1001 Dark Nights: Bundle Fourteen

by Kristen Ashley

  Once again, he found himself pulling into Holly’s driveway. He didn’t even have time to turn off the engine before the woman on his mind walked out of her house, locking the door behind her. She had her phone to her ear and was frowning as she made her way to the truck. He leaned over and opened the door so she could get in easier, and she smiled at him.

  “Okay, Ari. I’m in Brody’s truck now, but if you need me for anything, you call me. Okay? I’m so freaking sorry that your dad is a jerk and you’re going through this. Just let me know what you need, okay? Is Harper taking care of you?” A pause. “What do you mean you haven’t told Harper? Honey, you need to call him. Now.”

  Brody pulled out of the driveway as she mouthed “Sorry” over at him. He shook his head, understanding. From what he could tell, something had happened to Arianna, Harper and Holly’s friend. He hoped she was okay, considering he didn’t like it that Holly looked so worried.

  “I love you, too. Now get some rest, okay? Bye, honey.” She sighed as she tucked her phone into her purse. “Sorry about that. Arianna’s father is an asshole.” She didn’t elaborate, and he didn’t think she needed to. If it was her friend’s problem, Holly didn’t need to get into details just then.

  Brody snorted. Holly didn’t curse often, so when she did, it packed a punch. “Need me to rough him up for you?”

  Holly gave him a small smile but shook her head. “No need, but thank you. And anyway, I think Harper would be the one to rough the man up.”

  Brody tapped his fingers on the steering wheel as they stopped at a light. “I’ve always wondered what was going on between the two of them. Harper and Arianna, I mean. Harper always claims she’s his best friend and nothing more.”

  Holly shrugged and played with the strap of her purse. “I don’t know exactly since I don’t spend much time with the two of them. Arianna never has time to do anything except grab a quick meal with me these days, and before he started with Montgomery Inc., Harper was working for his old boss who was a jerk, and he never got time off either. So it was a whole mess.” She blew out a breath. “Nothing I can do about it, so I guess I should just let them deal with it on their own. It sucks, though.”

  “Yeah, it does,” he agreed. “You okay to get something to eat now? We can head back home if you’re not in the mood.”

  Holly shook her head. “I’m starving, actually. And if we go home right now, we’d both want to do something I can’t exactly do this week.”

  He grimaced for her. He’d been around women long enough not to be an idiot about that time of the month, but he was thankful every day that he was a guy and didn’t have to deal with that.

  “Well, we can get you all the food you need. They have a chocolate cake thing that’s really good too if you’re craving that.”

  She gave him a look out of the corner of her eye and snorted. “Not all women crave chocolate during their periods, Brody.”

  “No, but you mentioned you crave chocolate all the time, so I figured I had a decent shot.”

  She laughed and pushed at him softly. “You’re a dork, but yes, chocolate sounds good. In general. And I can’t believe I’m talking about my period cravings with you.”

  He shrugged. “We talk about everything else, why not that?”

  Only he knew it was a lie as soon as the words left his mouth. He’d noticed that both of them had steered clear of topics surrounding their childhoods. And while he had a reason for that on his end, he was afraid she had a reason as well. And maybe, just maybe, they were getting a little too serious too quickly for his liking. But he’d suck it up because, once again, he’d promised himself he wouldn’t hurt her.

  “You’re so weird, Brody Deacon, but I like you.”

  He pulled into the parking lot of a rundown building and winked at her. “I like you, too.”

  Her cheeks flushed, and she turned away, giving the place a once-over. “This is where we’re eating?” She sounded as if she didn’t quite believe it. Hell, he couldn’t blame her. The place had a small, faded sign in front of the door and dark windows. It looked like a place for a robbery gone bad, not a place to find good food, but he’d been inside, and he loved it.

  “I have a trucker friend who delivers here and told me about it. The place is clean, and the kitchen is spotless. It’s one of those hidden treasures around Denver everyone talks about but doesn’t go into detail on for fear of it getting overrun. The parking lot is only half full because we’re a little early for a normal dinner, but I did that on purpose. We wouldn’t be able to get a table after six without a long wait.”

  “If you say so,” she said with a laugh. “And you know, Brody, you always seem to know a guy or have a friend who knows someone.”

  He frowned when they got out of his truck, and he took her hand to lead her to the front of the restaurant. “Is that a bad thing? I mean, I guess it sounds like it’s shady or something, but it’s not. I know a lot of people.”

  And didn’t let them get too close. That’s how he kept himself sane. Of course, he didn’t say that last part.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that,” she said quickly. “You have a lot of people in a lot of different circles, and I think that speaks more to your character than anything. You’re a good guy that helps out anyone who needs it, regardless of how crazy it sounds. I mean, hello, that’s how we met, after all.”

  He leaned down and brushed a kiss on the corner of her mouth before he opened the door. “I just wanted in your pants.”

  She pushed at him. “Liar.”

  He laughed, tugging her inside, hoping once again he wasn’t making a really big mistake. The hostess smiled at Brody before glaring at Holly and then stomped them over to a corner booth. She sashayed away, and Brody winced.

  “Oh, boy, another fan of yours,” Holly put in with a laugh. “But not, apparently, a fan of mine. She looks like she’s still in high school so I’m going with a crush and not an ex?”

  He scowled at her. “Despite what our friends think, I’m not a player. And I’m sure as hell not playing with a seventeen-year-old. Her parents own the place, and I’ve known her since she was like eleven or something. She’s always given me those doe eyes of hers, but I just smile and eat.”

  Holly pointed at him with a mock glare. “That’s your problem, mister. You smile, and that dimple shows up, and women fall for you without even thinking. It’s a very dangerous dimple.”

  Had she fallen for him?

  He pushed that thought away. Of course, she hadn’t. They were having fun and would part as friends when they were through like the other women he’d dated in the past. It was far too early for serious thoughts, and he’d been careful. Hadn’t he?

  “You like my dimple?” He grinned just right so both dimples came out. Yeah, he’d been a dumbass teenager who’d practiced that look in the mirror, but he knew how to work it.

  She rolled her eyes. “Dangerous. Dimple.” She waved to her menu. “Now, what’s good here? I love Mexican by the way, so yay for spicy food.”

  He cleared his throat, a little sorry she hadn’t wanted to make out right there with the appearance of his second dimple. Maybe she was immune to it.

  Or maybe he needed to get a damn grip.

  “Everything’s good, but I like their combo platter that gives me some of everything.”

  Her eyes rounded when she looked at it. “Brody, that’s enough for four people.”

  He shrugged and pointed to one item below it. “Actually, the one you were looking at was the small combo. We can get the large combo and share if you want. And if somehow we can’t eat it all, we can take the rest to your place and eat it later.”

  She closed the menu and nodded. “Sounds like a plan. Just roll me out the door when we’re done, okay?”

  He chuckled. “Deal.”

  When they lay next to each other later that night on the couch, a random movie on TV and their bellies full, Holly groaned. “Why did you let me eat that much?”

  Brody
let out a shaky breath. “Babe, I’m pretty sure even I ate too much.” His stomach protested as he shifted on the couch to try and find a way to get more comfortable. She lay in front of him, her back to his chest so they could both see the TV without having to move. Normally, this would have made him horny as hell, but he might have done something he’d never done before.

  Gotten full.

  “This is so sexy,” she mumbled. “You literally almost had to roll me out of that place. Why was the food so good? Why did we do this to ourselves?”

  He sighed and moved his hand so it rested on her breast. He couldn’t help it; it was comfortable. “It’s a dangerous, dangerous place.”

  She patted his hand gently. “I love that you’re copping a feel right now.”

  He winced and tried to pull away, but she held him to her breast, pushing his hand more firmly into her. “Sorry. Are your nipples tender?”

  She sighed and nuzzled her butt into his crotch. He did his best to think of England or some crap so he wouldn’t get a chubby, but it was no use. She was right there, and his dick knew it. The damn thing filled and pressed closer, liking where it was at, all warm and snuggly.

  “My nipples aren’t that tender this time, thankfully. And I don’t know why, but I’m all comfy and cozy with your hand cupping me and Little Brody pressed against my butt. I’m being evil to you right now. I can help you out if you want…”

  Her voice trailed off, and he groaned. Instead of answering right away, he removed his hand from her breast and pulled the blanket on the back of the couch over them. Then he put his hand right back where it was, content.

  “When we’re both not full to the brim, I might just take you up on that offer, but I really am enjoying myself sitting and cuddling with you.”

  “Really?” she asked, her eyes bright as she looked over her shoulder.

  He kissed her neck. “Yeah. Really.”

  “Good. I like this, too.”

  She turned back to the movie on the screen, and he let out a breath. This should be worrying him. He didn’t cuddle, and he didn’t do things like this, but here he was, enjoying himself and knowing there was no place he’d rather be.

  He needed to take a step back, needed to remember why he didn’t do relationships. But with Holly in his arms, it was hard to remember that.

  And in the end, he was afraid he’d break her because of it.

  Chapter Seven

  A couple of weeks later and Holly was pretty sure she’d lost her mind.

  “Maybe this time we’re taking it too far,” Holly said with a wince. “I mean, the last thing on the list was eating too much, and literally jumping off a bridge might be pushing it.”

  Her hands weren’t shaking yet but they were close.

  Brody pulled her into his arms and kissed the top of her head. “Actually, the last thing on the list was having sex in the shower, and we did that pretty well I think. If you don’t remember, we can do it again, though this time, I’m not letting you go down on your knees for so long so you can suck me off. And I want more time on my knees so I can eat you out as you play with your pussy. Because that was so hot, I almost came, which is why I had to pull away quickly and get that condom.”

  She blushed so hard she was sure someone from space could see the redness of her cheeks. She buried her face in Brody’s chest, thankful that they were alone in the small area off the bridge and that no one could have overheard him.

  “Brody.”

  “What?” he asked innocently. There wasn’t a single innocent thing about him, and they both knew it.

  “Don’t ‘what’ me,” she said with a grin. She’d tried not to smile, but it was impossible with him around. “You can’t talk about details like that in public. We might be alone right now, but that could change at any moment.”

  He kissed her hard then, his tongue pressing into her mouth with a vigor that made her want to wrap her body around him and never let go. When he pulled away, they were both panting, and she could feel his hard-on pressing against her hip. She was pretty sure she’d soaked through her panties as well. Darn man was always doing that to her, and he was unrepentant in his glee at that fact.

  “Brody,” she repeated. “Stop it.”

  He kissed the tip of her nose. “Nope. Not gonna do it. But I will take you down to our car and away from the mountains and this bridge if you want. You said you wanted to try bungee jumping, so here we are. It was one thing on your list, but not the only thing. I’m randomly going through it rather than leading up to the big things so you don’t get that nervous anticipation that freaks you out.”

  It should worry her that he knew her so well, but instead, it made her feel like she wasn’t alone. She was making a huge mistake by trusting him like she was, by doing the worst thing possible.

  Falling for him.

  She’d seen what happened when someone from her family fell for another person, and she swore she wouldn’t do it. She’d almost done it with Jake, and yet she’d been grateful enough to realize they were better as friends.

  Falling for Brody would only make her hurt more in the end.

  Hurt so badly she wasn’t sure she’d make it.

  So instead of falling for him, today she would fall from a bridge. Attached to a bungee cord, of course, but it was still falling from a freaking bridge. Why had she put this on her list? Oh, yeah, because she wanted a little change in her life.

  Next time, she might just change the color of her sheets or something. That sounded much safer.

  “Want to head back? We can.”

  She looked up at him before kissing his jaw. If there was one thing she knew, it was that Brody would never hurt her body. Her soul or her heart? Well, that was on her. She’d just have to stop falling in love with him. He’d made no promises, and she was going to have to do her best to not look too deeply into what they had.

  Maybe if she told him more about who she was and where she came from, it would keep her safe. It would build that wall between them so neither of them got hurt.

  “Holly?”

  “Let’s do it. I don’t want to miss out on anything,” she said quickly.

  Bungee jumping would be easier than falling for him or opening herself up anyway. And after that? Well, after that, she’d figure it out.

  He tucked her hair behind her head. “If you’re sure.”

  “I am.” Maybe. She wasn’t sure of anything else, so she might as well be sure about this.

  “Okay, then, let’s go. Remember, you can turn back at any time before we start to tilt forward.”

  She elbowed him in the gut, holding back a smile. The darn man sure knew how to get right into the deep places she’d kept hidden for so long. So long, in fact, she’d forgotten she was doing it. No wonder she and Jake—or any of the other men she’d been with—hadn’t worked out.

  They hadn’t seen her.

  And yet, it seemed as if Brody did.

  Again, that was a danger she hadn’t put on her list.

  The two of them went through the instructions one more time and listened to the people in charge tell them what they needed to do and explain a little bit about what it would feel like. Of course, no matter what they said, she was pretty sure the only way she would know would be to actually do it.

  And though it scared her, she wanted to try it, wanted to feel the wind on her face and know her body was floating, if only for an instant.

  The fact that she’d be tied up to Brody along the way only made it that much better—and perhaps scarier.

  They were the second couple to go, the first couple veterans of bungee jumping. Holly had on her helmet and gear and pressed herself closely to Brody’s side.

  “This is my first time, too,” Brody whispered.

  She turned to him. “What? I thought you knew what you were doing.” She swallowed hard, her mouth going dry.

  “There are some things on my list, too. But I figured I should mention that I hadn’t done this before. Now I feel like
I did the wrong thing.”

  She shook her head and hugged him hard. “We can do this. We’ll just make it our first time together.”

  He chuckled roughly and whispered in her ear, “We’ll take it nice and slow and lose our virginities. Don’t worry.”

  She kissed him hard then sucked in a breath as the instructor called their names. With her shoulders rolled back, she got into position and followed every one of their rules and listened hard for what to do. The people in charge set everything up and triple-checked things before patting them on the shoulders, telling them what to do for the fourth time. With something like this, she’d have taken the fifth time, too.

  She and Brody were pressed tightly together, ready to literally take the plunge. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to think about that as a symbol or not, but regardless, she couldn’t think about it right then.

  Brody let out a breath. “Ready, Holly?”

  She nodded. “Ready.”

  For what, she didn’t know.

  “I’ve got you,” he said calmly. “Always.”

  Then they jumped.

  Or more like tilted to the side and fell, but it sure felt like a jump. Wind rushed past them so quickly she couldn’t scream. Her body felt weightless for a bare instant before it went too heavy and they bounced back. She couldn’t quite comprehend everything she was seeing, but she knew she’d never forget it.

  She’d never forget the way things rushed past her.

  The way the water below them gurgled and shone in the light.

  The way the wind slid over her face and slapped at her.

  And she’d never forget the smile on Brody’s face or the look of wonder that washed over him.

  Never in all her days would she forget.

  By the time the guys at the bottom pulled them down and set them apart, Holly was ready to hold Brody close and never let him go.

  “I’ve never felt more…just more!” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Oh my God, Brody, we need to do that again.”