Don't Let Go

by Jaci Burton

  His lips curved. "Good to know."

  She laid her hands on his shoulders, letting her nails dig into him. Her physical response to being this close to him was fairly immediate as well. A rush of desire heated her, making her breasts feel heavy and swollen, and all the parts south took notice.

  "In fact, if you'd like to come back to my place tonight, I'd be happy to show my appreciation for your amazing skills in the sack."

  He arched a brow. "Is that right?"

  "Indeed." Unable to resist, she slid her fingers into the soft thickness of his hair, tilting his head back so she could lean in and kiss him.

  He cupped her butt, making her moan against his lips.

  In an instant her world tilted and she was on her back on the blanket with Brady's hard body covering hers. She wrapped a leg around his, drawing him closer. His erection brushed the most sensitive part of her, and if it wasn't for the fact they were in a very public place, she'd beg him to shed some clothes so he could be inside of her in a matter of seconds.

  He lifted his head, and she was more than happy to see him breathing as hard as she was.

  "Dammit," he whispered, before taking a nibble of her lower lip. "Now I'm going to have to ride all the way back to your place with a hard-on."

  She brushed his hair away from his forehead. "You won't be the only one suffering."

  He let out a short groan, surging against her one last time, which made her moan.

  "That's not helping," he said.

  "You started it."

  His lips curved, and if a smile could make a woman come, he should have that wickedly sexy half grin bottled and sold on the open market. He could make millions.

  He hopped up, then held out his hand and hauled her up as well.

  Brady folded the blanket while Megan scooped up Roxie and got her situated with her goggles and her chicken into the basket on the bike. Then she put on her helmet and glasses and she climbed onto the bike behind Brady.

  She wouldn't say he exactly broke speed records, but she knew for a fact he wasn't going the speed limit as they made their way back to her house.

  She had no complaints about that, since she was in as much of a hurry as Brady was to get back home. So when he pulled into the driveway, she hopped off, removed her helmet and grabbed Roxie, while Brady pulled her purse from the saddlebag. Since she had the dog in her arms, she handed over the keys to her house to Brady, who unlocked the door.

  She put Roxie on the floor and went to the kitchen and put water in a bowl for the dog. She set it down, but Roxie obviously wasn't thirsty, so she got out Roxie's blanket and the dog settled in.

  Megan looked over at Brady. "Do you want something to drink?"

  He came over and slipped his arms around her waist. "No, the only thing I want is you."

  She tilted her head back. "I'm all yours for tonight. I promise I won't even kick you out of my house."

  His lips curved as he leaned down, his lips brushing across hers. "Or your bed?"

  "Definitely not my bed. Or anywhere else you decide to have me."

  He groaned against her mouth. "Let's start with the couch, and see where we go from there."

  He lifted her shirt off as he backed her into the living room, his lips blazing a scorching trail along her throat. Her pulse instantly reacted, thrumming up a frantic rhythm that went along with the wildly out-of-control beating of her heart when Brady pulled off his shirt.

  Her legs were draped over the sofa, so he jerked off her boots, then went to work on unbuttoning and unzipping her jeans. He drew the denim over her hips and down her legs, appreciating her skin with his mouth by kissing her hip bone, her thighs, and her knees as he removed her jeans.

  She swallowed past the dry lump in her throat when he stood in front of her and toed off his boots, pulled off his socks, then made seriously sexy eye contact with her while he unzipped his jeans and dropped them--along with his boxer briefs--to the floor.

  Nothing like a gloriously hot naked man to raise the temperature in the room about forty degrees. Her skin felt raw and tingly as he climbed over the edge of the sofa and pressed on top of her.

  He threaded his fingers in her hair, his mouth coming down on hers in a kiss raging with raw animal passion. She wrapped her legs around his hips and lifted against him, a feeling of needy desperation tunneling through her nerve endings.

  He surged forward, rubbing his cock against her panty-clad sex.

  Her eyes opened and she let out a gasp.

  "You feel damp against me," he said. "Think I could make you come this way?"

  "Yes." She could think of about a hundred ways he could get her there, all without leaving the couch.

  "I can think of a better way." He lifted off of her and slid onto the floor, then flipped her legs to the floor, drawing her underwear off.

  Her legs trembled as he draped them over his shoulders, kissed her inner thighs, then put his mouth on her sex.

  She moaned and lifted against him, needing the release he promised with his tongue and lips. He was relentless in his pursuit of her orgasm, and she gladly let him control the reins as he took her on a gliding hot quest that left her whimpering and quaking as she crested, then cried out with a blistering-hot climax.

  Shaking and spent, she let herself fall lax on the sofa. Brady released her legs and then climbed between them, crawling up her body as she caught her breath.

  He brushed his lips against hers, then met her gaze with a teasing smile. "That was a good beginning."

  "It was. Now let's go for round two."

  This time, it was Megan who got up.

  "Sit," she said.

  He did, and she grabbed one of the pillows from the sofa and settled it on the floor, then kneeled.

  Brady sucked in a breath as he watched Megan shoulder between his thighs. Her hair tickled his legs and all he wanted to do was lean forward, grab a handful of it and kiss her.

  He loved her mouth, but he got the idea that she had other plans for her mouth right now, and he didn't want to derail those plans.

  His cock was tight and hard and as she took his shaft in her hands, it was all he could do not to explode right then.

  Hell, he'd been hot and hard since she'd straddled him and kissed him in the park. All he'd wanted to do then and there was kiss her, undress her, closing out every thought but getting her naked and losing himself within her.

  And now she was exceeding his every thought as she lifted up and put her mouth over the crest of his cock, flicking her tongue over the head.

  He hissed out a breath and held on to the sofa as she expertly pleasured him. He wasn't sure if watching it or experiencing it was better. All he knew was he had to hold on tight as she took him for one hell of a hot ride with her lips and tongue. And when she took him deep, he let out a groan.

  She was beautiful, with her hair spread out over his thighs, her mouth hot, wet, and unraveling him with every swipe of her tongue. His balls tightened and he knew he wasn't going to be able to hold out much longer.

  "Megan," he said, his voice croaking out her name. "You need to stop now or I'm gonna come."

  She didn't, instead stroking the base of his shaft, feeding his cock deeper into the recesses of her mouth.

  And when she made a sound, the vibration was his undoing. He couldn't hold back the rush of his orgasm. She held on to him as he rocketed through his climax, jerking into her mouth with unyielding pleasure bursts until he was left spent and shuddering and barely able to form a coherent thought.

  Megan rested her head on his thigh and looked up at him with a smile while he caught his breath.

  "Not bad for round two, either," she finally said.

  What she'd done to him. Damn. Megan was a constant surprise.

  He looked down at her and grinned. "Yeah, and round three is about to rock your world."

  "Bring it," she said.

  He pulled her to her feet and kissed her, a deeper, hotter one this time, and his passion fired to life
again. She threaded her fingers in his hair, holding him in place. He felt that need and fed off of it.

  He maneuvered her down the hall, undoing her bra as they moved in unison. Her bra ended up somewhere between the guest room and the master bedroom.

  "Condoms are in the nightstand's top drawer," she murmured against his mouth.

  He reached into the drawer and pulled one out, tossing it to the side as his fingers dove into her hair.

  He could get so lost in her, in the feel of her foot rubbing along his calf, in the way she arched her back to rub her nipples along his chest. She made him ache to be inside of her.

  And when he put on the condom and spread her legs, she looked up at him. He read wild passion in her eyes. He felt the same out-of-control beating in his heart, the mad rushing of his blood, that need to be inside of her right now.

  And when he eased inside of her, her breath caught.

  He paused.

  "Okay?" he whispered against her lips.

  "Mmm, more than okay."

  The passion-fueled tone of her voice spurred him on, made him eager to get her off again, to make her feel the same way she made him feel. He moved within her, loving how her body tightened around him. And when he kissed her, he soaked in her whimpers, the way she clasped him closer as if she couldn't get enough.

  Yeah, he knew that feeling.

  "You make me feel so good, Brady," she murmured. Her eyes were open and the naked honesty in her eyes tore him up. "I love when we're connected, when you're moving inside of me like this."

  He shuddered at her words. He'd never had a woman tell him that before. But damn if he didn't feel the same way. It was damn good to be inside of her, to be close to her like this. He'd never thought much about sex other than a means to get off, to lose himself for a few minutes and not have to think. To be completely focused on sexual release.

  But here he was, staring at those beautiful brown eyes of Megan's and actually feeling something.

  It was damned uncomfortable, but also damned amazing at the same time.

  A connection. He hadn't felt a connection to someone in a really long time.

  He slid his hand in hers and lifted her arm over her head, entwining his fingers with hers. Then he kissed her, and it was like an instantaneous explosion of sensation and feelings, as if lightning had struck him.

  And when she moved under him, when she made those sexy whimpering noises that never failed to make his balls tighten up, he wanted to take her there, to make her feel as good as she made him feel.

  He plumped her breast with his other hand and brushed his thumb across her nipple.

  She gasped, and his body responded. He knew she was going to go off.

  So was he. He couldn't help but react to her every sound, her every movement. But he waited for her, and he pulled up, watching her as she released. She let him watch her reaction, as if she wanted to give that to him, to let him know what he did to her.

  Damn if it wasn't the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen, watching her climax.

  He went after her, shuddering out his own release, burying his face in her neck as he came.

  After, he kissed her neck and lifted, smiling down at her.

  "So how was round three?"

  Her lips lifted. "It was good."

  "Just good?"

  "Exceptionally good. You don't get report cards for sex. You know it was stupendous." She pushed at his chest and he rolled off.

  "I can live with stupendous." He disappeared into the bathroom to dispose of the condom, then came back in to climb on the bed next to her.

  She rolled over to face him, nestling her shoulder under his arm.

  "Ready for round four?" he asked.

  She laughed. "Not quite yet. I need a few rounds of oxygen first."

  That made him grin. "Okay."

  "So tell me about your brother and fishing. Or any of the other things the two of you used to do together."

  His brows knit together. "Why?"

  She shrugged. "I want to know more about you. About you and Kurt."

  "I don't really like to talk about it."

  "I know." She laid her hand on his chest. "But maybe it's good to talk about it."

  He stared straight ahead and went quiet for a few minutes, and Megan was afraid she'd once again broken the spell, that Brady would hop up and leave just when things had settled between them.

  "I left town when things got bad with him," he finally said. "He'd gone from pot to crack to heroin, and I tried to get him into rehab. Shit, I tried more than once. He wouldn't go."

  She lifted her gaze to his. "Not much you could do about that. An addict has to want to get clean."

  He shifted and sat up. So did she.

  "I know. But it was tearing my parents apart, because they thought they could help him. They tried everything. Hell, I tried everything. Kurt and I had a big blowout of a fight right before I left. I told him if he was going to kill himself with that shit, I wasn't going to stay around and watch it. That's when I left."

  Her heart ached for him. "And you somehow feel responsible for him overdosing and dying."

  He didn't answer.

  She laid her hand on his arm, felt the tension there. "We all tried to get him to seek help, Brady. I ran into him at Bert's diner one day and he and I sat down at one of the booths. For some reason I thought the short past he and I had together would mean something. We stayed friends even after we decided to stop dating, so I thought talking to him might help. I told him I cared about him and I wanted him to get help."

  Brady slanted a look at her. "I'll bet that went over well."

  "He told me there was nothing wrong with him and he was fine. And then he thanked me for my concern. That was about it. We ate together and went our separate ways."

  "Yeah. He wasn't interested in hearing anyone's concerns."

  She nodded. "I wasn't the only one who tried. In the end, Kurt was the one who owned his addiction. And no one could help him if he didn't want to help himself."

  "You know, logically, I understand that. But I was family. I was closer to him than anyone else. And I was the one who walked out on him. Maybe there was something I could have done. At some point maybe I could have reached him."

  She cocked her head to the side. "You know that's not true. You would have just been here to see Kurt destroy his life."

  He was still staring at her bedroom wall as if it held all the answers he was looking for. "Maybe. I know my parents partially blame me for Kurt's death."

  Her breath caught. "What? How could they possibly blame you?"

  "Because I wasn't here."

  She shook her head. "That's not how it works. You couldn't have helped him. No one could."

  "Yeah. You're right about that."

  He finally dragged his gaze away from the wall and laid his hand on her thigh, giving her a smile, but there was no joy in his eyes.

  "Come here," he said. "You can rest against me and then we can work on round four."

  "Sounds good to me."

  She shifted and rolled over to lie against him, but the relaxed state Brady had been in after they'd made love was gone. Now it was like lying down next to a stone pillar.

  She wished she hadn't brought up his brother. She had thought maybe talking with Brady about Kurt might help.

  It had only made things worse.

  Stupid, stupid mistake.

  Chapter 19

  IT HAD BEEN a hot damn day, and Brady had spent the majority of it sanding, which meant he was drenched in sweat. He finally finished up around five thirty, figuring he'd be the last one left in the shop.

  He went in search of Roxie, surprised to find her sleeping next to Carter in his office.

  Brady leaned his forearm against the doorway. "Where's Molly?"

  "She dashed out of here early, mumbling something about shopping and showering and book club and . . . I don't think it was in that order, or maybe it was. I was only half paying attention. So I got the pup
. How did the sanding go?"

  "It was a piece of work, but I got the dents smoothed out in the passenger-side door and the rear quarter panel. All that's left is the trunk hood and I'll be ready to paint."

  "Great. I've got two more coming in for you next week."

  Brady nodded. "Guess it's good to be busy."

  Carter cracked a satisfied smile. "It makes me damn happy."

  "I'm sure it does. If there's nothing else, I'm outta here."

  "Actually there is. You got plans tonight?"

  "No."

  "Good. Come play basketball with us."

  Brady arched a brow. "Not really my thing."

  "Really. You afraid of a little healthy competition?"

  "No."

  "Good. Then you could use the exercise."

  "I just spent the better part of the day sweating my ass off. I don't think I need more exercise."

  "I'll give you that. Then come along to help me kick the other guys' asses. And there's beer and burgers after."

  This wasn't the first time Carter had asked him to join in on the group basketball game. He figured he should maybe say yes at least once.

  "All right."

  "Great. Meet you at the gym in a half hour."

  That gave Brady time to get Roxie fed and take her on a short walk. He changed into his sweats and grabbed clean clothes to take along, then headed over to the gym, where he found Carter and a bunch of the other guys already warming up.

  He was surprised to see so many of them there. Besides Carter, there was Luke, Will, Bash, Reid, Deacon, and Zach.

  Carter waved him over.

  "Hey," Deacon said as he made his way to the group. "Glad you made it tonight."

  "Thanks. Figured spending eight hours sweating my ass off over a car wasn't enough exercise."

  "Aww, you poor baby," Reid said. "The rest of us spent our workdays getting pampered at the spa. After that we all took naps. So we'll try to go easy on you."

  Brady smirked. "Yeah, you do that."

  They warmed up by taking a few jump shots with the ball, then broke up into two teams of four. Brady was on a team with Carter, Deacon, and Reid.

  Okay so maybe playing basketball was a lot different from sanding a car. He used other muscles, for sure, and he got slammed by Will as he went for a lay-up, ending up on his ass on the floor.

  Will grinned down at him and held out his hand. "You didn't really think we were going to go easy on you, did you?"

  Brady grinned back. "I was hoping you wouldn't."