Sure Bet (Out of Left Field #1)

27. Brooke

Chapter 27

Brooke

E xhausted from months of hard work and completing our presentations, the lab shifted from excited scrambling to a more relaxed environment—for now, anyway. In another six months, a new development project grant would be announced, and the process would begin again.

But not for me. I had something bigger to contend with.

Dr. Coleman outlined the next phase of scaling Zaza and building a team to implement the launch. ‘You have twelve months to produce a dozen prototypes to test in various environments. If it goes well and your report is favorable, the company will commit to building and selling one thousand models to distribute with search and rescue operations around the country. Well done, Brooke.’

With the grant came a promotion to senior engineer, and as such, I selected two junior engineers to assist my team.

Antonio and Kellen happily accepted, and we hit the ground running. A week in, and my optimism ran high. We worked well as a unit, and having others to rely on and help ease the load relieved a lot of stress. Nurturing new friendships wasn’t so bad, either.

It was Friday afternoon, and the guys invited me out for happy hour.

“Sorry, fellas. I’m heading to the mall to find something for the gala on Sunday.”

The event would take place at a winery on the East side. I’d been informed that the board rented the entire venue, and it was to be catered with an open bar.

That detail had a bunch of scientists with unimpressive salaries high-fiving and discussing the most effective hangover management strategies.

But it hinted at fancy , which meant my tit-popping cocktail dress was insufficient. Liam also happened to break the zipper when getting me out of it on my birthday.

“Are you bringing your boyfriend?” Antonio asked.

I grinned. “I am, as a matter of fact, and he even has a suit! He’s a little nervous about being around everyone, though.”

I think Liam was more anxious about this gala than me. He wanted to make a good impression at our first official public event.

“What? That’s unnecessary,” Antonio said. “But maybe he can befriend Michael. My boyfriend is nervous, too, but mostly because he doesn’t know what to expect.”

Kellen shrugged. “That’s understandable. He’s never met any of us before.”

“And we’re all super cool,” I pointed out. “Except for?—”

“Paul,” we said in unison.

“Holy. Fuck.” My palm slammed into the roof of the car. The other gripped the headrest behind Liam. “Fuck, oh fuck.”

“Like that.” Liam’s hips lifted off the seat with excited jerks as I bounced on his lap. “Ride me. Use me to get off.”

His mouth was on my neck, his ragged breath clashing against my sweat-coated skin. He murmured something indistinguishable and groaned.

The heady scent of sex lingered in the car, and the windows fogged with the heat of our efforts. A quick fuck in the dark corner of the mall parking lot might get us arrested or murdered, but the way Liam pounded into me left me uncaring either way.

His fingers dug into the flesh of my hips, guiding me along his cock. My knees burned over the leather interior of his seat, and my ass would have a half-crescent bruise from the steering wheel when we finished.

“Naughty fucking girl,” he growled, biting my shoulder as he pistoned beneath me. “Get me worked up like that in the dressing room and think I won’t drag you out here and fuck you.”

His fault. I needed help with a few buttons on a dress and called for his assistance. He brushed the hair off my shoulder and kissed my neck, his warm breath a whisper on my skin. Liam knew the sensitivities of my body, and his attention on that spot just below my ear left me feral. I had no choice!

He groaned again when I gripped his shoulders and anchored myself to take the hard thrusts. “Worked in my favor, didn’t it?”

My tits bounced between us, hanging free from my bra and tank top after Liam pulled them out and lavished them with his worshiping tongue. As wild as he made me feel, he was equally untamed and poorly behaved.

We couldn’t be trusted in contained spaces. I’d never been addicted to anything in my life, let alone another person, but a delicious ache thrummed through my veins. I craved him.

“I should edge you until you’re in tears.” His nails dragged along my thighs, a satisfying burn on my flesh.

My head fell back; my lips parted on a whiny moan. “The joke’s on you. I like that.”

His teeth grazed my earlobe, his whisper a cruel threat. “Fantastic. Then let’s do that.”

“No!” I dipped a hand between us to stroke my clit and hurry myself to the finish line with frantically strumming fingers. We had improved our ability to get along—vastly improved, I’d argue—but we hadn’t stopped teasing or taunting entirely.

While I preferred our grown-up rendition of teasing, I wanted to come.

Liam’s dark chuckle curled my toes. Contrary to my demands for control, I’d since discovered the exquisite satisfaction of emptying every thought in my head and succumbing to the hungry—and insatiable—desire to be pleased without being in charge.

He swatted my hand away, replacing it with his own. “Don’t you dare. This is my orgasm, and you’ll give it to me, won’t you?” I blew out a jerky exhale and nodded against his neck. “My determined and fierce girl. Get there.”

His hips snapped up, rutting hard and fast as the echo of skin slapping skin pounded through the car. Everything went tight, my body tensing and flexing. Liam’s hands were on my face, his voice forcing my eyes open. My mouth opened with a whimper. His jaw slackened as I trembled over him, his ragged panting heavy between us.

It was my favorite way to come, breathtaking and hushed, our eyes watching each other in awe as we fell apart. It was both brutal and tender, the anguish of pleasure and the beauty of collapse.

The silence afterward was anything but empty; it was filled with affection and adoration. My body draped over his as we recovered together.

“Is—is—” Winded, I struggled to catch my breath.

Liam’s hands dropped from my face and landed on the seat. His eyes closed, and his chest heaved. Licking his lips, he puffed, “Is what?”

“Is it supposed to be like this?” My forehead fell to his shoulder. I made no moves to get off his lap, and he wouldn’t move me. He enjoyed the fluttering contractions in the wake of my climax, and I enjoyed the feeling of him still hard inside me.

Heart-pounding, exciting, exhilarating, addictive?

He stroked my hair, his lips brushing my ear with a soft whisper. “I’ve never had this before, Brooke, never felt like this. I have to pinch myself.” He pinched my ass, and I squealed. “I have to pinch you, too. Just in case.”

A laugh vibrated in his chest, joining with the beat of his heart. I reached for his hand, placing his palm over the thunder of mine. “I never thought I’d have something heart-pounding, but I think my heart has done nothing other than pound since you moved in.”

“Yeah?” He kissed the top of my head and sighed. “Good. Then maybe we’re evenly matched in something, finally.”

He patted my ass, encouraging me up. I slid into the passenger seat, and he opened the center console to pull out some wet wipes. We cleaned up quietly, and Liam drove us home, holding my hand.

And though there was nothing off or odd about the energy, his words lingered on my mind for the rest of the night.