by Candis Terry
Because whatever it was, it was fucking amazing.
When they reached her room, she propelled him against the bed until the backs of his knees hit the mattress.
Moochie, who’d been sleeping on the comforter, didn’t care for the rambunctious company. She gave them a dismissive sneeze then leaped from the bed and trotted off into the living room.
“I always knew you were great at taking control.” He leaned in and playfully nipped at her bare shoulder.
“If you think I’m good in the office, I guarantee this will be better.” She slid the zipper tab down then pushed the jeans and his boxer briefs down his thighs.
There was no hiding the effect she had on him now.
She had a body of curves most women would diet away. He was glad she didn’t try to cover herself up. She was a real woman and he wanted to look at her just like this, all night long.
Soft, sexy, seductive, and naked.
He reached up and undid the clip holding her long curly hair. When it fell about her shoulders in a golden cloud, she looked like a voluptuous, nude, fairy princess. Like something that should be painted on canvas and preserved as a fine art piece.
Intelligent thought flew from his head when she wrapped her hand around his hard shaft and gave him a firm squeeze. A sumptuous shudder rippled down his back as she moved her palm down his hot skin to the plump head then back up. He pressed deeper into her hand and groaned at the unbelievable sensation that spiraled through his entire body.
When she pushed him back onto the bed and crawled over him like a sleek lioness, he knew what she had in mind. He knew having her lips wrapped around him would be a hot paradise, but all he could think about, all he wanted, was to be buried deep inside her.
Undeterred, he flipped her over on her back and she laughed.
“I thought I was going to be in control.”
“Next time.” He kissed her sassy mouth. Reached for his wallet on the nightstand and pulled out a condom. “Right now I need to be inside you.”
She raised her head and licked the side of his neck. A delicious shiver slid down his back and sent an urgent message to his cock.
“Then at least let me do the honors.” She took the packet and tore it open.
Having Brooke roll a condom on his cock in such a sexy, provocative way might go down as one of his most favorite things ever. In fact, the only thing that could top it would be making love to her without a condom.
But he was already taking enough risks.
He was hard and ready to go, but he wanted things to last as long as possible. And he wanted to taste, touch, and feel her luscious body again. Settled between her legs, he kissed her pretty mouth, her lovely neck, and he suckled each of her gorgeous breasts until she moved beneath him and began to beg as he rocked his cock against her slick, hot opening.
His will broke on her third “Please, Dec, now,” and he slid deeply, possessively inside her wetness. Her muscles gripped him and she let go of a long, lusty moan that rolled over him like a heat wave.
He stilled until he could regain control.
Everything in his body said to drive hard and fast, to find release, but that wasn’t how he wanted this to go. He pushed deeper into her core, retreated, and rotated slowly as the sensation and steady buildup crept like molten lava through his veins. Brooke wrapped her legs around him and lifted her hips to meet his thrusts in a rhythm that removed all sensation except where their bodies were joined.
A litany of “Oh God. Oh God. Oh God.” spilled from her lips with each thrust and Dec knew she was close to coming again. In tune with her cries, his hips pumped faster and he reached between them and rubbed her sensitive spot. One last cry of pleasure escaped from her lips as her muscles contracted around him and pulled him in deeper. Each thrust was like a perfectly synced electric explosion of nerves until a storm of heat and sensation swept through his body and he erupted in a long, hot, breath-stealing orgasm.
When his heartbeat decelerated enough for him to be able to regain his senses and move, he drew Brooke into his arms and pulled the comforter over the two of them.
For the first time in his life, he was cuddling a woman after sex instead of putting on his pants and checking out.
That was the exact moment he knew that, more than being just an incredible assistant who kept him going day after day, Brooke meant something really special to him.
He just didn’t know how he was going to deal with it come morning.
Chapter 11
Brooke woke to a cold and empty bed.
Just as she’d predicted.
Yes, Dec had made love to her several delicious times last night and he’d slept with her snuggled in his arms. But she knew at some point he’d run. The guarded employer in him would make sure of that, even if he’d wanted to roll over the top of her come morning light and repeat everything they’d done last night.
She didn’t expect he’d easily throw down his belief that mixing business with pleasure was a bad thing. Nope, he would definitely take some more convincing, teasing, and torturing.
Until he saw things her way.
She got up, put on her fuzzy yellow robe, and then followed the heavenly aroma that drifted from the kitchen.
Except for Moochie, who was curled up in a corner of the leather sofa and snoring, the house was empty and silent. A note on the counter in front of the coffeemaker drew her attention.
Coffee is made. Breakfast is in the oven. Moochie has already been fed and walked. Headed to the vineyard office. Please call the marketing contact and see if he has the data pulled together yet.
BTW, dessert last night was delicious.
D
She smiled. At least he’d acknowledged that there was a last night. Still, it would have been nice if he’d waited around until she woke up.
She didn’t know whether she wanted to kiss him for the coffee, breakfast, and taking care of her dog before he’d left, or if she wanted to growl. Because even though he’d acknowledged that they’d deliciously stepped over the employer/employee line, she knew exactly why he’d left early.
One step forward, two steps back?
Hopefully not.
Dec was a man who took what he wanted, worked hard for what he needed, and put everything important on a personal level on the back burner. Brooke was a woman who put everything on a personal level at the top of her list and let the chips fall where they may with the rest. Well, she worked hard too, but that wasn’t the heart of her life.
Talk about opposites attract.
As she opened the oven door and pulled out a warm plate piled high with fluffy pancakes, she chuckled. The box of instant pancake batter still sat on the counter next to a bottle of syrup, which explained his sudden cooking abilities. After she poured a cup of coffee, snagged a few pancakes off the plate, and loaded them up with margarine and syrup, she sat down at the kitchen table to make her plans for the day. A long hot shower started the list. Finding a way to get Dec in bed again was next.
Devious?
Maybe.
But her body still tingled from his touch and she wanted more.
Brooke had no doubt he was used to being the aggressor, just as she knew his head would overrule his heart and all his other body parts.
At the office she frequently had to convince him that some things were worth the risk. Apparently old habits didn’t change due to location. Sometimes, gorgeous men with big hearts and stubborn heads just needed an extra little nudge toward something they didn’t even know they wanted. It was like passing by a candy store and seeing the sweetest lollipop on earth.
Who could resist?
As she headed to the shower, she snatched up her cotton candy scented body wash. If she planned to help Dec break all his bad working habits, she needed all the help she could get.
The office coffeemaker gurgled with a fresh pot as Dec sat across the desk from Ryan, watching his brother sign a check to pay some utility bills for the vineyard. Jordan wouldn’t make an appearance unt
il his ladylove left for work. Ethan had holed up somewhere in the main house doing God knew what. And Parker had a full day of work in his Portland food truck. So currently it was just Dec and his oldest brother, both of whom Dec considered to be the most level-headed of the male siblings.
Well, he’d been level-headed until last night when he’d completely lost his mind and ended up having the single most fulfilling personal and sexual experience of his life.
He’d always been an up early, get to business kind of guy. This particular morning had been completely different. He’d had to drag himself away from Brooke’s warm luscious body. For at least an hour he’d lain there watching her sleep.
He’d never done that with a woman.
She was so beautiful, and in slumber she seemed so at peace. With her hand tucked beneath her cheek and the whisper of a smile on her lips, she’d unknowingly presented an offer to him. He could have this. All he had to do was reach out and take it. A woman like Brooke didn’t come around every day. He wasn’t used to taking things for himself just because he wanted them. Not that Brooke was a thing, but he definitely wanted her. When sunshine began to fill the room he knew he had to deal with his newfound feelings.
An apology for last night seemed ridiculous. Yes, he knew that what he’d allowed to happen had been wrong, but it had been so amazing that, deep down, he wasn’t sorry at all.
“Stop smiling.”
Dec brought his head up and he realized he’d been daydreaming. “What?”
“You’re smiling like the cat that licked the cream,” Ryan said.
Not quite what had happened, but licking had been involved.
Ryan’s eyes narrowed. “So what’s up?”
“I wasn’t smiling.”
“Hell. You were practically drooling.” Ryan shoved away the checkbook. “Maybe I don’t want to know. I’d probably be jealous.”
“We should probably stick to business.”
“Now I’m definitely curious.” Ryan leaned back in his chair and clasped his hands behind his head. “Brooke?”
“How’d you know?”
His brother chuckled. “Because when she walked in here yesterday your eyes almost came out of their sockets. I’ve got to admit she’s a damned attractive woman.”
“She’s more than that.”
“Details?” Ryan asked full of big-brotherly hope.
“Fuck you. You know I wouldn’t tell you that.”
Ryan laughed. “I wouldn’t expect you to. But you can’t blame a celibate guy for trying.”
“Well, don’t try living vicariously through me.”
“So what, you let go and had a little fun and now you don’t know what to do?”
“I’ll figure it out.”
“How about you just keep on living so you can keep on smiling?”
“You know things are never that easy.”
“Shit.” Ryan leaned back in the chair. “You ran like a little girl, didn’t you.”
“No.”
“Yes, you did. Otherwise you’d still be wrapped up in those sheets with her. I know I would be.”
Would it give away his true feelings if he punched his brother in his smartass face?
“Well, you’re never going to get that chance. So don’t get any ideas.”
“Little brother?” The aged chair beneath Ryan creaked as he leaned forward, planted his forearms arms on the desk, and looked Dec straight in the eye. “I know you probably don’t want advice from a guy whose wife left him to star in a commercial with toilet paper, but I’ve got news for you. If you don’t make good on those feelings for her you’ve been wearing on your not-so-secret sleeve, someone else will take your place. It’s only your luck that she’s crazy about you.”
“How the hell do you know that?” And he wasn’t even going to think about someone else holding her or making love to her. That image just plain pissed him off.
“Because she wears her feelings on her not-so-secret sleeve too.”
He did not want to be having this conversation. What he wanted was to march his ass right back to that cabin and crawl back into bed with Brooke. Hopefully she’d still be warm and asleep, and he could wake her up slowly, using everything he’d learned last night that made her moan and smile.
“You don’t think so?” Ryan continued spewing his unasked for and definitely unwanted advice. “Then sit back and do nothing. But when some other guy—maybe even one of your own brothers—steals her away, don’t come crying to me. Or Parker. Or Ethan. We might be very busy.”
“Fuck you, Ryan.”
“Fuck you, Dec.” Ryan kicked the trash can under the desk. “I know you’re smart as hell. You’re my brother and I love you. I care about you. I want to see you happy as a kid with a brand-new red balloon. And honestly I’m envious as hell. But if you don’t do something about your feelings for Brooke, she might get frustrated and move on. Did you ever think about that?”
He had.
And he didn’t like that idea one little bit.
It had taken a hot shower and three cups of coffee for Brooke to leave her fantasies from the previous night behind and get herself into work mode. She’d made the call to their marketing contact and he’d emailed over the statistics. After she’d printed them out, she dropped them in a manila envelope, petted Moochie on the head, then headed out for a walk up to the vineyard office to deliver the info.
Along the way she couldn’t help taking a good look at the gorgeous property. There were acres and acres of green meadows where a few deer were now having a mid-morning snack. And there were just as many acres of forested area where a red-tailed hawk soared high above the treetops. The rolling hills with rugged mountain peaks as a backdrop were enchanting, and Brooke suddenly felt as though she’d been transported to somewhere across the Atlantic.
In her hand she held the data on the marketing statistics. And with that knowledge, she knew exactly what she’d do with the vineyard if it belonged to her.
Halfway up the long curved road, Nicole, Dec’s teenage sister, came running down with her dark brown hair flying and her pink Western boots clomping against the gravel.
“Hey there.”
Nicole came to a bouncing stop wearing a huge grin. “Are you coming up for coffee?”
“Actually I was taking these papers to the office.”
“What are they?”
“The demographics data.”
“Oh. Important?”
“I believe so.”
Nicole sighed then grinned again. “Too bad. They’ll have to wait.” She grabbed Brooke’s hand. “Come on.”
“Where are we going?”
“I want to play you my new song.”
Brooke glanced toward the building that contained the vineyard office. She knew she should go directly there, but how could she pass up the chance to hear Dec’s sister sing? “I’d love that.”
“Oh good. I wrote it for Jordy and Lucy’s wedding. I wanted to see what you thought before I played it for them.”
“Why me? We barely know each other.”
“Yeah, but that will change now that you and Dec are together.”
“Whoa.” Brooke stopped. “Who told you that? We’re not together.”
Nicole shrugged then planted her hands on the hips of her flowery dress and laughed. “Are you sure?”
“Yes. I’m . . . Why are you asking? And why would you assume?”
“Because I know my brother.” Nicole tucked her arm through Brooke’s and got her moving again. “He’s never brought a woman home for anything. He’s never trailed off to La-La Land in the middle of a conversation. And he arranged for the both of you to stay in our grandfather’s cabin.”
“Nicole—”
“Nicki.”
“Nicki, I don’t want you to get the wrong idea. Your brother only brought me here so we could continue to work.”
“Weren’t you able to manage from the office before when he was here after our parents died?”
&nb
sp; “Yes, but—”
“And didn’t he drive you up the romantic coastline instead of hopping on a plane and renting a car like he usually does?”
“Yes, but—”
“And at the risk of embarrassing himself, didn’t he get up to sing karaoke because you wanted him to?”
“Yes, but—”
Nicki’s ethereal blue eyes sparkled. “And aren’t you crazy in love with him?”
“Yes, but . . . Hey, you tricked me.”
“Yes, and it worked.” Nicki laughed again. “Now that Lucy is joining the family, I’m finding that I really love having big sisters. Brothers can be so . . .”
“Aggressive?”
“Poopy. They want to tell me what I should do with every aspect of my life. And no boy has ever been brave enough to date me more than once because my brothers scare the life out of anyone who tries.”
“That’s because they love you.”
“Well, sometimes I wish they didn’t love me quite so much.” Nicki opened the front door to the huge main house, a home designed to look like an old-world castle. “I have a lot of life to live. You can’t be a songwriter if you haven’t lived life. You need the inspiration. Right?”
“Right.” As Brooke stepped inside the front hall of the main house for the very first time, she noticed that everything seemed to be in disarray.
“Excuse the mess,” Nicki said. “I’m redecorating.”
It struck Brooke as a bit odd that anyone would want to change the home of their parents so soon after they’d died. Then again, she didn’t know the relationship and she really had no right to an opinion. Especially since she’d left her parents far behind on that blistering summer night so many years ago.
“This is a beautiful house.”
“It really is.” Nicki propped her hands on her hips and evaluated the room. “Too bad it was never decorated right. I don’t mean to diss my mother, because she tried. But there was no happiness when you came into the rooms. Now that Jordy and Lucy are getting married—here at the vineyard by the way—I’ve convinced them to move into the house. We made a deal and I’ll then be moving into Lucy’s little cottage. They need more room. I need more privacy. So Lucy and I have been going over decorating styles and I’m trying to surprise her by painting a few rooms before they move in.”
