by Liv Brywood
Unlike the other night, he didn’t tear at her clothes. Through the softness of her jeans, he caressed her hip. Through the warmth of her sweater, he caressed the curve of her breast. And through the heat from his lips, he slid his tongue inside to claim her in a soul-shattering kiss.
She wanted to weep with relief. Even though he hadn’t expressly forgiven her, he showed her how he felt with every smooth touch and passion-filled kiss. It didn’t take long before he had her wet, panting, and needy.
When she tried to reach for his jeans, he grabbed her hand. “Not yet. I want this to be all about you.”
“But, I need you,” she murmured.
“I need you more.”
She whimpered as his hand slid under her sweater to trace a trail of fire across her flesh. She arched against his hard chest while struggling to take a breath. Every inch of her body sang with desperation. She wanted him, God how she wanted him. But he took his time. As he slowly undressed her, passion pooled in the pit of her stomach and swirled in wild jubilation.
He pushed her sweater up and then dropped down to kiss the curve of her trembling belly. The soft plane of flesh jiggled as she drew a shaky breath.
“Shh… let me love you.”
She clasped the sheets in her hands and twisted as his warm lips traced a path through the valley of her breasts. His tongue flicked out to slide across the edge of her lacy bra.
“Sit up,” he whispered.
She did. He tugged the sweater over her head and unclasped her bra. When it slid down to reveal her full breasts, it was his turn to moan.
“You’re so beautiful. I don’t know why I ever left you. I was a fool.”
“We both were,” she said.
Naked from the waist up, she lay back against the pillows. His lips reaffirmed their connection with every kiss, every nip, and every brush across her skin. When his mouth closed over one turgid nipple, she lost control. “Brady, please.”
He responded by unbuttoning her jeans. She reached for the zipper and tugged it down. As she wriggled out of them, he helped. He grasped her panties in his teeth and winked salaciously before dragging them down to her ankles. She giggled and laced her fingers in his luscious hair.
Already wet and ready, the second his tongue found the inside of her thigh, she twitched. “Oh.”
“I’m dying to taste you.”
She spread her thighs. Hot breath blew across her needy sex. When his lips grazed the silky slit, she moaned. His tongue slid against her in a long, luxurious stroke that left her shaking with desire.
When his tongue found her clit, a shockwave of pleasure rushed down the insides of her thighs and curled her toes. She grabbed a pillow and pressed it over her face to keep from screaming. He lavished her pussy with drawn-out kisses and scorching caresses. Each pass brought her closer to the precipice of absolute ecstasy. She shivered and twisted her hips to one side. It was too much, too intense. Her heart pounded against her ribcage. She’d been a fool to let go of the man attached to such a skillful tongue. What the heck had she been thinking?
As he captured her clit between his lips, she screamed. Cascading ripples of pleasure rushed out like an exploding star. Rolling waves of release flowed over every inch of her body until she fell slack against the bed. She couldn’t move anything except the hand which held the pillow. She shoved if off her face and lifted her head to look at Brady. The expression on his face was somewhere between self-satisfied and lusty.
“Come up here,” she whispered.
He crawled up to kiss her. The sultry taste of her juices on his lips inflamed her desire. She wanted to taste him. She pushed his shoulders and rolled him onto his back. Slowly unbuttoning his shirt, she left a trail of kisses in her wake.
When she reached his pants, he grabbed her wrist. “I need you.”
“I want to taste every inch of you.”
His sexy growl sounded through the room.
She unbuckled his pants, unzipped and pulled them off to reveal taut thighs covered with a smattering of wiry brown hair. As she perused his muscular abs, he smiled. She locked gazes with him as she dropped to kiss the inside of his knee. She watched his smile transform into a sultry display of masculine lust. Just knowing how much he wanted her gave her a sense of power that she wasn’t quite ready to relinquish.
She kissed every contour of his abs before dragging her tongue across his hipbones. She eyed his rigid cock and smiled. She couldn’t wait to make him moan. As she drew his hard length into her mouth, he whimpered. His belly clenched and his eyes glossed over. She swirled her tongue up and down, gently sucking and tasting him.
When his eyes rolled back, her heart burst. She loved that she could make him feel the way he’d made her feel. After a few more strokes, she pulled back to kiss the tip.
He hissed a breath. “Don’t tease me.”
She smiled and crawled up to cover him with her body. Her thighs parted to wrap around his waist. As she lowered herself, the tip of his cock pressed against her slick folds. “Promise me that you won’t ever leave me again.”
“I promise,” he whispered as he surged into her.
She rode him gently, savoring the contours of his thick cock against the soft walls of her pussy. Each time she dropped onto him, he held her hips. As she rose up, he gave her a little push. She braced her hands against his chest. Lips parted, thighs spread wide, she rode him far longer than eight seconds. She lost all track of time as tension built from a special place deep within her heart. She hadn’t remembered how good it could be with him. They were perfect together, made for each other. How could she have ever let him go?
Brady grabbed her waist and rolled her onto her back. He hooked his hands under the backs of her knees and pushed them up until they pressed against her breasts. In this position, he went deeper than he’d ever gone before. She cried out as he thrust over and over. The undulation of his hips heightened every erotic sensation.
“Brady, please.”
She didn’t know what she was begging him to do, but somehow, he knew. He increased his tempo, sliding in and out with increasing urgency. She arched her back and wrapped her legs around his slippery waist. Sweat glistened on his brow. His teeth clenched as he gave her a look that begged for her release.
When she couldn’t hold back another moment, she let the rising tide drown her in blissful ecstasy. She quaked against him, crying out and half-sobbing his name. He returned her passion with his own release, filling her with liquid heat. His feverish cries rang in her ears long after he’d collapsed onto her.
He eased back and rolled onto his side. As he brushed tendrils of sweat-drenched hair from her face, he smiled. “I needed that. I needed you.”
“Brady, I still…” Her throat closed before she could confess that she was still in love with him.
He traced his fingers across her lips. “Shh… let’s just lie here. We can worry about everything else later. Tonight, I just want to hold you.”
She snuggled into his arms. For the first time in years, she felt completely at peace. She hadn’t realized how much the weight of being a single mom to a sick child had affected her ability to relax. As she burrowed into his strong arms, she gave a silent prayer of gratitude. At least she wouldn’t have to go through everything alone anymore.
Hours later, the shrill ring of the telephone woke her from a deep sleep. Disoriented, she reached for the phone. When she heard the terror in her mother’s voice she bolted upright.
As she listened to her mom’s frantic description of Jimmy, dread settled into her heart. “I’ll be there in ten minutes… can you stop the bleeding? Keep the pressure firm until I get there… No. We’re leaving now. I’ll call Dr. Landry on the way.”
***
Brady snapped on the lamp. “What’s wrong?”
Rachel flew out of the bed and grabbed her clothes. “Jimmy’s sick. He has a fever and a nosebleed that won’t stop. He’s really sick.”
As he yanked on his clothes he aske
d, “Has this ever happened before?”
“It happens every few months. Normally, we can get the nosebleeds to stop after a few minutes, but this one’s not stopping. He’s already lost too much blood. He’s too weak to lose anymore. We need to get to the hospital right now.”
He grabbed his keys off the nightstand. “Let’s go. I’ll drive so you can hold him.”
After racing out of the hotel, they jumped into the truck and drove to June’s house. He took the stairs two at a time and reached the top before Rachel. He pounded on the door. The faint sound of a crying child came from inside. He tried the doorknob. It was unlocked, so he opened it, almost plowing into June.
He’d never seen her so pale or frantic before. “Where is he?”
“In my bed.”
Rachel bounded into the room behind him. “Honey, Mommy’s here.”
Brady rushed to his son’s bedside and peered down at his ghost-white face. A wadded-up washcloth covered in blood rested on top of his nose. His eyes remained closed even as Brady scooped him into his arms.
June said, “Hurry, but be careful on the roads. If you get into an accident in the middle of the night, you might not get help until sunrise. No one will see you in the dark.”
Brady said, “I’ll be careful. Let’s go.”
Rachel gave her mom a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m sorry. I should have been here.”
“Nonsense. He would have taken this turn even if you’d been here. I’ll meet you at the hospital. I called Leah and she’s on her way over to grab the keys for the shop. She’s going to run it while I’m gone.”
Brady said, “Okay. Drive safe. The roads are really slick right now.”
June shuttled them toward the door. “I will. You be careful too.”
“I will.”
As he drove toward Bozeman, Rachel spoke into her phone. “Yes, it won’t stop bleeding. We’ve tried putting pressure on it… he’s burning up. I gave him the prescription medication but it’s not working. Okay. We should be there in about two hours… yes, we’ll be careful on the roads.”
Brady’s arms went rigid as the truck fishtailed around a corner. He eased his foot off the accelerator. If they skidded off the road into the river, they’d all die. As much as he hated to have to do it, he slowed down.
Rachel said, “We’ll make it. We have to.”
“I’ll go as fast as I can, but the road hasn’t been salted yet. It’s still slick from the storm.”
“Do you believe in God?”
He thought back to the violence he’d seen in Afghanistan. “I don’t know. But I have to believe that if He’s up there, we’ll have a chance.”
“Please, God. Please don’t let him die,” she whispered.
Brady clenched the steering wheel and focused every ounce of concentration on the icy road.
“Dr. Landry wants to do the procedure right away. She said there are risks either way, but I don’t want to wait.”
He clenched his jaw. “I didn’t try shifting.”
She whipped her head in his direction. “Oh, God.”
“If I shift mid-procedure…”
“We just have to pray that you don’t.”
He cautiously reached for her hand and squeezed. “I’ll take the risk if it means saving our son’s life.”
Rachel cried, “I can’t lose you too. I can’t lose either of you. I can’t.”
In the most soothing tone he could manage he said, “Shh… everything will be all right. The surgery will work and we’ll both be fine.”
He released her hand and shivered. There were so many things that could go wrong during the operation. The stress alone could unleash his bear. He’d have to do everything he could to try to stay calm. If he went into the operating room as stressed as he was right now, he’d shift for sure.
He took a calming breath and blew it out. He had to relax as much as he could. His son’s life depended on it.
Chapter 8
As they pulled up to the front door of the hospital, Rachel jumped out of the truck. She cradled Jimmy in her arms as she rushed toward the sliding glass doors.
Brady threw the keys toward the security guard. “Tow me if you have to.”
After taking one look at Jimmy, the guard said, “No problem, I’ll park it.”
As she ran into the reception area, she spotted Dr. Landry. She almost fainted with relief when the doctor raced forward with a gurney.
“Set him here,” Dr. Landry said.
She placed her son on the sterile white sheets. As she stepped back, she swayed only to be caught in Brady’s strong arms.
“Come on, honey.”
Guided by Brady, she followed the doctor down the hall toward a set of doors marked: Stop! Operating Rooms. Staff Only.
Dr. Landry spun to face her. “You can’t go any further. I’ll send someone out to keep you updated.”
Rachel blurted, “Brady didn’t shift. I mean. We don’t know. Oh, God.”
The doctor waved over a nurse. “Get something to relax her and take her to the waiting room.”
The nurse smiled softly. “Come with me, dear.”
“Wait! Wait!” Rachel ran over to Jimmy and kissed his hot cheek. “It’s going to be okay, baby. Mommy loves you very much.”
She turned to find Brady climbing onto a gurney. After rushing to his side, she grabbed his hand and squeezed. “You’ll be okay too. You have to be… you have to be.”
Brady said, “We’ll be fine, sweetheart. I’ll be out soon. Everything’s going to be okay.”
“I have to take them now,” Dr. Landry said. “We need to go.”
Rachel nodded. “Please, take care of them.”
“I will. I’ll send someone out to talk to you as soon as I can.”
As the doctor rolled Jimmy through the doors, Rachel let out a small cry. Watching Brady disappear behind him set the world spinning.
The nurse caught her and half-carried her to the nearest chair. “Let me get you some water and something to help you stay calm. I’ll be right back.”
Rachel put her head between her knees until the room stopped spinning. She couldn’t stop thinking that they could die. If her son died, she’d die with him. And if Brady died, she’d wilt into a shadow of the woman she once was. The doctor had better be right. She’d better be able to save them.
The nurse returned with a paper cup filled with water and a white pill. “Take this. It will help you relax.”
Rachel took the cup and shoved the pill into her mouth. As she slurped the water, the pill slid down her swollen throat.
“When you feel okay to walk again, let me know and I’ll take you to the waiting room,” the nurse said.
“I’m okay now.”
She wasn’t. But the sooner she got to the waiting room, the better she’d feel. What if they came out to give her news and she wasn’t there? She had to get there immediately. She rose on unsteady legs and took a wobbly step toward the nurse.
The nurse frowned. “Let me get a wheelchair. You sit back down.”
Rachel fell back into the chair. Her heart clenched so hard that if she didn’t know better, she’d think she was having a heart attack.
The nurse returned with a wheelchair. After climbing into it, the nurse rolled her down the hall and through a series of doors. The white tiled floor rolled past ominously. She hated hospitals. When she was ten, her best friend had fallen off a snowmobile and had been struck in the head. She’d been in a coma for three weeks. Rachel had visited her and had prayed over her every day, hoping that her friend would open her eyes. If she had just woken up, everything would have been okay. But she never did.
Rachel shivered and pulled her sweater around her shoulders. The waiting room was cold and empty but for one other woman who sat in the corner with a shocked expression on her face. Rachel met her eyes for a moment before quickly looking away.
The woman crossed the room and sat next to her. “I hope you don’t mind. I just can’t be alone anymo
re.”
“How long have you been waiting?”
“Hours.” The woman’s gray-green eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Black lines of mascara had left trails of sorrow down her cheeks. Blonde hair stuck out from what had probably once been an elegant chignon. She wore a sparkling red dress.
Rachel wanted to ask what happened, but didn’t want to be rude.
The woman said, “My name’s Bailey.”
“Rachel.”
“If you want me to go back to the other side…”
Rachel couldn’t decide if she wanted company or to be alone, so she didn’t say anything.
Bailey leaned back slightly. “We were at the company Christmas party. I don’t know why they have them so early in the month. I guess they know that we have other obligations. Anyway, we were driving home from the party when we got into an accident. Henry, my husband, didn’t see a patch of black ice. We skidded off the road. I was thrown out of the car on impact and ironically, it saved me. I wasn’t wearing my seatbelt. Can you believe that? I only have a few scratches but Henry…”
Rachel knew exactly how the other woman felt. Sometimes fate was a monster, claiming people before it was their time. She hoped it wasn’t Jimmy’s time. She hoped it wasn’t Brady’s time either. She needed the two most important men in her life to survive.
Bailey asked, “Who are you here for?”
“My son. Leukemia. And my… well… his father’s here to do a bone marrow transplant.”
The woman squeezed her hand. “I’m sorry to hear about your son.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m sure everything will turn out all right. Just like my Henry’s going to be fine. We’ve been married twenty-five years. He’s my soulmate. I couldn’t live without him.”
Rachel smiled through tears. “Brady, my son’s father… well… things are complicated.”
“Unfixable?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t had enough time with him…”
“When he makes it through the surgery, don’t wait to tell him how you feel. Life’s too short for petty arguments.”
