Love Ever After: Eleven All-New Romances!

by Nina Lane

  “You haven’t asked me why I’m here yet,” Liv hinted.

  “On a hunch, I suppose it’s ’cause you’re bored and have nothing to do on a Saturday night.”

  “Close but no cigar.” She bit her lip as she smiled, looking as if she were dying to spill the beans. “Try again.”

  Brody drew the hose from the reel and turned on the water, filling Psycho’s bucket through the bars. “Let’s see…” He thought of the last time he’d seen her and rummaged through those memories for an idea. One popped into his head, and he laughed. “Jethro fired you for walking out on your shift.”

  Liv chuckled with him. “No, he didn’t fire me.” She inched back toward him, her hands crossed behind her. “But I did quit.”

  He stiffened, not expecting that. “You quit? Why?”

  Her smile beamed brighter than ever, which confused the shit out of him. Being jobless was not something to be happy about.

  Liv took the last step forward in a hop and clapped her hands once. “My agent called last night. I’m going to Nashville.”

  Chapter Eight

  Brody felt the ground slip from under him. He knew one day he’d hear those words come from her mouth, but not this soon. He wasn’t ready. She hadn’t given him time to prepare.

  “Brody?” she said, touching his forearm. “Did you hear me? I’m going to Nashville.”

  Hearing it a second time didn’t help matters. “Right. I heard you. Nashville.”

  “I cannot believe this is happening,” she said, dancing on her tiptoes in elation.

  He couldn’t believe it either. The pain of having to say good-bye to her balled up like a stone in his throat. How was he going to survive without her? “H-how soon do you leave?”

  “Tomorrow!” she exclaimed. “Oh my gosh, this is all too fast.”

  Damn right it is.

  He heard the sound of spilling water and realized Psycho’s bucket was overflowing. “Shit.” He swept past her and carried the hose to the next stall. Topping off another bucket, he tried to come to terms with Liv leaving Meeteetse. It mattered little how he felt about it. She was going to go regardless. She needed to go, because scoring a record label, recording music, and touring the country was her lifelong dream.

  But he needed her. Fuck.

  “Galven?” she asked, circling him until she stood in front of him. “Aren’t you going to say anything? Aren’t you happy for me?”

  “Of course, I’m happy for you.” He no more believed his words than she did. He had to get ahold of himself and stop acting so selfish. This was her moment to shine. Her day to rejoice. He’d had his this afternoon with Psycho.

  “Brody, seriously. What’s wrong? Why are you not happy for me? This is big shit here! Capitol Records is offering me a record label. Do you understand that? Capitol Records!”

  A horse neighed, and Brody broke eye contact with her. He glanced down at the bucket and proceeded to the next stall. Squeezing past her, he shoved the hose between the bars and into another bucket. He closed his eyes and drew a deep breath. Be happy for her! At least fake it, for shit’s sake!

  Liv marched up in front of him and planted her hands on her hips. “Seriously? This is how you react to my getting a once-in-a-lifetime deal?”

  “I’m sorry. I’m a little overwhelmed right now. What do you want me to say?”

  “Oh, I don’t know, how about ‘Liv, that’s awesome!’ Or how about ‘Wow, you did it! Your hard work paid off! Knock the socks off Nashville, babe!’ Anything! But no. You stand there and fill water buckets.”

  “The horses need water. It’s important.”

  “More important than wishing me good luck? More important than rooting me on before I venture to some strange state to chase a dream at which I’m scared to death I’ll fail? More important than saying good-bye to your best friend?” Liv’s eyes welled, and a tear trailed down her cheek. As quick as it fell, she wiped it away. “I thought out of everyone in this town, you’d be the happiest for me. That you’d be the most supportive. That you’d be my…biggest fan. I guess I was wrong.”

  Brody’s heart tore in two when he heard her voice crack. And he nearly died the minute she turned to walk away. He couldn’t let her walk out believing he didn’t care.

  “Liv, wait!” he shouted, running to turn off the water. He caught up with her and stopped her short of exiting the barn. He grabbed her arms and stared into her red, tear-filled eyes. “I do care. I care…a lot about you.”

  She wiped her tears again, this time with aggravation. “Really?” She bounced her body on one hip. “You have a strange way of showing it.”

  He squeezed his eyes shut, at a loss for how to make her understand. “I know, I know. I’m not very good at this. It’s just complicated. It’s hard, Liv.”

  “Then let me make it easy for you, Galven.” She pushed out of his grip and shot him a cold look that pierced his chest. “Good-bye.”

  Liv bypassed him again, and he panicked. “Liv, come back. Please, come back. Don’t leave. Liv…Liv…Liv!”

  She was almost to her car, and it happened. “Goddammit, Olivia Langston, I love you!”

  She stopped. Her hand froze on the door handle. From where he stood, he could see her trembling. Was that anger? Was that shock? Was that stupid of him to say, on the night before she was leaving for Nashville? Probably.

  He knew he should say something else. Something to get her to turn around and look at him, but he didn’t have the confidence to do so. He feared if he said the wrong thing, she’d flip him the bird, hop in her car, and throw gravel speeding away.

  He took off his hat with one hand and ran his other through his hair. Holding his Stetson over his heart, he gathered his bravado and drew in a breath. “Liv,” he said, his voice straining from the dryness in his throat. “I love you. I have always loved you.”

  Still, she didn’t move.

  He clenched his fists and opened his heart a little more. “I know that hearing me say that may seem really strange, coming from your best friend. But I can’t let you leave thinking I’ll be fine once you’re gone.”

  Nothing.

  It killed him that she was but ten feet away and he couldn’t see her face. He shuffled his feet, impatience setting in. “Liv, I can’t take this anymore. Either turn around and face me, or get in your car and leave. But realize this. If you leave, no one will ever love you like I do. No one.”

  Slowly, Liv turned around. Her face was wet with tears as if she’d cried a river. He’d never seen her this upset. Without so much as a word, she walked toward him. Step by step, he stared at her, having no idea what to expect. Aside from seeing the pain written on her face, he didn’t know if she was angry or saddened. With women, he heard it could go either way.

  The closer she got to him, the faster she walked. From out of the tears burst a smile so beautiful, he almost thought he imagined it. At arm’s length, she leapt into his, blessing him with a kiss hot enough to set the barn on fire.

  Brody held her tight, relishing this moment as if it were his last hour on earth. She smelled of strawberries and tasted like cinnamon and salt. Her tears mixed with whatever gum she chewed on the way there made this kiss all the more memorable, because this would be a day he’d never forget.

  Her hands came up to his face, and she pulled away, staring into his eyes. “Please tell me I’m not dreaming.”

  Brody touched his forehead to hers. “You’re not, Liv. You’re not.”

  “Then prove it.” Liv cradled his jaw, and her eyes bore into his. “Prove it to me, Brody Galven.”

  Liv’s breath staggered out of her lungs as she waited for Brody’s next move. The seconds he spent staring at her, deciphering if she was serious or not, were the longest of her life.

  “You shouldn’t have said that” was a warning, but to Olivia, the words were the promise of sweet heaven.

  He dipped his head and captured her lips, kissing her like a soldier going off to war. His hands threaded in her hair
and then down her back, squeezing her body against the hard plane of his chest muscles. She arched against him, surprised when a tiny mew escaped her. He groaned and devoured it, kissing her deeper. His tongue pierced her lips and swept through her mouth, igniting a fire so intense, she wanted to scream. The low burn between her legs turned to a raw ache, a concentrated pang that only he could satisfy.

  “I need you,” she panted. She ground herself against his rock-hard erection, hoping to ease the agony she felt building inside her. “Touch me…please.”

  Brody’s arms tightened around her, and he carried her toward his truck. He opened the passenger door, tossed his cowboy hat on the dash, and flopped her down on the seat.

  Climbing in after her, he unbuttoned his shirt and peeled it away from his shoulders. His biceps bulged beneath a colorful canvas of tattoos, and a dark layer of scruff shadowed his jaw. His blue eyes darkened with desire, while his close-cropped brown hair added an edgy look to his handsome face. He was the quintessential bad boy Olivia knew she shouldn’t fall for, but here she was, diving deep.

  He crawled across her body and hovered, smiling just a little. Brody didn’t often show happiness, as he was more the pensive, brooding type. But for once, she saw a hint of mischievousness in his expression, a playful appeal to his rugged side. And holy shit if it didn’t turn her on.

  In all the years she’d known him, she couldn’t remember when he’d looked as roguishly sexy as he did now. Perhaps it was because he lingered above her without a shirt on. Or maybe because he no longer hid how he felt about her.

  “Do you know how long I’ve waited for this, Liv? How long I’ve wanted to make love to you? Taste you?”

  He pushed up her tank and revealed her navel. Brushing a kiss across her stomach, he unbuttoned her fly and stripped off her jeans and panties. She lay there, naked from the waist down, completely exposed for him to ogle. He stood on the running board of his truck and unbuckled his belt, taking in the sight of her sex.

  “You’re already wet,” he said as he unzipped his fly. A coy smile crept across his lips, and she wondered what ran through his mind. It had to be sinful, else he wouldn’t have smiled like that.

  Her gaze fell below his waist, and she caught sight of his sizable erection. She felt her insides contract at the thought of that spearing her, pumping in and out of her like a piston. Having wild passionate sex with Brody Galven was going to be so much better than she ever imagined.

  “Spread your legs,” he commanded, stepping out of his jeans. “Wider.” He took hold of her ankle and placed her foot on the dash. “Keep it there.”

  Doing as he said, Liv watched as he lowered himself between her thighs. The anticipation of him touching her sent a thrill through her whole body. She quivered with need, her mouth falling open.

  Brody feasted his eyes on her and ran his tongue over his lips. “Touching you will be my greatest pleasure.” He petted her folds with a single fingertip until he slipped between them and brushed the sensitive nub at the top.

  She arched her back, crying out.

  He toyed with her, luring more of her uncontrollable moans. With every delicious caress, he brought her close to the edge of bliss, only to jerk her back. “Brody, please,” she begged.

  “But I’m enjoying myself. I like watching you squirm.”

  He lowered his face and licked a path from bottom to top, flicking her with his tongue. She gasped and pulled her legs together. “Finish it, Galven. I beg you.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” he drawled, spreading her knees open. “But remember, you asked for it.” Immediately, his mouth covered her, and his tongue impaled her, sweeping through her swollen flesh like a fiery storm. He was relentless and rough, skilled and savage-like. Nothing could have prepared her for this rapturous whirlpool of wicked ecstasy, not even his blunt forewarning.

  She soared so high that she’d forgotten she was sprawled across the front seat of his truck in the wide-open space of Jonas’s driveway. When Brody shifted and sat down beside her, she opened her eyes and remembered.

  He shut the door with a slam, and she bolted upright. Before she could question him about his plans in case Jonas and Ava came home, Brody grabbed her by the hips and lugged her onto his lap. She braced her hands on the window and roof, feeling his rounded head nudge her, penetrating her.

  “Brody…”

  In gradual degrees, he guided her over him, stretching her until he was thoroughly buried inside. He groaned and let his head fall back with a thud. “Have mercy, you’re so tight.”

  She rose on her knees, feeling the velvety steel of his shaft glide against the slippery walls of her channel, and lowered back down. In a slow and steady rhythm, she rode him, kissed him, and caressed every inch of his arms and chest. She’d never known this side of Brody Galven, the part of him that was sensual and kinky.

  Experiencing him in this intimate fashion brought her more joy than she’d received from her agent the night before. She’d been craving him for longer than she could remember, and until he’d kissed her so passionately, she wouldn’t have believed he felt the same. Who would’ve thought after all these years of being friends that she’d be making love to him in the front seat of his truck.

  Eager to please him more, she gripped the hem of her tank and pulled it over her head. His gaze roamed over the swell of her breasts as she unhooked the front clasp of her bra. His mouth, hot and wet, captured a nipple. He sucked hard, drawing it between his teeth and nipping. She gasped, delighting in the sensations of both pain and pleasure. She felt her center spasm, and she ground against him.

  The rough callouses of his hands scraped her bottom as he cupped her ass. While he lapped and sucked her breasts, he fondled her other opening, teasing it with the lightest of strokes. When she whimpered in his ear, he moaned in response, inserting his pinkie.

  Liv cried out at the delirious invasion, but made no effort to stop him. She trusted Brody. Always had. Yet she never imagined she’d be letting him do this. Contrary to what she would’ve expected, she liked it. She liked the thought of riding his big cock while he fingered her most private parts. It felt scandalous. Almost wrong.

  Almost.

  That was until she felt herself reaching the brink of another explosive orgasm. All thought for what was right and decent dispersed like a scent on a swift breeze. She moved along his length harder and faster. She called his name and arched her back, angling her throbbing nub of nerves against him.

  He hissed through his teeth and stopped her writhing, the points of his fingertips pressing into her pelvis. “Stop.” But it was too late for both of them. He surrendered everything and rammed inside her, spilling into her with a low growl while she convulsed around him. He bit her neck and licked away the hurt until she finally collapsed against him.

  “Oh, Galven,” she panted, letting her head fall forward on his shoulder. “That was amazing.”

  She heard a deep laugh rumble in his chest. His arms wrapped around her and hugged her tight. “Amazing will be if I can drive us out of here.”

  Liv tensed and held her breath. “Is that—” She couldn’t bring herself to say it.

  Lazily, Brody smiled. “Yep. Jonas and Ava are home.”

  Chapter Nine

  Brody couldn’t stop laughing on the inside as he drove down a two-lane back road that led toward the Langston residence. Liv sat in the passenger seat of his truck, red-faced and mortified. She stared out the windshield, her knees hiked up to her chest with her arms around them. He thought it cute that she felt embarrassed for getting caught red-handed.

  He tried to smooth things over. “I don’t think Jonas had a clue what we were doing.”

  “Right. ’Cause it’s a common thing to see a pile of jeans and underwear outside a truck when one pulls into his own driveway.”

  Brody bit back a smile. When she put it that way, it sounded twice as comical. He reached for her hand and squeezed. “One day, we’ll laugh about this, you know.”

  “I
f I don’t die of humiliation first.”

  He hated to see her upset, especially after the erotic evening they’d shared. He rested his elbow on the open window and let the cool night air blow in while he relived the heated moments he’d spent with Liv.

  “You have to admit,” he added with a sideways glance, “the look on Jonas’s face was pretty funny when he realized you were completely naked underneath my cowboy hat. Thank goodness I brought it into the truck with me.”

  Her lips twitched, and she cracked the tiniest of smiles. “Yeah, I guess it could’ve been worse.”

  Brody pondered her statement, trying to imagine a worse scenario. “With you, there’s no such thing. Every moment with you, Liv, is magnificent. My only regret is that I didn’t have the guts to tell you how I felt sooner. I would’ve liked to have more time with you before you jetted off to Nashville.” He expected some sort of reply from her, but when she didn’t, he regarded her closely. “You’re still going to Nashville tomorrow, right?”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged.

  “What do you mean you don’t know?”

  “I mean, things have changed now. There’s more to consider—”

  Brody hammered down on the brakes and pulled over to the side of the road. He threw the shifter in park and whirled in the seat to face her. “There’s nothing to consider. You’re going to Nashville, Liv, and that’s that.”

  She dropped her feet to the floorboard and cast him a stern look. “Don’t you think that’s my decision?”

  “Dammit, Liv!” he shouted, punching the cab roof. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you how I felt. I should’ve kept my damn mouth shut.”

  “What is that supposed to mean, Galven?”

  “It means I don’t want you throwing away your dreams over me. I’m not worth it.”

  “Who says I’m throwing them away?”

  “You will be if you don’t get on that plane tomorrow.”

  Liv furrowed her forehead in confusion. “Why are you so adamant about me leaving?”