by Avery Flynn
Her brother's only response was to glare at her. She glared right back, even if it did make her head ache.
"Good Lord, you two." Tamara rolled her eyes. "I'll tell him, Leah, go on to the hospital. We'll be following right behind the ambulance."
Knowing they were right—especially when her head felt like someone had crashed two bricks on either side of it—she nodded her agreement. Isaac and the paramedic had the ambulance doors shut before she got a chance to change her mind.
Isaac
There were two things you did not fuck with when it came to Isaac Camacho. His truck and the women in his life—and definitely not in that order. He stood outside the doors of the hospital ER and waited, silent and still in the entranceway's shadows. Drew would be here sooner rather than later and he was going to have to go through Isaac to get inside. He didn't give a flying fuck if the other man was the Catfish Creek Sheriff or the President of the United States, he was going to pay the price for putting Leah in danger.
"You can't break him," Tamara said from her spot beside him. She'd been out here with him since the docs took Leah behind closed doors again to try to talk her into staying the night for observation or at least getting a CT scan.
"Why not?" he asked, already jonsing for the opportunity to dole out some big brother justice.
"He loves her."
No. He loved his sister. Drew just fucked with her head. "What makes you say that?"
"I have eyeballs, an amazing brain, and I've seen you in a similar state," she said with a grin.
Isaac turned to look his fiancée up and down. It wasn't a hardship. Tall, blonde, and so pretty it made his body ache. She also had a tart personality and a brain that moved faster than his own, two things that had transformed raw lust into solid love not that long ago.
"What state is that, darlin'?"
She grinned and shook her head. "Desperate and between a rock and a hard place."
He stiffened. "What happened with us was different."
"Really?" she asked, all false innocence and sweetness he didn't believe for a second. "You mean you didn't move heaven and earth to get to me when my crazy ass cult leader brother-in-law lost his mind, held me hostage, and tried to marry his sixteen-year-old daughter to one of his middle-aged followers?"
Acid burned its way up his gullet at the memory of the worst fucking day of his entire life. "You know I did."
"And Drew must have broken about a thousand standard operating procedures, rules and regulations to get to Leah tonight," Tamara said, snuggling in next to him.
The feel of her mouthwatering curves momentarily distracted him and he forgot for a second what they were talking about. "What are you trying to say?"
"Take your punch if you need to, but don't break him or you'll face Leah's wrath."
A flush of anger burned its way up from his toes tucked into his cowboy boots. Oh yeah. Drew Jackson. The prick who almost got his sister killed. "Her crush on him was kid stuff. She's beyond over that."
Tamara snorted her disbelief. "How did someone so clueless manage to hook a hottie like me?"
It was a question he'd wondered himself often enough that he had the perfect comeback—one that was also damn close to the truth if not the whole truth. "My big dick and all the fabulous things I can do with it."
"Yep, when you're not acting like one, that prick of yours is very nice to have around." Letting her fingers trail up his thigh as she leaned in, she brushed her lips across his in a quick kiss. A set of high-set headlights lit up the dark corner where they stood. She broke contact and looked toward the truck parking near the entrance. "Remember, be nice."
A quick, hard smack on his ass later and Tamara sashayed through the ER's automatic doors. The woman was mean as hell when she wanted to be, but she was also usually right. If he didn't love her so damned much, that fact would probably annoy the hell out of him.
Drew hustled across the parking lot and stopped in front of Isaac. "How is she?"
He debated lying just to mess with the other man's head, but decided against it when he spotted the tortured shadows in his eyes. Isaac knew that look, the one when bad shit happened because he'd fucked up, because he'd worn it himself. He couldn't jerk the guy around when he look like that. "The docs say she'll be fine but they want to do a CT scan because of the probable concussion."
"What does she say to that?" Drew rubbed his palm across the back of his neck hard enough to take off a few layers of skin.
Isaac chuckled. "Lots of colorful words our mama would not approve of."
"Sounds about right." Drew grinned, but it only lasted a second. "So is now when you try to knock me on my ass?"
It should be. But instead of hammering the dude, he remembered what Tamara said. Love? Judging by the way Drew looked, it could be. So instead of curling his hands into fists, he asked a question. "Do I have a reason to?"
"Yeah, you do." No excuses. No whining. Just regret.
"Why's that?"
Drew's whole body went stiff and fury sparked in his eyes. "She could have been killed because I failed to protect her."
"We're professionals at this," Isaac said, offering Drew an opportunity to walk away and save face. "We both know shit goes sideways sometimes."
"It shouldn't have with her," he said with an angry growl. "Never with her."
"Fuck. Tamara is right again." Isaac almost laughed out loud at the sudden confused look on Drew's face. Man, he hated to enlighten the guy—especially since it was his sister they were talking about—but someone had to and if Drew took it anywhere near as hard as Isaac had, it would hit harder than a fist ever could. "You love her."
"Tamara?" Drew asked, obviously not following along.
All the amusement drained out of Isaac's body. "Not unless you want to die slow, you moron. Leah. You're in love with Leah."
Drew didn't respond. He just stood there and glowered, his hands curled into tight fists at his side. Jesus. The man had it bad. It almost made Isaac feel bad about what had to happen next, but not enough to change plans. Balancing on the balls of his feet, he exhaled and swung his right fist at three-quarters strength connecting with Drew's cheek and sending the other man stumbling back a couple of steps.
Eyes bleeding the kind of amped-up tension that always blazed to the surface after a mission, Drew rubbed his face and shot him a dirty look. "You asshole."
Isaac shrugged, being sure to stay on guard even as his stance said nothing but good old Texas boy fun. "I've been accused of worse."
Drew launched himself at Isaac, landing an uppercut that made his teeth clang together and knocked him off balance. It was a nice shot that was gonna hurt in the morning. The other man followed through by wrapping his arms around him football style and taking him down like he was a tackling dummy at the start of two-a-days. After that it was just a series of half assed jabs and the occasional well-placed punch as they rolled on the small grassy area off to the left of the ER entrance.
"What in the hell is wrong with the both of you?" Leah's shouted question made Isaac's ears ring more than Drew's punch.
Shit. She sounded exactly like mom. The shock of it hit him so hard that he didn't dodge in time to miss Drew's final punch to his gut and all the air wheezed out of him. As he tried to get air back in his lungs, he glanced over at the ER doors where Leah stood with Tamara. Neither of them looked very impressed with either him or Drew at the moment.
"Lucky shot, dickface," he managed to get out when he could suck in a breath.
Drew didn't pay him any mind.
"Are you two done because I could really use someone who will wait with me until it's time to do the CT scan," Leah said. "The doc and Tessa talked me into it."
Thank God for Tessa Daniels, the cardiac nurse Leah had gone to high school with who'd spent her break in the ER giving his sister the what for about trying to skip out on a CT at the very least.
"I'll do it," he and Drew said at the same time, both of them scrambling up from the gra
ss.
"Can you manage it without taking another swing at each other?" Tamara asked, arms crossed and hip jutting out.
"I'm good." Oh hell, that was definitely her don't-fuck-with-me stance. Isaac turned to Drew. "You good?"
"Yeah." Drew nodded as he used his thumb to wipe away the blood at the corner of his mouth.
Like a man with only one purpose in life, he strode over to Leah. They didn't touch. They didn't have to. It was awkward just watching them look at each other as if they were having an entire conversation and then going inside without ever saying a word.
"Was all of that really necessary?" Tamara asked when he reached her side.
"Yeah." Nothing gave away a man's intentions more than a couple of rounds in the ring—or on the grass depending on the circumstances.
"Are you satisfied that I'm right?" She hooked her arm through his as they walked toward the ER doors. "Come on, I want to hear it."
That was his Tamara. She never gave up. Ever. "You're right."
"I know that hurt to say." She brushed her lips across his already bruising cheek. "Let's get in there before Leah changes her mind about the CT."
9
Leah
The rest of the hospital was a blur. In the beginning it felt like so much sit and wait, but by the end it was all hurrying from one spot to another until the doctors confirmed she didn't have a concussion and sent her on her way. That didn't mean she was totally off the hook, of course. She had to agree not to be by herself for the next twelve hours and she needed to be woken up every few hours tonight to make sure her condition hadn't changed. After that there was some more dick measuring between Isaac and Drew until she told them both to go take a flying leap but that she was going to where her bags were and that meant Drew's house. That was her story anyway. The truth, she only admitted to herself when Drew pulled into his garage, hustled around to the passenger side, and helped her out before leading her into the kitchen.
One touch from him and she was home, safe with the man she loved. After everything that had happened tonight she wasn't going to ask why, she was just going with what she knew in her gut was right—and that was being with him. He went into the house first, tension clear in the unforgiving lines of his shoulders and the hard edge to his jaw. He was just as tuned up as she was, heat and a dangerous volatility emanated from him in waves.
"I gotta warn you," he said, positioning his body so it blocked her line of sight. "The living room's still a mess."
She flinched and her hand flew to her swollen cheek, not meaning to but unable to help it. Drew's arms were around her before her brain registered her reaction to the mention of the room where she'd fought and lost to Curtis.
"I'm sorry," he said, his words brushing against her hair. "We can go somewhere else."
That was the last thing she wanted. The need to touch and be touched, to confirm everything was alright, that normally came after a serious adrenaline rush was compounded by the fact that she was with Drew.
She shook her head and tilted her face up. "I'm not planning on spending time in the living room tonight anyway."
He looked down at her, his gaze zeroing in on her mouth. His pupils dilated and his nostrils flared with a lust that her body recognized at once. Her nipples puckered and her body hummed with need so strong she had to clench her thighs together.
But just as fast as it appeared, he blinked the desire away and a neutral mask slid onto his face. "Yeah, you should rest up."
Oh no, he wasn't going to shut them down tonight. "Don't wanna do that either."
He glanced over at the fridge as the vein in his temple worked at a frantic pace. "Snack?"
"What's wrong, Drew?" She stepped closer and ran her hands across the soft cotton of his T-shirt, relishing all the hard muscle laying underneath. "Nervous all the sudden?"
He grimaced and looked toward the ceiling as if he'd find answers there or was praying for strength. "You just got out of the hospital."
"Where they said I was perfectly okay." She dropped her hands to the buttons of his black tactical pants.
He captured both of her wrists in one hand, stopping her before she could make more progress. "You have to be woken up every two to three hours."
"Then it's a good thing I know the perfect way to stay awake."
Not bothering to try to break his hold, she raised herself up on her tiptoes, relishing the heat of his body against hers, the musky male scent of his skin, and the solid reassurance of his strong body. Then she gave in to temptation and brushed her lips up the line of his throat to the stubble along his jawline.
He let out a tortured groan that only encouraged her.
"I don't know that we should. You've had a rough night."
"It was doctor's orders." She nipped at his bottom lip. "And I know how much you love to follow the rules."
"Really? When I'm around you, it seems like all I do is break them."
He lowered his head and she knew she had him. She leaned in and kissed him, her tongue sweeping across his juicy bottom lip before sweeping inside. He groaned his appreciation, a low, bass sound that reverberated through him, and released her wrists. His hands went straight to her ass and he lifted her so she fit snug and tight against his hard cock that was straining against his pants. Desire made her chest tight and her muscles loose.
"Take me to your bed and fuck me senseless, Drew Jackson."
"You need this cock, Sweets?"
She ground against his hard length, desperate for him--not just his body but the man himself. She loved him, had always loved him, and he was the only one who could give her what she needed. "So fucking bad that it hurts."
"Don't worry, I'll give it to you." He carried her out of the kitchen. "I'll always give you what you want."
Drew
Drew laid her gently on his bed. This was the last thing they should be doing, but he had to touch her to confirm to himself that she was here and okay. And with her looking at him with those big eyes and a green and purple bruise trying to take over one side of her face there was no way he could tell her no when she needed the same thing as much as he did.
As much as it killed him, he would go slow, tender, and only as much as she needed. "Tell me what you need."
She sat up, her hands going to his pants again. "You." With deft fingers and a hungry look in her eyes, she popped the button and slid down the zipper. "Hard and fast."
The wet tip of his aching cock poked through the opening in his boxers and she dipped her head down, lapping at the pre-come on the swollen head. A white bolt of pleasure shot through him that made his lungs seize. He clenched his hands into fists as he fought to maintain some kind of control over his body's reaction.
"Sweets." It came out half prayer and half plea. "We should take it slow."
"Fuck that." She reached up and shoved his pants and boxers down. "I need you." She wrapped her fingers around his concrete dick and stroked it with the kind of tight pressure that made his eyes roll back in his head. "I need you filling me up until I can't take anymore."
When his sight returned a second later, Leah was staring up at him with his dick in her hand and his resistance blew away like tumbleweeds in a windstorm. There was no going back. He loved her. Loved every maddening thing about her. Tonight he'd almost lost her.
He cupped her face and tilted it up toward him. "So good you won't ever be able to forget."
"I never can with you." She turned her head and kissed the inside of his palm and then, because it was Leah, she sucked one of his fingers into his mouth.
All of the blood in his brain went south in a rush. Later he'd tell her how he felt, but now he needed to show her.
"Get your clothes off."
"Is that how we're doing this?" She dropped her hands to the hem of her shirt and whipped it off over her head revealing another hot pink bra. "With you ordering me around?"
"You get off on it." And God knew so did he.
She grinned and undid her jeans. "I do.
"
Quick as lightning, he bent down and grabbed her ankles, sending her backwards so she was flat on her back on his bed. He yanked her jeans off in one fluid motion, releasing her long legs and a pair of hot pink panties so small they barely qualified as underwear. The sight was enough to make his mouth go dry. Then he spotted the damp center of her panties and his balls tightened.
Slow and gentle? Yeah. That wasn't going to happen.
"Take them off before I rip them off," he ordered.
Without asking any questions, she hooked her fingers into the elastic waistband and slid them down her hips before lifting her legs so her toes were pointed at the ceiling. "Help a girl out?"
He didn't need to be asked twice. He whipped them up her legs and tossed them to the floor.
"Spread them. Let me see what's mine."
Keeping her legs skyward she did just that until her legs formed the perfect V with her juicy pussy at its apex. It was pink and wet and the only place in the world he wanted to be. He kicked off his shoes and got rid of the rest of his clothes in record time.
"Damn, you're so wet for me." He skimmed the pad of his thumb down her slick folds, rewarded by the way her thighs shook the moment he touched her. "I was going to make you wait and beg to feel this big cock in you." He slid his thumb inside, rubbing against the sensitive skin on the bottom of her opening as he did so. She moaned, dropped her legs so her feet were planted on the bed, and lifted her hips to take in more of him. "You have a hungry little pussy though, don't you, Sweets?" One, two, three pumps of his thumb inside her as she rocked her body against him. "It would be cruel to deny you." He withdrew his thumb and then circled it around her hard clit before leaning forward over her. "I want to taste you so bad, but I know you need cock."
"Now," she said, leaning up enough to reach behind her, unhook her bra, and toss it away.
That was his Leah. Beautiful. Demanding. Ballsy enough to go after what she wanted, no matter what. "Then open your mouth and don't suck."
Anticipation sparkled in her eyes as she complied.