His deep, commanding voice ordered, “Turn around.”
A quick, irrational thought floated through of disobeying to see what happened, but instead I willingly complied, eager to keep the passion between us rising.
All around us, the strong summer storm raged, shaking the shed with the mighty wind and rain. But here with him, between his thighs, being cherished by his tongue and hands, I felt safe. Protected.
I faced him in the dark, the need to touch him bringing my hands up his chiseled chest and down his strong arms, savoring the taut muscles beneath my palms.
Brenton's demanding hands massaged up the back of my thighs to grasp my ass. My entire body trembled at his deep groan of ecstasy when he had a handful of each cheek. Callused skin scraped my overly sensitive flesh as he dipped under my T-shirt. Too dark to see his beautiful face, my eyes shuttered closed to savor the intimate caress of his hands on my body.
The soft cotton of my T-shirt tugged over my head, followed by my sports bra. Mist from the wind and rain coated my bare back. With the coolness behind me and his heat at my front, the overwhelming sensation of the opposites had me swaying between his thighs.
Blindly I searched for the hem of his shirt; it only took a single tug for him to release his hands from my body to help finish pulling it over his head. Two hands encased my face, stroking my cheekbones with the pads of his thumbs before pulling me forward, sealing our lips against the others.
Hot and desperate, we latched onto one another. Every ounce of passion and lust boiled over, heating the small shed. His tongue danced with mine, teasing and flicking along the roof of my mouth. Each glide gave a tasty hint to what it could do elsewhere.
Damn, the man knew how to kiss.
A sigh pushed from my mouth to his, and I felt the corners of his lips pull up in a smile.
Loosening his hold on my cheeks, Brenton skimmed his fingertips down to my bare chest. He palmed each breast, torturing thumbs flicking over both peaked nipples and forcing a gasp of surprise as I pulled back an inch. Again those lips stretched to a small smile. On repeat, he flicked harder and smoothed over the small hurt with the soft pads of his thumbs.
The relentless throb between my legs turned demanding. In search of anything to relieve the pressure, I inched deeper between his spread thighs. Like he could sense what I needed, he tugged behind each of my knees, urging me up to straddle his lap on the tailgate.
Fuck yes.
The moment I settled over him, spreading my knees as wide as I could to press down against his stiff jeans, Brenton's passionate, desperate kiss resumed. Not holding back, I skimmed my fingertips up and down his arms, then dove into his short dark hair. With a tight grip on the longer section, I gave it a slight tug.
“Fuck, Beks,” Brenton growled against my lips. With a hard shove off the Gator’s bed, he stood with me wrapped around his waist to flip our position. His firm, gentle hands guided me back until I lay flat against the bed liner.
First my right and then left boot fell to the dirt with a thump. My heart and breathing stilled at his fingers pulling around the button of my jeans before turning his attention to the zipper. Using my back as leverage, I arched up to make it easy for him to pull off my jeans and underwear.
“Damn, I wish I could see you,” he muttered against the inside of my thigh as he kissed his way up to the apex. I savored the blindness the darkness offered; he couldn't see the scars I was still self-conscious of when naked in front of a man. The rough bed liner scraped at my back as I squirmed in need. “I want to see every beautiful inch of your amazing body. I want to bite every perfect damn inch.”
“Yes,” I encouraged.
“I’ll mark you as mine and mine only. Feet on the tailgate, baby, and don't move.”
I complied, resting socked heels on the edge of the metal and widening my knees. The first swipe of his tongue liberated all the pent-up tension from the day's events. When he sucked that tiny part of me between his lips, everything but us was swallowed up by the darkness. Desperate for more, I scooted farther down the tailgate, pushing myself into his mouth.
“That move I'll allow.” He laughed and gripped my hips tight enough to leave bruises along the skin.
I groaned as one finger slid inside, then moaned louder than the thunder when a second followed while his tongue and lips worked me just above. His free hand pinched a pebbled nipple just as he sucked hard. A tornadic release barreled out, forcing a garbled version of his name through my lips. My back arched off the bed, but he held my hips tight, continuing to work his magic through it all.
Seconds, maybe minutes later, when I could focus back on reality, the rain was only a slight trickle outside the shed.
Wow.
When was the last time I'd had a soul-crushing orgasm like that without the assistance of a toy?
As I continued taking in deep, calming breaths, his slick lips skimmed up my stomach to linger over mine.
“This is something I'll always remember. You, your sounds, taste, and smells, the storm. Everything combined makes it a dream I never want to wake from.”
His scruff-covered cheek scraped along my palms. “Me either.” I drew him close for a kiss so gentle, so loving, as happy tears dampened my lashes.
Dammit, what was I doing? I was setting myself up to fall over again by getting more wrapped up in him than he was with me. I was a fool, but hell, it could be fun while it lasted.
Damn the consequences of enjoying this limited time with him. I was already in too deep to try and back out now. He was leaving, and I was staying. That was that. Maybe he’d learn the truth about that night. Perhaps he wouldn't. None of it mattered at that moment. What did matter was his sculpted bare chest pressed against mine and our lips sealed together, savoring our perfect moment like two people desperately in love.
Three more days.
I could protect my heart from new Brenton for three more days.
He could use my body—and holy hell, I hoped he would—but my heart was mine. And I'd do whatever it took to protect it from him.
The sun shined in full force through the cheap blinds and thin curtains, burning into my exhausted eyes when I turned in the bed. Instead of popping up for the first cup of dark bliss, I flung the light blanket back over my head and rolled over with a groan of annoyance.
Tired.
Way too tired to even think of leaving the bed.
It was around three in the morning when we made it back to the barn. Then we had to unload, plus a quick shower, which put me rolling into bed around four.
Our night together couldn’t have played out any better than it did. After the storm moved on, we drove through the thick mud back to our original spot to continue the predator hunt, but the kitty never showed. Maybe it was due to the crazy storm, but I’d bet it was our loud laughing, and of course, my exaggerated hand motions when I was involved in a story, and the constant back-and-forth conversations.
Well, in-between the hot and heavy make-out sessions, we did all that.
Brenton's lips were irresistible, a perfect fit to mine. And damn that man could kiss—demanding yet still somehow soft, combining to form some cosmic union of all things perfect in this world.
Being out on the land with his lips against my body was like a teleport back in time to all those years ago when we did the same thing, laughing, talking, kissing.
A shout from somewhere in the house dragged reality back in. After swinging both legs off the bed, I stretched both arms up high to work the stiff muscles out of my lower back. On silent, bare feet, I tiptoed across the worn carpet to the closed door and pressed an ear against it.
Daddy. No surprise. That man was always upset about something Bradley or I did.
Awake and mobile, the basic need for hot coffee turned dire. With a wide openmouthed yawn, I stepped out into the hallway, pausing the beeline I was on toward the kitchen when I was outside Bradley's room. The scene was all too familiar, with Daddy ranting about shit not getting done, but
it was still a lot to take in considering Bradley’s injured state.
Daddy turned those light brown eyes to me, narrowed in obvious annoyance. “What do you want?”
Instead of responding, I shifted my full attention to Bradley, who shot me a sympathetic look with his one good eye. “On my way to get coffee and heard you,” I said.
“Get me some,” Daddy commanded back with a dismissive wave.
“You have two legs. Get it yourself.”
Eyes a bit wild, he faced me straight on and balled his hands into tight fists. “What in the hell did you say to me, girl?”
Somehow the terror he used to invoke in my soul as a little girl seeped right back in. But instead of cowering, I repeated, “Get it yourself.” Only a slight tremble in my voice gave away my nerves of standing up to this man.
With each step closer, the heels of his boots thumped against the thinly carpeted floor, sounding ominous in the otherwise quiet house. “You always were useless, weren't you. You and that pathetic brother. Sorry excuse for kids after what all I did for you two.”
“Right, because a kick in the ass and constant degrading is exactly what every kid needs.”
“You lie. Always have been a damn liar. You lied to Mr. Graves about your mother, then conned his grandson into getting you pregnant, which turned the entire Graves family against me. I knew it from the beginning. Just like your mother. Nothing but a useless whore.”
With each vicious word, he moved closer until he was in my face. I pressed a trembling hand against his thin chest and shoved him back a step. “Wow, it's a little early for all this, don't you think? Let's wait until after my morning coffee to start with the oh-so-typical rant of who ruined your life and when.” Summoning a bit more courage, I glanced over Daddy’s shoulder to Bradley propped up on the bed. “You need anything?”
At the quick shake of his head, I cast a final dismissive glare at Daddy and compelled my feet to move. Turning my back to him as I walked away was way more difficult than I expected, but I did it. Somehow, someway, the time with Brenton had strengthened the crumbling confidence Daddy was hell-bent to obliterate.
On the front porch swing, knees tucked against my chest and a steaming cup of coffee in hand, my tense shoulders finally relaxed, lowering inch by inch away from their permanent residence by my ears.
The fresh coffee scalded the tip of my tongue at the first hasty sip. Fine. With a longing look, I placed it on the swing beside me and pulled out my phone.
Six missed texts from the night before.
Shit.
Ryder: What the hell is going on? Kyle just got home and said Bradley got his ass kicked and Brenton was THERE, helping you?
Ryder: You told me you were done with him. Beka, please tell me you're done with him.
Ryder: Please tell me you're not doing what I think you're doing right now.
Ryder: I'm disowning you until you respond.
Ryder: Okay, that was a lie. I need to know what's going on and that you're okay.
Ryder: Call me, you hooker!
The last text made a smile pull at the corners of my lips.
Me: I'll do a tell-all, but I need donuts. Lots and lots of donuts.
Ryder: Oh hey. Good to know you're alive. It's not like I was WORRIED or anything.
Ryder: Thanks for returning my texts last night… oh wait. You didn't. Get your own damn donuts.
Ryder: Tell me one thing. Were you with him?
Me: Yes.
Ryder: You're a hot mess. See you in fifteen.
16
Brenton
The slow, constant throb of my blue-as-shit balls had me adjusting on the leather couch to find a position that would take pressure off the tender boys. Hand wrapped around my swollen nuts, I shifted them back and forth, which only made it worse.
Fuck the gentleman shit. I should've taken her up on returning the favor. What the hell was I thinking anyway? I always got mine first, and there I was offering up another round for her to have some fun before even thinking about my relief. That woman was fucking with my head, and not in the way I needed.
Or maybe she was.
Hell, this was complicated.
I didn’t do complicated. Order, process, routine—those offered the control I needed. With control, I could keep the constant want for a stiff drink or line of coke for an easy escape at bay. Control offered the safety net I needed to keep from plunging back into a free fall to addiction.
For the hundredth time that morning, I watched out the large window.
Who in the hell was over there?
An older truck had pulled up half an hour before, but I didn’t see who got out. And it was driving me fucking crazy. I should’ve paid attention to the type of truck that dipshit Kyle guy drove last night when I left to change.
Unfamiliar jealousy swirled in my chest at the mental image of him being with my Beks. Alone. Her dad thought he was the perfect match for her, so maybe he called the guy back under the ruse of checking on Bradley.
Someone scurried into the living room, but still I kept my attention on the small house and unknown truck. Knowing Dad had left yesterday for Dallas kept me from tensing at the presence of someone in the room.
“Would you like some lunch, Mr. Graves?” said a soft female voice by my right shoulder.
“Yes, that would be great. The same that was made for dinner last night, and make extra again, please.”
“For her?” she asked, drawing my attention.
The girl couldn't have been more than twenty. Freckles lined her cheekbones, accentuated by her fiery red hair. Under my scrutinizing gaze, she shifted her focus to the floor.
“Uh, sorry,” she stammered and took a step back. “None of my business.”
“Wait.” If Beks wouldn't give me the information, maybe this girl could. She was too young to remember what happened thirteen years ago, but I bet there was still gossip around this place. “What do you know about her?”
The girl’s hazel eyes looked past me to the house I'd been monitoring all morning.
“Not much, sir. Sorry, I shouldn't—”
“Stop, please. What do you know?”
A bit of fear lit in her eyes as she retreated another step.
Hell.
Frustrated, I leaned forward and rested my head in my hands.
“All I know, sir, is in a town like this, what you two did….” Her pause made me sit up straight and swivel on the couch to give her my full attention. “She's always been kind to me, so I won't repeat what they called her, both to her face and behind her back, but she didn't deserve it. We all make mistakes. The whole town turned against her when she needed them the most. If I were her, I wouldn't have ever come back.”
At that, she vanished around the corner, leaving me more confused than ever.
Cackling laughter mixed with the rhythmic squeak of metal against metal filled my ears before the two lounging on the porch swing came into view. A wave of relief barreled through at the sight. Not the guy, but it was the feisty tiny woman who gave me hell at the funeral.
This could be interesting.
Hopefully Beks had already lessened the woman's disdain toward me by explaining I wasn’t the man I used to be.
Noticing my approach, Beks paused midconversation, her wild hands up in the air, and smiled. Her friend followed her line of sight and glared with more unease than hatred. It was a start.
“I brought you lunch.” The tightly wrapped sandwich floated in the air toward Beks and landed beside her on the swing. Not wanting to be within clawing distance of her friend, I collapsed into the porch chair opposite the swing. After a pointed look to the empty donut box at their feet, I leaned back and smirked at the two. “But it looks like I'm a little late. I'm Brenton, by the way.”
“I know who you are.” Beks rolled her beautiful eyes and shoved her friend's shoulder. “I'm Ryder, the best friend. And just so we're on the same page, Brenton, I don't like you, and I think you'll fuck my friend over a
gain. If you have any respect for her, you'll walk away now and never come back.”
Holding her hard stare, I smiled my best arrogant asshole smile. “Good for me that your friend doesn't feel the same way.”
“She should.”
“Says you.”
“Um, guys, I’m sitting right here. Listening,” Beks cut in with a laugh.
The muscles of my jaw twitched as the two whispered back and forth during their long goodbye hug. Before Ryder stepped off the porch, she looked back and said, “See you tonight. We’ll come by and get you.”
Ryder’s old Ford was halfway down the drive when I glanced at Beks with both brows raised.
She held up both hands in surrender. “Ryder is a little overprotective,” she said with a shrug. “Thanks for the sandwich. Even though I ate my weight in donuts, I'm somehow hungry again.”
The first bite prompted the same dick-hardening moan as last night.
“So good. Thank you again. Did you bring any chips, by chance?”
I didn’t shield my wide smile at her hopeful tone. “Sorry, no chips. Simply orgasmic seasoned sandwiches.”
With a huff, Beks uncurled from the swing and marched past me into the house, only to return seconds later with a bag of Cheetos. I watched in disgust as she settled back onto the swing and stuffed the sandwich full of the cheesy chip.
“Stop staring at me like I asked you to eat my ass,” she said with a smirk. “When you're on the road as much as I am, driving between various clients, you learn how to make the most of your mealtime. Stuffing your sandwich full of chips is one of them, and it's good.”
“How's your brother doing?” No way would I comment on her ass-eating statement. Not with her father and brother within earshot. If she or any of them knew what I wanted to do to that ass, they'd shoot me before I could convince her how great it would be.
Fuck.
My dick throbbed against the zipper of my jeans, desperate to pop out and play. I needed to stop thinking about her ass and staring at her amazing tits. Why didn't she have a bra on anyway? I knew how perfect her breasts were, and there she was taunting me with her perky nipples poking right through the Texas A&M T-shirt.
Vote Then Read: Volume III Page 232