Family Values (3 page)

He aimed a frown at her. “I don’t have much practice.”

One corner of her mouth twitched. “I bet you don’t. Don’t get out much, do you?”

“Do you mean on dates?”

“Yeah, with women.”

Her tone was warm but slightly sarcastic. “I don’t date at all, Angel. I haven’t kissed a woman in years. Maybe it’s unnatural, but since you came of age, there hasn’t been anyone I wanted more.”

Her mouth dropped an inch and then snapped closed. Her cheeks grew pink. “That was to the point.”

“I don’t know how to be any other way.”

Her chest expanded with her next shaky breath. “But you sent me away. Did I disappoint you that much?”

The quaver of her voice caused a pain inside his chest. “You were eighteen. What I wanted was wrong. The fact my brothers were after you, that only added to my worries. I didn’t want you trapped by a pregnancy before you had a chance to see a bit of the world.”

“I was on the pill. Mama told you that. And I only saw Austin.”

“That’s hardly Texas.”

She ducked her head, smiling slightly. “I never wanted to be anywhere but here,” she whispered.

Brand dropped his head, staring again at his fists. “I’m sorry, Angel. It’s all I can say. You have an education now. You’re grown. You can make your own choice.”

“But I can’t.”

He shot her a sideways glance. There were tears in her eyes. “Are you afraid of hurting one of us?”

Her chin trembled. “That, and…” Her gaze went to the wall, and she released a slow breath. “I love you. All three of you. So you see…”

He stopped breathing when he heard the
I love you
. The second sentence was disappointing, but better than a rejection. She didn’t know it yet, but they were going to make this easy for her.

Brand reached out for her hand and held it inside his. It was slender, soft and so small. He worried now about so many things. “Will you trust me? I know I haven’t given you much reason, but before I sent you away, we were friends, weren’t we?”

A tear rolled down one cheek, and she wiped it away with the back of her other hand. “You were always quiet, Brand, remote. A little too removed from me for us to be besties. But I did trust you. When I was scared, you were the one I ran to.”

“I was older. I had no business lustin’ after you.”

“Lusting?” Her plump mouth twitched again. “There’s only twelve years between us.”

He narrowed his eyes. “And back then, I could still see you in pigtails.”

“Do you see me as a child now?”

He tightened his jaw. “No,” he rasped.

“Brand…” She paused and bit her lip.

“Out with it. We’re bein’ honest here.”

“I was never sure you wanted me,” she whispered. “You never kissed me. Eli brought me flowers and kissed me in the barn. And you know what Nate and I did.”

He felt a muscle jump at the side of his jaw and forced himself to relax. “I wanted kisses, Angel. I wanted you in my bed. Don’t ever think I didn’t.”

She shook back her hair and angled her chin higher. “And now? Do you still want me?”

Brand saw the challenge in the jut of her chin, but he also saw the vulnerability. There in her doe-like eyes. And the only thing he could think to do, because he sure as hell couldn’t force another word past his tight throat, was lean toward her and kiss her.

Chapter Three

Angelina couldn’t believe it. Brand was kissing her. And despite the fact the man hadn’t had a date in years, he kissed really well. Thoroughly. Nothing tentative or testing.

First, his lips latched on hers, suctioning gently to seal their mouths. Then his tongue thrust insistently between her lips to stroke her tongue. His kiss was carnal and commanding. And all her fears melted. Her body warmed, and she needed to be closer. She leaned into him.

Brand released her hand and gripped her waist, pulling her over his lap so that she straddled him.

With her thighs spread, she was as close as she could be with clothes on. Her breasts rubbed against his chest. Her pussy ground against his hardening cock.

Brand broke the kiss first. “Do you feel that, Angel?” he whispered. “That’s how much I want you. Why I never find the right words.”

He didn’t need words when his hands forced her to ride him.

She moved against the hard ridge and whimpered. Lord, she wanted him. Four years hadn’t changed anything.

One hand slid from her waist to her breasts, and he gave her a squeeze. “That night, when I walked in on you and Nate, I didn’t make my presence immediately known. I watched as you came. You were wild. Touching yourself here.” He bent her backward, supporting her with one hand and nuzzling her breast through her shirt.

If he’d asked her to strip naked, she wouldn’t have denied him, even if letting him love her would have complicated things. His touch felt too good.

He mouthed her, pulling with his lips, then his teeth, centering on the tightening bud beneath her shirt.

And then he halted, pressed his face between her breasts and drew in a deep breath before straightening. “I’m sorry.”

“You keep saying that.”

“I didn’t come here to make love to you. I came to make sure you knew I wasn’t angry with you.”

Angelina quivered. Pulling back from the precipice was almost painful—she wanted him that much.

“We’ve been apart for four years,” he said. “We should take time gettin’ to know each other—who we are now.”

But he’d never changed. She knew who he was. More mature than she’d been four years ago, she realized his silences and his stony face were masks. Because he always had to be the strong one, he thought he couldn’t let anyone see his heart.

Understandable, given the fact he’d been running the ranch and raising two younger siblings since he was twenty. And then she’d come along, and he’d taken on the responsibility of keeping her safe, something that must have complicated his feelings for her when he realized he was attracted.

But did he love her? Did he know how? And he expected her to allow
him
to decide when she was ready for greater intimacy? Anger gave her courage. “Brand…”

He let out a breath. “Yes, Angel?”

“It’s not nice, leaving me on the edge like this.”

He tightened his arms around her. “We’ve waited this long.”

“I drove all the way from Austin. Left my new job to take care of you and your brothers. Don’t you think you should reciprocate? Give me something?”

He narrowed his eyes. “Are you asking me to ease your frustration?”

“I’m asking for an orgasm. You wanted honest, right? I can’t be more blunt.”

“I won’t fuck you.”

She smiled. “You don’t have to. But
I
need to lose my clothes.”

His arms slowly dropped away. But otherwise, he held still, his gaze hard and watchful.

And that would work just fine for her. Brand had humiliated and rejected her—and she’d forgive him for dumping her at the airport. Eventually. But right now, he owed her something. Her pleasure would make a nice start.

Brand held his breath as Angel scooted off his lap and stood. As though he weren’t even in the room, she took off her watch and placed it on a tray on her dresser. She removed her boots and put them in the closet. When she pulled her shirt over her head and dropped it into her clothes hamper, he held his breath. She was really going to do this. She wasn’t bluffing.

She wanted him to give her an orgasm.

Not that he didn’t know how. He did. But he couldn’t go back on what he’d said, or she’d never believe he could hold firm. He couldn’t fuck her. And common sense told him he shouldn’t. His brothers had a plan, and he was jumping ahead. They’d both be pissed.

Still, as she reached for her waistband, he decided she deserved a little teasing. He stood and unbuttoned the cuffs of his chambray work shirt.

Her eyes widened, but she unzipped and pushed her jeans down her curvy legs. Now she stood in her bra and underwear, and knowing she was already embarrassed, he didn’t call her out on it and insist she remove her undergarments.

Brand removed his shirt and hung it over the back of her vanity chair.

“What are you doing?” she asked, her voice sounding a little husky.

“Getting comfortable. You don’t want the added friction of denim against your skin, do you?”

She swallowed hard and shook her head.

He almost smiled. Next, he toed off his boots, unbuckled his belt and slid it slowly through the loops.

A blush spread across her cheeks and over the tops of her breasts. Her breaths were coming faster.

He unbuttoned, pulled down the zipper and then pushed his jeans to his ankles, bending to hold them as he stepped out of them. Now, dressed only in his briefs, he stood.

Her gaze riveted on his cock.

Well, he couldn’t help the fact his erection stretched the soft cotton. He pointed his chin toward the bed.

She hesitated so long he began to think she would refuse. And he wouldn’t mind. Not really. He knew she was aroused looking at him by the way her nostrils flared, and her pupils were dilated. That was enough for him. Her attraction gave him hope. So, when she turned and climbed onto the mattress, he had to bite back a groan.

He was really going to do this. Touch her. Taste her. Still, he should give her an out. “You sure about this, Angel? This’ll complicate things…”

She lay on her back, her legs together and her hips turned, perhaps to preserve her modesty. “You think this was just a dare? That I wasn’t serious?”

“Is this a little payback?” he asked, his voice gruff. “For that night?”

She shook her head, but her lips thinned. “I never felt right about what happened. You saw all of me. Saw me come. Hell, you could probably see Nate’s dick sliding inside me. I’ve felt so much…shame.” Her head turned, as she glanced at the wall.

His jaw tightened. “I’m sorry you felt that way.”

“Are you?”

Her breasts rose as she drew a deep breath. The full globes spilled over the top of her bra, and he couldn’t help staring, wanting to see more of her beautiful body.

Brand was past denying himself. He climbed onto the mattress and ran a hand over her thigh, pressed on it and pushed her fully to her back. Then he placed his hands on both thighs and slowly moved them apart. “I’m sorry I wasn’t the one to pleasure you.”

Her mouth parted on a soft inhalation. Her hands covered her breasts, but not to hide them. She caressed them through the thin lace. Lord, she was so natural, so stunning in her desire.

Her fingers moved between her breasts, and she opened the clasp but held the cups in place.

He smoothed his hands over the tops of her thighs and let his thumbs rub the tender insides, moving upward until they grazed her pussy.

Her eyelids dipped. Her belly and breasts quivered. Slowly, she lifted the cups to let him see her.

Her nipples were a deep pink, the tips distended. He knew he should say something. Tell her she was pretty. Tell her he wanted to see her tweak her own tits, but he knew the words would come out wrong. So instead, he climbed between her legs and bent over her, leaving one hand to fondle her pussy through her panties while he braced on an elbow and lowered his mouth against the soft flesh she’d bared.

He breathed her in, pulling her scent deep to savor the light floral perfume she’d placed between her breasts and the feminine musk that was exclusively hers. His cock jerked and hardened more, but he pushed the ache from his mind, because right now, she was staring at him from beneath the fringe of her dark lashes, waiting for him to give her that orgasm she’d all but demanded.

He trailed his lips over a soft globe and latched them around one soft, pink areola to suckle while he flicked the hard tip with his tongue.

Below, he felt her pussy tighten and liquid drenched the crotch of her panties. While he pulled and sucked and nibbled gently on her breast, he slid his hand down the front of her panties and slipped one finger between her folds, found her entrance and pushed inside.

Her back arched, pushing her breast hard against his mouth, but he came off the peak and licked his way across to the other, where he fluttered his tongue against the tip.

Her pussy tightened around his finger, and he pushed deeper and then withdrew. When he came back, he thrust two fingers inside her snug entrance and swirled them around and around.

She threaded her fingers through his hair and scratched his scalp. He groaned and opened his mouth, sucked as much of her breast as he could and then pulled away, his teeth tugging the peak until he let it go.

“Please, Brand.”

Her voice was tight and filled with yearning. He understood the feeling. Every muscle in his body strained. He was so eager, so ready to take her. But he’d made a promise.

He pushed up and knelt between her legs, raised and leaned them against his shoulder as he pulled off her panties. After he tossed them away, he held her gaze and slowly lowered her legs, pushing them apart and exposing her pussy. His gaze dropped.

Dark hair shaved to a narrow strip covered her mound. Her folds were a dark pink, the inner folds protruding just a little, which made his mouth water because he was hungry to pull them between his lips.

Maybe he stared too long, because she covered herself with her hand. But, no, she was caressing her sex while her other hand cupped a breast.

“Do you want to watch?” she whispered. “Or were you planning to do something?”

“I’d love to watch…” he said, his voice husky, “…another time. Right now, I want a taste.”

She raised her knees and widened her thighs. Then she forked her fingers at the top of her sex and pulled upward, revealing her engorged clit. “I’ve played with this so many times. Imagined you sucking it. Is that shameful, Brand?”

He loved her sexy breathiness. “Since I’ve imagined the same thing too many times to count, guess I’m just as bad.”

“No one’s ever done that to me…sucked me here.”

His gaze shot to hers. “Nate—”

She shook her head. “We were in too much of a hurry.”

And that was all he wanted to hear about her encounter with Nate. “I’ll take care of you.”

Moisture welled in her eyes. “You always did.”

Feeling as though he was being judged, that this moment was more important than it ought to be, he took his time getting into place, making sure her hips were angled just right, that the fingers she used to reveal her tiny pleasure center pulled up just so.

Only then did he bend toward her. First to lick the hardened knot. Then to blow air, making sure he heard the sounds he needed to hear, saw the right response, to know she was ready.

Her ragged intake of breath, the quiver of her inner thighs—both assured him she wanted this. He slipped his hands beneath her bottom and cupped it, molding her soft flesh as he plied her with soothing strokes and then targeted flicks.

Her sex glistened with the moisture seeping from inside her. Her entrance clenched and released. Her bottom danced on his palms.

She was everything he’d dreamed she’d be. So responsive, so fragrant and delicious. Her arousal spiked his own, and he ground his cock into the mattress, fighting his own desire to keep on task.

A quick glance upward, and he nearly lost it. She was tweaking her nipple, pinching and pulling it, and her nose and mouth were scrunched. She was close.

He pulled one hand free and slipped two fingers inside her, rubbing the pads upward until he felt her jerk and heard the little telltale gasp as she arched hard. He latched his lips around her clit and drew on it, all the while rubbing that special spot inside until her eyes opened wide and she let out a small cry.

The moment she relaxed against the mattress, he withdrew his fingers and gave her soothing laps of his tongue through her folds, bottom to top.

Her fingers scratched his scalp again and tugged. He moved up her body and rested his long, hard ridge against her open sex. So she’d know he’d been ready, that he wanted her just as much.

Bending over her, he kissed her hard.

Angelina wrapped her legs around his hips and rubbed her sex against the hot, hard length of him. He’d been so careful, so focused on her pleasure, she’d forgotten what he’d sacrificed.

She broke the kiss, and rubbed her cheek against his bristly one. “I’m willing…”

“I said I wouldn’t fuck you.”

“You could show me what you like. I’d return the favor,” she whispered in his ear.

“Not tonight, sweetheart, my brothers…”

She closed her eyes. She’d forgotten. “Will you tell them?”

“I doubt I’ll have to.”

When she opened her eyes again, his hard gaze was studying her face. His jaw clenched. She knew he was fighting his need, and that he was thinking about what the repercussions might be. “I’m not sorry,” she whispered.

“If I’d been Eli or Nate…”

And that was what lay at the heart of her problem. “Again, I wouldn’t have been sorry.”

“You love us all.”

She nodded and lifted a shoulder as her mouth began to tremble. “It’s why I can’t stay.”

He shook his head and bent to kiss her cheek. And then he was off her and standing beside the bed so fast, she couldn’t catch her breath.

“Do you trust me?” he asked, his voice sounding raw.

She nodded.

“Then don’t worry. I promise there’s an answer.”

She watched as he dressed, wincing for him as he tucked his heavy cock into his jeans and zipped up.

When he was finished, he put a knee on the mattress and leaned down to give her a quick kiss. “See you at breakfast, Angel. Get some sleep.”