Hearts at Play (Love in Bloom: The Bradens, Book 6) Contemporary Romance (13 page)

BRIANNA BLINKED THROUGH the fireworks that exploded behind her eyelids. Her limbs battled fire and fatigue. Hugh’s face came into view, and she pulled his lips to hers. Hugh kissed her sensuously, his tongue running over every inch of her mouth, as if he were trying to memorize the map of it. She ran her hands through his thick hair, and he felt so right, so familiar, yet also new and different. She drew back and searched his eyes, finding the same lustful desires she felt churning within her, and then, in the next breath, even more emotion. A deeper longing, akin to the emotions she’d been trying to tamp down for fear of scaring him away.

“Let me touch you,” she whispered.

He kissed her again, shimmying out of his pants and briefs and tossing them to the floor. He brushed her hair away from her face. “You don’t have to.”

“I want to.” She kissed him and urged him onto his back. She’d been thinking about touching him since he’d taken off his shirt. She ran her fingers along his rippled stomach and realized that she’d never been with a real man—and Hugh was one hundred percent solid masculinity. She slid her body on top of his and kissed him as he’d kissed her, deep, hard, and commanding. And it felt damn good. She’d held back for so long, and with Hugh, she wanted to let it all go. She kissed the whiskers that peppered the chiseled line of his jaw and ran her tongue in the dip of his adorable dimples, which softened his intense features. She’d never explored a man’s body, and as she slid farther down and touched his nipples, she wanted to kiss them. She glanced at Hugh, and his eyes were closed, so she lowered her mouth to his nipple and it pebbled beneath her tongue. He moaned and ran his hands along her arms, fueling her desire to taste the other one. She covered his nipple with her mouth and licked, then sucked. His chest tensed and his heartbeat sped up beneath her touch. She never imagined a man would like that a much as a woman. Brianna realized that she had a lot to learn, and the thought sent a rush of heat through her as her hands traveled down his perfectly sculpted torso to his powerful thighs. His formidable erection lifted from his belly, and she hovered above it. She’d been with only two men in her life. The first boy she thought she loved, her sophomore year in college, and then Layla’s father, Todd. Sex had been fast and efficient with both. Never had anyone done the things Hugh had just done to her, and she’d never done what she was considering now as she looked at the length of him and knew she could never get it all in her mouth. She should have asked Kat for pointers.

Brianna closed her eyes and let her heart take the lead. She kissed his hip, his massive thigh, then moved her hands to his shaft and wrapped her fingers around him. He was so thick that she had to see for herself the distance between her fingertips. She ran her tongue from base to tip and felt him shudder beneath her. She smiled, wanting to please him as much as he’d pleased her. Now she wished she’d spent at least a little time learning something more about sex. She always figured things would happen naturally, but she felt lost. She licked him again and he groaned. There was no hiding her lack of finesse as she paused again. Her mind screamed,
Just do it!
But her heart told her she needed guidance, and she wanted that to come from Hugh. With his careful hands and thoughtful eyes, she felt safe to explore with him.

Hugh opened his eyes and touched her cheek. “Come here,” he whispered.

She joined him, feeling her cheeks flush.

“You don’t need to do that, Bree. I just want to be close to you.” He kissed her softly.

“I want to. I’ve just never done it before.” She searched his eyes for the slightest hint of laughter, but they were filled with warmth.

He came up on one elbow and pulled her against him. “Oh, baby.”

Brianna took a deep breath and closed her eyes, then whispered, “Show me?”

“Bree, you really don’t have to.” He drew back and took her face in his hands. “I wanted to love you and make you feel good. I don’t expect anything in return.”

When she looked into his eyes, she saw that he was telling her the truth. He didn’t expect a damn thing, but she wanted to touch him, to taste him, to be as close to him as he was to her. “I want to. I want to be close to you and make you feel good, too. I just…” She looked down.

“You sure?”

She nodded. He took her hand in his and wrapped it around his hard length. His hand was warm and big, engulfing hers entirely. He kissed her cheek and whispered, “Lick me. Get me wet.”

She slid down the bed and licked the length of him again; then she wrapped her hand around him again, and he wrapped his hand over hers and gently squeezed.

“Lick the top,” he whispered.

She lowered her head and licked the tip as he moved her hand in tight strokes; then she took the whole head in her mouth. He moaned, still guiding each stroke as she teased him with her tongue.

“Jesus, Bree. You don’t need any help.”

She took him in deeper, and he moved her hand down, cupping his balls. His other hand tangled in her hair, and he rocked his hips, moving himself in and out of her mouth. Brianna was surprised to feel the heat between her thighs increase and swell with desire. She licked the length of him again, then ventured lower, licking his balls. They tightened beneath her tongue, and Hugh sucked in a breath. She did it again, enjoying the empowering feeling and the way it made her pulse ratchet up. She wrapped her hand around the base, and his hand fell away as she buried him in her mouth. She took him as deep as she could, then sucked as she drew him out slowly, centering her attention on the tip, while her hand continued long, luxurious strokes. His other hand found her head again and urged her faster, deeper. When she felt his erection grow a fraction harder, she pulled back, exposing his wet shaft to the cool air. He groaned, a guttural, hungry sound that spurred her on. She moved between his legs and licked his balls, stroking him with her hand. She watched him clench his jaw and close his eyes.

“Bree,” he whispered.

She continued licking, stroking, then took his full length in her mouth again.

“Bree.” Her name was an urgent warning.

She pulled back, worried she’d hurt him.

“Jesus, Bree. You’re gonna make me come.”

Isn’t that the point?

“I want to make love to you,” he said quickly. He reached over to his nightstand and grabbed a condom from the drawer, ripped it open with his teeth, and slid the thin latex on. She lay beside him, and his eyes softened again. “Okay?”

“Yes, yes. Stop asking.” She wiggled beneath him, and he looked down at her.

“I just want you to be sure. I don’t want to—”

She leaned up and kissed him. “Take me, Hugh. Please, take me, love me, fuck me.”

He entered her slowly, filling every bit of her. The pressure was so intense, she gasped. Her hips rose to meet each slow thrust, which took her closer to the edge again. Brianna had never had an orgasm with a man, much less multiple orgasms. He lowered his mouth to hers, and she wanted to kiss him forever. His tongue moved in the same slow cadence as his sex, and she wanted more, harder, faster. She reached for his hips and urged him faster. He deepened the kiss, burying his hands in her hair again.

“Bree,” he said in one long breath between kisses. “Ah, Jesus. I’m not gonna last.”

Brianna could barely concentrate. She heard the words, but her body was already in a frenzy of need and want, her muscles clenched around him. She felt every blessed inch as he penetrated her deeper, harder, the tension of his hands in her hair bringing a wild mix of pain and pleasure. When he settled his teeth over her neck and his tongue lapped at her before he took her neck in an intoxicating mix of nips, sucks, and licks, she spiraled over the edge. Her hips bucked and rocked. She clawed at his shoulders and called out his name with no ability to quiet her voice. Hugh’s release was seconds behind. He buried his face in her hair and groaned and grunted through each powerful thrust. His sexual energy aroused her even more, and she felt her body climbing up, up, up. She wrapped her legs around him, and in one swift move he pushed a pillow beneath her hips, lifting her to the perfect angle for him to take her up and over the peak of another mind-numbing climax.

BRIANNA LAY ON her back with her arm over her eyes. She never imagined that making love could feel so good, and she wondered if that’s what it was like for everyone. Had she just been too young to know any better before? Is that why Kat always pushed her to get close to someone? Jesus, her whole body was on fire, humming with a gratified afterglow. If she’d known sex could be this amazing, she’d never have waited so long. Now that she’d experienced making love with Hugh, there was no turning back—and there was definitely no carrying out a twelve-year plan.
What on earth was I thinking?

Hugh came out of the bathroom naked and ridiculously handsome, with a playful smile on his lips and a contented look in his eyes. He climbed onto the bed beside her and laid his hand across her belly.

“You okay?”

“You’ve asked me that a hundred times. I’m more than okay.” She touched his cheek. She loved how he worried about her, but she didn’t want him to think of her as fragile. “Hugh, I’d let you know if I wasn’t all right. Okay?”

He nodded.

“You’re so thoughtful, but you don’t need to ask to touch me. I love when you touch me, and you should just know I’m okay unless I say otherwise, or I look like I’m having trouble.”

“Okay, fair enough. I just don’t want you to feel pressured. I really like you, Bree, and I feel like I want to protect you from everything. I don’t think I’ve felt this way about anyone. Ever.” He drew circles on her belly with his finger. “It kind of scares the crap out of me, so I’m probably being even more careful.”

Relief swept through her. “Oh, thank God.”

“Thank God it scares me?” He wrinkled his brow.

“Kind of, yeah, because I feel the same way. I feel so comfortable with you, and I never knew…
that
…could be so amazing.”

He laughed. “It’s not. I think it’s only amazing when you have feelings for the person; otherwise it’s just kind of a lot of energy for a few minutes of pleasure. The reason everything feels so good between us is because of the emotions we have for each other.”

“Are you a secret sex-ed teacher?” She ran her finger down the line of his jaw.

He kissed her forehead. “Hardly. I just know that there’s a lot of emptiness that goes along with meaningless sex.” He looked away, and this time, she drew his eyes back to her.

“My turn to ask. Are you okay?”

He nodded, but his eyes were solemn. “There’s just all this stuff going through my head. When I look at you, I want to be sure you’re happy. When we were close, my thoughts weren’t about me or even about being inside you. I was thinking about what I wanted to do for you. How I hoped you felt. And afterward, I couldn’t help but think about Layla.” He lay back down beside Brianna and held her hand. “I want you to be sure of me before she knows about us, even if that takes a long time. I already feel so much toward you that the thought of not being with you is painful. I can’t imagine what it would be like to get close to Layla and then be out of her life for whatever reason. For me or for her. It would be confusing for her, hurtful for me.”

“Okay,” she whispered. “You do that a lot, you know.”

“What?”

“Take Layla’s feelings into consideration. That means a lot to me.”

His dimples appeared when he faced her. “I told you. She owns half your heart. I’ll always consider her.”

Brianna felt another tug on her heart.

HUGH CLIMBED FROM bed at five o’clock the next morning and took a shower. He hoped to get a run in before Brianna woke up. He’d slacked off in the last few days, and it was imperative that he was in top shape for the race. She looked so cute curled up beside him that he hated to move from beside her naked body, but if he had any hope of being at the track by eight, he had to get a move on. He couldn’t remember another Sunday when he wasn’t itching to get to the track. Today he wished he had another twelve hours—hell, he wished he had another month—before he had to leave again.

He came out of the bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and found Brianna leaning on her elbow looking at her phone. Her hair cascaded over her left breast, and when her eyes darted to him, she set her phone on the nightstand.

“Now, that’s a welcome sight in the morning,” she said, then licked her lips.

He sat down on the edge of the bed and kissed her. “So are you.”

“Were you planning on leaving me here? I guess you can’t exactly take off after sex when you’re in your own bed. I’m sorry. I’ll just shower really quickly and go.” She started to climb out of the bed, and he pinned her to the bed with a hot stare.

“Take off after sex? After everything I said to you last night?”

She shrugged, and a mischievous smile played across her lips. He tickled her ribs, and she screamed with delight.

“Okay, okay. I was kidding.” She hung on to his hands.

He kissed her again, feeling a tightening in his groin. “Yeah? Well, I’m more sensitive than I look. You’d better be careful, or you’ll hurt my feelings.” Hugh ran his hand through his wet hair.

“Maybe you could ugly yourself up a little. Then I’d want to leave,” she teased.

He pulled the blanket back, exposing her naked body in all its glory. “Maybe you could put some clothes on and I wouldn’t want to stay.”

“Maybe I’ll just stay naked forever then.” She ran her eyes down his chest.

The hell with my run
.

AN HOUR LATER, they climbed into the Roadster and headed toward Brianna’s apartment. She couldn’t take her eyes off of Hugh while he drove. She could hardly believe the last few days had really happened. Every few minutes, he glanced over and smiled.

“That was an amazing night and an even more wonderful morning.” Brianna touched his shoulder. She hated the idea of not being with him for an hour, much less a day or several days. They hadn’t made any plans beyond taking her home, and for an organized, scheduled woman like Brianna, it was unsettling.

Hugh pressed a kiss to the back of her hand. “Maybe now you can hold on to those happier thoughts of your dad from the afternoon before he left, and when you think of the next morning, instead of seeing the end of your life with him, you can see the beginning of ours together.”

Ours. Together. How did that happen so fast?
She had no idea, but the butterflies in her stomach told her not to overthink it. She fidgeted with the edge of her dress.

“I will.” She thought about earlier that morning, when she’d seen Hugh coming out of the bathroom in nothing but a towel. All of the hot and heavy feelings she’d experienced the evening before had come rushing back. She was glad she’d had time to text Kat while he was in the shower. She’d asked what the morning after was supposed to be like, and Kat had answered,
As hot as the night before. Or hotter.
That was all the rationalization Brianna needed to allow her desires to take over. She’d woken up wanting him all over again, but she’d worried that she was only feeling that because it had been so long since she’d had sex. One kiss from Hugh and his tented towel had told her that he’d had the same urges. Making love with him in the morning had been as earth-shattering as it had been the night before.

“What’s your plan today?” Hugh asked as they pulled into the parking lot of her apartment complex.

“I work from three to eight at the tavern, so I was gonna hang out and play a game with Layla, but I think I’ll take her to the park. She’d like that.”

Hugh parked the car and opened the door for Brianna. “Is your mom watching her while you work?”

“Not tonight. Her neighbor Mrs. Cranston is taking her. I’ve known her forever. She’s like seventy years old and Layla loves her. She watches her sometimes when my mom can’t.”

“Do you get a dinner break?”

“Twenty minutes around seven. You don’t have to walk me up to my apartment. I’m just gonna change my clothes and then pick up Layla.”

“I want to. What kind of boyfr—”

Boyfriend?
She pretended not to notice his use of the word, even though her skin tingled with excitement.
Boyfriend
. She loved the sound of it.

He pulled her closer. “Boyfriend.” He looked at her and smiled. “Do people still say that when they’re my age, or is that a high school word?”

“You’re asking the wrong girl.”
Yes! Use it!

“Is it too possessive? Too limiting for a girl like you?”

She saw the tease in the lifting of his brows and decided to tease him right back. “Well, it is a bit limiting.”

“Yeah, that’s what I thought.” He focused on the building with a serious look in his eyes.

She’d expected him to laugh. Disappointment filled her heart. Did he think she’d meant it? Hugh put his arm around her and pulled her close, his eyes trained on the bearded guy who watched them from his balcony. She hated the way he stared at her. She had become so used to it that she usually just stared at the ground or put a protective arm around Layla and hurried past. She was glad when Hugh had insisted on walking her inside.

Upstairs, Brianna fumbled for her keys, chewing on the idea that he’d nixed the use of the word
boyfriend
.
It’s just a word. So why does it hurt so much?
She dropped the keys, and Hugh bent down and picked them up, then found the proper key and unlocked the door.

He pushed the door open. “After my girlfriend.” He waved a path for her to enter.

She couldn’t keep the silly smile from her lips, then kissed him as she walked past. “I like that,” she admitted.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her again. “So do I.”

The apartment smelled like fresh roses. Brianna added fresh water to the vase. “I hope these last forever.”

“I would say nothing lasts forever, but I’m not sure I believe that anymore.”

She glanced at his profile as he went to the glass doors in the living room. He was nothing like the man she’d thought he would be. He flipped the lock on the slider, and it dropped without clicking.

“Doesn’t this lock?”

“No. It never has. But we’re on the third floor, so I’m not too worried.” She set the vase down on the counter.

“Do you have a screwdriver?”

“Sure.” She dug through a kitchen drawer and handed it to him. “It’s really fine. I don’t think anyone’s gonna go Spider-Man on us and scale the wall.”

He was already taking the lock apart.

“I’m gonna change real quick.” While she changed her clothes, she called out to him, “What are you doing today?”

“I’m going to the track. I’ve gotta meet my pit crew and spend a few hours practicing and going over things for next weekend.”

“Are you excited about it?”

“I love to drive, but I’m not excited about not being with you,” he said.

Brianna pulled on a pair of jeans and a sweater. She put on makeup, spritzed perfume, and found Hugh looking over the photographs on the living room shelves. “You really didn’t have to wait for me.”

“I wanted to walk you back down. Besides, I’ll take whatever time I can get.” He held up a black-and-white photo of Layla in a red wooden frame. “You’re really good at photography. Maybe we can get your camera fixed.” He set the frame down on the bookshelf.

She shook her head. “It was old and not a very good one.” She slid her feet into a pair of flat boots. “One day I’ll get another one, and when Layla’s a little older, I’ll take pictures again. Right now there’s no time anyway, so I’m not missing much.”

He drew his brows together and spoke softly. “You’re so patient, Brianna.”

“Moms have to be.”

“I put your screwdriver back in the drawer. The lock is missing a piece. It’s like it’s been taken apart and put back together without a key element. I can fix it for you while you’re at work if you want.” He put his arm around her as they locked the apartment and headed back downstairs.

“You don’t have to do that. Even the maintenance guy couldn’t fix it. They offered to replace the door, but it was really pricey.”
I love that you want to fix my lock
.

“I’m a little smarter than a maintenance guy. I can have it fixed before you guys get home tonight.”

“Sure.” As she took her key off of her keychain, she realized that she didn’t have an ounce of hesitation about giving him a key. She trusted him completely, and the ease with which that realization came shocked her.

“Wait. You’ll need it to get in before work.”

“I have a spare at my mom’s. I’ll pick it up when I get Layla.”

“Okay, and I’ll bring this one back to you at work.”

He smiled and she knew he didn’t mind, but she felt guilty after everything he’d already done for her. “Hugh, you don’t have to do that. I can get it the next time I see you.”

“Good, because that will be the next time you see me.”

He walked her to her car, and she felt like she was in high school, waiting for the cutest boy in school to kiss her goodbye, even though Hugh wasn’t a boy and they’d moved way beyond goodbye kisses. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned back against the car.

“Can I text you later?” Hugh put his hands on her waist and a thrill ran through her.

“Of course. You can call if you’d like.” As much as she appreciated his consideration of her, she wished he’d take for granted that he could call her, kiss her, or hug her anytime. Only she knew he couldn’t, and she’d made that clear outside of Claude’s studio.
Talk about sending conflicting messages.
But hadn’t everything changed since then? Or was that only in her head?

“I don’t want to complicate things for you and Layla. Your life runs like a finely tuned automobile, and I know how a tweak in the wrong direction can make for a bumpy ride.” He kissed her cheek. “I had a great time last night.”

“I’ve never had a better time, and I hate that we have to be apart.” She touched his stomach with her fingertips. The memory of their lovemaking snaked its way into her head, and a shiver trailed down her back.

“It’ll make our time together that much sweeter when we see each other again.”

HUGH WATCHED BRIANNA drive away before heading back toward her apartment. He took the steps two at a time to the second floor. He pulled his shoulders back and stood up to his full six-foot-three inches before knocking on the door of apartment 202, the only one on the right that faced the parking lot. The last time Hugh had challenged a man about a woman was when Savannah was a sophomore in college. She’d come home for spring break and some jackass from out of town had been visiting his cousin. He made a comment to Savannah when she was riding by on her horse, and by the time Savannah arrived home, she was livid. With Treat, Dane, Rex, and Josh away at school, it was up to Hugh to set the guy straight. All it took was staring down his nose at the squirrely kid and Savannah had an apology within the hour. Now, as he stood outside the bearded man’s door, Hugh had no idea what he might say to him. The man hadn’t done anything more than leer at Brianna, but it was enough to give Hugh a bad feeling about him. For all Hugh knew, he was a nice guy, but he’d stake his claim and make sure that Brianna and Layla didn’t run into any trouble.

The door swung open, and the scent of body odor wafted out the door. The bearded man looked like he belonged on
Duck Dynasty
with his thick, unkempt beard and beer gut that threatened to rip his dark T-shirt at the seams. The guy narrowed his beady green eyes and looked Hugh up and down. “Wadda you want?” He stood a solid eight inches shorter than Hugh with soft, doughy arms and an unwashed face.

Arms crossed, Hugh flexed his biceps. “Saw you eyeing my girlfriend.”

His eyes shifted to the left, then back to Hugh. “And?”

Hugh lowered his chin, set his jaw, and pinned the man with a rottweiler’s death stare. “And there’s nothing but trouble waiting for you there.”

The man swished his jaw from side to side, his long, straggly beard moving along with it. He pushed the door closed.

Hugh reached out with his left hand and stopped the door, then closed the gap between them. He looked down at the man and gritted his teeth. “Make no mistake about what I’m saying. If she or her daughter so much as feel uncomfortable coming home at night, I won’t ask questions.” His chest expanded with each breath. He felt his nostrils flare as he tried to rein in the urge to grab the man by the throat and throw him up against the wall. “We straight?”

The man swished his jaw again.

Hugh stepped closer, hunkering over him and narrowing his eyes. “Got it?”

“Yeah, man. I got it.”