Homewrecker (Into the Flames #1)

HOMEWRECKER

Katheryn Kiden & Cat Mason

Fidem Publishing Copyright © 2014 Katheryn Williams and Amy Cox as Katheryn Kiden and Cat Mason

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events, and incidents are either of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living, dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. This book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. May fire ants chew your saggy earlobes if you pirate this.

In association with Fidem Publishing

Cover Image and Design By: Katheryn Kiden of Fidem Publishing

Cover Model: Harper Sloan

Photography by: Lauren Perry of Perrywinkle Photography

Editing and formatting by: Wendi Temporado of Ready, Set, Edit

Dedication

For every person that has ever been torn when it comes to matters of the heart and happiness.

If it comes down to what you think the world will accept,

and what makes you feel complete…

Remember that you’re the one that has to live with your choices, no one else.

Love is a feeling, an indescribable emotion, not just a four letter word. It’s an organic thing that grows and changes to be whatever it needs to be for the person to feel whole. Never put it in a box with some one dimensional definition.

Choose you.

Always. Choose. You.

And Harper Sloan

For being the face of Kennedy when no one else even came close to what we pictured.

You brought the image in our heads to life and we could never thank you enough for that.

And for being completely fucking amazing.

Never change.

PLAYLIST

Hail to the King- Avenged Sevenfold

I’m Not the Only One- Sam Smith

Break Stuff- Limp Bizkit

Dilemma- Nelly

Two Sides of Me- Hinder

Amen- Halestorm

Liar- Egypt Central

Lost in Paradise- Evanescence

Lie Baby Lie- Brantley Gilbert

Remind Me- Brad Paisley & Carrie Underwood

Leader of the Broken Hearts- Papa Roach

Without You- Three Days Grace

Every Day is Exactly the Same- Nine Inch Nails

Stuck on a Feeling- Prince Royce & Snoop Dogg

I Just Can’t Live a Lie- Carrie Underwood

Addicted- Saving Abel

Familiar Taste of Poison- Halestorm

Nothing Left to Lose- Hinder

Addicted- Kelly Clarkson

That’s My Kind of Night- Luke Bryan

Dirty Little Secret- All American Rejects

Say Something- A Great Big World ft. Christina Aguilera

“Chips and beer…” I mutter, writing on the notepad as I make my grocery list. “Steaks, veggies, orange juice…”

Splashing milk into my coffee, I set the carton of milk down on the counter centered in our kitchen and pick up my mug. Sipping as I go, I look through the cabinets to see what else we need for the weekend when I stop at the store after work.

“Good morning,” Gunnar purrs from behind me.

His arm slips around my waist before his free hand takes my coffee mug. Tossing my pen down onto the pad, I turn to face my husband. “Just got a whole lot better,” I reply, meeting his warm brown eyes.

I’ve loved Gunnar Brooks nearly my entire life. There are very few memories of my life without him front and center. Growing up, we ran in a pack of five.

Still do.

Gunnar’s best friend, Dixon, my best friends, Lynsey and Mark, and of course Gunnar and I have been inseparable since we were kids. Though we were all always together, everyone knew Gunnar and I would end up being more than friends. I can’t imagine my life without him.

We have grown up, but not apart. Gunnar is a teacher at our old high school and just accepted the position of head football coach. It’s a dream come true for him and I couldn’t be prouder. Dixon is a firefighter; Mark and I help Lynsey run her store like a well-oiled machine. Batteries Not Included is the highest ranked sex and fetish shop in the area.

Floggers, clamps, and strap-ons— oh my!

Yeah, that’s what she tells everyone. Seriously, Lynsey makes us say that.

Gunnar downs the rest of my coffee before placing the mug in the sink. “You know there are better ways to wake up that beautiful body of yours than coffee, right?” He winks at me, promise simmering in his eyes.

“Is that so, Mr. Brooks?” I ask, running my hands up his bare arms, feeling the muscles twitch beneath my hands. “Would it be the same thing that helps with first day of football jitters?”

Sliding his hands down, Gunnar cups my bare ass beneath the hem of his old high school football jersey. “Mhm,” he replies, nuzzling my neck. “I believe it is, Mrs. Brooks.”

Lifting me onto the counter, Gunnar steps between my thighs and I gasp at the cold tile beneath me mixing with the heat of his body, barely concealed by his boxers. “Well, Coach,” I tease, letting my fingers slip into his sandy blonde waves, still unruly from sleep. “I don’t know if it’s fair for you to be suggesting that there’s anything better than coffee,” I say as he kisses a trail up to my ear.

His lips skim my earlobe, making me tremble. “If you don’t already believe that, baby, I better get to work on proving my case.” He chuckles before his lips meet mine.

Grabbing the hem of the jersey, I break the kiss and yank it over my head, needing to feel him skin-on-skin. My elbow collides with the carton of milk, sending it tumbling into the sink with my mug, and spilling down the drain.

Gunnar’s finger circles my belly button then heads upward, drawing my attention once more. “Oops, looks like we’re gonna need milk too,” he says, cupping my face with one hand while the other palms my breast.

“I’ll make sure to add it to the list,” I reply, my voice barely a whisper. “Where were we, Gunnar?” I ask, biting my lip when he pinches my nipple, rolling it between his thumb and middle finger. Something flashes in his eyes—something hot—but just as quickly it is gone again, making me desperate to know what he was just thinking.

Releasing his hold on me, Gunnar shoves his boxers down his lean thighs. I wrap my hand around his cock the moment it springs free, stroking him slowly. “That feels so good,” Gunnar says on a long moan.

Cradling the back of my head with his hand, Gunnar forces my hand away as I lie on my back on the cool tile countertop. His fingers move along my thighs as he spreads my legs, pulling me down until my ass rests on the edge.

Slowly, Gunnar slides into me and I moan. “Jesus,” he groans as my inner muscles grip him.

My fingers grip his hips while he thrusts in and out of me, slowly torturing me. I have to bite my lip harder to keep from screaming for him to give me more. Don’t get me wrong, I love my husband and sex with him is always good, but lately, it feels like something is just out of reach. Like I am drifting further and further away from the woman I imagined myself being. It has me swimming in stormy seas staring out at a wave that I can’t seem to get on top of. It’s there, I can see it in the distance as it taunts me, but no matter how hard I try, I can’t get to it. I know Gunnar feels it too. The look in his eyes tells me that he knows something has begun to shift between us, he just doesn’t say anything. It’s the elephant in the room; the topic that is avoided, but always present.

Gunnar’s hands shift beneath my ass, angling me off the counter. When he forces my legs over his shoulders, allowing him a deeper angle, he moans a long, low sound that makes my toes curl. “Arch your back, baby,” he pants, rolling his hips.

Doing as he asks, I moan; every roll of his hips has his pelvis grinding against my clit. My climax begins to wash over me, slowly. Closing my eyes, I absorb it all while falling over the edge, his name the only thing on my lips as I find my release.

“You’re so beautiful, Kennedy,” he whispers, letting one of my legs slip into the crook of his arm. Bending down, he captures my lips with his, kissing me with long, slow, torturous flicks of his tongue. My hands fly up, cupping his face, holding him to me as I kiss him back. Gunnar stills, growling my name into my mouth as he comes.

Breaking the kiss, Gunnar buries his face in my neck, breathing deeply. My hands run down his jaw and over his shoulders before wrapping my arms around him. “I love you, Gunnar,” I whisper, pressing my lips to his shoulder.

He sighs softly. “More than anything, baby.” After catching his breath, Gunnar slips from me and helps me down to my feet. Pressing a soft kiss to my lips, he grins. “Much better way to get the blood pumpin’. I need to shower before meeting Dad and Dixon for breakfast this morning,” he adds, his hands sliding down my hips to rest on my ass. I can see the nervousness behind his brown eyes, the expectations. Not just the ones the school has set for him, but the ones he has set for himself.

“I’ll just come join you in a sec, I’ve gotta go in early this morning and help Mark finish stocking the shelves,” I reply.

Gunnar slaps my ass playfully as he releases me, and a yelp escapes my lips making him watch me carefully. I look up at him in surprise when I see something heat in his gaze. It has my body sparking, wanting him to give me whatever just ran through his mind. He always treats me so carefully, and even though I didn’t expect to, I liked the rough feel of his hand just now. His face softens immediately. Reaching out, he runs his fingers over my jaw. “I didn’t mean to be so rough, baby.” Leaning down, he presses his lips to mine. “Don’t be long.”

Kicking out of his boxers, he leaves them on the tile floor and struts from the kitchen. Picking up the pen from the counter, I scribble milk on the store list and blow out a breath.

I know that ignoring the bigger situation going on between Gunnar and me will get us nowhere in the end, but I also don’t know how to go about talking to him without upsetting him. I don’t want Gunnar to think it has anything to do with not loving him, because I love him more than anything. I can’t stand the thought of hurting him or for him to think for one minute that he isn’t enough for me. He is.

Scooping up our clothes, I head in to shower with Gunnar. Deciding that maybe another perspective will help, I decide to talk to Lynsey at work once I get there.

***

An hour later after getting ready, I kiss Gunnar and wish him luck on his first day of the season. Packing up my bag, I run out the door and climb into my purple, nineteen seventy Dodge Challenger. Turning up the stereo, I let Brantley Gilbert pour through the speakers in an attempt to drown out the thoughts racing in through my mind.

The city of Kingsport isn’t anywhere near the biggest city in the state of Tennessee, but it’s home. While it is big enough to get lost in, you still manage to run into people you know everywhere you go. My husband being a teacher, and now the football coach, means that if people don’t already know me, chances are they will soon. One thing you need to know when living around here is that football is a big deal.

Our high school stadium is university quality and every championship banner won is proudly displayed. It’s not only that they want to win, our boys expect to. They work their asses off, sometimes two practices a day in the heat, all for the glory of that Friday night. Pep rallies, parades, bonfires, all that adds up to the final showdown of playoffs and a possible championship banner saying that they are the best.

Gunnar wants it so bad he can taste it.

Pulling into my parking spot, I grab my bag and hurry through the lot. Pushing open the door, I overhear Lynsey on the phone with a customer. “Of course we guarantee our products, Sir. The Thrashing O Penis Extender is one of our top selling models. What we do not guarantee is that you have the penis to back it up. The key word is extend, not pretend.”