The Expert's Guide to Driving a Man Wild (12 page)

Once inside her cabin, she found her last pair of jeans and a T-shirt she’d borrowed from Beth Ann. She changed and grabbed her few possessions—toiletries, a paperback, and her spare bra—and headed back out to where Rome was patiently waiting.

“She’s move-in ready,” Brenna declared, and waved the handful of possessions. “Just let me dump this at Grant’s and we can start the grand tour.”

“Move-in ready?” He gestured at her cabin. “You mean this will be mine?”

She nodded. “I’m staying with Grant until his family leaves. After that, I’ll just sleep in the main lodge. I don’t really need a cabin.”

He gave her a dubious look. “I don’t want to push you out of your home.”

“Actually, I’d prefer not to have one.” It was one of her weird hang-ups, but she didn’t try to explain it. No one ever understood.

A smile slowly blossomed over Rome’s handsome face and, for a moment, he looked pretty enough to be a model. “Thanks.” He gave the cabin another proud look, and she recognized that expression instantly. It was the expression of a man who didn’t have much and appreciated what he got.

It made her like him all the more.

“Come on,” she told him. “Once I drop these off, we’ll get the ATVs and I’ll show you around.”

 • • • 

Only one of the ATVs was working that morning. Hoisted by her own petard, more or less. She dug out two helmets and had Rome ride behind her, and she drove around the wilderness camp for more than an hour. There were no classes, so she felt comfortable gunning through the woods at high speed, Rome’s hands clinging to her waist. She drove him past the creeks, pointed out Dane and Colt’s favorite camping spots, showed him the storage cabin that they kept emergency supplies in, and circled the area that the guys had designated to be the paintball course. It was toward the front of the property, so any paintball enthusiasts wouldn’t have to go traipsing into the deep woods just to get to the course.

Rome was quiet, absorbing it all in with quick nods.

By the time they circled back to the main lodge, Grant’s car was in the parking lot, and he and Elise were heading out the front door to greet them, likely drawn by the loud purr of the ATV. Brenna waved enthusiastically as they ripped past, and she could have sworn that Grant frowned at the two of them. With her luck, she was probably just in time for a lecture about keeping both hands on the handlebars while driving. She drove up to the ATV shed and let Rome get off before driving in to park, and then tossed the helmets into the shed instead of restoring them to their proper spot.

“Shouldn’t we put those away?” Rome asked.

“Probably.” But she didn’t turn around to fix it. She was curious what Grant was going to say and that was spurring her forward. She shoved her hands into her pockets and began to head back to the front of the main lodge. “So what do you think, Rome?”

He thought for a moment, and then answered. “Too much acreage, if you ask me.”

“What do you mean?” Brenna asked as Grant and Elise met them halfway. Grant had a definite scowl on his face, so she moved in and put her hand on his cheek, bringing him close for a kiss in greeting (that would also serve as a distraction). It worked rather well, too—Grant definitely had a distracted look on his face.

“You have too many acres set aside for the paintball,” Rome said slowly, as if unsure that he should be offering advice. “There’s no natural landmarks or coverage, just trees. To be really successful, you’d be best with setting up some sort of buildings for cover, like a fort or fake walls. You want people to set up as teams and strategize.”

“Won’t it be unsafe if we set up a lot of obstacles?” Grant rubbed his chin, thinking. “I want safety to be a consideration for our guests above all else.”

“Safety is one thing, but you’ll need to give them some sort of cover or scenario to work through. You could even set up different tracks—one for beginners, one for advanced players, and one for experts, and scale the courses accordingly.”

“So the new guys won’t be slaughtered by the experts,” Grant mused. “Not a bad idea.”

“Rome’s brilliant,” Brenna enthused. “That’s why we hired him.” And Grant was still frowning down at her, so she nibbled on his ear a little.

He shivered and jerked away when her tongue traced the shell of his ear. “Are you trying to distract me?”

“Yes,” she murmured, but then glanced back at Rome. “You want to change things, you need to talk to this man, here.” She patted Grant’s chest, and then copped a bit of a feel of his pectorals while she was at it. It was kind of fun to manhandle him.

Grant laid a hand over hers, stopping her exploration, but she noticed he didn’t pull her hand away. He considered Rome for a long moment. “We actually discussed hiring a carpenter to come in and build some obstacles for the paintball course.”

“No need,” Rome said, and his stance relaxed a little. “I can do that for you. I know a little carpentry.”

“That’s great,” Grant said, enthusiasm in his voice.

“You ever thought about running a paintball gear shop, too? Might be a good idea. People come in for paintball and buy stuff while they’re there.”

Grant seemed impressed by Rome’s business acumen. “That’s a good idea, too. And it’d give Pop something to do so Brenna doesn’t have to keep breaking things for him.” His hand slid around her waist and he gave her a light squeeze. “I’m getting tired of my Audi constantly being on the fritz. Sounds like you have a lot of paintball experience.”

For some reason, that made Rome a bit more guarded. As Brenna watched, he seemed to visibly withdraw. “I’ve got a little bit of everything under my belt.”

“And he’ll look hot for Elise’s photo shoot,” Brenna pointed out.

Grant’s brows drew together and he frowned down at her.

“I don’t recall agreeing to a photo shoot.”

“I’m pretty sure we discussed it at dinner with your parents.”

“Yeah, but discussing isn’t agreeing to.”

“Isn’t it?” Brenna said in a light voice. To distract him, she slid her hand into his back pocket and squeezed his ass. She looked over at Elise to fill in the picture. But for some reason, Grant’s sister had totally withdrawn into her shell again. She was staring at the ground, one shoe scuffing in the dirt. Her long, smooth hair had swung in front of her face, obscuring it from view, and she wasn’t saying anything or participating in the conversation. She looked as if she wanted to hide.

Well heck. Clearly she couldn’t count on Elise to step into the argument, so Brenna took the reins again. “Come on. It’ll help your sister out to get the spread. And think of the business you’ll get with some pictures of hot guys all muddy and woodsy.” She fluttered her lashes at him in an obvious way. “It’s great promo.”

“From a woman’s magazine?”

“Uh, yeah,” Brenna said. “If I want to take a survival class, I’m going where the trainers are ripped and studly. No-brainer.” She glanced over at Elise, but the shy woman’s face was bright red and she still wasn’t speaking up. “Anyhow, it’s decided. Right, boo?”

“Don’t call me ‘boo,’” Grant said. “But it’s not a bad idea. We’ll discuss it later with the guys.”

She gave his butt a pat. “Don’t think you’re getting out of the picture day. Four studs sells more magazines than three.”

He gave her a startled look. “I’m not a trainer.”

“So?” She scratched his stomach, pretending to draw lines across his washboard abs. “You’ve still got a hot body. Women everywhere will be wanting to sink their teeth into you, right, Elise?”

“He’s my brother,” Elise said, her whisper just barely audible.

“We’ll discuss it later,” Grant said again. “For now, we need to pick up my parents from the bed and breakfast so they can get the grand tour.”

We?
She stifled a groan. She’d signed up to be his fake girlfriend, though. She supposed she’d have to deal with this sort of thing. “So what am I supposed to do with Rome? I can’t leave him unsupervised on his first day.”

“Where’s Pop?”

“I don’t know. I’m not his owner.” Brenna brightened, a devious idea coming to her mind. “I know. He can take Elise around and show her some of the nearby areas so she can get an idea for the photo shoot.”

Rome’s gaze went to Grant’s quiet sister, and she could have sworn that he’d warmed up a bit. Elise, however, looked utterly stricken, her eyes wide.

“I don’t think that’s wise,” Grant began.

As he spoke, Brenna watched Rome grow shuttered again, the cold look coming over his face.
Wrong thing to say.
She sighed. “Maybe some of us need to talk privately,” she told him, “and can’t do it with your family in the car. Or, you know, do other private things.” She fluttered her eyelashes up at him.

He turned bright red.

Just then, Colt pulled up in his jeep.

“Problem solved. We’ll send Colt with them,” Grant said, and then tugged at her waist. “Come on.”

Brenna frowned at Grant, and then gave Rome and Elise a helpless look. “We’ll be back soon.”

Rome nodded crisply, and Elise gave her a mutely pleading look that Brenna ignored. Rome was hotness personified—it’d do Elise well to spend some time with him, since it was clear that Rome was interested in her . . . if she’d ever make eye contact with him.

When she got into the Audi with Grant, she continued to wave cheerfully at the others until they pulled out of the parking lot. Then she reached over and thumped Grant on the arm.

“Ow! What the hell was that for?”

“You were mean to our new employee!”

Grant shook his head, staring out the windshield. “I hope to God that he had some incredible qualifications for you to hire a guy who looks like him that fast. I didn’t even see his résumé.”

“I’m sure his qualifications are fine,” Brenna told him. “And what do you mean, a guy who looks like him?”

“You’re sure his qualifications are fine? Jesus, Brenna! Did you even look at them?”

“Does it matter? So Colt will show him how to rub some sticks together and make some fire. So what.”

He stared at her as if she’d grown another head. “Are you kidding me? There are certifications and trainings that someone needs to have to qualify to teach classes. We were hiring someone who had those.”

She shrugged. “I liked Rome, and he needed the work.”

“He’s covered in tattoos. He looks like a hoodlum!”

“I’m covered in tattoos, too! You didn’t seem to have a problem with mine.”

“They’re not covering you up to your neck.”

“They can. Maybe I’ll go get a few more tomorrow.”

He shot her a dark look. “Very funny.”

She stared at him, astounded. “I can’t believe you don’t like him because of his tattoos.”

“I can’t say I don’t like him. I don’t know who he is. I don’t know anything about him, actually,” Grant bit out. His face was drawn into angry, grim lines. “That could be why I don’t want to leave my incredibly shy sister with a stranger. I can’t believe you went off into the woods alone with him.”

She rolled her eyes. “What was he going to do, feel me up while I was driving the four-wheeler?”

“Maybe. You never know.”

“Well, he’s moving into my cabin, so I’m sure there will be plenty of opportunities for him to continue his orgy of molestations.”

Grant screeched on the brakes. “You’re kidding, right?”

Brenna held on to the dashboard. “It’s not like I’m going to be in there.”

His face softened as he looked over at her, and there was a hint of a smile on his mouth. “Because you’re going to move in with me?”

Whoops.
Someone honked at them, distracting her, and she glanced at the car behind them, since it was easier to focus on than Grant’s hopeful face. “Actually, I thought I’d just sleep on the couch in the lodge.”

His mouth hardened again. He started the car forward once more, glaring out the front windshield. Great, now he was all pissy again.

And she had a realization. “You’re jealous.”

“How can I be jealous? We’re just having crazy, no-strings-attached sex, remember?”

“Exactly! So why are you jealous?”

“I’m not. I just don’t understand why you’d rather have no home than to stay with me.”

Like she was going to admit the whys and hows of her hang-up to him? Brenna crossed her arms over her chest and slouched in the passenger seat. “Maybe because you’re being a dick?”

“It’s a good thing there’s no emotion involved in this relationship then, isn’t there?” His voice was caustic with anger. “Or else you’d probably be mad.”

She was mad, actually. She was furious at him and his high-handed ways. But she didn’t say anything, because if she did, she’d just prove him right. Irritated, Brenna glared out the window at the passing scenery, and neither of them spoke until they arrived in Bluebonnet.

Reggie and Justine were waiting for them in front of the Peppermint House. They seemed a little stymied by the foul moods of both Brenna and Grant.

“Don’t worry,” Brenna told them in an innocent voice. “This will just make the make-up sex all the sweeter.”

And she relished the withering look that Grant sent in her direction.

H
e couldn’t believe her.

Brenna would rather sleep on a couch than move in with him. It was ridiculous.

Seated at his work station in the main lodge, Grant clenched his teeth and stared at his computer screen. While his family was out getting a tour of the grounds, he figured he could get some work in. That was, if he could concentrate. Grant rubbed his jaw, determined not to look over at Brenna’s desk. If he did, then she’d know he was thinking about her. He could hear her humming an off-key little tune, as if nothing in the world was bothering her.

And that drove him even crazier.

It was like she honestly didn’t care about
anything
. She’d hired Rome with no qualifications other than the fact that he would look good with dirt rubbed on him. She slept with Grant—mindblowing, soul-destroying sex—and then was surprised that he wanted more than just a quick fuck.

The thing was, when she was ‘pretending’ to be his girlfriend, it felt so natural and easy that he immediately wanted that in his life on a permanent basis. Her playfulness, her sexuality, her inability to take things too seriously? It attracted him like food attracted a starving man. She reached for him so casually, her affection so seemingly sincere that he had a hard time adjusting when she pushed him away and demanded that things be casual. He wasn’t a casual kind of guy. He just wasn’t.

And ever since Brenna had climbed into his bed? He hadn’t thought about Heather once, not until he sat down at his desk, still fuming from his fight with Brenna, and opened his drawer to find the hidden picture of his dead ex-wife staring up at him.

It was weird. Normally he thought about Heather daily, the ache of her loss still ripping through him, the guilt a constant companion. But Brenna had him so distracted with her actions that he hadn’t had time to dwell on the past. Instead, he was anticipating her next move, trying to figure out ways to get a step ahead of her. Trying to figure out how to make her want to be with him as much as he wanted to be with her.

Grant took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, a headache starting when Brenna’s humming paused and then went up a too-screechy note. “You can’t sing worth a damn, Brenna.”

“I’m also a lousy dancer,” she said in a cheerful voice, typing away on her computer. “Your point?”

“You’re making my head hurt.”

“Oh.” She paused for a minute, and then began to hum louder.

Instead of pissing him off, though, he had to bite back a smile. He should have guessed that she’d do that. She constantly sought to get under his skin. And somewhere along the way, he’d grown addicted to their constant needling of each other. When had he started to look forward to her challenges?

Probably the day that she’d grabbed him at the airport and planted a kiss on his mouth. That was when all the challenges and small harassing moves became less like aggravation and more like—as Elise had commented—foreplay.

But he was still pissed at her. Still pissed that she’d jaunted off into the woods with dangerous-looking Rome and thought nothing of it. Pissed that she’d hired the guy for his looks. What if she decided she wanted casual sex with him, too? Where would that leave Grant? He fought the swell of rage in his chest, his mouth tightening as he stared at a monthly budget spreadsheet.

The lodge was too quiet. Too goddamn quiet, too still, and he was simmering with way too much emotion at the moment. Colt had taken Grant’s parents, Elise, and Rome out on a tour of the grounds, since he could do a much better job of it than Grant could. Grant had cited pressing work, but the truth was, he’d simply wanted to be where Brenna was, so he could wait for her explanation. Ideally, her apology.

But it seemed like he’d be waiting a long, long time.

The humming stopped. She looked over at him. “Are you going to keep doing that?”

Grant finally looked over at Brenna’s desk. It was covered in wadded paper, stacks of folders hanging messily off one corner. Her monitor was shoved off to one side, and a mug—his favorite, mind you—hung half-off the edge of the desk, a lipstick ring on the lip. Her feet were planted on the desk and she had the keyboard in her lap, typing. She wore no shoes, her bare feet wiggling, and he caught a glimpse of bright blue toenail polish. Her jeans were tight and showcased her sexy legs, her shirt ill-fitting and probably borrowed from someone. Her messy, dark curls were pulled into an equally messy ponytail, her purple fringe of bangs flirting with her brow. And her full mouth was frowning over at him.

Damn, she was sexy as hell. He was getting aroused just looking at her. “Am I going to keep doing what?”

“Sighing.” Annoyance flashed in her eyes.

“I’m not sighing.”

In response, she gave a big, gusty sigh, mimicking him. And then sighed again a moment later, just to drive the knife in a bit further. “Look, if you’re going to be a sad panda all day, I’ll just leave.”

“Where are you going to go?” he couldn’t help but ask. “You gave up your cabin, remember?”

“Are we still fighting about that?”

“We might be. I’m still mad at you.”

“Well, I’m getting mad at you, too, because you’re being annoying. I like you much better when your mouth is occupied.”

The sexual comment made his dick immediately hard as a rock. “I could tell,” Grant murmured, his voice going low and husky. It took everything he had to continue to sit casually at his desk, hands flat on the surface. “You kept screaming my name and getting wetter every time you came.”

Her eyes grew soft, and he watched her suck in a breath, as if remembering last night. Her nipples grew visible through her T-shirt, and he wanted to drag her across his desk and lay her out so he could play with them.

“I’m tired of fighting,” she declared. “Can we kiss and make up, already?”

“I’m fine with that,” he said hoarsely, and every nerve in his body jumped when she got up from her desk and crossed the room toward him, that purple fringe of bangs framing a pair of very interested eyes. Grant didn’t get up, and when she came to his side of the desk, she slid a leg over his and then hopped onto his desk, straddling him.

Then she leaned in, and he met her halfway to kiss her.

Her tongue was sweet and soft as she brushed it against his, her lips tasting faintly of cherry lipgloss. And she made a small noise of pleasure when their tongues caressed, which got him even harder. He put everything he had into the kiss, his hand going to the back of her neck and pulling her closer. She moaned softly, apparently enjoying his hand at her nape, tangled in her ponytail. And he stroked deep into her mouth, his other hand moving to brush across her small breast as she leaned in, her hands supported on the arms of his chair.

She pulled away moments later, breathless and sexy as hell. “We all better now?” she murmured.

“You’re forgiven,” he breathed against her cherry lips.

She grinned. “I wasn’t apologizing, just distracting.” And before he could protest, she slicked her tongue over his lips again, and he didn’t care who was apologizing to who any longer.

He just wanted to keep kissing Brenna.

“Let’s play a game,” she breathed against his mouth, and gave his chair a little push backward.

“Oh?” If he got any harder, he was going to bust some seams in his pants. But he couldn’t stop staring up at her, at her gorgeous, sensual face, that wicked look in her eyes.

“Let’s play Make Grant Yell Brenna’s Name,” she said with an evil grin on her face, and slid down under his desk.

His eyes widened, his hands clenching on the armrests she’d just released. This was the worst possible timing to do something like this, he told himself as he watched her purple and brown head disappear under his desk. He wanted this, more than anything, but Colt and his family would be back at any minute, and they couldn’t—

Grant’s train of thoughts died when he felt her hands on his zipper, her elbows digging into his thighs. “Brenna,” he groaned.

“You can’t start yet,” she teased. “You have to wait for me to get my mouth on you before you start screaming my name.”

And her hands undid his zipper, then opened the clasp of his belt. He heard the jangle and whisk of his belt as she pulled it aside, and then he felt warm hands tugging down his boxers, until the hard ache of his cock was released. Her hands immediately went around it, and she made a small noise of approval, as if pleased that he was already so hard for her.

A hot, wet mouth closed over the head of his cock. Grant groaned and tilted his head back, his eyes closed. All thoughts of stopping Brenna had gone out the window as soon as she’d put her lips on him. Her tongue flicked and rubbed against the slit of his cockhead, and pleasure rippled through him. He wanted to tangle a hand into her hair again, and drive her face down on his cock until she was moaning with pleasure, too. Would she let him fuck her face? He groaned again when her tongue swirled around the head of his dick in a circular, teasing motion.

The front door of the main lodge opened.

Grant stiffened, his eyes flying open. His hands clenched on the arms of his chair as Dane came into view. Brenna had to get out from under his desk now, and they’d have to explain—

Except she didn’t seem to be stopping. She’d gone silent at the sound of the front door opening, but her mouth was still on his cock, and she was expertly licking the underside, rubbing it with her tongue. She clearly had no plans of stopping.

“Hey, man,” Dane said, letting the front door slam shut behind him. He went to his desk across the room and flopped down, looking weary. “You would not believe how many types of wedding cakes there are out there.”

Fuck, Brenna’s tongue was rubbing hard against the crown of his cock, and her fist was squeezed around the base. Grant’s eyes threatened to glaze over, but he forced himself to concentrate, act as if nothing was going on. Dane couldn’t see Brenna because the lodge desks were massive and made entirely of oak. The cube of space left for someone to stretch their legs was enclosed on the other side, so no one would see Brenna kneeling before him and servicing him.

And damn if she wasn’t servicing the hell out of him.

He made a small noise in his throat, and then cleared it when Dane gave him an odd look. “There are a lot of cakes,” Grant said in a strangled voice. “Did Miranda find one she liked?”

Ah, God, now Brenna was pumping him with her fist and taking him deeper into her mouth. The suction around his cock increased.

“You okay, bro? You look like you’re sweating.” Dane raised an eyebrow, then leaned back in his chair. “You’re not coming down with something, are you? Next week’s going to be busy and we’re going to need all hands on deck.”

“No, I’m fine.” He forced himself to reach up and wipe a hand across his brow. “Just didn’t sleep well is all.”

“Uh-huh. Sounds like you got something in your throat.”

And with that, Brenna took him deep, and he felt the head of his cock butt against the back of
her
throat. His legs clenched, and it took everything he had not to buck into her mouth.

“Uh . . . yeah.”
Christ, what was he talking about?
He had no idea. All he could think of was Brenna sucking on him while Dane sat there and tried to have a conversation with him. Was she wet? Did this turn her on? Were her little nipples poking through her T-shirt, still? God, he wanted to see her, watch her head going up and down on his cock. Just the thought of that made him shift involuntarily.

Dane gave him another weird look. “Anyway. It’s good that I caught you. Colt and I wanted to talk to you about the new guy. That was fast.”

“Brenna moves fast,” he wheezed out as she took him deep again. God, did she move fast. “I have no complaints.”

He nodded. “Seems like a nice enough guy. I don’t know if he has the experience we’re looking for, but he looks athletic enough to keep up, and that’s all that really matters. Colt and I can teach him the rest.”

“Good.” Fuck, he should have said more, but his mind was a blank. It was like she was sucking away his thoughts as she deep throated him.

Light fingers tickled his balls, and then Grant had to clench the arms of the chair all over again as she began to roll his testicles in one hand, still working him with her mouth.

“I wanted to talk to you about Brenna, too—”

“Now is not the time,” Grant barked out. Ah, fuck, she was going to make him come if she kept that up, but her fingers were driving him wild.

Dane put both of his hands up. “Whoa. I was just asking. Didn’t realize it was so sensitive.”

Sensitive
was not the word to use right now. More like delicious torture. He couldn’t think past Brenna’s mouth, and how badly he wanted to push deeper into it. Her motions picked up a rhythm, and she wrapped both hands around the base of his cock, pumping again as she began to work him. He leaned forward on his desk, and he felt beads of sweat break out on his forehead with the strain of keeping his cool. God, he was going to come . . .

Dane was still talking, and Grant had to force himself to concentrate on what his friend was saying. “. . . should probably take Rome out for a beer. Get to hang with the guys and get to know us if he’s going to be working with us.”

“Sounds good,” Grant gritted between clenched teeth.
Fuck.
He could feel his need rising in his cock, felt his balls getting tight. He was about to burst.

“Cool.” Dane sat there for a moment longer, just giving him an odd look, as if trying to figure out exactly what was wrong with Grant. When he couldn’t, he pulled out his phone and began to text. “I think I’ll see if Miranda needs me to bring her lunch or something.”

Dane disappeared out of the lodge.

Grant’s hands clenched into fists, trying to control himself while Brenna worked his cock. And when that didn’t work, he reached under the desk, fisted his hands into her hair, and began to thrust into her mouth, desperate with need. Her soft murmur of surprise made him so fucking horny he could hardly stand it, and he began to pound into her wet mouth, slicking between her lips, pushing into her. Harsh, panting breaths escaped him, and he was nearly insensible with need.