Sinful Whispers (An Evans Mill Romance Book 1)

by Scarlett Brooks

  Eloise padded into the kitchen. “What’s for dinner?”

  I opened the oven, sliding out the top rack. I carefully placed the pan of cornbread on a cool burner.

  “Mac and cheese and cornbread,” I announced.

  She shrugged, climbing onto the tall chair.

  “Aren’t you hungry?” I asked.

  Her silence was enough of an answer. “Just try to eat,” I urged.

  The backdoor rattled and I looked at the window. The rain and wind had picked up, but there was someone standing on the back stoop.

  “Let me in, Cass.”

  I ran across the kitchen, whipping open the door. “Brad, you’re soaked.”

  He grinned and stepped inside, shaking the rain from his thick hair as if he was an oversized dog. Eloise giggled.

  “You think that’s funny?” I eyed her. I turned to him. “What’s going on?”

  “Half the block has lost power. I came to check on you two.”

  “I hadn’t heard that.” I tried to peer through the backdoor, but the tree limbs dangled and it was dark. I hadn’t noticed my neighbors were in the dark.

  “Maybe it’s better if I stay here with you,” he suggested. “Just in case.”

  I tugged on his elbow and led him into the living room while El picked at her dinner.

  “You don’t need to do that.”

  He exhaled. “I know I don’t need to do it, but I want to do it. What if you need something?”

  I held up my phone. “I have this.” I wasn’t helpless. Wasn’t raising a daughter on my own for four years proof enough?

  He sat on the edge of a chair. “It’s better not to take a chance. You have a guest room. It’s not like I’m asking to share your bed.” His eyes lit.

  I huffed. Of course that’s what he wanted. Brad had wanted to be my boyfriend since high school biology. It didn’t happen then. It wasn’t going to happen now. The fact that Eloise and I moved into this bungalow near his fixer upper hadn’t helped matters.

  Eloise loved Brad. He dropped by after work. He let her run around his backyard and play with his beagle dogs. He fixed our front porch railing when the rotten wood became dangerous. He changed my filters and batteries every three months because he didn’t want me to worry about it with everything else I had to do on my own.

  Brad was a good guy. A dependable man. I saw how he looked at me. I knew he adored my daughter. But it wasn’t there. No amount of take out and binge-watching shows was going to land him in my bed. We were friends. Plain and simple. There wasn’t a single spark I felt or even wanted. I was okay with the way things were between us.

  “Brad,” I reprimanded. “Don’t say things like that.”

  He grinned. “I’m just teasing you. But I don’t like the idea of you two being here in the dark. It’s not safe.”

  Part of my dream echoed back to me. Didn’t Logan say it wasn’t safe to leave my doors unlocked. I suddenly started blushing uncontrollably.

  “Cass?”

  “Huh?”

  “I lost you there.”

  I shook my head. “Sorry. I’m just distracted. Eloise has a cold. And it’s not a good idea for you to stay. I don’t want you to get sick and miss work too.”

  His warm hand landed on my shoulder. “All the more reason you need me.”

  I felt the defeat take over. He was right. It was exhausting always being the only one. I was weary in places I didn’t know could get tired. It was the kind of extreme fatigue mothers like me understand. We saw it in each other’s eyes at the park or picking up a cup of coffee to go.

  “Come on, Cass. I’ll be your backup if Eloise needs anything. Or you,” he added.

  I considered it. I thought about how easy it would be for Brad to just move in like a roommate and help me co-parent. But I’d never taken advantage of him. I wasn’t going to start now because he caught me at a weak moment.

  “It’s sweet. Really sweet. But El and I can handle it.” I smiled at him. The rain still clung to the side of his face.

  “How about I stick around while you get her to bed? I can at least do that for you.”

  I smiled. “Okay. I’ll go check on her. She needs Tylenol and her vitamins. I’ll get bathed and in bed. Do you want some mac and cheese?” I offered.

  “Don’t worry about me. Take care of her. Just call me if you need help.”

  He settled on the couch and turned on the TV. He flipped through the channels until he landed on a game. I sighed, walking out of the room. Brad was sometimes his own compelling argument. He fit in our house. He fit on the couch. He was like a cozy blanket. Only, I didn’t’ want to wrap up with him.

  I took Eloise’s temperature and frowned when I saw it was still over 100.

  “What’s wrong, Mommy?”

  “Nothing, honey. I know you still aren’t feeling like yourself.” I also knew a low-fever before bed probably meant it would spike overnight. “Let’s take some medicine and I’ll read a story before bed.”

  She did everything I asked her to do. How had I gotten so lucky to have such an easy-going child? After I finished reading Rapunzel to her, I turned off her light, kissed her on the forehead, and walked to the kitchen. I stared at the counter. Brad had cleaned everything. He even wiped down the table.

  I marched to the living room to reprimand him. “Brad, you didn’t need to do all that.”

  I stood in front of him. He rose from the couch. “You need help. Face it. You could use someone like me here to pitch in. How is she feeling?”

  I was getting ready to answer, but I paused.

  We both turned our heads when we heard a car door slam and heavy footsteps on the front porch.

  “Are you expecting someone?” he asked.

  “No.” My eyes darted to the door. “I’m not.”

  My stomach flipped as Brad walked to the door.

  “Brad, wait,” I called. I hadn’t had a chance to tell him about Logan.

  Seven

  Logan

  The rain splashed from the gutters and downspouts. Maybe if it hadn’t been such a rough storm I would have stopped to observe the house where my daughter lived. But the only thing pushing me forward right now was the truth.

  I wanted answers. Whether I had the right to demand them was a different story.

  I climbed the stairs, two at a time, barreling my way to the front door. The lights were on.

  Was I about to play out a scene in a movie where the guy shows up and pounds on the door in the pouring rain? Hell yes I was. Especially if that meant I learned what really happened after I left. When did Cass find out she was having my baby? Was there anyone there for her? How did her parents react?

  There were five years of my life I had to account for.

  My fist hovered in front of the solid wooden door.

  It had happened before I realized it. The first missed phone call. The first promise I broke to Cassie was the hardest. After that, it got easier. It wasn’t as if I didn’t know what I was doing. Each time I passed a phone line on base. Or opted to turn down an opportunity to use a secure computer, I was making a choice. Choosing to create a life in the desert that didn’t include her.

  I didn’t think it was possible to lock her out the way I did.

  That morning we fought and fucked on my bedroom floor, I vowed to come home with a medical degree and a future.

  Cass’s fingers trailed over my chest. She bit her lip.

  “What are you thinking?” I asked.

  There was chance she was fighting back tears, but I knew she wouldn’t let me see them. “I’m thinking of all the ways to keep you from leaving me,” she admitted. “More sex?” she teased.

  I laughed, pulling her on top of me. She squealed. “Sex is your best weapon against everything.” I winked.

  “Seriously,” she whispered. “What can I do to get you to change your mind? I’ll do anything.”

  I shook my head. I stared into her beautiful blue eyes. Her body still warm from sex. Her tits
still hard. Her breath rapid.

  “I’m leaving, babe. But I can call. I can email. We can video chat. It’s not going to be as bad as you think it will.”

  She slid her smooth skin along mine. Our bodies loved this friction. My cock twitched beneath her.

  “Can I call you?” she asked.

  “I don’t think so. But you can write. Think how romantic that is,” I tempted. “Aren’t you reading love letters by someone now?”

  She rolled her eyes. “That was for my English final. Albert and Victoria’s love letters. And that was in the 1800’s you asshole.” She ground her hips against my cock and I groaned. “I don’t want a Victorian relationship. I want this relationship where my boyfriend is under me at all times. Whenever I want him.”

  I laughed, squeezing her ass. “Don’t write me letters. It’s okay. I’ll call you. All the time. And we’ll just have to remember this situation the way you like it.” I slapped her playfully and she moaned.

  “How long?” she asked.

  “I thought you knew that. I think it’s at least ten inches.” I pretended to count on my second hand.

  She pressed her lips together.

  I chuckled.

  “Asshole,” she muttered.

  I rounded my hands over her ass, urging her to relax into my palm. She exhaled as I explored her skin and dove dangerously close to her rosebud.

  “This one?” I teased.

  She shook her head. “No. I’ve never let you back there. You are the asshole. And I want to know how long you’ll be gone. Not how long your cock is.” She eyed me.

  But the more I circled and toyed with her backside the wider her legs spread. At first it was maybe millimeters, but now she was opening her legs eagerly, letting me in a new place. A place I’d always wanted. I pushed a finger inside the tight ring of muscle and she clenched against the pressure.

  I bit at her ear. “Feel good?”

  She nodded. “Answer the question.”

  It wasn’t going to take me long to get hard again. Not with the promise of something new in play. I pushed my finger deeper and she panted as I began to swirl and pump my finger.

  “Just a couple of years, Cass. Med school. A rotation with soldiers. Then I’m home.” I thrust my finger all the way in and she squeezed me like a vise. Fuck this was hot.

  “Years?” she moaned. I pushed another finger inside her, testing her, wondering how far we could go.

  I nodded. “But I’ll get breaks. And we can have so much phone sex, babe,” I teased. “I’ll send you toys. And pictures.” I waggled my eyebrows. “We can get fucking creative.”

  She whimpered. She lifted herself up on her knees, straddling me so that her ass was open and I was fully pumping my fingers in and out of her tight hole. God, she was amazing. She loved this. Why hadn’t we done this sooner? I didn’t want to get caught up in all the things we should have done before I signed my contract. I had to focus on this. On this hot as sin moment.

  Cassie looked between my legs, watching my cock grow toward her. It was sore and exhausted, but I couldn’t deny her. Never. I knew exactly what my greedy girl wanted. I fisted my cock a few pumps as she steadied herself over it. As I pushed my fingers all the way in her ass, she speared my dick with a vicious thrust of her hips. Her tits pointed forward. I sucked one between my teeth as our bodies collided with primal force.

  Back and forth. Up and down. She rode me like a rock star and I pushed her to new limits. We were insatiable even though we’d been on the floor ever since our first fight began. Was this the last fight? Our last defense as we sweated and grunted. Fucked and loved.

  “Oh shit, Cass,” I growled, dragging her lips to mine. She bit my bottom lip, cursing as her climax began.

  “I’m going to come like this,” she whimpered. “It’s so good. So dirty.”

  I thrust into her with possession. “Yes, you are,” I growled.

  She screamed as I filled her holes and exploded inside her with the kind of orgasm I didn’t know I had in me. My spine tightened and spasmed as my cum sputtered and dripped from Cassie.

  “Oh shit,” she whimpered. She pushed against my chest and fought the sensations as our bodies catapulted then fell back to earth.

  I kissed her. “That was fucking incredible, babe.”

  She nodded. “That wasn’t enough to convince you to stay?”

  I laughed. “It was. If I could rip up that contract, I would. Right now.”

  “You’ll call me as soon as you get there?” she pressed.

  “As soon as I can, babe.” The truth was I didn’t know what kind of phone access I would have. I was going into intensive medical training. They needed doctors and the faster I could practice medicine, the better for the guys on the ground.

  She lowered her head to my chest. I didn’t know if she was satisfied with my answers. I had to hope it would be enough for her to wait for me.

  No, here I stood in the rain on Cassie’s porch. That was five years ago. I hadn’t kept a single damn promise I made.

  Maybe there was nothing that could salvage our relationship, but I couldn’t let that keep me from the child in there. If she was my daughter, I could make things right. She was still young enough I had a chance to ask for forgiveness.

  I pounded on the door.

  “Cassie,” I called. “It’s Logan.”

  I knocked again when the door whipped open. What the hell?

  Brad Jackson? What was he doing here? I hadn’t seen him since high school.

  Brad barred the door so I couldn’t enter. I thought I saw Cassie standing behind him.

  “Hey, Brad. I’m surprised to see you here.” For a second I wondered if I had the wrong address. Did I accidentally switch street numbers?

  “Logan Stone,” he grunted.

  “Dr. Stone. I stopped by to see Cassie.”

  His bicep flexed as he gripped the door. “Like hell you are.”

  I chuckled. He had no idea what he was up against. I had more than my share of fights. I wasn’t scared and I wasn’t going to back down.

  “Out of the way, Brad. I’m here to see Cassie.”

  “I’ll tell her you stopped by.” He moved to slam the door in my face, but I shoved my boot in the threshold.

  “Brad,” I heard Cassie’s voice in the background.

  My eyes flinched. She was in there and he wasn’t going to keep me out.

  “Out of my way.”

  Brad gritted his teeth. My fists tightened next to my side and I waited for the first punch to fly.

  Eight

  Cassie

  Holy shit. Holy fucking shit.

  My mouth hung open. Logan was on the front porch. Brad blocked him from walking through the door. They both puffed out their chests. This was not good.

  “Stop it,” I warned Brad.

  He whipped his head around. “I’m not letting the bastard in.” His eyes were filled with hatred.

  “That’s not your decision to make.”

  His posture didn’t change. I was going to have to use a crowbar to move him, or whack him with it.

  “Man, I’m here to talk to Cass.” Logan tried to reason with him. Thunder crashed and lightning flashed behind him.

  My lungs burned with the breath I was holding in. If Logan was here because of Eloise my world was about to be flipped upside down. I wanted to run and hide. I wanted to run into his arms. I wanted to punch him. I wanted to kiss him. I wanted everything at once, and all of it was impossible.

  “I don’t think you were invited,” Brad growled.

  “That’s enough.” I tugged on Brad’s arm, separating his hand from the doorframe. “Logan can come inside.”

  The scowl never left Brad’s face. “When did Logan Stone get back in town?” His tone was accusatory.

  I didn’t think I could handle them both at once. “We can talk about it later,” I explained. I didn’t know how to soften the blow that I hadn’t told him something this important.

  “What?�
�� Brad looked stunned.

  I didn’t want to make things worse. “I need to talk to Logan. Alone. Please.”

  Logan stepped over the threshold, watching our exchange. He stepped aside to give Brad enough room to leave.

  “I don’t think you should be alone with him,” Brad argued. “Plus, this storm.”

  “She’ll be fine,” Logan interrupted.

  “I don’t trust you,” Brad spat at my ex.

  I rested my palm on his forearm. It was tight and tense. “Just go. I’ll call you later. Please,” I added.

  Maybe it wasn’t fair to kick Brad out the second Logan showed up. He was the one who had been here for the past few years, not Logan. But I wasn’t going to have this discussion in front of Brad.

  He shot us both a wounded look and strolled out, slamming the door behind him. I barely heard his footsteps over the heavy rain.

  I sighed.

  “New bodyguard?” Logan asked.

  “Something like that.” I shoved my hands in my back pockets to keep from doing something with them. Which urge was stronger? Slapping Logan’s gorgeous face or running my fingers through his hair? It didn’t matter. I held them in place.

  “Brad was always in love with you,” Logan stated.

  “He was not.” I didn’t want to start fighting. “You were jealous.”

  Logan huffed. “Jealous of Brad? In high school?”

  “Admit it,” I pressed.

  Logan stopped in front of the couch. “You and I didn’t even hook up until college.”

  “You were jealous.”

  “He’s still hanging around, so I guess that means he got what he wanted.”

  I stared in disbelief. “You’re still jealous.”

  Logan shook his head. “No. Just stating the facts, Cass.”

  “Don’t call me that.” I stormed past him to the kitchen. He followed me.

  “Cassie, I didn’t come here to talk about you and Brad. That’s your business.”

  I threw a dish in the sink. “Who the hell do you think you are?”

  “I’m trying to get answers.”

  “About Brad and me?” Why was I so furious? Why did I care if he thought Brad and I were together? Maybe it was a good thing. He needed to think I moved on. He needed to know I didn’t pine for him for four years while I raised our daughter. Maybe if he thought I was fucking Brad he’d leave.