Unexpected Rush

He pushed the strap of her top down and let his teeth graze that tender spot between her neck and shoulder. "Maybe here."

  She was shaking now, anticipating where he'd go next.

  "Please."

  He lifted his head, his gaze full of heat and promise. "You never have to beg, baby. I'll give you exactly what you need."

  He pulled up one of the chairs to sit, then lifted her shirt and put his mouth on her nipple.

  She gasped at the heat and suction of his mouth, at the way his tongue flicked against the crest. Sensation exploded, making her sex quiver. She was on fire for him, and despite being outside where someone might see them, she didn't care. They were on a secluded balcony with high sides, so they were afforded privacy, at least from the prying eyes of neighboring guests.

  Someone watching from afar? Now that was beyond her control, and beyond her ability to care, as Barrett kissed his way down her stomach, then pulled her shorts down and put his mouth on her sex.

  She let out a low moan as he licked the length of her.

  "You taste so damn good," he said, pulling away only long enough to make eye contact with her, then laid his tongue on her clit and made her tremble, as a blast of heated sensation ignited her.

  She couldn't help herself. She arched her hips against him, feeding her pussy to him, delighted in the way he lapped her up, as she cried out with her orgasm.

  "Yes. Oh, yes, yes," she said, her entire body shaking as she came over and over again. Maybe it was the tension release, but it was more likely Barrett's talented mouth doing delicious things to her body that made her feel like she could come like this for ten minutes, at least, quivering all over with tingling pleasure; and she didn't want it to stop.

  So when he rose, she said, "Get a condom."

  He smiled, then went inside, coming back out seconds later.

  She had already arranged one of the chairs the way she wanted it.

  "Drop your pants," she said. "Sit."

  His lips curved. He pulled his pants off, his hard cock springing up. He put a condom on.

  "I like that cock of yours, baby," she said.

  "Fuck me, Harmony," he said. "Climb on and fuck my cock."

  She straddled him, easing down over his cock inch by inch. She raked her nails down his arms, needing to feel him buried deep.

  "Is that what you need?" he asked, his eyes fixed on hers.

  "Oh, yes. You know I do."

  She began to move, rocking back and forth, shards of fiery pleasure exploding within her with each movement.

  Barrett grasped her hips and rolled her toward him. "God, I love being buried deep inside of you. My cock swells and I just want to give you all my come."

  She grasped his shoulders and lifted, then slid back down on him, teasing him with her pussy, feeling him grow impossibly harder every time she seated herself fully on top of him. And when she rolled against him, she felt the tightening, the quivering tension of impending release.

  "Damn, Harmony," Barrett said. "You gonna come again?"

  She dug her nails into him. "Yes. Make me come, Barrett."

  He wrapped an arm around her and put his lips on hers, thrusting his tongue in her mouth to mimic the movements of his cock. She spiraled out of control, her body undulating against him as she came with a rush of unending bursts of pleasure.

  He groaned against her lips and drove harder and faster into her with his release, his body shuddering against her. She held tight to him as she rode out an orgasm that left her shaking in its wake.

  Spent, she tried to catch her breath as she ran her hands up and down Barrett's body.

  He finally stood, cupping his hands under her butt, and carried her into the room.

  He took them into the bedroom and laid her down on the bed, left to dispose of the condom, then came back to lie down next to her.

  "You make my legs shake," he said, stroking her arm.

  "You make me crazy. Do you realize we just had sex outside?"

  He laughed. "You liked it. I could tell by the number of times you came."

  "You're right about that. But you make me lose all sense of time and place."

  He trailed a finger along her collarbone. "That's not a bad thing, is it?"

  "No, it's not."

  He spent some time running his fingers over her body, from her face to her neck. She yawned, then closed her eyes and finally turned over, nestling her butt in Barrett's crotch.

  She didn't remember him fetching the blanket from the other room, but he turned out the light and pulled the cover over them, and he was still touching her when she fell asleep.

  Thirty

  Barrett had ordered a pot of coffee early in the morning. He leaned against the wall between the living room and the bedroom watching Harmony sleep, something he was getting used to doing.

  There was something about watching the way she slept that got to him. She had such a sweet innocence about her when she was sleeping that made his heart clench, and made him want to see that look on her face every morning.

  For the rest of his life.

  He blinked, then his mouth went dry.

  The one thing he'd never once thought about was the rest of his life and what that looked like, or who he'd spend it with.

  But lately, he'd been doing more and more thinking about his future. And those thoughts included Harmony.

  She just . . . fit.

  Then again, maybe he was crazy and just in lust with her. Because she was always going to be Drake's sister. And after Drake overreacted last night to some random asshole putting his hands on Harmony, how was he going to respond when he found out about Barrett and Harmony being together?

  Hell, Barrett knew Drake. He'd lose it. That wasn't a conversation he was keen to have with his best friend anytime soon.

  Yet eventually, he'd have to have it.

  Unless he and Harmony broke up. Then he and Drake would never have to have that conversation.

  You are not that much of a coward, are you, Cassidy?

  That was a question he didn't want to ponder this morning.

  Barrett's phone buzzed on the bedside table. He picked it up and walked into the living room.

  "Hey, Dad."

  "We're getting ready to head back to the ranch. You and Flynn up?"

  He had no idea where Flynn was. "Yup."

  "Okay. We'll meet you back at home."

  "You got it. See you in a bit."

  He clicked off and went into the bedroom. Harmony was up, sitting on the side of the bed. "Your parents?"

  "Yeah. The convoy is ready to head back to the ranch."

  "And I need to get back to my room before my mother gets there."

  "Okay."

  He laid his coffee cup down and went to her, pulling her into his arms for a kiss. When he drew away, he said, "I should have woken you up this morning by sliding my cock into you."

  She smoothed her hands over his chest, then backed away. "Yes, you should have. Because now I have to go."

  He rubbed his body against hers, and his erection was, as it always was around Harmony, instantaneous. "Dammit."

  She pulled him toward her, toward the bed, and lay down on it. "Though you could probably make me come in about a minute."

  He loved that she was always up for sex, that her sex drive matched his. He dropped his sweats and grabbed a condom, then drew her shorts down, spread her legs and slid inside of her. She always felt like hot silk, drawing him in, making him want to stay there forever.

  But the clock was ticking and right now they needed to get out, fast, so he rocked against her, making her moan, giving her what she needed to get off. He lifted her tank top and sucked her nipples, taking her there faster. And when her pussy tightened around him, he was taut, tense and ready to go off. He just had to wait for Harmony.

  She squirmed under him, fighting for her orgasm. He lifted up and rubbed his thumb over her clit.

  "Oh, yes," she said, lifting toward his fingers. He swept them over her sex, givin
g her the friction she needed to climax.

  "This what you need, baby?" he asked, sliding into her as he rubbed her.

  "Yes. I need to come. Give me that cock."

  She widened her legs and he drove in deep, grinding against her. Her eyes widened and she cried out with her orgasm. That was all he needed as he dropped down on top of her, thrusting hard and shuddering against her as her pussy spasmed around him. The first spurt was an explosion that rocketed out of him, making him arch his back and convulse all the way through his climax.

  "Christ," was all he could manage as he came down from that exceptional high.

  He gripped Harmony's hips, wanting to stay like this with her--connected to her--for the entire day.

  But they didn't have the entire day. They disengaged, she grabbed her clothes, gave him a quick kiss and dashed out the door, leaving him to pack up. He texted Flynn, who told him he'd meet him downstairs in the lobby.

  He was showered, checked out and at the SUV within twenty minutes. There were definite advantages to being a guy.

  Flynn was leaning against the SUV, along with Drake, Tucker and Aubry. It looked like Harmony and her mother had gotten in one of the other cars.

  "Waiting on you, man," Flynn said. "What the hell? Did you have to blow dry your hair?"

  "You know me and my hair." That was all he was going to say, but as the rest of them crowded into the SUV, he pulled Flynn aside. "Thanks for last night."

  "Not a problem. But you owe me one."

  "I do."

  It took them about an hour to get back to the ranch. The other cars were already there. Barrett grabbed his bag and took it up to the room he was sharing with Flynn. He left the bag on the bed, and went in search of something cold to drink.

  Mom was in the kitchen, making iced tea.

  He grabbed a muffin from the bag on the counter and downed it in two bites.

  "Hungry?" she asked with a laugh.

  "A little," he managed after he swallowed.

  "Thirsty, too?"

  "Now I am."

  "Why don't you cut up some lemons? I'm almost finished here."

  He got out the cutting board, pulled two lemons out of the fridge and grabbed the knife. By the time he'd sliced them, his mother had the tea poured into two large pitchers.

  "Where is everyone?"

  She leaned her hip against the counter. "Your dad is out back with the guys working on that old car of his. The women are all over at the house where Katrina is staying. She just got photo proofs from her last shoot, so they're over there ogling."

  "I see." He went to the cabinet and got two glasses down, pouring one for his mother and one for him.

  "Thank you," she said.

  "Great party last night, Mom."

  She smiled. "I thought so. How's Harmony this morning?"

  He tried not to cough as he took a long swallow of iced tea. "I didn't see her this morning. She rode back in another car."

  "Son, I'm not as blind to things as you'd like to think I am. And I have a pretty good idea who slept where last night."

  He pulled up a chair at the island. "Oh, you do, huh?"

  "Yes. You also didn't come back to the party last night, and you're not one to miss a good time, unless there was something that held you at the hotel. Like Harmony."

  Leave it to his mother to know what was what. "Okay."

  "So how long has this been going on?"

  "Awhile."

  "I like her, Barrett."

  "I like her, too."

  "The fact that she's Drake's sister, though. He obviously doesn't know what's going on between the two of you."

  The lawyer in his mother had never dissipated. She was still adept at ferreting out the truth, even when it wasn't stated. "No, he doesn't."

  She sat quietly for a few minutes, sipping her tea, no doubt deep in thought, because that was his mother. "Is that going to be a problem between you and Drake?"

  "I don't know yet. Maybe. I hope not. I don't really know how things with Harmony and me are going to play out, which is why I haven't mentioned it to Drake yet. Or his mother. We're trying to keep things just between the two of us for now."

  "So you're keeping this secret from everyone." Her mother gave him that look, the one he'd gotten hundreds of times as a kid when he'd done something bad. The one that used to make him really uncomfortable.

  "Yeah."

  "Are you sure that's a good idea? Secrets have a tendency to explode in your face at the worst possible time, Barrett."

  "I've got this under control, Mom."

  Again, that look. "I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want Harmony to get hurt."

  Not the first time he'd heard that. "Just trust me to do what's right."

  "How does Harmony feel about all of this?"

  He could have lied to his mother, but she always knew when he did that. "She's not totally on board with the idea. She'd much prefer we were out in the open, but after Drake's display last night, she's agreeable with waiting for the right time to tell him. To tell everyone."

  "And when do you think this supposed perfect time will be?"

  "We're about to start training camp. I don't want to piss him off right now."

  "Do you really think telling Drake you're dating his sister is going to make him mad?"

  "Yes. He's very overprotective of Harmony. He always has been. You know what it was like for them as kids. No father around, and Drake felt like he had to step up and help out Mama Diane, act as father figure as well as older brother to Harmony. He hasn't yet come to grips with the fact she's a woman."

  "So maybe Harmony needs to be the one to talk to him."

  "She's tried. I'm hardly the first guy she's dated. Believe me, I've seen his overreaction before. And I don't want to drive a wedge in my friendship with him. He and I are tight as teammates as well as friends. This isn't the time to rock the boat."

  "Is that friendship or fear talking?"

  Leave it to his mother to dig deep. "Maybe a little of both."

  She went quiet again, sipped her tea, occasionally looked over at him, then finally sighed. "You're an adult and I'm going to assume you and Harmony know what you're doing. But be careful. I'd hate to see you lose both your best friend and the woman you care about."

  "Thanks, Mom. I'll be careful."

  He ended up hanging out in the kitchen with his mother to help her prepare lunch. Mia wandered in, as well as the rest of the women, and suddenly conversation turned to Katrina's photos, which she shared with Barrett's mother. Then his father came in, so he hightailed it out of there to follow his dad and his uncles out to the barn to check out the horses.

  He'd escaped one of his mother's famous inquisitions, coming away mainly unscathed.

  But she'd raised some valid concerns, just as his brothers had. He knew he was going to have to talk to Drake sometime.

  That time just wasn't now. And he damn well didn't have any idea when the right time would be.

  But he would figure it out.

  They all ate a great lunch. Barrett kept his distance from Harmony, though their gazes occasionally collided, and he couldn't help but pin her with a smile. He tried to keep it innocuous, but it was getting harder and harder to do that. She looked sexy as hell in her yellow sundress, and all he could think about was her skin, and how he felt when he touched her.

  After lunch he went outside on the porch with Drake.

  "I'm sorry about last night," Drake said. "You know I would never do anything to embarrass you or your family."

  "It's okay."

  "It's not okay. I apologized to your parents last night and again this morning. My mama was not happy with me."

  His lips curved. "Which means you got an earful."

  Drake smiled. "Like you would not believe, man. Her lectures are lengthy--and loud."

  "Been there a few times myself. I feel your pain. But don't worry about it. You were looking out for Harmony."

  Drake took a long swallow of his beer
. "Like always."

  "But I have to tell you, Drake--she can look out for herself just fine."

  "Part of me knows that, and the other part of me just feels like I'm always going to have to watch out for her. No matter how independent she is, no matter how grown-up she is, I can't just walk away from her and let her go. She's my baby sister and I'd die if someone hurt her."

  How was he supposed to respond to that? "I know. But cut her a little slack, you know? She makes good choices."

  "Does she? What about Levon? What about David? What about Jamal? None of those losers treated her right."

  "Well, maybe someday the right guy will come along, and you'll have to give her credit for choosing the right man."

  Drake grinned. "Maybe I should choose a man for her."

  "Oh right. And who would that be?"

  Drake took a long pull of his beer. "Hell if I know. I don't think any man is good enough for her."

  "Not even me?"

  Drake laughed. "Especially not you."

  Well, shit.

  Thirty-One

  With vacation at an end, it was time for work to begin.

  Barrett had reported for training camp a week ago. Rookies had already been there two weeks prior. He remembered what that nightmare was like his rookie season. An entire month of not only not knowing what the hell he was doing, but grueling, daylong practices and meetings until his head spun.

  He was glad he at least knew the playbook, unlike the rookies. Now it was more a case of meetings with their defensive coach, shaking off the dust and getting his body and mind ready for the season.

  Truth told, he'd been geared up and ready for months now. He and Drake and many of the defensive players did workouts together at least three times a week, working with a trainer to keep them in shape during the off-season.

  He'd never felt better, and never more prepared for a season.

  He and Drake stood on the field now. They weren't in pads today, which meant they couldn't lay down hits, but they could run the defensive drills, check out what their team looked like this year.

  From man-to-man to zone coverage, they'd looked solid the past week going through every play. Running through daily films, they had looked good. Rookie pickups had been excellent, and they caught on fast. Preseason play was coming soon, and Barrett wasn't sure he'd ever been as confident in the defense as he was this year.

  Today they were running drills with the offense. No full contact, which was typical for some days at training camp, but they'd at least get the running and the plays in, to know where they were supposed to be. Good practice for their quarterbacks and receivers, too, since, in Barrett's opinion, they'd be playing against one of the best defenses in the league.