Instead, she pulled on an old pair of sweats and a T-shirt and dove into a quart of chocolate ice cream. One more day, she reminded herself. One more day and Rayne would return. Then she would be out of here.
The thought wasn’t nearly as comforting as it should have been and she devoured the carton in less than fifteen minutes. She was just reaching for another when she heard his voice.
“I know you love me.”
She didn’t say a word. She couldn’t, due to the sudden lump in her throat.
She couldn’t love him. And no way could he love her. They hardly knew each other.
The only trouble with that logic was that she’d gotten to know him over the past few days. Even more, the incredible sex between them had forged a connection. While he couldn’t seem to breach her thoughts unless she wanted him to, she could breach his.
She’d discovered that much early this morning while she’d been lying in bed, trying to convince herself to get up and face another long day.
One minute she’d been staring at the ceiling and the next, she’d seen the blaze of fire. Heard the shouts. Smelled the smoke.
She’d seen inside of his head. His nightmare.
She’d felt every lash of the whip as it came down on his back and she’d felt the sting of betrayal. The hopelessness of being surrounded by so much hate. The loneliness of being a one hundred and fifty year old vampire and she’d understood.
Because she’d felt that same loneliness growing up with her father, moving from base to base, never really belonging. But wanting to. Wanting it so badly she could taste it.
The one time she’d taken a chance on easing that want, she’d been devastated.
Like her, Brent had wanted to fit in. To fall in love. To be normal. And so he’d taken a chance too.
And he’d been betrayed. Lila had turned her back on him. Walked away. Run away.
They had much more in common than just the sex. They were cut from the same cloth, with the same hopes and dreams. The same fears.
“I’m leaving tonight,” he said, through the door. “Dillon has a lead on a few women that fit Rose’s description. I’m going to fly to New Mexico and check the first one out.”
“What about your brother’s wedding?” she heard herself ask. “Aren’t you going to stay for that?”
“I’m not in much of a mood to celebrate. He’ll do fine without me.”
“But he’s your brother.”
“Yeah, well, life’s tough. We all learn that sooner or later. I just wanted to let you know.” He paused and then she heard the thud of his footsteps as he turned. “I’m sorry about everything.”
Before she could stop herself, her hand went to the doorknob. She hauled open the door. “Brent.”
He turned at the sound of her voice. He wore faded jeans, a simple white T-shirt and a relieved expression.
“I know about Lila.” She wasn’t sure why she told him except that she’d been thinking about it all day. About him. His past. His pain. Her own. She knew he’d been trying to forge a connection with her the past few days and suddenly she wanted him to know that he’d done just that. “I saw her in your dream.”
Confusion clouded his face and she wanted so much to reach out. But regardless of the fact that she understood him, that she loved him, she was still leaving. She’d worked too hard to get where she was. She couldn’t just abandon it for a man.
Besides, he’d never asked her to. Sure, he’d stuck around but he’d never actually said the words.
Stay with me. Spend the rest of your life with me.
He wouldn’t go that far because he was still scared.
“We’re connected now. When I close my eyes and clear my head, I can hear what you’re thinking. It’s the damndest thing.” Her gaze met his. “Such is the life of a vampire, right?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“I can hear you. In my head. Because we had sex.”
“Sex doesn’t forge that kind of connection. I’ve had sex with tons of women and none of them have been able to crawl inside my head. You’re the first.” The only.
My one and only.
The truth hung between them for a long moment before he finally turned. “I guess I should get going. I’ve got a long drive.”
Panic rushed through her as he walked away, the feeling growing with his every step. While she knew it was easier to let him leave now instead of later, suddenly she just wanted to seize this moment.
She went after him.
17
BRENT HAD JUST reached his car when he heard Abby’s desperate voice.
“Wait.”
Her plea crossed the distance to him and he turned.
She reached him a split-second later, her chest heaving, her eyes wild. As if she were about to lose the most important thing in the world to her and she was determined to hold on.
At least for a little while.
“I…” She caught her full bottom lip in her teeth and stared up at him. “Stay with me tonight. One more night. You can leave tomorrow,” she added, dashing his hope that she wanted more with him.
A lifetime.
An eternity.
“Why?” If she didn’t love him enough to give him forever, he wanted to hear it. He needed to hear it. To give him the strength to refuse her offer.
“Because I want to be with you.” She swallowed, her voice small when she finally spoke. “I love you. I know that doesn’t change anything, but I needed to say it. I need you to know it.” Her hand touched his arm. “Stay with me tonight.”
“And tomorrow?” He voiced his biggest fear.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just know that I don’t want you to go.”
It wasn’t the declaration he’d hoped for, but it was enough for now.
He swept her up and carried her back to the motel room. A sense of urgency rushed through him as he slammed and locked the door and set her on her feet.
Backing her up against the nearest wall, he grasped the hem of her T-shirt. He pulled it up and over her head and tossed it to the hardwood floor. His fingers went to the clasp of her bra and her breasts spilled free.
He dipped his head and drew one sensitive peak into his mouth, relishing the taste and knowing deep in his gut that he could never let her go after tonight. He wouldn’t.
He would fight for this. For her. For them both.
Abby closed her eyes against the wonderful pull of Brent’s mouth on her bare breast. He sucked her so hard and so thoroughly, she sagged against him. Wetness flooded the sensitive flesh between her legs and drenched her panties. He drew on her harder, his jaw creating a powerful pull that she felt clear to her core. An echoing throb started in her belly, more intense with every rasp of his tongue, every nibble of his mouth.
The thought faded as she felt the razor-like sharpness against her sensitive flesh. Her body went stiff and he pulled away.
She opened her eyes and found herself staring up at him the way they’d been their last night together. A hot, wild, hungry vampire.
He stared down at her, into her, his eyes hot and vivid, his fangs fully visible. He didn’t move. Rather, he waited, his body taut, his muscles stretched tight and she knew it took every bit of his strength and then some to hold himself in check.
But he did.
He held back for her, his body trembling with the effort.
She trailed her hand along his jaw, touched his bottom lip and smiled. And then she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him flush against her.
He licked at her pulse beat and nibbled as his hand slid into her sweats and between her legs. But he didn’t bite her. Not yet.
No matter how much she wanted him to.
Heat flowed through her, pulsing along her nerve endings, heating her body until she felt as if she would explode. His fingers slid inside, plying her soft tissue and stirring the sweetest pressure.
He worked her until she moaned long and low and
deep in her throat. Her body throbbed around him. Goosebumps chased up and down her arms. Her legs trembled. Her thighs clenched.
“Please,” she murmured.
He plunged his fingers deeper and wetness gushed from her very center. She shivered and cried out.
He caught the sound with his mouth and she felt the sharpness of his fangs against her bottom lip. The sensation sent a ripple of excitement through her.
He pulled her close, his hands trailing down her bare back, stirring every nerve ending along the way. Fingers played at her waistband before slipping lower. His palms cupped her buttocks through the material of her sweats. He urged her up on her tiptoes until her pelvis cradled the massive erection beneath his zipper.
The feel of him sent a burst of longing through her and suddenly she couldn’t get close enough, fast enough. She clawed at his T-shirt and wrapped her leg around his thigh. His erection rubbed against her sex and she moaned.
He tugged at the waistband of her sweats and pushed at the material until it slid over her hips, her thighs, to puddle around her ankles. His fingers snagged on the straps of her not-so-sexy panties and urged them down. Until she was completely naked.
He peeled off his shirt and unfastened his jeans. He shoved the denim down in one smooth motion and his erection sprang forward, huge and greedy and swollen. He pushed her onto the mattress, urged her legs apart and settled his erection flush against her.
He slowed down then, kissing her slowly, tenderly for a long moment. Sliding his hands beneath her bottom, he tilted her just so and with one powerful thrust, he slid deep inside.
Pleasure washed over her and forced her eyes closed. Her head fell back and she gave in to the delicious sensation of being filled to the brim with Brent Braddock.
“Open your eyes.” His deep voice finally penetrated the desire beating at her temples and she complied.
Hunger blazed hot and intense in his gaze. He opened his mouth. His fangs glittered in the moonlight as he poised above her.
He was giving her one last chance to change her mind. She read the hesitation on his face, felt the hunger clenching his body. She arched her body and tilted her head, baring her neck, offering it to him. Proving beyond a doubt that she accepted him for what he was.
Who he was.
Not just a vampire, but a man.
A man she would never betray.
She wanted his trust. Even more, she wanted this connection with him. She wanted to take all that he offered and give everything back.
She wanted to love him. Completely and thoroughly.
If only for tonight.
He dipped his head. His mouth closed over the side of her neck where her pulse beat a frantic rhythm. He licked the spot, teasing and tasting, and then he opened his jaw wide. His fangs sank deep.
Oddly enough, it didn’t hurt. She felt only a sharp prickle, followed by a rush of ecstasy so absolute and intense that it brought tears to her eyes.
But there was more.
He thrust into her, pushing deep with his body all the while drawing on her with his mouth. The two sensations at the same time, sent her spiraling toward a place where she’d never been before. Higher and higher. The pressure sweeter and sweeter. Until she couldn’t take any more. She cried out, splintering into a thousand pieces.
His entire body seemed to vibrate as she came apart. He trembled and buzzed, drinking in her power-infusing blood as he drank in the sexual energy that rushed from her lush body.
His mouth eased and he leaned back.
A fierce groan rumbled from his lips and he plunged deep and followed her over the edge. His body shook and bucked. A frantic heartbeat later, he collapsed atop her, his arms braced on either side of her head, his face buried in the crook of her neck.
His weight pressed her down, a sweet burden that made her chest hitch. She slid her arms around him and held for a few moments, until her heartbeat slowed and he rolled onto his back. He pulled her with him, cradling her close as if he never meant to let her go. He would.
He was still leaving for New Mexico.
And she was walking away, as well. Rayne was coming home tomorrow and it would all be over. She would drag him back to South Carolina, away from Skull Creek and his new wife.
The thought had never bothered her before, until now.
Until Brent.
But Rayne had made his own bed. He’d run away when he could have easily stayed to face his situation. He could have done things right and returned to the woman he loved an honorable man.
He hadn’t and so he had to face the consequences.
It was his fault. At the same time, a spiral of guilt went through her when she thought about breaking the news to his new bride, killing her newfound happiness.
But duty was more important.
Even if it didn’t feel that way sometimes.
She ignored the depressing notion and focused on the warmth of Brent’s arms. Snuggling deeper, she closed her eyes and tried not to think about tomorrow. Or about the all important fact that she would have to say goodbye.
18
THIS TIME IT WAS Abby who slid from the bed before the crack of dawn.
She tiptoed around the room and snatched up her clothes. Stuffing them into her suitcase, she pulled out the camouflage pants and T-shirt she’d buried her first day in town and dressed quickly. Quietly.
She’d just hoisted her duffel onto her shoulders and grabbed her boots when she spotted the red spandex dress laying on the floor where she’d tossed it all those nights ago. Her chest hitched and she had the insane urge to snatch it up and stuff it into her bag.
For what?
She would never wear it again. The dress had been a part of her fantasy and it was time to wake up now.
To leave.
She cast one last glance at the man sleeping on the bed.
He was sprawled completely naked on top of the covers, his arm flung above his head. Her gaze traveled the length of his body, pausing at all of her favorite spots before she worked her way up and drank in his face, his strong jaw and sensual lips. His lightly stubbled cheeks.
He looked like any other handsome, hunk of a man in the hazy gray that came just before dawn.
A man with needs and wants. Fears and insecurities.
And she was just a woman who felt those same things.
Once upon a time.
It was time to hide that woman away once again and get to work. Rayne was coming home today and while she had no clue when, she did have a hunch where he would go.
She intended to be ready and waiting when he arrived.
Unease niggled at her gut and she double-checked the weapon tucked away in a hidden pocket of her bag. Checking the chamber, she slid the gun into the back waistband of her pants and pulled her shirt down over it. Rayne wouldn’t come quietly. Her gut told her that. And so she intended to be prepared for a fight.
She checked the blinds and secured the room against the bright light of day. Leaning over, she kissed Brent Braddock for the last time. She slipped from the motel room, locking the door behind her, and then headed for Rayne Montana’s childhood home.
It was time to complete her mission and head back to South Carolina.
If only that thought was half as appealing as it used to be.
SHE WAS GONE.
Brent paced the floor of the motel room an hour later and ignored the exhaustion that tugged at his muscles. It was daylight and he needed to sleep. To rejuvenate.
She was gone. Friggin’ gone.
He hadn’t meant to fall asleep. But he’d been so tired and she’d been so warm and hell, that’s what vampires did in the friggin’ morning. They slept.
She’d packed up and hauled ass and he’d been none the wiser.
His gut clenched and awareness sizzled up and down his arms. A strange sensation that he knew all too well. He’d fought too many battles and chased too many outlaws not to recognize the current in the air.
Something bad was going to
happen.
And he had no doubt it involved Abby, especially if she was headed to Rayne’s old place.
She didn’t have a clue what she was walking into. Neither did he, but he had a hunch. He’d tipped off Cody about Abby and he had no doubt that his brother had forewarned Rayne.
He’d hoped that the vampire would have the good sense to just run.
That’s what Brent would have done, way back when.
No more. He was here. For better or worse.
He just wished his gut didn’t keep telling him it was going to be ‘worse’. He snatched up the phone and tried to call Cody, only his brother’s voice mail picked up as expected. Cody was dead to the world.
And so was Abby if Brent didn’t do something.
She might be able to hold her own in hand-to-hand combat, but Rayne was a vampire. And he wouldn’t give up his new bride, his new life, without a fight. Of that Brent was certain.
If Abby had been his wife and they were building a life together, Brent would have fought until his last breath to preserve it and stay with her.
She wasn’t. She’d made that painfully clear when she’d walked away this morning.
It was over.
She’d left.
And so they were right back to where they’d started despite what they’d shared last night. Blood and sex and a deeper connection that made him want to bust through the door and go to her.
His gaze went to the tell-tale stain on the pillow, proof that he’d bitten her. His nostrils flared and his mouth watered. He could still taste her. Even more, he could feel her. The determination that drove her. The fear of letting go and getting her heart broken and realizing she was as cold and emotionless as her father. The uncertainty of the future should she fail at the one thing she’d always been good at. The only thing.
They were linked now and as much as that should have bothered him, it didn’t.
He loved her. He had from the first moment he’d spotted her at the Dairy Freeze. He’d just been too scared to admit it.
And she loved him.
But it didn’t matter. Because she refused to take a chance on that love.
The Braddock Boys: Brent Page 11