Out of the Blue

by Dee J. Adams

  “I’m serious, and I’m not talking about the sex. I had a great time with you before the sex. You’re funny. Sexy. You’re creative as hell.” He sat up and reached for her hand, relieved when she didn’t pull away. “And I’m sorry if I’ve ever made you feel ‘less than.’ It was never my intention. My mom has mentioned on occasion that sometimes I lack finesse. I’ll work harder on that…on communicating better.” He patted the spot next to him because he wanted answers. “Sit? Please?”

  She hesitated only a few seconds before sitting next to him and twirling the ring on her finger.

  “Okay, so I know your ex was a douchebag. But to what extent? I mean…did he hurt you? Physically?” Because if he did, the bastard was going to hear from him.

  She pressed her lips together and the fact that she didn’t give him an immediate no answered his question.

  “The fucker hit you?” He stood up, couldn’t keep the anger out of his voice.

  “No,” she said. “He never hit me, per se. A couple months before we broke up he wrapped his hands around my neck and gave me a good scare.”

  Brendan wanted to hunt the asshole down and break him apart piece by piece.

  “Mainly he was very good at breaking things and verbal assaults.”

  “What kind of verbal assaults?” Brendan reigned in his emotions and sat next to her.

  “I don’t know. Like I should wear a certain dress he bought me because the new one I bought made me look like a whore. Or…here’s a favorite. I should never wear heels because they make me freakishly tall.” She snorted and flicked some hair over her shoulder. “He was big on apologies, too—from me. Didn’t matter if something was my fault or not. If he thought I should apologize, then I was in the shit house until I said, I’m sorry.

  “Look, he and I are over. It’s done. I’m trying to put it behind me. I’m getting my confidence back.”

  She was. He’d seen it and he was proud of her for it. Some of his anger dissipated. “FYI,” Brendan said. “You rock in a pair of heels.”

  Her sheepish grin and slight flush arrowed a direct hit to his heart.

  He wanted more. More of her smile, her light. “Heels make you a fucking cover model. I mean, we’re talking ‘Vanity Fair’ beautiful.” Brendan snorted. He had a good idea why her ex had a problem with heels. “I have to ask, how tall was this joker?”

  “Six feet.”

  “So heels made you taller than him. Of course he didn’t like them. Fucker.”

  Casey looked away and Brendan realized that talking about him wasn’t helping. He took her hand. “Okay. Enough of the Fucker Douchebag. What do you want to do? My parents are out and it’s just the two of us.”

  She met his gaze, hope in her eyes. “You really want to know?”

  “Yeah. Of course. Name it.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Casey didn’t want to push too hard, but she wanted to know about Brendan. It seemed fair considering she’d told him about herself. Sure the movie had shown what the family had gone through physically, but how many scars did Brendan have internally? What if she was right about him freezing after he’d been shot because of some kind of traumatic reaction to his past? Casey didn’t want to keep him at a distance. She wanted to understand him. “Can you just hold me for a little while?”

  He nodded, gave her a half grin. “Yeah. You don’t have to sound like it’s a jail sentence. I am very down with holding you.” He moved toward the headboard and motioned her next to him.

  “Will you tell me about yourself too?”

  His face darkened; even his muscles tensed. “You’re talking about the kidnapping.”

  Maybe it wasn’t fair to ask this of him. But if he really wanted her, wanted to build something solid, then she needed more. “I guess I’m just so amazed at how…how…” She couldn’t find the words she wanted to describe him. “How together you are. I mean, you’re talented, smart, fun—you don’t seem jaded or cynical.”

  “I am, though,” he said, giving her a side glance. “I’m cynical as hell. I don’t trust people anymore. I snap. I don’t have the patience I used to have.” He leaned back against the pillow. “And now I know I’m useless in stressful situations.” Bam. There was yesterday in the blink of an eye and he looked miserable about it.

  “I disagree.” Casey scooted next to him until she rested against his chest. She felt safe nestled in the strength of his arm. “I think you’re forgetting the stressful situations of saving me in the ocean and all those other times during the show. You got knocked around too.”

  “Not really the same thing, but thanks.” He stilled completely and Casey looked up at him. “Yesterday—the fact that I froze—scares the shit out of me. Because what if I do it again?”

  She sat up, her heart twisting as she studied his tortured eyes. “Look at all the times you didn’t freeze. Yesterday was an anomaly. A person isn’t supposed to be attacked in their own home or anyone else’s. I think the surprise and the pain just put you in a different zone.”

  He snorted then sighed, as if resigned to an idea. “Are you sure you’re not a shrink. Because that sounds very shrink-like.” She smiled at the teasing tone of his words. “It’s also possible you’re a hundred percent right.” Her pulled her down next to him again. “Would you believe I was a total egghead before the kidnapping?”

  “What? No.” She looked up at him. The five o’clock shadow made him uber sexy. With the amount of muscles defining every inch of skin, he could’ve easily been a professional model or athlete. “I don’t believe you. You mean a computer geek?”

  Nodding, he stroked his hand along her hair and brought goose bumps to her skin. “Totally. I always thought I was going to design some kind of app or something to revolutionize the world, but after the…after I got out of the hospital, I was a different person. All I wanted was to get strong. I vowed that something like that was never going to happen to me again. Blake and I talked about it a few times. We started pushing each other at the gym. We both carry protection.”

  Casey leaned on her elbow. Her heart opened up a little bit more. “You do? You mean like a gun?”

  “Not a gun, no. A knife. It’s tucked in a sheath inside my boot.”

  “I wondered why you were wearing boots in this heat. You always wear them?”

  He nodded. “The next time someone comes after me, I’m going to be prepared. Bullets notwithstanding, obviously.” He lifted his hurt arm and winced.

  She nestled next to him again. “So did everything happen exactly as it did in the movie?”

  “Pretty much.”

  Casey shivered. “I couldn’t even watch the scene when the twins—when you and Blake—came home. The music itself scared the crap out of me. But the violence. I hate violence.” Knowing four men awaited them as the twins entered the house had the audience on the edge of the seat.

  “Makes two of us,” Brendan murmured. He rubbed her arm and brought her closer.

  Shifting, Casey canted her head to see his face. “I have to ask this question.” He looked into her eyes and nodded, so she continued, “Why did you keep fighting? I mean there were two of them and they were much bigger than you. I don’t understand why you didn’t stay down.”

  Brendan shrugged. “I couldn’t quit. They were in my house. I just assumed Blake and I busted in on a robbery in progress and I had it in my head that no one was going to take any of our shit. Period.”

  “But your brother was screaming at you to stop, to stay down.” Blake had been overpowered by two men as well.

  “I never heard him.” He shook his head. “I didn’t hear anything, but my heart pounding between my ears. It was like this white noise in between every time they hit me. My chest hurt so bad, it felt like it was on fire.”

  Casey absently stroked her hand across the soft cotton over his rock hard abs. “That’s what happens with broken ribs and a collapsed lung.”

  He shook his head. “My lung didn’t collapse until my brother-in-law t
ossed me over his shoulder to get me out of the basement at the end. I was in bad shape before with a couple of broken ribs, but at that point, I didn’t think I was going to make it. I couldn’t breathe.”

  “Oh my God, I totally know which part you’re talking about.” Her heart had been racing, her palms drenched with sweat at the climactic ending. “But if he hadn’t done that—”

  “If he hadn’t done that, I probably wouldn’t be here today talking about it. I doubt any of us would be here today.” A sobering thought.

  “So you recovered and got strong.”

  He nodded. “I did. Blake always had more muscle than me. I mean, we were mostly the same build, but Blake worked out. It took me some time to catch up, especially after so many weeks recovering. I lost a ton of weight and what muscle I did have atrophied. It took me forever to get as strong as him.”

  “Why didn’t you go back to your computer stuff?”

  He thought about it for a moment. “Basically, I couldn’t sit still anymore. If I stayed in a chair too long, I got fidgety. I kept looking over my shoulder, looking out the window. I needed to do something different. I couldn’t concentrate long enough anymore to do that kind of work. Bartending was a good way to keep moving and make a few bucks.” His calloused fingers stroked along her arm and created more goose bumps. “My dad had introduced us all to music at a young age, but I never took it seriously. After the kidnapping I had all this shit in my head, all these emotions that kept twisting around and eating at me. I ended up going back to the music. Lyrics became my outlet. Putting the lyrics to music just followed. Music was physical. I didn’t have to be still. Hell, I couldn’t be still.”

  “Then you fell into the job with Seger.”

  He nodded. “Exactly. It was perfect because I’m always moving for him. Running errands or giving people tours at different venues, helping to coordinate his schedule or whatever. I guess I’ve done a little bit of everything for him.”

  “You know, I never did ask, what did he say when you two were finally alone after the show…when the cameras were gone?”

  Brendan chuckled. “He was a little bent out of shape that I hadn’t said anything to him about my music beforehand.”

  “Because he likes it, right?”

  He nodded, a half grin kicking up his lips. “Yeah, yeah.” Brendan stalled before glancing at her. “He wants to work together on his next project. He wants to make a duet album.”

  Casey’s jaw nearly hit her chest. “Are you kidding me? That’s better than winning the show. But, don’t you have to get permission from Miles, or give him a cut? Wasn’t that in the contract we signed?”

  “Yeah, Miles was so pissed at me, he shredded the contract. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t thinking about what I might do next, he just wanted to make sure I knew I wasn’t getting the half million. The guy did me a favor.”

  Huffing a laugh, Casey clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, my God. I can’t believe he did that. Hey, didn’t I read that Seger’s starting his own record label?”

  “Yeah. He wants this album to be the first one on the label.”

  “Wow! Brendan, that’s great. That’s so great.” Casey hugged him tight, her heart full. The little bolt of pride turned into a giant ball of euphoria. She couldn’t have been happier for him. One second she was in his arms, then she was looking into his gorgeous eyes, laughing her relief. She didn’t know how it happened but in the next instant they had their lips fused together. The laughter abruptly ended and turned into pleasure…and heat.

  Brendan was pretty sure he hadn’t initiated the kiss, but it didn’t stop him from going with it. He didn’t care if they weren’t going to have sex. Sap that he was, he was happy to take any fucking morsel of attention she wanted to give him. He was in that deep with her. It scared him a little to be so emotionally attached to someone who didn’t feel the same way. And why would she when she still had all those walls she’d built after being dumped by her ex. She wasn’t jumping into anything emotional and Brendan couldn’t blame her.

  Still, as far as kisses went, this one was about as hot, heavy and sexy as any before it. Scratch that. It was hotter, heavier and sexier.

  Casey poured herself into this kiss. It was slow. Wet. Deep.

  Completely breath-stealing.

  Brendan couldn’t control the swift uprising of his dick or the hot blood that surged through his veins. He loved the weight of her on his chest as she eased on top of him. He ran his fingers through her hair and cupped her head with his good hand, hoping to keep her close, to absorb all the attention she put into that kiss.

  God, the way she made him feel… Like he was king of the world. The warrior in him wanted to take control, wrap her hair around his hand, drag her beneath him and take her body in primitive need. But sanity prevailed—albeit by a thread—and Brendan let her lead the way.

  She killed him with her mouth, with the slowest, deepest and sexiest kisses they’d shared yet. Hawaii had been mostly fast and hard. Deliciously dirty and unplanned. The newness had stoked the flames and kept the fire between them burning brightly all night.

  But now. This. This slow seduction had Brendan on edge. Casey rubbed herself against his erection and Brendan sucked in a hard breath. Shit, that moan belonged to him.

  He should stop her if only for his sanity, but her silky hand slipped beneath his shirt, trailed down his abs and stomach sending electric streaks right to his dick. Just as he was about to say something, she shifted and placed her hand on his package. He moaned again. Couldn’t help himself. “Case,” he breathed. He didn’t know if he wanted to stop her or beg for more.

  “Shh.” She kissed him again as she eased her hand beneath the waistband of his shorts. Had she changed her mind?

  “Casey?”

  “Shh,” she said again. Seconds later she had her hand wrapped around his dick and Brendan lost all train of thought. Nothing registered but the pressure of her palm, the way she stroked him with a tight fist. He could only thrust into her hand, seeking the release of all his pent up frustration from the past two months.

  The slow kiss turned desperate…at least on his part. He couldn’t get enough. He gripped her head tighter, consumed her as she pushed him closer to the edge. Heat nearly incinerated him. Flames licked up his gut as every muscle tightened and his control frayed. Over and over she pumped him, stroking him harder, faster. Sweat broke out from every pore.

  “Case,” he growled. “I can’t… I need…” He didn’t want it like this, but he couldn’t tell her stop either.

  “Do it,” she whispered. “Let go. I’ve got you. I’m right here.”

  Dammit. Just those words, her encouragement, sent him over the edge. He growled, tried to hold off a little longer, but failed. Two more strokes and he lost it. He came hard. Stars flashed behind his lids and each pulsing beat of his heart pounded like the climax blazing through him. Her hot breath wafted across his cheek, the soft noise in her throat heightened his orgasm.

  When the tremors stopped. When Brendan lay there completely tapped out and weak, he opened his eyes.

  Casey stared down at him, her eyes bright, a near smile on her face, but not quite.

  “Why’d you do that? You didn’t have to.” He’d been positive that any kind of sex had been removed from the table a little while ago. Unless…was this a pity hand job? His brain had been too busy dealing with the pleasure to think about her motives, but now Brendan walked a tightrope between anger and relief. Any kind of sex with Casey took their relationship in the right direction, with the exception of sympathy sex.

  “I did it because I wanted to.”

  “But before you said—”

  “I know what I said, and I meant it. We didn’t have sex. At least not the intercourse kind. This was just…I don’t know. I just hated hearing that story and then I was really happy about the Seger news and I wanted to make you feel good. Sue me.”

  Maybe he hadn’t been too far off the mark. He eased her off him and sa
t up before stripping his damp shirt over his head. He used it to clean up the mess on his stomach then threw it in the corner before standing up.

  “What?” she asked. “You’re pissed.” She sat up in the middle of the bed, her hair rumpled, her lips red from his kiss. She sounded completely baffled and his anger faded.

  “Casey, look…” He grabbed a fresh black T-shirt from his old stash in the drawer and eased his beat up arm—yeah, it hurt—through a hole before pulling it over his head. “You want to know the truth. I’m getting serious mixed signals from you. You know I’m into you. It’s not a secret. I don’t know what kind of emotional shit your ex put you through, but I’m not him. I need you to realize that. You just have to be honest with me. Tell me if I do or say something that freaks you out.”

  Her forehead creased and she looked as if he’d punched her. Brendan felt like shit. He moved toward her, but she stopped him, her hand out. “No. You’re right. I’m sorry. I said one thing then did another. Kind of.” She shook her head. “It’s just, sex is one thing. Making you feel good is something else.”

  “Case, sex is sex. I already like you. We’ve been through this. I like you a lot.” He wasn’t ready to tell her how much, mostly because it scared the hell out of him which meant it would probably send her running the other direction as fast as an Olympian. “Every time you touch me I like you that much more. But if this,” he gestured between them, “is only a pity situation on your part, then tell me now. Because I can’t do that. I’m either in this with you or I’m out.” She moved away from him, but Brendan snagged her hand and brought her back. “Hold up. I’m just being honest. I think it’s time you’re honest with me.” He sat next to her.

  “I’ve been totally honest with you,” she replied, her words laced with attitude.

  “Okay, okay,” he pulled her back when she tried to leave again. “Right now. What’s going on right now? Why are you mad?”

  “Because you won’t let me go. It’s something Jeff would’ve done.”