Monroe, Melody Snow - Brittany's Destiny [Pleasure, Montana 4] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  He didn’t want to take the sissy pills, but if his leg got infected Brittany would fuss. “Fine.”

  Brody stood and tested his leg. Seemed good, though she’d told him the numbing agent would take a while to wear off. When he took a step, his thigh sent out a twinge. He hadn’t meant to hiss.

  Evan wrapped an arm around his waist. “Lean on me.”

  “Take me out the rear entrance. You can drive your truck around back.”

  Evan’s grip tightened. “You got an image to uphold?”

  Brody had been the one to care what others thought. Stupid. He needed to grow up and learn to like himself. Though that might have taken twenty more years. “I saw how you wore your dress shirt today.”

  Evan laughed. “Caught me.”

  “You trying to move in on her?”

  Brody wasn’t sure what he wanted the answer to be.

  “Yes. Just so you know, Sparks and I have dibs on her. Together.”

  That boiled his blood. “What does she think about that?”

  His heart started pounding.

  “What’s it to you? I thought after she didn’t return any of your letters that you’d washed your hands of her.”

  I tried. And failed.

  “Nothing. Forget I asked.”

  They got to the back of the store without causing any further damage to his leg. Brody leaned up against the door, pissed his breath wasn’t as strong as usual. Maybe he had lost more blood than he realized.

  “You know you’re hiding your head in the sand. When are you going to admit that you fucked up seven years ago?” Evan got in his face.

  “She left me.” He tapped his chest.

  “I know.” Evan looked to the ceiling. “There’s something you need to know about me and Brittany.”

  He didn’t like the evasive tone. “What’s that?”

  “After Brittany told you it was over, she was really upset. I consoled her afterwards.”

  “So?” He swallowed.

  “She was a complete mess. I held her and talked to her. I’m not too proud of what happened next, but you should know we made love.”

  All thoughts left his brain. “You son of a bitch. She was my girl.” He cocked his arm and slammed it into Evan’s face.

  His brother reeled backward and swiped the blood from his face. Evan would never retaliate. Hitting an injured man went against his grain.

  Then out of nowhere, Evan punched him hard in the gut. “You two were finished. She came to me. Me! So fuck off.”

  Man, had he misjudged Evan or what? War’s on. Brody stepped on his left leg to deliver another blow when his leg buckled. Fortunately, he caught himself on the handle behind him before Evan could react.

  Maybe Evan was right. He’d wanted Brittany to go to school in New Jersey so they could be together. She wanted to go to France. He had been an ass, only thinking of himself and not what she deserved. When she said she was leaving, he told her he never wanted to see her again. To this day, he regretted those words.

  Blood still dribbled down his brother’s mouth. Only then did he, too, feel his own blood trickle down his leg. He nodded. “We best be going.”

  Evan’s eyes widened. “Shit, you’re bleeding.” Red had stained his white coveralls. “You want me to call her back? They couldn’t have gotten far.”

  “No.” He wasn’t in the right mind to see her now.

  “I’ll bring the car out back. While you’re waiting, think about what you want in your life.” With that, he strode off.

  * * * *

  Brittany had been quiet on the ride back to her cabin. Sparks understood. At least he thought he did. He could see it in her eyes that she still cared for Brody. Though not a jealous man by nature, he was willing to admit that he’d give anything to see that light in her eyes for him. Though he swore when he’d kissed her before, she had lit up. Maybe all wasn’t lost. And she hadn’t shut him down when he suggested the ménage relationship.

  “How long do you think it’ll take for Brody to heal?” he asked as a way to cut through the silence.

  She huffed. “Your guess is as good as mine. I’m betting he’ll burst his stitches before the night’s over. The man never did have any sense.”

  He recalled all the times the three of them had roughhoused. They had more bruises and breaks than any three teens. “Remember when Brody was quarterbacking during the last game his senior year, and he broke a rib but continued to play the rest of the game?”

  “Yeah. I could tell he’d been hurt, but the championship meant everything to him.”

  Brody was competitive. Sparks hoped if he really didn’t want Brittany around, he wouldn’t cause any trouble when she was with him and Evan.

  He pulled in front of her cabin, cut the engine, and got out. From the back, he picked up the packages. “Ready for me to stop that leak?”

  She smiled for the first time today and his heart soared. She was so beautiful. Making her happy had always been his goal.

  “So who’s manning the forest if Evan is with Brody and you’re here with me?”

  “Smokey the Bear.”

  She chuckled. “You’re a real comedian.”

  “I know. I like to make you laugh.” He patted his phone and sobered. “I’m on call, but with the snow being so deep, unless there’s an avalanche, it should be a quiet night.”

  People did ski the slopes, but they were usually locals who had enough sense not to ski where it was too dangerous. Once a week, he volunteered to patrol the ski lift area over at Big Sky. He got a lot of action there.

  He placed the packages in the kitchen. “Where’s the house shutoff valve for the water?”

  She cocked her head. “Like I know?”

  “If you plan on living here alone, you need to know. You have to be able to handle any kind of emergency. It’s not safe for a woman to be out here alone anyway.”

  “You think I should get a dog or something?”

  That’s not what he’d meant, but it wasn’t a bad idea. “If you like animals, you might consider it.” He held up a finger. “Why don’t you fill up a water jug? No telling how long this will take.”

  “Good idea.” She filled up two bottles. “I’ll put water in the bathtub, too.”

  He didn’t think she’d need to, but she seemed so intent on the chore that he wasn’t going to stop her. “Fine.”

  He surveyed the pipes and got out the saw to cut the new pipes to the right size.

  She returned. “All set.”

  He stood. “Let’s go search your cabin for the valve.”

  Being with her brought out his protective urges. Since they were still bundled up, they headed outside. Sure enough, under a wooden box attached to the house sat the valve. He turned the water off.

  “When I finish I’ll turn it back on. But if something ever happens, you’ll now know what to do.”

  She saluted him. “Any other instructions, boy wonder?”

  He chuckled. “I’d forgotten that name.” Whenever he’d fix something for her back in high school, or helped her with her math homework, she’d called him that.

  Inside, he got to work. If he got called because of some emergency, she’d be without water until he could get back. Once he removed the pipes, he began the repair work. Work that involved grease and purple primer.

  Brittany was in the living room. “Hey, Brit. What year was this place built?” Not much of anything looked up to code.

  She walked in. “I think 1955. Why?”

  “No reason. Keep me company while I work, will ya?”

  She pulled up a kitchen chair. “I thought my presence might distract you.”

  It didn’t matter where she was. The thought of her was always on his mind. “I like to talk while I work. Besides, you might learn something.”

  She laughed. “Trust me, I have no desire to fix a sink or repair a toilet. That’s a man’s job.”

  He was about to ask if she wanted a live-in handyman, but he didn’t want to push her to
o far. She needed to be the one to make the first move. When they’d spent every day together in school, she never looked at him as someone she could love. He was just her best friend who soothed her aches and pains. Too often, she’d talk about Brody and how wonderful he was one minute, and what a jerk he was the next. He wanted to change that.

  He’d never let on that he could give her everything she ever wanted. Maybe that’s why in college he hit the gym and tried to be as appealing as her high school hero.

  “Well, I’m here whenever you need me.”

  He expected her to merely smile. Instead she reached out and squeezed his shoulder. “I know, and I can’t tell you how much that means to me.” She held his gaze for so long his cock hardened.

  He cleared his throat. “If you plan on taking a shower tonight, I better get back to work.”

  She glanced back to the living room. “I never did finish painting one wall.”

  “Go for it.” She’d been right. Having her sit next to him did distract him.

  Once she left, he measured and cut the pipes, enjoying working with his hands. Brittany’s puttering, along with her few curses, made him smile. He let his mind drift off to dream about what it would be like to be married to Brittany Davenport. It was too soon to seriously consider it, but he liked to fantasize about it nonetheless.

  Within an hour, he had the work complete and he went to tell her. “I’m done, and I’ll turn on the water, but don’t use the kitchen sink until tomorrow.”

  He ducked outside, turned the valve, and returned.

  Her eyes widened. “Your shirt!”

  He looked down. “What about it?”

  “You got grease on it. Let me wash it for you.”

  He wasn’t certain if she meant he should remove his shirt right now, or if the next time he came, she’d clean it. He decided to go for the first option and stripped it off.

  Her gaze latched onto his chest, and he was sure her pupils dilated.

  “You’ve grown.”

  He laughed. “That’s what men do.”

  She stepped closer and raised her gaze to his face. Stealing the shirt from his hands, she raced into the bathroom. The water ran. He gave her a minute then followed her in and leaned against the doorjamb. She was such a pretty picture, head hung low, scrubbing his shirt.

  She held up the material. “Looks good. I’ll dry it, and you’ll be good to go.”

  That gave him a good twenty minutes alone with her. The washer-dryer was in the hallway closet. She tossed his shirt in the dryer and pressed the button.

  Since he couldn’t go anywhere until his shirt dried, he headed back to the living room. He sat on the sofa and picked up the dictionary on the table, wondering what she’d been researching. They used to play word games to pass the time during the summer.

  “Hey.” She plopped down next to him.

  “Remember when you used to pick words and the other person had to come up with a sentence?”

  “God, I haven’t played that in forever. We did have fun.”

  “I’ll go first.”

  He closed his eyes, ran his finger down the page, and stopped. “The word is adipose.”

  “If I weren’t in nursing, I wouldn’t know that one. Hmm. Okay. You have very little adipose on your body.”

  He quickly read the definition, which loosely meant animal fat. “Thanks.” Not to be vain, but he’d spent a lot of time working out and eating right. “Your turn.”

  She repeated the process. “Stiff.”

  His cock. Don’t go there. “I was a little stiff when I first walked up to your cabin to meet you.”

  Bad choice. He had meant he was nervous and not as relaxed as he was now.

  She laughed. “Good one.”

  He took the book from her and closed his eyes. Lust. No way he was going with that one. He closed the book. “I need a redo.”

  She leaned closer, and he could smell the soap she’d used to wash his shirt. “What was it?”

  “It might have embarrassed you.”

  “What, you get penis or breast or something?”

  This Brittany was much more confident than the girl of old. He debated whether to lie. “No, it was lust.”

  “Well, that’s something I know a lot about.”

  He hadn’t expected that comment, nor was he sure how to respond, but to keep quiet wouldn’t do any good either. “Oh, yeah? Care to share?” That sounded safe.

  Inching closer, she ran one finger down his chest and over his abs. His heart beat so fast, he was sure she could see it pulse rapidly.

  If that wasn’t an invitation, he didn’t know what it was. In one quick move, he lifted her onto his lap. She grinned. His cock twitched under the pressure. She better be interested in what he wanted, or there might be trouble.

  Their mouths met at the same time, and her sweetness nearly undid him. His tongue knocked for entrance and she opened up. He’d dreamt of this moment for what seemed a lifetime. Testosterone raging, he took what he’d always wanted. His hands traveled down her back until they landed on her ass. And such a sweet ass it was. Brittany kissed him back, not seeming to hold back anything.

  When she rubbed her hands over the top of his head and down his cheeks, he let his body slide downward until his elbow hit the seat cushion. He expected her to buck and say she’d made a mistake, but instead she pressed her tits into his chest. What he wouldn’t give to have her naked and him inside her.

  Take it slow.

  He loved kissing her. Lifting his feet, he repositioned himself on the sofa so that she was on top of him. She rested her head on his chest and his eyes seemed to close on their own. Having her in his arms felt right.

  She pulled back. “Aren’t you going to answer that?”

  Chapter Seven

  Only when Brittany mentioned a phone was ringing did Sparks realize it was his phone. “Forget it.” He pulled her into another kiss.

  The annoying sound continued, washing away some of his raging testosterone.

  She leaned back. “It could be Evan calling about Brody.”

  Damn. Why did those two have to spoil the best time of his life? “Don’t move.” He reached into his back pocket and extracted the phone. “Shit. It is Brody.” He punched the green button. “Yeah?”

  “It’s Evan. I’m on Brody’s phone. His stitches popped and the cut gapped.”

  If it had been worse, Evan would have elaborated. “What did the doc say?”

  “Didn’t call him. Brody insists Brittany come.”

  Now Brody wants her? “How convenient.” He shouldn’t have been bitter, but he finally got her where he wanted and Brody had to interfere. “We’ll be there ASAP.” He disconnected.

  Brittany straightened, her body stiff. But not as stiff as the cock she was lying on was. He forced down the groan when she wiggled her body to leverage herself off him.

  “So, did Brody do something stupid?” She pressed her lips together.

  Not the reaction he expected. Here he thought she’d go into rapid concern mode. Instead, she remained calm. “Yeah.” He told her of Brody’s issue.

  “I’ll see if your shirt is dry.”

  It wouldn’t be, but it didn’t matter. They had to go.

  She came back and held out his shirt. “It’s better, but not totally dry.”

  “I’ve worn worse. Thanks for washing it.” Once they suited up for the cold ride, he escorted her out to his Jeep. “Do you think we should stop by the clinic again to get more supplies?”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll probably need a sterile suture and more numbing agent.”

  Though it was past closing, Doc was still with a patient when they arrived, and the PA was handling some crisis. The receptionist knew Brittany and gave her what she needed. Once they’d secured the supplies, they headed over to Brody’s. Sparks pulled into Brody’s drive ten minutes later.

  “Wow. Brody must be doing well.”

  “He is.”

  The four-thousand-squar
e-foot home sat on five acres at the base of a mountain. Tall pines lined the drive, and if snow hadn’t covered most of the property, Brittany would have seen he kept the grounds immaculate.

  When they rang the bell, Evan answered. Given there were no worry lines on his face, the wound reopening hadn’t been severe.

  “So where’s the patient?” Sparks wanted to get in and get out, hoping to pick up where he and Brittany left off.

  “In the den. But he’s not in a good mood.”

  She looked at Sparks first then at Evan. “When is he ever?”

  Ouch. Perhaps the love between those ill-fated lovers had waned. If she didn’t want Brody anymore, who better than him and Evan to take Brody’s place in her heart? Evan slipped a hand around her arm to guide her.

  They walked into his den. Brody was drinking a scotch and had his legs propped up on the coffee table.

  He turned. The slight widening of his eyes implied he hadn’t expected Brittany to show up. “You worried about me, babe?”

  “No. I’m just responding to the call that you needed help.”

  “I didn’t call.” He shot a glance at his brother.

  Brittany’s shoulders hunched forward a bit, like she’d been hit in the stomach.

  Evan stepped in front. “I called Sparks on your phone and told him to bring Brittany. You have to get that leg looked at. I’ve seen enough infections in my time to know you need help.”

  Brody waved a hand. “I’m good.”

  She stepped forward. “As long as I’m here, I might as well take a look. Do you mind?”

  She kept her tone soft and soothing. His gaze remained on Brody, wondering if he’d snap at being pampered or be willing to let her do her job.

  “Sure.” He set his unfinished drink on the table, and then pulled down his sweatpants below his knees.

  No surprise, he was naked underneath. From the defiant glare, he wanted to test her reaction. Like a true professional, she sat next to him, opened the bag containing what she needed, and went to work. “How did you pop the sutures?”

  “Got in a fight.”

  “Seriously, what did you do?”