Wylde Fire

by Sarah Robinson

  "To a successful event tonight with a lot of donations for the baseball team," Grady began, lifting his glass toward hers. "And to the woman who made it all possible."

  "Cheers," she replied, clinking the edge of her glass to his.

  They both took sips of their champagne and were quiet for a moment, savoring the delicious beverage.

  "So, I'm afraid to ask," Grady began. "But is…is Sam coming tonight?"

  He sounded so hopeful, like a little kid whose balloon she was about to burst.

  Holly chewed on the inside of her cheek, taking a deep breath as she tried to figure out the best way to say most likely not. "Um, I don't really know for sure, but last I spoke to him, it seemed like he wasn't going to."

  She'd invited him and encouraged him several times to come. He'd already turned down the idea of going out to dinner with Grady and Jane and her, so she'd put that on hold indefinitely. The next thing she'd tried was to get him to come to the charity dinner. Hell, his grandmother wanted him to come to that as well because of his past as a star pitcher on the team at River Ridge High. The coach was incredibly excited about the possibility of him showing up as well. He was a celebrity at that school and especially to the kids on that team. But he'd nixed the idea just as fast as he'd nixed the idea of going out to dinner with Grady and Jane.

  "It's at their house, Holly," Sam had said. "I wouldn't be caught dead anywhere near them, let alone their happy home."

  So, it was safe to say that the chances of him showing up tonight were null and none. But she'd still left him all the information about where she'd be and what time the dinner was in case he changed his mind last minute.

  "Yeah, I figured," Grady said with a long sigh. "Ah, well. One day."

  "One day," she agreed.

  "Ma'am?" A valet called out from the front door. "The first guests are starting to arrive."

  "Thank you!" Holly replied, then quickly downed the rest of her champagne. "It's show time. Let's go schmooze some donors."

  Grady placed a hand on her lower back, leading her toward the door. "Let's do this."

  "Grady?" Jane walked around the corner and appeared in front of them. "I'm ready. Are the guests here?"

  Holly couldn't help but let her eyes drift south toward Jane's belly and notice for the first time that there was a small swell to her stomach. She smiled, thinking of their future baby and feeling nothing but genuine happiness for them.

  Grady dropped his hand from Holly and walked over to Jane. Leaning in, he kissed her gently on the cheek. "You look gorgeous, babe."

  "Thanks, my love," Jane replied, kissing him back on the cheek all while eyeing Holly through a squinted glare. She turned toward Holly stoically. "Hello."

  "Good evening," Holly replied. "You do look great."

  She was being honest. Jane was dressed in a flowing red gown that showed off her tall, lanky frame and really made her legs look even longer. Seriously, she looked Amazonian. It was impressive and quite the look with her hair sleek and straight down her back.

  "Thanks," Jane replied curtly. It was clear that she was still smarting over their encounter the other week in the coffee shop.

  Holly couldn't really blame her. She almost wanted to apologize, but now didn't seem like the time or place.

  Guests began to arrive in a steady trickle and she said hello to each one, welcoming them and showing them to the bar to make sure everyone got a drink right away. Grady was doing a fantastic job playing the host and laughing along with his guests, already seeing checks placed in his hand for the cause. He'd pass them off to her for safekeeping in the office vault when he got a chance and she'd tuck them away.

  "Quite a party," a familiar voice said behind her as she was standing up after closing the safe.

  Holly whirled around. "Sam!"

  He grinned, spreading his arms and showing off how dashing he looked in a tuxedo. She'd never seen him this dressed up before, and holy shit…her jaw nearly hit the floor. He was mouthwatering the way the tux cut across his perfectly chiseled chest and hugged his full biceps.

  "You came," she continued, trying to recollect herself after the embarrassing display of fawning she'd just done over her fiancé.

  Sam nodded, dipping his chin low, his lashes dropping in a seductive way that made her want to jump into his arms right then and there. "Well, you asked me to."

  "I did."

  He lifted his arms. "Here I am."

  Sam closed the office door behind them. He turned the lock. A wicked smile played across his expression.

  "And here I am," she replied, leaning back against Grady's large mahogany desk. Lifting one leg, she placed her foot on the desk's surface, exposing her entire thigh outside of her dress.

  He let out a low growl and stalked over to her. "Are we doing this?"

  She just nodded in response, a teasing smirk on the corner of her lips. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that she wanted to do anything else. Hell, maybe this would be therapeutic for him. Fucking on his brother's desk? It was forbidden as hell and she was into every debaucherous moment of it.

  The moment he reached her, he grabbed her by the waist and flipped her around so her back was pressed to his chest.

  She gasped at the sudden movement, steadying herself against the desk, her hands flat against its surface.

  His whisper caressed her ear as he leaned in close. "I'm going to fuck you from behind."

  Swallowing hard, she felt heat pooling between her legs at the anticipation of his promise. Her breath quickened as her shoulders rose and fell with every steady beat of her quickening heart.

  He hiked her skirt up around her waist, sliding his fingertips up her thighs slowly and harshly, almost scraping her skin as he moved deliberately and with purpose northward. Deftly, he slid his hand between her waiting legs and found her wet center ready for him.

  He chuckled, but it was low and rumbly in his chest so much so that she could feel it against her back. "You're not wearing any panties."

  She shook her head. "I'm coming home to you."

  Her answer must have pleased him because she heard him unfastening his zipper behind her and unbuckling his pants. Within seconds, she could feel him pressed against her entrance.

  "Ah," she moaned, pushing her hips backward, encouraging him to go deeper. She wanted more. She needed more. She felt like her entire body was on fire and only he had the ability to extinguish her flames…or maybe burn brighter.

  Sam pushed her hair aside, letting it hang down over her shoulder and exposing her back to him. She was wearing a long collared, no-sleeve gown that completely covered her back and neck, but left her arms free of any fabric. With one quick move, he grabbed the zipper at the top of her neck and slid it down her back, letting her dress fall off of her and pool at her feet.

  "What are you doing?" She scrambled to turn around and face him, trying to hide her back from view as quickly as possible.

  "No. Turn back around," he encouraged, his voice softer and gentler as he took her chin between his fingers. "I want to see every inch of you while I'm inside you, Holly."

  She blinked hard, trying to bat back tears. They'd only ever had sex from behind before when her back had still been covered, because she avoided any position that allowed her scars to be so visibly accessible. The car accident that had taken her parents’ lives and left her sister comatose had left its mark on her physically and her back proved every mangled inch of it.

  "Sam…" She chewed on her bottom lip, trying to figure out how she could explain to him that she just felt…hideous.

  "Holly, you're beautiful," he continued, talking over her as if he already knew what she was thinking. "And there isn't an inch of you that I don't want to make love to."

  She lifted her eyes to his. What had he just said?

  "What?"

  Sam grinned, boyish in nature the way he smiled at her with a joy that lit him up from the inside out. "I love you, Holly. I'm in love with you. I've been dying to tell you for a
few days now, but didn't know the right moment. Hell, I don't even know if this is the right moment, but I can't wait another minute and not tell you that I'm absolutely head over heels in love with you and you don't have to say anything, but I just needed you to know."

  He was rambling, and she loved every moment of it. He looked so excited, so pure, so full of hope and energy that she wanted to jump into his arms and tell him that she loved him, too. Because that was the truth…she did. She did love him. God, she was so fucking in love with him and had been for over a decade, but he already knew that, so there was really only one thing left to do.

  "Kiss me." Holly wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. Then she turned around and bent over the desk, wiggling her ass against his hips. "Now fuck me."

  Sam chuckled, but pressed himself against her within seconds. With swift, solid movements, he pumped inside her and they both groaned with relief at the fulfilling feeling. Thrust after thrust left them both reeling with pleasure as she ground her hips against his, pushing back on to him to take as much of him as she could.

  She wanted everything he had to give her. Hell, he'd just given her his heart. She was being greedy and she didn't even care.

  He reached around her body and found her most sensitive bundle of nerves, rubbing against her with two fingers. Her orgasm hit her like a sparkler, sizzling through her body in crackling waves of ecstasy imploding from one end to the other. He was only seconds behind, spilling inside her.

  Knock knock.

  A knock on the office door sounded and her eyes went wide. Scrambling, she pulled her dress up her body and turned around while Sam zipped it up. He adjusted himself and the two quickly checked to make sure they looked decent and like they hadn't just fucked each other wild against a desk.

  "We should probably get back to the party," Holly whispered to Sam.

  Sam covered his mouth with his hand, hiding his smile. "You're the one who's working. I'm going to go have a drink."

  "Bastard," she teased, then opened the office door to find Grady standing on the other side.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  "Grady!" Holly awkwardly said hello to her current employer seconds after having just fucked his brother on his desk. "How is the party going?"

  "Isn't that a question I should be asking you?" Grady chuckled, handing her a stack of checks for the office safe. "I've missed you."

  "Grady." Sam stepped into view and nodded his head at his brother.

  "Sam!" Grady opened his arm's wide. "I'm so happy you made it."

  They embraced awkwardly—well, half awkwardly. Sam was stiff as a board and completely unwilling to be part of the embrace while Grady hugged him tightly.

  "Everyone's been asking about whether or not you're coming. Go say hi. The kids are going to be thrilled you're here," Grady told him, motioning behind him toward the partygoers.

  Sam walked past the two of them and headed in the direction of the party. "It'll be good to catch up. Thanks."

  With that, he was gone. Holly wasn't necessarily thrilled with the interaction between him and Grady, but it had been a start at least. They were making progress. Or something like that.

  "Let me just put these checks in the safe and I'll be right out," she told Grady as she walked back over to the safe and bent down to unlock the code.

  Grady coughed. "Whoa."

  She opened the safe door and placed the checks inside, but just as she was about to stand back up, she felt two hands on her ass. Moving forward, she stepped away and whirled around to see Grady standing there grinning at her.

  "Excuse me?" Holly asked, wondering if what had just happened had actually just happened.

  "I've definitely thought about it, but you're making it so obvious…and right in front of Sam?" Grady shook his finger in front of her face. "You're naughty, Holly. I like that in a woman."

  It was her turn to be confused again. "What are you talking about?"

  He didn't reply, instead he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her to his chest. His mouth was on hers in a second, warm and wet and completely unwelcome. She opened her mouth to protest, but he took that as an invitation to stick his tongue down her throat instead.

  "What the hell?" Sam's voice sounded clear over the smacking sound of Grady's lips against hers. "Holly? You've got to be fucking kidding me."

  With a shove, Holly put both hands against Grady's chest and pushed him away from her just in time to see Sam turning around and walking out of the office.

  "Sam!" She chased after him, shoving Grady to the side, but Sam was nowhere in sight when she exited the office. "Sam?"

  She quickly circled around the party, trying to find him, but he wasn't there. Returning to her kitchen, she found her purse stored in the back of the cabinets and pulled out her cell phone. She dialed his number furiously and waited and waited but he didn't answer. She tried again, but still…nothing.

  As quickly as she could, her breath becoming ragged with the panic coursing through her, she typed out a text message to him.

  It wasn't what it looked like. I didn't want it. He just kissed me out of nowhere.

  She stared at her text message and then erased it. It just sounded like a stupid excuse. She needed something real, something tangible to tell him. Or show him. Proof that she hadn't just done what he thought she'd done. What Jane had done.

  Sam, please. Call me.

  Fuck. That wasn't enough either. She erased that text, too.

  You know me. You know Grady. You know that wasn't what it looked like.

  Send.

  That was the best she could think of.

  Hell, he knew who his brother was. Clearly, he knew his brother better than she did. She'd been fucking swindled. She thought Grady was this great guy who was just trying his best and wanting to turn things around for their family. Instead, he'd just been trying to get some ass.

  Typical.

  And, my God, his pregnant wife was in the next room.

  Holly shivered and goose bumps appeared across her arms and shoulders. What the hell had she gotten herself into?

  "Holly?" Grady's voice came from behind her.

  She whirled around to face him, almost knocking over a pot that's handle was sticking over the edge of the stove in the kitchen where they stood. "What?"

  "Is everything okay?" he asked, as if he didn't already fucking know.

  She squinted her eyes at him, trying to figure out what he could possibly be thinking. "No, everything is not okay, Grady." She was practically hissing her words. "You fucking kissed me. Hell, you groped me."

  He put his hands up defensively. "You basically asked me to."

  Holly put her hands to her temples, her fingers clenched together. "In what world could you possibly think I would want your hands on me like that? Grady, you're fucking married. I was at your fucking wedding. You're having a fucking baby."

  "Jesus," he cautioned, his hands still up defensively. "There's no need to curse so much."

  Holly scoffed. "Oh, I think there's a lot of fucking need. Hell, I think I should fucking punch you in your damn face."

  "I'm sorry, okay?" Grady replied, an embarrassed look on his face that almost looked genuine. "Honestly, I really am sorry."

  She squinted her eyes at him again, deciding if she believed a word out of his goddamn mouth. She decided he didn't. "Don't ever come near me again."

  With that, she walked out of the kitchen with her purse and straight for her car. All she could think of was one thing—she needed to find Sam.

  She didn't care how she was going to do it or where he was. She was going to track him down, explain to him the situation, and beg he understand.

  Pressing the unlock button on her car keys, she watched her car’s lights flash on. She knew Sam must have gone home. She could find him there. Panic coursed through her body at the thought that she wasn't in time—that he was going to go somewhere else, do something drastic. She had to find him.

  S
he pulled out her cell phone and texted him again.

  Sam, please.

  "Holly, wait!" A high-pitched voice called out to her from behind her.

  She considered not turning around but curiosity got the better of her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Jane running toward her, one hand over her stomach and the other holding up her dress from dragging on the floor. "Jane?"

  The beautiful Amazon stumbled up to her, gasping for breath at how fast she'd moved. "Holly, please. Wait."

  Holly furrowed her brows. "What's wrong? Are you okay?"

  "Please don't tell anyone about what just happened." Jane's eyes were wide, her face wild with panic. "Please don't tell anyone about what he did."

  Holly stepped backward. "What?"

  Did she know?

  Jane waved her hand. "I know. I know Grady tried to kiss you and all that shit. I know what he's like, okay? I know who I married. But please. Please, don't tell anyone."

  "Jane…" Holly swallowed hard, trying to figure out what the hell kind of soap opera she'd stepped into and why she was center stage. "Why…why would you want to be with someone like that?"

  She shrugged her shoulders, and the saddest look of compliance and acceptance Holly had ever seen came over her face. "He's a doctor. He'll take care of me. He'll take care of us." She rubbed her stomach. "We're happy."

  "But, Jane…"

  "I said, we're happy, Holly. Please don't ruin it." Jane cut her off with a wave of her hand. "Make me a promise. Woman to woman. Please."

  "Jane…"

  "Please, Holly."

  Holly finally nodded. "I have to tell Sam the truth, but other than that, I'll stay quiet."

  Jane's face visibly relaxed with relief. "Thank you."

  "But, Jane…if you ever change your mind…if you ever realize you—and your baby—deserve better, I'll be here to help you. Just let me know."

  Jane glanced at her for a moment, as if briefly considering her options, then just tersely nodded and turned back to the house and walked away.

  "What. The. Fuck," Holly whispered under her breath as she climbed into her car. "What the actual fuck."