“I’M GOING to meet Brooks up at the hot tub.” The second his text came through, I was up and rummaging through my bag.
The first time I went away with the team, I didn’t pack a suit, and of course, Liv, my new boss who I was so desperate to impress, invited me to the spa, then asked if I wanted to join her in the hot tub. Without a suit, all I could do was sit on the edge and soak my feet. I vowed never to forget a suit again.
For this trip, I packed two.
A lot of the guys like to swim laps during the season. It’s a good workout and easy on their joints, so the powers that be who book lodging always put us up in five-star resorts equipped with pools. And where there’s a pool, there is often a hot tub.
I typically start my days doing laps when we travel. I’ve yet to hit the pool or hot tub at night, because the guys tend to take over, and I prefer to stay out of their way.
“God, I’m so jealous,” Lennox whines. “It’s been forever since I’ve gotten some.”
I stand up straight and whip around, gaping at my best friend. “Really?”
From the day I met her, Lennox has been a big proponent of sex. An equal opportunist, if you will. She doesn’t believe in relationships. In college, she was always going on about how they’d only lead to heartbreak.
After their brief interaction yesterday, I’m curious about whether that philosophy has something to do with Aiden.
Did he break her heart? Or was she the one who did the breaking? If I was a betting woman, I’d put my money on Lennox. More than once, I’ve watched her run when a man got too close, like she was determined to leave before he could.
“I think maybe I want more.”
Her confession should have bowled me over, but my mind is muddled with thoughts of Brooks. There’s no room left to pick apart that confession. “Wow, this is serious coming from you, and I feel like I really wanna dedicate a lot of time to that discussion.”
Lennox laughs. “Go up to that pool, or your boyfriend is going to kill me. Did you see him almost take out Gavin this morning? Boy’s got it bad for you.”
Damn if the feeling isn’t mutual. Not only is he taking up all the free space in my brain, but he’s taken up residence in my heart too.
I change quickly and slip on a pair of sweats over my bathing suit. Then I grab a Bolts sweatshirt and the beanie the girls and I had made.
“Oh!” Lennox laughs. “Saint Brooks isn’t gonna be able to help himself when he sees you in that.”
I smirk. “I’m counting on it.”
When I open my door, I come face to face with Brooks, and the smile that crosses his face when he gets a look at me makes my heart float in my chest.
He spreads his arms out wide and pulls me against him. “Fuck, I missed you.” His low, rasping tone sends goose bumps skittering down my spine.
I tip my head so that he can get a good look at my beanie and give him a wicked grin.
He pulls back and holds me at arm’s length. “Where the fuck did you get that?” With a laugh that echoes down the hallway, he tucks me under his arm and drags me down the hall.
“Oh, I had it made.” I loop an arm around his waist and hustle to keep up with him. “Think Seb will like it?”
He slows a little, and with a roll of his eyes, he presses a kiss to my forehead, right below the space that says Brooks’s Bunny across my hat. “I don’t really give a fuck what he likes, but no, I don’t think he will.”
“How’s Aiden feeling?”
“Other than being whiny as fuck, he’s fine.”
I squeeze him tight. From the moment I met this man, he’s been easy-going. Hard to rile up. So much so that he’s rarely bothered by his insane brother. Lately, he’s been gruff and short with everyone but me. I don’t like it.
“Brooks?” I stop short.
He follows my lead and stops in front of me. “Yes, Pumpkin?”
“I don’t want him to change you.”
Green eyes darken as he studies me. “Who, Aiden? Please. He’s harmless. He’ll be fine.”
“No. I don’t want Seb to change you. I don’t want what we’re doing to change you. His lies hurt. I get that. And I can understand that you might feel betrayed. But remember: he didn’t betray you. He betrayed me. He betrayed his wife.
“And he didn’t make you into the man you are. You did that all on your own. I don’t wanna see you change because of something that quite frankly doesn’t involve you.”
He lets out a bitter laugh and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Considering that he fucked with two of the most important people in my life, Sara, I’m going to disagree with you there. It does affect me.”
For a long moment, neither of us speaks. His jaw is like granite as he considers me, but his eyes are swimming with hurt. Finally, he lets out a brutal sigh of defeat. “I’m trying not to let it. I hear you, and I promise I’ll do better. The last thing I want is to hurt you.”
With a low groan, I drop my head to his chest. “It only hurts me because my Brooks, the one I’ve adored since the moment we met, is not this angry guy who’s been stomping around and snapping at his friends and relatives.”
“I’ll do better, Sar. I promise.”
I sigh, hoping he can hold himself to that. But I’m not sure he truly gets what I’m saying.
Maybe what I’m asking for is impossible. Maybe, after what he discovered about the man he always held on a pedestal, a piece of his happy-go-lucky innocence has been shattered. And maybe there’s no putting it back together. But I’d hate that to be true.
It doesn’t change how I feel about him, and it definitely doesn’t affect the respect I have for him. He’ll always be the best person in the room, hands down. But I want him to also be the happiest.
Brooks holds open the door, and I step out into the cold Denver air. It’s beautiful out here. The sky is filled with more stars than I’ve ever seen in Boston. They glitter against the dark sky, lighting up the mountains in the distance. The low rumble of the hot tub to one side of the pool calls to me with promises of soothing my achy muscles.
I tug on Brooks’s arm, ready to jump right in, but he’s rooted to the spot, his attention on the lit-up pool.
“Come on, big guy. I’m cold!” I abandon him and jog to the hot tub. I grab two towels as I pass a big stack of them, then toss them onto a chair nearby and kick off my shoes.
That’s all it takes to get the big brute moving. In an instant, he’s hovering behind me as I undress, standing so close I elbow him as I reach for my waistband.
“What are you doing?”
“I don’t want him to see you.”
I don’t even ask who the him is. Whether it’s a stranger or his uncle, my answer is the same. “Yours are the only eyes I want on me, Saint. Do you like the view?” I peek back at him and drop my sweats.
He groans, his eyes heating as they eat up every inch of my body.
I wink. “That’s what I thought.” Once my sweatshirt joins my pants on the lounge chair, I dip a toe in the hot water.
Now that I’m in nothing but a swimsuit, the cool air sends goose bumps rippling over every inch of my skin, so I make quick work of slipping into the water. I scoot along the bench until I’m centered over a jet, then settle back.
Brooks, who’s back to being broody, even after our discussion, finally shucks his shoes and rips his shirt over his head. He’s so tense, every one of his abs is like a solid rock, and I swear I can feel the stress rolling off him.
“If you don’t start smiling, I’m going to start removing more clothes until I make you smile.”
That makes him pause. With his hands fisted at his sides, he takes a slow breath. Then he raises his eyes and looks at me. “You’re playing with fire, Sar.”
“No, Brooks. I’m playing with you.” I kick one leg out, sending water splashing in his direction. “Now come in and play back.”
The man moves so fast I don’t have a moment to react before he catapults into the hot tub, completely soaking me. He goes all the way under, and when he surfaces, he’s wearing the easy smile I love.
I throw myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and my legs around his waist.
Squeezing my thighs, he shuffles back and drops into the seat so that he’s facing the mountains. In this position, I’ve got a clear view of the pool. Sure enough, Seb was the one doing laps. He’s now standing beside a lounger, toweling off, a scowl on his face.
Brooks grasps my chin and turns my face so he’s all I can see. “Eyes on me, Sar.”
I smile. “What else shall I put on you?”
He slides his hand down to my hip, then both make their way to my ass. He caresses my skin with his thumbs, and I wiggle against him in response.
Damn. He’s so fucking hard beneath me.
I’m dying for the moment he finally lets me see what’s beneath these board shorts.
“Thinking we should try something different tonight.” He nuzzles my ear, then ghosts his lips over the sensitive skin just below it. “You want to ride me until you come, crazy girl?”
I laugh at the nickname he uses sparingly. Almost like it slips out when he’s not scheming. When he’s not faking. When it’s only about us. And I kind of love that.
Heat pools low in my belly as I splay my hands against his hard chest and get to work exploring. “Fuck, your muscles are insane.” The ridges have their own peaks and valleys. He’s a masterpiece. Cut from stone.
Brooks curls forward and drops an open-mouthed kiss to my collarbone, then he moves to my neck, dipping his tongue in the hollow of my throat.
I arch back, giving him access to explore my body and discover other places to lick. The move forces me to grind against his hard dick, and bolts of electricity streak through me. Desperate for another hit, I roll my hips over him again and again.
“I’m so wet.” I try to keep the words between us, but I’m quickly losing control of myself.
With a grunt, he grasps my hips and pushes down, then works me over him so I feel every blessed inch of him.
“One day you’re going to let me slide inside you.” It’s not a question. We both know it will soon be a reality.
“God, I wish you would now. I’m dying to taste your cock.”
He silences me with an aggressive kiss. Warm water sloshes around us, leaving us both slippery as we find the perfect rhythm. His fingers grip my hips so tightly I’ll have beautiful bruises tomorrow.
I claw at his chest, unable to get enough of him.
Of the feeling of him beneath my fingers.
Of the way he tastes.
Of the grunts that slip from his throat every time I glide along his cock.
Panting, I arch back and take him in, dazed and so close and yet not anywhere near where I want to be.
I’m lost in the moment, but not so far gone that I don’t feel the presence looming beside us.
In my periphery, Seb stands over the hot tub. I don’t pay him any mind. I’m too busy riding Brooks like I’m at Six Flags.
“Get the fuck out of here.” Brooks’s gruff voice startles me, disturbing my rhythm.
Seb doesn’t fight him. With a huff, he stalks off.
The moment the door shuts behind him, Brooks is dragging me up onto the edge. “Fuck, I need you.”
The sting of the cold air barely registers. I’m too lost in the feel of Brooks as he slides his palms up my thighs and forces my legs apart.
“Can I taste you, Sar? Bet you made a mess all over this suit.”
“Please,” I beg, shamelessly pulling my bathing suit bottoms to the side.
He nuzzles against me, dragging his lips against my swollen sex. “Holy fuck, you’re perfect.”
“Tongue, Brooks. I need your tongue.”
It’s obscene, really. We’re on the pool deck of a swanky hotel in Denver. Moments ago, my ex stood beside us and stared us down. Anyone could walk out and see me spread wide while Brooks eats me. Including his fans and people we work with.
And I couldn’t give a fuck. I’ve never been so turned on. Never been so needy for an orgasm. For another person.
He swipes his hot tongue against me, and I fucking purr. Never in my life have I purred. Until this moment, I didn’t know I had the ability.
“Oh my God, that feels…” I’m so delirious I can’t even finish my sentence. Warmth spreads through my body despite the cold air. My legs tremble, and a tingle makes its way up my spine. “I—shit—” I babble, making absolutely no sense.
“I love kissing you.”
I tip my head down, finding his hooded eyes on me.
He presses another kiss against my clit, so tender and sweet, but in an instant, he’s sucking and flicking it with so much intensity a cry rips from my throat.
“Everywhere, Sar. I love kissing you everywhere.” Determined to prove his point, he slides his tongue between my ass cheeks.
Whimpers are all I can manage as I squirm at his touch.
With his fingers splayed over my clit, he rolls figure eights that have me practically bucking off the edge of the tub. He simply holds me down with one heavy hand pressed to my belly until I’m crying out and coming apart for what feels like an eternity. Above me, the stars blend together until all I see is white light.
When I’ve come down, I’m nothing but limp arms and legs and heaving breaths. Brooks straightens my bathing suit bottoms, then he pulls me back into the hot tub and holds me so my back is flush against his chest, his arms locked tight around my torso.
I tip my head back and look up at him. He’s wearing the old Brooks smile. It’s easy and a bit cocky. “Proud of yourself?”
He chuckles and presses a kiss to my forehead. “Satisfied.”
I try to spin around, but he splays a hand over my stomach, just like he did when he ate me out, holding me in place.
“You’d be more satisfied if you let me suck your cock,” I argue.
He groans. “Another night. Right now I want to sit in the hot tub with my best friend and hear all about how the last few days have gone.”
“You missed me, didn’t you?”
“Yeah, Sar. I fucking missed you. Now tell me about your day.”
