Anything for You: An O'Brien Brothers Novel Read online

  Anything for You

  An O’Brien Brothers Novel

  Susan Coventry

  Copyright © 2018 Susan Coventry

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Cover Photo: iStock Photo

  Cover Design: Woodchuck Arts

  Edited by: FirstEditing.com

  Also by Susan Coventry

  A New Chapter

  An Island Christmas Wedding

  Better Than Fiction

  Capture The Moment

  Custom Built for Me

  Love Notes

  Me & You Plus Two

  Right Here With You

  See You Then

  Starring You and Me

  The Sweetest Mistake

  Twice as Tempting

  Table of Contents:

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Prologue

  “I don’t know about this,” McKayla said, tugging at the hem of her costume.

  “What’s not to know?” Lara replied. “You’ll make more money in one hour here than you do at your desk job.”

  “I hope to God nobody recognizes me.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You’re wearing a wig, and you don’t even live around here. You’ll never have to see any of these guys again.”

  How do I get myself into these messes? McKayla thought as Lara pulled up in front of a brick ranch home at the end of a quiet dirt road. When Lara had first asked her to do this, McKayla had immediately said no. But when Lara had told her how much money she could make for one hour’s worth of work and assured her that she wouldn’t have to take her clothes off, she’d changed her mind.

  While McKayla had a decent-paying job at an accounting firm, she could use the extra cash. Between her monthly rent, utility bills, car payment, gas, and groceries, there wasn’t much money left over for fun. So, here she was wearing a naughty nurse’s uniform and a red wig, and she was about to walk into a room full of strange men and dance for them.

  “All you have to do is shake your booty and flirt a little, and they’ll be happy. Half of them won’t even pay attention to us, and the other half will probably be so drunk they won’t even remember anything. Believe me, this is the easiest money you’ll ever make. Oh, and don’t give anyone your real name. If someone asks, just make something up,” Lara had said.

  McKayla still couldn’t believe she’d agreed to this, but now she was following Lara up to the front door of the house, where she could hear music blaring inside.

  Lara rang the doorbell, and then turning to McKayla, she said, “Showtime!”

  The next thing McKayla knew, they were being ushered into the living room by a guy named John, who seemed to be the one in charge. He seems friendly enough, McKayla thought as they followed him. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all.

  “Entertainment’s here, guys!” John called as he cut a path through the crowd. “Where’s Rob?”

  McKayla couldn’t be sure how many guys were there, but the living room was packed, and she fought down a moment of panic. Suddenly, she felt all eyes upon them, and she suppressed the urge to turn around and run out the door. But she couldn’t do that to Lara, and besides, they’d driven here together. She was trapped.

  “Where’s the bachelor?” John shouted, and then the crowd parted, and a guy (whom McKayla assumed was Rob) got shoved forward.

  Once he was standing directly in front of them, Lara flashed him a flirtatious smile and said, “Somebody said you called for a nurse.”

  “I…uh…yeah, I guess so,” Rob said as his friends hooted and hollered.

  “Why don’t you take a seat right here?” Lara said, and placing her hand on his arm, she led him to a chair that had been placed in the center of the room.

  Rob sat down, his face turning beet red, and for a moment, McKayla felt sorry for him. Had his friends set this up without his knowing? Did he even want them there?

  Then Lara called out, “Okay. Now, where’s the best man?”

  There was a lot of noise as another man was pushed forward and forced to sit down in a chair next to Rob. She and Lara had run through the routine several times beforehand, and McKayla knew this was her cue.

  “Hi,” she said, coming up beside the best man.

  “Hi,” he said, smiling up at her.

  Wow. She’d been so distracted by all the commotion and her nerves that she hadn’t really looked at the guy until now.

  The best man was absolutely gorgeous. He had medium-brown hair that was a bit shaggy, with the ends curling up at the back of his neck. His eyes were a striking shade of blue that she’d never seen before. Thinking about it later, she’d say they’d reminded her of the sky just before a storm blew in. He was clean-shaven, with full lips and a stunning smile that almost knocked her off her high-heeled white boots. And the way he looked at her, more friendly and curious than lewd, immediately put her at ease.

  They didn’t exchange any more words before the music started, and when she heard the opening notes of the Pitbull song, her body immediately began to move. Lara had chosen songs with a seductive Latin beat, and they’d practiced dancing in McKayla’s living room. McKayla had always loved dancing, so that part came naturally to her. The minute she heard music, her body wanted to move. It was dancing in a skimpy costume in a room full of strangers that she was leery of.

  Remembering Lara’s advice, McKayla focused her eyes on the best man and effectively blocked out the other men in the room. And given what she had to focus on, it wasn’t that difficult. Arms above her head, her hips swaying to the beat, she gave herself over to the music, letting it infuse her with confidence and sensuality.

  The best man watched her intently with a soft smile on his face. And even though she was wearing a short white nurse’s dress that showed plenty of cleavage and hugged her body like a second skin, she never felt like he was ogling her. Admiring her, yes, but not ogling.

  The groom, on the other hand, seemed to have regained his courage, and he openly looked down the front of Lara’s dress when she leaned over and shimmied, eliciting a round of catcalls from the rest of the guys.

  After the Pitbull song ended, Lara said, “Okay, who’s next?”

  Several hands flew up in the air, and she randomly selected two guys to come forward.

  When the best man stood up, he looked directly into McKayla’s eyes and said, “You’re a good dancer.”

  “Thanks,” she said, experien
cing an unexpected moment of shyness. She’d just had her boobs in the guy’s face, yet, he’d been the perfect gentleman. If she could have kept him in the “hot seat” a little longer, she would have, but some beefy guy nudged the best man out of the way.

  “Hey, Liam. It’s my turn, man.”

  Liam. Up until then, she hadn’t even known his name, and now that she knew, she thought it suited him. His name sounded strong and masculine, yet it had a softness to it too.

  Liam gave her one last smile before he was swallowed up by the crowd.

  The next song was by Jennifer Lopez, and after Lara gave her an encouraging nod, McKayla started dancing again. Part of their routine called for her to skim her hands up the sides of her body and then turn around and swivel her hips in front of the guy in the chair.

  She could tell from the start that this guy wasn’t going to be the gentleman that Liam had been. As she was dancing, he yelled out, “Yeah, baby! Just like that!” eliciting a round of laughter from the crowd.

  Lara had instructed her to ignore the catcalls and just keep dancing, so she did. But when she turned around and rotated her hips the second time, she felt a hand reach out and touch the back of her thigh.

  Startled, she whirled around to see Beefy smirking at her, looking like he’d just gotten away with something. Evidently, Lara hadn’t noticed, because she was still dancing in front of some tall blonde guy who was staring at her and licking his lips.

  The next thing she knew, Liam had stepped between her and the beefy guy and was saying something to him that she couldn’t quite hear. But then the music stopped, and suddenly, the whole room went quiet.

  “What’s your problem, man?” Beefy said, rising from the chair.

  The guy was taller and wider than Liam, but Liam didn’t seem the least bit intimidated.

  “There’s no touching, you idiot,” Liam snarled.

  “Who is she, your sister or something? I was just having a little fun.”

  And then John stepped forward. “C’mon, guys. Back to your corners.”

  But neither of them budged. Lara had come to stand alongside McKayla, and she whispered, “Did he touch you?”

  McKayla nodded.

  “Sorry guys. Show’s over,” Lara announced, effectively ending the standoff. Tugging on McKayla’s wrist, she pulled her away from the men and headed toward the door.

  “Hey, wait,” John said as he followed them.

  “Let them go,” Liam said, catching up with them at the door.

  “But we paid for an hour,” John argued.

  “Tom broke the rules,” Liam reminded him.

  “C’mon, Kay. Let’s go,” Lara said, opening the door. And then, realizing she’d just broken one of her own rules, she clamped her hand over her mouth.

  “Kay? Is that your name?” Liam asked.

  “No,” McKayla said, shaking her head.

  “Well, whatever your name is, I apologize on behalf of the rest of the guys.”

  She stared at him for a moment, wishing things hadn’t turned out like they had. Not because she wanted to keep dancing, but because she would have liked to talk to Liam some more. He seemed like a genuinely nice guy, and it was too bad one asshole had to ruin things.

  “Let’s go,” Lara repeated, sounding impatient.

  “It was nice to meet you, Liam,” McKayla said.

  “You too,” he said. “Maybe we’ll meet again sometime.”

  “I doubt it,” she said and then turned and walked away.

  Chapter One

  Eighteen Months Later

  “Mornin’, Kay,” Liam said as he sauntered through the front door.

  “How many times do I have to tell you that my name’s not Kay?” McKayla huffed.

  “Harper calls you Kay.”

  “That’s because she’s my sister. She’s allowed. You’re not.”

  Liam laughed. “When I first met you, your friend called you Kay, so it’s hard for me to call you anything else.”

  “Must you constantly remind me of the first time we met?”

  “Yes, I believe I must,” Liam said, leaning an elbow on her desk and smiling.

  “Don’t you have work to do?”

  “You tell me. You’re in charge of the schedule.”

  Sighing, McKayla glanced down at her planner. “You have a ten o’clock meeting with Kent Morgan and an eleven o’clock meeting with the Chamber of Commerce.”

  “Great. After that, we can go to lunch.”

  “Uh, no.”

  “Why not?”

  Tapping her fingernails on the desk, she said, “For the same reason I tell you every time…”

  “Because we work together?”

  “And…” she prompted.

  “Because we have nothing in common.”

  “If you know all this, why do you keep asking?”

  “Because, eventually, you’ll say yes.”

  “You’re wrong,” she said, although she couldn’t help but smile. She had to give him credit for perseverance. It was a trait that he and his brothers all shared, along with their insanely good looks.

  “Okay, so maybe lunch is a bad idea. But what about dinner? Tonight.”

  McKayla shook her head. “Even if I wanted to, I can’t. I’m already booked.”

  “Hot date?”

  “We’ll see,” she said. Noticing Liam’s look of disappointment, she averted her eyes to the planner. “You better get ready for your meeting. Kent will be here any minute.”

  Glancing down at his sports watch, Liam nodded. “I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

  Once he walked past, she turned and looked at his…

  “Are you looking at my ass again?” he said.

  “You wish,” she snapped.

  He laughed as he disappeared into his office and shut the door.

  McKayla let out a big breath. It was getting increasingly difficult to maintain this charade. The truth was, she was attracted to Liam, and she had been ever since they’d first met. But that was also another reason not to go out with him. He’d met her the one and only time she’d danced at a bachelor party, and he probably thought she was a “good time” girl. He also knew that she’d been fired from her previous job due to “inappropriate behavior” at the office. In simple terms, she’d been caught by her boss having sex on the conference room table with her then boyfriend. She’d lost her job and her boyfriend, and thanks to her sister, Harper, she’d landed here, at O’Brien Brothers Landscaping Company.

  Harper was currently engaged to Finn O’Brien, the oldest brother, and she’d convinced Finn to give McKayla the job. The last thing McKayla wanted was to disappoint her sister and the O’Brien’s, particularly Finn, who’d given her a chance to redeem herself.

  She’d screwed up one too many times recently, and she didn’t want to screw this up too. Over the past few years, she’d acquired a mountain of debt, and she needed this job. In addition, she and Liam were as different as night and day.

  He was a country boy who loved the outdoors. In his free time, he and his brothers liked to hunt, fish, camp, and go four-wheeling around the sprawling piece of property that Finn owned in Brandon. To her, enjoying the outdoors meant laying in a hammock underneath a shade tree with a gossip magazine and an ice-cold drink.

  She’d never gone camping a day in her life, and she had no desire to. Her philosophy was: why rough it when there’s a perfectly nice Holiday Inn nearby? And fish were meant to be caught by someone else and served to her on a platter with a side of french fries. There was no way she’d get her hands dirty by catching and, heaven forbid, cleaning the fish herself.

  She’d known Liam long enough to know what his idea of a good time was, and it didn’t match up with hers at all. Her perfect date would include dinner for two at a swanky restaurant, followed by dessert, and then taking in a movie, a play, or a concert. She also enjoyed trolling for antiques, hitting up craft fairs, and digging for treasures in second-hand stores.

  Digging
for treasures and digging in the dirt were two very different things, as she liked to remind Liam every chance she got. But just as Finn hadn’t given up on Harper, and Connor, the middle brother, hadn’t given up on his girlfriend, Julia, Liam didn’t seem to be giving up on her either. But if he thought things would turn out for them the way they had for his brothers, he was sorely mistaken.

  Aside from their working together and being opposites, McKayla had another reason for turning Liam away. She was horrible at maintaining relationships. She’d gone through as many men as she had jobs in recent years, and none of them had stuck. Not that she was looking to walk down the aisle anytime soon, but it would be nice to have a solid, steady guy to go out with on Friday nights and to have sex with…

  “Kay? Is Kent here yet?” Liam asked, poking his head out of his office.

  “I would have told you if he was,” she snapped, embarrassed to have been caught staring into space. Thinking about sex and Liam in the same timespan was unacceptable, and she vowed to do better.

  “Do you mind bringing in coffee once he gets here?” Liam asked.

  “Not at all,” she said and turned her attention back to her to-do list.

  “Oh, and one more thing.”

  She resisted rolling her eyes at him. “Yes?”

  “Blush is a nice color on you.” With that, he closed his office door, leaving her sitting there with her mouth agape.

  A few minutes later, Kent Morgan arrived, and McKayla was glad for the distraction. It was always harder to maintain her professionalism when it was just her and Liam in the office. Now that Kent was here, she kicked into high gear, standing to greet him and then leading him back to Liam’s office.

  “Can I get you some coffee?” she asked as she knocked on Liam’s door.

  “Yes, please,” he said. Kent was a handsome man in his forties who had a thick mane of dark hair and a roguish grin. He was tall and broad-shouldered and looked much younger than his years. He also happened to be one of the O’Brien’s’ most lucrative clients. Kent owned several strip malls in the area, and he’d awarded the landscaping contract for them to O’Brien Brothers Landscaping.