by Olivia Brynn
“Okey dokey, Joe.” She turned toward the door, but before he could breathe a sigh of relief, she turned back and went straight for his crotch. “But first I want to play with you.”
“Jesus.” The back of his head hit the headrest, and he white-knuckled the door handle. Thirty seconds. He’d let her play for thirty seconds, and then he’d stop her. She pressed her palm against his ridge, then dragged slowly down. Nope. Won’t make it.
His traitorous arm actually protested with a tremor when he forced her hand away again. He dug her keys out of his pocket and pressed them into her palm. “Here ya go. Let Kevin know your car is still at the Ranger. Which apartment is yours?”
“Six B.”
He ducked to look through his windshield. He found the door at the top of a flight of stairs, and noticed the lights were all out, including the one by the front door. Damn, he didn’t like that.
“It’s an ‘fish-en-see’,” she went on. “Know what efficiency means, Joe?”
“Yeah, I know what that means.”
“It means cheap-ass-crappy puny place for losers who live alone. But guess what, Joe? It’s all I can afford, and now I can’t even…” Her face crumpled, those big blue eyes suddenly heavy with tears. “I lost my job today.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah. My boyfriend fired me. Right before he broke up with me. Or maybe after. Actually, it might have been at the same time. I can’t remember.” She stared at the keys in her hand, turning them over before clutching them tight enough to leave a mark. “Dumb to date your boss. My mom told me that. I don’t listen, I guess.”
“Shit. I’m sorry, Josie.”
Her voice changed. No longer cheerful and fun, it had dropped to a low rumble that he had to strain to hear. “Yeah, well, Kevin told me I’d feel better if I went out for a few drunks…drinks with some friends. They were all busy, though, so I went by my”—she sniffed—“by myself.”
No tears. Please. Eric could fight a mean fire. He could drag a three-hundred-pound man down four flights of stairs, but he was weak as fuck when it came to a woman’s tears. He gave her arm a friendly slug. “But you had fun anyway, right?”
She didn’t answer. She just stared at her keys. When a tear rolled off her nose and splashed onto them, she reached up to wipe her eyes.
Fuck. Eric shut off the engine. How the hell had he gotten involved? Although he was used to his sleep being interrupted, he’d been looking forward to a good solid eight-hour stretch. He figured he could just drop the woman off, watch her walk inside, and then drive away. He didn’t need this shit, but glancing over at her in his passenger seat, he knew he was already committed. This was someone’s kid sister, someone’s best friend. Someone’s daughter.
Strength of body to deliver to safety all those placed within my care.
“Come on, let’s get you tucked in.”
She didn’t move, even when he slammed his door and walked around the truck to open hers.
“I wanted to drink enough to pass out.” She wiped her keys on her jeans. “How much do you have to drink to pass out?”
He tugged her out of the truck, and she slumped against him. “You don’t want to know.”
“I just don’t want to feel anymore. It hurts.” She dropped her keys, and he held her steady as she picked them up.
“You’ll really hurt tomorrow.” He smirked.
“I’ll just get drunk tomorrow, then.”
He managed to get her up the flight of stairs and propped on the railing. He took her keys, trying like hell to ignore her sniffles.
“Yeah, but hold on a minute, Joe. I don’t feel that good.”
Before he could swing her door open, she’d leaned over the railing and vomited on her neighbor’s barbecue grill.
“Oopsie.”
“Oh nice.” He chuckled.
“Linda’s gonna be pissed.” She spat.
He dragged her inside and flipped on the light switch. She wasn’t kidding. Cheap-ass crappy puny place it might be, but at least it was clean. It looked as though she’d already moved out. There were no pictures on the walls, no plants in the windows. The furniture consisted of a huge mattress set on a metal frame in the far corner, next to what might be considered a kitchen, and a desk which must double for an entertainment center, since a small television sat beside a laptop.
She rushed to the bathroom, where she continued to purge. Poor girl. He shook his head and went for a glass of water. He stood in the bathroom doorway until she flushed the toilet.
“Here. Drink this, it will help.”
She lifted her head from the bowl.
“Go on. Half the pain of a hangover comes from the alcohol dehydrating your system. The best thing to do is rehydrate before it hits you.”
“I deserve to be in pain. I suck. My whole life sucks. I’m a failure and a flop, and I puked on Linda’s barbecue.”
He smiled. “I’ll go hose it off. Drink the water.”
She took the glass and rinsed her mouth out, spitting into the toilet a few times before taking a few swallows. “You’ll hose my puke?” She looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes. “I like you, Joe.”
“You’d like anyone who’d hose your puke. Let’s go. Time to brush and get ready for bed. I’ll be back to tuck you in.”
“I’m sleeping in here.” She hugged the toilet, giving the lid a friendly pat.
“At least brush your teeth. You’ll be sorry if you don’t.”
“Yeah, that didn’t taste as good coming up.”
He helped her to her feet and left her leaning over the sink, brushing her teeth.
A few minutes later, he was surprised to find himself hosing Joanne’s vomit from some lady’s barbecue grill at three o’clock in the morning. A smart guy would hop in his truck and drive away. She was safe and sound; his conscience should be clear. He could be back in bed within twenty minutes. After rubbing one off.
His cock twitched behind his fly. Joanne had some talents. Even sloshed, her hand knew exactly where to go to drive him to the edge. He wrapped the hose around the spigot and, like an idiot, adjusted his cock, went back up the stairs and into her apartment. He’d just wait until she fell asleep. Then he’d go.
Thank God he didn’t work tomorrow.
He found her lying on her bed. A T-shirt covered her hips but left her long legs bare, curled up against her chest as she lay on her side in a fetal position. She’s asleep. With a grin, he took a step backward toward the door, but then he heard the whimper.
“Josie?”
“What am I going to do?”
Against his better judgment and every damn warning blaring through his brain, Eric crossed the room and sat beside her. “It won’t look so bad tomorrow. I promise.”
“He left me. He said I wasn’t any fun. I can be fun, can’t I?”
“Sure you can.” She’d made him smile multiple times already, and he’d only just met her.
She blew her nose and threw the Kleenex toward the trash can but missed. “Maybe I’m not pretty enough. Do you think I’m pretty?”
“Yes.” He didn’t even hesitate. She was pretty. Even with a red nose and tearstained cheeks. “I think you’re very pretty.” He moved one strand of hair aside and tucked it behind her ear.
“Maybe it’s the sex. I thought he was happy. I tried to keep him…well…you know.” She blushed.
Sobering up. Getting some inhibitions back. Eric pulled the blankets to her shoulders. “Maybe he’s just an asshole who doesn’t know what he had.”
Her eyes snapped back up to his. “You think so?”
“Sure.” Who was he to say? He didn’t know the guy. Hell, he didn’t know this girl. “You’ll feel better after a few hours’ sleep.” He leaned over her, tucking her in like he’d promised. When he stood, she reached out and grabbed his hand.
“Will you stay?”
“I don’t think—”
“Please?”
Damn it. He needed to jack off.
“
Just until I fall asleep. Please, Joe. Just hold me. I don’t want to feel so alone.”
I promise strength—strength of heart to bear whatever burdens might be placed upon me. His indecision must have shown because she lifted the blankets and scooted to the center of the bed.
“Five minutes,” he pledged, kicking off his shoes.
“’Til I’m asleep,” she corrected, tugging him against her until she had her legs wrapped around his and her face buried in his chest.
Fuck. His cock reacted in the expected manner.
“Thank you, Joe.” She sighed, her breath warming the cotton of his shirt.
“Good night, Josie.” He willed his hands to stay still on her back. Now go to sleep. He closed his eyes and replayed last week’s drills at work. He worked out the epinephrine dosage for a two-hundred-pound man in anaphylactic shock. Anything to keep his mind off the soft-as-hell body tangled with his. Go to sleep, go to sleep, go to sleep.
And so he did.
Chapter Two
Joanne smiled. Waking up in the warm embrace of a man had to be one of the best things in life. She snuggled against the hard body. Clothes? Andrew?
She opened her eyes and looked up into the face of the man in bed with her. Angled jaw, whiskers, full lips slightly parted, and strong brow. It wasn’t Andrew. It was Kevin’s friend Joe, who had picked her up from the bar.
She moved closer and closed her eyes again, listening to his deep, even breathing and the steady beat of his heart. Not many men would have driven across town to pick up a friend’s little sister. Or treated her with the compassion he had. Kevin must be a very good friend of his. She’d have to grill her brother about this guy. She thought she knew all of his friends. Maybe Kevin was keeping her from him, knowing she’d be lust-struck.
But he had sent Joe to the Ranger.
She smoothed his T-shirt over the hard curves of his chest. Breathing in the faint remnants of his cologne, clean and masculine, like sandalwood and hickory, was a reminder that she didn’t know him from Adam.
But he did smell nice.
And he looked nice too. Chiseled features softened only by sleep and a shadow of whiskers. A long, narrow nose, slightly crooked—she imagined it had been broken at least once. Even his Adam’s apple appealed to her. She traced the stubbly protrusion with a finger, fascinated at the movement when he swallowed. Still, he slept.
She slipped her hands beneath the T-shirt, encountering a smooth back. Very nice. Is the front smooth too, or…no. Mm. Crinkly soft hair. She found a nipple in one tuft and used the pad of her middle finger to tease it until it grew erect. When that wasn’t enough, she gathered his shirt until she could dip her head beneath the sheet and taste that nubbin.
He groaned, and his hips bucked against hers, but he didn’t wake up. Joanne smiled and moved to the other nipple.
Her head still buzzed from too much alcohol, but this she knew. This she could focus on. Salty male skin against her tongue. She trailed her lips down rippled abs and reached…damn. Jeans. Undaunted, she worked on the button, then the zipper, which made a delicious sound in the quiet apartment.
She walked her fingers beneath the flaps of his fly and under the waistband of his underwear until his hot flesh filled her palm. The musky scent of man filled her nostrils and made her mouth water.
He sighed, rolling onto his back. She followed, engulfing the tip of his cock in the same movement. She wasn’t sure if he still slept, but his hips answered each pull of suction. When his jeans and underwear got in the way, she held him in her mouth and used both hands to bring them down below his hips.
“Mm.” Perfect. His balls were free. She reached down to cup them in her palm, roll them with her fingers. She wrapped her free hand around the base of his now fully erect staff and squeezed.
“Holy shit.”
He was awake. She smiled as much as she could with her mouth full. His need was so sexy, and her sex swelled and grew slick with her own desire.
Unable to move his lower half with his jeans halfway down his legs, he ran his hands over her arms and shoulders until they finally found purchase in her hair.
Drops of his saline desire melted on her tongue, and she swallowed it down. Her lips massaged around the rim, then slid down his length, encasing him in her mouth. Sucking her cheeks in, she pulled back, moaning when he clenched handfuls of hair. “Josie. You shouldn’t… Christ.”
“I should.” She trailed wet kisses down to his balls and back up to take him to the root again. He filled her mouth. His tip kissed the back of her throat, and she swallowed, letting her tongue dance along the base of his cock.
He hissed. She hummed. He groaned and pumped his hips.
His balls were heavy in her hand, and she played with the hard spheres inside the soft hair-smattered sac. Using her own saliva to lubricate her twisting hand, she found a rhythm that harmonized her mouth and hand.
He murmured words she couldn’t understand, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that he gave himself to her. She pleased him. She wasn’t a failure. Now to make him come. Her mind might be swimming, but she knew that to swallow his pleasure would be the ultimate power. The proof that she was a desirable woman.
With that burst of pride, she sucked harder and pumped her hand along his shaft.
“Josie. No. No…stop, stop.”
She was pulled up by her shoulders, his cock slipped from her mouth, and she whimpered.
“No. Josie, you can’t,” he continued. “You’re drunk.”
“I want to.” She kept her eyes closed, but she held his cheeks in her hands and spoke against his mouth. “I need this. Let me show you.” His face was rough. She outlined his stubble with a finger, dipping into his mouth when she reached it. She traced the edge of his teeth. “Kiss me.”
He did. A rough desperate kiss that took over her whole body. His tongue swept her mouth, stroked every inch, confident and sure. She moved closer and wrapped her arms around his neck. She needed this. The validation from a man that she was a desirable woman. Deep down, she knew it was wrong to ask, but her inhibitions were sufficiently muffled, and with the level of desire running through her veins, she went for it.
“Inside me,” she gasped. “I need you. Help me. Show me I’m okay. Please.” She kissed him and hooked his hips with her ankles, bringing him against her. Clothes. She reached down to remove her underwear but found his arousal instead. She wrapped her hand around him and stroked him slowly with a milking pull.
“No, Josie. We can’t. You need to stop, you’re killing me.”
“Please.” She opened her eyes and caught his gaze. His eyes wide, nostrils flared. He might be in control of himself but barely. “I’m not drunk. I know what I’m doing.” Okay, that wasn’t exactly true. The bed still spun a little.
He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again and shook his head. “You’ll regret it in the morning. I never want to be a regret.”
Joanne had a man in bed with her. Hard. And he was pushing her away? Was she really that bad? After about three seconds of self-pity, Joanne found her determination.
“Look, Joe. I’ve had a shitty day. I lost my job, which sucked anyway, but it paid the bills. My boyfriend—who sucked worse—dumped me for another woman, and he said some things that…well, let’s just say my pride took a blow. I got drunk by myself in a dive I swore I’d never set foot in, and my big brother sends one of his friends that I’ve never met to collect me. I puked on my favorite neighbor’s grill, and I have to pack up tomorrow to camp on my brother’s couch until I find a new job and a new place to live.
“Now, if I were a man, you wouldn’t think twice about my desire for a sexual release. It’s only because I’m female that you think I don’t know what I’m doing.” She leaned over him, poking him in the chest. “Well, let me tell you this, Joe…” What was his last name? “Joe. I know exactly what I’m doing. I’m a twenty-five-year-old woman who feels like she’s a complete failure as a grownup and a
flop as a sexual being. I’m not asking for a relationship. Hell, I don’t even know your last name, but I had your dick in my mouth. All I need is five minutes of your time to help me feel like I’m not a total waste of space.”
Her breath hissed through her teeth. Now she’d done it. She had the guy pinned to the pillows with her tirade. He looked her over like she had one eye, orange scales and had just dropped from the sky. When the hell are you going to learn, Joanne? She’d let her mouth run away again.
She flopped onto her back and swore at the ceiling. “You know what? Forget it. Hell, for all I know, you’re gay.” She took a deep breath and waited for the bed to shift. Any second now, he’d leave. She turned away because it would kill her to watch. Instead, she felt one finger trail down her arm and slip into the fist she held at her side, easing it open until he could thread his fingers between hers.
“Joanne?” The tenderness in his voice brought tears to her eyes, but she furiously blinked them away. She didn’t answer. She couldn’t. She swallowed.
“Josie, look at me.”
She refused until he used one gentle finger on her jaw to do it for her. He smiled. Not a patronizing, sympathetic smile either. There was heat behind those eyes.
“You’re a beautiful woman. Never doubt that.”
She tried to look away, but his fingers on her jaw weren’t budging.
“I’ve been either half-stiff or all-out hard as a rock since I met you.” His low voice caressed her. She felt his breath, she smelled his skin, and she sank into the heat surrounding him.
Heat rushed to her face, and she managed a small smile.
“Now, I don’t know what your ex said to make you feel inadequate as a sexual being, but let me tell you something.” He edged up against her until she could feel the rough denim of his jeans against her thigh. “You sure as hell know how to turn me on. You’re definitely a sexual being.”
Joanne felt her heart beat. For the first time in twenty-some hours, it thumped along happily. How did he know the exact words she needed to hear? She opened her mouth, but he stopped her with two fingers across her lips.