Love on the Line

by J. M. Madden

  When the tour guide suggested they head into the beach, Lorna was disappointed. Yes, they’d been out for a couple of hours but it hadn’t been enough time. When she glanced back at Brady, his face seemed the most relaxed she’d seen it since they’d arrived. He seemed reluctant to return to the beach as well.

  Within just a few minutes they arrived back at their departure point. They gathered their belongings and headed for Brady’s truck. He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her into an informal hug. “Thank you for doing that with me,” he told her softly. “That was very peaceful.”

  Lorna smiled up at him. “I enjoyed it as much as you did. I need to thank you.”

  He shook his head as he opened her door. “Nah. It just worked out for both of us since we wanted to do the same thing.”

  Before he closed the door he leaned in and gave her a kiss. But it didn’t last long enough either. She snapped her seatbelt closed and tried not to worry about the dwindling hours they would be together.

  They headed back to the resort and left the truck in the lot. “Let’s walk the beach.”

  As they walked the coarse sand beach, Lorna stopped occasionally to inspect shells. Very often they were broken, but occasionally she found a pristine specimen. Those she dropped into the side pocket of her beach bag.

  Lorna realized how content she felt, just doing average things like normal couples. This wasn’t what she’d expected when she propositioned him for sex several days ago.

  Though it was a little early for dinner, Brady guided them to another seafood place along the beach. They were both famished because they’d skipped lunch to go on the estuary tour. Over an appetizer sampler and beers they compared pictures. Lorna went quiet and he realized she’d paused on a picture of them together that he hadn’t realized she’d taken.

  Though he wore his dark sunglasses, he could tell he was looking at Lorna. “Send me that, please. As well as the rest of the pictures you took. They were great shots.”

  Brady refused to acknowledge how sad that first phrase made him feel. There would be an end to their liaison and he wanted something to remember her by. The rest of his family was scattered around the country, but they rarely got together. They’d never had that closeness that other families seemed to have.

  He didn’t tell her about the pictures he had taken of her today.

  When he asked Lorna about her family, her eyes lit up. “My mom married my step-dad a few years ago and they are very much in love. They didn’t mind when I left for school because it allowed them to be together again like they used to be. They miss me, of course, but didn’t argue when I left for college.”

  Lorna paged through her phone and found a picture of an attractive older couple. The man seemed to be older than the woman, though. Maybe that was why Lorna seemed to be more comfortable with their age difference.

  It didn’t necessarily make him more comfortable, though.

  They talked of inconsequential things and extended dinner out as long as they could. As the sun began to set they lingered over dessert and coffee. She held his elbow as they walked back to the resort, leaning into him when the urge struck. Brady savored the experience because he knew it was fleeting.

  When they arrived back at her hotel, she circled around the fence to the gate and let herself into the pool area. Most of the tourists had gone in for the night because the Atlantic sea breeze had turned cool, but it didn’t stop Lorna from stripping off her dress and kicking her sandals aside. “I’ve wanted to swim in this pool since I got here, but I’ve not gotten the chance. Join me?”

  How could he deny her, standing there in her barely-there bikini, tan and sleek, her nipples beaded from the cool air. The setting sun backlit her, giving her skin a sultry glow. Turning she dove into the deep end of the pool, butt cheeks jiggling enticingly before they disappeared under the water. She surfaced almost immediately and turned to crook a finger at him to join her.

  Brady shucked his t-shirt and sandals and dove in after her. The water was now warmer than the outside air and it felt good to float. Lorna surged to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “I don’t want this to end,” she told him softly.

  He sighed, pulling her close. “I know.”

  They leaned over the edge of the pool and watched the horizon of the water fade into the night as the sun disappeared behind them in the west.

  Brady had thought that he’d felt contentment before, but this whole day had been an exercise in expanding his own horizons. It was nice—no, thrilling—to be part of a couple and he wanted to explore their relationship more. Normally, people around him made him feel claustrophobic and tense, as if he waited for an attack. That was partially because of his career and training, but even in informal situations he stayed alert. Lorna made him feel as if he could be who he wanted to be.

  He snorted internally. God, how sappy that sounded…

  A waiter wandered by and asked if they wanted drinks. “Yes,” Brady told him firmly.

  Maybe he could drag this night out for a few more hours.

  CHAPTER TEN

  ‡

  Brady woke with his stomach in a knot, as if he were in trouble for something he couldn’t remember doing. His mind cleared and he recalled the reason for his disquiet.

  Lorna was leaving.

  Morning sunlight slanted in through a gap where the curtains failed to meet, falling across the bed. Her dark hair glistened with highlights and her skin looked especially smooth. Once again, she had curled on her side with her hands folded beneath her cheek. That must be her favorite position to sleep in.

  They’d stumbled into the room after two in the morning, a little more tipsy than he’d meant to be. They’d made frantic, desperate, tired love, then fallen asleep in each other’s arms. He honestly couldn’t remember the last time he’d had so much fun with another person. There was no expectation on either side. She didn’t nag at him and he didn’t think he demanded anything of her she wasn’t willing to give.

  He brushed a loop of hair away from her cheek and her face softened. Damn. Before she’d even opened her eyes she responded to him. Emotion made his throat too tight to swallow.

  “I don’t want to wake up yet.” Without opening her eyes, she rolled into him and wrapped her arm over his waist, burrowing her face into his chest.

  Brady could only rub her back. From the top of her shoulders to the slope of her perfect ass he glided his hand. “I know. When is your departure?”

  She huffed a breath against his chest hair. “Eleven twenty. But I have to check in a little earlier than that.”

  He glanced at the bedside clock, though he knew they only had a couple of hours. Frustration ate at him. They didn’t have much time. The thought of having to give her up and watch her walk away almost made him sick.

  His gaze traced down her body and he knew he had to have her one more time. Resting his lips on hers, he sank into her, parting her lips with the tip of his tongue. Lorna seemed to understand his desperation because she met him without reserve. He shifted over top of her and she raised her thighs to his hips. And just that easily he slid into her. Quivering, he held himself over her, letting their bodies adjust. She sighed against his lips. “You feel so good to me. I want to die just like this, with our bodies wrapped around each other, meeting a new day.”

  Brady felt the same but could never have put it into those words. Pressing kisses along the length of her curved neck, he tried to show her with his body how he cherished her. How he would miss her when she left.

  Lorna responded with enthusiasm, flexing her hips up into his and urging him on. Her fingernails dug into the cheeks of his ass, clenching in time with his movements. She met his mouth with her own and forced her tongue inside, nipping at his lips as they raced for pleasure. Wrapped together as completely as possible, they hurtled toward that edge. He ripped his mouth away to yell his completion, feeling her spasm around his cock with her own orgasm.

  Once they caught their
breath, he carried her to the shower. They held each other under the spray of water for several minutes before he pulled away to lather her body. She opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head at her sharply. “Let me do this.” Up and down he ran his hands, trying to memorize every lush curve and hidden valley. He teased the sapphire nestled into her belly button before moving to her lower body. Washing the cum from between her legs, he tried to convince himself that this would not be the last moment he had with her.

  He would have stayed in there worshipping her body forever, but he knew time dwindled away. They didn’t speak as they left the shower, but the glances between them spoke volumes. He watched her dress in the black yoga pants outfit he first met her in.

  And stripped from her.

  Brady dressed as well, bundling his dirty clothes into his duffel. “You still have my card, right?”

  Lorna nodded, securing her wet hair in a scrunchy at the base of her neck. She snatched up a pad of hotel stationery and a pen and started to write. “This is my information. You already have my cell-phone number.” She blinked up at him with watery eyes. “Just in case you need it.”

  Brady accepted the paper reluctantly, knowing that their time raced away. Folding it carefully, he tucked it into his pocket.

  *

  They gathered their belongings and left the room. Lorna checked out of the suite and followed Brady down to his big, black truck. She sat in the middle of the seat with her hand wrapped around his thigh, reluctant to separate completely. Tears filled her eyes and it was all she could do to keep from bawling like a baby. Life was so unfair. Why did she have to pick the sweetest, sexiest man she’d ever met to sleep with, and get involved with? The one who lived seven hundred miles away? She should have had sex and been done with him, not called him to meet her for the rest of her break. If she’d been thinking clearly, she should have known she wouldn’t be able to give him her body without her heart attached. She wiped her wet cheeks with her fingertips and burrowed closer into his side.

  Within minutes they were pulling into the train station parking lot. She felt Brady press a kiss to the top of her head. The clock on the dash read ten forty-five. Sighing, she eased away from him enough to look at his face.

  Brady looked pissed, and frustrated, drumming his fingers on the door. Lorna hoped his expression wasn’t because of her. “Are you coming in with me?”

  He avoided her eyes, scanning the parking lot. Sunglasses shielded his expression from her. “I don’t think so. I need to go. I have a dinner meeting scheduled for this evening in Tampa, and a pick-up in St. Petersburg in a couple days, so I need to hit the road. My partner has been taking calls this week. I’m not allowed onto the platform without a ticket, anyway.”

  She blinked rapidly, surprised and hurt by the abruptness of his words. “Okay, then.” She cleared her throat. “I’ve had a wonderful time with you. More than I can ever express. You have my information. If you’re ever up my way, I would love to see you.” Only by desperation of will did her lips not stumble over the word love.

  Brady’s clenched jaw relaxed enough for him to smile at her. “We’ll see. If you ever need anything, call me, no matter what.”

  Lorna appreciated the words, though she had a feeling he just said them to make her feel better. She leaned up to press a kiss to his lips, caught off-guard when he cupped the back of her head and fit his mouth tightly over hers. He kissed her like he was a drowning man. When he finally let her go, she caught her breath, confused by his actions.

  Without another word, afraid she would beg him to stay or come with her, she slid out of the truck and crossed the lot, spine straight, refusing to turn around and watch him leave. The woman at the reservation desk checked her in quickly then directed her down a hallway. For twenty minutes she sat in the plastic chair in the holding area, dry-eyed, until the huge Silver Star squealed to a stop in front of the building. Keeping her emotions tight she boarded the train and wove her way to the cabin. Once inside, door shut, curled into the bulkhead on the bottom bunk, she finally allowed the tears to fall. And once they started, they wouldn’t stop. She sobbed into her hands for several long minutes, nose running, before she felt a gentle nudge on her shoulder. Horrified at being caught, she swiped at her face.

  “Am I on the top bunk?”

  Lorna froze, positive she’d lost her mind. In spite of her blotchy face, she looked up. Brady leaned against the top berth, smiling. His sunglasses were gone and his eyes were clear.

  “What?” she asked faintly.

  “Am I on the top bunk?” he asked again.

  She didn’t know what had happened for him to be here, but she refused to look a gift horse in the mouth. Scrambling, she shifted back to give him room. “No way, old man. You’re down here with me.”

  Brady wedged himself into the bunk beside her. She shook her head, unable to believe he’d changed his mind. “I thought you had a dinner and a bad guy to pick up? I thought you were leaving?” Her hands fisted his T-shirt as she searched his eyes.

  He bussed her nose with his own and kissed her, then kissed her again even deeper, swirling his tongue inside for a taste before pulling away. “I do and I was, but I realized I couldn’t leave it that way. I think you were right when you said I didn’t love my ex the way I should, because when I watched you walk into the depot it hurt a hell of a lot more than five years ago. I’m falling in love with you, Lorna.”

  Fresh tears filled her eyes and she burrowed into his chest. His arms tightened around her and he pressed a kiss to her ear. “I don’t know where we’ll end up or what we’ll be doing, but I think we should stay together long enough to get to know each other and give it a chance. What do you think?”

  Lorna nodded against his chest and lifted her lips to his. “I agree,” she whispered, shifting her hips until they were flush with his. “And just so you know, I’ve already fallen in love with you. I love everything about you, old man, most especially your gruff kindness and maturity. You are what I’ve been looking for a long time, just didn’t know it. If you can spare the time, we’ll head to South Carolina and maybe we can get to know each other some more on the ride. And my degree is good anywhere, so we’ll explore options in Florida as well.”

  Brady rumbled in his throat and rocked against her. “Sounds like a plan. I locked the door when I came in, just so you know.”

  Lorna giggled and whipped her top over her head. “We better get this trip underway, then, huh?”

  Brady winked at her and she was struck with how lighthearted it seemed for him. “I love you, Brady.”

  “I love you too, babe.”

  The End

  If you would like to read about the ‘combat modified’ veterans of the Lost and Found Investigative Service, check out these books:

  Other books by J.M. Madden

  The Billionaire’s Secret Obsession

  A Touch of Fae

  Second Time Around

  A Needful Heart

  Wet Dream

  The Awakening Society – FREE

  Tempt Me

  If you’d like to connect with me on social media and keep updated on my releases, try these links:

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  And of course you can always email me at authorjmmadden@gmail.com

  About the Author

  NY Times and USA Today Bestselling author J.M. Madden normally writes compelling romances between ‘combat modified’ military men and the women who love them, but she occasionally wanders onto the steamy side. J.M. Madden loves any and all good love stories, most particularly her own. She has two beautiful children and a husband who always keeps her on her toes.

  J.M. was a Deputy Sheriff in Ohio for nine years, until hubby moved the clan to Kentucky. When not chasing the family around, she’s at the computer reading and writing, perfecting her craft. She occasionally takes breaks to feed her animal horde and is trying to control her office-supp
ly addiction, but both tasks are uphill battles. Happily, she is writing full-time and always has several projects in the works. She also dearly loves to hear from readers! So, drop her a line. She’ll respond.