He wanted to say yes more than he wanted to breathe.
But...
“I don’t want to hurt you, Hannah. I don’t want to take advantage of the fact that you’re in a vulnerable spot right now. Maybe you think you know what you want, but—”
She pressed in closer. “If you touched me right now, you’d find me ready for you, Brody. I know what I want, and I want it right now.”
“Hannah—”
“I get it. You don’t want to hurt me. But I don’t need you to protect me. I don’t want that. I’ve protected myself from everything for way too long. I thought I could build the perfect life around myself, but I couldn’t. I wasted so much time, Brody.”
“That’s why—”
She didn’t let him finish, interrupting with an impatient shake of her head.
“When Reece was racing, he almost died, but he fought his way back. Abby’s family home burned to the ground, but then she found Reece and started a new business. She goes to her house in France now, for goodness’ sake. You had to put your life on the line every day to race, and then you hurt yourself riding a horse, but you want to get back on the track. Everyone around me takes risks. Sometimes they get hurt. But look at what wonderful things happen, too. I sit and watch from the sidelines. No more.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“Really? Do you remember when I asked you if you worry about dying when you get in the car before a race?” she asked.
Brody did remember. He thought about the safety of others on the track, and he knew the risks. They all did.
He also knew that even if he did everything perfectly, something could still go wrong, something out of his control, but he couldn’t get in a car thinking that way. He had to be all in.
When he got in the car, all he thought about was winning. Facing the unknown was part of the excitement. That was what he’d told her.
And right now, all he wanted to think about was Hannah.
He understood what she was saying, and so he did what she asked. Pushing all of his reservations, worries and what-ifs to the background, he tugged her closer. He’d walked away from her twice now, and he wasn’t going to do it again.
Brody snugged the V of her thighs against his erection and pressed upward, grinding into her. The sound she made in response, the way her lips parted, her eyes getting soft as her cheeks warmed, sealed the deal for him.
Leaning forward, he found the hard nub of a nipple, bare under the soft cotton of the T-shirt she wore, and closed his lips around it, drawing through the fabric, making her moan as she pressed back against him, her fingertips biting into his shoulders.
He wanted her naked, now.
But this was Hannah’s moment, and as much as he wanted to take her, he pulled away, reclining against the hard back of the stone bench. He pinned her with a look, loving how undone she was already.
He raised an eyebrow and smiled a challenge.
“Okay. I’m all yours, Hannah. In public, you can be my very well-behaved girlfriend, but in private...whatever you want, however you want it. If you dare...”
5
FOR A MOMENT, Hannah’s thoughts blanked. It was so easy to hand over control, to get Brody to agree and then let it happen, but clearly he wasn’t playing that particular game.
No. If she wanted this—really wanted it—she was going to have to take it.
He was calling her bluff—not that it was a bluff, really, but it had been words. Now he was telling her to make good on them.
You can’t think about failing—you think about winning, Brody had once told her. At least in his world, the results of failing could be fatal. They’d all seen crashes, seen friends and competitors hurt, and worse. He’d said that the pressure was so intense that if he thought about it too much, he’d never go out on the track in the first place.
Her second thoughts lasted less than a second. Her smile met the challenge in his eyes.
Hannah wanted to win. Big-time.
“Oh, I dare.”
Pushing everything else out of her mind and focusing only on the rise and fall of his chest, the way his hardness fit perfectly against her sex and the hunger that fed the challenge in his gaze, she leaned in and kissed him again.
It was a small kiss, almost chaste. Light, teasing and slightly naughty when she flicked her tongue out to taste him before standing up from the bench and stepping back.
Brody sat up, looking pensive. Wondering if she was changing her mind?
No way.
She grabbed the bottom of her T-shirt and peeled it over her head, throwing it at him as she let the sun filtering down into the glade play over her bare skin.
Hannah had never been completely naked outside before, in a place where someone could see her. Granted, there wasn’t anyone here except for the horses, but who knew? Maybe someone would come looking for Brody or appear on the path, out for a walk.
Even if the risks were imagined, they still sent a thrill through her as she unbuttoned her jeans, shimmying them down her legs while watching Brody’s expression grow taut with desire.
His eyes took her in as if he’d never seen a naked woman before, and that egged her on. She turned around, facing the pond, slipping her panties down as she bent slowly to take them off, one foot then the other and then threw those back at him, too.
Primal female joy rose inside of her as the slight breeze teased her exposed skin. She lifted her face to the sky, imagining herself as some magical wood nymph. Brody cursed under his breath.
“You’re so beautiful,” he said.
Turning to face him, she smiled.
He didn’t make a move except to watch, his eyes devouring her. He was letting her call the shots.
So she did.
Crooking her finger, she beckoned him in a manner as old as the ages. He stood, walked to her, and she took the edge of his shirt, pulling it up and over his head, throwing it onto the bench with her clothes.
Then his jeans, boxer briefs, boots...until he was naked there with her. Gorgeous and male, every strong muscle and angle exposed to her touch. She took advantage of that, exploring him thoroughly in the dappled light, lips chasing fingers until he was hard, jutting against her, trembling.
She was, too.
But a bite of sharp reality cut through the diaphanous haze of her desire when she remembered they were away from the house, away from—
“Wait,” Brody said roughly, reading her thoughts.
He turned to the bench, fishing something out of his jeans, cursing a few times as his fingers, clumsy with need, fumbled and his wallet fell to the ground. Then he turned back to her with what she’d thought they were missing.
“Oh, yes,” she said with heartfelt gratitude.
She took the packet from him, covered him. He was familiar in her hands, and yet this all seemed new. Unknown.
That was the end of sanity for them both.
Hannah turned to face the pond, and Brody’s arms came around her from behind. His hands covered her breasts as he buried his face in her shoulder at the same time he planted his cock deep in her sex, making her gasp, her body reacting around his.
Brody moved in long, slow strokes, pushing her higher as she bent back to press her lips to his for a deep kiss.
Hannah could feel the pleasure coiling, ready to strike, and murmured to him to stop. He did, and she motioned him to the bench, to where he’d been sitting.
Hannah grabbed her jeans and his to cushion her knees from the stone surface of the bench, crawled up over him, planting her hands on the back of the sturdy seat and then took him, deep and sure.
This was her win. The first of many, she hoped, setting a pace and losing track of everything.
As he thrust up into her, their cries and moan
s merged with the breeze and quieted the songs of the birds and frogs for several long seconds until the only sound was their breathing, filling the glade with sweet gasps.
Hannah collapsed over him, spent and slick with sweat, muscles almost too lax to think of ever standing up again.
It had been too long. Far too long without this. Without Brody. Even though it wasn’t their first time together—far from it—it was different.
Because she’d gone for what she wanted. Accepted the dare and hadn’t looked back.
She was giddy, and she immediately wanted more.
“I should have dared you more often,” Brody said, finally finding his voice as he hugged her closer.
“I wish you had,” she said, linking her arms around his shoulders. “I hope you will.”
Their skin cooled and Hannah unlinked her arms, putting space between them as she sat back on his thighs, reluctant to get dressed. This was like a dream that she didn’t want to let go of. Already, she was having a difficult time believing she’d been this bold.
“I guess we should get going,” she said, her fingers meshed with his.
“Let’s maybe swim first?”
“Oh, that would be lovely,” she said with a smile, letting him lead her to the clear green pond. Pretty white lilies floated on the surface, and Brody stood at the edge, holding her hand and gazing down into the water.
“Worried it’s cold?” she teased.
“No, double-checking for gators,” he responded seriously. “But we’re good to go.”
Hannah blinked in surprise, but let him pull her into the cool, clear water, gasping as they surfaced after submerging.
“This is wonderful,” she exclaimed, looking up at the sky through all the trees that surrounded them, cupping a lily pad in her hand and smiling at Brody. “It’s as though we’re lost in some tropical world.”
“It does have that feeling,” he agreed as he dived underneath again, his hands sliding up her legs and making her laugh as he pulled her back down under for a kiss. They relaxed and swam in the cool waters for a while, before it really was time to head back.
Emerging from the pond, the warm air dried their skin almost before they put their clothes on. When Hannah pulled herself up into Salty’s saddle, she bit her lip, loving the way her oversensitized body felt every bit of pressure from the saddle, the movement of the ride reminding her what had happened only a few minutes ago.
It had not been a dream.
But as they rode down the path, single file as the greenery closed in, her thoughts started to churn again.
Maybe her deal with Brody was as crazy as it sounded, but Hannah needed to do something crazy. Playing house while he faked his retirement was completely the opposite of anything she’d ever do. Which was what made it absolutely perfect.
She wasn’t in denial. Hannah knew she’d probably get hurt—at least a little. Being with Brody was addictive; it had been before, as well.
Or maybe she wouldn’t get hurt. She wanted to become adventurous, not tied down. She had to be sure to keep that in mind.
Finally, they emerged into the light of an open meadow and pulled up side by side again. The barns were in the distance, and Hannah looked at Brody, her serious thoughts receding.
“Race back?”
He looked pensive, but then nodded. Before she could say another word, he nudged Pepper from a walk into a run, and shot ahead of her before she could shout, “No fair!”
Laughing, she held on tight as Salty took off as well, but they weren’t able to catch Brody. He stood in the shade of the barn by a trough, letting Pepper drink while she and Salty caught up.
Hannah shook her head as she slid down from Salty, leading the horse over to the water.
“You play dirty, Palmer,” she accused playfully.
He grinned. “You snooze, you lose,” he teased.
They led the horses to the stable, where they washed and brushed them down before taking them to a shady part of the pasture. Hannah was surprised to see several large birds moving among the horses, pecking at the ground.
“What are those?”
Brody secured the gate behind the horses.
“Guinea fowl. My granddad brought a pair decades ago for pest control—they will eat every tick and mosquito around, and even clear out snakes. They kept multiplying and have been here ever since. Every now and then, when they overpopulate, we’d take one for Sunday dinner, but otherwise they just roam and keep the pastures and fields pretty free of pests.”
“Wow...I didn’t know birds could do that.”
“Yeah, chickens are good for mosquitoes, too, I guess, but we never really planned on farming birds. The Guineas seem to be more or less self-sustaining.”
“They are pretty fierce looking,” she commented as one ventured closer.
“You should see them face off over a snake. They probably scare the things to death.”
“You get a lot of snakes?”
“Mostly rat snakes, but some copperheads. The rat snakes are actually good to have around, too, but the birds don’t think so.”
Hannah shuddered as they walked back to the house. “I can’t imagine any snake being good to have around.”
“Afraid of snakes?” he asked.
“I was bitten when I was small. By a copperhead, in the Adirondacks. My father took us out camping to this island in the middle of a lake. You could only get to it by canoe. I was bitten, and we had to paddle back to the car to get to the hospital. I was in such pain. I was only seven, but I can still remember how bad it was. So, yeah, no snakes for me, thanks.”
“Aw, babe, that’s awful.”
His arm slid around her as naturally as if they’d been together for years, and her heart fluttered in her chest. Maybe more than it should as they walked back to the house.
“So how does this all work, do you think?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“Our pretending to be a couple? For how long do you think? A few weeks? A month?”
“Are you sure about this, Hannah? I thought you were traveling around, seeing the country. Why do you want to be stuck here? It might take a while to convince someone we’re in anything permanent.”
“I need your help, Brody, and so it makes sense for us to help each other. I know the score. You help me with my lack of adventurousness, and I make you look like an upstanding example of the male gender. Clearly, I have my work cut out for me.”
Her tone was light, but there was a sinking feeling in her chest that it might not be that easy. Second thoughts and worries started to crowd her thoughts, but she pushed them away.
That was old Hannah. She’d made her decision—no backing down.
“Okay, well, we could talk more about it, and play it by ear on how long we’d have to keep it up. I suppose we should make some public appearances, let people see us together, and I should probably tell Jud I’ve met someone so they can stop pestering me about it in the news,” he said, still sounding hesitant. “It will mean media appearances, Hannah. You know that, right?”
Hannah the introvert cringed inwardly, but Hannah the adventurer nodded confidently.
“It will be good exposure for me. And maybe fun...and good exposure for the blog. I’ve never been interviewed before.”
“Okay, as long as you’re sure. It is the perfect solution for me, and if I can help you, I will. But if you want to go, you should, anytime you want. And you get to be the one who dumps me, even,” he said with a grin.
“I figured as much,” she answered cheekily.
As they approached the house, the sound of tires grinding on the loose rock of the drive drew their attention, and they turned in unison to see a van approaching, parking a few yards away. A slim blonde with her long hair tied back in a high
ponytail slid out, a guy with a camera exiting the other door.
“Damn,” Brody muttered under his breath. “Well, we’re about to jump into the deep end. If you want out of this, say so now.”
“What?” Hannah asked, watching Brody’s expression tighten at the same time his arm around her shoulders did. “Who is that?”
“Marsha Zimmer. We call her Marsha Stalker as a joke, but the woman is not funny. She’s the one who broke the story on the sex club, and she’s been on me ever since. I can’t seem to turn around without her being there.”
“Who does she work for?”
“Tampa news. She’s a junior reporter, but she’s got sharp instincts. She’s been smelling blood in the water about this retirement thing, and it’s been a job trying to keep her out of my face. She wants to move up the ladder, and she’s not shy about stepping on whoever she has to.”
“Sounds like a sweetheart.”
Brody grunted in response as Marsha approached them.
“Brody, nice to see you looking well,” she said, her eyes traveling over him in a predatory way that made Hannah’s jaw clench.
“I don’t think we had an interview today, did we, Marsha?”
“No, but I was in the area, and I hoped to confirm a few rumors before I went with my latest story—”
“That would be a first,” Brody said.
“Now, now. Play nice,” Marsha said, clearly not fazed at all, from what Hannah could see.
Then the reporter’s gaze homed in on her. Yikes.
“You look familiar,” she said, narrowing her eyes, but clearly not able to remember.
Hannah had never been interviewed when she was with Brody before, but there had been some published pictures of them together. Hopefully that could work for them now. Hannah hoped her smile looked natural as she stepped forward with her hand out.
“Hannah Morgan, nice to meet you.”
Marsha shook her hand, focusing on Hannah so hard Hannah thought the woman might stare a hole between her eyes, and then Marsha’s eyes widened. Hannah could almost hear the click.
“Daytona. You were...hanging out with Brody then. I remember seeing a few pictures of you with the team.”
Rock Solid Page 6
