble.”
“Oh.”
I sighed. “It’s nice of you to come back to keep an eye on him. I’m sure he
doesn’t think so. Now he can’t run amuck with freedom.” I had so many questions
to ask Rick, like whether London was an extended holiday or was he there for
work or did he miss me? I couldn’t ask any of them though when we had more
important things on our minds.
“I
don’t think so either,” Rick said in a solemn tone. The severity of it hit me
square in the chest like a physical force, and my body stood immobile while I
adjusted to the weirdness of everything. Justin leaving, but also the aloof
Rick Delaney that had changed since I last knew him.
“I
better go search.” He patted his pockets, looked over the bench, and then
ducked into the laundry room. When he emerged, he walked to the front door.
I
followed, and we both turned to each other at the same time, emitting a
startled chuckle from me. I placed my hand over my chest. “Thanks for
everything. It’s good to see you back, Rick.” I leaned up to kiss him, and he
stooped to my cheek, pecking it so lightly, only the bristle of his stubble
grazed my skin.
He
jogged down the front steps, unlocked his car, and was about to jump into it
when he looked up at me, this big, lost expression on his handsome face. “See
ya,” he called. And then he hopped in and drove.
At
least he said goodbye, but the whole night had left me shaken.
• • •
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About the Author
Rebecca Berto writes stories about love and relationships. She gets a thrill when her readers are emotional reading her books, and gets even more of a kick when they tell her so. She's strangely imaginative, spends too much time on her computer, and is certifiably crazy when she works on her fiction. Rebecca Berto lives in Melbourne, Australia with her boyfriend and their pets.
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