23. A Fork in the Road
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Brooke
A Fork in the Road
A fter work Brooke took the time to shower and curl her hair, then she put on a simple red summer dress and sandals. Looking at the clock, she started to pace: Dalton was late. Had he changed his mind? Should she change her mind? Sneaking around was going to complicate things, especially in a small town. It was so out of character for her, and yet she so wanted to have something just for herself. Finally there was a knock at the door, and she checked the peephole just in case. Dalton’s gorgeous face smiled at her on the other side.
She pushed open the screen door. Dalton stood with a huge bouquet with a mix of colorful flowers. No two were the same.
“Hi,” she breathed.
“Hi.” He held out the flowers. “I realized I don’t know your favorite flower, so I asked the florist to include one of each, so you could decide.”
No man had ever brought her flowers. Such a small thing to do, but it felt monumental.
“I know that look, you think I’m being too serious for a casual, discreet relationship. I know you don’t want anything serious, and you don’t want to risk your child support case. I respect that, but I don’t want to put limits on the time we do spend together.”
Brooke smelled the flowers, noticing the bright color of the tulip and hydrangea.
“Okay, no rules when it’s just the two of us, but we still need to be really careful.”
Dalton stepped inside and closed the door behind him. His hand looped around her waist and she stood up on her tiptoes to press her lips lightly to his, while his other hand moved up to cup her face.
“So now that you’ve got my undivided attention tonight, what did you have in mind, Dalt?”
His lips hummed along hers. “I always liked it when you called me that in high school.”
“Back when you were my Dalt.”
“I can be your Dalt now too.”
“We’ll see.” She pulled back and stepped out of his arms. “Let me put these in some water and we can go.”
He waited by the door, but she could feel his eyes on her, and when she looked up, he didn’t attempt to hide his desire. She may not know what he was thinking, but if she had to guess it was something similar to her own thoughts.
They were finally alone.
“I’m ready,” she said, grabbing her bag and walking back over to where he stood.
“Great, I made a dinner reservation.”
Brooke stopped in her tracks.
“But we agreed on low-key.”
A cocky grin lit up Dalton’s face. “Don’t worry, it’s super exclusive. You’re going to have to trust me.” He held out his hand to her.
Reaching out to grasp Dalton’s hand, she fought the fear of being discovered and decided to trust him.
Holding Dalton’s hand again after she locked up, she followed him out to his truck. Dalton opened the passenger door and helped her climb up before closing the door for her. He drove them out to his family’s huge estate down a well-traveled dirt drive, but passed the paved windy driveway to his childhood home.
“I didn’t know there were any restaurants out this far,” she said, looking at glimpses of the beach through large portions of undeveloped land.
“Like I said, it’s really exclusive, you basically have to know someone to get in.”
Another mile down a less traveled portion of the dirt road, Dalton pulled up in front of a modern bungalow painted a pale blue and with white shutters. There was an American flag blowing in the wind and a few chairs set up on the covered front steps.
“Wow, this looks like a social media post of quaint Southern beach living,” Brooke said.
“It gets better,” Dalton said, opening his door then grabbing a bag from the back seat and meeting Brooke on the passenger side of the truck. There was a breeze rolling off the beach and she found the stress in her shoulders release.
“What is it about a sunset that is so relaxing?”
The Hart family estate ran along ten miles of beachfront property, with weeping willows and long slender beach grass blowing in the breeze. The green grass of the yard surrounding the bungalow was overgrown, but there was a clearly defined path that led out to the sand.
“My mom used to say that living this close to the beach was what God intended. She’d walk the beach every morning, and always brought home a new shell she would claim was her favorite.”
“Your mom was special. I remember when they died it was like the entire town had a broken heart.”
She reached out and took his hand in hers, and Dalton cleared his throat.
“I need to mow the lawn, and maybe take down that tree,” he said, pointing to an older trunk with no leaves and changing the subject. “But Levi picked a nice piece of land for this house, even though he doesn’t seem to use it. So I’m taking it over for the summer.”
“I think my dad built this house for him.”
Dalton gripped her hand. “Then I’m definitely keeping it.”
“It’s probably better to stay in his place while you’re here than with your gran in your old bedroom, right?” She laughed.
“You mean you don’t want to have to climb that tree again and sneak out of my room if my gran figures out we’re spending time together?”
As she followed him along the beach path, the memory of that night came crashing back.
“I forgot about that day,” she lied as they walked on a short wooden dock where Dalton stopped and turned to face her.
“Weird, because that memory is seared into my brain,” he said.
It had been the summer before Dalton left town, and she’d been working at the diner every day to save up for a car. The local kids and tourists would stream into the diner for lunch then head back to the beach and another crowd would come in for dinner. But she was stuck inside all day, until the day when there was the threat of a huge tropical storm and her boss cut her loose early. She was supposed to ride her bike home, but for some reason she’d been antsy to see the beach.
The waves had gotten rough, driving all the tourists into their rentals. The sky was filled with clouds, and she’d enjoyed the blustery air after suffering through two months of hot summer days. Walking along the beach, she’d gotten distracted by all the cool shells she found, and a wave swooped in so fast it knocked her off her feet. The tide pulled her into the water, but she’d scrambled out, soaking wet. When she looked up, Dalton was running toward her and she realized how far she’d walked.
“Where’d you come from?” he’d asked, wrapping her up in a towel just as a few drops of rain fell.
Before she could answer, the sky opened up and big fat raindrops obscured her vision, but it didn’t matter since she could feel the heat of Dalton’s arm wrapped around her.
“Come on, we gotta get out of this storm.”
“I have to get home,” she’d said.
“No chance of that until the storm passes.”
He’d led her back to his house and used the back stairs to sneak her up to his room. He loaned her dry clothes and made them both hot chocolate while she texted her parents a lie, something about waiting out the storm at her best friend’s house to which they agreed was best. Then she spent the next twelve hours in Dalton’s room. They read a book together, watched TV, and she’d kissed his full lips when he fell asleep next to her with a wall of pillows between them. Then, as the sun came up, she begged him to sneak her out of his house and take her home. The roads were covered with debris—the storm had been bad—but neither of them said a word. She hopped out of his truck at the end of her street so her parents wouldn’t see, and then they never spoke about it again. But the next day her bike appeared outside her house, looking brand-new.
Dalton’s hand cupped her face and his thumb ran over her bottom lip, bringing her back to the present. The sun was sinking lower, painting the sky in orange and yellow with a kiss of pink.
“I thought you were just being nice that day.”
His slow smile looked guilty. “I didn’t want you to ever leave, but I didn’t understand why I was so drawn to you either. You were different from the other girls I knew in high school.”
“Is that why we never hung out again?”
“We hung out every week in the library, and I drank so many shakes from the diner that my belly ached all summer.”
“You didn’t come to the diner to see me—you and all your friends just didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Dalton pulled her face closer and kissed her with a tenderness that brought tears to her eyes.
“My friends hated going to the diner, especially since we had the boathouse to hang out at. But I insisted,” he whispered against her lips, then pulled away to guide her down a few steps where they stepped into the sand and kicked off their shoes.
Her mind was racing as she processed what he’d just said. She and Dalton had randomly met at the library his junior year of high school, and she’d been a sophomore. She’d helped him with a book report, and then they would occasionally run into each other. But they didn’t become friends outside of school—she assumed he felt obligated to say hi—until the night of that storm. He’d confided in her about his dream to go to the Naval Academy, and she’d told him how she wanted to move to a big city. They formed a type of friendship, but he’d never flirted with her, and she didn’t believe he’d seen her as anything more than an acquaintance. In truth she was just one of many girls at school swooning over him, even if she was more subtle about it.
But as he spread a quilted white blanket over the sand and opened up his zippered tote, she wondered for the first time if Dalton James Hart had a crush on her now.
“Is that sushi?” Brooke asked.
“Maybe,” he said, sitting down and patting the blanket next to him. “I can see those wheels turning, don’t overthink it.”
She took a seat.
“Hold this, please,” he said as he handed her an insulated stemless wine glass, just a second before pulling a bottle of chilled white wine out of his bag.
“I didn’t realize SEALs had Mary Poppins bags. What else is in there?”
“You’ll see. I hope you’re hungry,” he said, pulling out several trays of handcrafted sushi, edamame, and a seaweed salad, followed by chopsticks, napkins, and plates. “I wasn’t sure what you liked and I didn’t want to ask the chef what you usually get, so I just got a little of everything.”
She sat with her mouth shut as he pulled out a small tray to set their cups and wine on. If this was how he hung out casually with someone he wanted to hook up with for a few months, then who was she to argue? But maybe this was all a show because they technically hadn’t slept together yet. Granted she’d experienced two epic orgasms, but they hadn’t had sex. She could feel her cheeks warming at the thought of being so physically close to the man she’d had a crush on for half her life.
“Did I at least get one thing you liked?” She looked up to find confusion on Dalton’s face.
“Oh, yah, I’m just so hungry I’m not sure where to start. I don’t usually share my sushi with anyone, but in this case I can make an exception.” She recovered, then lifted her glass up to tap his. “Cheers.”
“Cheers to our first Wednesday night,” he said.
She gulped a big sip down. “Now that you say it out loud it sounds kind of silly.”
“I disagree; I think having at least one night we know we can be together is a great start, and I bet we can find a few more ways to spend time together outside of work. That is, if you decide you want to.”
She nodded and started to fill her plate with a few rolls. “I guess we’ll have to see how it goes. I’ve never had a secret hookup, so I’m not sure how this works. Maybe we’ll both get bored with each other.”
Dalton laughed and filled his own plate. They tried each roll he’d brought and then she helped him pack up the containers. The sun had almost completely set, and she wondered what he had planned next.
“I figured we could have dessert later, and there’s a room I want to show you in my new bungalow that I think you’ll love.”
She couldn’t help but laugh at the double meaning, but stood and dusted off her hands.
“This is my new favorite place to have sushi.”
They folded the blanket up as the sun made its final descent beyond the ocean, and by the time they were stepping up to the back door of the house, they were cast in the shaded darkness with only a few automatic lights on the deck to guide their steps. The back of the house was all windows, and there was a deck that ran the length of it with some outdoor seating, a firepit, and a tall chimney made of stone.
“This house is more unique than the typical Georgian-style bungalows. Your brother might have missed his calling.”
Dalton opened one of the glass doors and slid it to the side, folding several more open accordion style. They entered into a cozy living room with big white couches and a gourmet kitchen to their right.
“Wow.”
“My little brother has done pretty well in his pro baseball career, so the upgrades are impressive.”
“Um, I’d say—the bad boy of the South. Isn’t that what they call him? He had a lot of media attention last year when he flipped off the cameraman at the playoffs.”
Dalton sighed. “I never thought of Levi as a hothead, but I guess I’m wrong.”
“I’m sure it’s very difficult having the world wanting up close and personal details about you.”
Dalton stored the sushi and wine in the fridge hidden by the crisp, weathered cabinetry as Brooke moved to the sink to wash her hands. A trail of goose bumps ran down her arms as Dalton’s chest pressed against her back and he wrapped his arms around her to share the soap. He washed his hands with hers, sliding his strong hands on top with the bubbles between them. His mouth kissed her neck and he reached for the towel to dry their hands.
“I’m glad you’re here,” he said softly before he added a few more kisses to her collar bone.
“I’m glad I’m here too,” she said, turning in his arms to face him. “It’s a luxury to have time away just for myself.”
His hands gripped her hips before pulling her closer, and she could feel his swollen need pressing against her abdomen. His eyes were hungry for her, and it felt amazing. It was clear Dalton wanted her as much as she wanted him. One hand moved up her back to cradle her as the other moved in front of them to unfasten the row of small buttons of her dress. With each one the material sagged open more, revealing the simple sheer bra she wore.
“I don’t have any expectations tonight. We can do as much or as little as you want—I just want to be with you.”
She fluttered her eyes at the swell of emotion. Her breathing was heavy as she stood half exposed to him, and she ached for his touch.
“I want you, but I want all of you,” she said before shrugging out of the straps of her dress and letting it fall to the floor, revealing her simple, matching, sheer and low-cut panties.
Dalton’s eyes roved over her like a man intent on savoring the moment, but he didn’t touch her yet.
“I want you to touch me everywhere,” she said.
Then she reached her hand down to cup his hard length and stroked him over his shorts.
“I want to feel all of you.” She undid his belt and pushed his shorts to the floor, then slipped her hand beneath his boxer briefs to feel his smooth, taut, warm hardness.
“Brooke.” Her name was a strained plea.
“I know. The ache of need is so intense it feels like if you don’t touch me, I’ll explode, but first…” She pushed him back to lean against the island while she continued to stroke his cock. Then she sank to her knees and looked up as she pulled his briefs down, releasing him, and his hard length sprang toward her, eager for her attention. She smiled before darting her tongue out to taste him. He was large but she wrapped her lips around him and slowly plunged forward to take him in. His hands gripped her head and his breath sucked in. She basked in his need for her. He was desperate for her and it made her feel emboldened. She loved the smooth feel of him in her mouth. One of his hands gripped her hair as he guided their tempo, but before long he was pulling her up to stand and lifting her to sit on the edge of the island.
“You’re mine,” he said as he traced each nipple through the sheer material with his thumb and then his mouth. He devoured her with painstaking discipline, each touch thoughtful. He unhooked and discarded her bralette, then cupped her breasts as he kissed her throat.
He had her panting and gripping his T-shirt before he stepped back to take it off. She smoothed her hands over his wide shoulders, where his muscles were carved as if by an artist. His biceps and forearms flexed under her fingers.
“You’re gorgeous,” she said as her hand lingered over the jagged scar on his arm.
Then with her knees framing his hips he cupped her face in both hands.
“You’re the most enticing woman I’ve ever known, and I can’t believe it took me so long to figure this out.”
He kissed her chin and then the side of her mouth before his lips finally met hers and his tongue delved inside. The taste of the sweet citrus and vanilla of the wine was still there on his lips.
Next he cupped her bottom and pulled her tight against him as he lifted her off the counter and carried her out of the kitchen. His movements were fluid, even while carrying her as if she weighed nothing. With her head tucked into the crook of his neck she could feel the expanse of his muscular back. The power he held in his strong body was exciting and made her feel safe at the same time. She’d been alone so long it was euphoric to be cherished.
He walked her down a dim hallway into a large bedroom with a huge bed covered in white linens. He kneeled onto the bed while still holding her until he reached the center and slowly lowered her down. The cool, fluffy comforter pressed against her back was the opposite of the man hovering above her. He was all hard muscles and strength.
Dalton sat back, kneeling between her legs, and his fingers hooked into the edge of her panties before pulling them down over her hips and legs then tossing them away. But then he stopped, his hands on her ankles, looking down at her with ultimate hunger.
“I’m on the pill,” she whispered.
He nodded, his hands coasting up her shin, along her thighs, then stopping to grip her hips as he knelt closer to her. She palmed his thick, swollen cock and guided him toward her, and then his hand covered hers and he stroked the tip of his length up the folds of her wet lips.
“You’re everything,” his husky voice said as he leaned down with one hand above her shoulder and continued to stroke back and forth.
The feel of his touch along her most sensitive skin coupled with the throbbing need for more of him had her arching her back and lifting her hips.
“Please, Dalt,” she breathed.
His only response was to move closer between her thighs, spreading them wide to accommodate his hips. The warmth of his skin against hers was intoxicating. Every brush of skin, every touch put her body on higher alert. Then, with one slow thrust, he filled her completely. They both gasped. Balanced over her, he used his other hand to grip her knee, lifting it higher on one side of him. Then neither of them moved for a moment, until with one exhale he sank even deeper.
“Mine,” he repeated, looking into her eyes and beginning to pull out with painstaking patience only to drive back in as her pleasure began to pulse. Looking up at him, she watched as his muscles flexed, her hands on his biceps. He leaned forward to kiss her, and his tongue mirrored their tempo as he delved into her again and again. Her body tensed with the need to feel the release ebbing just out of reach, then his thumb was on her clit swirling her need into a frenzy.
“Look at me, please, I want to see you.”
She opened her eyes as he plunged deeper before her orgasm burst with the most exquisite pleasure she’d ever experienced. Dalton’s mouth found hers with a possessive kiss as she reveled in the sensations he evoked. Then in the next moment he was joining her with a growl of his own release. Tidal waves of gratification crashed over her, causing her body to twitch, and Dalton held her through every last one. Their breathing slowly recovered, and she had never felt so complete.
“Are you okay?” he asked as he propped himself up on either side of her, his chest flexed above her.
Laughter bubbled up and she didn’t even try to hide it. “Dalton, with your gorgeous face smiling over me and the imprint of your touch still on my body, do you really need to ask me that?”
His smile was like a gold medal gleaming just for her. “I want to be sure. I’m open to trying to improve so I know exactly what you like.”
She sat up and kissed him. “Oh, you’re more than welcome to try—over and over again if you like a challenge.”
He nipped at her chin. “Deal. I plan to try again this evening several more times.”
She could stay in his arms forever and felt exhaustion start to pull her under. Dalton moved away for a minute to grab something to clean her up and then he put a blanket over her. With her eyes closed she could hear him moving around the space and knew she should grab her phone to check on Max, but as Dalton climbed back in bed and wrapped his arm around her and pulled her back into the curve of his chest, she told herself she’d just sleep a few minutes.