Love on the Line

by J. M. Madden

  *

  Brady woke up with the hard-on from hell and sunlight streaming in on his face. He rolled over and realized Lorna had curled up beside him, with her hands folded beneath her cheek. Long lashes made little crescent shadows on her skin, and her dark pink lips were parted as she breathed.

  A warm feeling rolled through his body when he thought about waking her up with a kiss on those luscious lips. God, she had him in knots. He had tried to keep her at a distance, but it was difficult. So damn cute, and agreeable, they had more to talk about than he ever expected. The age difference bothered him, but not enough to contemplate cutting the weekend short. He never expected to be able to open up the way he had with her, and her response to his story stunned him. The wheels in his brain were turning, wondering if she were right. Maybe he hadn’t loved Carrie as much as he thought he did. He’d been depressed and out of sorts for about a week after they’d broken up before he swung into gear to get his life moving again. If he had loved her, would it have been that easy to leave? He honestly didn’t know.

  Tomorrow would be the last full day he had with Lorna. Already, the dread of packing her onto that Silver Star train headed north worried him. He had a feeling it would hurt more than when he left Carrie.

  We have a while, yet. I just have to make the most of it.

  He leaned down enough to press a kiss to her brow, and tucked her dark hair behind her ear. Her lids fluttered, and those deep blue, heart-melting eyes opened. “Hey,” he whispered.

  She smiled and stretched her arms above her head. One breast peeked from beneath the sheet. “Hey, yourself. How long did we sleep?”

  He glanced at the digital clock on the bedside table. “’Bout an hour and a half. I think we both needed it.” Though he tried to control the urge, he had to run his finger over her nipple. Yep, as soft as he remembered. Lorna moaned and shifted on the mattress. He pinched the tip and watched as her breast tightened. Leaning down, he pressed a kiss, then a lick, to the responsive skin. Fingers burrowed into his scalp to keep him there, so he wrapped his mouth around as much of her breast as he could and sucked. Her hips shifted against him.

  She bared her other breast and he shifted to give it the same attention. His right hand pushed the sheet further down and drifted. When he found the little strip of hair leading to her pussy, molten heat surged into his groin. “If you come to bed naked, you have to expect something to happen.”

  She chuckled beneath him. “Well, I did expect something, but he was already snoring when I came out of the bathroom.”

  He winked at her through his embarrassment as he grabbed a condom from the bedside table. “What can I say? You’re voracious, and you wore this old guy out. But I’ll make it up to you.” After he rolled the condom on he shifted down the bed and settled between her spread thighs. “Have I told you how beautiful you are? I love how bare you are down here.” He angled his tongue to sweep up her cleft, relishing the taste of her arousal. “And you taste like heaven, sweet and tangy at the same time.”

  Lorna moaned and shifted beneath his mouth. In between teasing licks, he complimented her body and watched as her excitement built with every word. As he teased her into a spine-cracking orgasm, he realized that he meant everything he said. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen, and been with. The thought of not seeing her again after tomorrow depressed the hell out of him.

  When she opened her arms to hold him as he slipped inside her body, he fought not to let emotion overwhelm him. This little slip of a thing had totally rocked his world. He surged into her, trying to impress upon her some elemental strength that would make her remember and come back to him.

  Whoa! Come back to him?

  He actually hesitated above her as the thought ricocheted through his brain. Then her lips curved into a smile just for him, and the panic faded. He needed to enjoy the moment and not worry what the future would hold. He rocked into her, intent on bringing her as much pleasure as possible. She widened her knees and tilted her hips up so that he slid along the length of her slit then her g-spot as he glided deeper into her body.

  Brady groaned as her orgasm started to ripple through the muscles hugging his cock, and there was no way he could stop his own release. Cradling her in his arms, he let the pleasure swallow him under, murmuring to her beneath his breath.

  *

  Tears rolled down Lorna’s cheek, and she prayed Brady would keep his head tucked as they caught their breath. She desperately needed to control her emotions. She didn’t know what the hell happened, but right there in the middle he had stopped and looked at her as if something had spooked him. Instinctively, she’d tried to reassure him with a smile, and it seemed to have worked. But something had changed. Their…dalliance didn’t seem like sex anymore. It felt deeper, more linked.

  She’d never connected with any of the men she dated. And she hadn’t been in a serious relationship since before college started, so she didn’t know what to think about the feelings swimming through her. Yes, she appreciated the sexual connection, but Brady could mean so much more to her. Her heart was already looking for a way to make the relationship survive.

  She wiped her eyes with her fingers and tried to appear normal as he lifted enough to look down at her. He grinned and kissed her, bussing her nose with his own. “So, did I make up for falling asleep?”

  Laughing, she walked her fingers up his sides, a ticklish area she’d discovered the night before. He choked on a laugh and rolled away from her to stand beside the bed. Planting his hands on his hips, he stood over her smiling, uncaring of his nudity. It suddenly hit her that this would be their next-to-last night together. Tears started in her eyes again and she had to roll away.

  The mattress depressed behind her and Brady rested a hand on her shoulder. “Lorna, honey, what’s wrong?”

  She rocked her head on the pillow, too choked up to say anything. He waited with her as she tried to regain her composure. “I just can’t believe our time is almost up.”

  The movement of his hand paused. “I know. That occurred to me too.”

  She peeked over her shoulder at him. “I’ve enjoyed getting to know you more than I can tell you. You’ve satisfied me beyond my wildest expectations sexually. You saved me from the creep in the bar. I’m so much better for having known you.”

  One side of his mouth kicked up in a slight smile. “I appreciate that. I’m glad you spotted me from the train platform and were determined enough to come after me.” He grinned at her fully and she had to shift toward him and press her lips to his.

  “Definitely my pleasure.”

  They both seemed to want to keep things light-hearted after that, which suited her fine. Brady offered to take her out for dinner and she agreed, determined to make the most of the time she had left with him. They chose a restaurant on the beach well known for its local seafood. Over calamari, he asked her what her plans were when she went back to South Carolina. The question surprised her because it was the first time he’d shown any interest in her regular life. “Well, I have several interviews lined up within the next two weeks in the Charlotte area. Two are with really great companies I would love to be a part of. I think I have a good shot at them both. But if not, I’ll range a little wider. What’s on your agenda when you head back to Tampa?”

  She watched his Adam’s apple work as he took a long swallow from his beer. “I’m sure some bonehead didn’t show up for court somewhere. I always have a list of fugitives to pick and choose from.”

  Her glance settled on the faded discoloration of his jaw. “Do you get punched often?”

  He shrugged his broad shoulders. “Anything can be dangerous.”

  Lorna knew that, but couldn’t help but be worried for him. She had no right to be. After tomorrow, she’d never see him again. She blotted her eyes with her napkin.

  “Do you miss being a cop?”

  Brady looked pensive for a while, then shook his head. “I think I miss some of the camaraderie and the perks of b
eing a cop, but I don’t miss all the political bull-shit. I have more freedom now than I ever did, but I get paid more money. Yes, back-up isn’t always handy, but I enjoy what I do. I’m still fighting bad guys, just in a different way.”

  After dinner they walked on the beach. He held her hand over a difficult patch, then continued to hold it as they walked on. It made her hungry for more than possible from the situation. Day after tomorrow she would be in South Carolina. Her family, friends and her potential jobs were all there. Everything she was used to. Brady tugged on her heart though. As strong and self-sufficient as he seemed, she’d like to think she’d given him as much enjoyment this week as he had her. She knew very little about love, and her naiveté made her fearful of saying or doing too much. Her feelings were involved now and she didn’t know how to un-involve them. And she certainly didn’t want to get hurt.

  He let go of her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, hip brushing her own as they walked. “I’m going to miss you kid.” She felt him kiss the top of her head.

  Emotion tightened her throat and she wrapped her second arm around him, squeezing. “I’m going to miss you too, old man.”

  “Old man?” he growled.

  Lorna giggled and spun away from his tickling fingers. They played on the moonlit sand for hours, walking up to hotel bars, dancing and trying to forget.

  CHAPTER NINE

  ‡

  Lorna woke before Brady and stared up at the ceiling for several minutes, enjoying the quiet time. The morning sun was slanting through the drapes and she could already tell it was going to be a beautiful day.

  Brady slept like the dead, legs spread and one muscled arm thrown up over his head. As Lorna sat up in bed she realized he had pushed her into the high corner of the mattress. Leaning down onto one elbow, she looked at the delectable man laid out before her.

  She wondered what would happen if she lifted the sheet and kissed him good morning. The plan was sound, so she followed through.

  At the first press of her lips to his cock, he began to rouse. His body didn’t move, but his hardening flesh certainly did. And when she took him into her mouth, he roused even more quickly.

  Lorna loved going down on a man, and Brady definitely appreciated the attention. Wedging herself between his spread legs, she danced her mouth up and down his length. When his heavy hand landed on her head and began to guide her movements, she let him. He groaned beneath her.

  “Fuck, Lorna, you’re going to kill me doing this.”

  She knew he didn’t mean it. Gripping his cock in her hand, she did every trick she knew, and a few others she created. He shifted as if to pull her up his body, but she wanted him to come like this, so she pulled out of his grasp. Her body demanded attention as well, but she wanted to do for him first. “I want you to come, just like this.”

  The words made his eyes open, and flare with arousal when they looked down the length of his body. Lorna knew she looked good, her ass in the air and her breasts hanging to brush his thighs as she moved. Brady apparently thought she looked good as well, because his thighs began to flex spasmodically with her steady up and down movements. Within just a couple of minutes, he reached the limit of his control. When Lorna took him as deep into her mouth as she could, he gripped the sheets beside his hips and cried out.

  His release hit the back of her throat and Lorna fought to hold onto him as he shuddered beneath her. He made a sound in his throat that was so incredibly sexual, and his hand came down on the back of her head as his body played its pleasure out.

  When he finally collapsed to the bed, panting, sweat beaded on his brow, she thought he was going to tell her how great she had been.

  “Fuck, woman, you’re going to kill me doing that,” he gasped.

  Lorna giggled, reaching for a discarded towel to wipe her hand off. “I’m sorry. I won’t do it any more.”

  Brady groaned, scrubbing a hand over his face. “Hell. I’ve never come like that before.”

  His arms flopped to the side and Lorna leaned in against him. He curled his hand around her back and pulled her tight against him.

  It took Brady several minutes to get his breath and composure back. But as soon as he did he rolled her to her back and pressed a kiss to her lips. “I’ve never had a wake-up like that before.”

  Grinning, Lorna wrapped her arms around his neck. “Then you were over due.”

  “Hm,” he agreed, running his hand down her body.

  Lorna arched like a cat beneath his touch. While she had loved going down on him, she would appreciate some reciprocal attention.

  Then his hand went to the apex of her thighs, and the moisture there. “Oh, babe. I can see you need attention as well.”

  Lorna appreciated that he could even recognize that fact. She’d been with men before that didn’t. They’d have fun and leave, and she’d be left to take care of her own satisfaction.

  Brady didn’t just grab at her clit, though. He took his time, sweeping his finger around her entrance, readying her body. Lorna angled her legs out, but he paused.

  “Where’s your backpack?”

  It took her a moment to comprehend what he was asking. “Should be over by the balcony, somewhere.”

  His heavy form left her and she heard him rummaging across the room. When he returned, he had an ornery grin on his face and her slim blue vibrator in his hand. Lorna was surprised, but secretly pleased as well. He turned the machine on as he crawled onto the bed and lay down upon her right leg. She expected him to plunge it inside and to fuck her with it, but instead he took a slower approach. He started with her breasts, gently rubbing the plastic over her nipples and down the line of her stomach. She giggled when the machine hit her piercing and chattered, but the sound faded away as he buried it into her wetness.

  “Oh, damn,” she sighed.

  Brady rocked the vibrator into her body, his movements strong and steady. Then he lifted up on one hand and leaned over her to press a kiss to her parted mouth. His tongue teased at her teeth, then swept inside to taste her. Lorna gasped at the assault, but wrapped her arms around his neck to hold him to her. Everything combined to make her feel like he was having sex with her—making love to her—himself.

  Brady’s focused attention quickly brought her to a hard orgasm. As she arched beneath him, he took her nipple into his mouth. Lorna cried out, clutching his hair in her hands, praying that he would go just a little bit longer. She was not disappointed.

  They drifted off to sleep after that, just for a bit. When they roused, wrapped in each other’s arms, it felt very … complete, and satisfying. It felt like they’d done everything and now needed to get on with their day.

  So, they headed to the shower and made plans.

  They ended up going tourist. Cocoa Beach was one of those places that was close to a lot of things, including Cape Canaveral and NASA, which catered to the huge amounts of tourists that surged into Florida every summer. As they sat eating breakfast in the resort’s dining room, they each scrolled through their phones looking for something that appealed to them.

  “I say we each choose one thing to do today,” Lorna said. “And the other has to go along and be a good sport.”

  Brady nodded. “I think that’s reasonable. This is what I want to do.”

  Lorna expected him to show her deep-sea fishing or a NASA tour or one of the speedboat rentals. No. He turned his phone to show her a kayak company that offered guided tours through the mangroves in the local estuary, where they were likely to see dolphins and manatees raising their young.

  She lifted her brows and grinned at him as she turned her own phone for him to see.

  “Well,” Brady said with a laugh. “I guess we’re going kayaking.”

  They drove his truck the few blocks to the beach access where the kayak company was located. Though they hadn’t made a reservation the tour guide squeezed them into the next tour going out. They shared a yellow kayak, and Lorna thought for sure they were going to tip over.
“For a man that lives in Florida you have the balance of a gorilla. What the hell, dude?”

  Brady laughed, even as the boat jerked beneath them and he settled. “Hey, you have your bikini on, so I assume you want to swim.”

  “Not because you’ve dumped me in the ocean,” she groused, but the entire situation was funny. As competent and reserved as Brady seemed, it was nice to see him in the exact opposite light. Lorna had kayaked before, so the movement of the boat beneath her felt right. And once Brady settled in and began to paddle, his skill grew.

  They followed the tour guide through the mangroves. Trails had been cleared, but in part they were a little overgrown and it took some skill to navigate the path. When the guide paused and pointed out toward a sheltered cove, they all paused to look at the pod of dolphins playing in the shallows. It took several long minutes of watching them before they noticed the small shape of the baby dolphin in the center of the group. It stuck close to the mother’s side and did not appear to be very old.

  “The mangroves provide a huge amount of protection to the wildlife,” the sun-wizened woman told them, adjusting her hat. “Now we’ll go see the manatees.”

  They paddled for another twenty minutes, away from the dolphins. Lorna didn’t notice anything different until shapes began to move around their boat. “Brady, look!”

  The animals were massive, much broader than the kayak itself, and Lorna was so glad they were fairly peaceful animals. She and Brady floated on the water as they watched the manatees move and graze beneath the bright, clear water. They were within touching distance. There were several babies with this group as well and Lorna took the time to dig out her phone to snap some pictures. Then, feeling completely self-conscious, she held the phone out and snapped a picture over her shoulder of she and Brady together. It wasn’t perfect but it was better than nothing.