Captured: An Everyday Heroes World Novel (The Everyday Heroes World)

by S. Nelson

  The first contact of his mouth made me gasp in surprise, even though I’d been expecting it. Why else would his head be buried between my legs? My muscles tensed with the slight flicker of his tongue, and the air in my lungs froze, unsure of how to respond. My ex had only gone down on me a handful of times during our relationship. He didn’t care for the act, making me uncomfortable whenever he did it.

  “Relax,” he soothed, parting my legs when I tried to close them.

  “You don’t have to do this if you don’t want to,” I blurted, my eyes sealed shut while my hands fisted the covers.

  “Of course, I want to. It’s all I’ve been thinking about. And I have to admit, the reality is way better than the fantasy.” He flattened his tongue, running the full length of me from entrance to clit, pressing on the sensitive area before clamping his lips together, making me twitch. “Do you not like this?”

  Instead of answering, I tangled his hair between my fingers and tugged, pumping my hips upward the same time I pushed his head down. The deep rumble in his throat vibrated through me, intensifying the sensation.

  I shut off any insecurity I had and gave in to the moment. Nolan switched the pace too many times for me to count, teasing me, driving me wild. But as soon as he dipped a finger inside me, adding another quickly afterward, I about lost my mind.

  “Right there,” I moaned, my head thrashing from side to side, my grip on his hair tightening. “Keep doing that.” I pumped my hips faster, chasing the pleasure. His mouth and fingers working together were torture of the best kind. I could barely control my breaths or the incoherent words tumbling from my lips. “Nolan,” I cried out. “I’m gonna… keep… right there…. Fuck!” Every vibration in his throat drove me closer until I was powerless to stop the onslaught.

  All I could focus on was my orgasm rushing over me.

  My toes curled.

  My muscles tightened.

  My lungs froze.

  Eventually, the peak waned and my body melded back into the comfort of the blankets. I released a breath. Then another. And another. Nolan continued to lap at me, but his ministrations were slow, working with my body to find the perfect tempo.

  “Now I feel better,” he uttered, climbing over me, his hips pinning mine to the bed. The head of his cock nudged my entrance, but he didn’t move an inch, watching me, smiling at the goofy grin on my face.

  “Me too.” Stretching my arms above my head, I flexed my hands as well, the ache in my right one stronger than the left. “Did I hurt you when I grabbed your hair?”

  “A little, but I’m not complaining one bit.” Nolan kissed me sweetly before pulling back, his forearms on either side of my head. “Are you sore?”

  “No.” I was a touch sore, but I wasn’t about to deny this glorious man what he needed, what we both wanted.

  The next time he kissed me, his tongue slid against mine, and the more he gave me, the more I demanded. As our bodies worked in unison, my brain shut down to allow my heart to open a little more. I never thought I’d feel this way about someone else so soon after my relationship with Todd imploded. I’d vowed to remain single for the foreseeable future, but then this man showed up, twisting every thought I had until all I could do was give in to the idea of him.

  Of us.

  Lying on Nolan’s chest was my new favorite place to be. The drumming of his static heartbeat lulled me into peace, a peace I hadn’t felt since before Jimmy died.

  If the energy expended while having sex twice since waking wasn’t enough to convince my body to rest, the feathery touch of his fingers trailing up and down my arm should have done the trick.

  But something was wrong. The pulse of his heart quickened as his touch stuttered. He was either becoming anxious or he was ready to go again. Intuition told me it was the former.

  “What’s wrong?” I asked, lifting my head so I could see his face. A curtain of long, black lashes fanned his gorgeous eyes.

  “What makes you think something’s wrong?” His hand stilled on my arm.

  “Because your heart sounds like it’s going to burst out of your chest.” He didn’t speak again for a moment, and I tensed, imagining the worst. Although what that could be, I had no idea.

  “There’s something I have to tell you, Quinn. And I don’t want you to think I’ve been hiding it from you or didn’t trust you enough to tell you. It’s just really hard for me to talk about with anyone, especially someone I—”

  “Someone you hardly know,” I finished for him, feeling slighted even though I shouldn’t. It was true. Nolan and I didn’t know each other that well yet. I’d told him about my brother, but not the details as I was still protective over Jimmy, even though he was gone.

  “Someone I really care for. That’s what I was going to say.” His fingers dug into my upper arm with the confession, making me feel like a fool for jumping ahead of myself and assuming I knew what he was thinking. Hell, most of the time I had a hard time deciphering my own thoughts, let alone someone else’s. I made a move to sit up, but he kept me still. “I need to do this without looking at you. If I can see your expression, read into something you’re thinking that you’re not, or vice versa, it’s just going to make it harder for me.”

  “Okay.” I wanted to nestle into him, but I couldn’t relax, not like I had been before.

  “I was married once, and we had a daughter. Kathy, my wife, was my high school sweetheart. We were together for fifteen years, married for ten. My little girl, Emma, was the light of my life. The day she was born was the happiest I’d ever been, and the most scared.” Too many thoughts filtered in with his confession, but I couldn’t focus on any of them right then because I was worried about him. He took a deep breath, and I swore he didn’t release the air from his lungs for a full minute. When he finally gave life to his next words, his voice was filled with such raw anguish, it was as if I could feel his pain deep in my soul. “She was only six when she died… when they both died.”

  I didn’t want to move, to breathe, to speak, for fear that whatever held him together right now, be it strength, pain, anger, or faith, would splinter apart into so many pieces he’d never be whole again.

  When he started telling me about his wife and child, I thought for sure he was going to say they were divorced and that his ex-wife took their daughter from him. I never imagined he’d tell me they died, even when I heard the word had. I had a daughter. Even while having survived an unbearable loss of my own, I still hadn’t suspected he’d gone through the same. Worse even. Losing a sibling or a significant other could tear a person apart, but I couldn’t imagine losing a child. I wasn’t a parent, and even I realized that kind of loss was soul-shattering.

  My parents were proof of that.

  There were so many questions I wanted to ask him, but I didn’t want to press him for answers he might not be ready to give right now.

  “I’m so sorry, Nolan.” My voice quivered and my eyes welled with unshed tears. “I don’t know what to say.” And I didn’t. He’d literally rendered me speechless.

  While my lips were sealed, my emotions got the better of me, and tear after tear slid down my cheek and hit his bare chest beneath me. I hoped he wouldn’t notice. The last thing he needed to worry about was how I felt.

  He lifted my head, and the moment our eyes met, I lost whatever strength I thought I had and cried. For him. For his family. For mine. It was hard to separate the pain I felt for him and the pain I still carried in my heart for Jimmy, so I unleashed it all and hoped he wouldn’t judge me for it.

  “Come here,” he whispered, pulling me up his body until our mouths were close. “You don’t have to cry for me, sweetheart. God knows I’ve done enough of it over the years.” His eyes were glassy, but his tears didn’t fall. Maybe he’d cried enough for a lifetime, and there were no more left he could shed. Would I ever get to that point? Would I ever not get emotional when I thought about my brother?

  I believed I was better at talking about him than I was when he fi
rst died, but every once in a while, completely out of the blue, something would remind me of him, and I’d break down and lose it. Sometimes for a few minutes, sometimes for an hour.

  “Can I ask you one question?”

  His expression hardened. “Yes.”

  “How long ago?”

  “Just over three years.”

  “Three years,” I repeated. Jimmy’s face popped into my head, and instead of his image making me sadder, I felt an odd comfort that Nolan and I had experienced our loss around the same time.

  A bond that might bring us closer together, for as unusual as that sentiment might turn out to be.

  32

  Nolan

  The emptiness of my house became too loud sometimes but having Quinn here with me the entire weekend softened the silence.

  Telling her about Kathy and Emma hadn’t been as painful as I thought it would be. Her sadness for me helped ease some of my trepidation, but it was the way she looked at me afterward that told me I was safe with her, in every way that mattered. She didn’t pity me, but instead looked at me like I was strong for having survived the worst thing to ever happen to me.

  We talked briefly last night, and she only asked me one question. In time, I’d tell her more, but for now, I wanted to savor the hope I caught a glimpse of every now and again.

  Whenever we laughed.

  Whenever we had sex.

  Whenever we lay next to each other in complete and comfortable silence.

  Quinn gave me back a piece of myself I thought was gone forever. In the short time since I met her, she’d quickly come to mean everything to me.

  It wasn’t just a feeling.

  They weren’t just delusional thoughts brought on by acknowledging my need to connect with someone.

  It was unexplainable.

  It was rare.

  It was a gift.

  “Are you ever going to let me go home to get a change of clothes?”

  “But I like you either naked or wearing one of my shirts,” I said with conviction.

  “I do too, but Avery is going to think you kidnapped me.” She snuggled closer, throwing her leg over mine. My couch barely had enough room for the both of us to lie down on. Hence why Quinn was practically on top of me right now, which wasn’t something I was complaining about.

  “Then call her to tell her you’re here of your own free will.”

  “Am I?”

  “What do you mean?” I moved back as far as I could in order to see her face.

  “I think you’ve put some kind of voodoo on me. All I want to do is stay here holed up in your house with you for the foreseeable future.”

  “Then you did the same to me.” I chuckled, kissing the top of her head, tracing the curve of her thigh. “Perhaps free will is overrated.”

  The sexiest noise vibrated in the hollow of her throat as she shifted to lie on top of me, our faces now only inches apart. When she smiled, so did I, and when she pecked her lips against mine, I halted her teasing retreat with my hand on the back of her head, trapping her so she couldn’t move. No words were spoken when I stole her kisses, or nuzzled into the crook of her neck, or thrust my hips against hers. Before I ravaged her for the fourth time today, however, I needed to talk to her.

  “I wanted to ask you something.”

  She trapped her hand between our bodies and grabbed me, stroking me through the thin fabric of my boxer briefs. “Can it wait?” Her lips trailed along my jawline, her grip tightening.

  “If I don’t give him an answer soon, he’s going to show up here. I know it.” It took everything in me not to thrust into her grip and completely change course of action.

  “Who?”

  “My brother.”

  “Oh.” She continued tormenting me. “What do you need to give him an answer about?”

  “He wants to meet you.”

  “Oh,” she repeated, eventually removing her hand. “And what do you want?”

  “I wanted to keep you to myself for a little longer, but if you’re okay with it, I don’t see the harm in an introduction.”

  “So…” She dragged out the single syllable. “I’m meeting your family, then. We’re at that stage.” Her tone didn’t readily indicate whether she stated a fact or asked a question.

  “If you’re not ready, that’s okay.”

  A ghost of a smile replaced the flash of uncertainty that had crossed over her face. “I’d love to meet your brother.”

  “I’ll set it up.” I slapped her ass and she squirmed. “Now, how about you take off that shirt and we’ll get down to the good stuff?”

  33

  Quinn

  “It’s weird not having you here all the time anymore,” Avery whined, hopping up and down to pull her jeans on. Collapsing on my bed afterward, she spread her arms to the side in what appeared to be exertion.

  “I know.”

  “I miss hanging out with you, especially on the weekend.”

  “I miss that too,” I confessed, pulling the last section of my hair through the curling iron. “We’ll make a plan to do something this Sunday. Are you free?”

  “I don’t think I’m working but I’ll double-check. My schedule has been screwed up since two of the other bartenders up and quit without notice. Mandy and I have been filling in until we get more help.”

  “Let me know. We can do whatever you want.”

  “I’m holding you to that.”

  Another swipe of mascara and I was finally finished getting ready. “How do I look?”

  “Good.”

  “You didn’t even look. Your eyes are still closed.”

  I nudged her leg with mine, smacking her thigh when she still didn’t pry her lids open to check out what I’d chosen to wear for meeting Nolan’s brother later. A simple pair of dark skinnies and a lightweight burnt-orange sweater paired with my favorite brown booties displayed the look of I’m-not-trying-too-hard-but-made-an-effort. After all, we weren’t going out to dinner. We were just meeting for a drink at Elixir, another local bar.

  Sighing dramatically seemed to annoy my sister enough that she finally gave me her attention. “You look great. But you already knew that.”

  “I did,” I joked, taking one last look in the mirror. The doorbell chime had me rushing to grab my things. “Can you get that and tell him I’ll be right there.”

  “Fine,” she huffed. “If I have to entertain the hot cop for you, I will.”

  “You’re too kind.”

  I decided not to tell my sister about Nolan’s family just yet. I felt like I’d be betraying his trust if I spoke to her about what happened. Not that I knew much, other than they’d died. He hadn’t brought up the topic again, which meant he wasn’t prepared to divulge any more details. But I had confidence he’d tell me more whenever he was ready.

  Due to everyone’s schedules, two weeks had passed since he first told me he wanted me to meet his brother, or rather that his brother wanted to meet me. And tonight was that night.

  Fidgeting with the hem of my sweater, I walked into the front room, mumbling to myself to not be nervous about tonight when Nolan came into view. He leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, listening intently to something Avery said, but the moment he noticed me enter, he swung his eyes to mine and smiled, and I’d never felt more alive. With my expression mirroring his, I headed his way, stopping to stand next to him, my hand brushing his. What I really wanted to do was attack him, but I restrained myself in Avery’s presence, albeit barely. His touch worked to calm the eruption of butterflies in my belly. Or perhaps he was the cause of them.

  “Come on, Nolan. I’ll give you free drinks all night.”

  “How much do you think I drink that your offer would be tempting?” He laughed, kissing my temple, his lips lingering for several seconds.

  “We’re not going to Murray’s tonight. I don’t need you staring at us, making me more nervous.” I shot my sister a warning look, but all she did was smirk. I could stand here and go bac
k and forth with her but that would only serve to irritate me. So instead, I switched my attention back to Nolan. “You ready?”

  “After you,” he responded, motioning toward the front door. Once outside, and away from my nosy sister, he asked, “Why are you nervous to meet Will?”

  “He’s your brother. Your only family. If he doesn’t like me, then—”

  “Then what? I’m going to never speak to you again?” Nolan gripped my hand in his, squeezing gently to comfort me. “I don’t particularly like his fiancée, but that’s his relationship. He loves her and I accept that. I’m not the one who has to put up with her.”

  His words had the opposite effect of what he intended; I was sure. “That doesn’t make me feel any better.”

  “I like you. A lot. Trust me, that’s all that matters to him, and to me.” He pressed me against the side of his Jeep, dipping down until his mouth drifted over mine. “Besides, Will is going to love you simply because you make me happy. That’s all he cares about.”

  “If you say so.”

  “I say so,” he echoed.

  “Is that them?” I nudged Nolan’s side and subtly pointed toward the front entrance. There was a dark-haired man in a gray shirt standing next to a blonde woman in a blue dress, both fitting the description Nolan gave me. As they maneuvered their way toward us through the growing crowd, the more I could see the resemblance between the brothers. Will wasn’t as tall or as broad-shouldered, but they had the same eyes and facial structure.

  There was no denying they were siblings.

  “Hey, Will.” Nolan stood from his chair and clasped hands with his brother, pulling him into that half-hug embrace guys did. When they parted, he turned to look at the other woman present. “Molly. Nice to see you again.”