Whatever it Takes (Healing Hearts book 3)

by Laura Farr

  “It’s a definite yes.” Her lips crashed against mine as her hand curled around my neck. I felt her bite my bottom lip, and I opened my mouth to her, her tongue dueling with mine. She might be telling me things were complicated, that she couldn’t get involved, but her actions were telling me she was as all in as I was. As she pulled out of the kiss, she snuggled into my arms, her head dropping onto my shoulder.

  Sitting up suddenly she looked out across the bar. Turning to face me, her eyes were wide with excitement. “Is that a photo booth?” she was pointing to the other side of the room. Looking across to where she was pointing, I nodded.

  “Yeah, I think so. Do you want to try it?” She nodded enthusiastically. “Okay,” I said, laughing. “Drink up and we’ll go see if it’s working.”

  “I really hope it is! I love those booths. There was always one at the Westwood street fair. Mom and I would go in and make stupid faces. I loved waiting for the pictures to drop into the slot, desperate to see how they’d turned out.” She smiled sadly at me and I knew she was thinking about her mom. I pulled her against me and kissed her head.

  “Let’s go then. You can introduce me to photo booth fun.” She looked at me in surprise.

  “Are you telling me you’ve never been in a photo booth?” She frowned in disbelief.

  I shook my head, laughing at the expression on her face. “Nope. I’m a photo booth virgin.”

  “Well, we need to fix that. Come on.” She jumped off my lap and held out her hand to me. Standing up, I grinned before downing the rest of my drink. Taking her hand in mine, we made our way across the bar. I watched as she bounced up and down excitedly as we came to stand in front of the booth. Pulling the red velvet curtain across, she tugged me inside. There was a bench seat on one side and a small screen on the other. The words “eyes here” were written above the screen and an arrow pointed to where we needed to look. Sitting down I gave Quinn a dollar, and she slipped it into the slot.

  “Okay,” she said, sitting down next to me. “It’s going to flash four times, with a few seconds between each flash. Ready?” I nodded, and she put her head next to mine. “Don’t forget to make a stupid face,” she reminded me, and I turned to look at her as she stuck her tongue out. The flash went off, and I realized I was looking at her rather than the camera. “You missed that one!” she exclaimed with a chuckle. “Try again.” Turning to where I needed to look, I crossed my eyes and stuck out my tongue just as the flash went off again. “Getting better.” She put her fingers in the corners of her mouth and made another silly face. I did the same, laughing at how stupid we must look. After all the pictures had been taken, Quinn pulled the curtain back, rushing out of the booth.

  “The pictures come out here.” She pointed to a small slot on the side of the booth. “It’s too noisy in here, but if it were quieter, you could hear the mechanism inside as it prepares and prints the pictures.” She leaned her ear up against the booth and smiled. “It’s making memories,” she said quietly, her ear still pressed against the booth.

  I watched her as she waited for the pictures to fall into the slot. God, I wanted to kiss her again. The more time I spent with her, the more I was falling for her. I was usually a one- or two-date kind of guy, quick to move on to the next. It was different with Quinn though. I wanted to hold her hand, talk to her, wrap her in my arms and never let go. Shit, I wasn’t normally the guy who held hands and cuddled. I was usually only interested in sex. Being with Quinn though made me want it all. Watching her face light up as the strip of pictures fell into the slot, an unfamiliar feeling settled in my chest. It wasn’t a bad feeling, but it was a feeling I’d definitely never experienced before.

  “They’re ready,” she cried as she snatched them up and began to study them. “Well three of them are good. You’re looking at me for the first one.” She held them out, and I laughed as I saw her sticking her tongue out.

  “They’re great, baby.” I watched her cheeks redden at my term of endearment. “So, you’ve only ever been in a photo booth with your mom then?” I asked as an idea came to me. She nodded, and I grabbed her hand. “How about a photo booth first for the both of us?” I pulled her back into the booth and fed another dollar into the slot.

  “What do you—” Quinn started. I cut her off by turning her chin with my fingers and pressing my lips to hers. Deepening the kiss as the camera went off, I snaked my tongue into her mouth, hearing her moan as my tongue touched hers. Pulling out of the kiss, I brushed my lips across her nose just as the camera went off again. My forehead rested on hers and I was so caught up in her I had no idea whether the camera had finished taking shots.

  “First kiss in a photo booth,” I muttered against her lips. “I think we got all four shots.” Kissing me on the lips, she grinned. “Let's go wait for the images.” I nodded and led her out of the booth. We must have been in there longer than we thought as the photos were waiting for us once we got outside. Picking them up, I showed them to her.

  “Wow! We look hot!” She took the strip out of my hands and looked at them. I had to agree with her. The first shot was of us making out, with the second shot capturing me kissing her on the nose. Then there was another of us kissing. The final shot was my forehead on hers, both of us with our eyes closed. “I love them. Thank you,” she whispered, going up on her tiptoes to kiss my cheek.

  Taking her hand, we headed to the exit. It was cold outside, and I wrapped my arm around her in an attempt to keep her warm. It was only a short walk to the truck, and we were soon heading back to the ranch. We drove back in comfortable silence, and I kept glancing over to look at her, finding her looking at the two strips of photos, a smile on her face. As we pulled up at the ranch, I ran around the truck to open her door. After helping her down, we walked hand in hand toward the house.

  “I’ve had such a great night, Brody,” she said as we climbed the porch steps. “Thank you.”

  “I’ve had a great time too, Quinn.” Unlocking the front door, I held it open for her as she walked ahead of me. “I’ll walk you to your room,” I said as I watched her yawn in the hallway. She nodded and took my hand, following me up the stairs. As we came to a stop outside her bedroom, I dropped her hand and wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into me. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?” My eyes dropped to her lips as she nodded. Bending my head, I pressed my lips to hers, kissing her gently. As I pulled away, she reached her arms around my neck and pulled my head down, her lips crashing against mine. Nibbling on my bottom lip, I opened my mouth to her. She pushed her tongue inside and I found myself pushing her up against the wall next to her bedroom. Kissing around her jaw, I continued down her neck, my hands running up her sides. My fingers brushed the edges of her breasts and her hands found their way into my hair.

  “Brody,” she moaned. Hearing her moan my name made my already hard cock even harder, and I pushed against her. She tugged on my hair and I moved my lips from her neck back up to her mouth, kissing her like I was consumed by her and I guess at that point, right then, I was.

  As I finally broke the kiss, we were both panting hard. Quinn’s cheeks were flushed, and her nipples were pebbled and visible through the material of her dress. There was no way I wanted to leave her at her bedroom door and go down the hall to my room. I wanted to peel her dress from her body and lick every inch of her. Knowing I couldn’t do that yet, I reluctantly took a step back. Her breathing was coming under control and she smiled shyly at me.

  “Wow, Brody… that was…” She trailed off, unable to finish. Smiling, I pecked her quickly on the lips, afraid if I did anything more than a quick kiss I wouldn’t be able to stop.

  “I’ll see you tomorrow?” It was more of a statement than a question. I knew I’d be seeing her and I already couldn’t wait. She nodded and reached behind her for the door handle.

  “Night, Brody.”

  “Night, baby,” I whispered as she walked backward into her room, her eyes fixed on me as she closed the door. Taking a deep breath, I re
-arranged my hard-on and walked slowly down the hall, not wanting the night to end.

  Walking into my room, I headed straight to the bathroom, knowing I needed a cold shower if I had any chance of falling asleep.

  Quinn

  Waking up, I stretched my arms above my head and grinned as memories of last night flooded my mind. Closing my eyes, I couldn’t believe how perfect my date with Brody had been. I had no idea how things would be when I saw him today, and nervous excitement bubbled in my stomach. I’d tried to convince myself I wasn’t falling for him, that I couldn’t stay on the ranch if anything developed between us. But one night with him and I was feeling things I’d only read about in books. Sighing, I brushed my fingers across my lips, remembering when Brody had kissed me and how I’d felt when I’d been wrapped in his strong arms.

  Reaching over to the nightstand, I grabbed my purse, searching inside for the phone he’d given me last night. I really hadn’t wanted to take it from him. He’d been pretty insistent though, and even though I didn’t know him that well, I could tell I wasn’t going to get away with not accepting it. Pressing the home button to illuminate the screen, I saw I’d received a message. Clicking into it, I smiled as I saw it was from Brody.

  Brody: Night, gorgeous. Sweet dreams.

  He must have sent it when he got back to his room. I contemplated replying but didn’t want to wake him. I’d decided while I’d lain awake last night reliving every second of the evening in my head, I would wake early and make him breakfast as a thank you for yesterday.

  Seeing it was 8 a.m., I climbed out of bed and crossed the room to the bathroom. After brushing my teeth, I quietly opened my door and peeked down the hall, listening for any signs that Brody was awake. Hearing none, I padded out of my room, making my way downstairs and into the kitchen. Grabbing what I needed from the refrigerator, I set it all out on the counter before flicking the coffee pot on.

  After making batter, I was standing at the stove flipping pancakes when suddenly two strong arms slipped around my waist. I gasped as I was pulled backward onto a hard chest. “Morning, baby,” Brody muttered into my ear, his teeth gently nibbling on my neck. I hadn’t even heard the kitchen door open so was taken by surprise to feel him behind me. Dropping my head back onto his bare chest, I relaxed into his hold before tilting my head and smiling up at him.

  “Morning. Sleep well?” I asked him as I added the pancake to the stack I’d already made.

  “Hmmm,” he moaned nuzzling my neck. “I’d have slept better if you had been with me,” he said, his voice still thick with sleep.

  Laughing, I shook my head. “I doubt that.” Reluctantly pulling out of his embrace, I crossed the kitchen, standing on my tiptoes to reach inside a cupboard for the maple syrup. I put it down on the counter and turned around. Seeing his eyes roaming my body, I took the opportunity to look at him. As I did, my breath caught in my throat. He was standing there in just his sleep shorts, his chest bare. My eyes raked over him. His hair was messy from just having woken up. His broad shoulders and toned chest had me itching to touch him.

  “Do you know what it does to me, seeing you wearing my shirt and nothing else?” His voice was husky, and I dragged my eyes up to his hooded ones, squirming under his gaze. I tugged the shirt down and shook my head, suddenly realizing I was standing in the kitchen in just his shirt and a pair of panties. I’d been so eager to make him breakfast I hadn’t thought to put my jeans on. My nipples pebbled against my shirt under his lustful gaze and I saw his eyes drop to my chest. Letting out what sounded like a growl, he pushed off the counter, stalking toward me. Pulling me against him, my hands crashed against his hard chest, and he picked me up setting me on the countertop. Opening my legs with his hands, he came to stand in between them, and I instinctively wrapped my arms around him.

  “It drives me crazy knowing you fall asleep every night wearing my shirt. It looks so hot on you, Quinn.” Even though I was sitting on the counter, he still towered above me and I tilted my head to see his face. Brushing the back of his hand across my cheek, I leaned into his touch. As I did, he lowered his head, his mouth finding mine in a searing kiss. The hand that was on my back tugged me to the edge of the counter, my shirt riding up with the sudden movement. I felt his erection hot and hard against me as my panties hit his shorts. My tongue gained entrance into his mouth and I wrapped my legs around his back, shamelessly rocking against him, trying to ease the ache that was forming between my legs. I’d gotten myself off plenty of times, but it had never felt this good, and I didn’t want him to stop.

  Brody's lips left mine, peppering wet kisses around my jaw and down my neck. His fingers dropped from my cheek and he ran them up my thigh, causing my skin to erupt in goose bumps where he’d touched me. Then his hand pushed under my shirt, making me gasp as he stroked lightly up my side until his fingers brushed the underside of my breast and I whimpered.

  “Is this okay?” he whispered before pulling back to look me in the eye.

  I nodded. “Please,” I begged, and he chuckled as his mouth went back to kissing and biting my neck. His hand cupped my breast, his thumb circling my nipple. “Don’t stop,” I moaned as I continued to rock against him. The ache between my legs was almost unbearable and my breath was coming out in pants. I could feel how hard he was underneath his shorts and knowing how turned on he was made me want him even more. I’d never been like this with anyone else. Knowing how Brody was making me feel, I wondered if I’d even given myself a real orgasm before. It had never felt like it did now, like my whole body was going to explode.

  Suddenly, he pinched my nipple, and I came hard, crying out his name. My body trembled from the most powerful orgasm I’d ever had, and I dropped my head into his neck, my breathing erratic. His hand came from under my shirt and he wrapped his arms around me, holding me as I came back down to earth.

  After a few minutes I lifted my head, embarrassed I’d gotten so carried away in his parents' kitchen. His eyes met mine, and I smiled awkwardly. “I can’t believe I just did that, I’ve never…” I trailed off unable to voice that he was the only man to ever see me like that.

  “Was it your first?” A huge grin appeared on his face as I nodded my head.

  “Well… my first that wasn’t self-given,” I replied, mortified to admit that to him.

  “Now that I’d like to see.” He winked at me and I gently slapped his hard chest before laughing and shaking my head.

  “I was going to surprise you with breakfast in bed.” I gestured to the pile of pancakes on the counter. “I figured as Claire was away you wouldn’t actually eat breakfast unless I made it for you,” I teased.

  “Hey,” he scolded, his tone playful. “I can manage cereal just fine. These however,” he reached around me and picked up the plate full of pancakes, “these look delicious. Let’s take them and eat them in bed. I like your idea of breakfast in bed.” I nodded, and he stepped back as I hopped down off the counter.

  “I’ll make us some coffee to take up with us.” He watched me as I filled two mugs with steaming black coffee. “Can you pass me the milk?” Putting the pancakes down he reached in the fridge. Walking toward me he held the container out of my reach, swooping in for a kiss before offering me the carton.

  After filling the tray with breakfast goodies, Brody picked it up and headed out of the kitchen. I grabbed the maple syrup off the side and followed him up the stairs, nerves swirling in my stomach. Was he going to be expecting more after what had happened in the kitchen? As much as I was falling for him I wasn’t ready to sleep with him yet. I hoped I hadn’t given him the wrong impression.

  Brody

  Waking up after a fitful night's sleep, I’d gone to knock on Quinn’s door only to find it open, her messy bed empty. Hearing noises coming from the kitchen, I found her standing in front of the stove in nothing but my Dallas Cowboys shirt. My cock had woken up at the sight of her and I adjusted myself, not wanting to scare her off first thing in the morning.

  Seeing
her standing at the stove, I knew she hadn’t heard me come into the kitchen. I took my time to admire the view. Her hair, still curly from last night, fell in waves down her back, and my shirt fell mid-thigh, exposing her toned and tanned legs. Not being able to wait any longer to touch her, I’d crossed the kitchen, slipping my arms around her. Nuzzling against her neck, I inhaled her scent. She smelled amazing and I couldn’t keep my hands off her.

  Watching her fall apart in my arms had been unexpected. I hadn’t imagined things happening that quickly. She’d never said, but I was guessing she wasn’t sexually experienced, and I didn’t want to push her into something she wasn’t ready for. Her silence as we climbed the stairs had me wondering if she thought I’d expect breakfast in bed to lead to something more. I expected nothing. I was more than happy just to be with her, which by my own admission was unusual for me. Turning my head as we reached the top of the stairs, I smiled.

  “Your room or mine?” I gave her the option, thinking she might feel more comfortable in her own room.

  “Erm… your room is fine.” Nodding, I led her down the corridor, pushing the door open. My comforter was tangled up on my bed, evidence that I’d tossed and turned all night. “This is a great room,” she said as I put the tray down on the side. She walked past me and peeked through the closed drapes. My room was on the opposite side of the house and my window overlooked the burned-out stables.

  “Your room is way better. Savannah got the bigger room as we were growing up.” I laughed. “She needed it with all her shit.”

  “She does have a lot of clothes and shoes, that’s for sure.” She turned from the window and flopped down on top of the crumpled comforter. Seeing her sitting on my bed, wearing my shirt made me want to beat my chest and claim her as my own. Instead I grabbed the two cups of coffee from the tray, placing them on the nightstand. Reaching for the tray I set it on the bed next to her. She looked nervous, and I didn’t want to make her anymore uncomfortable by jumping on her, so I sat on the edge of the bed.