Neutral Zone

by Amber Lynn

  Brady picked up the piece of paper she’d noticed when he was down on the street looking for her. She’d wondered what exactly it was, but hadn’t asked. When he said he’d been at his lawyer’s office, she’d worried what business he had to take care of after just getting off the plane. As they rushed out the door, Nina decided it was best not to worry about it. If it had anything to do with her, he’d eventually let her know.

  Chapter 24

  Brady had been in a lot of situations when a bell of some sort had saved him, but probably never as important as the bell that was both his and Nina’s phones going off. The doctor was suggesting the two of them get into some couples’ counseling. They hadn’t officially had any talks about labeling themselves as a couple, no matter what paperwork he’d just had drawn up, and evidently others clearly saw them as such, or Nina was telling people they were.

  The doctor had said something about mentioning it to Nina before, so clearly, she thought that’s where they stood. It was a little strange, since he’d been giving her the cold shoulder, which meant it was another time when her wants overpowered whatever he was thinking.

  “I told her the sex was degrading and every once in a while painful, but I loved it. I never told her you were abusing me,” Nina whispered.

  They were sitting in a hospital waiting room. They’d rushed to get there, but Hannah and Curtis were both a little busy elsewhere, so they were stuck waiting. They weren’t alone, both of the soon-to-be parents’ families were filling the same waiting room.

  “We can talk about it later.”

  Nina’s comment was better mentioned in the ten-minute car ride over. As it was, the families were staring at them a little like they were animals in the zoo. It wasn’t like they hadn’t seen the two of them together before, but they hadn’t seen Nina curled into Brady’s side with her head on his shoulder.

  Brady had thought about maybe getting ahold of some of their teammates. They’d been waiting for the big day, just like everyone else. The waiting room was already pretty cramped, and the team showing up would mean Nina needed to take a step back, which he wasn’t ready for.

  He’d asked her to find a way to make him believe her, and she had. He hadn’t told her that yet, but the trip to the shrink, who had interrupted her to get her to dive deeper into things, made a difference. It wasn’t just the same old stuff she’d said over and over about how she didn’t need his opinion when making business deals.

  That kind of came up again, of course, but there was more to it. She admitted that he made her feel something he was sure no one had ever done. The scary businesswoman didn’t need someone to make her feel safe and secure, at least that’s the persona she showed everyone. Brady had no idea what was really going on in her head, but to admit that he gave her that sense of safety was a huge step forward.

  Thinking about it, he leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She shrugged her shoulders to cuddle into him a little more. It was nice that they’d gotten there before anyone else and had claimed the little loveseat in the area for themselves.

  “Okay, come on, guys. What is going on between you.”

  Not all of Hannah’s brothers were there, but the three that were kept glaring at them. When Brady caught their eyes, they looked away, but their focus continued to come back. Brady hadn’t catalogued their names, since he’d only really spent any time with them at the wedding and reception months ago.

  “Shut up, Vinnie. It’s none of your business.”

  Nina obviously didn’t have an issue knowing who was who. She’d been basically a member of the family for twenty years. Curtis even mentioned in passing once that a couple of the brothers had dabbled with wooing Nina. Clearly, things hadn’t worked out.

  “Ask questions later, Vinnie,” Hannah’s mom said in a tone almost as harsh as Nina’s.

  Karen’s eyes had been glued to the direction she evidently somehow knew news would come from. They’d only been there fifty minutes or so, so chances were they had a long wait ahead of them.

  “Come on, Mom. You have to wonder. Nina’s brought guys over to family dinners before, and she’s never practically sat on their laps.”

  Brady tried to determine whether the whining in the guy’s voice was jealousy, or if his balls just hadn’t dropped yet. The guy was older than Brady, but you couldn’t tell it. He sounded like someone closer to the thirteen-year-old range.

  “I don’t have to wonder anything. She could just be cold or something. That t-shirt can’t be too warm in this ice box.”

  He hadn’t noticed a chill, but hearing there was one, Brady rubbed the top of Nina’s arm with the hand he used to hold her close to his body. Her skin felt slightly chilly, but not necessarily cold.

  “I’m fine,” she whispered, then spoke a little louder. “I could use some coffee. Do you want to come with me to get it?”

  Brady was there to support his best friend, but he hated hospitals, and waiting rooms were the worst, so he quickly jumped to his feet, bringing Nina with him. Upright, she stepped away, but he reached over to put his hand behind her back and usher her closer.

  He waited until they were out of general hearing range before he said anything. He didn’t want anyone picking up the topic of conversation, since it was something personal to Nina.

  “I take it you don’t like hospitals.”

  He’d just thought the same thing about himself, but he was working on a hunch to explain why she’d instinctively cuddled into him. It was completely out of character for her to do something like that in public, especially around people she knew.

  Her head tilted up to look at him as her forehead creased in confusion. It was a cute look, so Brady kissed it quickly.

  “Why would you say that?”

  Nina was a tough cookie to read, but Brady thought he was getting a handle on it. She was the most complex human being he’d ever met, so chances were he’d never understand her, but getting a feeling for why she did things helped.

  “Like they said, you were sitting pretty close in there. Not that I mind. I just figure there’s a reason for it. I don’t like hospitals either. I’ve spent far too much time in them myself and visiting others.”

  Brady didn’t know anyone who actually enjoyed hanging out in a hospital. There were some guys who did a bunch of community service with the kids who were really sick, but Brady didn’t think it was a fun task, and he never volunteered when the opportunities came up. Going to schools and holding clinics for kids was right up his alley, but the hospital visits just weren’t his thing.

  “Yeah, well, whatever this thing is between us, you better not expect me to spend a lot of time in here with you. The place makes my skin crawl.”

  She shivered to emphasize the point. The information told him how much Hannah really meant to her. He knew that she’d only started going to therapy to get Hannah back in her life, but until that day, he thought a lot of that was probably an act. Seeing her with the actual doctor and how she acted in the hospital, he knew she was putting herself out there for a friend.

  “If it doesn’t, I’m pretty sure you’re not human. I know there have been some questions about whether you are an evil artificial intelligence robot, but I have it on pretty good authority that you’re human.”

  He’d never been to the maternity wing, but Brady was able to get them to the caffeine station pretty easily. He was kind of surprised that his tactic of copying where the coffee was on another floor actually worked.

  They were quiet for a few minutes while they poured and stirred their drinks. Curtis’ text had just said the babies were on the way, so chances were, they weren’t going to be doing any celebrating for hours. He didn’t know a lot about having babies, but the rumors he heard said it wasn’t quick.

  “I see you didn’t touch the comment about whatever this thing is. I’m guessing that was supposed to be the topic of dinner tonight, but I don’t think we’re going to make it, unless you count a hospital cafeteria as a place to get some fine
dining.”

  Brady almost spewed out his coffee as he tried not to laugh at the idea. He’d been on some interesting dates, but he’d never wined and dined a woman in a hospital cafeteria.

  “That was exactly what dinner was supposed to be about.”

  He led them over to a nook that had a window looking outside. No one was around, so he thought it made a good spot to talk.

  “I hate labels,” he said. “I’m sure you noticed that I cringed when I heard your shrink try to define us as a couple, and that’s a pretty mild label.”

  Nina nodded. She’d been watching him closely enough that there was no way she’d missed the horror in his eyes.

  “Yeah, I’ve never actually had a boyfriend. I mean, I’m sure some poor guys went around telling everyone they were my boyfriend, but not as far as I was concerned.”

  “In high school and college people always tried to push the labels on me, and as soon as I heard others using them, I treated whoever I was seeing like the plague. I like keeping things open.”

  There was a little concern that reflected for just a second in Nina’s eyes at Brady’s words. She was quick to cover it up, but he caught it.

  “But you said this morning you don’t share. Does that mean if we decide to keep the physical stuff between us going, you want me to yourself, but you’re going to be with whoever you want?”

  She kept her voice down, but Brady could hear the indignation in it. She was not happy about the idea.

  “This isn’t really a conversation for a hospital.”

  Brady looked around to see if they were drawing any attention. Since they weren’t, he continued.

  “But, you already pointed out that dinner probably won’t happen, so we might as well talk about it since we’re just sitting around. I have no plans of sleeping around. I haven’t since we’ve been apart, and at present, I don’t feel the need to search out anyone else.”

  “But you might.”

  There was a lot of ‘but’ going on in the conversation. Brady really wanted to turn Nina around and spank hers. It was too bad the timing and place were all wrong.

  “I might, just like you might decide you don’t want me anymore. If that happens, I’m not going to go behind your back. I’ll tell you, like I expect you to do if things aren’t working for you anymore.”

  That was how normal people operated. Brady didn’t consider either of them normal, but he thought they could figure out that basic step. In the past, his relationships had been totally open from his point of view, and he didn’t shy away with having sex with more than one person at a time.

  “What if right at this moment, I really want things to work out for a while. I have literally never had sex this good in my life, and I’m not sure how or where I’ll find someone else to give it to me.”

  She didn’t make eye contact as she spoke, not surprising given the words. The where aspect of her finding a replacement was a little concerning. Her dominant and submissive personalities clashed, and Brady could see her finding someone who didn’t understand where the limits should be when dealing with the submissive. It was still so new to her that he feared someone would take advantage.

  “I would say that I’m currently in the same boat. I think it’s a new situation for both of us and I want to consider it on permanent footing for now. Or at least as permanent as anything in our lives can be.”

  She smiled slightly, while furrowing her forehead again. He thought about warning her of the dangers of wrinkles, but it was too cute to bring to her attention.

  “Is the new situation the fact that you want it to last or the sex stuff?”

  “Both, technically, but I was mainly meaning the sex. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been the one running things, but what’s going on with us, is new.”

  “You aren’t like that with everyone?”

  She sounded mystified, which made Brady smile with a little swagger in it. He loved that he could catch her off guard.

  “Honey, you bring out a certain something inside of me I didn’t know I had buried. The reason I’m not worried about me finding any replacements for you is because my head is too full of all the things we still need to do. If we don’t get tired of it, there’s months of stuff up in here.”

  Brady tapped a finger against his head. He’d thought about looking things up on the internet about dominant and submissive relationships, but he didn’t like the whole labeling thing, and he really did have a lot of ideas. Lust shone in Nina’s eyes as she licked her lips.

  He leaned forward so their faces brushed, his stubble probably scratching against her skin. He heard a sharp intake of breath as he got closer.

  “One of these days, I’m going to whisper the word ‘come’ in your ear and you are going to gush out a river.”

  Her hands curled into fists as they gripped at his shirt. She’d held her breath while he spoke, but it became quickly erratic as he went on.

  “Please. There’s a hotel right across the street. We can go and come back before anything happens here.”

  Brady reached an arm around her to bring her snug to his body, letting her feel he wanted the same thing. That was part of the game, though. What you wanted, wasn’t always what you needed. Nina was so used to getting everything she wanted that she had to learn that wasn’t how things worked.

  It killed Brady sometimes to abstain when all he wanted to do was take her against the closest wall. What happened when they finally climaxed was worth any temporary pain from not acting on it.

  “Not now,” he said as he let off the pressure holding her close. “We’re here for our friends now. If you’re good, I’ll let you suck me off on the way to my place, once we get the green light to get out of here. Then, when we get home, I’ll put you up on the counter in the kitchen and eat you like a buffet. I might even put on a bib, because I’m guessing your pussy is going to be like a bowl of pudding, drippy and sweet.”

  She moaned, both in excitement and protest, and then sighed. She knew she couldn’t push him to go against his word, so she was going to have to spend the next however long they were stuck there soaking the little black underwear he’d seen her put on that morning.

  At least it gave them both something to think about other than the fact that they were in the hospital. He didn’t know if there was a particular reason why she hated them, but he’d done what he could to make it easier on her.

  Chapter 25

  “So, correct me if I’m wrong, but you and Brady reconciled whatever thing you have going between you on the day Oliver and Olivia were born, and they just turned six weeks.”

  Nina rolled her eyes, both at Hannah’s words and the fact that she’d named her kids Oliver and Olivia. Sure, they called the girl Liv and the boy Ollie, but still, it was the corniest thing Nina had ever heard. All she could think when she heard the names was “olly olly oxen free.”

  “It’s not a bloody miracle, Hans. It’s not the first time a guy has lasted over a month.”

  “That’s a technicality. You can’t count that one guy you forgot to tell you were done with him before you went to Italy for a month.”

  Hannah stopped feeding whichever baby had been suckling her breast for the last ten minutes and moved it to her shoulder to burp. Nina couldn’t tell them apart from the back of their heads. They both had the same kind of reddish curls.

  The other baby was settled next to Hannah on the couch, while Nina sat on a couch by herself. Hannah kept trying to get her to hold the babies, but Nina was more comfortable just waving her hand kind of in their faces to make sure they felt her presence.

  “I guess, you got me there. I like Brady, okay?”

  “I’m not saying it’s not okay. I’m just kind of curious when you’ll be posting a wedding registry and moving in officially. Or have you already done the latter? Last I knew, you were only spending every other day there.”

  The child on her shoulder let out an ungodly belch while Hannah spoke. The noise made Nina sick to her stomach.
Another time when it’d sounded just as loud and disgusting, Hannah had ended up with a shoulder full of vomit.

  The mother cooed at the baby, apparently the girl child, and laid her down next to her brother on the couch. It took her that long to look over at Nina to see the scowl she deserved in response to the comment.

  “If you’re hoping to help plan a wedding, you’re going to be holding your breath for a long time. Brady doesn’t believe in labels, so no matter if things keep working out between us or not, husband and wife are not in our future.”

  Hannah looked a little skeptical, but Nina had spent enough time with Brady to know where he stood. A wedding was not in their future.

  “But you want it to be?” Hannah raised her eyebrows up and down almost comically as she spoke.

  “No, I don’t want to marry Brady.”

  “YES!” Nina’s subconscious yelled at the same time.

  It was obviously drunk. It wasn’t necessarily marriage she wanted, but some kind of indication there would be prolonged commitment would be nice. Brady had told her that he wasn’t losing interest in what they had, but he could easily find some shiny new submissive to train and play with.

  For her, finding someone like Brady wasn’t that easy. He understood exactly what she needed and made sure she got it. There wasn’t any quick humping that left her unsatisfied and a guy off to smoke his celebratory cigarette. Sometimes, he did play around with leaving her frustrated, but eventually he made her the happiest woman in the world.

  Hannah stared at her, making Nina want to squirm, but she kept her cool. There wasn’t anything her friend could read into the relationship. Nina hadn’t told her how things worked between her and Brady.

  It was the first time she actually wanted to keep what happened between her and a guy private, other than going over the basics with Dr. Barnes. In the past, Nina had gone all in on the gory details about what guys considered a healthy sex life with her. It was different with Brady, and not just because he had full command of her in that aspect.