by Meghan Quinn
Silently, he walked over to Lucy and kneeled before her. He placed his hand on her head and leaned over the casket, pressing his head as close to hers as possible. The room rang silent as he had his moment with his girl, his love.
“Why did you have to leave me?” Connor spoke softly, grief heavy in his voice. “I can’t make it through this life without you, love. I don’t want to make it through this life without you.”
“He has three seconds to leave,” Clint yelled.
“Fuck this shit,” Austin shouted, causing another scene.
“Don’t leave me. Please come back,” Connor begged, as he was pulled up by Luke and guided out of the funeral home.
Luckily, Luke was able to convince Clint to allow Connor at the burial, but it all didn’t really matter to Connor at that point. He’d already lost everything he ever wanted; saying good bye was just making it that much more real.
Chapter 3
**Jane**
Why was he here? Didn’t he have spring training to go to? Was he really that close with Connor that he would drop his responsibilities and come to the funeral? Then again, Lucy was Brady’s friend too.
Either way, Jane was frazzled with Brady only a few feet away from her. She did her best to avoid him, but now at the after-service gathering, she couldn’t get far enough away from him. It was like he was trying to bother her with his closeness.
Even though she was doing her best to avoid him, she couldn’t help but notice how fit he looked in his suit. Brady had always been fit, thanks to his strict workout regimen, but today, he looked like he just popped off of a yearlong workout binge where all he did was lift weights. His suit clung to every inch of him, showing off his defined shoulders, his strong thighs, and his toned ass. It was torture seeing him, knowing she would never have her hands on him again.
“Brady is looking fine,” Albert said, chewing on a piece of celery and keeping his eyes on Brady, who must have been standing directly behind Jane.
“Didn’t notice,” Jane lied.
“Oh, okay. Anyone would notice him. Not only is he taller than most of the people in the room, but it almost looks like that suit was painted on him. You know what? I’m going to go find out. Hold my drink for me.”
Jane grabbed her best friend by the flamboyant paisley jacket and steadied him by her side.
“You are going nowhere. You’re on my side. It’s bad enough you talk to him.”
“Listen, sweetheart, if I knew we were choosing teams, I’d be shacking up with that meat-sicle right now. Sorry, Janey Bear, but dicks before chicks for me every time.”
“You’re a traitor…”
“Hi, Jane.”
Brady’s deep voice spoke just above her, letting her know he had no intention of leaving the services before making contact with her. Taking a deep breath, she turned around and looked up into his green eyes, the same green eyes that had captivated her years ago.
“Brady,” she nodded stiffly. She was about to turn to Albert to lean on him for support when she noticed he had miraculously disappeared, as well as everyone else around them. She found herself cornered by Brady with no escape route available.
“I’m sorry about Lucy. I’m sorry I wasn’t there when you found out.” His eyes were kind, not full of hatred for her. Was that really possible?
No. There was no way he couldn’t hate her for everything she put him through. He was just good at hiding it.
“I had Albert,” she answered.
“Yes, but I’m your husband. I should have been there for you.”
“Don’t sweat it, Brady,” Jane said nonchalantly, wanting this conversation to be over.
Brady studied her for a second before answering. His green eyes raked over her and his stance almost seemed like it got wider as he prepared for battle.
“Don’t brush me off like that,” he answered tersely. “You matter to me, Jane, so if something happens to you, I want to be there. Why didn’t you call me?”
“Like I said, I had it covered. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” She tried to walk past Brady, but he blocked her path.
“To hell if you’re leaving without talking to me. I have an eight o’clock flight back to Florida and from now until then, I plan on figuring out what the hell is going on between us.”
Biting her lip and waiting for his explosion, Jane said, “You should have told me. I have plans tonight. Call the office, though, I’m sure I can schedule you in at some point.”
Three, two, one…
Brady bent down and pinned Jane to the wall. “I’m your goddamn husband. I don’t have to make an appointment to talk to you. I don’t care what your plans are tonight, you’re coming home with me and we’re talking. I’m done with this freeze out.”
“I want a divorce,” the words slipped out of her mouth before she could stop them. Brady stood straight up and blinked his eyes at her, as if he wasn’t comprehending what she was asking of him.
“Care to repeat that?”
Gulping, she stood her ground and said, “I want a divorce. My lawyer is drawing up the contracts now. I don’t want the house or anything…”
“You’re not serious,” Brady asked in disbelief.
The look in his eyes cut right through her. This was for the best. She knew, deep down, this was for the best.
“We’ll be in touch, Brady. Please don’t put up a fight. If we just ride this out, our lawyers will make it as easy as possible on us, and we can act like this relationship never happened.”
“Is that what you really want? To erase everything we’ve ever known of each other?”
With a deep breath and a strong will, she nodded her head. “Yes, Brady. I want to erase it all.”
**Molly**
The front door of their apartment slammed shut, echoing down the narrow hall of their entryway. Molly placed her purse in the closet and then turned to face Luke. He hadn’t spoken a word to her since they left the burial and dropped Connor off at the hospital. From the forlorn look on Luke’s face, Molly could tell something was bothering him, but she wasn’t quite sure what it was.
Finally confronting him, she asked, “Why haven’t you spoken to me since we left the cemetery?”
Luke was taking his shoes off when he glanced up at Molly. “Nothing to say really.”
“Are you mad at me?” Molly asked, a little taken aback by his response.
The thump of Luke’s shoe to the ground drew her attention away from the pained look in his eyes. Slowly, he slouched down against the wall until he was resting on the floor.
“Luke, you’re scaring me. What’s going on?”
In the past few months, Molly had treaded very carefully when it came to approaching Luke. He still had some flashbacks where she would have to shake him until he was lucid again, but even though they were a rarer occurrence now, she still was mindful when Luke seemed upset. She didn’t want to accidently set off any of his triggers.
Squatting down, conscious not to touch him, she waited for him to speak.
With his elbows on his knees, he ran his hand across his forehead and then looked at her with his beautiful blue eyes. He held out his hand and lowered his legs, so he could pull her on his lap. Relieved, she allowed him to bring her into his chest.
“I’m sorry I’ve been acting weird. I just can’t help but feel for Connor.”
“I can understand what he might be feeling,” Molly said. “I was left in the same situation he was; without the love of my life and a baby on the way, but in his case, a baby in the NICU.”
Luke played with Molly’s hair and asked, “Were you scared?”
Not wanting to upset Luke, Molly walked a fine line with how she responded. “I was scared a little, but more angry than anything.”
“Angry at me?” Luke buried his face into Molly’s neck and ran his hand up her back while she answered.
“No, Luke, I was never angry at you. I was angry at life, at the card I’d drawn. I was angry at the timing, because once Winni
e was born, I was reminded every day of what I lost.”
His lips trailed up the column of her neck and next to her ear lobe, while his fingers started to unzip the back of her dress.
She should be conscious of what Dr. Drake said, of them connecting physically and not emotionally. This was a moment they should take advantage of, where they should talk about their feelings rather than covering them up with wandering hands and burning kisses.
“Luke…” Molly gasped, trying to show restraint.
“Tell me you love me,” Luke responded, his hands lowering the straps of her dress until the top half was lowered to her waist.
Desperation laced his voice, his hands were needy, his mouth burning a trail along her skin. Even though she wanted to move forward and listen to the doctor, establish a more communicative relationship with Luke, she couldn’t deny him of the yearning pouring out of him.
Giving in, she said, “I love you, Luke.”
“Tell me you need me,” his voice cracked just as he undid her strapless bra and it fell forward between them.
Her breathing picked up from the anguished look in his eyes. Slowly, his hands ran up the side of her rib cage, past the swell of her breasts, to her puckered nipples, where he pinched them, hard.
“Tell me,” he repeated himself, now looking her in the eye.
“I need you, Luke,” Molly confessed, knowing her statement was the closest thing to the truth.
This man, she needed him more than life itself. With all his faults, his ups and downs, his random mood swings and tortured past, she wouldn’t give it up for anything. He was her world and she would do anything he ever asked of her.
Happy with her response, he lowered his head until one of her nipples was lapped into his mouth. He bit her, licked her, and sucked her until she was writhing under his touch. She wanted to be closer, needed to feel him, so while he was driving her mad with his mouth, she started to undo the buttons of his dress shirt. She untucked it from his pants, and with shaky hands, started for the belt of his pants.
A low groan vibrated against her breast once her hand connected with his erection. She needed more room to maneuver, so she got up, temporarily removing Luke from her chest so she could straddle his legs. Right before she sat down, she grabbed his pants and pulled on them. Luke lifted up so she could shimmy them down his body and was greeted with his hard cock lying against his exposed stomach.
“Come here,” Luke said gruffly, as he pulled her closer, grabbing her breast and sucking on her nipple once again. Her hands connected with his head, where she ran her fingers through his hair, reveling in the feel of his hot mouth. A tingling sensation started to form at the pit of her stomach; it traveled down to her heated center where it rested, turning and spinning in pleasure. She knew she was wet; she could feel how he masterfully turned her on just from his touch.
Moving her hands down his body, she raked her fingernails across his pecs to his abdomen, across his belly button, and right above his erection. His breathing hitched as she drew closer, his fluid motions of biting and sucking faltered as she inched just a little bit closer. A light sheen of sweat broke out on his skin, as she was mere inches from the base of his cock. She could feel him hold his breath in anticipation of her touch, but she didn’t give in the last few centimeters. Instead, she circled the base of his cock, never touching the hardened root.
“Christ,” Luke breathed heavily.
Molly could feel her pussy pulse from the way she affected Luke. The throbbing she desired when she was with him took over every nerve ending as she closed her eyes and allowed Luke to move his mouth up her chest, to her neck, until his lips connected with hers. The moment his tongue separated her lips, she gripped his cock tightly at the base, causing him to moan deeply into her mouth.
“Fuck…” His head rested against her shoulder. She squeezed him hard and slowly brought her hands up the length of his cock until her fingers were wrapped around just the head, applying a wicked amount of pressure.
Pulling away, he pressed his back against the wall and slouched ever so slightly so he could relax while she pleasured him. His hands went behind his head, his muscles flexed under his movements, and his eyes glazed over as she kept hold of the tip of his cock, but used her other hand to slide down his length.
In fascination, she watched as a drop of pre-cum seeped out of the small slit of his penis. Her mouth watered to taste him, so she lowered herself and very slowly licked the droplet as her hair danced around his legs. While she lightly licked only the head of his cock, she continued to squeeze him and work his base.
Luke started to move under her, begging for more. His legs twitched under her, his stomach muscles contracted as his hand fell over his face. His breathing was labored, his spare hand gripped her head, and he started to shake under her.
He was going to come.
Just before he could shove his dick in her mouth, she pulled away and sat up straight, releasing the pressure from his cock.
“Mother fucker,” Luke groaned, his dick hard as a rock and practically purple from the pressure built up inside of him. “What are you doing?” he asked.
Without saying a word, Molly pulled him down to the ground so his back was flat against the carpet. She pulled his shirt back so his skin was fully exposed and started to kiss her way back down to his waist.
She could feel his erection against her stomach as she worked her way down. She was almost as desperate as him when it came to taking what she wanted, but right now, she wanted to have a little practice in edging.
While her head moved down to his waist, her hands traveled along the side of his body, slowly grazing him until they once again found the base of his cock. She didn’t grip him, she just hovered near him. His dick twitched from her proximity. With her hair behind her ears, she lightly licked the top of his dick, traveling her tongue along a very prominent vein, but never applying pressure. She was making sure he was only receiving feathery touches from her. It wasn’t edging unless she teased the fuck out of him.
Going for round two, Molly moved her hands to the root of his penis and squeezed hard, slowly building the pressure to the top, where she circled her fingers around the head. This time, she applied more pressure and was instantly awarded with another drop of pre-cum.
“Molly. Please,” he begged.
She wasn’t close to being done, and his begging wasn’t going to draw her closer. Instead, she stroked him, once, twice, and then pulled away. His lulled head shot up and he looked at her as if she was crazy.
Standing up, she removed her dress as well as her thong and tossed them to the side. She held out her hand and helped Luke stand up. With her assistance, she helped him out of his clothes until he was stark naked. She tried not to notice the burn and whip scars on his body, not wanting to think about the torture he prevailed though.
Grabbing his hand, she led him to the couch and sat him down. Spreading his legs, she knelt before him, and once again, started her torturous pleasure. She had never seen him so hard. It almost seemed like he grew to a length she had never experienced before.
This time, since she had more room, she ran her hands up his thighs to the juncture in the middle and hovered above him. He looked pained, but in a good way, as he scooted down further and allowed her more room. She ran her fingers up his balls, lightly playing with them, licking them, and fondling them.
More pre-cum shot out of him, a little more than she expected, so she pulled away, trying not to smile from the explicit words flying from Luke’s mouth.
She was getting in position for one more round when she found herself being hauled up by Luke. He grabbed her by the waist and sat her on his lap, where he maneuvered his cock right to the front of her pussy. With the pre-cum still on his tip, he rubbed it against her inner core, reminding her of the pulsing that took place mere minutes ago.
She spread her legs further, propped herself up and placed her hands behind her, against Luke’s thighs for support.
With one swift movement, Luke inserted himself deep inside of Molly, his hands on her hips and his eyes locked in on hers.
“Christ,” he moaned, his chest heaving, the veins in his neck displayed from the restraint he was showing.
His fingers gripped into her sides as he slowly moved her up and down his length. There was a method to his rhythm. Each breath he took, he slid in her and every exhale, he slid out, causing a wonderful, memorizing friction to form between them.
“Harder,” Molly demanded, wanting more.
Luke shook his head no. “It’s your turn to have to wait.”
Frustrated, she started to squeeze each time Luke slid inside of her but he knew her trick and didn’t fall for it.
“Squeeze all you want, babe. I can do this all fucking night long.”
Challenge accepted, Molly thought. There was no way he could keep up the pace he was doing, at least she didn’t think he could, and right about now, with her stomach in knots, and goose bumps spreading across her skin, she didn’t want to test him.
Instead, she took charge.
Lifting her legs, she rested them on his shoulders and scooted closer toward him, just as he slid in, making him go deeper than ever before.
Watching intently, Molly saw the exquisite pleasure that shot through Luke’s body. His clenched eyes opened as his mouth fell open to a small “O” shape. Grinning widely, Molly pushed against his thighs, starting her own rhythm.
“You think you’re so smart,” Luke said, shaking his head.
“I know I am,” Molly panted.
His length pressed into her at a rapid pace now. Her body tingled with excitement, her toes started to go numb as white hot pleasure shot through her to her very core where she connected with Luke.
“God, yes,” she moaned. “More, Luke. I need more.”
He opened his eyes and saw the burning need in hers, and that’s when he snapped. With a guttural groan, he pumped her hips up and down on his length, completely relentless.