by R. C. Martin
“God, Brooke—listen to me,” he insists, engulfing me in both of his arms. I remain silent and he continues. “I didn’t know this would happen anymore than you did. Sure, I hoped. I hoped that I could kiss you and you wouldn’t slap me; I hoped that I could show you how I felt, and that you would consider it; but I never imagined that we’d be here. Yet, here we are.”
“But, Owen, everything has happened so fast. It’s like I blinked and then we were—we were—god, I don’t even know what we are anymore.”
“Brooke, I’m in love with you.”
He says the words as easily as if he’s said them a million times. I gasp, pressing the sides of my fists against his chest in an effort to put some space between us. If I thought I was frazzled before, I was wrong. This is frazzled. It’s like his declaration has crossed every wire between my head and my heart, and it’s too much. It’s too fast. It’s too—everything. Though, as hard as I try to push out of his grasp, his strong hold makes it impossible for me to get away.
“Don’t be scared, baby. I’m not asking for you to love me back. Not yet. I’m just being honest. You want to know why this isn’t weird? It’s because this is real. What I feel for you, it’s so fucking real. And maybe I’ve never said it before, but Brooke—I’ve been trying to show you for months now. I love everything about you. Even the shit that drives me crazy, I love.
“I love that you think everything can be fixed with chocolate. I love how loyal you are to the people you care about. I love that the cheerleader in you is still very much a part of who you are—and you bring that spirit to every one of my games. Fuck, I love your confidence and the way you manage to be strong and independent without losing an ounce of your femininity. I even love the way you flirt; though, it drives me up a wall to see you do it with everyone but me.”
With every word he speaks, I feel the muscles in my body begin to surrender. I don’t fight against his hold, too distracted by the things that he’s saying—too amazed by the way that he sees me. As I relax in his arms, staring up into his eyes, I savor the sincerity that I find there.
“Now, there’s more,” he continues, reaching up to curve his warm hand around my cheek. “I love the feel of your pussy wrapped around my naked dick. I love the feel of your soft body underneath mine. I love how much you take when you’re kissing me—and the sound you make when you come. Fuck, baby—I love it all.”
I don’t know how long I stare at him, completely and utterly speechless, but as I’m learning, my hesitancy doesn’t discourage him in the slightest. When he’s sick of standing still, he begins to back me through the apartment, headed for my bedroom. I don’t protest, my stomach fluttering like crazy, knowing what he’ll do to me when we get there.
“You keep kissing me back, Brooke. And this is us. Wild and passionate.”
“Complicated,” I whisper.
“Intimate,” he counters, guiding me over the threshold of my room.
“Confusing.”
“New and different.” Shutting my door, he spins me around and presses me against it, leaning down to press his forehead against mine as he murmurs, “Hot and unstoppable.”
“Scary,” I whimper.
Lowering his lips until they hover over mine, he mutters, “Totally worth it.”
Without thinking, I press my mouth against his with a moan, the sound of my submission. I’m done fighting it. I’m done questioning it. I’m done running from it. It feels too good—too right. It should feel weird, but the weird part is that it doesn’t. I want this, whatever this is.
When I dart my tongue out, declaring that I want to taste him, I slip my hands underneath his coat and over his shoulders. He lets me push the heavy garment off of him, allowing it to fall to the floor before he grabs my waist, giving me a squeeze as he kisses me deeper.
“Take me, Owen,” I whimper between kisses. “I’m yours.”
He growls, and before I know it, I’m completely topless with one of my nipples in his mouth. I arch my back, running my fingers over his soft, buzzed hair, concentrating on the way my body responds to him. When he latches on to my opposite breast, he shoves a hand down the front of my leggings, slipping his fingers into my panties before he finds my slick entrance. I spread my legs, and he grunts, shoving two fingers inside of me.
“Owen,” I breathe as he pumps in and out of me, coaxing more of my desire. The sound of my abundant arousal soon fills my ears, and he groans, lifting his head to find my lips once more. When he curls his fingers, massaging the front wall of my core, I suck in a sharp breath. “That feels good—Owen—don’t stop!”
He doesn’t.
He moves faster, calling forth my orgasm. I moan as my insides flutter around his fingers, and his breathing grows heavy with desperation. Deciding that it’s only fair I return the favor, as soon as he pulls his hand away from my sex, I step out of my clothes and then kneel before him, completely naked. He whispers a curse when I unfasten his jeans, pulling them down around his ankles. His underwear is next; and as his hard cock jumps out at me, begging for attention, I don’t hesitate to take him into my mouth.
“Holy shit, Brooke,” he grunts, his hands immediately finding their way into my hair.
I twirl my tongue around the head of his hard shaft and then swallow as much of him as I can. I suck him hard and fast, feeling greedy and unbelievably turned on. He tastes good, smells even better, and the noises he makes as I take care of him spur me on even more.
“Oh, god,” he groans, yanking my head back. “Stop. You’ll make me come.”
Smiling up at him, I murmur, “That’s the point, babe.”
He shakes his head, letting go of me as he takes a step back and begins taking off the rest of his clothes. “Need that pussy, baby. I know what it’s like to feel you strangle my dick with your orgasm. Gets me every time.”
I blush, standing to my feet as I watch him uncover his glorious body. It makes me all gooey inside knowing how much he likes to come inside of me. Grinning—and naked—he closes the distance between us once more, reaching up to trail a thumb over my cheek.
“I like that I make you blush.”
I can’t silence my giggle as I feel my cheeks burn hotter before I reply, “Yeah. Me, too.”
His sweet grin turns wicked, and the next thing I know, I’m pinned up against the wall, his cock filling me full. He doesn’t waste a moment before he starts to ram into me, hard and fast.
“Oh—god!” I cry out, my head falling back with a thump. He grunts, gently biting my shoulder before sliding his tongue all the way up my neck. “Fuck, yes,” I moan loudly.
He’s making me wild, and I love it. Everything about him is strong and powerful. I adore the way he fucks me. He told me before that he loves what I take when he kisses me—but I can’t get enough of everything that he gives. He worships my body thoroughly. Even while he’s using me, chasing after his own release, I can see it in eyes and feel it in his touch—he’s bound and determined to take me over the edge with him.
“Shit—shit,” I pant as he continues to drive into me relentlessly. “I’m going to come again!”
“Hell, yeah, you are,” he mutters, fucking me even faster.
The friction he causes lights a spark deep within me, and my body locks up around his as my orgasm bursts, sending a ripple of pleasure through me. When I start to go limp in his hold, he shakes his head, smiling as he surges his hips forward.
“Feel that? Huh?” I nod, unable to manage much more as I try to catch my breath. “Hold on, baby. I’m not done with you yet.”
I bite my lip, fighting a smile as I circle my arms around his neck, doing exactly as he’s said, and holding on tight.
When I wake up and take a deep breath, all I smell is her. My dick jerks, and a tired smile pulls at my lips as I realize that she’s still in bed with me. I open my eyes and find that we’re sharing a pillow, her sleeping face right in front of me, her blonde locks wild and spread out everywhere behind her. Needing her closer, I
tighten my hold around her waist. She hums a sigh, cuddling against me, and I’m in fucking heaven.
What I told her last night is true. I didn’t know this would happen. I never saw this coming. When I kissed her at that party, I didn’t think that three days later I’d be waking up next to her in bed; I didn’t think that she’d already be mine. But she is. She’s mine. She said it herself.
Damn, if that didn’t feel good.
“Owen?” she mumbles, her morning voice raspy and so fucking cute.
“Yeah, baby,” I answer, tracing my fingers up and down her naked spine.
She inhales deeply and exhales slowly, pressing into me even deeper before opening her eyes to find mine. “Hi,” she whispers.
My heart skips a beat. Just like that. With one word and one look into those big, blue eyes, I’m done—fucking putty in her hands. This moment right here, it’s better than I ever imagined. She has exceeded my expectations in every way, making reality better than my dreams. I lean in to brush my lips against hers, wishing to bid her good morning, and she kisses me back—just like the first time.
It isn’t until I pull away from her that I’m struck with an epiphany. Waking up next to her, having mornings just like this one, it’s what I’ve wanted since the beginning. The last two mornings, she’s run out on me; not because she didn’t want me, but because I’ve been going about this all wrong. I didn’t give her a chance to understand what was happening between us. Not really. Now that I’ve had her—now that I’ve tasted her—the last thing I want to do is fuck it all up and lose her.
“What are you thinking?” she murmurs, her eyes searching mine.
“Go out with me tonight.”
“Like a date?” she asks, a small smile playing at her lips.
“Yeah, baby. Shit—what kind of bastard am I? I keep taking you to bed without buying you so much as dinner.”
She laughs as she asks, “We kind of went out of order, didn’t we?”
My chest swells when she uses the term we, and I know I’m going to do everything in my power to make this right. I made it here, in her bed, with her wrapped in my arms—but I’m going to earn my place. I’m going to earn her heart.
“Dinner. Tonight. No sex.”
“No sex?” she asks, quirking an eyebrow.
I chuckle, touching my forehead to hers. “Yeah, baby. Let’s do this right. What do you say? Will you go out with me tonight?”
She hums a soft giggle, pressing her lips against mine before she says, “Yes. I’d love to.”
I believe in a God who won’t let me give up. He’s a HUGE part of the reason this book made it to print. I’ll always thank Him for loving me THAT much.
To my dear friend Hayley, you know what you mean to me personally, professionally, creatively—thank you for your never ending support and encouragement. And thank you for reading this book twice, even though they don’t get naked until almost the end. Ha!
To my lovely betas, you’re my people. I appreciate you—and I hope you know that. You so often remind me how fun sharing my stories can be.
Cassy, I’m so incredibly glad I found you. You never cease to amaze me. And this cover? So brilliantly spot on. Thank you!
Stacey, thank you for always making my work look so beautiful! I feel truly blessed for the opportunity to partner with you.
To my readers—the ones who have been reading this series since I released The Promises We Keep…first of all, WOW. Second, thank you. Thank you for giving me a chance, and for sticking with me as I’ve grown and honed my voice with these characters. Only you can really appreciate the journey and the evolution of my words.
To my new readers—I hope you enjoyed this story even half as much as I enjoyed writing it. Thank you for picking it up and giving it a chance. I hope to share many more stories with you!
Made for Love Series
The Promises We Keep
Reckless Surrender
The O’Conners
So Much More
The Holloways
Fool for You
Mountains & Men Series
Encore Worthy
Worthy of the Harmony
Worthy of the Dissonance
Worthy of the Melody
I’m a born and bred Coloradan. While I now reside in Virginia, the land of the Rocky Mountains is where I’ve left a piece of my heart and where my characters come to life. I started writing love stories when I was seventeen, and I haven’t been able to stop! With me, you’ll find that I dabble in a few different romance genres, but my voice is one that’s all about the heart. Writing is my dream; and as a dreamer, you can rest assured that there are many more novels in my head that I can hardly wait to share.
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