Smirking, she admitted, “It’s one of my favorites; I’ve read it twice.”
Part of him was still pissed, but another part, mainly the one between his legs, was dying to know what her favorite part of the book was. As intrigued as he was, he knew one thing: He had to get the hell out of here before her mother detailed her favorite part and scarred him forever. He couldn’t bear the idea of accidentally picturing her and Emma’s father re-creating some scene complete with a spanking for the bad girl.
He jumped up from the table, causing all eyes to land on him. “I, er . . . just remembered that I need to call my brother about some business. You ladies go on without me . . . please.”
Emma didn’t look as amused when she realized she was being left to have what Brant considered a porn discussion with her mother while he hauled ass. He trailed a finger over her chin, returning the smirk she had given him earlier. “Take your time, precious, I’ll be upstairs.” Yeah, he might never get the images out of his head, but he had gotten the last laugh and that had to count for something.
When he walked through the family room on the way to the stairs, Emma’s father looked like he was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Brant shook his head, saying, “I guess you knew what that book was about.”
“Yeah . . . sorry, son. This is far from my first rodeo. Kat makes sure I get a summary of every book she’s reading. I don’t think there’s any such thing as a good old Western anymore. Nowadays, the cowboy would be whipping the girl instead of the damn horse.”
Brant burst out laughing. Ken sure had a way with words. “No kidding. If anyone ever mentions a book club to me again, I’ll probably start running and never stop.”
Ken waved the beer he was holding. “You look like you need a drink. You probably need something stronger than beer, but Boston is never around when you need him.”
Apparently, Boston’s activities were well known in the family. Ken reminded Brant a lot of the grandfather who had raised them after their parents died. He could be a hard-ass, but the man was the king of one-liners. “Thank you, but I think I’ll just go on upstairs and stare at the walls for about ten hours.” After a few more pleasantries, he sighed with relief when he closed the bedroom door behind him. He was glad to have a few moments out of the spotlight. Those women needed some kind of professional help. He shuddered, remembering the graphic details of their conversation.
Pretending to be Emma’s boyfriend had been the one easy part of the evening. Having her curled against him had felt far too natural. Even though he had been desperate to escape the book sex-talk, he had still been hard-pressed to leave her. Having to keep up appearances in front of her family had ensured her behavior toward him was nothing like it usually was. Gone were the barbs and insults and in their place was nothing but soft, sweet and amazing-smelling Emma. If not for the other women killing his hard-on, it would have been impossible for Emma to miss. Calling a halt to his usual war with her was causing a problem that he had never expected. He actually liked her now, maybe too much. If he had these types of feelings for any other woman he had slept with, he would be pursuing a relationship with her. With Emma, it was all kinds of complicated. They worked together—which, granted, seemed to be how everyone at Danvers found a mate, but he tried damn hard never to complicate his life to that degree.
He was almost desperate enough to call his brother for advice. He knew that calling his sister was out. Although they were close, Ava didn’t do relationships and she would flatly tell him to move on. But Declan would understand where he was coming from since his wife also worked for Danvers. Did he want someone to encourage or discourage him? Damned if he knew.
Brant had just stepped out from the shower and was toweling off when the bathroom door opened. Emma’s eyes were wide and her breathing seemed just a little heavier than it should have been. She was twisting the hem of her top in her hands, seeming to be filled with a nervous energy. She stared at his groin as if riveted before he wrapped a towel around his waist. “Ever heard of knocking, sweetheart?”
Her face flushed and she opened her mouth as if to say something before suddenly launching herself at him. “Oh my God, it was so bad listening to my mother discuss anal plugs, but the rest of it was just hot . . . Brant?”
With her warm body pressed against his almost naked one, he barely managed to get out, “Hmmm?”
“I’m so horny I can’t stand it. Please fuck me . . . now . . . right here.”
His cock was rigid, ready to give her anything she wanted. He couldn’t believe he had any thoughts of objecting, but still he had to be the voice of reason. “Your parents . . .”
By this time, she had all but climbed him like a tree. “Their bedroom is on the first floor at the other end of the house. They won’t hear us.”
It still felt wrong, but by that point he no longer cared.
Putting his hands on her ass, he ground himself against her. “I’ll fuck you, baby, and I’ll even spank you.” At her moan of approval, he stripped her clothes off and dropped his towel. He turned the shower back on and backed her inside. He hoped the water would disguise any sounds just in case someone was nearby. He plucked a condom from his shaving kit on the sink and sheathed himself before following her in. He took a moment to appreciate the picture that she made with the water running in rivulets down her beautifully curved body. Her breasts were the perfect-size handful for him, with rosy nipples that looked like raspberries. Lower down, her pubic hair was neatly trimmed and her shapely thighs were moving restlessly. It seemed that neither of them could wait another moment.
He backed against the wall, bracing her. She wrapped her legs around his waist and met his mouth as it came down on hers. Their tongues clashed and he held her hips up before plunging her down onto his cock. “Brant . . .” she moaned. He could feel her nails score his back as they both raced desperately toward the peak. He figured by this point that water was probably flying out of the shower and drenching the bathroom, but he didn’t care. All that mattered was the woman wrapped around him. There was no illusion of control left; they had both lost it with his first thrust. He continued to pound into her velvet heat and she ground herself against him. When a strangled cry tore from her throat, he felt her body go stiff and then shudder. She spasmed around his hard cock as her release seemed to go on and on. He held off as long as he could, letting her ride the peak before he erupted inside her.