Читать книгу Loving On the Edge 5-Book Collection: Crash Into You, Melt Into You, Fall Into You, Caught Up In You, Need You Tonight - Roni Loren, Roni Loren - Страница 14

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Brynn flinched as Davis Ackerman slammed his fist on his desk, a strand of perfectly gelled hair falling across his forehead.

“Dammit, Brynn. How could you leave the governor on hold that long?”

She stared down at her skirt, worrying the hem between her fingers and wishing—not for the first time—that she worked directly for Reid’s uncle and not for the power-happy campaign manager. “I’m so sorry. I… um… I had an emergency call on the other line. I got distracted.”

“What call could possibly be more important? He’s the goddamn governor!” Davis’s face turned the color of the cinnamon gum he incessantly chewed.

Tears brimmed her eyes, but she blinked them back. Explaining to him that her sister had called her in hysterics a minute after she thought she’d transferred the governor’s call would not win her any points. She cleared her throat. “I promise it’ll never happen again.”

“You got that right,” he said, rising from his chair, his hand still clasping a copy of the e-mail the governor had sent to him about sitting on hold so long he’d hung up. “I know Patrick has taken a liking to you, but this kind of thing will not be excused. No more mistakes, Ms. LeBreck.”

She breathed an inner sigh of relief. Thank God. No pink slip today. She nodded and stood. “Yes, sir, I understand. Thank you.”

She yanked open the office door and escaped in such a hurry she didn’t notice Reid until she barreled into him. A stack of papers dropped from his hands. “Whoa, there.”

“Shit,” she said, sinking to her knees to gather the mess. “I’m sorry, I didn’t—”

He knelt next to her and laid a hand over hers, stilling her frantic pace. “Hey, chill. It’s okay. What’s wrong?”

She glanced up to meet his gaze and died a little when a hot tear slid down her cheek. No, please, not in front of him. She wiped the moisture from her face and pulled her other hand from beneath his. “I’m fine, just in a rush.”

He glanced at the closed door behind her. “Did Davis upset you?”

She shook her head and straightened the documents into a neat stack before handing them to Reid. “It’s nothing. I made a mistake, and he was talking to me about it.”

Reid stood and set the papers onto a nearby desk, his blue eyes narrowing. “More like yelling. I could hear him from across the office. God, that guy can be such a prick sometimes. He thinks just because he landed a management position at thirty he can piss on everyone else.”

She walked past him and grabbed her purse from underneath the reception desk. “It’s not a big deal. I deserved it. I shouldn’t have messed up.”

“Hold up.” He caught up to her and grasped her shoulder, spinning her to face him. “It doesn’t matter what mistake you made. You never deserve to be yelled at.”

His touch burned through the thin material of her blouse, and the worry in his eyes made her want to cry again. She shrugged out of his reach. She would not let Reid see her shed tears. And she certainly wasn’t going to tell him why Davis yelling was the least of her worries at the moment.

She had managed to maintain her friendship with Reid, even while dodging his repeated invitations for a second date. She refused to ruin it by letting him see who she really was. “I appreciate your concern, really. But I’m fine. And I have to go. I have a bit of a family emergency to deal with.”

She hurried past him and headed for the exit door. Home. She needed to get home. Kelsey had blubbered through most of the conversation. But Brynn had gotten the gist. And she wasn’t looking forward to what she would face when she arrived.

She climbed into her ’88 Chevy and turned the ignition, but the engine didn’t fire. She gritted her teeth and twisted the key again. Nothing. Not even a click. The damn car wasn’t even trying to start. She banged her fists against the steering wheel, the tears finally escaping. “You’re going to die on me now?”

A sharp tap on the window made her jump. Reid peered in and mouthed, “You okay?”

God, couldn’t a girl get a moment alone to wallow? She grabbed a tissue from her purse and dried her face before shoving open the door. She climbed out and forced a smile. “Ever have one of those days where you wish you had just stayed under the covers?”

He grasped her elbow and pulled her into an all-encompassing hug, the sudden contact stunning her into silence.

Her first instinct was to pull back. For the last few weeks, she had carefully avoided touching Reid again, protecting herself from the internal longing she knew his touch would ­incite. But the warmth of his embrace was too delicious to reject. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had really hugged her. He smoothed her hair, and for a few luxurious seconds, she let her cheek rest against his solid chest.

He sat his chin on top of her head. “Whatever it is, sugar, let me help.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling his cologne, imprinting the feel of him on her brain so that she could access the memory later. She slipped from his hold and stepped back. “I don’t need help.”

He eyed the powder blue heap behind her. “I could call you a tow truck.”

She shook her head. She couldn’t afford to pay for a tow or for anyone to fix it once it got to the garage anyway. “Um, no, that’s okay. I’ll get a friend to come take a look at it tomorrow.”

He shoved his hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Well, then I’ll give you a ride home.”

She cringed inwardly. No way was she letting him see where she lived, much less witness what would greet her when she got there. He’d either be appalled or, worse, feel sorry for her. The thought turned her stomach. “I’m just going to take the bus, but thanks.”

He shook his head and crooked a thumb toward the shiny black pickup behind him. “Get in the truck, Brynn. You said you have a family emergency. If that’s the truth, then you don’t need to waste time on the bus. Stop being so hardheaded.”

She put her hands on her hips, ready to tell him to shove off, but then remembered the frantic edge in her sister’s voice. Her shoulders sagged as she said a silent good-bye to the friendship she and Reid shared. Once he saw who she really was, he’d bail like all her other friends always did. She gave him a dejected nod and followed him to his truck.

When she told him her address, she expected a raised eyebrow, but his face remained stoic. “I know where that is.”

They rode in silence, the muscles in Reid’s forearms flexing as he gripped the steering wheel. Clearly, she had done something to annoy him, but she didn’t have the energy for conversation. Instead, she stared out the window, watching the state of the neighborhoods decline as they passed each exit—from upper class to barely getting by in a mere fifteen miles.

By the time Reid pulled into the driveway of her family’s shoddy rental, she was burning with embarrassment. She grabbed the cool metal of door handle and didn’t dare look at him. “Thanks for the ride.”

The automatic locks clicked, preventing her from escaping.

“I’m not leaving until I know everything’s all right.” His tone brooked no argument.

She bit her lip, not knowing what to think of this version of Reid. The power that radiated off him made her insides twist with an emotion she couldn’t pinpoint. She took a steadying breath. “Okay, stay out here. I’ll come back out and let you know if I need you or not.”

He stretched an arm across the back of the seat, as if settling in for the wait, and nodded.

After disengaging the lock, she scooted out of the truck and said a silent prayer as she pushed open the front door. The small puddle of blood on the vinyl tile of the entryway and the sound of soft sobbing sent panic through her. She dropped her purse and ran for the kitchen. Her fourteen-year-old sister’s tear-stained face lit with relief when she saw Brynn. “Ohmigod, what took you so long? She wouldn’t let me call 911.”

Brynn turned toward the kitchen table. Her mother sat slumped in one of the chairs, her head resting against the back wall, one eye swollen shut.

“Holy crap, Ma, what the hell happened?”

“Hmm?” She lifted her head and peered at Brynn with her good eye. “Is that you, baby?”

Brynn groaned at the slurred words and knelt in front of her mom to check her over. Her low-cut top had been torn slightly at the vee and finger-shaped bruises marked her upper arms. The puffiness around her eye was already turning a sickly shade of purple. “Jesus.”

“Is she going to be okay?” her sister asked, wrapping her arms around herself.

Brynn frowned. Kelsey was a tough kid, but no one should have to see their own mother like this. “She’ll be okay, Kels. Thanks for calling. I’m sorry I got stuck late at work.”

“S’okay,” she said, shifting from one flip-flop to the other. “I was supposed to sleep at Becca’s tonight ’cause we have a school project to work on, but I didn’t want to leave until you got here. I can stay and help if you want.”

“Is her mom going to be home?”

“Yeah. And she said she’d drive us both to school in the ­morning.”

Brynn cocked her head toward the back door. “Go ahead. Just ring the phone when you get there so I know you arrived safe.”

She nodded, her shoulders noticeably relaxing. “Okay, are you sure?”

“You’ll only be three doors down. I’ll come get you if I need you, all right? Go get your stuff.”

Kelsey turned to head to her room, then yelped.

Reid put his hands up as he filled the doorway. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.” He looked at Brynn. “I was getting worried out there.”

Brynn glanced from Reid to her mother to the stack of empty liquor bottles on top of the counter.

Now he knew. She wanted to fold in on herself and disappear.

Reid tried to keep his expression flat as he took in the scene. He didn’t know what he had expected to find when he’d barged into Brynn’s place, but finding her with a bloodied and bruised woman had not been it.

Brynn turned her back to him but not quick enough for him to miss the horrified expression on her face. She grabbed a cloth off the table and patted beneath the woman’s nose. “I’m sorry, I forgot you were waiting. We’re fine. You can go now.”

Reid moved out of the way as the younger blonde, Brynn’s little sister he presumed, hurried past him. He shoved his hands in his pockets and took a breath. “What I can do to help?”

Her shoulders dipped as if she were carrying sandbags on them, but she didn’t turn to look at him. “Just leave. Please.”

Yeah, like that was going to happen. For the last few weeks, he had let Brynn get away with her casual rebuffs and subtle distancing. He had deserved it after the way he’d lost control on their first date. But he’d be damned if he was going to let her push him away from something like this. “I’m not going anywhere.”

She swung her head around, her eyes filling with tears and her face red with shame. “Can’t you take a hint? You’re making this worse. I don’t want you to be here to see this.”

He closed the distance between them and put a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t be embarrassed. I just want to help you.”

She winced. “I don’t need your help. I’ve been handling my mother for years, I’m a pro. So why don’t you leave, pretend you never saw this, and I’ll see you at work. Okay?”

Ignoring her request, Reid turned and walked to the refrigerator, then pulled open the freezer door. Except for the three cheap bottles of vodka, the contents were slim, but he found what he was looking for. He brought a bag of frozen corn back to Brynn. “Put this on her eye, it will help with the swelling. Does it seem like anything’s broken?”

Brynn took the bag and stared at him for a long moment before standing up and placing it on her mother’s black eye. “I don’t think so.”

“Do you think she needs to go to a doctor or the police?”

“She’ll refuse to see either.”

He nodded. “Okay, then why don’t we get her somewhere she can rest and sleep it off?”

Brynn sighed and stood. She gave her mother’s shoulder a soft squeeze. “Ma, I’m going to help you get up and walk to your bedroom, okay?”

Her mother reached up and patted Brynn’s hand. “Thanks, baby.”

Reid went around the opposite side from Brynn and gently grabbed her mother’s upper arm to help her to her feet. She stumbled a bit, but managed to stand with their assistance. With slow, steady steps they led her out of the kitchen and down the narrow hallway. Brynn bumped open one of the doors with her elbow.

The room was barely bigger than the closet in Reid’s own bedroom and looked way too neat to belong to a woman who was clearly out of control. He wondered if Brynn had led him to her own bedroom to protect herself from more embarrassment.

Brynn pulled back the sheets, and the two of them helped her mother to sit on the edge of the bed. She bent down and slipped off her mom’s heels, then placed them on a rack in the closet. Reid frowned. This wasn’t Brynn’s room, but apparently she played maid to her mother along with everything else.

“Who the hell are you?” said a slurred voice.

Reid turned to see her mother squinting at him with her uninjured eye.

He crossed his arms over his chest. “Your daughter’s boyfriend.”

She snorted. “Right.”

Brynn hurried to her mother’s side and shot him a withering look. “Come on, Ma, let’s get you into your nightgown.”

“He’ll only break your heart,” she said. “Cheating bastards—all of ’em. Believe you me. They all do it eventually. I’d be broke otherwise.”

“You are broke,” Brynn muttered, and glanced at Reid. “I’m going to get her changed. I’ll be out in a minute.”

He nodded and stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. As he made his way back to the living room, his heart broke for the girl who had quickly become the sole focus of his days. No wonder she didn’t have time for a burger. She was taking care of everyone around her. He sank into the well-worn couch and ran a hand over his face.

After his last date with Brynn, he’d thought she might be the girl he could share his secret with, but now he knew he had to keep his lips sewn shut. The last thing she needed was to hear about his sordid fantasies. Her opinion of men had already been warped enough.

No, what Brynn needed was a hero—a guy who would treat her with the respect no one showed her mother. The only question was, did he have enough self-control to be that guy?

Brynn clicked her mother’s door shut and took a ­moment to gather herself before facing Reid. She didn’t want to discuss what had happened, but she couldn’t just kick the guy out with no explanation after he’d been decent enough to help. She smoothed the creases in her black pants, straightened her shoulders, and walked toward the living room.

Reid was sitting forward on the couch, forearms on knees, and his mouth in a grim line. His black tailored shirt and expensive jeans looked out of place against the faded flower pattern of their secondhand furniture. He looked up when she sank into the love seat. “Got her in bed okay?”

Brynn kicked off her heels and tucked her legs beneath her. “Yeah, she’s already out. Thanks for helping me get her to her room. I’m beyond embarrassed that you saw all of this.”

He shook his head. “Don’t be. It’s fine.”

She scoffed, the sound holding no humor. “Fine? Yeah, I’m sure this is exactly how you spend your evenings—cleaning up an alcoholic after one of her dates decides she didn’t do enough to earn her money.”

Deep frown lines etched his face. “That’s not what I meant.”

“Why did you tell her you were my boyfriend?”

He shrugged. “It just came out. I guess it’s because I’d like to be.”

Brynn groaned. “You must be a masochist. Look around, Reid. This is my life. I’m not like the other girls at the office. I have a lot going on and hopefully am leaving for college in a few months.”

His brows dipped. “Leaving?”

“I told you that on our first date.”

“I know, but how are you going to do that with all that’s going on here?”

She shrugged. “That’s why I’m busting my ass with overtime at work. I’m going to get an apartment and take Kelsey with me—file for guardianship.”

He blew out a breath. “Wow.”

“Yeah, see what I mean? You need to go find some chick like Molly or Krista who can go and do all the fun things people our age are supposed to be doing. I’m not that girl.”

“Oh, right, ’cause those airheads at the office are awesome.”

“No, I’m serious. I mean, look, one evening with me and I bet I’ve completely messed up your plans. Isn’t Thursday college night at all the bars?”

“Come ’ere,” he said, motioning for her. Reluctantly, she rose and stepped closer to him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her down to his lap before she could protest. “I don’t want some chick. I want you. Get over it.”

She sighed. The thought of having Reid, of affording herself that little luxury for a few months, was so tempting. But their worlds existed on different orbits. “I like you, Reid. I just don’t know how anything between us could work. You have political mixers and frat parties, I have a household to run and now, apparently, crime scene cleanup. There’s no way—”

“Shh,” he said, smoothing her hair. “Stop overanalyzing every­thing. Don’t you ever shut off that busy brain and let yourself feel what you feel?”

“No.”

He laughed. “What about that night in my truck? You seemed like you were able to let go a bit. Weren’t you acting on feelings then?”

She smirked. “Well, yeah. I don’t get half-naked for guys as a personal hobby. Of course I felt something.”

“So what was different?”

She thought back to that night—the confident way he had touched her, the dirty talk, the way his kiss had made her senseless. She shifted in his lap, suddenly very aware of how close they were, and dropped her focus to her hands. “I don’t know. You took control, I guess. I didn’t have to make any decisions for a change, and it was kind of a relief.”

He put a finger under her chin and tilted her face toward him. “So why don’t we try that again? You stop worrying, we’ll order pizza and hang out tonight. You won’t have to decide on anything except meat lovers or vegetarian. Although, if you pick ­vegetarian, I may rethink this whole wanting to be your boyfriend thing.”

“No, I’m sure you had plans tonight. I don’t need a pity parade.”

He curled a lock of her hair around his finger. “This isn’t about pity. I want to be with you and it’s you who keeps coming up with excuses to get rid of me. I’m going to develop a complex.”

“Uh-huh. You look crushed.”

“I am. Shattered, really. So to help me recover, you’re going to get on that phone and order us a pizza. Then we’re going to relax, forget the previous few hours, and watch some horrible made-for-TV movie.”

She laughed, unable to maintain her foul mood around him. “So now I’m the pizza wench?”

He pointed at the phone sitting on the side table. “Yes, woman. I’m wasting away here.”

She rolled her eyes, but climbed off his lap and grabbed the phone.

Two hours and an entire pizza later, Brynn curled into the crook of Reid’s arm, feeling more content than she had in a long time. Despite the crazy evening, cuddling with six feet of yummy male made it hard to hold on to stress. And the more time she spent with him, the more her resistance to trying something with him crumbled.

Yes, they were far apart in the social stratosphere, but did that mean they couldn’t enjoy each other’s company for a little while? She’d hopefully leave for Austin at the end of the summer, he’d return to law school. With all that she had to deal with, a ­summer fling could be the one treat she allowed herself.

She craned her neck to look up at Reid. “So is this, like, your pitch to date me?”

He gave a low chuckle. “Only if it’s working.”

She sniffed. “You’re doing an okay job, I guess. It’s a very extensive interview process, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, really? What areas do I need to work on?”

She chewed her lip, then decided if she was going to go for it with Reid, she may as well do it with gusto. She scooted from under his arm and shifted around so she could straddle his lap, earning a raised eyebrow from him. “Well, you haven’t even tried to kiss me tonight.”

The playful expression on his face dissolved. “I know. I’m trying to make up for the mistakes I made on our first date.”

She frowned. “What do you mean?”

He sighed and rubbed her upper arms. “I took things too fast, and I should’ve never talked to you the way I did. I don’t know what I was thinking. I got caught up in the moment.”

The corner of her mouth tilted up. “I wasn’t exactly stopping you. I think we both lost our heads a bit.”

He pushed her hair back over her shoulders. “Why don’t we start over? Take things slower?”

A small twinge of disappointment gnawed at her belly. Yes, she had let things go too far that night, but part of her had enjoyed the rawness of it, the abandon. She nodded. “Sounds like a plan. As long as kissing is still part of the agenda.”

“Oh, definitely. Item number one, in fact.”

He curled his palm around the nape of her neck, drawing her closer, then brushed his mouth against hers. The move was sweet, a simple whisper of his lips against hers, but her body shuddered in response. She’d spent so much time the last few weeks keeping a careful distance from him and trying to forget the night in his truck that even the minute contact sent her nerve endings alight.

His fingers threaded in her hair, gently tugging her head back, allowing him access to her neck. The tender force behind the movement caused an odd thrill to rush through her. They had agreed they both wanted to take things slow, but the tension in his grasp made her think he was fighting the urge to charge forward. He kissed the tender skin behind her ear, then her jawline, leaving goose bumps trailing along her skin. Her eyelids fluttered closed as she relished the delicious decadence of his touch. By the time his mouth found its way back to hers, her whole body had flushed with heat.

His hands moved down to her waist, then braced against the tops of her legs, his thumbs making circles on her inner thighs while his tongue explored her mouth. His fingers bit into the soft flesh of her legs through the cotton of her pants. Unraveling restraint, that’s what it felt like. Like he was riding the edge of his control and if she made one wrong move, he was going to throw her down on the coffee table and rip off her clothes—an idea that frankly sounded all kinds of enticing at the moment.

Even though she told herself they were simply going to kiss, her body refused to believe it. Slick moisture flooded her sex and desire, sharp and wicked, clouded her thoughts. Unconsciously, she spread her legs wider, and Reid’s growing erection brushed against her. A low murmur of pleasure escaped her, but was quickly swallowed by his kiss.

Reid pulled back, his breathing heavy. “God, I can’t even kiss you.”

She blinked at the sudden break in contact. “What do you mean?”

He tilted his head back and raked his hands through his hair. “I think you know.”

She moved her hand to his crotch, his cock as hard as steel against the denim of his jeans. She ran her nails along the scratchy material, loving the fact that she could turn him on so quickly. “It’s okay. Apparently, we’re not so good at slow and easy.”

He groaned. “I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

She smiled and moved her fingers under the edge of his dress shirt, walking her fingertips along the ripples of his abdomen. “I just want you to be you—whoever that is.”

He lifted his head, his eyes darkening. “No, you don’t.”

He grasped her wrists and gently removed her hands from beneath his shirt, then placed a soft kiss on each one. “You’ve had a long, emotional night. I’m going to leave before we take this too far again.”

Her jaw fell open. “You’re leaving?”

He grabbed her shoulders and eased her off his lap, his expression pained. “I’m not going to risk you hating me in the morning. We’ll go out tomorrow night on a real date. If you still want this by then, I’m all yours.”

She crossed her arms over her chest, anger bubbling in her belly. “Don’t patronize me, Reid. I’m not some flighty chick who is going to jump in bed with someone because I had a bad night. And I’m not some virgin princess either. You don’t have to treat me with kid gloves. Anything I do with you is because I want to.”

Reid’s eyes turned stormy, the vibe rolling off him almost animalistic. He opened his mouth to respond.

“Brynn? I need you.” Her mother’s scratchy voice drifted from the hallway and scraped across her ears.

Fucking hell.

Reid’s expression smoothed into an unreadable mask, and he leaned over to kiss Brynn on the forehead. “We’ll talk about all of this later, sugar, when we’re both thinking more clearly. See you tomorrow at work.”

She hauled herself off the couch and stomped down the hallway. The self-righteous bastard could find his own way to the door.

Reid collapsed onto the couch of his ­darkened ­living room, his head still spinning from his disastrous make-out session with Brynn. Fuck. What was wrong with him? Thank God her mother had interrupted them. He’d been about half a second from throwing Brynn down and taking her right there—with no mercy, no restraint. He shifted his position, his dick straining painfully against the zipper of his pants.

He thought he could control himself around her, but she stirred dark urges he’d long been trying to suppress. Something about her made it next to impossible for him to act like a sane person. Brynn had been through hell—she deserved to be cherished, respected, treated like the amazing girl she was. But all he wanted to do anytime he was around her was tie her up and fuck her until she was hoarse from screaming his name and limp with satisfaction.

He tilted his head back against the couch, staring at the ceiling. Maybe his aunt was right. Maybe he needed to stick to a girl like Vanessa—one that he had no trouble controlling himself around.

But at the moment, he couldn’t even recall Vanessa’s face.

Instead, erotic images of Brynn on her knees, blindfolded and bound, flooded his mind. He groaned and closed his eyes. Automatically, his hand undid his fly and he released his straining erection.

Brynn had such a hot mouth, he knew her lips wrapping around his cock would be nothing short of heaven. He would tangle his fingers in her silky hair and command her to take all of him, to let him fuck her mouth with abandon while she held his gaze. Then he’d have his turn on her—tasting her, teasing her, pushing her limits until he brought her to an edge of bliss that, at least for a few moments, would take her away from all the ugliness in her life.

His balls tightened as the forbidden fantasy played in his mind, and in the darkness of his quiet living room, he fisted his cock and gave it long strokes from root to head. He didn’t allow himself any gentleness or finesse. Hard and rough—just like he wanted to take Brynn. He imagined her sucking him hard, scraping her teeth along the tender skin, licking the drops of fluid from the tip, offering him her sweet and utter submission.

Sweat beaded his forehead, and with one last stroke, he let out a guttural moan. Hot fluid splashed onto his shirt and abdomen, and he sank against the sofa, his breath coming in short pants.

God, he was a sick bastard. Even with his best efforts, he couldn’t fight the dangerous craving within him.

Maybe pursuing a relationship with Brynn hadn’t been such a good idea after all. She had enough demons in her own life; he didn’t need to unleash his on her, too. But now that he’d gotten close to the beautiful blonde, he didn’t know how to turn off his desire to be with her. He was going to have to find a way to slay this burning need he had before he crossed the line and scared off Brynn.

And he knew the very person who might be able to help him with that.