Swerve: Boosted Hearts (Volume 1) (5 page)

So good. Too good.

Then he added another finger, and when he pushed deep inside, sparks fired behind her eyelids. It wasn’t gentle or just pleasant like the couple of times Travis managed to get her there. This was an explosion, an eruption, intense pleasure focused where Hugh’s mouth and fingers were still working. She screamed, coming hard while he continued his exquisite torment, sucking on her as if he couldn’t get enough.

She collapsed and had barely recovered when he flipped her onto her back, climbed off the bed and, standing at the end, yanked off his boots and jeans.
Wow
. He was commando, and he was big
…everywhere
. He took a condom from his wallet then rolled it down his long, thick length, eyes never leaving her.
Yum.

Her inner muscles were still quivering from the orgasm he’d just given her when he came back down on top of her, covering her. His solid thighs between hers, he spread her legs wide, his heavy erection settling against her, hot and pulsing. Then he started pushing inside.
Oh, Jesus.
He was huge, stretching her to the limit. She squirmed beneath him in an effort to accommodate his size.

“Keep still,” he rasped.

She did as he said instantly.

“You can take all of me, can’t you, baby?” he said gruffly, then lifted up, sitting back on his heels.

“Yes,” she whispered. She wanted all of him. Badly. Like, now.

His gaze dropped between her thighs, then lifting her butt in the air, he leaned forward a little, braced one hand against the mattress and started to ease in and out slowly. He kept his head down, watching the whole time, pushing in another inch with each slow thrust—until they were both shaking. Sweat glistened on his skin as he worked her. It felt amazing. Gentle and demanding, all at the same time. She moaned helplessly, biting down on her lip to keep from begging for more.

“That’s it.” He praised her. “You’ve nearly gotten all of me, beautiful. Just another inch.” Then he slid in the rest, right to the root, big body shuddering. He dropped down on top of her again. “Hang on tight,” he growled.

Shay wrapped her arms and legs around him.

Then he started moving.

“
Oh, God
,” she moaned.

He filled her so thoroughly, hit every nerve ending, went so deep, he grazed her G-spot every time he thrust that big cock inside her. Stretched her so wide, every grind of his hips put pressure on her sensitive clit.

She’d never experienced anything like it. His massive body covering her, filling her, surrounding her.

He watched her, gaze getting darker, more intense the longer he looked down at her. Then he started thrusting harder, and all she could do was whimper and writhe beneath him, take what he was giving her. He brought his mouth down on hers, swallowing her cries, kissing her for the first time, deep and intense, tongue sliding over hers. She could taste herself, taste him, overwhelming her with all that was Hugh. Her mountain man.

She pulled away and screamed his name as another orgasm slammed through her, clung tighter to him as he pounded her through it. His deep grunts grew more urgent, hips thrusting, harder, faster, then he ground in deep and stayed there, making the most erotic, animalistic sound she’d ever heard as he came, pulsing heavily inside her.

He grunted again and rolled to his side, taking her with him, warm breath ghosting across her cheek when he rasped, “Okay?”

It took her a second to find her voice. “Yes. I’m…I’m okay.” Saying what had just happened between them was
okay
was like saying the Grand Canyon was insignificant and uninspiring.

His wide palm smoothed down her back. “Get some sleep.”

“No, I’m—”

“Sleep.”

Her face was up against his warm chest, those beefy arms locked around her. Damn, the man was like a furnace.

Then one of his thick thighs slid between hers, and she shivered. He chuckled softly, not missing how his touch affected her and obviously liking it. She clamped her eyes closed, because this felt weird, wrapped up with this man she barely knew. But good, weird. There was no other way to describe it. And that was more than a little disconcerting.

And no matter what he said, there was also no way she was going to fall asleep, not after that.

Not a chance…

* * *

Shay woke when she felt the bed move. Sprawled on her stomach, face to the side, hair in her eyes and so damn relaxed none of her muscles would work. A large, rough-skinned hand, radiating delicious heat, slid up the back of her thigh, coming to a stop on her butt cheek. He gave it a squeeze, callused thumb sliding back and forth. A shiver worked through her, turned on in an instant. How was it possible she still wanted him? Getting this hot, this fast should be impossible after last night.

He delivered what he’d promised—made her come so hard, she’d not only forgotten her name, she’d forgotten everything except what he was doing between her legs.

“Babe?”

“Hmm?” That was the best she could do.

Warm lips brushed her hip. “Gotta go. Got shit to do.” Another butt squeeze.

She managed to move her arm enough to shove her hair off her face and smile sleepily in his direction. “’Kay. Bye.”

The bed moved again, and she felt him lean over her, hand to the mattress beside her head. That warm hand slid back over her bottom, up to her waist, her side, then around to cup her breast, teasing her nipple. She sucked in a breath, still sensitive, and moaned helplessly.

“Lips,” he rasped.

“Wha…?”

“Lips, babe. Give them to me.”

That was nice. He wanted to give her a goodbye kiss. It wouldn’t be polite to refuse, even if her limbs felt like overdone noodles. Not that she wanted to refuse. She wriggled, rolling to her back, blinking her eyes open.

He smiled down at her. “Shit.” This was said under his breath.

“Shit, what?” she managed groggily.

“You’re all sleepy and warm and fuckable.”

She squirmed, suddenly not wanting him to go, either. “Oh.”

He brushed back her hair, leaned in and kissed her. It was not a goodbye kiss; it was hot and hard and scrumptious. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him back, loving the way his beard tickled her skin, trying to squirm closer. Her inhibitions had long since flown the coop, or she was still too sleepy to let them take over, and since this was a one-time thing, she forced her shyness, her insecurity aside and murmured, “Stay a little longer?”

His fingers dug into her hip. “Want to,” he muttered against her lips. “But I gotta go.” He gently pulled her hands from around his neck and stood.

She wanted to beg him to stay, which was ridiculous. This was for the best. Ending their night on a high note. Leaving her with a beautiful memory. Before her illusions of him could be shattered, and she found out he was just like the rest. Before she failed to live up to his expectations, before he realized she wasn’t enough, and he walked away, as well.

He headed to the door but stopped and turned back, gaze raking over her. Finally, he said, “Later, beautiful.”

Then he walked out.

The door banged shut behind him, and before she knew what she was doing, she was up and out of bed, racing to the bedroom window, watching him climb into his truck. It was all chrome and kick-ass paint job. Hugh didn’t suit it. Not the way he looked, not her mountain man. It would suit him better if it wasn’t quite so shiny, maybe had a few dents, not so perfect—and had mason jars full of moonshine loaded in the back, or maybe a pile of wicked-looking axes for chopping down forests singlehandedly.

He climbed in, started it up, and without a backward glance, drove away.

It was still dark out, early enough the sun hadn’t fully risen, and she watched his tail lights until they turned onto the road and disappeared.

An uncomfortable, squirmy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach. She studiously ignored it. Thankfully, the big man wasn’t her type, so she had nothing to worry about. He’d wanted one night, and so had she. Nothing more. Because she would never put her heart on the line again. Never again. Would never hand it over to someone, only to have them turn on her, ridicule her for the way she looked, or tell her she wasn’t good enough. Pathetic.

It always happened, eventually. Everyone left or was taken from her. Her dad. Her grandmother. Both taken from her too soon.

And then there was her mom. Gah! She didn’t want to think about her irresponsible, selfish, crazy mother right then. She hadn’t heard from her in over a month; whether that was a good thing or not remained to be seen.

No, this was for the best.

Hugh would always be a beautiful memory. The best. One she knew she’d be calling on often.

She climbed back into bed and pulled up the covers. His scent surrounded her, still clinging to her sheets. And that’s how she went back to sleep. Imagining she wasn’t alone.

That he’d stayed.

The keys in Shay’s pocket felt as if they were burning a hole with every passing minute. Was she really going to go to Hugh’s garage and drop them off? It had been a whole week since she’d last seen him. She hadn’t thought she’d ever see him again. But then she’d found his keys on the floor at the foot of the bed. They’d fallen just under, hidden enough that he’d easily missed them until she bumped them with her foot. Maybe she should just pop them into an envelope and post them? She cringed at her own cowardice.

She’d had the man in her bed, for God’s sake.

That thought had her face heating.

She was being ridiculous. She was a strong, independent woman. Kind of. And anyway, though she knew the general area where the garage was located, she didn’t know the address or the name of the place, so how could she look it up? Her only option was dropping them off, right?’

“Look what just came in,” Jane called over the loud music.

Shay lifted her gaze to her boss, across racks of preloved clothing.

Raggedy Jane’s had a bit of everything. Mainly clothes but other odds and sods, as well. Some small furnishings. There was also a rack with handmade jewelry, and a woman who lived a few blocks away made soaps in the most divine scents, rustic and gorgeous.

Jane was holding up a beautiful, royal-blue-and-white polka-dot dress, fifties style, halter top. Stunning. It still had the tag on it, never worn. “You gotta try this one, girl. It’s so you.”

It was. Shay wanted it instantly. “I couldn’t.” She’d gotten some pretty good tips the last couple of weeks, but that money was earmarked. She still had two more installments to pay on the loan she’d gotten to cover her grandmother’s debts, as well as her funeral costs. Because Shay didn’t qualify for a loan through the bank after losing her job, she’d been forced to go through a private lending company. The terms weren’t great, and the only way they’d agreed to give her the money was if she offered up her trailer as collateral. With that payment looming, on top of all her other bills, she certainly didn’t have enough, even from working three part-time jobs, to splurge on new dresses, preloved or not.

“Oh, come on. If you like it, you can pay it off.” Jane walked over and waved it in front of her face. “You know you want to.”

Shay bit her lip, mentally doing a tally of her finances. She
could
do it if she paid it off. “Fine. Let me try it on.” She grabbed it and hustled to the changing rooms. A few minutes later, she pulled back the curtain.

Jane whistled. “
Hot
. You have to keep it on.” She had something in her hands. “Here, I’ll throw this in.”

Shay caught the delicate fabric midair. It was a sweet bolero shrug. White, with elbow-length sleeves. Jane knew how self-conscious Shay was of her arms. She had been since high school, when, in front of everyone, one of the other girls told Shay they looked like overstuffed sausages. She’d been so mortified, so upset, she’d told her mother when she got home in tears. Her mother had told her to stop eating and lose weight.

She forced the memory away and slipped on the shrug.

“His mouth will hit the ground when he sees you in that.”

“That isn’t what this is about, and you know it.” Shay had told Jane about the
encounter
she’d had
with Hugh a week ago when she came in for work yesterday—well, she’d left out the details. But she’d had to tell someone, and since Kayla was still holed up with her ex, who was no longer her ex, and currently incommunicado, Jane was it. It also seemed too momentous not to share. Shay shook her head. “I don’t want his mouth to hit the floor. I just want to drop off his keys and go. It was just a one-time thing, remember.”

Jane shrugged. “No harm in reminding him what he’s missing.”

“He doesn’t date. And I don’t want or need a man in my life.”

Jane’s eyes narrowed. “Travis needs his balls kicked in.”

She hadn’t told Jane that her ex was still calling and leaving messages all the time, one lame excuse after the other. “This isn’t about Travis. I’m fine, really. I’m happy on my own.” Shay forced a smile. “Though I’m not averse to seeing someone kick Travis’s balls in.”

Her friend smiled, as well. “You and me both.”

Forty-five minutes and four buses later, Shay was standing outside Colton Auto Repairs, hands gripping the strap of her bag like a life line, so tight she started to get a cramp in her pinky finger.

You can do this
.

It was late afternoon, and the sun was starting to dip lower in the sky. She lifted her arm, shielding her eyes to get a better look at the large, steel building. Both of the big roller doors at the front were up, and she could see a couple of people moving around inside. She needed to get in there already, before they saw her hanging around out front like some scared, pathetic loser. Or worse, some insane stalker lady.

Taking a deep breath, she forced her feet to propel her forward. She’d always felt a little uncomfortable around men, blushing and stammering like a fool. Her father had died when she was only little, and for the longest time, it had just been her and her grandmother. She’d also gone to an all-girls private school, which she found out after her gran died had been paid for with her grandmother’s life savings. Shay still struggled with that knowledge, with how much her gran had given up for her.

Anyway, a garage was her worst nightmare, any place overrun with men, for that matter. But being with Hugh, without the usual expectation that accompanied that type of encounter, the fear of what came next—and even though there had been some blushing and stammering on her part—she’d found their night together freeing. Not embarrassing.

She’d somehow gotten past her insecurities with him. Pretended she was someone else. And though he probably hadn’t given her a second thought since he left that morning, she hated the idea that today he might see her as she truly was, that she’d somehow slip and reveal herself to him.

By the time she reached the first roller door, her heart was hammering and her legs were shaking.

She looked around the large space but didn’t see Hugh. There was a man bent over one of the cars, and when she stepped farther into the workshop his head twisted toward her.

It was Hugh’s brother. He gave her a head to toe before standing. He was tall, probably the same height as Hugh, but he had less bulk, was leaner, and his forearms were covered in tattoos.

He grinned, and grabbing a rag from his back pocket, wiped his hands. “Hey there.”

“Yes…hey.”

He grinned wider. “What can I do for you?”

His dark hair was cut close to his skull. His eyes were brown, almost black, and his lip and eyebrow were pierced. She hadn’t noticed the piercings in the dim lighting of the bar. He also had a good amount of whiskers covering his strong jaw. And somehow, he’d just made those simple words sound almost dirty, as if he’d asked her something highly inappropriate. She cleared her throat. “Sorry to disturb you, but I was looking for—”

“Shay?”

She spun around and spotted the man she’d met the night Hugh had saved her from Batman, when they’d dropped off his car here. The man with the feather tattoo on his neck. Adam?

“Oh.” She gave him a little wave. “Hello.” She felt her face flush, palms grow sweaty.

He smiled, all straight, white teeth and attractive dimples. What was it with this place? Were all the men this good looking, this ridiculously tall? Was it a job requirement?

“Nice to see you again, honey.”

She forced a smile, her nerves now twice as bad with all this attention on her. “Yes, you too.”

The other guy groaned. “Typical.”

Shay had no idea what he meant, but Adam chuckled. It was rough and deep and kind of dark, but it sent a delightful tingle down her spine. “Unfortunately, in this instance, she’s not mine.”

Not mine?

Hugh’s brother perked up and moved closer. “Well, move along then; I was just about to see to her needs.” He winked. “So, what can I do for you?”

If her face was any hotter, her skin would start melting off. “Hugh? I mean…is he here?”

The hopeful look on his face dropped then his head tilted to the side, giving her another once over, and he cursed under his breath. “Shit. Sorry, babe, didn’t recognize you out of your Woody’s uniform.” He motioned to her head. “It’s your hair, right? It’s different?”

She guessed she did look different out of that dreadful uniform, and she’d worn her hair in what she hoped was a cute, retro ponytail today instead of leaving it down.

Turning his head toward the back of the shop, he half growled, half yelled. “Hugh! Get your ass up here.”

There was a scrape and a clatter, then a second later, she saw him, walking out from the back of the workshop. He was scowling at his brother, but then his gaze shifted to her, and as soon as he saw her, his expression went blank.

Oh, dear
.

She locked her knees when they started to shake. His eyes stayed on her as he strode forward. Her gaze drifted over him as he moved. He was wearing pretty much the same clothing as he had the other night. Faded jeans and a T-shirt, this one black, as well, straining over his magnificent chest. There was grease streaked on his cheek and forehead, and when he lifted a hand, running his fingers through his sexily tousled hair, his thick biceps rolled and bunched, stretching the sleeve to the limit.

She swallowed, hard, fingers flexing around the strap of her bag, and forced another smile. “Hello, Hugh.”

He stopped in front of her, crossing his heavily muscled arms. “Shay.” His brow scrunched. “What’re you doing here?”

His voice rumbled through her, lighting fires and setting off tremors in all her erogenous zones. Great, she was getting turned on when he was obviously not happy to see her. So much for his mouth hitting the floor when he saw her in this stupid dress. Not that she wanted that. Of course, she didn’t. Why she’d listened to Jane in the first place, she had no idea. He probably thought she was going to turn all needy and clingy after one night together.

Desperate. Pathetic.

Travis’s words echoed in her head.

She ignored them, forced them down and straightened her spine. Self-preservation kicked in, and a strength she didn’t know she possessed rushed forward. She embraced it. Clung onto it with all she was worth. She knew herself well enough to know it wouldn’t last long. She wasn’t one of those feisty women, full of confidence and attitude, but she still carried enough residual anger from her disaster of a relationship with Travis, enough to get her through this encounter without looking as desperate and pathetic as he thought she was.

She smiled wider, doing her best to exude confidence, something she most certainly did not feel in that moment. Pulling one of the straps of her bag off her shoulder, she rummaged around until she found his keys. “You left these at my place the other night. I thought they might be important. I’m returning them.”

His expression changed, softened a little as he took them from her. His grease-covered fingers brushed hers, rough and warm, and she shivered.

“Thanks, sweetheart. I’ve turned my place upside down looking for them. Forgot I had them with me the other night.”

Gah!
Why did he have to go and call her
sweetheart
? The way he’d said it all growly and sexy when he’d been inside her had been on replay in her traitorous mind since he’d walked out. Remembering the sound of his voice had also left her in a constant state of low-level arousal, just humming below the surface, waiting to be ignited. So it wasn’t a surprise when that lust flared to life, just like that, as if he’d tossed another log on the fire in her loins. Damn him.

“Not a problem.” She took a step back. “Anyway, I’ll let you get back to work.” Then she added, because her grandmother raised her to use her manners, “Nice to see you again.” Though “nice” wasn’t the correct word to describe how seeing him again had affected her.

She turned to leave, but Hugh grabbed her arm, halting her escape. Her belly flipped as she lifted her brows in question, in what she hoped was bored curiosity, when in reality she thought her heart might beat right out of her chest.

He tilted his head to the street. “Where you goin’ now? You got plans?”

“Just home. No plans.”

“You wanna get a drink? We were gonna close up in a few, anyway.”

She wanted to say
yes
, badly. But this man, her mountain man, he was dangerous. She couldn’t risk falling for someone like him, got the feeling if she did, the impact when she hit the ground would cause a heck of a lot more damage than what Travis had left behind. She couldn’t risk it. Refused to put herself in a situation like that again. A beautiful memory, that’s all Hugh could ever be.

She took a step back. “I can’t; I’m sorry.”

His hands went to his hips, gaze boring into her. “You said you didn’t have plans.”

“I don’t.” The words were out before she realized how they sounded. She inwardly winced. She sucked at lying, always had, and tended not to whenever possible.

Adam made a choking noise behind Hugh, and his brother barked out a startled laugh then proceeded to explode into hysterics.
Oops
.