How to Handle a Heartbreaker (18 page)

“Wow. Did that hurt?” Vanessa asked, looking at Del’s forearms. Del had rolled up her sleeves to her elbows. “They say getting tattoos where it’s not fleshy is painful. And you don’t look all that fleshy to me.”

“Thanks?” Del raised a pierced brow. “Yeah, it hurt. But not that much.”

Flynn and Brody drew closer to look at her arms. “Nice artwork,” Brody said. “Flynn thought about getting a Snoopy on his ass when we were back in high school, but as usual, he chickened out.”

Flynn turned on him. “Oh? Because I never saw ink on your body. Except for that time I wrote
idiot
on your forehead with that tanning gel.”

“Which didn’t come off for two weeks. Thanks for that.” Brody glared at him.

Del chuckled. “You two must be brothers.”

“Twins,” they said at the same time.

Abby said to Del, “I’ll just apologize for them ahead of time and save us all the trouble later on. Cam and Mike aren’t here yet, but— Oh, there they are.” She waved, and Cam waved back.

“Holy shit, is Cam actually wearing jeans?” Brody asked.

“Yeah, but they no doubt have a fancy label on them.” Flynn shook his head. “I swear the guy won’t buy anything under a hundred bucks—including underwear.”

Abby smiled at the guys as they reached them. “Cam, Mike. Hey. This is Del.” She thumbed in Del’s direction. “Mike, this is Colin’s friend with all the colors on her arms.”

Del nodded. “Hi. Cute kid you got.”

“Thanks.” Mike grinned. “He’ll be plenty impressed when he hears I met his favorite mechanic and beat the pants off her in bowling.” He lifted his bowling bag.

“Are you kidding?” Vanessa huffed. “If I’d known we could bring our own equipment, I’d have brought my ball.”

Abby looked at Maddie. Vanessa didn’t have a ball.

Maddie shrugged.

“So that’s a handicap for you then.” Vanessa lifted a notepad and wrote something down.

“Wait a minute.” Cam frowned and looked down at what she wrote. “No way. That’s cheating.” He wrote something down, and they haggled like tradesmen at a bazaar.

“Ignore them. They’re both OCD when it comes to numbers,” Abby told Del.

Vanessa turned to scowl at her.

“I heard that,” Cam said without looking at Abby.

“Try you
resemble
that,” Mike muttered. Then he glanced at Del. “You’re not going to cry when you lose miserably, are you? I mean, we already tolerate a lot from Maddie. But one sobber is about all I can handle.”

“Hey.” Maddie frowned.

Del laughed. “Hell no. I was hoping you guys were a little tougher than you look. Abby said losers pay for the game.”

“I don’t remember that.”

“Deal.” Brody rubbed his hands together. “This will be the easiest win I’ve ever earned.”

***

Three games later, he stared at the back of Mike’s head and willed the big bastard to bowl like he had more than just thumbs. Mike was sucking big time tonight. The guy normally rolled a one-sixty or better. But man, either he had the worst case of bowler’s luck or the tattooed chick was scaring him.

Brody liked her. Del had a funny sense of humor, a lot like Cam’s, actually. Dry, witty, and she didn’t say much, but when she did, she hit her target right between the eyes. The woman had a heck of a body too, if one went for Amazons with piercing gray eyes and muscle. Fortunately for Abby’s team, they had Del and Maddie—who’d turned out to be a pretty decent bowler—and his team had been handicapped with Mike.

“Nailed it,” Mike said as he released the ball.

“You only knock so many pins down because you throw it so hard.” Del shook her head. “But bowling is all about finesse. See?” She pointed to his ugly split.

“Shit.”

“Nice mouth.” Vanessa shook her head. “So that’s where Colin gets it.”

Mike turned to her. “What?”

“You mean you haven’t heard the kid playing outside with his mutant turtle guys? This bastard, that asshole. Etcetera, etcetera.”

Del raised a brow. “Really? He’s what? Five?”

Mike flushed. “Six. That’s a lie. Colin never swears. Well, not those particular words, anyway.”

“Mike, you’re up again,” Abby said.

“Hold on.” He turned to Vanessa, and Abby grinned at Brody over his shoulder.

Great. If Mike continued to bowl the way he’d been all night, it would be up to Brody to nail it.

Vanessa shrugged. “Sorry, Mike. Just saying what I’ve overheard.”

Del glanced at Abby, who winked. Del smiled and turned back to Mike. “You know,
I
don’t believe it. Kid was really nice when I met him. Polite too.”

Mike stepped up to bowl again. “Damn straight.” He readied to aim, to release, and drew back his hand.

“Yep. He was so cute. Said he wanted a tattoo like mine, but I told him he’d have to wait until he turned eighteen at least. Or course, the way he was eyeing my bitch’n ass, I—”

Mike sent the ball rushing right between both pins. He swung around. “
What?
”

She rolled her sleeve higher and showed him a dagger held in a dragon’s claw. “I like to call this one my bitch’n ass, because when my brother did it, he told me to stop bitching, and I called him an ass while he tried to make me cry.
Tried.
Anyway, long story short, Colin liked the dragon a lot.”

Mike glared down at her. Del didn’t bat an eye.

“Well, fuck.”

“Nope. I have no idea where the kid gets his language skills,” Vanessa added.

Cam chuckled. “You got served, bro. Brody, save us from these evil women.”

“As usual, it’s up to the handsome blond to save your ugly asses.” Brody let out a put-upon sigh. “The golden god of strikes and spares, pins and balls.”

“Well, Mr. Balls,” Abby said, and Vanessa snickered. “How about you put your money where your mouth is?”

Brody turned to her. “Oh? Gentlemen, I believe
my
date
wants to place a bet.”

“Seriously. This is no surprise, Brody,” Cam explained. “We all know you two are…ah, going out.”

“We call it shagging,” Vanessa said.

“Vanessa. Geez.” Abby blushed. She was so cute.

“Date, huh?” Maddie narrowed her gaze. “You two going steady? Gonna go necking when we’re done too?”

Brody grinned. “Maybe. Don’t be jealous, Maddie. I know Flynn was your second choice, but he tries.”

“Ass.” Flynn socked him in the arm.

“You guys really are funny.” Del stood and stretched. “I’ll be back. Another round of beer?”

“Yeah, sure.” Cam shrugged. “But I’m not paying since it looks like we’re going to be stuck with the tab tonight.”

“Have faith, young one,” Brody said, staring at Abby. She hadn’t flinched when he’d called her his date in front of the others. Should he try for more? “In fact, my new girlfriend wants to place a bet.”

“Could you stop with the theatrics and bowl already?” Vanessa complained.

“Hey, Mike, it’s okay to blink now. She’s gone.” Cam nudged him.

Mike flushed and looked away from Del’s retreating back. “Shut up. I wasn’t staring. Okay, I was at first. But man, that woman has got some serious tattoos.”

“Uh-huh. That’s what you were looking at. On her
ass
.”

Mike aimed for Cam, who dodged around him and hid behind Vanessa.

Brody would have laughed, but Abby’s odd expression worried him. Had he pushed too hard with the girlfriend bit? He couldn’t help it. He felt ready to take that step, because damn, but he wanted exclusivity.

“Hold on for a minute.” He dragged Abby away from the others. “You okay?”

She cupped his cheek. “Your girlfriend?” she asked softly.

He swallowed hard.
Really, really falling at this woman’s tiny feet.
“Um, yeah. I mean, I like you. You like me. I don’t plan on seeing anyone else. And you aren’t. Right? We like spending time together.” He sure did. Had he misread the signals he thought she’d been sending?

“Brody, relax.” She smiled and pulled him down to offer a kiss, one that went straight to his gut and sucker-punched him. “I like having a hot boyfriend.”

He beamed. “I am hot, aren’t I?”

She laughed. “I tell you what, Mr. Balls. You win, I’ll let you tie me up in bed, any way you want. I win, I get to do the same.”

“Awesome. Either way I’m tying you up.”

She huffed. “No, nimrod. If I win, I get to tie
you
up and do wicked things to you.”

“So it’s like you want me to throw the game.” He wiggled his brows. “Sorry, baby. No can do. If we lose, the Machos”—what they’d named their team—“will blame me, even though we all know if Mike had spent more time concentrating on the pins instead of Del, we might even now be winning.”

She chuckled. “I thought I was the only one who’d noticed.”

“Nah. Big brother is smitten. Isn’t it cute?”

“Will you two stop flirting and come on?” Cam whined. “Vanessa just finished the Lady Brawlers’ game with a strike. Brody, you’re our last chance at a win.”

“Help us Brodi-Wan Kenobi,” Flynn sang. “You’re our only hope.”

The others laughed.

“Kiss for luck from my girlfriend?” he asked.

“Only for my boyfriend.” She gave him a kiss that made his knees tremble. “I can’t wait to tie you up later,” she whispered. “And rub myself all over you.” She walked away laughing.

Brody had to take a minute to collect himself. And will away one hell of a hard-on so he could bowl without hurting himself.

Abby had a hard time believing he’d pulled it off. Despite the catcalls and teasing, he’d managed two strikes in his tenth frame, putting the guys ahead and leaving the Lady Brawlers with quite a tab. Especially for her, since she’d picked up Del’s portion despite the woman’s protests.

“You sure you’re okay with this?” Brody asked as he used fuzzy handcuffs to fasten her wrists to scarves tied to the bed posts. “I know we talked about it, and I’m dying to tie you up, but you don’t have to do it to please me. We can make the bet something else.”

Lying belly-down on his bed, Abby turned her head to watch him. He continued to restrain her, keeping her naked and spread-eagle on his bed. But she knew one word from her and he’d stop. “I want to do it to please
me
.”

He glanced up from tightening her ankle and grinned. “And that’s why you’re so perfect for me. You like what I like—you naked and tied up.”

Just one more thing she and her
boyfriend
had in common.

“Don’t you look pretty,” he murmured, standing behind her. He’d given her a good bit of slack by her wrists and feet, leading her to wonder what he intended. She turned her head and saw him naked and holding a bottle. “Time for your massage.”

She wriggled. “But I’ll get your bed all messy.”

“Sheets wash.” He shrugged. “Besides, you were a good sport about getting spanked at the alley. I figure I’ll soften you up before I spank you here.”

Her heart raced. Spanking. Rough sex. Being tied up. Her real turn-ons, and she’d gotten him to play with her without exposing herself. Not bad. She shifted on the bed, and he groaned.

“Man. I wish I had a camera right now. Your ass is perfection.”

“Not too big?”

He snorted. “Are you kidding? Every time I look at it, I imagine bending you over and pushing inside you.”

“In my
ass
?” One kink she’d never actually wanted to try.

He laughed. “No. Why? You want to try it?”

“
No.
”

“Okay then. We can cross anal off your list.”

“Brody.”

“Hey, I’m doing this, not because I want to, but because my
girlfriend
writes sexy books and needs some help with research. I’m actually pretty selfless. If it were up to me, I’d be hanging with the guys and playing canasta.”

“You’re so full of it. Canasta? You know how to play that?”

“Well, no. But I like saying ‘canasta.’ I sound more sophisticated than a dude who just wants to fuck his lady until she can’t walk, you know?”

She let out a breath and faced the bed, her head in the pillow. “I’m really getting turned on.”

“I know.” He chuckled low. “Now let’s get you oiled up.” He must have applied oil to his hands, because when he touched her, he slid right over her shoulders and upper back.

“Oh, wow. That feels so good.”

“That’s it. Relax. No more stress.”

“Mmm.”

A comfortable, sensual silence fell between them as he rubbed her all over, never coming close to her sex or the sides of her breasts. Just a smooth, gliding touch over her shoulders, arms, back, and legs. He sat over her, and she felt his erection on her skin, the spark of attraction between them always flaring hot.

“So you’re really okay with us dating?” he asked after a while. “I kind of felt like I pushed you on that.”

“Brody, it’s fine.” She moaned. “Better than fine. Now you belong to me.” She tensed—she hadn’t meant to admit how much she wanted to have him to herself. Would that freak him out?

“Nice.” He chuckled. “Easy, baby. Don’t tense up. Trust me, the feeling is more than mutual.” He continued to rub away her knots. Then he scooted back on her legs and found her ass. He rubbed and pushed, smoothing out her muscles, turning her into a pile of goo.

After a while, he moved off her. “Brody?”

“Shh. This is all part of the massage.” He manipulated her butt cheeks, pulling them wider each time, and she found the sensations arousing. That was before he put a finger there, sliding along the rim of her anus. Her arousal shot through the roof.

“God, what are you doing?” Hadn’t she said no anal? Why then did she want him to do that again? But slide lower, toward her wet core?

“No talking back.” He slapped her on the ass, and for a moment, she froze, shocked at the sting.

He rubbed it away, and a hand slid between her legs to cup her.

“
Brody.
”

“You begging me already?” he asked in a low voice, the one he used when he was aroused. “No staying power, Abby?”

He slapped her again, not hard, but enough to sting a bit. The fiery sensation went straight to her pussy, and she squirmed.

“Oh, that’s it. You like that. I thought you might. Just like you like being tied up.” He bent over her to whisper, “I like it too. A lot.” He dragged his cock up her back, the thick shaft swollen with arousal. “Makes me want to fuck you hard.” He slid against her, his body now pressed to hers, his front to her back. He sucked her neck, nipping hard before rubbing the ache away with his tongue. He slid his hands under her and cupped her, holding her tight. Moving to better fit against her, he shoved his cock between her legs, not penetrating, but just there, grazing her clit. He rubbed while he played with her breasts, his weight heavy, oppressive, and nearly bringing her to climax.

“Brody. Yes. More,” she begged, lost to anything he wanted.

“You want it, don’t you? My kinky little woman. So curvy, so feminine. And deep down, you’re naughty.” He nipped her ear. “Even…slutty. Aren’t you?”

She moaned. “God, yes. Fuck me. Fuck me so hard.”

He pushed inside her, still cupping her breasts and shoving her down into the bed with his bulk. “Christ, you’re wet, and so hot,” he rasped and moved.

Long, slow thrusts that did nothing but frustrate her.

“Harder. Come on. I need you.” She tried to gyrate under him, anything to increase his pace. Instead, he pinched her nipples.

She bucked up against him, ready to come.

“Yeah, there she is. My little slave. You like this? Tell me what you want. You want me slamming into that pretty pussy? Taking you hard? Can I pull your hair? Make it hurt?”

She sobbed, needing him desperately. “Yes, yes. Pull my hair. Put your hands around my throat and squeeze. God, I need to come. I need you to fuck me deep, Brody. Now,” she moaned.

He let go of her breasts and surged deeper into her sex. Then he slowly rose to his knees, keeping himself inside her while he pulled her hips up to meet him. Now on her knees with her ass in the air, she was poised before him, submissive, lost to his hold. His control.

“I’m going to ride you hard. Come with me, baby. Come all over me.” He gripped her hips with slippery hands but managed to hold on tight as he withdrew from her warmth, then slammed back inside her.

He touched the heart of her womb, was all she could think, because he’d hit the spot that sent her spiraling out of control and into orgasm. She cried out as he continued to hammer into her, her ecstasy one that continued to fog everything but the man owning her. Possessing her. Taking her.

“Yeah, squeeze me. That’s it,” he moaned as he pounded into her with a force that shook them both. “Take it.
All
of it.” He slammed one final time before jerking inside her.

The force of the orgasm left her dizzy, and she knelt, quivering, as he released inside her. He continued to thrust in and out a few more times, and she felt a mess run down her legs, but he didn’t stop coming.

Finally spent, he withdrew and pulled her down with him. He turned her onto her back and blanketed her with his body. “You okay?” he managed, still breathing hard. A lock of hair had fallen over his left eye, and she wanted badly to push it back. To touch him and thank him for finally breaking through the barriers that she’d been hiding behind for so long.

“That was amazing.” She wanted to cry.

“Oh, yeah. God, Abby. Why have you been hiding your kinky side? I have so much more dirty talk to share. That was nothing.”

She laughed, feeling amazing and loving the fact that she could lie there, tied up, slicked up, and not feel like a whore or a loser or a pervert because she’d liked him being rough.

“You called me a slut,” she said after a few moments. “I liked it.”

“Yeah?” He rolled to his side and rested on his elbow. He grinned and pushed her hair off her face. “’Cause I have to say, all that dirty talk really revs my engine. You little slut. You bad girl with that wet, wet pussy. I love shoving my cock into you.”

“Stop it.” Because he turned her on as well. “Am I weird for liking that?” She wanted to know.

His smile faded. “Why would you think that? Wait. Don’t tell me. The ex.”

She didn’t want to talk about Kevin right now.

“Abby, stop. Look. I don’t want you to ever think things between us are wrong. I mean, it’s consensual, right? Kink? Trying new things? I’m game.”

She snorted. “Brody.” Yet relief made tears slide down her cheeks. “Ignore me.”

“Oh honey. He did a number on you, didn’t he?” Brody released the fuzzy cuffs from both her ankles and wrists. Then he tugged her into his arms for a hug before pulling away to look at her again. “Tell me.”

Considering he’d spilled his guts about his family, she knew he deserved the same trust. But still, it hurt to say it out loud. “Kevin and I met years ago. He lived near my family before moving away. I was roommates with Maddie in college. She was a business major at the time before she saw the light and found design.”

“Relevance?”

“Just adding important details.”

“You writers. Continue.” He kissed her forehead, and she snuggled closer.

“Well, anyway, when Maddie got a job in Seattle, I decided to come with her. Later I found out Kevin had transferred out here for work. He and my parents keep in touch. I met up with him soon after and we started dating. It was hard for me, because I used to be pretty shy around guys. I hadn’t even known he was interested until he flat-out told me. I was flattered. I’d been with a few other guys, but none as successful or handsome as Kevin. And he was someone I’d had a crush on when I was younger. We were together for close to a year and a half. I thought he loved me.”

“But…?”

“But I freaked him out. Kevin was a nice guy, and he wanted a nice girlfriend. Someone thinner, less talkative, less funny, less brainy, hell, less everything. I was stupid and tried to change for him. He complained about our sex life too.”

“He must have been out of his fucking mind.”

She really,
really
loved Brody at that moment. “That hurt more than the other stuff, if you want the truth. I like sex. I admit it.”

“Good. Me too.”

She grinned before Kevin stole her joy once more. “Well, he never liked to have sex. And he didn’t want to do anything…creative.”

“No dirty talk?”

“No.”

“No tying you up, no rough stuff?”

“I wish.” She stopped talking, afraid she’d just committed a major foul by admitting the truth.

But Brody sighed and pushed back so he could look into her face—no longer buried in his chest. “What a loser. He missed out on some really exciting fun.”

“Well, maybe he didn’t. It’s not exactly normal to want your boyfriend to choke you while having sex. Or to spank you or tie you up. Or—”

“Do any of the things we just did? ’Cause honey, in case you missed it, you came hard. Harder than you have since we’ve been doing it, anyway.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t ‘oh’ me. So did I. I left a
huge
mess inside you.” And didn’t he sound satisfied at that.

She felt herself blushing. “Crude, but effective. Okay, I get it. You like kink.”

“I like what
you
like. Getting you off gets me excited. That’s what great sex is about. That and a connection.” He shrugged. “We have that. I…” He paused. “I really like you, Abby.”

I
love
you, Brody.
“I like you too.” She cleared her throat. “But I need you to be honest with me. If I ever want something you don’t, don’t pretend, okay? Just tell me the truth.”

“Okay.”

A huge weight fell from her shoulders, and she finally realized what her friends had been telling her since she’d broken things with Kevin. There was nothing wrong with
her
. She simply needed to be with someone who could appreciate her. God, what a moron she’d been for letting Kevin get to her the way he had. Brody showed her she could be free to be herself, both in bed and out.

And then he let out a breath, and the other shoe fell. “In the spirit of honesty, I have to tell you something.”

She didn’t want to face him but knew she had to. She respected his willingness to be candid. “Yeah?”

“Well, it’s something I read about in one of your books. I just don’t think I can do it.”

She tried to blink back tears. “Sure. I mean, wait. You said books. I thought you only read
Fireman’s Kiss
?”

“I had a lot of time to think last week. I read a few others.”

Oh boy. Hadn’t she gone all out in the
Marines
Do
It
Best
series? “So tell me.”

“Fine. Here it is. Don’t hate me for this…but no way am I ever up for sharing you with another dude. Uh-uh. No man is putting his junk in my woman. Or near me. I’m not homophobic. Ted is gay, and he’s one of my tight buddies. But he knows better than to try shoving his tab B into my slot A, the one in back.”

She relaxed, almost giddy. “Is that it?”

“No. I also refuse to call you
honeybunches
and
love
bunny
. Really. Your heroes need to grow a pair.”

She sputtered. “That was all said jokingly. My heroes are alpha types.”

“You mean assholes. They’re either dicking a woman over or crawling all over themselves to say they’re sorry.” He snorted. “What kind of a man covers a floor in rose petals, anyway?”

She sniffed. “A romantic man. So obviously I won’t be getting rose petals from you anytime soon.”

He blinked at her. “You want romance?”