by Tessa Layne
“Something like that.”
“Might have to kill me if you told me?”
“Sure.”
Damn. She’d opened a can of worms. “So you came back home.”
“Yeah. My parents are divorced. And my dad, who used to work for the police force, died of a heart attack. My little brother, Colton, didn’t want to change high schools, so I moved home. End of story.”
“As if.”
The girl brought their plates. Jamey’s heart sank a little as she contemplated the big plate of lettuce.
This sucked.
Travis held out a fork laden with ravioli and cream sauce. Her mouth watered enviously. “Bite?”
She shook her head, bitterness lodging in the back of her throat.
“Come on,” he urged. “A little bite won’t hurt.”
“A moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips.”
He scowled and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
God, she hated playing coy like this. But it was better than the pitying look she’d get if she tried to explain. She could handle irritation. Pity was another story.
After a few minutes of companionable silence, Travis leaned forward, eyes narrowing. “My turn. Why’d you decide to have dinner with me when you can cut the chemistry between you and Brodie with a knife?”
So. Busted.
She pushed the remaining lettuce leaves around her plate, avoiding his stare. “That obvious, huh?” She glanced up sheepishly.
“I see things other people don’t. Part of why I’m good at my job.”
“Why’d you ask me to dinner then, if you could tell?”
“Because you looked like you needed a friend.” He paused, shoving the ravioli around his plate. Then shot her a sly grin. “And Brodie’s the kind of guy that sometimes needs a kick in the ass before he makes a move.”
“So you thought you’d help things along? I never took you for a matchmaker. You seem more… normal.”
“Normal?” His mouth curved bitterly. “Nothing normal about me. I’m just not your brand of crazy.”
Right.
That would be all Brodie. Her brand of crazy.
Travis leaned in. “You never answered my question. Why’d you come to dinner?”
A flush crept up her neck. God. She was an ass. “I was pissed as hell. I was using dinner with you to make a point,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. Sometimes I’m a thoughtless hothead.”
He smiled again, his features congenial again. “I’m not sorry. So long as Brodie gets the message.”
“Thanks. I hope somebody, someday, realizes what a catch you are.”
A hard edge flickered in his eyes, and his mouth hardened. “I’m not dating material. I have… baggage.”
“We all do, Travis.” She reached for his hand and gave a squeeze. “You’ll find someone whose brand of crazy matches yours. You look too good in that uniform to be a bachelor forever.” She winked at him and released his fingers.
He glanced at the dessert tray. “Share a tiramisu?”
A stab of craving shot through her. Another delicious item in a long list she’d never get to enjoy again. What she wouldn’t give for even a bite of that creamy, light as air concoction.
With regret she shook her head. “Spumoni?”
“Deal.”
CHAPTER 29
Travis’s taillights disappeared down the dirt drive before Jamey pushed open the door, unsure of what she’d find waiting on the other side.
The great room was in near darkness. Only the dying coals in the fireplace and a lone lamp underneath the balcony offered light. She paused just inside the door, letting her eyes adjust to the dim.
She scanned the room.
No Brodie.
The small ember of hope that had briefly flickered inside her chest deflated as she let out a sigh. So… she’d bet wrong. Pushed him too hard. It was time to accept whatever lurked between the two of them wasn’t enough.
Her heart twisted, and the pain stole her breath.
The office door opened, the light casting Brodie’s form into relief. He’d removed his boots. Rolled up his sleeves and unbuttoned his shirt. All the way. The ridges of his abs peeked out where the material separated, demanding her full attention.
Her mouth went dry. At the same time, warmth rushed straight to her pussy, soaking her panties.
Oh, Yeah.
He was her crazy.
And was that a scotch in his hand? Knowing him, yes.
She couldn’t read the expression on his face with the light so bright behind him, but she didn’t miss the tension snaking through his body.
An invisible thread of electricity connected them. She stood rooted to the floor. Her pulse quickened, throbbing at her neck and buzzing through her ears. Expectation thrummed through her. Should she say something?
Suddenly, she felt shy.
Unsure.
Exposed.
Not taking his eyes off her, he downed the rest of his glass and placed it on the credenza. He closed the distance between them, stopping so close she could smell the trace of scotch on his breath, mingling with his spicy cologne.
Since when did he wear cologne? Whatever it was, it only added to the intoxicating swirl fuzzing her brain.
It would be so easy to break the silence. To push his shirt aside, run her fingers over his taut skin and kiss all the angst away. But she was tired of the angst, the not knowing. So she waited, biting her lip between her teeth.
He inhaled sharply and broke eye contact, scraping a hand across his jaw. “You kiss him?” he grated out.
The knot in her chest unraveled. She shook her head, not trusting herself to speak.
“Did you want to?”
Everything hard inside her began to melt. She shook her head slowly. His face softened, and he ran the back of his finger down her cheek, bringing it to rest under her chin.
His spoke low and urgent. “I have to know, Jamey. Was it because you wanted this?” His lips brushed hers with the barest of touches. Back and forth, their breath mingling until she couldn’t stand it anymore and she leaned in for more.
“Say it,” he whispered, his tongue flicking across her lower lip. “Tell me you want this.”
“Yes,” she breathed, slipping her hand underneath his shirt and placing it over his heart. “Oh God, yes.”
She’d never been clearer about anything in her life. This man. This wild man, whose uncontainable spirit matched her own, was her home. Whatever else life threw at her, about this she was certain. Brodie Sinclaire belonged to her.
She snaked her hand up to the back of his neck where his hair curled around her fingers, and leaned into his mouth. “All of you. I want all of you.”
The breathless groan that emanated from his throat sent a shiver of delight straight down the back of her neck, settling in her clit, and setting the bundle of nerves alight.
She flicked her tongue across his lip, teasing his mouth until he thrust a hand into her curls and deepened the kiss. Tongues thrust and twirled together until they were both breathless.
Growling low, he swept her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing and stalked down the hall, passing her door. When they entered his room, he kicked the door shut behind him and stopped at the foot of the bed. Want and determination filled his expression. She squirmed in his arms, but he didn’t release her.
He leaned in close, brushing his lips slowly across the sensitive spot below her ear. Every brush of his lips registered in her nipples, and they hardened to tight peaks, pushing through the thin fabric of her shirt.
She skittered her fingers across his chest, biting back a small smile as his flesh pebbled under her.
He released her, and pushed her gently back to the bed, dropping to his knees between her legs as she sat. He smoothed his hands over her hips, sighing as he grazed a kiss across her collarbone. Tracing a finger inside the vee of her shirt, he paused at the top button. He flicked it open with his thumb and forefinger, and traced hi
s tongue across the exposed skin, before raising his eyes to hers.
So many unspoken words.
Desire. Longing. Awe.
His look said she was cherished… appreciated. And dammit if that wasn’t the biggest turn on ever. Every cell in her body vibrated with need. She fisted her hands in the comforter to keep from tumbling him onto the bed.
Slowly, he released the remaining buttons, slipping the silky material off her shoulders, leaving her exposed to his perusal. He took his time studying her, finally bringing his eyes back to hers. “You’re beautiful, Jamey,” he said, his voice rough with emotion. “So beautiful.”
Her breath stuck in her throat. No one, not even her parents, called her beautiful. And yet how many times had he called her that? Her limbs grew heavy under his heated stare. The protective shell around her heart thinned a bit more. “You don’t need to say that.”
Something hot and possessive flashed across his features. “Like hell I don’t,” he growled.
He slid a finger underneath the strap of her bra and tugged. The strap slipped down her arm, pulling the lace cup forward and revealing the modest swell of her breast.
She’d always been self-conscious about the size of her breasts. Jean Luc had even hinted she could get a boob job. But the way Brodie’s face lit as he took her in, the hungry glint in his eye as he ran a finger over the swell, the little noise of appreciation he made in the back of his throat… no one had ever made her feel sensual and desirable the way he did.
Reaching behind, she unhooked her bra, letting it fall to her lap.
He inhaled sharply as he took her in.
“Like what you see?” She couldn’t keep the breathless anticipation from her voice. Every look he gave her, every raw stare, ratcheted her desire.
“Your tits are fucking perfect.” He ran his palm over the swell, flicking his thumb across her hardened bud.
She let her head fall back as the sensation ran straight to her clit, making it throb violently.
When his lips replaced his thumb, she gasped at the sharp sensation, her skin erupting in gooseflesh. Slowly, with extreme care, he flicked his tongue across the peak, then swirled it in his mouth while he sucked gently. She clutched the comforter, writhing in the sweetest kind of agony, as he covered every inch of her breasts with his tongue.
She couldn’t stand it any longer. Threading her fingers through his hair, she arched her back, thrusting her tits deeper into his mouth. The fever he was stoking inside her made her dizzy with want.
She ran her hands down his neck, bringing them to rest just below his shoulders. God, she could get off just stroking his arms. Her palms molded around his rock hard muscles, and she gave an appreciative sigh, but it wasn’t enough. She wanted – needed, his bare skin under her hand.
“Brodie.”
“Mmm-hmm.” The sound vibrated across her chest.
“Lose yer shirt.” She gave the material a little pull, and he shrugged out of it, the cloth silently dropping behind him in a whisper.
He chuckled into her, his breath skittering across her already heated skin. “Quit your bossin’. I’m in charge here.”
She grinned slowly. “Yeah?”
“Oh yeah,” he mumbled as he trailed his tongue between her breasts down to her navel.
Sitting back on his feet, he pushed her bra aside and released the button of her jeans.
“Lift your hips,” he commanded softly.
The denim slid down her hips in one pull. She kicked them off then leaned back on her elbows, nerves tingling with anticipation.
He gave an appreciative grumble as he pressed on the inside of her knee. “Open for me. I want to see you.”
His frank perusal reduced her limbs to liquid, and another rush of heat filled her pussy. She let her knees fall open, exposing her barely-there white lace panties to his hungry gaze. “Jesus, Jamey,” he groaned, brushing his fingers up her thigh, his thumb stopping at the juncture of leg and hip. He swept his thumbs back and forth across the crease until she whimpered.
Tendrils of need raced through her, firing the nerve endings. How had she convinced herself that being with him was bad when he made her feel so damned good?
This.
This connection.
She’d missed it her entire life.
He moved with deliberation. Bringing his head forward to nuzzle her thighs, and inhaling deeply. His hot breath spread over her sex like hot caramel over ice cream, finding every dip and crevice. And then his mouth was on her pussy. A scrap of whisper-thin material the only thing keeping her from inevitable bliss.
“God, you’re so wet.” The movement of his mouth sent exquisite vibrations across her pussy lips. It took everything she had not to grind her mound into his face.
“You’re killing me here,” she moaned, writhing under him.
He chuckled low, setting off another round of delicious vibrations in her pussy. “You want more?”
She was panting now. “God, yes.”
With one quick snap, he broke the elastic and brushed away the fabric. “Look at me, Jamey.”
She lifted her head to meet his gaze. The vision of him kneeling before her, wonder and awe softening his features as he prepared to feast on her, stole her breath.
A possessive light glinted in his eyes. “I want all of you. No holding back.”
She nodded in agreement, heart in her throat. “No holding back.”
He reached his hand out to cover hers. She unclenched her fist from the bedspread and opened it palm up, lacing her fingers with his.
She shut her eyes as the first sensation of his tongue splitting her pussy hit her brain. Roared through her brain like a freight train, leaving her breathless. He went slow, tasting every crevice, sliding his tongue through her wetness, swirling her clit, then down, ending with a penetrating thrust into her channel.
God, she was going to come apart.
“I’m going to make you come so many times tonight you won’t know which way is up.”
A little thrill went through her. “I think I’m already there,” she gasped.
“Not if you’re still talking.” He swept his tongue up again, this time capturing her clit with his whole mouth and sucking while he flicked the nub over and over again with the tip of his tongue.
Her hips thrust up violently as she shook with the orgasm that hit her. But he didn’t stop. Blood rushed through her ears, deafening her as she collapsed back on the bed.
He moved his mouth away and nipped at her hip. “You taste so damned sweet.” He untangled his hand from hers, and she heard the rustle of clothes through the fog of the orgasm that still gripped her.
“Ready for round two?”
Giving him her best come hither look, she scooted backwards.
He captured her ankle, lifting it and planting a kiss in the hollow there. Electricity surged straight toward her over-sensitized clit.
He stood naked before her, his cock jutting proudly forward. She wanted to lick him up. To taste him and give back to him what he’d just given her. She sat up reaching for him, but he shook his head.
“Not yet. You still know which way is up.”
He put a knee on the bed and gently pushed her backwards, his hand skimming over her breast and coming to rest on her hip.
“But–”
“Nope.” He shook his head and settled himself between her legs, his cock teasing her opening and his hips pressing her to the mattress. She bit down on her lower lip, breath catching in her ribs from the weight of anticipation.
He made a noise in the back of his throat. “God, you’re so hot when you do that.” He shifted forward a fraction and she gasped, rolling her hips, trying to capture more of him. “And when you do that.” He pushed all the way in, filling her completely.
She groaned and ground into him savoring the friction. He slipped an arm under her and rolled them over, settling her above him. His slow, wicked grin was all the encouragement she needed to start moving slowly.
/>
“I’ll never get tired of this view.” He reached up to caress her, capturing her nipples between each thumb and forefinger and giving them a little squeeze. She arched and leaned into his hands, letting instinct drive her movements.
She was still buzzing from the first orgasm he’d given her. How could she already be getting close again? His caresses and strokes were rapidly building the tightness where their bodies joined. Wrapping his hands around her lower back, he pulled her down, thrusting deeply. She could feel the tip of him touch her womb with each stroke, stoking the fire winding up her spine.
Her lips sought his, and with each thrust of his cock, she answered with a thrust of her tongue. His hands slid over her backside, squeezing hard into her ass with each upward stroke.
In this moment, it seemed her clit was somehow attached to her whole body. Every movement she felt at her tight bud, swirled outward in a spiral of intense tingling need.
He pulled away from her, eyes wild, and brought his head to her breast, alternately licking and sucking each peak. With a growl, he scraped his teeth against the sensitive point as he rolled his tongue over it.
The sensation was too much for her, and stars exploded behind her eyes. She cried out as fire consumed her body, frying nerve endings down to her fingers and toes. And still he thrust powerfully, chasing his own release while continuing to graze her nipple with his teeth. She ground into him, barely able to feel her limbs, and shuddering as wave after wave still surged through her.
He stiffened beneath her, digging his fingers into her ass. Throwing his head back, he shouted out, then buried his face – and the sound, in her neck.
A giggle spilled out as she grinned down at him. Giggling again, she gave a little twist of her hips. He groaned in answer and tucked a curl behind her ear. His other hand lightly stroked up and down her back. “You okay?”
This time she let out a full-throated laugh. She rolled her hips again, relishing the lingering sensations still zinging along her nerves. “I can’t feel my body.”
His eyes furrowed slightly. “But you’re laughing.”
“Jesus, yes.” She couldn’t stop the giggles or the feeling of… delight.