Searching For Love – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

by Melissa Foster

  “Zevy…you got our tattoo,” she said with disbelief.

  He reached behind him again, hooked his fingers around her waist, and shifted her around to his front, guiding her legs around him. The longing in his eyes brought another rush of emotions.

  “Those are our shapes. They’re our story,” he said earnestly. “I left thinking I was saving you from my grief, but that didn’t mean I left all we had behind. I never had any intention of forgetting anything about us, or you, Carls.”

  She felt like she might cry as she leaned back in his arms, looking down at their connected bodies, and pulled down the left side of her bikini bottom just enough to reveal her matching tattoo. The only difference between the two was that in addition to the gold being inked in color, she’d had the treasure chest inked in gold with black straps. “I didn’t want to get it on my neck where other people would ask about it. Answering questions would have been too painful.”

  “Christ, Carly. My heart is going to explode.”

  She wrapped her arms around him, feeling the same, and said, “Then you’d better kiss me one more time before that happens.”

  Their mouths crashed together fierce and urgent. She didn’t hold back as their teeth gnashed and their tongues battled. She wanted his passion, craved the scratch of his whiskers, the burn of his smoldering heat. Her senses reeled. She pushed her hands into his hair, taking as much as she gave. Each swipe of their tongues coaxed her deeper into his taste, his smell, the lust and greed pulsing between them. He groped her ass with one hand, his other crushing her chest to his. Somewhere in her periphery she heard splashes and voices, and in a far-off part of her mind, she knew they needed privacy, but she didn’t care. Zev was here and she was in his arms, filling up all her empty spaces. She never wanted this moment to end. How was it possible to feel so much, to want so greedily?

  He tore his mouth away, scanning their surroundings with ravenous eyes, and growled, “Not here.” He plowed through the water, into the cavernous mouth of the rocks. Shrouded by darkness, he reclaimed her lips, still trudging deeper into the cave, out of sight of the other swimmers. She tightened her thighs around him, pawing at his muscular arms and back, and wanting so much more. He stopped walking and broke their kisses again, his eyes searching the darkness.

  They were alone. Thank freaking God.

  “Kiss me,” she said breathlessly, tugging his mouth back to hers.

  Their bodies ground together, pushing him forward. His arm hit the rocks behind her, buffering her from their sharpness as they devoured each other. His other hand moved beneath her ass, so close to her center, she whimpered needily. She loosened her thighs around him, hinting at the approval she knew he sought. He stroked her through the thin material of her bikini, drawing more desperate sounds. He pushed his thick, rough fingers into her bikini bottom, teasing over her center, and intensified their kisses. His finger thrust inside her, sending scintillating pleasures through her. He zeroed in on the magical spot he’d been the first to discover, alighting flames along her skin despite the cold water.

  “Fuck, baby,” he gritted out. “You feel so good.”

  The hunger in his voice was an aphrodisiac all its own. He sealed his mouth over her neck, sucking and kissing as she rode his fingers. He was lost in a sea of sensations. Her head fell back, and a long surrendering moan escaped.

  “I need your mouth,” he demanded.

  She scrambled to make her brain function, and he crushed his mouth to hers. He sucked her tongue, a trick he’d learned when they were younger, driving her out of her flipping mind. He sucked hard, pain and pleasure coursing through her. Just when she thought she couldn’t take any more, he eased his efforts, kissing her so slowly and thoroughly her thoughts fell away. He kissed and touched, teased, and made the most enticing, hungry sounds, taking her right up to the edge of madness. She was caught in a web of arousal, her entire body trembling. Lust prickled her limbs. Desires pounded through her until every breath felt like it might be her last, and she finally, gloriously, shattered into a million blinding pieces. Her body bucked and quivered as she rode the waves of their passion. Just when she started to catch her breath, he intensified his efforts. His fingers were relentless, every stroke sending her higher. She wanted to hunker down with his talented mouth for a long, delicious winter and feast on it morning, noon, and night, like she was doing now, as she gave herself over to him, and he completely, blissfully unraveled her once again.

  “Oh God” rushed from her lungs. “I need you, Zevy. All of you.”

  His face was a mask of restraint. “I need you, too, but I don’t want to make a mistake.”

  “I’m protected. I promise.”

  His lips curved up, and he kissed her again, deep and tender. “I wasn’t talking about that kind of mistake. There’s nothing I want more than to make love to you right this second, and doing it here, with all those people out there?” He tightened his grip on her. “That’s us, Carly, and I want it so badly I can taste it. But I promised I wouldn’t hurt you, and I intend to keep that promise. I don’t want you to regret anything we do.”

  Her cheeks burned and she buried her face in his neck. “Oh my gosh. What have you done to me?” She lifted her head, meeting his serious eyes, and said, “I haven’t done anything reckless since Mexico, and here I was ready to—”

  He silenced her with a deep, sensual kiss, leaving her too light-headed to be embarrassed.

  “This is who we are, Carls. What we have is so much bigger than us. It takes over, and yes, sometimes we’re reckless because we’re usually powerless to stop our momentum. But this time you can count on me to make sure we’re smarter about when and how we’re reckless.” He brushed his lips over hers and said, “No embarrassment. Okay, babe? I love the power of us, and I hope we never lose it.”

  She nodded, full of too many emotions to speak.

  A devilish glimmer rose in his eyes, and he said, “But I am only human, and you are the woman I have fantasized about since I was old enough to have dirty thoughts, so if I have any hope of remaining in control, you need to peel your gorgeous body off me.”

  She giggled as she lowered her legs. “This is a first. I don’t think I can remember a time that you ever asked me to back off. Oh wait, yes I do. On the hike up here. I could get a complex from this behavior, you know.”

  He pulled her in for another kiss, his arousal pressing into her, and said, “I think we need the five-foot rule for a few minutes. I want to take you someplace and show you something, but walking out of here sporting a baseball bat might turn a few heads.”

  They lingered in the cool water. Remembering how much fun it was to taunt him, she said, “Did I mention that I’m thinking about taking up baseball? I love running the bases, but there’s nothing quite like getting a good grip on that wood.”

  He gave her a deadpan look, the muscles in his jaw bunching. She giggled and splashed him. He shoved his hands along the surface of the water, shooting water straight into her face, and she dove away. He went after her. They made their way out of the cave laughing and splashing, and swam into deeper water.

  When they finally settled down, treading water in the warm sun, Carly thanked him for slowing them down. “My brain was fuzzy. You always know the right thing to say. Then again, your mouth has always made me happy.”

  He looked at her out of the corner of his eye.

  She couldn’t resist adding, “And your tongue. I really like your tongue.”

  He lunged, catching her around the waist. She shrieked as he hauled her against him with a fierce and sinful look in his eyes and said, “You keep talking like that and you’ll make a liar out of me.”

  “We wouldn’t want that, now, would we?” she said flirtatiously. She knew she shouldn’t push it, especially after he was strong enough to slow them down and do right by her. But she’d missed this playful banter so much, she couldn’t get enough of it, and she might only have a few days to get her fill.

  “Carly,�
� he warned. “I’m really trying to do the right thing here.”

  “Okay. You’re right. I’m sorry.” She pushed out of his arms and said, “So where is this place you want to take me?”

  “Hey, didn’t I just say—”

  Laughter bubbled out before she could stop it.

  “That’s it!” He grabbed her and tossed her over his shoulder. “You’re nothing but trouble.”

  “I’m sorry!” she said, laughing hysterically as he carried her out of the water. “I couldn’t help it!”

  He set her down on her feet and tossed her a towel. “Wrap yourself up in that before I lose my mind.”

  This was too much fun! She turned around and bent at the waist to dry her legs, giving him a great view of her ass.

  “Carly,” he growled.

  She turned wide, innocent eyes on him. “What? I’m just drying off. You don’t want me to be wet all day, do you?”

  He chuckled, shaking his head as he reached for his towel. “I can see this is going to be a long, hard day.”

  “Only if I’m lucky,” she teased.

  He hauled her into his arms again and said, “I’m done being good.”

  “Gee, I hope not. I’m sort of counting on all your goodness lasting for, oh, say…six days.”

  “Damn, I’ve missed us,” he said heatedly. As he lowered his lips to hers, she hoped it was a very long day, because she never wanted it to end.

  They dressed and hiked back down to the parking lot. As she opened the door to her truck, he said, “I like your wheels.”

  “It was my aunt’s. Where are we going, anyway?”

  “It’s a surprise. Follow me to the inn. We can leave your truck there and take mine.”

  She glanced at Beau’s truck and said, “Don’t you mean your brother’s truck?”

  “Yes. My van is on Silver Island.”

  “Your van?” Of course you have a van. Teenage memories pummeled her. One day it’ll be just you and me, Carls. We’ll park our van at the beach and watch the sunset, or at the top of a mountain and rock each other’s worlds beneath the stars.

  “It’s nothing fancy, but when I’m not sleeping on my boat, I live in my van. This winter I’ll store the boat on the island and travel in the van.” He slipped a hand to the nape of her neck, drawing her into another enticing kiss, and said, “Follow me, beautiful.”

  As she watched him walk away, she realized her virtual safety harness had been about as useless as her and Birdie’s plan for the wedding.

  Maybe she needed that chastity belt after all.

  Chapter Nine

  “WOULD YOU MIND if I change out of my bathing suit before we go wherever you’re taking me?” Carly asked as she grabbed her backpack and hopped out of her truck.

  She looked like an angel with her hair half-dry, golden tendrils framing her face, her sun-kissed cheeks a little pink. He could look at her all day and never get his fill. He was dying to tell her about the concretions, but he held back, wanting to see the spark of excitement in her eyes when he surprised her with them.

  He took her backpack, carrying it along with his own, and reached for her hand as they walked up to the entrance of the inn. He kissed her hand, and she glanced at him a little bashfully. He loved that she was still as sweet as she was sultry and that their breakup hadn’t hardened her.

  As he unlocked the door, Carly said, “Did you know Char swears the inn works some sort of magic that makes people fall in love?”

  He waggled his brows and said, “Maybe I should hold you hostage here for the week so you have no choice but to fall for me.” He pushed open the door and Bandit barreled out, tail wagging. The happy pooch went paws-up on Zev’s legs, and Zev loved him up. “Hey, buddy. Did you miss me?”

  Bandit barked and went to greet Carly, licking her leg.

  “Hi, sweetie. Is Uncle Zevy being good to you?” She crouched, letting Bandit lick her face. “I missed you, too.”

  The way she said Uncle Zevy made him wish he was an uncle just so he could hear her say it more often. “I’ve got to admit, I’m a little jealous of that dog right now.”

  Bandit bounded down the steps and into the yard as Carly rose to her feet, slowly dragging her eyes down Zev’s body, heating him up from the inside out. “You’re the one who wanted to behave.”

  Fuck behaving. He took her in a rough, demanding kiss, struggling to hold back all that he wanted to give but unwilling to be toyed with anymore. When their lips parted, he kept her body flush with his, her heart pounding against him, and he gritted out, “I was giving you time to be sure you wanted to go further before I unleashed all my hotness on you.” He paused to let his words sink in, enjoying the need simmering in her eyes. “But the hell with being chivalrous.”

  He sealed his mouth over her neck the way he knew she loved. She grabbed his arms, rising on her toes as he dragged his tongue all the way up her neck to her ear, and said, “I don’t want to fuck this up, Carls, but don’t take that to mean I don’t want to fuck you six ways to Sunday. I have wanted you in my bed every day of my goddamn life.”

  She made a hauntingly sexy sound and said, “I forgot about your dirty talk.”

  “No you didn’t,” he challenged, holding her gaze. “You haven’t forgotten a damn thing about us. You just buried who you used to be the same way I buried the boy I was.” Her eyes narrowed slightly, the confirmation clear. “The question is, my beautiful adventurer, can we find a way to blend the people we’ve become with the kids who fell so deeply in love they refuse to stay hidden?” He knew he was coming on strong, but he didn’t want to leave any room for misunderstanding. The adventurous Carly had only begun climbing out from under her careful facade, but he was beginning to wonder if her cautiousness wasn’t a facade after all, but rather the traits of the stronger woman she’d had to become because of him. He was more careful, too, which was why he’d slowed them down in the cave.

  She swallowed hard and said, “That’s a big question.”

  “A question we might not be ready to ask ourselves.” They’d both grown up, and being cautious was just one of many changes that had come from what they’d been through. But one thing definitely hadn’t changed. The desire in her eyes wasn’t thwarted by his pushy question. He kissed her softly, feeling her restraint, needing to see where she really stood, because he truly did not want to mess this up. “So I’ll ask you this question instead. Do you remember all the dirty things I loved doing to you?”

  “Zevy.” Her eyes flamed, but in the next second, control overtook the heat, giving him more silent answers even before she said, “Wouldn’t you like to know? But speaking of dirty, I really should rinse off if we’re going somewhere.”

  Talk about conflicting messages, my sweet girl. Was that an invitation or a statement? There was only one way to find out. “Sounds good to me.” He ran his hand down her hip, earning another flare of desire. “I’ll wash all your good parts.”

  His cell phone rang, and Bandit bolted up the steps, banging against Carly’s legs on his way inside. She wobbled, and Zev caught her around her waist.

  “Geez! What is he, your wingman?” she teased as his phone rang again. “Don’t you want to get that?”

  She might be speaking more sassily, but the desire in her eyes remained, and he wasn’t ready to let that go yet, so he said, “Not as badly as I want to get this.” He squeezed her ass and nipped at her lower lip, earning an even hotter look. But as she’d done moments before, she instantly regained control. She stepped from his arms just as his phone rang again.

  She took her backpack from his shoulder with a sexy smirk and said, “I need to shower, and you need to get that call.”

  He pulled his phone from his backpack and saw his sister’s name on the screen. “Even after all these years, Jilly’s still cockblocking us.” When they were younger, Jillian always seemed to wander into the yard or the room where they were making out. She and his other siblings called him often enough to keep tabs on him. He put the
phone to his ear as they headed inside and said, “Hold on, Jilly.”

  “Just point me in the direction of a cold shower,” Carly said.

  He led her to the grand staircase, and as they headed up to the second floor with Bandit on their heels, he said, “I’m in the Peter Pan suite.” Charlotte loved fairy tales, and while she and Beau lived in a house on the property that her great-grandfather had renovated to replicate Snow White’s house, Beau had transformed each of the inn’s suites to have fairy-tale themes.

  “Guess that makes me Wendy,” Carly said.

  “Hey, it’s better than where they wanted to put me—in the Rapunzel suite.” He pointed to his hair.

  “Your hair isn’t even that long, and I like it,” she said as he opened the door to the suite. “Don’t forget Jilly’s on the phone.”

  “Shoot. Thanks. I’ll grab a fresh towel for you. Bandit likes to steal them.” Zev put the phone to his ear and headed down the hall to the linen closet. “Hey, Jilly, sorry about that. What’s up?”

  “Was that Carly?” she asked enthusiastically.

  “Who else would it be?” He pulled the phone away from his ear as she shrieked with delight.

  “Does this mean you guys are back together? Did you guys finally talk after we left? How was it? Are you…?”

  He chuckled as she shot off a half dozen questions. He grabbed a couple of towels from the linen closet and realized that Carly was getting naked right down the hall and he was on the phone with his sister. What the hell?

  He stalked back down the hall, heating up at the thought of Carly stripping off her bikini, and said, “Jilly, I’m sorry, but I can’t really talk right now. Did you need something?”