31. Brooks

31

brOOKS

The ringing of his cell phone roused Brooks from sleep and he blinked groggily in the early morning light, lifting his head from his pillow.

Beside him, Maddie groaned, her eyes squeezed shut. “Who in the hell is calling at this hour?”

Brooks shook his head and silenced the damn phone on his nightstand. Whoever it was could wait. A beautiful woman had slept in his arms, and he wasn’t about to spoil the morning with a damn phone call.

“Morning, gorgeous.” He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him, then kissed her bare shoulder.

“How in the hell are you hard again?” she asked with a laugh, her eyes still closed.

“Good question. But I think I know how to fix that problem.”

She shook her head sleepily. “You already spent the entire night between my legs. I’ll be lucky if I can walk today. If that didn’t fix it, I don’t know how.”

“I’m pretty sure your mouth has magical powers, too.”

“Best I can do is a hand job,” she said, reaching back and wrapping her hand around his length.

Can’t complain about that. In fact, with her hand on him, he couldn’t think about anything else, anyway.

How he’d ended up going from a horrible start to the week last week, to an incredible night of sex with a woman he couldn’t get enough of . . . he wasn’t quite sure.

But he had.

She’d somehow brought him back from the brink.

Seen him.

He didn’t want to question how they’d gone in a week from forced interaction, to blackmail, to tenuous friendship, to . . . whatever this is .

But he felt more sure about continuing this than anything. One day at a time, for now. Until we can figure out where this is heading.

Being with her felt the closest to normal he’d felt in forever. Like he could be completely himself and she wouldn’t run away.

As her slow rub continued, he reached around and dipped his hand between her legs, returning the favor. He smiled, finding her already wet for him.

Fucking delicious woman.

“You’re not playing fair, you know. How in the hell are you ready to go again?”

Good question. He didn’t want to really know how little they’d slept. But they’d taken turns waking each other up, pressing against each other, kissing.

Hungry.

Brooks smiled, then pushed her onto her back. “Then feel free to relax.” He trailed his lips from the nape of her neck, tracing down the length of her back. As he did, goosebumps rose on her skin.

“What are you doing?”

“Taking care of my woman. I told you I was greedy.” He reached for that gorgeous ass and flipped her onto her stomach.

“Brooks . . .”

Pushing her legs apart, he cupped her ass cheeks and dropped his kisses lower. Her full body shuddered as his tongue stroked her wet pussy, then darted inside.

“Oh my God,” she gasped.

“You taste incredible, Madison.”

As his tongue made a trail down to her clit, flicking against it, his fingers slipped inside her. Didn’t matter how many times they’d had sex last night. He wanted more. Can’t get enough.

“So unfair,” she panted, then pulled away from him.

Crawling toward him, she pushed him back into the middle of the enormous bed, then straddled him. One quick, fluid motion and he was sheathed inside her. “This how you wanted to wake up?”

“I mean, I’m not going to complain.” He lifted his hands and squeezed her breasts, her head dropping back as she arched into his touch.

“You poor sex-starved man. Went a whole—what—twenty minutes without it?” She rocked against him, lifting, then lowering herself.

“Fuck, you feel so good.” Her pussy clenched around his cock at his words, and a smile spread across her face. “And I’m not the only one who kept waking up last night.”

“You’ve ruined me, you know. I can’t spend my life in bed with you in a luxury lake house. And from now on, all I’m going to think about is how much I love fucking you.”

He’d never believed in fate or destiny before, but dammit if that deer jumping in front of his car didn’t come close. Crashing into her store might just be the best thing that had ever happened to him.

Release came quickly this time and as he left her on the bed to grab her a warm washcloth, he memorized the sight of her there, flushed, satiated, and beautiful against his bedsheets. She murmured and smiled at him, reaching lazily across the bed to grab her cell phone.

We’ve ruined each other.

He was just in as much risk of not being able to recover from this night with her. But at least he had a plan. No way he could walk away from her yet.

He washed up quickly, then squeezed out a washcloth for her.

“Oh, I just wanted to tell you. I saw Jason Cavanaugh yesterday, and he extended my rental to this coming Friday,” he said as casually as he could as he started back to the bedroom. “And then for the remaining weekdays in September. Weekends were unfortunately booked.”

Maddie was seated on the bed, frowning at her phone, her expression frozen.

A thunderclap of alarm went through him. I know that look. “What?”

“Uh . . . don’t freak out.” She turned her phone toward him and held it out as he approached.

The screen had a picture of the two of them kissing on the stage the night before.

A tabloid article.

He blinked at it and pulled on a pair of boxer briefs, a knot of tension growing in the pit of his stomach. “What does it say?”

“Bad boy rocker Brooks Kent finds love with a small-town sweetheart . . . but will he break her heart?” She looked up at him anxiously.

Thank goodness. His shoulders relaxed. “That’s not actually so bad.”

“W-what do you mean?”

He sat beside her and handed her the washcloth. “There are a hundred ways they could have spun that photo, Maddie. Believe me when I tell you that’s tame by comparison.”

“And . . . you just live like this? With your every move being torn apart by people who make up whatever they want about you?”

“Pretty much. Yeah.”

She shook her head in disbelief, the wide-eyed innocence of her questions cute. “Doesn’t it ever get to you?”

“I can’t do anything about most of it. So what’s the point of worrying about it? I can practically see the next headline they make about us: Saint and Sinner.” He winked. “Little do they know the truth about you.”

“Har-har.” She shook her head and climbed down from the bed, heading to the bathroom. “It’s crazy to me. How did that picture get in the news so quickly? What, they work overnight?”

“Yup.” He grabbed his own phone. Shit. He’d missed a phone call from Ava.

About the pictures?

Probably.

“Wait—” Maddie popped her head out from the bathroom door. He loved that she was still naked. Her eyes went wide. “Did you say that you’re extending your rental?”

He smiled. “Took you long enough to hear me.”

She let out a cry of happiness and came racing out of the bathroom toward him. Throwing her arms around him, she held him tight, nearly knocking him backward. “Why didn’t you tell me this sooner? I was ready to cry thinking you’d be packing up in a couple of hours.”

He tugged her to rest against him and lay back on the bed. “I mean, I’ve been a little busy since I made the arrangement. But it turns out I’m going to need to be close to Baltimore anyway for my arraignment. And I met someone. She lives here, so I don’t want to exactly take off just as things are getting started with her.”

She ran her fingers against his chest. “And what happens on the weekends when you’re not able to stay here?”

“Well . . . maybe the girl could take me in. Or, if not, I could fly her to Paris. Abu Dhabi. Banff. You know, anywhere she wants to spend a romantic weekend with yours truly.”

“Can you fly internationally while on bail?”

“It’s a misdemeanor, so I sure as hell hope so.” He kissed the top of her head. “Any place you want to see? I’ll get us tickets for next weekend. I probably would advise against Abu Dhabi since it’s like a thirteen-hour flight, but my jet has a bed so it could be a fun one.”

She propped her chin on his chest. “You know, I had almost forgotten you’re like insanely rich until you said that. Now I just feel intimidated.” Leaning up farther, she searched his eyes, her hair draping his face. “And does this mean . . . we’re dating?”

Funny how, with her, this conversation didn’t come with the level of stress that it had in the past. Despite their conversation the night before, he understood her need to put a label on their relationship. But “defining what we are” had always had such a weightiness to it, usually involving official confirmations and press releases. Especially when the match was a setup.

With her, it meant giving her whatever title made her feel more comfortable with their arrangement. He just wanted to make her happy.

“It means we can be whatever you want to be. I’m completely at your mercy. But if the role of boyfriend is open, I’d love to apply.”

From her expression, it was clear he’d given her the right answer.

A knock on the door pulled their attention away. “Uncle Books! Uncle Books!”

Brooks smiled at the sound of Audrey’s voice. “One sec,” he called out.

Maddie pressed a quick kiss to his lips. “I’m going to shower. Make me some coffee, will you?”

“Anything for you, babe.”

She grinned, then headed back to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Damn. Much as he loved Audrey, he was tempted to tell her he was still sleeping and go join Maddie in that shower.

Instead, he got dressed and went to the door, where Audrey stood patiently waiting for him. She threw her arms around his leg, nearly hitting him in the junk, and he winced. “Hey, kiddo. Have a good time at the festival yesterday?”

“Uncle Books! Logan is gonna take me for a pony wide today.”

Brooks picked her up and carried her down the hallway toward the kitchen. “Really? A real live pony or one in a merry-go-round?”

Her eyes were giant, her eyebrows with the wide exaggerations of childhood innocence. “A live one! Wight, Mr. Logan?”

Brooks jerked his head up in surprise as he reached the living room, where Logan and Kayla sat beside each other on the couch, drinking from matching coffee mugs. Logan had clearly spent the night.

Cormac gave a jaunty wave from the kitchen, where he was frying bacon. “Morning, sunshine. Good night for the Yardleys and the Kents, I see.”

Awkward.

“Morning, Cormac.” Jackass. Brooks avoided Logan’s gaze as he set Audrey down. Whether the man was sleeping with his sister, he had to know that Brooks was banging Maddie. Her car was parked in the driveway, and that kiss on the stage had likely confirmed any suspicions.

Hopefully, the walls were soundproof. They hadn’t exactly been quiet the night before.

They had to be—he hadn’t heard anyone even come in last night.

“So I hear you’re heading for a pony ride?” Brooks asked Kayla.

She smiled, setting her hand on Logan’s knee. “Yeah, Logan has a friend who owns a horse farm. We figured it would be fun for Audrey before we have to drive back to Virginia tonight.”

“Well, just so you know, I’m extending the rental. We don’t have to be out of here until Friday. And then I can continue renting the house for all the weekdays in September.”

Kayla’s eyes widened. “Are you serious?”

Cormac let out a low whistle. “I don’t even want to know how much that costs. You still keeping the chef?”

Brooks shook his head. “Nah, I’ll figure the food part out. But you all are invited to stay as long as you want.”

Cormac turned off the burner and set a plate of bacon on the table. “I would, but I have to get back to Nashville. I’m in the studio this month doing some recording for my friend Elle Winnick.”

“Oh, I love her,” Kayla said with a grin. “She’s got such a great voice. Maybe you can introduce us. Logan likes country, too, right, hon?”

Wow. The ease with which she’d said that caught Brooks off guard. He liked that Logan made her happy—he just wasn’t sure any of this should be happening so fast for them. Especially with Audrey involved.

Logan seemed to sense the direction of Brooks’s gaze, and his eyes darted to him. “Yeah, country’s great. Not that I don’t listen to rock, too.”

“I’m not offended if you hate it. Music is personal.” Brooks crossed the room toward the plate of bacon, which was calling his name. “Any coffee left? Maddie was asking for some.”

“Miss Maddie is here?” Audrey asked, looking from Kayla to Brooks.

Amazing how quickly old, generational guilt could come back. Mom wouldn’t approve. In all Mom's time as a single mother, she hadn’t once brought a man back to the apartment to spend the night. She’d said she didn’t want to introduce anyone unless it was forever. She didn’t want them to get attached to people she couldn’t guarantee would stay in their lives.

Even though Brooks wasn’t Audrey’s father, he still felt the weight of the example he needed to set for her weighing on him heavily. His eyes met Kayla’s, and she looked away as though she knew what he was thinking.

“Um, well, much as I’m going to make it a point to come back here in the next month, I have work. So Audrey and I have to go back tonight. But we can come visit occasionally.”

He hadn’t really considered the idea that it might just be him up here in this giant house for most of the month. Alone. Maddie had a life to live, too. And while he was determined to spend as much time—and nights—with her as possible, she couldn’t always be here.

Brooks was about to grab a piece of bacon when his phone rang.

Ava.

Dammit.

He needed to deal with this sooner rather than later.

Excusing himself, he went out to the back balcony and shut the door behind him.

“Brooks, imagine my surprise when I saw you in the news again today.” Ava’s voice was startlingly warm.

“That so?” His eyes flicked out toward the lake. Despite the sun today, it wasn’t exactly warm out. He’d need to get more clothes if he was going to stay here.

“Well, I think it’s an excellent strategy. You, settling down in a small town with a slice of American pie? Absolutely. The public loves those star meets girl-next-door arrangements. Makes them feel like if they dream hard enough, it could happen to them.” Her laugh was caustic. “So when do we meet her? We need to brief her on her role, of course, and get her to sign an NDA. We’ll need a new single release on the books for you in the next few weeks, roll her into the press junket.”

Of course.

He almost laughed.

Of course.

Ava would think this was staged.

He’d promised her a well-thought-out plan to deal with his problems and had no idea he hadn’t given it the slightest bit of consideration.

“Yeah, that’s not going to happen, Ava.”

She cleared her throat. “Excuse me?”

“I’m not feeding Maddie to the wolves. Ever. This isn’t some scheme on my part. I care about this woman.”

“Oh, for Pete’s sake, you have got to be joking. Are you going to tell me you’re in love? ”

In love? No. But well on his way to falling for Maddie?

He closed his eyes, letting out a slow breath.

Absolutely.

“She’s my girlfriend,” he answered simply.

“So you mean to tell me you’ve been holed up in the middle of god-knows-where, playing house with this woman? For real? This isn’t for your image? What about your career?”

“You know what the thing is, Ava? You wouldn’t be freaking out about how to solve my problems if I didn’t make you a lot of fucking money. So maybe you hold all the cards and maybe you don’t. But it doesn’t matter anymore. Because I’m done. I’m terminating our relationship, effective immediately.”

“Now listen to me, Brooks?—”

“Anything further you have to say can go through my lawyer.” He hung up before she could continue.

Damn, that felt good.

He drew in a deep breath, setting his hands on the railing.

Maybe it had been because he’d spent the night with Madison Yardley.

Or that he wasn’t going back to LA yet.

But for the first time in a long time . . . Brooks felt free from everything crushing him under a merciless heaviness, dragging him under the surface.

He could finally breathe again.

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