Shameless (St. Martin Family Saga) (8 page)

Slick soft heat snuggled his dick. “Do you like cowgirl?” she asked, slanting her head to one side.

“I like it when you do it.”

Her brow furrowed. “Do you have a favorite position?”

“I never really thought about it.” It was hard for him to think coherently about anything when she was spreading her juices all over his erection.

“Hmm. A good project might be to try them all and rank them based on pros and cons.” She kept gyrating over him.

He swallowed. “I like a worthy project; count me in.”

Plump folds of wet hotness engulfed his cock as she lowered herself on him. He gasped at the heat. She clutched him in her tightness like dark grips the depths of the ocean floor. He knew nothing else in that moment but her hypnotic writhing and the fisting, convulsing inner walls of her sex.

On her knees astride him, she arched back and then kept going, her hands sliding to his ankles and her shoulders resting just below his knees. Jesus, she was holding him and open to him at the same time. When she didn’t move, he pushed himself up and bent forward to check on her, wondering if she’d passed out again. Hell no, she was in bliss. He hovered over her body and wrapped his arms around her, just above her hips. Her back bowed and came to rest between his legs. In that position she was laid out before him like a buffet. Her tits were thrust in his face when she started to move. Her hips and thighs pumped her up and down, and he stretched forward to suck at the breasts that were begging to be tasted.

Oh God, he would never last. Not with her under him, over him, riding him. Not with her in his hands and eyes and surrounding his cock. It was too much. They were connected deep within her body, yet he felt as if she was inside him. And when the first quiver shook his sac, he knew he was about to come.

And that’s when Brook breathlessly whispered his name.

In that moment he knew, it was about more than the awesome sex they shared. He knew he would still want her with as much force even if sex were not on the table. He just needed to be with her and he needed to know that she would never leave him.

7

B
rook was in
love with Cory, that much was certain. She wanted to tell him, felt that he should know, but she didn’t want to spook him. Over the last couple of weeks she’d sensed he’d changed. He was still challenging, which she loved, but there was tenderness and a reverence about him when he touched her or looked into her eyes. She hoped that was due to love.

Due to a huge Louisiana State University ball game, the brewery was hoppin’. She’d been sick to her stomach earlier and now she was exhausted, but she pressed on as the customers emptied the beer taps. When she had a dizzy spell, Logan pulled her to his office and closed the door.

He sat her in a chair and knelt in front of her as he took her pulse. “I heard you were sick earlier. How long’s that been going on?”

“I don’t know. I think it was some old eggs. I really need to throw that carton out.”

“You’ve been tired too.” He stood and placed his palm on her forehead. He pushed her head back and looked at her pupils.

“When was your last period?”

Her eyes went wide. “What? I’m not telling you that.”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Why not? I am a doctor.”

“You’re not
my
doctor,” she said. But she did think about his question. She scratched her head. “I don’t think I had it this month.”

Logan’s eyes squinted to slits as he placed his elbow on his desk and watched her. “Any breast tenderness?”

“Yes!” Brook thought it was strange, but her boobs had been painfully sore. She’d written the pain off to jogging in a regular bra instead of a sport bra.

“You’re pregnant.”

Logan’s demeanor was so matter of fact, she had to recast what he’d said.

She couldn’t hold back a disbelieving laugh. “Not possible; I’m on the pill.”

“It’s very possible; in fact, it’s true. You’re pregnant. I would estimate six weeks. Although you would know better than I would.”

Six weeks. That was when Randy had died. Oh God, this wasn’t happening. Not when things were going so well with Cory. Tears leaked from her eyes.

Warm hands covered hers.

“Hey, I’m here. I’ll help you, but you’ll have to trust and talk to me. I’m assuming from your tears you are aware of Cory’s thoughts about marriage and children.”

She snapped her head up and stared into Logan’s eyes. Her brows drew together. “Our relationship just took a turn for the better. This will throw him for a loop. No, more than that.” Her hands went to her mouth as she inhaled on a gasp. “He will hate me.”

“Are you aware of your options?”

“Options?”

“I’m only sharing the options with you. This doesn’t mean I think you should do any particular one of them. There’s a pill you can take to terminate, up to nine weeks after your last menstrual period.”

She shook her head furiously, one hand on her stomach. “Never!”

“Okay, that’s good. So you want this baby.” Logan caressed her shoulder.

Brook suddenly thought of Cory. Would he want her to abort the child? She wouldn’t do it. Now that she thought about it, this was the best thing Cory could have given her. It was a chance for her to have what she’d always wanted—a family. She would protect the child in her belly with her life. She could leave. The greyhound park in Galveston had called just last week asking if she could fill in for a few months. That would be enough time for her to safely develop the baby in her stomach.

Logan eyed her suspiciously. Then he crossed his arms. Damn, he’d always been too smart for her liking. He inhaled a deep, audible breath. “You’re gonna walk.”

“I have to. I don’t know how much you know about your brother, but Cory’s greatest fear is marriage and kids. I won’t stay here and force him into something he doesn’t want. Or worse, he could talk me into doing something
I
don’t want. After what happened with your mother, if he were to ask me to stay, I’d never be able to leave. He’ll feel obligated. But I don’t want him to have regrets and think of me and a baby as an obligation. That would kill me.”

“I get it, but please let me help you.”

Brook didn’t know how he could help, but she promised not to do anything without consulting him. And she got him to promise that he wouldn’t say or do anything to tip Cory off in any way.

The next day Brook baked up a batch of blueberry muffins using the berries her neighbor had so kindly given her. She needed to see Cory one more time before she left, wanting to memorize his face, his touch, his voice. She secured the warm muffins in a basket and placed a tea towel over the top, then she rode her bike to the clinic. She walked in and saw three clients waiting, holding their pets on their laps. No one was at the counter, so Brook rounded the corner for Cory’s office.

When she opened the door their eyes met and his smile engaged. He was on the phone speaking to someone about a horse that was evidently very sick. He held his arm out, inviting her to join him. When his call ended, he bent down to kiss her. “I like it when you visit me at work.”

“I brought you some muffins.” She held one out to him.

His blue eyes sparkled like wet ice. “Mmm, still warm.” He took a bite that demolished most of the cake.

Now that she was there, she didn’t know what to say. Before she could say anything, his office door crashed open, and two blond-headed boys stood in the doorway. One was dressed as a superhero, complete with cape. The other carried a plastic sword. The one in the cape took off and ran to hide under Cory’s desk. The other boy ran after him, chasing him out from his hiding place. They crashed into the wall, and Cory’s books and trophies fell to the floor.

“Christ! Where’s your mother?”

Brook winced. She’d never heard Cory yell so loudly before. He grabbed each boy by their collars, as if he were picking up puppies, and narrowed his eyes at them. “Do you know what happens to bad little boys?” Their eyes went wide at his sinister voice. “At night when you lie down to sleep—”

“Come on, let’s see if we can find your mom.” Brook broke in. “She must be around here somewhere.” Their mother was Cory’s receptionist; no one else would allow her children to run wild in a professional setting. Yet even though they were the ones running wild, Brook was appalled at the horrible things Cory had been about to say to them. They would have nightmares for eternity.

She’d seen the glint in his eye, but she knew the boys hadn’t.

Once she delivered the children to Amanda, she returned to Cory’s office. She joined him as he picked up the items that littered the floor. Within moments, strong arms circled her waist.

“Thanks, Brook.”

She turned around, and Cory peppered kisses along her neck. She pulled out of his hold. “You were deliberately trying to scare those children.”

“Those two are Satan’s spawn. I don’t want to fire their mother, but I’m trying to work here. Besides, you know I can’t stand kids.”

Brook’s head shot up, “You can’t stand them?”

He exhaled noisily. “Haven’t we been over this?”

“I thought you didn’t want marriage and therefore wouldn’t have children. I didn’t know you loathed them.”

“Well, I do, the monsters, so it’s just as well I’ll never be in a position to have them.”

So… she’d been mistaken all along. Thank God he’d straightened her out, otherwise she might have been tempted to tell him what was going on. Knowing it was the last time she’d see him, she took her time, sharing muffins with him and then aligning all the knickknacks that had fallen from his shelves after he went to see his next patient. She did it all with a smile, not intending to give anything away, but she felt as if knives were sawing at her insides, slicing at her heart.

Less than two hours later, she had Logan drive her and Eagle to the bus station in the next town. When she exited Logan’s truck and stepped into the hot sun, she felt an overwhelming heaviness settle on her. He helped her carry her stuff inside and he purchased her ticket, all the while trying to convince her to stay. She explained, again, her situation and he finally said he understood how hard it would be for her to stay. Brook hugged him hard, unleashing the emotion she hadn’t been able to give to Cory.

With tears streaming down her face, she waved goodbye to Logan from her spot at the back of the bus.

Eagle looked worried, so she plopped down in the seat next to him and opened his kennel door. She reached her hand in to stroke between his ears.

“We’re going to be all right, Eagle. It’s just you and me now.” She rubbed her belly. “And soon there will be one more.”

8

A
s Cory unlocked
the red front door of Brook’s home, he knew she wouldn’t be there. He could feel the lack of spark and energy. He opened the door, and Teddy came running up to him. He gathered the little fellow up and found a note attached to his collar. Cory pulled the note free.

Cory,

You need Teddy and he needs you. I can’t explain why, but I had to leave. It was necessary and dictated by events beyond my control. I need you to understand that I didn’t want to leave. Had things been different, I would have stayed by your side forever. I never want you to regret anything that happened between us—I won’t. Not ever. I’ll see you in my dreams. I’ll feel you inside me at night when I lie down to sleep. Having experienced it for the first time with you, I’ll never forget what love feels like. What it’s supposed to feel like. I hope you can find a way to be happy. You deserve so much more than what you are allowing yourself to have. You are the most generous person I’ve ever met. I’ll cherish our time together for the rest of my life.

I love you,

Brook

Cory staggered to the recliner in the living room and dropped awkwardly into the seat. She was gone. Forever gone. The woman he loved had abandoned him. It had happened again.

He re-read the letter. Something beyond her control? What was it? Why hadn’t she confided in him? He felt helpless and out of control. She was gone and she’d left him with no answers, no way to find her. He examined the room. No, she hadn’t left any other message. She didn’t want him to find her. He tried to imagine what could have happened, but nothing came to mind.

He wondered if something had happened at the brewery and briefly thought of checking with Logan, but then it hit him like a bullet to the chest—Parker. Brook’s leaving had something to do with that son of a bitch.

Cory drove to the brewery. He needed answers, and he would kill to get them.

He stalked inside and searched the place. Problem was, he didn’t know what he was searching for. Then his eyes found Parker waiting for his turn at one of the pool tables. He strode up to him, grabbed him by the neck, and yelled, “Where is she?”

Parker let out a stream of expletives, and his hand chopped at Cory’s side until Cory released his neck. Parker threw a punch, but Cory ducked. Cory snagged him around the waist and threw him into the wall, then landed a punch to Parker’s jaw. Parker’s elbow slammed Cory under the chin. Cory saw stars and heard his brother’s voice. He was being pulled, but he couldn’t see. And then he heard Logan yell “shit” before the lights went out completely.

When he came to he was in Logan’s office, lying on the couch with an icepack on his face. The lights were off and only the glow of the computer lit the room. He saw from the clock he’d been out for three hours.

He sat up, and his head pounded. He stood and staggered to the door. The crowd had thinned. His father and Logan and his
mother
were alone at the bar, so he made his way across the room.

Logan drafted him his favorite brew and placed a pint on the counter. Cory took the seat next to his mother and took a long draw on the beer. He cradled his aching forehead and his jaw in one hand.

Logan pulled out a towel, loaded it with ice, and handed it across the bar.

“Sucker punch. Parker apologized when it was clear that you wouldn’t be waking up for a while.”

Cory grunted, but he pressed the ice against his face.

“You wanna talk about what’s going on with you?” He heard his mother’s voice, smooth like silk, as it filtered through the pain in his head.

Cory shot her a hateful look. She couldn’t be serious—she wanted to
parent
him now? He was nearly thirty; she’d missed his parenting years. He huffed out a no and went back to nursing his head.

“You ever going to forgive me for what I did?”

He wanted to give her another unequivocal no, but he managed to say, “Don’t flatter yourself. This has nothing to do with you.”

“Oh, I think it might have a little to do with me.”

Logan was watching them. Shit, just what had he told their mother? Logan had always been too smart. He would pick up on stuff nobody realized they were projecting and have it all sorted out before anyone else could even blink.

His mother swiveled her barstool toward him.

“I never apologized to you because I didn’t want to experience your rejection. It is, of course, within your rights to refuse my apology.”

Christ, he didn’t want to hear this now.

“I’m not looking for vindication, I just want you to know that I live with the memory of your tear-stained face and your clinging body every day.”

Damn, he really didn’t want to hear this. And he didn’t want her talking about how he’d clung to her, especially not in front of Logan and his dad. Angry, he swung around. And saw her face.

Tears were coursing down her cheeks. Silent tears one after the other. Suddenly his father put an arm around her and she buried her face to his chest.

He’d never seen his mother cry. Not ever.

“Son, things happened that I regret. I need to apologize to you for not being there for you when I drove your mother away.”

His mother placed her hands on his father’s cheeks, “Cliff, you’re not going to take all the blame, we were both at fault.”

Both of his parents now stared into his eyes. It was a strange event and he couldn’t remember the last time it happened, if ever.

His mother spoke, “My leaving had nothing to do with you, Cory. Still, I would give everything to go back to that day and do it differently. To make you understand so that there was never a doubt in your mind.” Her hand went to his shoulder. “I’d like to be part of your life again, and if you ever want that, I’ll be here.” She stood and made her way to the restroom.

Well, shit. He didn’t know what to do with that. Best to push it back for the present.

He stared Logan down with narrowed eyes. Logan wore a poker face, and his lips were tighter than a lug nut.

“You know where she is.”

Logan didn’t deny or confirm, just remained stoic.

His father looked at Logan. “Do you know where she is?”

Still his face was stone.

Cory was beyond frustrated and not in the mood to play games. If Logan knew where Brook was, he was going to get that information. “Logan, I need you to tell me.”

Logan filled a glass with ice, topped it off with water. And then he drank. Only then did he say, “For the record, she swore me to secrecy. But I think I can see how this needs to play out and, lucky for you, that will require that I tell you.”

Cory’s lips tightened, and he was about to fly across the bar and slug his brother when Logan threw out his hand.

“You’ve behaved like an idiot. She didn’t want to leave, but she couldn’t stay and risk losing you forever. If I’m about to betray her trust, I need to know what’s at stake.”

“What’s at stake is your pretty face. Tell me where she is!”

“See, that’s not going to do it for me, brother. I told you that I liked Brook. And I’m committed to her welfare. What I need to know is are
you
committed to her at all costs?”

Cory fisted his hands in his hair. What the hell was wrong with everybody?

“Will you do right by her?”

Fear seared his gut as he met his brother’s unrelenting gaze. “I would give my life for that woman. Please,” he begged. “Please help me get her back.” Unshed tears stung his eyes.

His father put one arm around him. He was falling apart.

Logan said, “She took a job at the greyhound park near Galveston.”

“Galveston? Why?”

Logan looked at their father, but Cory just waved him on. “Logan…”

“Because she’s pregnant with your child and didn’t want to tell you for fear that it would force you to do something that would make you unhappy.”

“What?” Brook was pregnant? Heat washed over him, then ice pounded into him, the twin assault leaving him sweating and shaking.

His mind flashed to her with her animals and how committed and attuned to their needs she always was. Not just to their needs but his as well. She was loyal, he knew that. Deep in his heart he knew she’d never willingly leave him. She’d handle their child with that same fierce loyalty and dedication. Then his mind flashed an image of her with a large round belly. He yearned to be next to that woman, to hold that woman, to love that woman, and the child growing in her womb, their child.

Had he actually told her he’d never have children, that he didn’t want them? The truth of it was he’d give his left nut to watch her grow large and round with his child. He’d have an entire litter with her.

Logan looked to their father and back to Cory, slapped the bar, and said, “So… road trip to Texas?”

“Great idea, son. Let’s all three go, shall we?”

“All four of us,” his mother said from behind him.

Their father turned to place his arm around her. “That’s right, after all this is supposed to be a date.” He kissed her chastely on the mouth.

He didn’t have time to stop and process what was going on with his parents. “I want to leave tonight,” Cory said, his voice nearly as shaky as his hand.

Logan replied, “Let me get Cal in here to run the bar.”

≈

Cal and Chloe both showed up to oversee the bar. They approached Cory, Logan, and their parents, hand in hand.

Cory’s dad placed his large hand on Chloe’s stomach and asked, “How’s my grandbaby doing?”

Chloe said, “He is very naughty, causing his mother to be up all night with indigestion.”

Cal smiled. “And momma’s indigestion keeps daddy up.”

Cory was riveted on the scene playing out in front of him. He so badly wanted what Cal had that his body began to hum like an engine at the thought of having all he never knew he wanted. But he wanted it, all of it, and he wanted it bad.

This was what had been missing his entire life, what he’d feared would always be missing. Unconditional love and devotion. And now it was right in front of him, his if he didn’t blow it.

As Chloe was giving out hugs all around, Cal asked, “So what’s goin’ on?”

Logan said, “Our Cory here has fucked up royally.”

Cal’s brow rose. Cory said, “Before you say anything, I’ve got a plan to make it right.”

Cal raised his hands in surrender. “Hey, I’m not saying a word. So what’s the plan?”

They informed Cal and Chloe of Operation Retrieve Brook and Eagle
.

Chloe said, “Be prepared, Cory. You can’t force her to come back with you. She might be upset. I don’t know, if it were me, if I’d be ready to follow you back to Whisky Cove.”

Cory shook his head. “She has to come back.”

Chloe squeezed his shoulder. “I’m not saying she won’t come back, just be prepared. It may take some time for her to come around.”