Sweet, Sexy Heart – the Bradens & Montgomerys (Pleasant Hill – Oak Falls)

by Melissa Foster

  By the time Dash led her to the dance floor after dinner, he was so in love with her, he ached with it. He gazed into her eyes as they swayed to the music. “I’m so glad you’re here with me. Are you having fun?”

  “I’m having the time of my life. Your friends are so fun, and you guys are so close. I bet you miss them a lot.”

  “Yeah, I do. But we stay in touch.”

  He held her closer as Tyrell and Clay sauntered over and began slow dancing with each other next to them. He narrowed his eyes. What are you up to?

  “Oh, Tyrell,” Clay said in a high-pitched voice. “When you look at me like that it makes me all squishy inside.”

  Amber giggled.

  “Baby, I’ll make you feel something inside, but it ain’t squishy.” Tyrell’s deep laughter followed.

  “I have a brother who might be perfect for you guys,” Amber teased.

  “Hey, if he’s as cute as you, he can be my wingman,” Tyrell said.

  Clay tsked, feigning disgust. “Tyrell, you two-timing scoundrel.” He spun on his heel and stomped off the dance floor.

  “Now I’m in trouble. I better go put my boy’s ego back together.” Tyrell winked and headed off the dance floor.

  “Idiots.” Dash shook his head.

  “I adore them, and they obviously love you to pieces.”

  “They feel the same about you, sweetheart.” Each of his buddies had snuck in a few words about how great Amber was and how happy they were for him.

  She looked up at the lights and the stars dangling from the ceiling, and she sighed dreamily. “This has been the best night ever. The best day and night. I hope I didn’t embarrass you at the card tables. It was just so fun, I couldn’t hold in my excitement.”

  “Baby, what did I tell you before? You could never embarrass me. You outshine everyone in this room. In this state. Hell, on the planet.”

  “There you go, making me feel like the belle of the ball again.”

  “You’ll always be the belle of my ball.” He pressed his lips to hers and whispered, “Sorry about your lipstick. I had to do it.”

  “More, please.”

  He lowered his lips to hers, and they kissed and danced to several songs, their bodies pressed together, the fire between them growing hotter by the second. “What do you say we get out of here?”

  “I thought you’d never ask.”

  AMBER TRIED TO focus as they made a quick round of goodbyes, promising to get together with Dash’s friends soon, but she was too sidetracked by the lust consuming her. They hurried out to the limo. She craved Dash’s touch and couldn’t get her lips on him fast enough. Thank goodness for the partition blocking the driver’s view of them. Dash lifted her onto his lap, and she gathered her dress around her thighs, straddling him as they made out like long-lost lovers. His arousal was tempting and insistent beneath her. She whimpered into their kisses. His hands moved beneath her dress, over her panties.

  “Ruffles?” He gritted out, “God, I love you.”

  Reclaiming her lips more demandingly, he pushed his hands into her panties and palmed her bare ass. She ground against him, his hips rocking urgently and needfully. Even through their clothes, the friction was overwhelming. Her sex swelled and pulsed, heat eating her up like wildfire.

  She reached down, frantically working his pants open. She was desperate, greedy, her body igniting at the prospect of taking him right there. It was completely out of the realm of anything she’d ever imagined doing, and she wasn’t about to stop. She freed his cock, and their eyes locked as her hand circled his thick shaft and she rose onto her knees. He tugged her panties to the side, and she held his dark and dirty stare as she sank down, taking in every inch of him. She felt her body stretching, squeezing, needing. Lightning scorched through her, drawing a needful sound from her lungs.

  He grabbed her hair with both hands, dragging her mouth toward his, growling, “How am I going to leave you tomorrow?”

  He crushed his mouth to hers, slicing her last thread of restraint. She gripped the back of the seat, riding his cock fast and hard, every stroke earning more hungry, passionate sounds that drilled into her, turning her on even more, making her want to see him lose himself in her. He held her ass so tight, she was sure it would bruise, and she didn’t care. She’d wear those marks proudly, remembering every second of the titillating sensations enveloping her, the greed driving her, and the orgasm building inside her, pulsing and pumping, mounting to painful levels. He moved one hand between them, expertly working the sensitive nerves that sent her head reeling back, moans and whimpers escaping through gritted teeth. Her eyes closed as pleasure slammed into her in turbulent waves, taking her up, up, up, then crashing over her, sending her soaring. Just as she caught her breath, she was hit with another relentless wave, pummeling her in a maddening, erotic rhythm like nothing she’d ever known. Dash pushed off the back cushion, fiercely reclaiming her mouth as he gave in to his own magnificent release. He groaned into their kisses, tugging her hair, their teeth gnashing, bodies bucking, a symphony of sexual sounds floating around them, until she collapsed against him, and his head fell to her shoulder, their bodies jerking with sporadic tremors.

  When their blissful, hazy state finally started to clear, Amber realized they were stopped at the curb outside his condominium complex. “Ohmygosh. We’re here.” She scrambled off his lap, and he quickly put himself back together, but he didn’t move to get out of the car.

  His head lolled back. “Damn, baby. You destroy me.”

  Nervous giggles bubbled out, and he laughed, too, tugging her into another kiss.

  She pointed to the driver standing on the sidewalk with his back to the car. “He knows what we did.”

  Dash had a goofy grin on his face.

  “Oh God! You’ve done this before, haven’t you? You think I’m being ridiculous.”

  He shook his head. “No, baby. It’s a first for me, too. I was just thinking about how I’ve gone years protecting my reputation, and when you and I are together, I can’t hold back. Nothing else matters. Nothing else exists.”

  “Yeah, well, see these red cheeks?” She pointed to her burning cheeks. “They matter. What now?”

  He pulled her closer, whispering, “Now you’ll have to make an honest man out of me.”

  “Stop making jokes.” She laughed, because what else could she do? Die from mortification?

  “You’re right. We have no choice. We have to kill him to protect our secret.”

  She buried her face in his shoulder. “Dash.”

  “Come on, wild thing. I’ll protect you from his evil, knowing gaze.”

  And Dash did just that. He tucked her beneath his arm, shielding her from the driver as they made their way into the building and straight into the elevator, where she wished she could climb beneath his skin and never have to leave him again.

  HOURS LATER AMBER lay in Dash’s bed listening to the sure and steady cadence of his breathing as he slept peacefully beside her. Her mind was going a million miles an hour. They’d made love again last night, but it wasn’t like it had been in the limo, which she still couldn’t believe she’d done but didn’t regret one bit. Dash had walked Reno while she’d cleaned up from their limo debauchery, and when he’d returned, he’d slowly undressed her, taking a long, lascivious look at her wearing nothing but her frilly panties and heels. Heat prickled her limbs just thinking about his wolfish grin and the hungry look in his eyes. He’d removed her heels and carried her to the bed, making slow, sweet love to her, neither one wanting it to end.

  She glanced at the clock. It was four fifteen. They had to be at the airport in five hours, and then Dash would fly across the country to start the last leg of his tour, and she’d go home, missing him. She held the gorgeous acorn necklace he’d given her between her finger and thumb and closed her eyes, reliving their wonderful evening, from the moment he’d seen her in her dress—she’d never forget the look in his eyes then, either—to meeting Johnny Bad with his sli
ck dark hair and air of arrogance, dancing in Dash’s arms and feeling like they were the only two people in the world, and stealing away from the event, desperate for each other. And that painful moment she’d been trying not to think about when she’d told him she didn’t want to give birth to her babies.

  The disappointment in his voice echoed in her ears. I just started picturing you carrying our baby, and you took that away in a few sentences.

  She opened her eyes, taking in the beautiful man beside her who had done everything he could just for a chance to be with her. He lived his life like an open book, giving of himself to everyone. He’d never asked her for anything, and in a few unknowing seconds, she’d taken away the one thing he really wanted. She hadn’t been thinking about how it would come across when she’d blurted it out. She hadn’t thought he was thinking that far into their future. But now she wished she’d been more sensitive in the way she’d said it.

  Reno stirred at their feet, inching up between them.

  “Keep him warm while I go pee,” she whispered, and kissed Reno’s head. She slipped from the bed, reaching for the shirt Dash had worn last night. Reno moved to follow her, but she held out her hand. “Stay.”

  She put on the shirt, which smelled like Dash, as she headed into the bathroom. She used the toilet and turned on the sink, hearing the scratch of Reno’s paws at the door just before the world went black.

  DASH BOLTED UPRIGHT at the sound of Reno barking and scratching at the bathroom door. “Amber!” flew from his lips as understanding slammed into him. He ran across the room and threw the bathroom door open.

  “No!” tore from his lungs as he dropped to his knees beside Amber, lying still on the bathroom floor, blood pooling beneath her head.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  DASH PACED THE emergency room waiting area with Reno by his side, the phone pressed to his ear, fear clawing at his chest, as he explained to Amber’s parents what had happened. There had been so much blood on the bathroom floor, in her hair, smeared on her cheek, which he knew was from her head jerking with a seizure. He felt sick thinking about her suffering alone. He fucking hated epilepsy and everything that came with it. “They’re stitching her up and running tests. MRI, EEG, blood work.” She’d been back there for a long time, but he’d had to pull himself together before making the call. “The wound was long but not deep. They didn’t see signs of a concussion, and they don’t think she lost consciousness from the fall. They said she was in a postictal state when I found her.”

  “Thank God,” Marilynn said, her voice riddled with worry.

  Dash’s jaw clenched, guilt consuming him. “I’m so sorry.” Sorry didn’t take away the fact that the woman he loved was behind those doors because of him. He’d heard Reno barking in his dream, two, maybe three times, before he’d realized it wasn’t a dream and had bolted out of bed. How long had it taken him to wake up? A minute? Three? “This is all my fault. I shouldn’t have taken her out before the fundraiser or kept her up so late.”

  “This is not your fault, son,” Cade said firmly. “There’s nothing you could have done to ward off the seizure.”

  “I could have woken up when she got up to use the bathroom and gotten to her sooner. Maybe I could have prevented her fall. I could have made sure her seizure-alert necklace was in the bedroom, where Reno could have pushed it.” She’d left her necklace in the guest room, where she’d gotten ready for the party, and he hadn’t given it a thought. But a heavier thought weighed on him. This was Amber’s second seizure in two weeks after not having them for years, and the only changes in her life, the recent upheavals to her schedule, the traveling, the late nights, were all because of him.

  “All that matters is that she’s okay,” Marilynn said. “Are you okay? Is there anyone nearby who can be with you while you wait?”

  “I’m fine,” he lied. He didn’t want to be with anyone but Amber. “I’ll call you as soon as I have an update.”

  After they ended the call, Dash lowered himself into a chair with a crushing feeling in his chest and rested his elbows on his knees, letting his face fall into his hands. He silently offered himself up to the powers that be in exchange for…he didn’t know what. For Amber to be okay? For her not to hate him?

  Reno pushed his snout onto Dash’s lap, and Dash draped an arm around him, touching his forehead to the dog’s soft fur. “She’s going to be okay, buddy. She has to be.”

  When the nurse finally came through the door, he pushed to his feet with his heart in his throat. “How is she?”

  “She’s okay. We’ve given her something for her pain, but she’s still pretty shaken up and tired.”

  “What about the tests?”

  “There was nothing of note on the EEG, and her MRI was clear. Her medications are at therapeutic levels. She’s been cleared for discharge, and she should see her doctor when she’s back in Virginia. I can take you to see her now.”

  He grabbed the bag of clothes he’d brought from home, and he and Reno followed the nurse down the hall to see Amber. Dash pushed through the curtain, tears burning at the sight of Amber lying in the hospital bed on her side, eyes closed.

  “Sweetheart.” Dash’s voice cracked as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

  Her eyes fluttered open, and Reno went paws-up on the bed to lick her face.

  “I’m so sorry, baby. God, I’m sorry.” He put his arm around her, keeping their faces close, wanting to climb in beside her and take her in his arms.

  “Will you call my parents?” she asked in a thin voice. “I want to go home.”

  “I already called them. I brought you clothes. Let me help you get dressed, and we’ll go back to my place so you can rest.”

  As he helped her sit up, she said, “I want to go to home to Virginia.”

  “I’ll take you tomorrow. Today you need to rest.”

  He started to take off her hospital gown, but she touched his chest, stopping him, tears welling in her eyes. “I want to go home today. Please. I need to be home.”

  “Okay, baby. I’ll drive you home.”

  “No. You can’t miss your tour because of me. People waited a long time to see you.”

  “Amber, if you think I’m leaving you, you’re crazy.” He didn’t want her stuck in a fucking car for hours when she should be lying in a comfortable bed sleeping, letting him take care of her, much less leave her side for a second.

  Her lower lip trembled, and she curled her fingers into the front of his shirt, but she did it lightly, as if it took all of her energy to hold on. “I will never forgive myself if you miss your tour. Don’t do that to me.”

  He gritted his teeth, Sable’s voice trampling through his head. The minute she thinks she’s holding you back is the moment you’ll lose her forever.

  “Please?” Tears spilled from her eyes. “Give me your phone. I’ll call my parents to come get me.” She held out her hand, eyes pleading, breaking his heart in two.

  “No,” he said firmly. “I’m driving you home. I’ll catch a flight out from Virginia tonight.”

  “Promise?”

  “Damn it, Amber.” How can you ask me to leave you again?

  She put her hand on his cheek, slaying him anew with that silent plea. “Dash. I’ll be fine. I’ll be with my family. Promise me.”

  He reluctantly nodded and gently gathered her in his arms, trying to escape the feeling that he’d just betrayed the woman he loved.

  AMBER SLEPT NEARLY the whole way back to Virginia, and the few times she’d woken up, Dash was quick to make sure she was okay. She’d been so scared when she’d realized what had happened, all she’d wanted was to get home to her family, someplace familiar, where she felt safer. Her head throbbed, her body ached, and now that some of the fear had subsided, all she really wanted was to be in Dash’s arms and sleep until the sun came up. But as she headed up to her house tucked against his side, she knew she couldn’t ask that of him, because he would do it in a heartbeat, and she couldn’t live with that.r />
  The front door opened and her parents stepped onto her porch. Her sisters, Trace, and Graham appeared behind them. Amber had a cavalry at the ready, and she loved them to the ends of the earth, but even they weren’t enough to heal the gaping wounds she was about to cause.

  “Honey.” Her mother stepped off the porch and embraced her.

  “I’m okay,” Amber reassured her, although even she could hear the lie in her words as her sisters surrounded her.

  “I’ll get your bags, babe.” Dash headed for the car.

  She was glad her father, Trace, and Graham followed him, because he needed support, too. Sable pulled Amber into her arms, hugging her too tight. Amber endured the oxygen-depriving embrace, because she knew Sable shared the same soul-deep need to protect her as Dash did, and they had something else in common, too—the guilt that swallowed them whole when they couldn’t. Sable didn’t say a word, just released her and turned away, but not before Amber saw the tears in her toughest sister’s eyes.

  “We know you have to rest, but we just needed to see that you were okay,” Brindle said as they ushered her inside.

  Dash carried her bags into the bedroom, while the others doted on her, asking if she needed anything, if she hurt, and what they could do to help. But she was barely holding herself together, and when Dash came out of the bedroom looking as grief-stricken as she felt, it took everything she had not to let her tears flow. The only flight he could get was leaving from Charlottesville, and he’d miss it if he hung around trying to take care of her.

  “Can you give us a minute?” Amber said to her family, and they shuffled toward the kitchen. She took Dash’s hand and headed to the front door.

  “Babe, don’t make me leave you.”

  “You have to. I refuse to be a damsel in distress who ruins the life of the man she loves.”