29. Ro
The second Brody disappeared from view, I scrambled to the jetty”s edge, my damp feet slipping against the timber. There was no sign of him. He couldn’t have drowned. From memory, he was a superb swimmer, and the water here was only waist deep. I scanned the surface until a scraping sound came from below me. Wood on wood.
As I leaned out to peek under the jetty, a blond head emerged from the gloom. Within a heartbeat, Brody strode out, pulling an old rowboat behind him. The water caused his jeans to cling to his slim hips, and I wet my bottom lip.
“Are you crazy?” I giggled. “You’re gonna get soaked.”
He shrugged, tipping his head to one side and sending me a look that a thousand women would kill for. All smoldering and delicious. “I remember some crazy girl swimming out to our boat once. She didn’t mind getting soaked.”
I pulled in the tiniest breath. “You remember that?”
“I’ve never forgotten. In fact, I think that was the day I fell in love with you..”
My cheeks fired hot. “I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about that? It was hardly my best moment.” From my hazy recollection, he’d held my hair for me as I’d puked my guts up after my first taste of beer.
“But it was one of mine, and I’m so sorry it’s taken me this long to admit how I feel.” With a slosh of water, Brody brought the boat to rest in the water below. “Will you join me?”
I met his eyes, finding nothing but love and mischief in them. Just as I always remembered. I swallowed. He did love me, and maybe he was right. He always had. Hadn’t it been the same for me? I’d been all-in with Brody as long as I could remember. And now we could be together.
There was no way I would lower myself into anything gently, let alone this boat. Nope. If I was going to cast myself adrift with this man, I would go feet first. Make a splash. Immerse myself in everything we could be together.
A soft breeze rustled through my ponytail, and I grinned before slipping off the side of the jetty. The moment I hit the water, the rude crash of chill hit my skin, and I almost went under. A muscular arm circled around me, though, and I gasped as Brody brought me into his chest. Steadying myself against him, I looked into his eyes, his smile, and those soft, soft lips of his. Without a word, he dipped down and picked me up with one arm. He brushed his lips against mine before pulling the boat closer, leaning his weight on one side and gently tipping me in.
I clambered across the old tarps in the hull and scooted to sit on the little plank seat toward the back. My wet skin slapped against the worn wood. The boat lurched alarmingly to one side, and I gripped the edge of the hull as Brody climbed in after me. His jeans were saturated now, and his T-shirt clung to him like a second skin. He leaned over the side, sculling one large hand through the water.
The boat slowly pulled away from the jetty, and we moved out into the center of the lake. Not only did this man come with a killer smile and the body of Adonis, but he had oars for hands. I could only imagine what that meant for other parts of his physique.
“What are you grinning at?” he asked, mid-stroke.
“You.” How could I explain to him how perfect everything was? I moved my fingers to touch the band of stitches around my finger. My leap into the lake left them soaked, but the gift was so simple and so sweet. “I was just wondering what your fans would say if they could see you now. Crocheting, hanging out with nerdy girls in boats.” Brody winked at me, and my gut tugged low down.
We stopped in the middle of the lake, and he kneeled in the hull. The gentle lapping of water caressed the boat’s sides. “Do you think Mrs. Woodcock can see us here?”
I giggled. “Unless she has a submarine hidden in the reeds, I’d say we’re safe.”
Brody lifted a brow and shifted his position, moving the tarps around to make a little nest at the pointy end of the boat. He brushed at the canvas. “It’s dirty.”
My cheeks lit hot. “Then let’s join it.”
His eyes darkened, and one corner of his mouth lifted. Brody gave me just enough time to suck in a breath before he moved toward me. With his eyes full of fire, he lifted me off the seat and laid me on the tarps with a crunch of brittle canvas. It was hardly a five-star hotel bed or a cozy blanket in a cornfield for our first time, but even with the smell of dust tickling my nostrils, I wouldn’t swap this little row boat for the world.
Brody kneeled above me, running his eyes over my face and then my T-shirt. “You’re wet.”
If only he knew. I squirmed a little under his gaze, keenly aware of every flaw in my body. He’d be used to drop-dead gorgeous women. Women who didn’t have bruises on their shins from skating. Women who always waxed within an inch of their lives. I swallowed.
“And you also look terrified,” he said.
“I’m just cold,” I lied. I mean, it was partially true. My T-shirt was more than a little damp, and even I could see my hardened nipples straining against the cotton.
Brody shifted a little. Maybe his kneeling on the bottom of the boat hurt his leg. Even so, the corners of his mouth lifted, and his voice dropped to a husky whisper. “I can warm you up if you like.” He gripped the bottom of his T-shirt and pulled it over his head, peeling it off slowly. The muscles of his chest rippled at the movement, and my eyes traveled straight to the chiseled slab of his stomach, and the trail of fair hair disappearing beneath his waistband.
I must have laid there with my mouth hanging open because Brody lifted a brow and smirked. “Something wrong?”
My chest thudded. He knew the effect his body had on me. I may as well hang a neon sign around my neck that said, “Not used to having hot sports gods strip for her.”
“Nothing’s wrong. Everything is perfect.” Was it just me, or was my voice a little too squeaky?
He threw his shirt down and edged closer. The boat wobbled a little, and I rolled into him as he settled at my side. At least with the tarp, neither of us were at risk of getting splinters. Brody rested his head in his palm, and his blue eyes drilled into mine. With the softest smile, he brought his hand to my face, brushing my cheek with his thumb. “How about we start where we left off?”
My heart boomed in my chest. From memory, we’d left off just as I’d come embarrassingly fast and hard against his hand. Still, I’d gladly give it another go-around, just for old times’ sake. I nodded, and the corners of his eyes crinkled.
He took a long breath, then trailed his fingertips along the pale skin at my waist. “I remember you asking me to touch you.” Brody dragged his fingers higher, nudging at the bottom of my T-shirt, shifting it further up my ribs. “Do you want me to touch you again?”
Practically squirming under his hand, I chewed at my lip. He was teasing me! Taking his time on purpose. Of course, he was. This was Brody. I’d expect nothing less, but it didn’t mean I had to play along.
“I remember things differently. I touched you first.” With my words, I brought my hand down to grip his hard length through his wet jeans. Just like before, in my room, he tipped his head back and groaned. I moved again, stroking him through the denim. “Do you remember this, Brody?”
He nodded, touching my neck, kissing the skin there, and sending a shiver through my body. “How could I forget?” With those words, he shifted to move over me, the bulge of his cock grazing against the zipper of my shorts. At the contact, my core tugged, and it was all I could do to stop my hips from chasing the sensation. From slamming into him. I reached out to grip one hard buttock. In response, Brody passed his tongue gently across my bottom lip, his breath in my mouth. “This time, I want to taste you.”
My pulse combusted in my veins, and I fought to steady my breath at the thought of Brody’s mouth on me. I could think of nothing more perfect. “I’d like that.”
Brody pushed up on his arms with the tiniest smile, muscles firing and tensing underneath his skin. The buzz of crickets on the shore scorched the thick early summer air as he raked his eyes over me, over my damp top, and across my breasts. His chest moved faster and harder than before. “Damn,” was all he rasped out before he joined me back on the canvas. His mouth crashed against mine, his wall of a rib cage pressing against me.
A whirlwind of sensations ran through my body, need, desperation, and a pulsing ache low down in my belly. I wanted this man so damn much. Wanted all of him. And fast, before I exploded and scattered in a shower of debris to float on the lake.
With a shift of his weight, Brody nudged up my T-shirt and took one breast into his mouth. He circled his tongue around its hardened peak. At the same time, his fingertips played with the other, teasing and pinching until I thought I’d go mad with desire. I let out a tiny moan and at the sound, he traced a pathway down my ribs with his tongue.
Slowly, far too slowly, Brody undid my buttons. He punctuated each pop of metal against cotton with kisses that traveled lower and lower. The skin of my stomach tingled, and by the time he’d undone the last, I was a quivering mess, ready to agree to anything he suggested.
With the graze of his scruff on my hip, Brody tugged my shorts down, their damp cotton heavy and clinging to my skin. He stripped them off, along with my panties, and our eyes met for the briefest of moments before he gently nudged my thighs apart.
The second his tongue found my center, I was a lost cause. His persistent strokes, the glorious feel of him against my heat, rendered me a hopeless wreck. Completely lost at sea.
I tangled my fingers in his hair as time and time again he sent me higher. Rocketed me to the stars. Launched me soaring into a free fall of sensation and crazy need. A need to own Brody. To feel him inside me. To never let him go.
“Brody, I…please...” I had no idea what I was going to say. What I was even asking for, but at that moment, I looked down, and our eyes met. At the flash of white-hot flames, the touch paper he’d lit reached its destination, and an exquisite pulse of pure bliss washed over me. Years of pent-up desire. Countless hours of dreaming about moments just like this swept under me, over me, carrying my body and my heart to the edge before shattering me against the rocks.
I cried out his name, just as I had in my room, only this time I didn’t care who heard.
When, finally, my waves of pleasure subsided, Brody brought his lips to my inner thigh, his gaze still smoldering. He grinned. “You don’t know how long I’ve wanted to do that. I want to make you as happy as you make me.”
The look of pure joy on his face tugged at my heart. I had to say something. Tell him just how I felt. Finally, confess how much he meant to me.
“I love you,” I whispered, bringing my hand down to cup his face. “With all my heart. No questions, no reservations. No regrets. I’m yours.”
He ran his eyes over my face, as if, searching for a sign I was lying or joking. For the longest beat, he waited, but then his grin returned. “Mine. In all senses? I mean, I have to ask. What exactly does that cover?”
“Sorry?”
He nudged onto his elbows. “I mean, do I get the first choice of cinnamon rolls in the diner on Wednesdays? Do I get to hold your pom-poms when you’re in between routines at the cornhole games? Do I get to tell everyone you’re the only woman I could ever love?”
My heart swelled in my chest. “I’m not sure I can extend my affection to the cinnamon rolls, but the rest of your demands seem reasonable. I may have a demand or two to add into the mix.”
Brody leaned in and kissed my inner thigh again. “I’m all ears.”
I smiled. “I want more than your ears. I want everything about you. Every part.” He kissed my skin again, eyes firmly on mine. But he didn’t move, didn’t say a word. Was he seriously not taking my hint? “Brody. I’m not playing. I’d happily go over the last few minutes on repeat, but I need you inside me. Please don’t make me beg.”
He glanced over his shoulder, looking back toward the town. Was he looking for an escape route?
“What are you doing?”
Brody shimmied up and landed a kiss just above my belly button. “I was just making sure Mrs. Woodcock wasn’t lurking on the bank. Hadn’t strapped a listening device to a frog. I’m not sure she would approve of such a request from her protégé. It would mark the end of your stretch as the Virgin Mary.”
“Oh, ha-ha.” He always had to tease me, but I could hardly contain my smile. “If you don’t want me, there’s plenty of hot bird watchers or bull riding fans who might.”
His brow furrowed for a moment before he moved up to join me, rocking the boat alarmingly. “Oh, believe me, I want you. In fact, I want you so bad it hurts. Like, it literally hurts.”
I sat up. “What do you mean?” Did he have a malfunction in his equipment downstairs? Had our little aquatic adventure given him a case of barnacles?
He lay on his back, eyeing me from beneath half-closed lashes. “All this crawling on deck has sent my leg into a world of pain.” He wiggled his eyebrows. “I may need a stiff massage to get everything working again. And I know you’re the only woman who can bring me back to life.”
Well, call me a nurse and put me in charge of resuscitation. If Brody needed help to bring any body part back to life, I’d happily oblige. I reached down, my fingers sliding up his inner thigh before running them along his zipper. A solid bulge greeted my touch, and as I trailed my hand along its length, he closed his eyes and sucked in a breath through his teeth.
“Are you sure you need help? You seem just fine to me.”
“You can’t blame a man for trying, and I intend never to miss an opportunity to feel your hands on me.”
“You’re nuts.” I giggled.
“For you? I am.”
He reached up and threaded a hand around my neck, pulling me gently into him, bringing my lips to his. Their softness pressed against me until he slowly traced a line along my lower lip, and I opened my mouth to him. Our tongues circled as we explored each other. Kissing Brody was still a novelty, and I wanted to know everything. Make up for wasted time.
With blood pulsing in my ears, he slid his other arm around my back and under my T-shirt. His fingers sent a shiver of goosebumps over my skin. Holding me tight, Brody lifted me a little and guided me onto his lap, straddling his hips.
After a beat, I broke our kiss, coming to stillness with my hands on his abs, tracing the lines of his muscles. Now, it was my turn to tease him. “Are you sure your leg is up to this? I mean, I don’t want to injure you any further.” As I spoke, I ran my fingers up his pecs, dragging my nails gently across their planes.
Tiny muscles danced under his skin at my touch, and he tugged on his bottom lip. “I want this just as much as you, but you’ll need to drive.”
A smile grew on my lips. “Not a problem. I have my license.”
He huffed a gentle laugh. “Perfect, but I’m going to have to ask you to exit the vehicle while I make sure all safety measures are in place.”
I stared at him until realization dawned on me. He was talking about protection. Damn, it hadn’t even crossed my mind. I mean, rowboat sex hadn’t been on today’s to-do list. “Oh, yes. I’m sorry, I didn’t bring anything. I wasn’t exactly expecting to find myself in this situation.”
Again, he chuckled, gently shifting under me as I moved off him. The minute I’d settled on the boat floor, he unzipped his fly. “A little help, please.”
With a giggle, I reached over to tug on his waistband. Just like my shorts, his jeans clung to him like ivy on a tree. Still, I nudged the fabric down until his extremely solid, extremely large dick sprung free. I widened my eyes. “Oh, my.”
The words just came out, like I had no control over my brain or my mouth. Given the size of his oar-like hands, I should’ve guessed he’d have a package to rival the mechanical bull I’d ridden at the Crow. When I continued to stare, Brody cleared his throat.
“Feeling a little vulnerable here,” he mumbled.
Him and me, both. Should he come with some sort of health warning? Would he even fit inside me? “Oh crap, sorry,” I whispered. “I got…distracted.”
Brody quirked a brow. “Well, if you’ll help me out of my clothes, I’ll find something to keep you focused. On point.”
He winked and, trying very hard not to look at anything below his waist, we tugged his jeans down to his thighs. When we’d freed him, I sat back. Brody kicked his denim off and retrieved something from the pocket. The tiniest tear of foil hit my ears, and I swallowed.
The muscles of his back moved and flexed in front of me. After what felt like forever, he glanced over his shoulder, a wolfish grin on his face. “Let’s take this baby for a spin.”
His voice was low and throaty, and holy hell, this was really going to happen. I was going to have sex with the man I loved. The man I’d been in love with for years.
Brody inched back up to me, and I threaded my arm around his neck. The scent of his cologne and the heat of his body engulfed my senses, and the minute he leaned back to rest on the tarp, I kissed him. It was twilight now, but the faintest glow from the town’s distant street lamps lit his beautiful body with an eerie amber glow.
As our lips collided, I crawled back on top of him, coming to rest on his hips. He held me in place with both hands at my waist, and I moved against him a little. His breath caught in a hiss, and he closed his eyes.
“Oh crap, did I hurt something?”
“No,” he ground out. “Touch me, Ro. Please. I’m gonna explode.” I brought my hand to just below Brody’s belly button, and his eyes opened, burning into me. I took his length in my palm. He let out a deep groan, and my insides coiled and curled, spreading fingers of need down to my core. The media often described him as a handful on the ice, but this was ridiculous.
“Ro,” he whispered, “I want to see you. I mean, all of you.” His heavy-lidded eyes hung on me, and I pulled in a breath. Of course! He’d delivered me two very impressive orgasms, but he hadn’t seen me fully naked yet. My lips curved and letting go of my grip on him, I slowly peeled off my T-shirt.
The minute I’d finished, his eyes raked over my body, full of wonder. Awe. He reached out and untethered my ponytail, allowing my hair to settle around my shoulders. After a beat, he touched the underside of one breast, running his thumb over its hard bud before cupping it in his hand. “I always knew you’d be beautiful. I’m going to enjoy the rest of my life with you.”
At his words, butterflies the size of seagulls took flight in my chest, their wings beating against my ribs. My heartbeat kicked up into overdrive. The rest of his life?
I opened my mouth, but before I could ask what he meant, he pushed up to sitting, kissing me hard, pulling me closer. The tickle of his chest against my nipples and the pull of his breath set my insides on fire, igniting the low pulsing I’d come to love.
I ground into him to relieve the pressure, and his breath came in ever-increasing rasps against my lips. I dragged my nails over his back, tempting him to come closer, to envelop me completely. But, as our movements became wilder, Brody closed a hand around one of my buttocks.
“Please, can we…will you…”
He laced every word with tortured breath, but I didn’t give him time to finish. Instead, a grin spread across my lips. “Oh, hell yes.” I needed no persuading.
I brought my palm flat against Brody’s chest, pushing him back so he rested on his elbows. Then, with my eyes nailed to his, I shifted my weight off a little before taking him in my hand and sliding onto him. The drag of his cock inside me, filling me, took my breath away. My gasp fought for supremacy with his guttural growl.
Brody tipped his head back, and I moved in slow circles, chasing every sensation, every pull of pleasure. The soft skin of his thick neck stretched before me as if begging me to kiss it. I obliged, and once again, my breasts nudged against the light dusting of hair on his chest. With every movement, every rotation I made, I wanted him more. Like I was an addict, he was my drug, and I’d never get enough.
As I moved on top of him, Brody gripped my buttocks. He tipped his hips into me and followed my movements, chasing my strokes. If I paused, he paused. If I sped up or ground harder into him, he matched my rhythm. I was in full control, and damn, it felt good. The slide of Brody inside me, his hands clamping me in place and his mouth on my breasts, was all I could ever imagine.
Repeatedly, we met together in a slap of skin until neither of us could bear it. Grinding out my name, Brody pushed up to sit. He bent his knees behind me, and I leaned back slightly, crashing into him hard as he met me with strokes of his own. The relentless rhythm of our bodies coming together was hypnotizing. Magical. Blissful. With each tip of my hips, he sucked in a breath, his mouth at my breasts. Senseless words tripped off his tongue.
As fireflies danced around us, the first nudges of paradise tickled low down in my core. The first tugs of ecstasy. The creeping onset of a feeling that would take over, consume me, and then leave my body wracked and heavy. Sated. It was all I craved. He was all I craved.
“Brody,” I rasped, “I want you.”
At the sound of my voice, his grip around my hips tightened, and his lips found my neck. “You have me. Just like you said, no questions, no reservations. No regrets. I’m yours.”
His words filled my soul, and as I tangled my fingers through his hair, waves of want and pure ecstasy bubbled up inside of me. Each thrust of his hips drove me higher. Each shuddering breath at my ear pulled me in. He was dragging me over searing coals of delight, and I was a willing victim. My head spun until finally, Brody groaned my name one last time, and rocking together, we dissolved in a mess of hopeless desire.