“Are you hungry?” she asked.
“Are you kidding? I’m always hungry.” His smile returned, and her heart throbbed in response. Making him smile made her feel good, and feeling good had been in short supply over the last several years.
“Do you like tacos?” She was taking the innocent lake tour to a next level, which she’d sworn earlier she didn’t want. But hey, a girl could change her mind.
“Everyone likes tacos.”
“Take us to my place. Tacos are my specialty.”
Half an hour later, she’d warmed the cooked ground beef she’d prepped yesterday, opened a can of seasoned black beans and nuked them, and pulled out every taco topping from the fridge.
They ate, every once in a while pausing to talk about the boats or houses they’d seen today. She couldn’t help thinking about Neil and comparing him to Brady. Other than the looks department—where Neil fared the worst—her ex was rigid and took himself too seriously. Neil had a lot rules. They’d started out merely insulting—don’t eat on the new sofa—and had graduated to troubling—check with me before you schedule a hair appointment.
Brady definitely wasn’t rigid, and while he took his job seriously, he didn’t seem to take himself that way. He was both laidback and protective—perfect for his profession. He could comfort and look out for someone while remaining alert. He was likable and able to deescalate a situation. Like at the bar with that guy Patrick. Brady had taken the other man from belligerent to willingly leaving in a matter of minutes.
“This is good. Thank you,” he said after he polished off his last taco.
“You’re welcome. Can I ask you something?”
“Shoot.”
She fiddled with the spoon sticking out of the sour cream, suddenly shy about her curiosity. “When did you know you wanted to be a cop—uh, a police officer?”
“When Ant and I were wrangled up at age sixteen for skipping school to smoke pot at Library Park.”
“Yikes,” she said on a laugh.
“It was the only time we were caught.” His smile was reminiscent. “Officer Dickens. He retired a few years ago. You’d think most kids would be resentful of being busted, but he was cool. He told Ant’s parents and my grandparents what we did.”
“He ratted you out, and you liked him?”
“I did. Ant and I ended up doing community service, and I watched how people interacted with Dickens. They loved and admired the guy. I’d been content to bad-boy my way through my teens, but at that moment I knew what I wanted.”
“To be loved and admired?”
“Sounds cheesy when you say it. But, yeah.”
“And now the town adores you.” He was so darn likable. How could anyone help themselves?
He lifted one eyebrow in argument. “I’m less revered than you might think.”
“Give me an example.”
He chuffed. “No way. I’m trying to win you over, not scare you off.”
“I told you about my thievery and my law-breaking.”
“Right. The scandalous magazine heist and you ducking the law for three years for a lethal parking ticket.” He grinned, and she grinned back. So. Damn. Likable. “I was an angry kid. I stole money from my grandfather when I was a teenager, ran around with a rougher crowd. That’s how I met Ant, actually. He was a lot like me and didn’t have the stomach to be a true delinquent. But we could have been if we weren’t caught young. That entire summer, we picked up trash together and talked about what we wanted to do with our lives.”
“And he said chainsaw artist, and you said a cop?”
“Hell, no. At the time, I wanted to be a rock star, and he wanted to be a firefighter. Things change. What about you? Did you want to be an Elli Bean when you grew up?”
“I never knew.” She pulled in a deep breath. “I attained a degree in business…after several changes of my major. I think I just wanted to be…important. Seen. You know?” She felt foolish admitting that, until he nodded.
“Yeah. I know.” He watched her mouth for a second before those deep-green eyes trickled up to hers. Then he cupped her jaw lightly, swiped her bottom lip with his thumb once, and pressed his lips to hers.
Heat engulfed her.
When he started to pull away, it was Elliott who lingered, holding his wrist and deepening the kiss. Their tongues touched, and she was lost. He gripped the stool she was sitting on and jerked her closer, his full mouth gently sipping at hers.
Her skin sizzled. Her nipples peaked. Thankfully, she’d pulled a T-shirt over her bikini top, or else he’d see exactly what he did to her. Just how crazy he made her. They’d connected on a deeper level today. She refused to let opportunity pass her by.
He sifted his fingers into her hair, and familiar warmth pooled in her belly before trickling lower. When he paused, she regained enough common sense to pull away, her chest heaving. Meanwhile, her hormones were throwing a Welcome Home party in her honor.
It’d been a long while since she’d been kissed by someone who wanted her as much as she wanted him. And oh, did she want him. Despite her thin arguments to the contrary. This close to him, she mused she could drown in his sea-green irises and not regret a thing…
“Elliott.” His voice was husky and low, his hand still cupping her face. “Is your answer still not yet?”
“My answer…” Her heart thrummed with excitement as she considered a host of possibilities. In the end, she went with the one she wanted most. “My answer is right now.”
A ping of certainty registered in her belly. She was sure, so sure. Feeling sure was a newer sensation. One that made her feel powerful and strong. She wanted to satisfy her own needs and his. A slow summer day’s worth of lazy kisses and sex so hot it’d scorch the earth sounded divine.
He took her hand as he stood and backed from the kitchen, his eyes on her. She followed.
“Point me to the nearest bedroom,” he told her as he lifted her into his arms and climbed the stairs.
“There,” she obliged with a rolling laugh.
Brady was safe. He was sexy. He was impermanent.
That made him perfect.
“I don’t usually do this.” She felt the need to explain as he set her on her feet in the guest bedroom.
“Then I’ll have to show you what you’ve been missing,” he said. Then he lit her afire with a kiss.
Chapter 12
She broke the kiss to sit on the bed, and a second later, all six-foot-something of Brady was over top of her. Tanned skin. Sun-kissed dark-blond hair. Trance-inducing green eyes. She caught his face in her hands and his lips with hers, pulling in a breath through her nose as he kissed her hard.
Her head was swimming with ideas—there were too many things she wanted to do, and all at once. A faint warning rang in the back of her head, reminding her to be smart. Not to get taken advantage of, and to maintain control before they spiraled out of it…
“Brady, wait,” she breathed.
He froze, his body taut, his arms locked straight as he held himself away from her. The desire was alive in his eyes and heavy in the erection resting against one of her legs. Just like that, he’d heeded her command. Having power after years of powerlessness was intoxicating. Her finger on his face, she traced the faint blond whiskers along his jaw.
“Second thoughts?” he asked.
She reconsidered before shaking her head. “None.”
She wasn’t going to be in the Cove forever. She would eventually go home to Chicago and find a job and an apartment. She was here to remember who she’d been before Neil had eroded her self-confidence. Since her stay in the Cove was going to be brief, this chance with Brady was once in a lifetime.
“What about you?” It seemed only fair to ask.
Brady chuckled, the deep sound encouraging. “Elli Bean, I am not having second thoughts.” He blew out a breath. “Can barely think about anything except what’s hiding under your bikini. He lifted the edge of her shirt and tickled his fingers along her bare bel
ly.
“Good.” She pressed a fast kiss to his lips.
“Good.” He pulled her shirt over her head, and her ponytail canted to one side. She yanked the elastic from her hair as he whipped his own shirt off with one hand in a sexy, fisted, over-the-head grab. Even the way he took his shirt off was sexy.
She unclasped her bikini top, and he tossed the scrap of fabric over his shoulder, his smile feral. Again, her heart rate ratcheted up. She was crazy excited to take what she wanted. She wanted him.
Their mouths mated, his lips tugging at hers while his fingers mimicked the motion with first one of her nipples, then the other.
She shut her eyes, and sparks burst on the inside of her eyelids. She was lost in the sensations his seeking mouth and the rough pads of his fingers created. When his lips left hers and he suckled a nipple into his mouth, her mind blanked. When he kissed his way down her stomach, she thought her head might explode.
He rolled the bottoms of her swimsuit down her legs, his eyes dark and locked onto what he’d revealed. Standing at his full height, he stripped himself the rest of the way. She took a long look.
Long was a good word for him.
“I like the way you look at me, Elli Bean,” he murmured, lying over her, nothing but hot, suntan-lotioned skin between them. “Like you want to take a bite.”
He kissed her before sliding down her stomach. He stopped between her thighs, tossing her legs over his shoulders, and ducking his head. His fingers skimmed up her torso, lazily plucking her nipples while he laid the flat of his tongue on her clit and gave her a stroke.
“Oh God.” Her words were more prayer than expletive. She needed this—but she hadn’t known how badly.
“Let me know what you like.” He grabbed her hand and put it on his head.
She gripped his hair, guiding him, her hips matching the rhythm as she rode his tongue. So close.
So, so close…
Elliott tasted like heaven. Like honey and sunshine.
On the Jet Ski, she’d clung to his back, her strong thighs locked around his. All he’d been able to think about was her legs wrapped around his waist. Or his neck. Hell, he didn’t care. He’d just wanted more of her.
When she’d stopped him a few minutes ago, he’d been sure it was so that she could tell him she’d changed her mind. They barely knew each other, and beyond flirting, they hadn’t done anything physical until today.
He’d worried that whatever’d happened between her and her ex had leaked into what was between them now. He would have understood if that was the case.
Thank Christ, it hadn’t come to that. And now, with her fingers in his hair, his face buried between her legs, he’d make sure she wouldn’t regret the yes she’d given him.
He wedged his hands under her ass and lifted her, swirling his tongue over her clit. She grabbed his hair with both hands and tugged. That, she liked.
“Brady,” she moaned, her voice breaking.
Fuck, he liked hearing her say his name like that.
She came on a cry, her back arching, her nails digging into his scalp, her voice going scratchy at the end when she ran out of steam. He lapped up what she gave him, waiting until she pushed him away to stop.
Climbing her body, he laid kisses on her tan lines, the one under her flat belly, the triangle ones that whited out each breast. He suckled her nipple as aftershocks rocked her petite form. She let out a soft hum, her long lashes hiding her eyes. Then he moved to her neck and kissed his way up to her ear, where he gently bit down on her lobe.
“Your golden skin tastes as good as the pale parts,” he rumbled in her ear. “Every inch of you is delicious.”
She opened her eyes, those deep browns more caramel in color in the sunlight. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she smiled. “You’re very good at that.”
His grin couldn’t be stopped. Or so he thought. When her hand found his cock, that grin fell off his face. He liked her small hand on his favorite body part way too much.
“I want this,” she said. “Every inch.” Her strength regained, she kissed him, working him into a white-hot lather. He let her. He wanted what she wanted, to ease into her creamy channel and move inside her until she was boneless and shouting his name.
She guided the tip of his dick to her entrance, and before he could slide in and make both their dreams come true, he remembered one crucial detail. “Condom, sweetheart.”
Her eyes flew open and landed on his. “Oh. Shit.”
It was so cute, her disappointment so pronounced, he nearly smiled.
“I don’t have any,” she told him. “I wasn’t planning… Shit.”
She was even more adorable when she swore.
“How mad at me would you be if I told you I have some in my bag?”
“The bag you brought in after our ride?” she asked, hope in her voice. “I wouldn’t be mad at all. Well, I might be mad if you only brought one.”
“I’m an optimist. There’s more than one, Bean.” He kissed the tip of her nose and reluctantly left the cradle of her thighs. He jogged downstairs bare-assed naked, open curtains be damned.
He returned in record time and rolled on the condom. She held out both arms to invite him in and he liked that as much as he liked everything else about her. He eased forward into her warmth. He could already tell that one time with this woman wasn’t going to be enough. Her back arched, her nipples brushing his chest as he glided in to the hilt. He sucked air through his teeth. She was a tight fit, which he liked a whole hell of a lot.
“So good,” she praised on her own slow exhalation.
He stroked out and back in, earning a, “Damn, Brady,” for his efforts.
“Flattery,” he told her, repeating the motion, “Works on me.”
“And here I thought you were playing hard to get,” she teased with a chuckle. She laced her fingers together at the back of his head. Her eyelids were at half-mast, her hold on him loose. She was sated thanks to him, which was more flattering than any compliment she could’ve given him.
“You have another one for me?” he asked as he stroked into her again.
“Another…orgasm?” Her eyes grew wide. “Who do you think I am?”
“Not accustomed to multiple orgasms?”
Her cheeks tinged a deep shade of pink, confirming his suspicions.
“Hang on, honey.” He kissed her quickly. “You’re in for a treat.”
A gasp eked from her throat as he doubled his efforts. She took every inch he gave, opening her legs wider to accommodate him. He bent to kiss her, but had to retreat when her high, tight moans started up again. Her eyebrows bent and her cries grew louder. The cries that’d been muffled by her thighs while he’d been eating her out earlier were now echoing off the chambers of his skull.
He fucking loved it.
He kept up the frantic pace until she trembled against him, until he was forced to slow down and catch his own breath. She let go on a shout. One he followed with an unrestrained release of his own. A hard, teeth-rattling orgasm that shook his spine and blurred his vision.
Who-knew-how-many minutes later, he opened his eyes and emerged from the blissful blackness. Her lust-blown pupils were hidden behind dropped eyelids—exactly the look he’d been going for. Triumphant, his ego punched the air.
Elli stroked his jaw the way she had earlier, her fingernails raking against his whiskers and sending a chill down his back.
He was accustomed to satisfying a woman and being able to walk away. But as he studied her relaxed smile, he realized he wasn’t ready to walk away from her.
Not just yet.
Chapter 13
Brady had to work the next two days, and so did Elli.
He’d texted her this morning and invited her over for dinner after his shift tonight. She hesitated over her response, typing out that she was busy and then erasing it. Then she typed that she’d love to but was tired and erased that, too. Finally, she’d pecked in a quick “sounds good!” and sent it before
she could overthink—some more—about saying yes. He’d replied with his address, and she’d offered to bring drinks.
She’d told herself that she’d only have sex with him once, but…damn.
Damn.
A girl could get used to sex that good. And “getting used” to anything with Brady wasn’t on her agenda. She hadn’t expected to want more, given her past experiences. Sex was typically okay, and if it was better than okay the first time, she could bank on the second time being less okay. So she’d assumed sex with Brady would be a one-time thing, a checkbox she could tick before moving on. Instead, she’d been side-eyeing her vibrator and wondering how she’d ever thought of it as a suitable substitute for the real thing.
She’d never had a man like Brady in her bed.
Damn.
She shook off her thoughts as she strolled the aisles of Abundance Market, hunting for a bottle of wine to take to his place tonight. She didn’t know what was for dinner but figured it didn’t matter. Any food or drink combo would pale in comparison to the amazing sex they’d have after.
Or before. She wasn’t picky.
She lapsed into a memory of him between her legs, those lamplight-green eyes on her while she ruffled his hair with her fingers… Mmm.
“Can I help you find anything?” a tall red-haired woman, wearing a nametag that read Julia, interrupted.
Elliott jerked out of her daydream. Sexdream.
“What’s a good middle-of-the-road?” Elli gestured to rows upon rows of wine bottles. The selection was overwhelming.
“Red or white?” Julia asked.
“One of each?” As with the coffee, she wasn’t sure what Brady liked. She already had two varieties of beer in her cart in case he didn’t drink wine. That seemed like something she should know about a guy she was sleeping with, but she wasn’t going to over-examine that right now.
Bad Boy Blues (Evergreen Cove Book 1) Page 6