Longing For Langston (Mavericks of Meeteetse, Novella Book 1: Brody & Liv)

by Renee Vincent

Brody couldn’t stop laughing on the inside as he drove down a two-lane back road that led toward the Langston residence. Liv sat in the passenger seat of his truck, red-faced and mortified. She stared out the windshield, her knees hiked up to her chest with her arms around them. He thought it cute that she felt embarrassed for getting caught red-handed.

  He tried to smooth things over. “I don’t think Jonas had a clue what we were doing.”

  “Right. ’Cause it’s a common thing to see a pile of jeans and underwear outside a truck when one pulls into his own driveway.”

  Brody bit back a smile. When she put it that way, it sounded twice as comical. He reached for her hand and squeezed. “One day, we’ll laugh about this, you know.”

  “If I don’t die of humiliation first.”

  He hated to see her upset, especially after the erotic evening they’d shared. He rested his elbow on the open window and let the cool night air blow in while he relived the heated moments he’d spent with Liv.

  “You have to admit,” he added with a sideways glance, “the look on Jonas’s face was pretty funny when he realized you were completely naked underneath my cowboy hat. Thank goodness I brought it into the truck with me.”

  Her lips twitched, and she cracked the tiniest of smiles. “Yeah, I guess it could’ve been worse.”

  Brody pondered her statement, trying to imagine a worse scenario. “With you, there’s no such thing. Every moment with you, Liv, is magnificent. My only regret is that I didn’t have the guts to tell you how I felt sooner. I would’ve liked to have more time with you before you jetted off to Nashville.” He expected some sort of reply from her, but when she didn’t, he regarded her closely. “You’re still going to Nashville tomorrow, right?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged.

  “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  “I mean, things have changed now. There’s more to consider—”

  Brody hammered down on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. He threw the shifter in park and whirled in the seat to face her. “There’s nothing to consider. You’re going to Nashville, Liv, and that’s that.”

  She dropped her feet to the floorboard and cast him a stern look. “Don’t you think that’s my decision?”

  “Dammit, Liv!” he shouted, punching the cab roof. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you how I felt. I should’ve kept my damn mouth shut.”

  “What is that supposed to mean, Galven?”

  “It means I don’t want you throwing away your dreams over me. I’m not worth it.”

  “Who says I’m throwing them away?”

  “You will be if you don’t get on that plane tomorrow.”

  Liv furrowed her forehead in confusion. “Why are you so adamant about me leaving?”

  He closed his eyes, finding it hard to look at her. She was so beautiful and desirable that anything she asked for, he’d give her. Even the moon if he could.

  “Brody, if I do this, there’s no telling how soon I’ll get to come home. It could be weeks, months from now. I don’t know.” She reached out and laid her hand over his. He ignored the temptation of her touch, the allure of her voice when she pleaded her case. “I’ve wanted you for so long…and now that I have you…I’m not sure I’m ready to give you up.”

  Brody clenched his teeth. He had to remain strong. “If you don’t get on that plane, there is no us.”

  Her hand slid from his. “What are you saying?”

  He opened his eyes and riveted her with an intense stare. “If you throw away your only chance at stardom for me, I’ll never forgive myself. What kind of man would I be if I held you back? How could you continue to love and respect me if I didn’t push you to chase your dream?” He edged closer and cradled her face, catching her tears in his palms. “It kills me to tell you to leave. Especially when I’m finally holding the one person in my life I can’t live without.” He brushed his thumb across her cheek and softened his voice. “But because you are the only thing that is right in my world…I must do right by you. You deserve nothing less.” He drew in a breath, holding back his own emotions. “Now, you’re going to get on that plane…and you’re going to knock the socks off Nashville. You hear me?”

  Through their tears, they shared a laugh recalling her words from earlier this evening. He pressed his forehead against hers, and swallowed the lump in his throat. “Tell me you’re going to Nashville, Liv.”

  She nodded.

  “I need to hear you say it, baby.”

  “I will,” she whispered. “I will go to Nashville. And I will make you so proud of me.”

  He looked deep in her eyes, brushing back a flyaway strand of hair from her face. “You already do.”