Shameless (St. Martin Family Saga) (7 page)

“Perfect.” He even knew her tastes.

He held the door to the van open for her and made sure she was securely inside before he closed it. A woman smarter than Brook needed to snatch him up soon.

They had a full morning and by noon had unloaded the animals at the stables on the St. Martin estate.

“This is a nice place.” Parker looked out across the vast expanse of land.

Brook was busy pulling supplies out of the van. “Isn’t it? Randy is buried down by the pecan grove.”

Parker leaned in to the van next to Brook and studied her. She read the curiosity in his metal-gray eyes.

“What?” she asked.

“So you really like this guy.”

Was he telling her? Because she sure didn’t hear a question in his words.

He was watching her every move, trying to read her. She knew how he felt about her and she felt bad, but thought it best to tell him the truth.

“He’s a good guy. He can seem a bit prickly at times, but he really is genuinely nice.”

Parker crossed his arms. “And so…?”

“And so… Yes, I like him.”

Parker’s jaw tensed, and he closed his eyes. Brook’s stomach tightened as she watched him.

“It was never going to be me, was it then?” He lowered his gaze to her hands, clasped them in his. “I knew that. I lost count of the number of times you said I was such a great friend.”

He placed his palm on her cheek and his eyes darkened with a need she would never be able to answer.

“What the fuck’s going on here?” A low, hoarse voice shattered the tense moment. Brook was relieved and then troubled.

She gasped and whipped her head in Cory’s direction. “Cory!”

His brow furrowed as he glared over the tops of his aviator shades and took in the intimacy of her position next to Parker.

Stepping away from Parker, Brook said, “We were just unloading the animals into the stables.”

Cory huffed and swore violently, not quite under his breath, as he stomped into the stable yard. He rubbed the back of his head as he took in the scene. “What the hell?” He turned to Brook. “You said you were bringing the rescue dogs here.”

“There are two over there.” She pointed behind him and to the right.

Cory turned. “But that isn’t a greyhound, it’s a three-legged mutt with mange.” He gestured to the corner. “And is that a pregnant goat?”

“Both the mutt and the goat had to come with me. They were due to be euthanized today.”

Cory’s head went back as he raised his eyes to the sky and exhaled a long breath, a very long breath, through clenched teeth. “Jesus, Brook. Are you going to rescue all the animals on death row?”

“Not all. Just the ones I can.”

“You won’t even make a difference. Thousands are put to death
every day
in the state of Louisiana alone.”

Brook’s eyes filled with tears as she bent to pick up the three-legged dog. “It makes a difference to this one.”

He shook his head, but he walked to her and wrapped one arm around her. “Your heart is simply too big. Here…” He put the mange-infested mutt on the ground and then grasped her shoulders. “Please don’t cry. We have plenty of room here. It should be fine. Just don’t bring any more. The last thing I want to do is come home to a bunch of mangled and sick animals at the end of the day. I’ll need to treat this dog.” He carried the dog over to a corner of the stable. Brook and Parker followed. Cory was silent as he filled a bucket with water and some solution he pulled from a shelf. He pulled on a pair of gloves and dipped the squirming dog into the bucket.

She hadn’t considered that he’d have to come home to do more work. But she should have. Her heart was no bigger than his.

“Brook?”

She turned to Parker.

“I’ve got to run a few errands. Do you want to go with me?” He shrugged. “Or I can come pick you up when I’m done.”

“I’ll take care of her,” Cory said, not even bothering to turn.

Parker’s lips tightened, and his chest expanded slightly. “Brook?”

“Yeah, I’ll just get Cory to give me a ride home, but thanks for all your help today and for breakfast.”

Parker hugged her and whispered, “You sure you’re cool with me leaving?”

She shook him off when she felt Cory’s gaze burning through them. “Yeah, it’s fine. Thanks again.” She waved as he walked out.

She watched a moment before she turned and stormed over to Cory. She narrowed her eyes at him. “Why do you always have to be so moody and mean?”

“He’s always got his hands all over you.” He rinsed the dog with water from a hose.

Brook pointed to the spot where the van had been parked. “Parker’s my friend.”

Cory raised his brow and tilted his head in her direction. “Seems like more than friends.”

“What do you mean?”

“Did I not give you enough last night? I guess not. Considering how you’re dressed, I figure you’re trolling for sex.”

Brook looked down at her clothes. Shorts and a tank is what she always wore to deal with the unbearable heat. “There is something seriously wrong with you.” She would walk home. It didn’t seem that far. She headed out to the driveway.

Cory followed. “Are you so mad because what I said is true?”

“I’m mad because I just realized what an idiot I’ve been to think emotion and sex could be isolated. After observing your behavior, it’s clear that they can’t be separated.”

“My behavior?”

“Yes, yours. Or didn’t you notice yourself stewing in a sea of jealousy? You have so many commitment issues that you should lock your thing up until you straighten them out, but instead you just take out your problems on innocent women.”

“Women are anything but innocent. You shouldn’t even use the words in the same sentence.”

Brook abruptly stopped and whirled around. Her eyes wide, she asked, “What part of
I don’t sleep around
did you not understand?”

Cory shrugged. “All of that terminology is relative. You weren’t a virgin when I first had you, so clearly you’ve been sleeping with somebody. And then you’re on the pill, that’s convenient.”

Whack
! The sound hit her just before the seething pain screamed through her hand. She’d slapped his stupid face. Attraction be damned, there wasn’t enough great sex in the world that would have her putting up with his bullshit.

6

C
ory recoiled, feeling
as if a two-by-four had been rammed into his face. “Goddammit, Brook!” His hand went to his cheek. It was hot from the rush of blood where she’d slapped him.

She’d already turned and was pounding down the road. Crazy woman; where did she think she was going to go? Their land went for miles in either direction. And where the hell had she developed that right hook?

It would be dark before she even reached the main road. He went back for his SUV and caught up with her in moments.

“Get in the damn truck.”

She turned her flushed, tear-stained face to him. Fuck, she was crying. His chest immediately burned. He pushed two fingers into it to relieve the pain.

“Why are you crying?”

“I’m crying because you don’t know shit that you think you know. You hurt me and any other woman that comes across your path. Instead of using your fortune for good, you use it to demolish. You’re like a tornado.”

What the hell was she talking about? Women were all bat-shit crazy. “I’m sorry, but I don’t follow.” He didn’t even know why he bothered asking her to explain.

She stepped up to the open passenger-side window and threw her arms in the air. “You have the face and body of a god. And you know it too. You have a great practice—people trust you with their animals because you’re good and caring. And yeah, you have the family name and reputation behind you. And yet you use all sorts of defense mechanisms to hide your feelings. And don’t even get me started about how you use sex. Even if love were all around, you wouldn’t see it because the sex would be in the way.” Rubbing her forehead, she sighed. “You have a community that supports you
in spite of
your many irresponsible sexual conquests, including those with married women.” She pointed a finger at him. “You better be on the lookout for a few pissed-off husbands. No matter what you think about their virility, no man wants another man’s hands on his woman.” She stepped back and crossed her arms. “Your family supports your every move and desire. You are blessed abundantly, but you’re so jaded you can’t see what you have right in front of you. Do you even know that most people would kill to have what you have?”

She ended on a deflated sigh and her body slumped forward.

Cory put the car in park and jumped out.

“Just a damned minute. You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” He circled the SUV and stopped next to Brook.

“You have no right to say that.” He stabbed a finger into the air near her chest. “Who are you to say that?”

Brook simply shook her head. She didn’t back away and she didn’t blink at his anger.

“You know it’s true. Do you deny that you have so many gifts? Not all of them were handed to you—I know you worked your butt off to become a vet. I know you take care of the family property. But you
have
been blessed. You have it all.” She reached out both hands and trapped one of his between them. “Or almost all.”

He froze. And then he was the one pulling back, the one stepping away. She’d nailed him. It was all true—he had a lot of support but he habitually dismissed it because he didn’t have the support of the one person who meant the most to him. His mother. She’d left, had turned her back, and he’d turned his back on anyone who offered him the support he’d wanted from her. He squeezed his eyes closed. If she, his own mother, hadn’t considered him worthy of support, of love, he knew he had no business accepting it, searching for it, from others.

Shit. Wasn’t he fucked up?

And now that his mother was trying to reinstate herself into their lives like nothing had happened, he pushed even harder against anyone who reached out to him. He didn’t want to be reminded of that time, of not being enough for her. Of not being enough.

But Brook hadn’t pulled back. And she had seen straight into him.

He grasped her hips and slid his hands up to her slim waist. She seemed so thin. Thinner than when they’d met. Her body went limp in his hands and her head fell back. Oh God. He opened the car door and placed her on the seat. He shook her shoulder and patted her face.

“Brook?”

Her eyes rolled under the lids before they opened as tiny green slits.

“Brook?” His voice cracked, and his heart hammered in his chest.

“Hmm.” She smiled softly.

“Brook, baby, look at me.”

She opened her eyes wider and slowly sat up, balancing herself with one hand on the dash. “I’m so tired.”

“You passed out.” He brushed the hair out of her eyes with a shaky hand.

“Will you please drive me home?”

Despite his questions, she was quiet the entire drive to her house.

He unlocked her front door with the key he’d made for himself and let them inside. Eagle and Teddy were there to greet her. She bent to pick up Teddy, but he leaped from her arms and into Cory’s. She dropped onto the daybed, and Eagle hurried over and rested his head in her lap.

Cory remained by the door, unsure of what to say. She hadn’t wanted to stop for food, but now he wondered if he shouldn’t have overruled her. She looked pale as she rubbed Eagle’s head. Maybe she was still stewing. He’d never seen her as angry as she was back at the stables.

“I’m sorry for upsetting you earlier.”

She nodded before she caught his gaze. Her forehead wrinkled, “It’s important for me to know that you understand, I don’t sleep around.”

He didn’t really believe that she did. Seeing Parker’s hands on her had him instinctively territorial and he’d acted like an ass. “I never believed you did.”

She held her hand up indicating she had more to say. “After my parents died, I went to live with my uncle and his wife. I was nine. I’d lived in Whisky Cove my entire life. New Jersey was different. Their house was different. It seemed cold and unloving. At nine years old I realized my old life with my parents had been like a really good dream, a dream I could always go back to when things got tough and I needed to feel real comfort and sincere love. I dreamed of them every night for months.”

Her voice lacked inflection and she stared, unfocused, at Eagle. “My uncle is a bastard and a drunk. I would hear him come home late at night and yell and hit his wife. I was afraid of him, so I stayed out of his way. I’d wanted to ask Shelly why she stayed with him and let him abuse her, but selfishly I thought of myself and what would become of me if she were to leave. So I thought it best not to ask.”

Cory joined her on the bed. He placed his arm around her and pulled her tight to his side. He kissed her temple. “You were a child. You can’t blame yourself for her poor decisions.”

“When I was eighteen I witnessed the worst fight they’d had. She was bleeding. To my knowledge, that was a first. I jumped in then, but ended up taking a fist to the face. After that I knew I had to get out of there.

“The one thing that kept me sane through it all was Randy. My aunt and uncle breed and train show collies. I picked up my skills as a handler from them. I met someone—a guy. He promised to make all my dreams come true.” She laughed. “I know. I was a fool to believe him. I left my uncle’s home and moved in with Joey. He had a large family and they all lived together. They accepted me with unconditional love. We lived in his room. We were young. Idiots. It was a mistake but still, it was the happiest time I’d known since my parents died. I loved his family and because of that, because of them, it was easy to overlook the fact that he slept with any and everything that crossed his path.”

She turned to Cory then, her smirk clearly sarcastic. “Seriously, anything. Men and women alike, or both at the same time.”

“The East Coast is a strange place,” Cory murmured.

Her smirk relaxed into a true smile, and Cory hugged her.

“I decided I wanted to come back to Whisky Cove and saw an ad in the Herald for a greyhound handler at the park. I took the job and bought this house. I’ve been happy here.”

She frowned, and Cory watched her jaw tighten.

“I’m not in the habit of lying. I told you all this”—she waved a hand in front of their faces—“to show you that when I said I’d been with one man, it was the truth.” She pulled out of his hold. “Parker and I have made out, but that’s it.”

He pulled her body back against his side and turned her face toward his with his finger. “Brook.” He bent toward her and sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. When he released it, he kissed it tenderly. “I’m a dumbass. Of course you weren’t lying.” He shook his head. “I don’t like seeing you with Parker. I especially don’t like him putting his hands on you. I have no right to feel that way and didn’t even know I did.” God, the thought of Parker touching her, making out with her, had him seeing red. He wanted to put a hit on Parker’s head. He’d have to tell her.

He dragged his hand across his lips and chin. “Until today I hadn’t thought I’d ever be monogamous, but I’d like to be with you. The truth is, since that night at the deer stand, I haven’t been able to even think about sex with anyone else. I don’t know how you feel, but would you consider being exclusive?”

Brook smiled her ridiculously large and revealing smile at him. “Are you asking me to go steady?”

“Make sure you share the news with Parker,” Cory said in response to her snarky enthusiasm.

She pressed her lips to his and placed one palm on his cheek as she kissed him tenderly. Cory’s hands slid into her thick nut-brown hair, and his tongue explored her mouth. But he had one more task before they could get lost in one another. He pulled his mouth away from the sweetness of hers.

“Brook, I’m sorry I said what I did about the way you were dressed. I was lashing out after seeing you stand so close to Parker. I didn’t mean to hurt you.” He dropped a swift kiss to her mouth. “I rather like the way you dress. It keeps me hot and bothered.”

“Apology accepted. Now kiss me.”

He pushed Teddy aside—he wasn’t sure how the puppy had gotten between them. And then they were kissing in earnest. The sweet moans that came from her throat were his undoing. He wanted to spend every second of the day with her. He’d attempted to distance himself these last weeks, but every time he swore to himself that the day would not end with her in his arms, he’d lost the battle. Truth told, he was tired of fighting his body, and he was tired of fighting his body. Hell, his mind too as it flashed pictures of their intimacy like a closed-loop movie. He cared for her, and the thought crossed his mind that fifty years from now he still would not have had his fill of her. That possibility scared the shit out of him. But God, she felt so right in his arms.

When he was young his parents had taken him to a rain forest conservatory. It had been filled with gorgeous, exotic butterflies. Brook’s beauty and personality reminded him of a butterfly fluttering around. Positive energy poured out of her and into him. He’d been walking around with a dark cloud of moodiness hanging over his head these past few weeks. Now that he knew she was exclusively his, the melancholia immediately abated.

His hand slid under her shirt and moved across her velvet skin, reaching her breast and cupping it tenderly in his palm. As he molded its shape, his thumb and finger pinched the engorged tip. Brook broke free of his mouth and groaned out some mangled version of his name. He laughed, knowing he had her. He loved that he could turn her on, that she responded so eagerly to him. She opened her eyes and bright as sunbeams, they beckoned him like a moth to a flame.

“You’re naturally beautiful but when desire courses through your veins, you are a goddess. I can’t resist you.” And he couldn’t resist the poetic. She was like a muse, encouraging him. He removed her shirt and bra and unfolded their bodies across the bed. He grazed her nipple with his teeth. When she cried out, he soothed her sensitive skin with the flat of his tongue. As he provided the same attention to the other breast, Brook’s delicate hands started to unbutton his shirt. She trembled as she always did once they started exploring each other’s bodies, once they started driving one another toward climax. No woman had ever responded to him like she did, as if his every touch burned her. Her hands shook with the energy coursing through her, and he placed his over hers and said, “Together.”

When his shirt was off, she wiggled a bit, indicating she wanted to shift positions, and Cory gave in to her demands. She sat atop him in just her cutoff shorts. She leaned down and slithered her tongue over the muscles of his chest. Her body sensuously moved left to right as she tasted every inch of his upper body. When she started in on his oblique muscles, he shifted, trying not to laugh. She jerked her head up and offered him a saucy smile. She quirked her brow and then laid into his side using teeth, tongue, and fingers. Cory couldn’t catch his breath from laughing. His erection was harder than it had ever been and when he thrust his hips up at her, she immediately stopped playing games and rocked against his cock with her wet heat.

He unbuttoned her shorts, and she rose on her knees so he could slide her shorts and panties down her legs. When she sat back down, she threw her legs over the side of the bed and pushed her clothes free of her body. Then she undid his trousers and pulled them away from his body. When she finished, she took up her position straddling his lap.