Coming Undone (20 page)

He gave her nipple a sharp bite, just on the right side of the pleasure/pain divide. “There’s never enough of you.”

Smiling, she turned her attention to Ben.

Ben’s eyes took her in as he found her gaze and latched on.

“Missed you today.”

So wonderfully sweet and sexy, her Ben. He took care of her, made sure she had enough sleep, made sure she took her vitamins and didn’t run herself down. Took care of Todd in much the same way. Todd loved being loved by her and by Ben as well. They’d been best friends long before she came along and they still were.

Only she was there too.

“Missed you too. But you came in for coffee, so that made my day.”

“
That
made your day?” He thrust hard and deep. “Not this?”

She moaned as she rolled her hips, needing more from him. She was so wet from Todd’s mouth on her and her orgasm, the friction of their two bodies was delicious.

“
That
makes my entire life.”

Todd stopped a moment and kissed her. “That was nice.” He turned back to Ben. “Harder, make her tits jiggle.” He watched them move, the beads clacking against the metal of the rings. “So.

Fucking. Hot.”

“Yesss,” Ben ground out, pressing as deep as he could while he came. Erin loved that, the way it felt as all that energy they’d been building up shot straight into her body, as his became heavier and the muscles looser.

“I keep hearing that trying to get your wife knocked up can be a chore sometimes. But I gotta say, not so much at this point.”

Erin laughed, content to lie there, snuggled between them, the scent of sex in the air, her skin warm and tingly.

“We’ll see what you both feel like if I’m not pregnant within six months.”

“Erin, I’d have sex with you four times a day, every day, if we didn’t have jobs and didn’t need to leave the house. I fuck you every chance I get. Ben fucks you every chance he gets. I’m sure if I get too tired, he can take over while I get Erin’s beautiful pussy detox.”

Ben snorted. “Sometimes you have to take one for the team.”

“Did you have a good time with Elise tonight?” Todd asked.

“We had dinner and hung out with Rennie. But after we wrestled Rennie down—and I remembered what it was like to be responsible for getting a little person with her own agenda into bed and had a wee panic attack—Elise and I settled in for a chat. For several hours. I told her about Adele and she told me her story.

She’s a good woman, I’m glad she’s a friend. Strong to have survived.”

“You gonna tell Brody?” Ben asked. He and Brody were tight, so she understood why he asked.

“Not unless it’s necessary. I don’t think it will be. It’s her story, her choice to share it, or not. I think she will. It’s not a poor reflection on her, what happened. I can see she feels the weight of it anyway. She and Brody don’t look it on the outside, but they’re so much alike, it’s scary. She loves my brother, even if she can’t admit it to herself. But she’s afraid, I think. Afraid he’ll judge her or that she’ll be too much of a burden on him. I do hope she’ll share with him now that she trusts him. Once she tells him, she’ll see he wants more of her, from her.”

“He’s been in love with her for a while now.” Ben kissed her shoulder. “I’m glad you could share your own story with someone.

I’m glad you have another friend. I like Elise.”

“She’s a good addition to the family. Eventually it’ll be glaringly obvious and they’ll admit it.” Todd idly slid a fingertip along her nipple. “Some people are just clueless and stubborn.” He referred to how long it took him to realize he was made for Erin, and she laughed.

“Let’s hope it won’t take
them
ten years, huh?”

17

“Come by the shop and take me to lunch today.”

Elise looked at her phone a moment and then put it back to her ear. “Am I your sugar momma now?” She didn’t have classes on Wednesdays and Rennie was in school until after three. An afternoon with Brody Brown sounded pretty awesome.

Brody laughed. “You know I have a sweet tooth. I haven’t seen you for three whole days. You haven’t been to the shop yet. I’m hungry. We can combine these things for maximum efficiency.”

How dumb was it that her heart sped when he said he’d missed her? They had such busy lives and she hadn’t seen him since Valen-tine’s Day, when he’d shown up at her door with flowers for her and for Rennie, telling Rennie he’d never forget his two favorite women.

After Rennie had gone to bed, he’d made love to Elise for hours, leaving long after midnight.

Three days without Brody sucked. And she was wary of that.

Wary of her need for him. But it was there and he filled it. And she liked that he filled it.

“All right, handsome. I’ll be there in about forty-five minutes.

Are we storming the café to bother Erin or heading somewhere else?”

“I’m dying for a slice of pie. How about Zeek’s? Since you’ve been with me, I eat so good I rarely get takeout anymore.”

She was with him? Like
with him
with him? That made her smile. She was such a fifteen-year-old girl sometimes, but there was no one to see her slide back to teenaged girldom, so she wallowed in it just the same. “I’m having ice cream too then. I’ll just have to work it off later. You coming over tonight?”

“If that’s an invitation to dinner and sex? What do you think?

I’ll see you in forty-five.” He hung up and she grinned as she went back to loading the dishwasher.

Brody heard her; above the general din of chatter and the buzz of the needles, he heard that petal-soft voice.

He stood, moving through the shop, caught in the pull he always felt when she was near. She wore her hair down, and it shim-mered against the bright red of her sweater. Even in faded jeans and flats she looked like she was royalty or something. So elegant and pretty. That he’d touched and kissed every part of her, that he’d been beside her as she laughed, that she trusted him enough to give herself so freely, just floored him.

She was speaking with Arvin as he approached, and when her eyes met his, that smile deepened, changed into something intimate and innately sensual.

“Hi there. I’m here to sweep you away to lunch. But you should show me around first.”

He took her hand and kissed it. “You look pretty.”

“Thanks.” Arvin winked and Brody rolled his eyes.

“Not you, douche bag. Scrounge your compliments from your gorgeous and totally-too-good-for-you wife.”

Admittedly, he was sort of nervous to show her the shop. He wanted her to be impressed. Hoped she would be.

“Are these pictures of tattoos you’ve done here?” she asked when he led her past the front where clients waited. The wall held photographs of various tattoos.

He nodded. “Yes. We have to do a ‘best of’ wall at this point.

All the stuff we’ve done is in the book up front.
Books
.” He laughed.

“This place has been mine so long we’ve got seven binders’ worth of pictures.”

She looked close at his stuff, smiling. “You have every right to be proud of what you’ve built here. You’re really good, Brody. I’ve obviously seen your work on Erin and Ben, but this is absolutely amazing. So much talent. I’m in awe.”

“Hi, Elise.” Raven approached and put her arms around Brody’s waist. It wasn’t unusual, Raven was physically affectionate with most of her friends. At the same time, it made him uncomfortable, it felt forced and for an audience. She knew he was seeing Elise.

Knew because he’d told her that several times.

Elise’s gaze went to those arms, even as Brody removed them and stepped closer. Then her eyes moved back to Raven’s face. Her back straightened, and her eyes, just warm and sweet moments before, went hard. “Raven.” Even her tone had gone hard. Which was sort of odd. Except for the call he’d overheard with her ex-in-laws, she was nearly always nice to people.

Though Elise and Raven didn’t have the friendship each had with Erin, he’d expected them to at least like each other. The tension between them didn’t shine much light on that particular hope.

Worse, he got the distinct feeling Raven wanted it that way.

“Where are we headed then?” Raven asked, inviting herself along.

“Elise is getting the tour and then she and I are headed out to lunch.” He steered Elise around Raven and hoped Raven didn’t say anything else.

“See you later,” Elise said, but it wasn’t with the same warmth she had with other people.

“This is my office.” He flipped on the light and showed her the small space where he slept many a night. Luckily now he just did his weekly scheduling and the books in there.

She walked ahead of him. “Look at you guys!” She homed in on a picture of Adrian and Erin when they’d signed their first record contract. Brody stood between them, grinning like a fool. He loved that picture. How much youthful hope they’d all displayed then.

“Seems like only yesterday.” He shut and locked the door. “On the desk, legs wide. I need to fuck you right now.”

“I knew I should have worn a skirt,” she said, toeing her shoes off and stripping from her jeans and panties quickly. Damn, how disarming was it that she’d just moved to obey like that? That she wanted him as much as he wanted her? “But I’m not wearing a bra.”

As if he wasn’t already hard enough.

One-handed, he reached for her, his hand palming the back of her neck to hold her the way he wanted, the way he needed to, to taste her lips. The other hand unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans, freeing his cock.

“Are you wet, baby?” He kissed her pretty nipples after shoving the sweater up.

“Yes. Please, inside me, please.”

He drew his knuckles through her cunt, so wet and hot he had to close his eyes to get control. Control that slipped from him like sand every time she got near. “Christ, you’re on fire.”

“Since you called me earlier. I . . .” She grabbed his cock and guided it to her gate, letting that finish her sentence.

One movement of his hips and he slipped into her body as he exhaled. So good. Her body around his was so good. They’d taken the appropriate steps and he never wanted to fuck her with a condom again.

He braced his hands next to her on the desktop and she braced her feet on the chair arms as he began to fuck her in earnest. The sounds on the other side of the door floated away; the scent of his shop, so familiar after so long, floated away. All he heard was flesh slapping flesh, sighs and gasps, all he smelled was the sweetness of her shampoo and the tang of her arousal.

She arched her back, wanting more, wanting him deeper. She was having sex at his job. On his desk while anyone could hear.

“What’s that smile for?” He nipped her neck.

“What’s not to smile about? I’m here with you, you’re doing that thing you do when you hit that spot inside me and everything feels electric. Of course I’m smiling.”

“You deserve to come for that compliment.”

“I totally agree.”

He laughed. “Lean back a bit.”

She did and realized how clean the top of his desk was. “Did you clear off your desk or is it always this way?”

His fingertips squeezed her clit and her whole system came to attention.

“Busted. I cleared it off after I spoke to you. I’ve imagined this since the first time we were together. No, since before that. I’m going to like doing my books when I can have this memory in my head. We’ll probably need to do it a lot so I can keep the memory fresh. It’s for my business after all.”

Surprised laughter danced from her lips. “I’m so easy you knew you’d have me on my back with my legs open ten minutes after I walked through the door? Oh crap, that’s nice.” She moved to get more friction against his hand, his cock filling her.

He loomed above her, impressively male. Big and ferocious as he took what he wanted and gave it to her too.

He knew just what she liked and orgasm was lightning-quick and hard as it flashed through her. She bit her bottom lip to keep from crying out.

“Should have made you wait, that felt so good around me.” He licked his fingers and she moaned quietly, licking her lips in anticipation before he swooped down to kiss her. Her taste lay on his mouth, mixed with his as he kissed her as hard as he fucked her.

She drowned in him, but she no longer tried to swim against it.

She let herself go, trusting him to keep her anchored.

“So good. So hot and wet and made for me,” he panted as his thrusts increased in speed and intensity.

She was helpless against it when he said stuff like that. It wasn’t something that could go in a greeting card, but it was so sexy and raw it always struck deep.

He groaned as his muscles froze under her hands. His cock moved within her, filling her as he came.

And then his lips were on hers and it was . . . different than it had been. So intense and tender she felt it in her toes, and in her heart. She tumbled like a rock in a fast-moving river, disoriented, owned by the intensity of the current, of the moment when he rushed into her heart and soul.

18

Brody knew it had been different too.

Since that day, he’d been unable to get it out of his head. Each time he saw her, he felt a deeper draw to her. It had gone from a few days a week to every day, even if it was just for five minutes. He needed her and he gave in to that need.

Right then, he watched her with the kids, setting up the bal-loons for the games they planned to play. Her face was lit with a big smile and he realized, not for the first time, that she was a whiz with kids.

Three of the group had birthdays in the same week, Arvin, Maggie and Adrian. They always celebrated in some way, but this year, since the weather had been so nice for late winter, they’d blocked off the street at both ends and set up barbecues, tables and games, and it had turned into a big neighborhood event.

“Your girlfriend is like model-perfect.” Raven approached and handed him a soda.

“Is that why you’re always needling her?” Adrian asked.

“I don’t needle her. I don’t anything her. I say hello, I try to talk to her, but she’s always offended.” She shrugged.

Adrian glared at Raven, who exhaled hard. “Just how you like it. You really need to buy a clue. It’s not always everyone else. It’s you. You cruise around through life, bulldozing over people and calling it being
free-spirited
. It’s not free-spirited, it’s fucking selfish bullshit, and apparently I’m the only one who will call you on it.