The Hot Line

by Cathryn Fox

  She gave an edgy laugh. “That’s right,” she managed to get out as the air around them charged with sexual tension. “No aftertaste.”

  A moment later Brady said, “Well, when you put it that way, then maybe I will have one.” He moved into the kitchen and, with two easy steps, closed the gap between them.

  Easing into her personal space, he took the jar from her hand, opened the lid with ease, and withdrew a pickle. He slipped it between his lips.

  Coming unglued, Megan stood there slack-jawed, watching that gorgeous mouth of his draw the elongated pickle inside. Her mind raced and saliva pooled on her tongue, imagining what it would be like to draw a similarly shaped body part of his between her lips. Her body grew tight and needy. Her internal temperature rose.

  She gulped for air.

  As her sex muscles fluttered, liquid heat dampened her pajama bottoms. Brady took that moment to redirect the conversation. “When and where is this party?” His tongue snaked out to wipe the juice from his lips.

  Megan’s brain stalled, making it nearly impossible to comprehend his words. “What party?”

  She heard Cassie and Sara chuckling obnoxiously behind her. Dammit, she was going to throttle them both. She marshaled her lascivious mind and got herself a clue.

  “Oh, the bachelorette party,” she said with an ease that belied her emotions. Making light of her forgetfulness, she slapped her palm to her forehead and said, “I have so many things on the go, I don’t know where my mind is half the time.”

  Like hell she didn’t. Her mind was centered on the rather large package before her. Or, rather, on the large package centered between his legs. She forced her eyes back to his face, tucked a temperamental blond curl behind her ear, and took a moment to compose herself.

  She smiled and said, “It’s Thursday night. In a private room at the Hose. Are you free?”

  “Forget it, you two,” Cassie piped in.

  They ignored her.

  Brady’s reckless grin turned wicked. “I’m free.”

  Okay, something about the way he said that sent shivers skittering through Megan. She needed to sit. She really, really needed to sit. Megan retreated, taking a distancing step back, but before she could collapse into her chair, Brady grabbed her arm and hauled her toward him.

  He caught her off guard, and her body collided with his. Jesus he smelled all warm and woodsy. Strong and virile. Like a real man. An outdoorsy kind of man. The kind of man who’d like to go on long hikes with her and make love in the wilderness instead of sitting at home, demanding she cater to his every whim. Hmmph, like she’d ever do that!

  Which was, of course, why she was divorced today.

  Mouth curling upward, she tipped her chin and arched a questioning brow. When she saw the dark desire in his eyes, her smile fell from her face. “What—”

  His nostrils flared as he pressed her body against his. A mixture of heat and fire curled around her when his fingers touched her cheek. Intimately. “I just want to test your theory.” His voice sounded husky, rough.

  Her breath came in a low rush. “My theory?”

  Without waiting for Megan’s brain to catch up, he cupped the back of her head and angled her mouth. Warm lips closed over hers, taking her by surprise. With desire clouding her judgment and fire singeing her blood, her lips opened in invitation. She moaned and widened her legs, welcoming him into her mouth and anywhere else he so desired.

  A tremor raced through her as she reveled in the exquisite, tantalizing flavor of his mouth. He tasted warm, sweet, and very masculine. In fact, he tasted like seconds—thirds, even.

  As she entertained the idea, she went up on her toes, her body melting against his like hot wax on a candle. Flames surged to the surface as her sex muscles quaked with need. She moved against him and felt his erection. More precisely, his very big, very hard erection. Her pussy grew slick with excitement. Her body thrummed in anticipation.

  The onslaught of pleasure dissolved her composure and had her body gearing up for the good old bump and grind. Not that any bump and grind with her ex had been good. But this sexy Adonis was not her ex—oh no, not by a long shot. Megan had no doubt that if they slipped between the sheets, not only would Brady know his way around her body, but he’d know how to work all her little buttons. And no frigging way on the face of this earth would he think fellatio was something you ordered off the dessert menu at Applebee’s.

  She burrowed closer and deepened the kiss. Brady groaned low in his throat and dipped his tongue inside her mouth for a slow exploration. Her breasts pressed into his muscular chest. Her nipples puckered. Had she been wearing panties, they’d have been soaked.

  Strong hands slid down her neck and caressed her skin. A soft purr caught in her throat as her flesh absorbed the heat of his thick fingers.

  Good Lord, there they were, standing in Cassie’s kitchen, trading wet, heated kisses like it was the most natural thing in the world for them to do. And the only thing keeping her from jumping his bones and showing him a few other natural things they could be doing was the audience of two behind them.

  A short while later, Brady inched back and licked his lips. Staring down at her, he gave a slow side-to-side shake of his head, his mussed hair falling forward, cloaking his handsome face. Grinning, he gave a needy, not quite satisfied sigh.

  “Well, I’ll be damned. You were right, Megan. No garlic aftertaste.” She could hear the amusement and arousal in his voice.

  With the sweetness of his mouth still lingering on her tongue, and her body still shaking from that mind-numbing kiss, she gasped for her next breath and worked to recover her voice.

  “Nope, just moist panties and tight nipples,” she blurted without thinking.

  Even though she lacked the censor gene, she really needed to curb her outbursts when Brady was around. She stepped back from the circle of his arm.

  His eyes smoldered like hot lava. “Oh, and just so you know, Megan. If you do decide you need me after all, I don’t plan on getting totally naked.”

  When disappointment crossed her face, he gave a soft chuckle. His warm breath caressed her flesh. A shiver traveled all the way down to her pussy. He angled his head, his hands going to his forehead. Thick fingers brushed back tousled hair and gained her attention.

  “I reserve those shows for private,” he added.

  She sucked in air, her mind drifting. Visions of herself locked away in a secluded room with Brady, while he danced and stripped for her, caused her body to flush from head to toe. A strange noise crawled out of her throat, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

  “And, Megan.”

  “Yeah?”

  “When you’re ready for that, you know the number.”

  Maneuvering his body to prevent Megan’s friends from seeing his raging hard-on, Brady exited through the back door and made his way to his truck. He knew he had to get the hell out of there before he gave in to his lusty urges, dropped to the floor, and dragged Megan down with him, all the while ignoring the fact that they had two sets of curious eyes locked on them.

  Okay, so he had to admit: It was a little bold and presumptuous of him to just kiss Megan like that, right there in the middle of the kitchen floor with her closest friends watching. Not only was it a little presumptuous—it was downright cocky. Megan easily could have pushed him away. By rights she should have. Although he was damned pleased she hadn’t. But hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?

  Normally he wasn’t so aggressive, but he wanted to show her that when their lips met, sparks would fly. And indeed they had. He felt the way Megan had responded to his kisses, the way she’d allowed herself to get lost in his touch.

  When he walked into that kitchen and spotted her sitting there, looking as sexy as sin in her untied, loose-fitting pajama bottoms, it was all he could do to control his primal urges.

  With his cock thickening to the point of pain, he’d fought the compulsion to draw her curvy body to his, to tug her low-
slung pants down farther, and drop a kiss on her lush mouth while his hands dipped into her sweet cunt.

  There was nothing he could do, however, to keep his gaze from wandering to the exposed skin at her midriff. Honestly, he’d never met a sexier woman, or hungered for anyone quite the way he hungered for her.

  His mind shifted through all the things he wanted to do to her body, using his hands, his mouth, and his cock. But the first thing he wanted to do was dip his tongue into her sexy belly button and then trail it lower, until he tasted the sweetness between her legs.

  As he negotiated his car into traffic, he afforded himself one more minute to recall the way she’d quivered when he’d pressed his cock into her hip. Fully aware of his arousal, she moved restlessly against him and moaned. The husky desire in her voice had filled him with need, letting him know that she was as wild about him as he was about her.

  Brady’s cock grew another inch just thinking about her now. He shifted uncomfortably in the driver’s seat and gripped the steering wheel harder.

  He certainly wasn’t about to apologize for ravishing her either, not when they both had enjoyed it so much. And the truth was, he wasn’t nearly done with her. Oh no, not by a long shot. His parting words made it loud and clear that he wanted her, and that he was leaving the ball in her court.

  Like he’d told his buddy Dean just the other day, he was crazy about a woman, and she was crazy about him, too. She just didn’t know it yet.

  Soon enough she would come to him, when she was ready. He just hoped it was sooner, rather than later—because the last week had been agony for him. Total fucking agony. Every time the special phone in the station rang, his pulse leapt in his throat and heat rocketed through him like a runaway freight train. Unfortunately, much to his dismay, Megan had yet to call.

  Since she wasn’t willing to make the first move, Brady was left with no choice. He’d gone to Nick’s house tonight fully intending to give the sexy spitfire a little incentive.

  Fortunately, Megan had presented him with the perfect opportunity to gather her in his arms and cover her fleshy lips with his. Never one to let an opportunity pass, he took full advantage of the situation and kissed her with all the pent-up lust inside him, proving that the chemistry between them was most powerful, and not to be denied.

  Ever since he’d set eyes on her, he knew he wanted to get to know her better, and not just in the bedroom. Over the course of the week, during the wedding rehearsals and intimate gatherings, it became apparent just how much they had in common, just how good they’d be together.

  Unlike the women from his social circle, this small-town girl shared his love of the outdoors, his love of animals, and his love of cooking. Not only was she feisty, and bright, but her quick wit and smart-ass attitude made him laugh.

  With her well-defined body, it wasn’t hard to tell Megan was athletic. Even though she was toned and tight, she was feminine and soft just the same. She had full, round breasts, a nice sway to her hips, and a lush backside that Brady ached to cradle in his palms.

  Now the trick was to convince her to take him for a test drive. Since she’d yet to call the Hot Line, he knew he had his job cut out for him.

  Soon enough, with the right persuasion, she’d come to him, and when she did, he planned on proving to her how good they could be together. Over and over again, if need be.

  Good thing he was a patient man.

  Leaving the ball in Megan’s court, and biding his time until she made the next move, Brady drove to the station. He found Nick playing a game of solitaire at the card table, Jag asleep at Nick’s feet.

  “Hey,” he said to Nick. After petting his dog, Brady dropped into a chair and asked, “How’s it going?”

  Nick glanced up, studied Brady for a moment, and gave a resigned shake of his head. “Not you, too?” He snatched his water bottle from the table and held it to the light. “Jesus, there must be something in the water.”

  Brady grinned. “And here we all thought Dean was the intuitive one in the bunch. Yet he was the only guy who didn’t know he’d fallen, and fallen hard.”

  Nick arched a questioning brow. “Megan, I presume.”

  Brady moistened his bottom lip, the delectable taste of Megan still alive on his tongue. He took a moment to savor her sweetness and scrubbed his hand over his jaw. Her light floral scent lingered on his skin. He inhaled, dragging air into his lungs.

  “None other,” Brady confirmed, working to marshal his arousal.

  Nick angled his head and made a face that suggested Brady had no idea what he was up against. “I think you’ve got your work cut out for you, pal.”

  “I was thinking the same thing.” He paused and asked, “What do you know about her?”

  Nick shuffled the cards and rolled one shoulder. “Probably not a lot more than you do. She’s a sous chef, anxious to open her own restaurant, and she’s divorced.”

  Okay, that one took Brady by surprise. “Divorced?” He took a minute to process the information.

  “Yeah, I thought you knew. It was a couple of years ago, and from what I understand, it was a pretty messy breakup. Cassie said Megan hasn’t dated anyone since.”

  Brady paused for a moment to consider that tidbit of information a second longer. As he mulled things over, he had a sudden epiphany. There was no disputing the fact that he wanted Megan and she wanted him. Tonight’s passionate kiss had proven that. Obviously her failed marriage had left her reluctant to get involved with anyone again, or to call the Hot Line for a night of hot, passionate sex.

  Brady nodded his head. “Megan never mentioned it, but it sure explains a lot.”

  “Such as?”

  “Such as…her reluctance to call the Hot Line.”

  Nick laughed and gifted Brady with an amused look. “Maybe you just don’t do it for her, Brady. Have you ever thought of that?”

  Brady tossed him a cocky grin. “See, that’s just it. She needs to call the Hot Line so she can see just how much I can do it for her.”

  Nick snorted and then divvied up the cards. “Cassie did mention something about Megan’s ex being a real asshole. I think the term she used was house hippo, whatever that means. I guess after the honeymoon stage he turned into a complete jerk, expecting Megan to cater to his every whim. My guess is he destroyed her belief in happily ever after.” Nick shrugged. “It’s obvious she doesn’t want to find herself in that situation again.”

  A burst of anger shot through Brady. “Asshole,” he said under his breath.

  He stared at his cards and took another moment to sort through matters. No doubt after her disastrous relationship, Megan had lumped all men into the same category: lazy guys who wanted to be catered to. He fisted his hands, his blood burning hot. To think her ex would treat her like that infuriated him. A smart, sexy woman like Megan deserved a hell of a lot better. She deserved someone who would appreciate her. He wanted to be the one to show her that.

  His mind raced, crafting a plan to prove he cared about her and her needs—a plan that would also show her he was nothing like her ex. As he settled on the perfect solution, his heart beat in a mad cadence, eager to put his idea into motion.

  He knew exactly what he had to do.

  He’d cater to her every whim.

  The minute he got her alone, he planned on addressing her every desire, her every fantasy, taking his time to pleasure her like she’d never been pleasured before.

  His muscles began to vibrate as he pictured her naked body spread out on his bed, his mouth on her lips, her breast, her clit as his hands traced the pattern of her curves. His cock probing her drenched opening until she begged him to take her, over and over again. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his dick clamoring to do just that.

  When morning came, he’d cater to all her other needs. He’d run her a warm bath and serve her breakfast in bed, followed by a round of dessert, if she was so inclined.

  “Jesus,” he murmured under his breath, his cock swelling to the point of n
o return.

  Needing to release some tension, he tossed his cards down, climbed from his chair, and grabbed his basketball from his locker. “How about a game of twenty-one?”

  Fuck, he needed something to occupy his hands until Megan’s call came in. Then again, maybe letting off some steam in a hot shower might help him make it through the next few hours. Because if she didn’t call soon, he was going to go off like a goddamn grenade.

  TWO

  With Jenna and Sara off on their dates, and Nick at work, Cassie and Megan were the only two left at home. Fortunately—or unfortunately, depending on whom you were asking—they’d managed to track down an exotic dancer for Thursday night’s show. Megan could certainly understand why Cassie had no desire to see Nick’s best man naked. But, damn, what about Megan’s desires? Talk about a blown opportunity. How the hell was she going to get a glimpse of Brady’s gorgeous, well-toned body now?

  By calling the Hot Line, of course.

  Megan was yawning and thinking about making her way to bed early when Cassie poked her head into the kitchen. “I have to head over to the station for a minute. Want to come?”

  Megan shrugged, no longer tired. Clearly the thought of glimpsing Brady decked out in his firefighter gear had given her a second wind. She tried to keep the enthusiasm from her voice. “Sure. Why not? I have no other plans.” She waved her hand. “Plus I’d love to see Brady’s dog, Jag,” she said breezily.

  Cassie shot her a knowing look, then rolled her eyes heavenward. “Jag? Oh please, Megan. You’re as transparent as cling wrap.”

  Megan scoffed and shrugged her shoulders. “What? I like animals,” she said, unable to keep the maniacal grin from her face. Not only had she been born without the censor gene, but she’d also been born without the cloaking gene. She wore her emotions on her sleeve, and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it.

  “Just give me a sec to get freshened up.” Megan took a quick minute to splash on some makeup and fluff her short blond hair. After changing out of her pajamas and into a pair of jeans and a short-sleeved blouse, she met Cassie at the door.