Even Heroes Cry, Fords of Nashville, Book 1

by Hildie McQueen

  Valerie was a beautiful woman, her skin flawless, her features almost perfect. Behind the façade she was without depth, not one speck of caring or sweetness. The world, in her mind, revolved around her.

  Adam decided to be blunt. "You left me. It was you who ended things. I have moved on. I don't want to work things out. I want you to go back to L.A. or wherever you live and forget about me."

  Her eyes narrowed. "Who is she?"

  "What the hell are you talking about?"

  "There's someone else isn't there? Surely not that cute girl next door, the plain Jane that came over yesterday."

  "Just you and me in this." Adam stood and poured a second cup of coffee.

  Ignoring him, Valerie opened the refrigerator and peered in. "I'm going into town. I need food." She rolled her eyes at him. "My flight leaves tomorrow, so I need to stay another night. I'll give you some time alone to reconsider what is a huge mistake. Think about it. We were good together. Very good." Her hand closed over his crotch and he cursed the thin fabric of his sweat pants. "You always felt so good inside me, Adam." Valerie became bolder when his flesh reacted to her touch. Her lips pressed against his.

  Adam took her by the shoulders and moved her away. "No."

  Relief washed over him when Valerie drove off a few minutes later. He closed his eyes and leaned against the wall.

  Another day and she'd be gone. He considered physically kicking her out, and then gave up on the idea. Knowing Valerie, she'd turn it into a case of physical abuse.

  After an hour, he decided to drive into town, get out of the house maybe the fresh air would clear his head. When he passed Tesha's house, he noticed the Camaro was gone.

  He planned to start work on the backyard and put up a fence. There were plenty of projects on his list to keep him busy. One thing was to enclose a small area just off a screened porch. He had to go get a dog. His friend from the Army, James Malloy, was becoming anxious and called twice the previous week to see if he'd follow through on the promise to pick up a puppy, which he insisted as a gift for saving his life. The only repayment he needed was Malloy alive, even if on the other end of the phone sounding irritated.

  Once the fence was set up, the animal could have run of the area without him having to worry about the pup being a nuisance to neighbors.

  His truck rumbled down the road, the wind from the open windows blowing warm against his skin and he looked across the farmland.

  It was extremely hard at times to forget that Vince Bailey should be the one there, the one fixing up the house, rebuilding the classic Fairlane in the garage and the one building a fence for a dog. Not him.

  Adam served alongside Vince for two years. The guy never stopped talking about his plans for the house, what he was going to do once he left the military.

  "I'm gonna fix up the Victorian house so when I bring my future wife there, she'll not have a choice but to fall in love with me." He'd get a faraway look with a wide grin. "She'll decorate the inside and spend her time gardening and such, while I work on my car or watch a game. My dog's gonna be a German Shepard named Sargent. It will be hanging out with me in the backyard. I have it all planned out. You'll come visit me won't ya, Ford?"

  Adam heard the story so many times while they'd stood guard or attempted to sleep while keeping an ear out in case of attack. Sometimes Vince would go into so much detail that although bored at the time, now Adam didn't have to work hard to make his friend's dream come true. For two years he toiled on the house, got it to look exactly like Vince would've liked.

  It was busy downtown so it took him a bit to find a free parking spot two blocks from the hardware store in the center of town. He figured it didn't matter to park a ways away. If the hardware store had the items he needed, then he'd drive around back to load them.

  He wondered if Valerie was in town. He walked past one of two eating establishments. The Lovely café was packed with diners. Adam looked at his watch. It was almost one, still lunchtime.

  Movement inside caught his attention. A blonde swung her hair. Valerie sat at a booth with her back to him. Sharing the booth was Tesha's boyfriend, Cleve. Neither noticed him so he searched to see if Tesha was in the booth. They looked to be alone. Valerie reached for the man's hand and ran her fingers over his knuckles and in return he smiled at her and said something that made her laugh.

  What the hell?

  That was it. The woman had no morals. She professed love to him just minutes earlier and now she was trying to hook up with someone else. And the man Cleve didn't seem to have a problem with it. He turned on his heel and went back to his truck.

  When Valerie returned to Adam's house an hour later, he opened the door and placed her overnight bag on the porch. "Leave, Valerie, we're done."

  Her expression did not register shock. Instead a mocking smile curved her lips. "I don't need you, Adam. You're crazy to turn me down. I can't believe I wasted my time on you."

  "Same here."

  Chapter Seven

  The brisk, early evening air helped cool Tesha's overheated skin. Hopefully the air conditioner would be installed before the weather got hotter. Although the walls were done, the process of getting them painted and making arrangements for a plumber, an electrician, and such was taking longer than she expected. She considered if perhaps it was her only option to find people from Nashville who were willing to travel. One disadvantage of living in a small town was that labor was limited.

  Outside in her soon-to-be garden, Tesha held her face up to the full moon. Nights like these she missed David's company the most. He would indulge her love of late evening walks and would accompany her sometimes and hold her hand. He'd walk alongside in silence allowing her the quiet time she needed.

  She blinked tears away and narrowed her eyes into the darkness at strange sounds. Bright lights came from the back of Adam's house.

  The noise continued. As if someone was dragging a heavy object. It was late for someone to be working. Of course Adam seemed to keep odd hours. There was a thud and then more dragging. Curiosity got the best of her and she crept toward the back of his house.

  Out back, Adam stood with his shirt off, facing away from her. It looked as if he'd just dragged two large bundles of wire fencing. He held a tape measure in one hand and scratched his head with the other.

  It was comical when he let out a breath and looked up to the sky as if for inspiration. After a few moments, he began measuring the ground, shoving stakes into the dirt.

  If he was building some sort of pen, he was missing the fact that it would be best if he moved it closer to the trees on the side of the property. The shade would be helpful to whatever creature he planned to pen. Not only that. The current location divided the yard, making it an awkward space.

  "Why don't you tell me what you're thinking?" Tesha jumped when he spoke to her. The sound of his deep voice felt like a caress.

  "That you should build it back a ways, closer to the trees so it's shaded when it's sunny and protected from rain and such too." She went to stand near him, ensuring to keep a distance and pointed to where he'd laid a long metal pipe. "Here it will partially block your shed and pathway to the garage."

  He stared at her and then looked away. "Your boyfriend didn't stay long?"

  Tesha considered letting Adam think she and Cleve were more than friends. But this new start, moving to Tennessee was not going to start with lies. "He's just a friend. We've known each other for years."

  "I find it hard to believe the guy never made a move." His interest in her private life was an interesting change. Adam rarely spoke, much less asked questions.

  "We dated for a short while, it was...awkward at best. So we decided we were best suited as friends." Tesha decided since he'd opened the door to step right through. "What about your wife, she's gone. I take it your reconciliation didn't go well."

  His mouth tightened, but he seemed to realize it was a fair exchange he'd started. "She is my ex-wife and there will never be a reconciliation.
If anything, Valerie came here only out of morbid curiosity."

  Metal clanged when Adam dropped the tape measurer and it hit the pipe on the ground. Long strides closed the distance between them in seconds. His hands circled Tesha's waist and he pulled her against him with so much force, she gasped. His hungry mouth fell over hers just as she opened to ask what he planned. Instantly the sparks in her veins traveled to her brain because all she knew was that she had to be with him.

  Tesha entwined her arms around his waist and pulled him closer. The hardness of his body melted any resolve that may have existed. God she hoped he never stopped kissing her.

  Her lips parted and his tongue filled her mouth and she suckled it, while it tangled with hers. What was it about this man that encompassed all of her being? His touch immediately erased any surroundings, any coherent thought.

  Adam slipped his arm under her legs and the other around her waist and lifted her. He carried her to the house. Before she could protest, his lips slid from her mouth to the side of her neck causing scathing sensations so wonderful, her head fell back.

  How she needed this, to lose control with him. Truth be told, she'd dreamed and fantasied about Adam every night since meeting him. Her mind filled and went over all sorts of erotic scenes that featured a very naked and yummy Adam Ford.

  They made it as far as the screened in porch, and fell into a wicker couch where his muscular body fell over hers, the weight of him so incredibly delicious. Tesha ran her fingers through his dark thick hair when he lowered to trace his tongue from her throat to the tops of her breasts. "I--I want you," she stuttered, unable to catch a full breath. "I want you so badly, Adam."

  He yanked her dress up and slid her panties down then tossed them onto the floor. She squirmed in anticipation already wet. His eyes traveled to between her legs, and darkened. With his lips parted and chest expanding with his harsh breaths, Adam traced his fingers down her quivering stomach to the precise spot that would be her undoing and stroked her until she came. The eroticism of him watching her dissolve by his touch made her want him even more.

  Tesha moaned when he pushed her further until she lifted her hips to meet his movements. "Take your clothes off, Adam." She'd never been demanding when making love, but with Adam she wanted to make sure to get as much from him as he was willing to give.

  He straightened and continued to look down at her. Motionless and devoid of expression, his eyes took her in.

  Her breathing hitched. For a moment she panicked thinking he was not going to comply. But when his hands reached for the zipper of his pants, she relaxed and watched. Adam never took his gaze from her face as he slid the jeans down his narrow hips. Although she knew he was well built, she was not prepared for the beautiful contours of his muscled thighs. On his left thigh jagged scars marred his otherwise smooth skin. She didn't give the scarring any additional notice. Instead the thick enticing cock that jutted from between his legs riveted her.

  The prominence of his arousal took all her attention and she licked her lips. One day she'd have that part of him between her lips. Right now, she needed Adam deep inside her. With quick movements, she grabbed her bunched up sundress and ripped it off over her head. Before she could toss it, Adam was over her, his thick thighs parting her legs.

  "Wait." She pushed against his shoulders. "Protection." If he didn't have a condom, Tesha would have to kill something from frustration.

  Adam blinked. It took a moment for her words to register though the focus of taking her. "Yeah. Hold on." He dashed from the room and was back sooner than humanly possible.

  Tesha was impatient, her gaze following his every move as he tore the wrapping with his teeth and shielded himself. He leaned over her and once again pushed her legs apart to settle between them. His hot mouth covered her right breast and he suckled on her nipple with force. Tesha bucked up into him, but he did not move to enter her.

  Not giving him time to be considerate, she reached between them and took his penis directing it to her center. "I need you to take me now. Don't be gentle, I want to feel your strength, your hard body slamming against mine."

  He thrust into her with no gentleness and both groaned at the same time.

  "Yes!" Tesha grabbed his butt and pulled him further in. "Oh, God."

  Adam pulled out almost completely, his arms quivered with the effort and he pushed back inside slamming against her. Again and again, he lunged, his hips lifting high before lowering to drive his length fully in.

  Before long Tesha was lost in the abyss of their lovemaking. She shouted out his name while raking her nails down his back as he drove in and out of her in a steady pace.

  The room began to spin and she held on to him. No it was too soon Tesha didn't want to come yet. She craved to remain lost in the passion for a while longer. She forced her breathing to slow and opened her eyes to watch Adam.

  His eyes were closed; the utter beauty of the man amazed her. His long lashes swept down, contradictory to the tightness of his lips and crinkle of concentration between his brows. The thick cords on his neck and shoulders strained against his smooth sun-kissed skin and rivulets of perspirations trickled from his temples.

  Tesha gasped when his eyes opened and pinned hers. The overwhelming emotion emanating from the depths of his blue eyes made it impossible to look away, to tear from the net he cast over her.

  Her entire body shook with release and she screamed out, unable to control the tremors that came from where they were joined at her legs. "Oh, God!!" Although lost in the abyss of a myriad of sensations, she felt Adam's thrusts until he too cried out and came with the force of a man long denied.

  When he finally stopped shaking, he lowered beside her, pulling Tesha to lie on her side so they could remain joined. She lifted her leg and draped it over his hip. His eyes were closed, his chest heaving. Tesha ran a finger down the center of his pecs. "I wondered how it would be between us. You are amazing."

  He looked at her for a moment and then down to her breasts. "We're not done yet."

  "Should we worry someone may walk by and see us?" She wiggled her hips and jutted them forward to take him in deeper.

  He groaned and pulled her closer against him. "I don't care."

  She pressed kisses to his jawline and neck and was pleasantly surprised when his body began to react and he hardened fully once again. "You're beautiful, Adam." She looked up see a lightness she's never seen in his normally emotionless eyes.

  "I don't know how I feel about being called pretty." A corner of his lips lifted. "I'm going to need another condom." He pulled out and got up. Once he removed the shield, he came to her and lifted her from the settee. "Let's finish this in my room."

  The only other furnished room in the house was his bedroom. Tesha was surprised at the huge ornate four-poster bed. Soft hues of grey on the wall and bedding along with black pillows gave the room a perfect masculine feel. On both sides of the bed was a gunmetal grey painted table, with black a wrought iron base lamp. She didn't want to ruin the moment by asking, but the designer in her would not be stopped when spotting an abstract painting in shades of grey with an angry slash of red across the center over the fireplace. "Who decorated your bedroom?"

  "My mother."

  Adam's attention would not be distracted. He fell over her and began to do delicious things with his tongue from one side of her chest to the other. Tesha's eyes rolled back when he traced a hot path with his tongue down to her flat stomach.

  "Oh, no you don't." She pushed at his shoulders when he headed further south. "It's my turn to play. Get on your back, Adam."

  She was shocked when he obediently did as told and flipped over. His wary gaze however told her she'd better tread carefully.

  She'd be careful all right. The gorgeous man had nothing to fear from her. "I'm going to straddle you." Something told her it was best to tell Adam what she intended to do, to keep from surprising him.

  His eyes followed her movements as she climbed over him and then ran he
r hands down his chest. "I could spend hours exploring you." She smiled at his frown of concentration. "For now, I'll settle for licking you from here," Tesha pressed a fingertip to his left nipple, "to there." She shifted her hips rubbing his erection with her inner thighs.

  When Adam visibly swallowed and his nostrils flared, it was apparent he was game.

  He couldn't take his eyes off Tesha. Her smooth caramel skin glistened in the soft light. It took all his willpower not to reach for her tantalizing pert breasts. They were not overly large, just big enough to fill his palms. Her enticing lips curved, getting his full attention, the throbbing pulse at her throat fast and steady. "I'm going to kiss you now, Adam."

  The huskiness of her voice fell over him like soft caresses and his body reacted before she covered his mouth with hers. The kiss was sweeter than anything he'd ever tasted, soft pressed across his lips and then deepened the kiss, pushing harder, nipping and licking her way back across his mouth.

  Adam reached for her hips, but she pushed his hands away. "Uh-huh," she admonished against his mouth.

  Ever so slowly, she continued to kiss and lick him from his jawline to the juncture between his neck and shoulder. Adam moaned and clutched the bedding to keep from grabbing the vixen and rolling over her. Instead he concentrated on the feel of her weight across his midsection, of her hands sliding down his chest. Between soft breaths and murmurs, telling him what she would do to him next and her ministrations, Adam wasn't sure he'd make it much longer. Already his cock strained and throbbed, pulsing under her legs.

  "Tesha." He clammed up when her tongue darted to his right nipple. Her tongue swirled around it sending a charge down his body. "Oh shit."

  She lifted and glanced up at him. "Are you all right?"

  "Yeah. I'm trying not to come."

  "Oh." Her lips curved into a devilish grin. "I want to make you feel good, Adam."