Rett Read online

  He gazed down at me and all I could think was how badly I wanted this guy. I glanced around at the vast lawn and tall fence of trees and sighed. “So, you’re sure this isn’t right for a kiss, huh? Cause it seems pretty perfect to me.”

  He took my hand and we walked halfway down between the jacarandas and the quiet street below. “It’s a great setting. It’s just not the right time yet.”

  We sat down next to each other. Within seconds, moisture from the grass began to seep through the flimsy material of my dress. “I guess the sprinklers must have been on today.”

  He pulled his long, thick legs into the pretzel shape we all learned to create in kindergarten. Without warning, he snaked his arm around my waist and lifted me crosswise into his lap. My bottom sat snugly against the crook of his legs. His arms circled me and I leaned my face against his chest.

  “I just want to say that this is way better than my brother’s lame party.”

  His thumb caressed my arm. “I felt completely out of place in there. Yet, I’m sitting here with the daughter of a major rock star tucked neatly on my lap, and I couldn’t feel more at ease. Why are you so different than those girls in there?”

  I pressed my face into his shirt and breathed in the scent of him. “I’m definitely different, but I’ve never fit in with most of them. I never wanted to. I was dating the son of a big producer, and Max was about as close as I ever cared to get to that world. But it didn’t work out. He travels a lot and I’m sort of an anti-traveler. I do drive now though, and I consider that a pretty big deal.”

  “So, Max is out of the picture?”

  I grinned up at him. “Yes he is. And to tell you the truth, he was pretty disappointing in bed.” I sat up straighter. “Shit, you don’t have any family members that are part of the press or tabloid editors, do you? I’m just spilling all kinds of stuff here.”

  “You’re safe. Closest connection would have to be the paper route I had when I was ten.”

  “Oh my gosh, I’ll bet you were so damn cute with your little bicycle and helmet.”

  “That was one underpaid job, I’ll tell you that. And my parents never spent money on a helmet.”

  “Shitty parents.” I relaxed back against his muscular arm and stared up at the stars. “It’s such a clear night.” I thought about my relationship with Max. He hadn’t been completely scared off by my overdose, but he’d treated me differently. Everything he said and did seemed measured and calculated like a movie script. “I’ve been on medication to help me cope with things, and I sometimes worry that while the meds are helping control my anxiety, they are stopping me from feeling all the other things that make life awesome, the feelings that we wake every morning hoping to experience. Our sex life was so unsatisfying that I became an expert at faking it. After awhile I wondered if faking it was the closest I was ever going to come to a truly mind-shattering orgasm.” I paused. “Holy shit, what is it about you that makes me want to confess my deepest thoughts?”

  “People do sometimes mistake me for a priest.”

  I laughed.

  He tightened his arms around me. “We need to put an end to this faking it crap.”

  I rubbed my fingers along the stubble on his chin. “Ah, I’ve presented a challenge for the master of kissing.”

  “Not a challenge at all.” The arm supporting my back lowered, and my face was leaning up toward the sky. His long lashes lowered as he gazed hungrily at my body. The way he looked at me brought an instant blush to my skin. Then he grabbed my waist and lifted me unceremoniously off his lap.

  “I will be right back. While I’m gone slip off those boots.” He hopped to his feet and disappeared back through the trees. I stood feeling rather dumbfounded and more than slightly disappointed. I sat for a second on the cold wet grass and pulled off my boots. My tiny socks grew moist as I waited for him to return.

  Minutes later, he emerged from the shadows with something in his hands. Just watching him walk across the lawn toward me caused my heart rate to speed up. He was always a sight to see, and as he walked confidently across the lawn, he looked nothing short of breathtaking.

  He stopped in front of me and laid down a large towel. Then with a flourish of his hand he told me to sit down on it.

  “Not sure if this—”

  He pressed his finger against my lips. “No talking,” he said quietly. “Relax, my sweet little Cinder wench. I’ve got this.”

  I sat down and hugged my knees to my chest, suddenly feeling like a shy, tense virgin and wondering why the hell I’d divulged so much to him about my basically nonexistent sex life. He sat down next to me, his shadow towering over mine in the lightly illuminated lawn ahead. Heat radiated off of his muscular body, or at least I felt warmer as he sat near me.

  He lowered his face to mine. “Lie down,” his voice was low, and his breath caressed my cheek as he spoke. Suddenly, I was horrified. What if I truly was unable to reach climax? What if I really had been rendered an emotional and physical piece of rock by the medication I relied on to keep me from falling apart. I wasn’t ready yet to discover that even a man as incredible as Barrett couldn’t make me feel what other people felt, the intense physical feelings of sex.

  He seemed to sense that I’d tensed up with the terrifying thoughts going through my mind. “Trust me,” he said quietly.

  With great reluctance, I released my legs and rested back on the towel. “It’s convenient that you keep a large towel in the truck. Do you do this often?” Making light of stuff was my usual coping mechanism to stave off fear.

  “My brother and his girlfriend like to go out to the beach for bonfires. So, I apologize ahead of time for any sand.” He leaned down on his elbow and stared at me. The same blush heated my skin.

  My tension only increased under his scrutiny, and I wriggled some on the towel. “What is his girlfriend like?” I asked lightly.

  He leaned over me and his mouth came down over mine. His kiss started gently as his tongue caressed my lips and then his hand went behind my neck, pushing my mouth harder against his. My lips parted. His tongue traced a tantalizing trail across my tongue. I reached up and tangled my fingers in his hair. As his kiss deepened in intensity, my breasts arched toward him and all I could think was that I wanted him to touch me. And then, as if he’d read my mind, his hand moved down to the buttons on my dress. His mouth still hungrily devoured mine as he deftly slid open the buttons. Cool night air drifted over my exposed skin.

  I was completely breathless as Rett lifted his mouth from mine. His lids were heavy with desire as his gaze lingered on my lips. “Couldn’t wait any longer. A kiss seemed necessary.”

  As if prompted by his thoughts, a breeze tossed the hem of my dress up above my panties. Instinctively, I reached to push the dress down, but Barrett’s large hand took hold of my wrist.

  “Leave it.” Then he lifted my hand and lowered it to the towel above my head. He reached across and moved my other hand as well. He leaned his mouth close to mine, and my lips parted instinctively. I wanted him to kiss me again. I reached for him, but he caught my wrist once more. He stretched it up above my head.

  “Don’t move,” his mouth brushed my bottom lip as he spoke. “Relax and close your eyes, Finley.”

  My eyes drifted shut. I struggled to take several relaxing breaths, but his nearness was making it a chore. Then I held in a breath as I felt him lean down over me. His mouth pressed against the top curves of my breast, and he ran his tongue along my naked skin. I shivered from the cool night air and the feel of his mouth on me. He tugged down the top of my bra and my nipple puckered at the exposure. His warm mouth covered my breast and his tongue continued its tantalizing trail.

  I lifted my hands and he quickly pressed them back above my head. Then his arm went under my back, and he lifted my breasts harder against his mouth. Tiny shards of light glittered behind my eyes as I reveled in the feel of his tongue on my skin and then his hand moved down to the top of my panties.

  “But—” I
’d barely opened my mouth to protest when he quickly quieted me with a kiss. “Shh,” he whispered, and kissed me again. I melted into a puddle as his talented tongue drew long strokes across my lips and tongue. And then, once again, I released a long disappointed breath as his mouth left mine.

  His fingers returned to my panties and heat swirled between my legs as he slid them down past my feet. Then his hands left my skin, and I opened my eyes. He yanked off his shirt, and I melted farther into my puddle state. “Damn,” I sighed. Everything about him was so fucking sensual that it made my head spin.

  He rolled up his shirt and slid it beneath my bare bottom, lifting me to the fresh night air and assuring me of the moisture between my legs. Once again, he lowered his face to mine and he brushed my hair back. His mouth moved over my ear, and my eyes drifted shut as his tongue traced the outline of it. “Open your thighs for me, Baby,” he whispered, and I gave no thought to his command. My legs fell apart. He kissed my neck once and then drew his face away.

  My head spun, and my body moved instinctively against his touch. My eyes were closed but I could still see the image of the stars above and the swirling purple branches of the trees. The slightest scent of grass mingled with the musky sexual scent of the man next to me. My senses pulsed with desire as his hand smoothed over my abdomen. “You are fucking beautiful, Finley.” His voice was deep and hoarse with need, and the sound of it made the heat between my legs surge.

  Then his warm, calloused fingertips smoothed over the moist folds of my pussy. His free hand slid beneath my naked bottom, pushing me higher and harder against his probing fingers. Softly, he massaged the moist folds and my legs parted wider. I wanted him so badly, I nearly cried out. Then an answer to my silent pleading came. His thick fingers slid inside of me while his thumb teased my clit almost mercilessly.

  My mind was a blur, and all I could feel was his finger moving intimately inside of me, every movement heightening the intensity of his touch. Without any conscious effort, I moved against his hand and my thighs tightened around him. His large hand spread across my naked bottom, and he pushed my hips in perfect rhythm with the hand tucked deliciously between my legs. The splinters of light returned, and my mind focused solely on his touch. Then I was overwhelmed by the need to move faster and more urgently against the rhythm of his hand. His fingers pushed deeper inside of me, and his thumb worked magic on my swollen clitoris. Then it seemed as if my pussy clenched down hard around his hand. I cried out as waves of ecstasy pulsed through me.

  The feelings of ecstasy slowly subsided, and I moaned as Barrett slid his fingers out. Heat rose from my skin, and I was still drunk with the pleasure of it all as I stared up at his handsome face. It was rare for me to be rendered mute, but when I opened my mouth to speak, no words came out. For the longest time I’d worried that I was incapable of feeling truly mind blowing passion. The entire time I’d been with Max, I’d convinced myself that I was not capable of strong feelings and emotional ties to a man. I was sure that physical pleasure would forever be out of my grasp because there was so much going on in my messed up mind. But it had never been me or my overmedicated, drowsy head. It had been Max. He wasn’t enough for me. I needed more. Now, it seemed that I’d found it, and that conclusion thrilled me as much as it terrified me.

  My silence prompted Barrett to reach down and pull me into his lap. I collapsed like a rag doll in his arms. The warmth of his embrace helped me clear my head enough to speak again.

  “I must say that the daydreams and sensual thoughts I’ve been having about you have been far surpassed. You are even more skilled than your cocky attitude let on.”

  He laughed and his arms tightened around me. “That was just an appetizer, Sweetie. So be ready.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Rett

  I’d driven home from the party with Finley’s honey scent on my skin, an unrelenting hard on and a shitload of confusion swirling around my brain. Scotlyn and Taylor had constantly teased me that one day I would meet a girl who would be too hard to walk on, and even though I’d always scoffed at their prediction, now it seemed they’d been right all along. And then I second guessed my actions from the entire night. I could have easily made love to Finley right there on the towel beneath the half moon but I’d stopped myself. She had seemed so insecure, so disappointed about her previous sex life that I wanted to prove to her that she just hadn’t found the right guy. Then on the drive home when all I could think about was lowering myself between her thighs, I wondered if I’d stopped myself out of self-preservation. Finley had me spinning, making it hard to know exactly what I’d been thinking. But one thing was for sure, I needed to see her again. My job would be at risk, but now that seemed the least of my problems. For the first time since I could remember, I was in danger of losing my head over a girl. I was never going to hear the end of it from Scottie and Taylor.

  Finley had somehow convinced me to introduce her to my brother and friends. Jimmy was showing a restored Dodge Charger at a car meet, and we decided to go. I hadn’t said much to Jimmy but that I might show up at the meet. In fact, I hadn’t mentioned Finley to anyone. I wasn’t ready to be grilled by Scottie, Taylor and Cassie.

  Finley honked from the driveway. She’d insisted that she needed to get out and drive more and that was why she’d decided to pick me up, but I knew it had more to do with sneaking around behind her brothers’ backs. Cole had no idea that I’d spent the entire party with his sister. He hadn’t asked me much about the night, and I was just as glad not to talk about it.

  I walked out. A black Porsche Carrera sparkled back at me from the driveway. Finley stepped out of the front seat wearing jean shorts, a tight pink t-shirt and sandals with a thick wedged heel.

  I stood on the porch and stared at her. “You look so fucking hot, I think I might just pick you up and carry you inside to finish what I started at the party.”

  She stopped in front of me. “Really?” She tossed me the keys. “Cuz I was going to let you drive.”

  I stared down at the keys in my hand and then looked at the car sitting in the driveway. “Sex can wait.” I stepped off the porch but stopped. “Did those words just come out of my mouth? What the hell have you done to me, Woman?”

  “Well, it is a Carrera. My dad bought it for himself last year but then he decided to give it to me. It’s fun but I just don’t like driving that much. So, if you don’t mind.”

  I opened the passenger door and Finley slid inside. “I think I can make the sacrifice.”

  I backed the car out of the driveway and headed to the freeway entrance. The car handled as if it was driving itself. “How do you keep yourself from pressing on the gas and taking off. I feel like I could fly in this thing if given the chance.”

  “Not really into zooming around. I would have preferred a hybrid or something like that. This car doesn’t fit me at all.” She glanced over at me. “You look pretty damn good behind the wheel though. But then you’d look pretty damn good behind the wheel of any car.” She sat back and stared through the windshield. “They delivered the pieces of the barn today so I guess you’ll be back to put it together.” There was a slight sadness in her tone. We both knew damn well that once the barn was put together, I had no real reason to be at the house.

  “Look, Finley, I know you came to pick me up today because you didn’t want your brothers to know you were going out with me.”

  “That’s not true.” She sighed. “Actually, it is true, but I will deal with my brothers. They tend to think they own me. What’ s comical is that they are way stricter than my dad. In fact, I’ve decided to talk to him about this.” She laughed to herself. “If there is one man I have in the palm of my hand it is Nicky King. Once I square it with him, my brothers will have no choice except to back off.”

  The freeway was a sea of brake lights, and I downshifted and pulled into the crowd. “Looks like this could be a long drive.” I paused to search for the right words. “I really need this job. It’s been really tough f
or me to get work. I took the high school equivalency exam, and by some miracle, I passed. But out here in Los Angeles that certificate means about as much as a used tissue.”

  “I’ll take care of Cole. He’s much easier than Jude. But if things get too sticky, we can call it off, Rett. I don’t want to complicate your life.”

  I glanced over at her. She looked completely Hollywood sitting in the leather seat of her Porsche with her light blonde hair, black sunglasses and perfect pink lips, but there was nothing fake about her.

  “Some things are worth the chaos.”

  She smiled. “I agree. So tell me about these friends of yours. Do you think they’ll like me?”

  “That’s a given. My brother, Jimmy, is the family giant. And it’s all right to gasp when you see him. Most people do. He’s sort of like your brother, Jude. He has somehow appointed himself my keeper and likes to boss me around but then I guess that’s what older brothers do. Besides, I have been somewhat of a fuck up. He’s pulled me out of a few holes, so I owe him. He races cars and he has a thriving vintage car part business. Nix is his best friend, and he’s a tattoo artist. He owns a shop downtown called Freefall. They both started with very little and are doing really well considering they were about as successful as me in school. Dray is the third friend. The three of them grew up together. Dray is the guy I connect with the most. He’s had a shitty life and trouble follows him. He’s an amateur fighter and manages a gym. He’s the toughest guy I know.” I thought briefly back to our shitty vacation down in Mexico and how Dray had fought off three guys at once. “That guy could knock out a buffalo with one punch.” I looked at her. “Not that he would. Because hitting a buffalo would be wrong.”