by Watson, Gina
She smiled as she set down Eagle’s dinner. “No, we had a place over in Stoneleigh.”
He knew the neighborhood. The houses were upper middle class, mostly lawyers and doctors. He guessed after her parents’ death, there was no money left. No, Brook’s place wasn’t much to look at, but she had it disinfected to the point that it smelled like a pine forest. Various potted plants, ivy’s of some type or another, were peppered around the kitchen and living room. Framed magnolia leaves hung on the wall. He suspected they were there just so she could have wall art.
He watched her prepare dinner from his vantage point in the living room. She wasn’t aware he was following her every move. She wore cutoff shorts and a white tank top—he’d yet to see her in anything else. She was barefoot, having slid out of her slip-ons at the back door. She was fresh-faced—didn’t she wear make-up? But why would she? She didn’t need all that fake shit; she was naturally beautiful. And God, he was mooning over her like a teenager. But the realization wasn’t enough to make him stop. He focused on her hair that flowed in a thick curtain to the middle of her back. She’d worn it loose yesterday too, and the thick ropes had figured prominently in a few of his more vivid daydreams that day.
Once Eagle had finished his dinner, he sat licking his face. Brook knelt over him and squeezed his narrow head to her breast and kissed him.
“You were hungry, weren’t you?” For the second time in the matter of a few minutes, Cory wished he were the damn dog.
Cory turned away and took a closer look at the daybed in the living room. With two pillows at what would be the head and a water glass, alarm clock, and hand lotion on a table beside it, her living room was undoubtedly used as a bedroom.
Curious to see more of the house, he said, “I need to borrow your restroom.”
Brook lifted her head. “Sure, it’s just through there.” With a pointed finger, she indicated the hallway.
Cory’d figured the bathroom was this way, but he couldn’t just go ambling about her home without good reason. He could hear her talking to Teddy in her mothering voice as he rounded the corner. There were two doors to choose from. He opened the door nearest him. It was just as he’d suspected. What should be her bedroom was full of dog-training equipment and supplies. He closed the door and proceeded to the bathroom.
The bathroom was also in need of repairs. For starters the sink had separate hot and cold water taps. One could work with that, but it was the wrench hooked behind the faucets that worried him. The hot water dripped. The toilet was already running, and he hadn’t used it. He took the lid off of the tank to inspect the internal parts. The float ball mechanism was corroded and in need of replacement. Cory placed the lid back on the tank and turned to sit on the closed toilet seat. While he didn’t want to get involved romantically, he thought it might be beneficial to offer her a collaboration of sorts—strictly business of course. Someone needed to help this girl. And that someone should be him.
The spaghetti she made was nourishing and tasteful. To accompany the entrée she‘d made garlic toast out of standard issue white sandwich bread, and even it was delicious. Cory was anything but fussy. He actually preferred the classics to all that fancy shit anyway.
She’d offered him a beer and served it to him in the bottle, the same way she took hers.
The woman intrigued him, a thought both exciting and frightening.
After dinner he retrieved the puppy food from his SUV. He brought it to the kitchen. He’d started opening cupboard doors in search of a container when Brook handed him a red plastic bowl. She filled another with water and set it in front of Teddy. He took two small laps. Cory prepared the mushy puppy food and placed it next to the water bowl and everyone watched, including Eagle, as Teddy slowly consumed his dinner.
Brook went to sit on the make-do couch, and Cory followed her. They sat there, the four of them playing with the squeaky toy he’d brought from his clinic. Eagle was more interested in it than Teddy was. The puppy was content chewing the laces of Cory’s shoes. He picked him up by the scruff of the neck and said, “You can’t be chewing stuff like that, or you’ll wear out your welcome quickly.”
A deep throaty giggle escaped Brook’s mouth, and Cory found himself growing hard. God, he wanted to taste her again. But he couldn’t. One night of sex was a fling, a good time, a one-night stand. Two nights, especially two in a row, was the start of a commitment. Unless she knew going in where he stood, he wouldn’t take advantage. He cleared his throat. Did it a second time when he couldn’t figure out what to say.
“Brook.”
She turned half-lidded, desire-filled eyes on him. Her tongue came out and moistened her thick bottom lip. “Yeah?” Her voice was like lava, hot and melted.
Their lips crashed together. They nipped and pulled at each other with lips and teeth and tongue. She tugged at his tie and slid it free of his collar. He lifted her shirt over her head. She straddled him and set about unbuttoning his shirt. Once she had the buttons undone, she aggressively yanked it from his body. He needed to put a stop to their actions, but his hands wouldn’t listen to his brain. He wanted her naked. He wanted to see her and taste her and plunge deep inside her. He reached out and cupped her breasts through her bra. She was running her hands across his chest, flicking at his nipples and tugging at his chest hair.
His mouth twitched, but no words came out. He pulled the cups of her bra down and stared at her breasts. Oh God, he wanted…
He swallowed painfully. “Stop. We have to stop.”
Brook froze. Her brow rose as she regarded him curiously.
“I want you more than my next breath, but I can’t be what you want. I don’t do relationships, marriage, babies. None of that will ever exist for us.” It would never exist for him.
Her head titled to the right. “How do you know I want that?”
“Isn’t that what every woman wants?”
“Maybe. But someone once told me to shut off my mind and let my desire guide me.”
“That person sounds like an idiot.” He closed his eyes and shook his head at how stupid he’d been.
“You don’t think a woman can enjoy sex just as a man does?”
“What exactly are you saying? English please.”
“I’m saying I don’t expect anything from you. No commitments, no preconceived obligations, no going steady, no wining and dining. I get it.” She shrugged one shoulder. “I enjoyed the sex. I’m not in the habit of sleeping around, but I’d like to have more sex with you.” She grinned at him. “It was fun.” She pulled at one of his nipples and asked, “Wouldn’t you like to play some more?”
She sucked his nipple and grabbed his crotch, then abruptly stood and shimmied out of her shorts. Either she wasn’t wearing panties or she’d pulled those down with the shorts as she stood before him completely nude and glowing with desire. She was a goddess. He lifted himself up and slid out of his trousers and underwear. She climbed atop him and swept her sopping-wet cleft across his aroused cock. Jesus. He felt the jolt to his toes.
Wrapping her hands around his girth, Brook rose up on her knees and guided him into position. But she didn’t move. He closed his eyes, couldn’t hold back a groan. When she laughed softly, he looked into her eyes. Keeping her eyes on his, she slowly lowered herself until all of him was deep inside her. She set the pace and rode his cock until she was tensing and ready to go over the edge. Her voice raw, she asked, “Are you going to come? I want you to climax with me.”
Cory grasped her hips to get the intensity necessary to bring him to his peak. His balls tightened, and his eyes closed with his impending release.
Brook tapped his cheek. “Hey, look at me.”
It was hard for him to keep his eyes open while he ejaculated, but he was glad he did because he was rewarded. Brook was at the height of her beauty when she was aroused. To watch her spasm on top of him was the most gorgeous and sensual thing he’d ever seen. Her body flushed and simmered with electric current, and her eyes shimmer
ed with flecks of gold.
Once they climaxed, Brook placed her arms around his neck and kissed him chastely on the mouth. She presented him with a satisfied smile and relaxed her weight against him. He sensed something behind her and tilted his head. He whispered, “Your greyhound is sitting directly behind you.”
With her forehead resting on Cory’s she whispered, “He can get kind of protective of me.”
“He’s glaring.”
Her smile grew. Had he ever seen a more alluring smile? She turned in his lap to look at Eagle. “It’s okay, Eagle, Cory’s a nice man. He makes wonderful love to me.”
Shit! Why did she have to go and ruin it with the L-word? They weren’t making love. He’d thought he’d made that clear.
Damn. Damn. Damn. He threw his head back.
So now would be a good time to talk about contraceptives; that would put a damper on their “love.” He cleared his throat. “Hey, uh, we haven’t been using protection, and I always use protection. I don’t know why I haven’t been with you, but it’s an issue for several reasons.”
“It’s okay, I’m on the pill.”
She sat across his lap and trailed her fingers down his chest. He wished she’d stop that as it was distracting him. So she was on the pill. That seemed peculiar if she wasn’t having sex regularly.
A loud crash rang through the room, disturbing their post-coital ease. Brook jumped up on a scream and grabbed an old warn afghan to cover her nakedness. The door had blown open. Cory reached for a pillow and held it over his penis as he walked across the room. He peeked out onto the porch, but no one was around. He pulled the door closed, opened it, and closed it again. The problem was that the latch wasn’t lined up with the strike plate. He shifted a short bookcase into place against the door, to keep it shut, until he could dress and assess it further.
Brook had dressed and was staring at him with large eyes. “Since the last hurricane, things haven’t worked quite right.”
Cory nodded as he pulled on his pants, guessing she’d had trouble for a lot longer than a season. “Are you aware that Logan is looking for additional help during the week?”
Her forehead furrowed. “He mentioned something about that.”
“Aren’t you interested in extra work?”
She smiled innocently. “No, I’m good.”
“You’re good?”
Her smile faded. “Why don’t you just tell me what you’re getting at?”
He scratched the back of his head as he weighed the pros and cons of involving himself. Fuck it. “Your house needs major repairs, yet you spend most of your work week training dogs for free. It’s a bit unambitious. You should work for Logan.” Her mouth twisted to one side, and her brows slanted inward. He imagined it was her angry face, but he didn’t feel too threatened.
“I don’t remember asking you for financial advice. And I certainly don’t need a life coach.”
He really loathed having a serious conversation with a woman. They never reacted in a way that was reasonable. “What’s with the attitude? I’m trying to help you here. I wasn’t aware you knew of the available work.” Cory crossed his arms. “Why don’t you want to work the additional hours?”
“Usually I have three to four greyhounds at a time. I can’t leave them alone for that long.”
Cory nodded. He understood that. “How do you plan on tending to the repairs?” He looked around, his eyes landing on a large crack in the living room wall.
She chewed her bottom lip. “Look, more money would be nice, but it’s not necessary. I manage. I’ve been in positions where I’ve had more, but I wasn’t happy.” Her eyes turned down, and her features looked haunted. “This life makes the most sense. I’ve never been more content.” Her gaze followed his to the door, and she pressed her hands to her hips. “The door will hold for now.”
“Do you even want to know what can be living in that crack in the wall? And the danger there,” he pointed to the crack before he pointed to the door, “pales in comparison to what could happen with the door. Someone could easily get in here and hurt you. This is serious, not something to dismiss casually.”
She gasped. “How easy for you to stand there and judge me. Just remember I didn’t ask you to come over here.” Her eyes narrowed into snakelike slits as she glared at him. “Some people need money to feel content—that doesn’t work for me. And just because I don’t have a private practice and a fancy degree doesn’t mean I’m not ambitious.”
Cory exhaled loudly through clenched teeth. “Fuck it.” The house could fall down around her and all her karma bullshit. He wasn’t going to press her. If she didn’t want to take care of herself, there was nothing he could do to help her. He needed some space anyway. It was past time he left.
“For the record, I wasn’t judging you. I was trying to help you. Thanks for the dinner.” He looked to the door. “I’ll go out the back.”
4
Corrigan St. Martin was an ass. Brook just wished he didn’t have such a sweet one. Four days ago he’d walked out her back door and she’d not been able to get him out of her mind since.
When Brook stomped inside, The Good Doctor was hoppin’ with a bachelorette party in progress. Logan had refused to come out from behind the counter as he stewed about a brewery hosting a bachelorette party. He was talking to himself, asking where the hell the bachelors were.
An hour later, washing and drying pint glasses wasn’t enough to occupy her mind, and Brook found herself thinking of nothing but Cory. She wished he hadn’t mentioned anything about the door; now she’d be leery in her own home. Imagining what she would do during a home invasion had chills crawling up her spine. What could she do? She had no means of protection. Could she afford a new door? Probably not. She had only three hundred dollars left to get her through the month.
She was in a real funk about how they’d left things. Although he was an ass, she felt she’d been harsh. He’d said he was trying to help her.
Brook had been kept busy keeping the bachelorette party in beer and peanuts, but the women were of the diva variety and not easily satisfied. The ringleader approached Brook at the bar.
“Hey, we’re about to open the gifts, and I’ve misplaced my notepad and pen. Do you have something I can use?”
Brook dried her wet hands and pulled a couple of sheets of paper from the printer, grabbed the only writing implement she could find—a carpenter’s pencil. She handed the stuff to the diva sporting a banner across her body that read Maid of Honor.
She reached out and took Brook’s offering. “Gross, this paper is wet. Get me a pad.” She slammed the paper down on the bar and scrunched up her nose at the same time. “And I need a nice gel pen, preferably blue or red—anything but black—and no pencils.”
Brook stared at the woman with disbelieving eyes. They had none of those things at the bar. Brook shrugged. “There’s a drugstore across the street.” The maid of honor harrumphed and walked off, leaving the paper and pencil behind.
Once the gift and game portion of the festivities had been completed, the girls began to drink in earnest. Brook guessed that most of them—including the two singing very much off key—must be intoxicated considering the amount of beer they’d been ingesting. She offered them hot wings, fries, and peanuts, but they refused all food and demanded more beer. They’d become a tad belligerent for Brook’s liking and had taken to calling her Beer Wench.
At eight thirty or so, Brook looked up from drafting a pitcher and into the exotic blue pools of Cory’s eyes. His lips were tightly pursed until he exhaled and said, “Hey.” He combed his hands through his wet hair, drawing Brook’s eyes to his bulky triceps and a hint of his silky underarm hair. His T-shirt was damp and clung provocatively to his upper body. It must have been raining outside, and Brook couldn’t have been more thankful. Cory looked good wet. She was completely mesmerized as she drank him in. She couldn’t even speak. Only the most primitive responses were possible—breathing, pumping blood, consciousness.
Bony, pale fingers slid over his shoulder, drawing Brook out of her trance.
“Corrigan, mmm, I’ve missed you. Come over and have a beer with me.” The maid of honor scraped her thick sculpted nails—red, of course—across Cory’s wet chest. He grabbed her hand and moved it from his body. She shot a narrow-eyed look at Brook before smiling provocatively at Cory and asking, “How about a repeat of last Friday night?”
Cory’s eyes caught Brook’s gaze. He flexed his neck to the right. Then, still holding Brook’s gaze, he said, “Julia, go scratch your claws somewhere else.”
Today was Friday so that meant there had been three days between Julia and Cory when she’d been with him. Why did that bother her? He’d had Mrs. Simms the same day they’d also had sex, but the thought of him with Julia made her nauseated. She was about to walk toward the kitchen when she felt a jolt of electricity on her skin.
He reached out a hand, latched on to Brook’s wrist, and pulled her out from behind the counter. “Please come with me. I need to speak with you.” He never let go as he led her from the bar all the way to Logan’s office. Fading in the distance, she heard the exasperated pants emanating from Julia.
He closed the office door and massaged his right temple with his fingers. “Look, Brook, I was not judging you or your lifestyle. I apologize if I came across that way.” He dug into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out a stay and play keychain from one of the local casinos. Attached was a copper key. “Here.”
Brook held the key in front of her face. Wrinkling her nose, she asked, “What’s this?”
“It’s the key to your new front door.”
Oh God. She’d been worried about her door situation since he’d brought it to her attention. Brook wasn’t prone to crying, but her eyes blurred. She looked down to hide the tears from Cory. He put a finger under her chin and slowly tilted her face to meet his. Brook whispered, “Thank you. I don’t know if you could ever understand what this means to me. No one has ever helped me like this before. Just help with no expectations. Thank you, Cory.”