by Cathryn Fox
Her grin reached her eyes and lit up her pretty face. Jesus, she was gorgeous, which made him wonder why she didn’t have a horde of men pounding down her door, or why she’d agree to one month of sex with a train wreck like him when she could have her pick of guys.
“Adorable? I think you might have made that one up,” she teased. “You’re hardly adorable.”
He stepped closer, crowding her. When she wet her lips, he noticed the rapid-fire pulse in her neck. He dipped his head and asked, “So you’re saying you agree that I’m sex god?”
She crinkled her nose. “I never said that.”
He laughed and wrapped a long strand of her dark hair around his finger. He gave a little tug, and teased, “You mean…yet.”
“Well, I suppose you do have thirty days to convince me,” she ribbed in return, her words reminding him of the parameters they set in place.
He felt a shiver move through her, and while he wanted to scoop her into his arms and carry her right back into her bedroom where he could make up for last night and do right by her for the next month, he knew they had a reservation waiting. Besides, he wanted to take her on a real date. After fucking her like a goddamn rutting animal, she deserved at least that much from him. “Now, come on. We don’t want to be late.”
Thirty minutes later, they stood inside the doors of one of the fanciest restaurants in town. Since he was a fast-food kind of guy, he’d only been to the restaurant once, just last year when his buddy Cole Sullivan and his new wife, Gemma, had invited all their friends to celebrate their engagement party. He shook his head, hardly able to believe how many of his comrades were either married, getting married, and had kids on the way. Honestly, though, there was a side of him that kind of resented what the others had. But he’d long ago resigned himself to the fact that love, commitment and monogamy weren’t in the cards for him.
“This place is gorgeous.” Madison smoothed her hands over her stomach and took it all in.
Brad spoke to the maître d and then slipped his arm around Madison’s back to guide her to their table, a nice cozy spot in the corner. After they placed their drink order, he turned his full attention to his date. When he found her staring at him, a small smile on her face, he angled his head and asked, “What?”
She toyed with the stem of her wine glass, then glanced around the dimly lit restaurant. “I’m impressed.”
“Of course, it’s no Chuck E. Cheese’s,” he teased lightly. “And every now and then a guy’s gotta get out of his fatigues and get cleaned up.”
“I like you in your work wear, but you do clean up nicely.”
He was about to tell her he liked her in her comfy work wear too, and how he’d like to peel that apron off her hips and tie her up with the long strings, but stopped when a contemplative look passed over her face. Her eyes left his to travel to his shoulder, then lower. Without her gaze every leaving his body, she reached into her purse and pulled out her lip balm. As she applied it, he inhaled sharply, her scent hardening his dick and burning his blood.
As sexual energy sparked between them, he croaked out, “You shouldn’t do that.”
“Do what?” She recapped her balm and tossed it back into her purse.
“Look at me like that when you’re putting that stuff on your lips.”
“Why?”
He clenched his jaw, his nostrils flaring. “Because it makes me want to bend you over this table and taste you.”
“Oh,” she said, a mixture of surprise and delight backlighting her dark eyes. “I didn’t realize how much you like cherry.”
“I love cherry.”
Her eyes widened when she got the gist of what he was saying. “Oh,” she said again.
The server came with their drinks, and Brad shifted in his seat, his knees bumping hers under the table. Once they were alone again, they sipped wine and looked over the menu, but his appetite for food was long gone. There was only one thing he was interested in putting in his mouth tonight.
“Hey, Brad,” someone said from behind. “I thought that was you.” He turned and climbed to his feet when he found Cole and Gemma coming his way. Brad gave Gemma a kiss on the cheek and exchanged a handshake with his buddy, Cole.
“I’m surprised to see you here.” Cole’s glance left his and moved to Madison. “Oh…I didn’t realize…”
“You remember Madison, don’t you?” Brad asked.
“Yeah, I, ah, of course. Don’t she and Jonah…?” He paused and turned to Brad, the expression on his face letting his comrade know he needed help before he put his damn military issue boot in his mouth.
“Yeah, she and Jonah go way back.”
“Friends since childhood,” Madison piped in. “And current roommates.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Madison,” Gemma said, coming around from behind her husband and holding her hand out for a shake.
Madison’s eyes lit when she saw Gemma’s belly. “How are you feeling?”
“Like a damn beached whale.”
After they laughed, Gemma turned to Brad and poked him in the chest. “You are still coming, right?”
Brad groaned. “Come on, Gemma. Don’t make me.”
“Forget it, pal.” Cole drove his thumb into his chest. “If I have to be there, you have to be there.”
“What happened to traditions?” Brad asked. “The girls go to the baby shower, and the guys get shit-faced drunk at the bachelor party.”
“It’s not the way it’s done anymore,” Gemma said, rubbing her belly with one hand while she wagged a warning finger at him with another. “I expect you there three weeks from this Saturday. I expect all her uncles to be there.” Even though they weren’t really related, the guys were all a brotherhood, treating one another’s families like they were their own, which meant in some twisted way he was the baby’s uncle and therefore had to go to the damn baby shower.
Gemma turned to Madison and gave her a big smile. “And bring your friend. It will give me and the girls a chance to get to know her better.”
As he groaned, Jack Myers came up behind Cole. “Come on. Our table is ready,” he said, but when he noticed Brad standing there and Madison seated in the chair across from his, Jack shot him a warning look.
Clearly they all assumed his kid brother and Madison were a couple. Hell, how could he blame them. Up until this morning he’d thought so too. He wanted to clarify things, but what was he supposed to say… “Oh, we’re just friends but decided it would be fun to fuck for the next month.” As he stood there with his mouth open, thinking it best to keep their relationship a secret, Jack’s date slid in beside him.
She gave Brad a dazzling smile and smoothed her long hair from her face. Big diamond earrings glistened as she turned her gaze turned to Madison.
“Hello…Maddy,” she said, shortening and dragging out her name as a small grin tugged at her painted lips.
Brad’s glance went from Jack’s date to Madison. “You two know.” He stopped speaking when he saw the pained look on Madison’s face.
“Sarah,” Madison responded quietly as she sank a little farther down in her seat, conveying without words how uncomfortable she was.
What the hell?
Brad quickly exchanged a look with his comrades, who seemed to taste Madison’s tension every bit as much as he did, so when Jack wrapped his arm around Sarah’s waist and said, “We should get moving before they give our table away,” Brad was grateful for the interference.
Once the crew disappeared, he dropped back into his chair, noting the distance look in Madison’s eyes.
“So how do you know Sarah?”
Madison dug into the bread the waiter had delivered and said, “High school.”
As he considered the venomous look Sarah shot Madison, the wheels began turning. “Let me guess, ex-girlfriend of Jonah’s? Hates you because you two were, and still are, tight?”
“No, her hate goes deeper than that.”
When she reached for another piece of br
ead, he closed his hands over hers. “What’s going on?”
She went quiet for a moment, like she was remembering something from the past, then she said quietly, “She was one of the mean girls.”
“You mean—”
“I mean she picked on me.”
“Picked on you? Why would anyone pick on you?”
Madison put her elbows on the table, and folded her hands in front of her face, making it hard for him to see her. With her expression veiled, she said, “Because I was fat, which makes me an easy target for girls like her.”
“Fat?” He removed her hands from her face. “What are you talking about?”
“She and her friends called me Fatty Maddy. She just left the fatty off this time, but the meaning was still there.”
“Jesus, Madison, I had no idea.”
“How could you? You were older and hung out in a different crowd.”
Anger boiled his blood. “Yeah, but Jonah didn’t.”
“Don’t worry. He always stood up for me.”
“Good.” He relaxed slightly. “Otherwise I was going to have to beat the crap out of him when he returned.”
That pulled a small smile from her. “You were a good big brother, Brad. You still are. You taught him to fight for what was right and for what was worth fighting for.”
Just then the server came with their food. As he watched Madison adjust her napkin over her lap and pick up her fork, he felt a wave of protectiveness move through him. He didn’t like the idea of anyone hurting her, and in that instance, as she looked up at him with vulnerability on her face, he made a vow to himself. Not only was he taking over his brother’s room, he was also going to take over a few more of Jonah’s best friend duties. Which meant while Madison was on his clock, no one was ever going to hurt her again.
Chapter Six
Madison shifted restlessly in the seat beside Brad as they drove home from the restaurant. She had no idea why she’d revealed something so personal to him at dinner. She never talked about her high school days with anyone, least of all a date. Then again, Brad wasn’t just anyone. It was odd though, after she’d opened up to him, something inside him seemed to shift. He’d always had a protective side, and had always taken care of his brother, but now seemed a little more protective of her.
Maybe she was just imagining it. Maybe he’d dragged his seat closer to hers in the restaurant, and pulled her against him and out of Sarah’s line of sight as he led her from the establishment for other reasons, reasons that had nothing to do with being protective, and more to do with his plans for later that night.
Proper ending…
She gulped and shot a glance his way. He turned to look at her, and his smile was so boyish, so adorable, that her heart missed a beat.
Cupping her hands, she quickly tore her gaze away, hardly able to believe what they were going to do next. Sure they had sex last night, but this was different because this time they’d both be fully conscious, which made it feel like the first time for her.
He pulled into her driveway and killed the ignition. Madison gripped the door handle and tried not to appear nervous or apprehensive as she climbed from the cab. Brad met her at the front of the truck and slipped his arm around her back.
Her entire body came alive as they walked toward her bakery door. She slipped in her key and Brad pushed open the door. After she stepped inside, she listened to the bolt slide home, and a quiver raced down her spine.
He gripped her hand, but she stilled, and gestured with a nod toward the kitchen area in the back. “I…uh…there are a few things I need to check on.”
He dipped his head, his gaze moving over her face. His voice came out a little deeper, a little sexier when he asked, “Do you need help?”
“No, it’s okay. You go on up. I’ll be there shortly.”
“Okay. I need to check on the pipes anyway.”
After he disappeared up the stairs, Madison darted into the back room, to where she left her makeup kit earlier that evening. Even though she wanted to take out her contacts, put her hair into a ponytail and slip into something comfortable, she fixed her curls, reapplied her mascara and touched up her lipstick. Then she stood back to give herself a once over in the mirror. Not quite comfortable with the way her clothes showcased her body, she spun around and exited the bathroom. As she walked by the counter, she checked on the cakes she’d made that day, hoping they were cool enough to be put away. She grabbed an apron, not wanting to dirty her new dress, and slid the trays into the fridge.
When she turned back around, she found Brad standing at the foot of the stairs, a grin on his face as he watched her. Dressed in nothing but his jeans, his hard, naked torso pulling all her focus, he braced his hands on the paint-chipped doorframe over his head.
“Hey,” he murmured, his glance dropping to her apron. “Are you coming up?”
Forcing her wobbly knees to work, she walked toward him, and tried to sound casual. “Just finished.”
“Oh no, Madison,” he murmured, his eyes darkening as he pulled her against him, the feel of his hard cock pressing into her stomach sucking the oxygen from her lungs. He put one finger under her chin and lifted it until he brought them face-to-face. “We’re just getting started.”
His lips came down on hers, and she sank into him, enjoying the flavor of his mouth as his tongue slipped inside to tangle with hers. He kissed her long and hard, and when he increased the pressure, she could feel the tension rising in him.
The pounding of his heart matched hers, and with his lips still moving, ravaging her mouth, he mumbled, “I need you naked, sweetheart. There are so many things I need to do to you.”
She moaned, and it seemed to do something to him. His breathing changed, came faster, heavier, and before she knew what was happening, he scooped her up in his arms, taking full control of her and the situation.
She felt a quick flash of panic, and gave a little squeal, but she had to admit, she loved this take-charge side of the sexy soldier.
A shiver of anticipation moved through her as he carried her to her room. He lowered her to her feet just inside her bedroom door, then kicked it shut, drowning them both in darkness. Light from the streetlamps outside her window slanted against the wall through the crack in her drapes. It gave sufficient illumination to see his features as he moved closer.
Equal amounts of pleasure and unease skittered along her spine as he pushed against her and backed her up against the door. Taking both her hands in his, he pinned them above her head, and pushed a knee between her legs to widen them.
She bit back a breathy moan when she caught the intent look in his eyes as they moved over her face. His gaze visually caressed her, a fire brewing in their stormy depths. “Baby, I need you naked. I need to see you.”
Her pulse raced and her nerves flared hot. While she liked the idea of getting naked with him, she wasn’t keen on him gazing at her bare body. “Brad,” she started, but his mouth closed over hers, swallowing her protests. As his tongue thrashed against hers, he let go of her hands and ran his palm down her sides, stroking the outer edges of her breasts. He pulled her away from the door and slipped a hand around her back. He untied her apron and tossed it onto the bed, then his hands went to her zipper. The hiss from him sliding it down her back cut through the quiet, and after he released it, the slip of material fell to her ankles. Even though she was under the cover of darkness, she felt a little exposed, and a little uneasy as she stood before him in nothing but her lacy bra and panties.
A groan crawled out of his throat as he shaped her curves in the dark, and without giving him a chance to go for the light, she slipped past him, and grabbed his hand, drawing him to her bed. She put shaky hands on his chest, enjoying the feel of his muscles beneath her palms.
“But, baby, I need to see you,” he murmured into her ear as he dragged her closer. His arms circled her back to release the hook on her bra, freeing her breasts.
She went up on her toes and pressed her mouth
to his, her fingers sliding around his neck to hold him close, overwhelmed by the heat in his body, the raw hunger inside her.
Her bare breasts pushed against his hard chest, and he slid his hands down her back until he reached the crest of her buttocks. “Jesus, your skin is soft,” he murmured into her mouth. Then he inched back and inhaled. “And you smell so fucking good.”
She ran her nails over his shoulders and his breath came ragged as his body trembled. His mouth found hers again as his fingers curled around the band of her panties. Her skin moistened while some small working part of her brain reminded her that this was Brad. Brad! She was about to have sex with the guy she’d been crazy about for years—again.
But all coherent thought fled when his mouth left her. He buried his face in the curve of her neck, his tongue burning her flesh as he trailed a lazy path downward. Blood pounded through her as his breath tickled her skin. His mouth found her nipple and she gave a broken gasp, her hands going to his head to hold him to her. As he paid homage to her breasts, her thoughts scattered, her brain concentrating only on the delicious points of pleasure and nothing else.
“So good,” she murmured in an unsteady voice.
He swirled his hot, skilled tongue around her hard bud, his knuckles brushing over her pelvis as he continued to toy with the lace on her panties. He body stirred, no…trembled…almost violently, and she rocked her hips, need urging her on. She arched her back and moved against him, and when a growl ripped from his throat, she crushed her hands in his hair, her cries of pleasure matching his.
His inched back and looked at her in the dark as his hand slipped inside her panties. He ran his finger along her slit, and her clit quivered. Feeling a little out of control, her breath came fast and her knees weakened.
“Please, Brad…I need you inside me,” she begged, her hands moving urgently over his body as she ached for him to take her hard and fast, a repeat performance of last night.
“Oh, I don’t think so,” he murmured, his hot breath spilling over her naked flesh.
Her body tensed when he backed away, sexual tension hanging heavy between them. Wondering if he was suddenly having second thoughts, she swallowed hard, her mind racing. But before she could ask what was going on, he said, “Tonight I’m wide awake, and we’re going to take it nice and slow.”