Marked Heart (Marked Heart #3) (9 page)

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14
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'Holy hell,' Liv thought as she stepped into the shower. With basically no foreplay he had her there in less than five minutes. Her skin tingled at the thought and her thighs still felt like they were on fire. Leaning her back against the cool tiles of the shower wall, she still hadn't caught her breath. Braden was fierce, greedy and needy all at the same time. And the way he continued to kiss her after without pulling away. Shaking her head at herself as she stepped under the water, she had to laugh. She might have to come up with a new nickname for him. He was a lot of things, but definitely not a punk.

Dressed and ready to head out, she stepped into her room to see if Braden was still where she'd left him. He had taken the liberty of sitting on the end of her bed while she was in the shower.

"I didn't expect it to be so...rushed."

Liv looked over at him, sharing, "I didn't think you had it in you."

"Maybe you brought it out of me."

Giving him a wink, she turned to leave the room.

Leaning back into the doorway, Liv snapped her fingers and pointed at Braden as she blurted, "Thanks for the hot sex."

As he flashed a wide smile at her, she almost stepped back into the room and kissed him.

~

Sitting on the end of Liv's bed, Braden had gone over what happened so many times now in his mind. While she slid away as he was kissing her, watching her walk into the bathroom, when she was in the shower, as she left for the shop, and still he had no idea how it happened. He had a purpose. To ask her out and see how everything played out from there. He knew himself well. Sure he was impulsive, but in the fun let's go skinny dipping or shoot to the next town and get a burger at four in the morning way. Not have furious unprotected sex with his cousin's widow up against the door like a frickin' mad man, impulsive.

Trying to be rational, he thought on the one hand the way he acted with her was not how he normally treated a woman. Then, on the other hand, she told him he wasn't man enough for her and something deep inside him needed to prove her wrong. Either way, there was no coming back from what they'd done. Not for him.

~

Snapping her fingers as she paced back and forth in front of Kieran's grave, Liv worked up the courage to tell him what she'd done.

Everything was great, bordering on perfect when 'Got You' from The Flys came on the radio. The memory of Auggie laughing saying he didn't think Kieran had a chance in hell but Kieran kept saying, 'nah, I got her just where I want her' flickered through her mind. Then guilt swelled in her chest until she turned off at the intersection and headed to the cemetery, instead of Legacy Ink.

Finally, she blew out a loud breath and blurted, "I got down with Braden this morning."

Half expecting more than silence she taunted him.

"It was good and I'll probably let him do me again. If you don't like it you can come back and haunt me or whatever."

When he didn't rise up out of the grave and say something to her, Liv admitted, "I know you're not here."

Staring at his gravestone, she fussed, "If you hadn't been an asshole and died on me, it never would have happened."

Liv let out a loud sigh as she shared, "I'm not mad at you anymore. That's not what this is about. I don't know what I would have done if he hadn't been here when you left me."

Taking a deep breath she finished by saying, "I know what you're thinking and you're wrong. This happened because I wanted it to. Not because of a stupid tattoo. I'm not going to forget about you. I swear. It's just...sex. You can understand that, right?"

Nodding at Kieran's silent grave Liv turned to walk back to her car.

~

Catching himself humming when he stepped out of the shower and again while brushing his teeth, Braden couldn't help but smile. It was rare that things turned out as good as they were in his head. Although he never let his thoughts of Liv go as far as they went today, the realness in the way her kiss tasted against his mouth and how her body felt moving with his was better than anything he could have imagined.

Braden stretched out on his bed. Debating on whether to call her, his phone rang.

"What's up, Pen-Pen?"

His sister's voice sounded concerned as she asked, "Have you talked to Liv today?"

"I was there this mornin', why?"

"I don't know she seemed, off today."

Feeling a concern of his own grow, he questioned, "Off how?"

"Like she couldn't concentrate, I guess."

He couldn't help smile as he shared, "She was good when she left the house."

There was a long pause before Penny said, "You know Kieran's birthday is next week."

"Yeah..." Braden acknowledged, feeling his smile fade.

"Do you remember last year? She took a baseball bat to their porch swing and then set it on fire in the front yard."

He hated being reminded that Liv missed his cousin's sorry ass.

"So?"

"So... I was thinking we could all go out of town, the six of us. Just for a few days and maybe it won't be so hard on her. Uncle Brennen has that cabin that no one ever uses."

Braden wasn't mad at his sister, but his irritation over the subject started to grow anyway.

"Has she said anything about his birthday?"

Sounding confused, Penny replied, "Well no, but..."

"Then why do you want to bring it up. Maybe she's over him."

"Braden!"

"Because he was such a great husband, that's not possible?"

Penny's tone was short as she fussed, "What is your problem?"

Taking a deep breath, Braden reminded himself that to keep Liv from the added pain of finding out Kieran was a cheating bastard when he died, they agreed not to tell Penny or Charlotte either.

"Look, Pen, all I'm sayin' is eventually it's going to be just another day for her and the sooner everyone stops making it an event, the easier it will be on her."

"Okay, geez. Sorry for askin'," she griped before hanging up on him.

~

Rolling over in bed, Liv blinked a few times before picking up her cell phone that was vibrating against the top of the night stand. She rubbed her eyes, trying to focus on the text message that woke her.

B: You up?

L: No

B: You're not?

L: I'm asleep.

B: See you in the morning.

L: Sure thing.

B: 'Night.

L: 'Night.

A light smile formed as Liv shook her head into her pillow before drifting back to sleep.

M
15
H

Seated on a barstool in her kitchen, Liv poured herself a bowl of cereal as her front door swung open. Repressing a smile, her back straightened and her shoulders tensed. Focusing on eating her cereal, she knew he was in a good mood without having to look at him. It was the way his shoes sounded against her hardwood floor. They made a clomping sound, almost like he was stomping. When he was upset, it was always a slow heel to toe step that created a dragging swoosh.

The closer his footsteps became, the more she could feel the tiny prickles of anticipation on the surface of her skin intensify.

Stopping at the opposite side of the bar, Braden leaned forward resting his elbows against it, greeting, "'Morning."

Without a reply, she slid a box of fruit loops over to him.

"Cereal?"

Fighting the smile that was trying to come through her tone, Liv replied, "I didn't make it to the grocery store."

"You want me to go for you?"

Shaking her head she took a bite of her cereal.

After three bites, the silence was more than Liv could take and she looked up to see why he was being so quiet.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" she questioned, realizing he had probably been smiling at her since he walked in.

"So, Fairmont's?"

"No."

"No?"

"That's what I said."

Braden's smile remained fixed as he asked, "Why not?"

"Because I'm not going on a date with you," she assured with a stern expression.

His smile grew wider as he questioned, "Did you sleep good last night?"

A smile of her own broke free before she reigned it in and took another bite of her cereal.

"Yesterday morning..." he started before she promptly cut him off, informing, "Was a one time thing."

Braden's smile faded for a moment before spreading across his face again as he questioned, "Really?"

Doing her best to brush him off, so they could get back to normal, Liv shared, "Look, the sex was hot but I'm just not into you like that."

Appearing as though he wanted to laugh, Braden cleared his throat and nodded.

What Liv imagined would be a feeling of relief turned into regret, then interest as he walked around to her side of the bar.

"What?"

Leaning as close as possible, without touching her, he questioned, "You're not into me?"

Blowing out a short breath, she insisted, "No."

Another nod preceded his, "Okay."

Liv's breathing picked up as he stepped behind her.

She started to question him, but stopped as he brushed her hair back from the side of her face and whispered, "Yes, you are," in her ear.

Slowly shaking her head, she felt his hands slide around her waist then down the front of her thighs while his lips grazed her earlobe.

"Eat your cereal then," he dared, challenging her like she had done with him the previous morning.

Fighting to keep her composure, she focused on the spoon that she couldn't seem to get a grip on.

The tiny prickles resting on the surface seeped through her skin down into her bones, chipping away at her resolve as Braden pressed his hands against the tops of her thighs. Kneading his way back to her waist with one hand. When his other slipped into the front of her pajama bottoms, Liv surrendered. Leaning her head back, she let out a soft moan that was instantly stifled by his kiss.

"You taste like fruit loops." He smiled against her mouth.

An involuntary groan prevented her from smiling back as the sensation his fingers coaxed caused her to shudder from the inside out.

Reaching back, Liv grabbed the shoulders of his t-shirt, twisting them in her hands as she murmured, "Braden..."

~

A rush of animalistic pride coursed through Braden's veins the moment his name came out of her mouth. His vision blurred and it was possible he blacked out momentarily. Furiously pulling her off of the barstool, he did everything in his power to provoke his name from her lips, again.

When the sweet sound of Liv calling his name echoed in his ears for a second time, Braden's entire body shook as he growled her name in return. Holding himself over her, her back was flat against the table top and her pajama bottoms were still hanging off one of her legs that were wrapped around his waist. He gazed down watching her breathe. With each deep breath, he noticed she wasn't trying to catch her breath. It was as if she was breathing for the first time. Savoring the air around her, around them. As he pulled her against his chest and kissed her, in his mind, he could still see her laying there basking in glorious satisfaction. It was a sight Braden knew he would never forget.

'Damn, I meant to go slow this time,' Braden reminded himself as he sat at the table while Liv was in the shower. It was insane that this was the second time, historically the third, and he was yet to see her naked. What was even crazier was how quickly he lost control with her. It was as if once her body peaked, it then demanded that he follow. He was, by nature, a slow and steady type of guy but this...this thing between them, was throwing him off balance. Sex was different with Liv. One minute he was completely in control of himself then in the next, his brain was on fire. He had always considered himself passionate, in a gentle sort of way. The idea of softly making love to a woman had always warmed his blood but being close to Liv scalded him, burning away every sane thought he had. Before today, he never needed to hear a woman moan his name, he didn't want to own her either, but thirty minutes ago, when both actually happened, he growled his victory.

~

Standing in her room just inside the door, Liv tried to wrap her mind around what Braden did to her. Yesterday, she thought, was a fluke. The sex was fast and good. Not to take anything away from his performance but when she thought it over this morning in bed, she was so turned on and it had been so long, she assumed it wouldn't have taken much to get her there. Today was similar, but with one major difference. He was ferocious. Whatever his body demanded, hers instantly complied. If he had told her to bark like a dog, she wouldn't have thought twice about it. There was no way she was going to be able to look at him now, without seeing his lust coated expression as he growled her name. That was a complication, but one the more she thought about it, could be worked out. As long as they were on the same page.

Liv walked up to the table, set her purse down and took a seat.

Pulling a small notebook out of her purse, she avoided eye contact with Braden as she made his daily list, "You still wanna grocery shop?"

"Sure but a... We need to talk about something first."

The seriousness of his tone caused her to state, "No," as she started to make his list.

"Liv, twice now we've had unprotected sex..."

Jerking her head up, she glared at him, asking, "You got somethin'?"

"Like a condom?"

Narrowing her eyes, she snapped, "No dumbass, like an STD."

"Whoa! No! Not what I was tryin' to say."

"You sure? 'Cause I have just enough time to kick your ass and call the doctor's office before I go to work."

Holding his hands up, Braden replied, "I swear."

Nodding, Liv looked back down at the list, informing, "I get a birth control shot every three months."

She could hear the relief in his voice as he replied, "Cool."

"We done?"

Braden hesitated before saying, "Yeah. I'm good."

~

Staring at seven different types of lettuce, Braden had been in the grocery store for a good hour and still hadn't made it out of the produce section.

"Romaine," Charlotte stated as she stepped next to him.

Smiling wide at her, he questioned, "What?"

Rolling her eyes at him she laughed, "Liv likes Romaine. Lettuce."

"Thank you! I didn't think I was going to make it past the vegetables on her list."

Shaking her head at him, Charlotte held out her hand, saying, "Let me see."

Handing her his list, he asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm picking up your brother's roast for tomorrow night."

Pulling a pen out of her purse, she started writing on his list.

"Did you ask her out?"

"I did."

Smiling at him, she coaxed, "And?"

"She said no."

Appearing genuinely disappointed, Charlotte replied, "Awe, I'm sorry."

Shrugging off her sympathy, he assured, "Nah, it's all good."

"Really?"

"For sure. Its better this way."

With an understanding nod, she agreed, "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Thanks," he laughed as she handed him back the grocery list.

Charlotte walked away, looking back at him as she invited, "Dinner tomorrow at five thirty, okay."

"I'll be there." Braden replied before looking down at the list.

Laughing and shaking his head, he thought she was helping him. Instead she wrote,
'Roses are red. Violets are blue. I stopped by the shop to say hello to Liv. Somebodies putting it to her, and I'm betting it's you. ;)'