Relinquishing Liberty (19 page)

“Let Maddie know she’s got a date with you and her favorite brother tonight.”

“But you’re her only brother.” I said with a deadpanned expression.

“You’re killing me, Liberty!”

“I know.” I smiled and threw a straw at him before cleaning up some of the tables I left unattended. Man, Bob really didn’t give a shit. If this were any other restaurant, I would have been out on my ass a long time ago.

I brought Maddie up to date with our plans, and she was ecstatic, mainly because I was getting along with her brother again, but also because he was buying us booze and that always brought a smile to her face. She was so easy to please.

When Maddie and I got back to the apartment, I plopped down on the couch and groaned as the muscles in my back spasmed.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to move the rest of the night. When is Brett getting here?”

“He’s picking up the pizza on his way here. He’s too cheap to pay for delivery.” Maddie rolled her eyes.

“Well, I’m going to take a quick, hot bath. Hopefully it’ll loosen up this massive knot in my back.” I rolled off of the couch and had to practically crawl to the bathroom.

“I bet you wish you had your sexy mystery man was here to rub it out for you.” She winked as she walked into the kitchen to look for the wine glasses. I couldn’t help but think there was a double meaning behind that. Knowing Maddie and her love for sexual innuendos, I wouldn’t doubt it.

After stripping down and loading the tub up with a hefty amount of vanilla scented bubble bath, I sank down into the steamy pool of bubbles and let out a heavy sigh, releasing all of the tension I had pent up inside. It felt good to finally be able to relax after such a physically and mentally exhausting day.

Lying there, my thoughts drifted to my upcoming date with Shayne. I hated the fact that we couldn’t see each other day, but I completely understood; he had a
real
job and that came first. Still, I found myself missing him something fierce. It was strange to develop such a strong connection with someone in just mere weeks. I wasn’t used to wanting…no…
needing
to be around someone so much. In fact, I had become a borderline hermit after AJ died, so this was a completely new feeling for me.

I closed my eyes and thought back to the night of our first date. I pictured myself there again, lying on the beach, straddling his hips and listening to the crashing waves swallow my cries of ecstasy as I brought myself to climax. That delectable warmth began to pool deep in belly again, causing a pulsing sensation to build between my legs. I knew there was no chance of it going away without relieving it myself. What I wouldn’t give for Shayne to be right here, right now to take care of it for me…and then he was.
Was I hallucinating?

He knelt down beside the tub and took in the view before him. His tongue dipped out, slowly licking his bottom lip, while his eyes ran over my wet, naked body. The bubbles had begun to dissipate, and I felt entirely exposed. Shayne had never seen me completely bare before him, and I became anxious and aroused just thinking about it.

“Tell me what you want, Liberty. I need to hear you say the words, sweetheart.” His hand reached out to brush away the damp strands of hair shielding my face.

“You, Shayne. I want you…I
need
you. Please.” My body was on the verge of violently combusting. I was desperate to feel his touch. Begging and pleading for him to bring on my release.

“Where do you want me, sweetheart? Where do you ache?”

“You know where, Shayne. Please…touch me.” I seriously felt like I was going to die if he didn’t touch me this very instant!

Shayne’s smile was drenched with desire as he gave me a knowing look. His hand dipped below the water, beginning at my throat and trailing down the valley between my breasts. He cupped one of my firm globes, caressing and encompassing it with his large, rough, calloused hand. Pinching my already diamond-hard nipple between his thumb and finger, he applied just enough pressure to cause a shockwave of pleasure to flood straight down to my swollen nub. He made sure to give my remaining breast just as much attention, and I felt like putty beneath his skilled hands.

His hand continued along its tantalizing journey, moving further south to sweep over my fluttering stomach. When he finally reached his destination, he was in no hurry to get the job over with. His fingertips gently grazed over the surface of my smooth mound, and I was panting in anticipation. The second his fingers disappeared between my slick folds I almost completely lost it. His fingers ran up and down, collecting my juices until they coated my throbbing clit. His fingers danced in slow, steady circles, gradually picking up the pace until I was biting my lip so hard I thought I drew blood. The sensation was out of this world, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to hold back much longer.

When I was just about ready to let go, he dipped two fingers inside me, continuing to draw circles over my hypersensitive clit with his thumb. He moved in and out of me, over and over, until I could feel my insides begin to quiver and tighten up around his fingers. He took that as a signal to curl his long digits against my inner walls, causing my back to arch out of the water and scream out his name. I continued to ride out the wave of pleasure until my breathing steadied and my body relaxed into the now tepid bath water.

A knock at the door caused my eyes to shoot open, and I bolted up, splashing water all over the floor.
What the—

“You okay in there, Liberty? You’ve been in there for almost an hour, and the pizza’s getting cold.”
Shit!
I couldn’t let Maddie catch me with Shayne in here.

“Oh, um, yeah. Sorry about that. I’ll be out in a sec.” I looked around the bathroom, and Shayne was nowhere in sight.
Where the hell did he go?
Had I seriously imagined the entire thing? I guess it was possible that I had fallen asleep… But there’s no way I could have felt that if I wasn’t awake. I stood up from the tub, and as I reached for a towel, I noticed that my fingers were drenched…and not with water.
Holy shit, I actually masturbated in my sleep! What the fuck! And I imagined it was Shayne the whole time!

God, I hoped no one heard me…

I quickly dried off, popped a few ibuprofen for my back (probably more than I should have), and ran in my room to slip into some pajama pants and a tank top. When I came back out, Brett and Maddie were sitting on the couch and had just started watching
Skyfall
. Maddie was already engrossed in the movie, but Brett gave me a wicked grin, confirming that he had in fact heard me.
Just my fucking luck
. I ducked my head in embarrassment and walked into the kitchen to grab a slice of pizza and glass of wine. I noticed that he picked up an extra bottle. Bless his heart, I was going to need it tonight for sure.

I moved over to the couch, squeezing between Maddie and Brett, and scarfed down the pizza. The wine went just as quickly while I chugged it down in three large gulps. After refilling my glass and resuming my spot, Maddie leaned her head on my shoulder and Brett draped his arm along the back of the couch behind me.

Brett leaned in close to whisper in my ear. “Must’ve worked up quite a thirst while you were in there, huh?”

I choked mid-sip, causing wine to trickle down my chin and turned to glare at him. He was beaming his oh-so-charming smile at me as he used his thumb to wipe away the remaining droplets of wine.

“Ughhh. Seriously, Brett?” I shoved his hand away and smacked him hard across his chest, causing me to splash more wine everywhere.
Lovely
.

“Sorry, darlin’. I couldn’t resist.”

I sat my glass down, and he chuckled boisterously while I walked back to my room in my wine-sodden shirt. I could hear Maddie yelling at him to shut up, and it dawned on me that up until now, I’ve never heard her be so quiet…like
ever
. Normally that girl was talking a mile a minute. But set that girl in front of the TV with a good movie and a glass of wine, and she’d go dead silent.
Good to know.

When I returned in a dry shirt, I noticed that my wine glass had been completely drained. My eyes immediately darted to the culprit who was sporting a guilty look that was all too obvious.

“Really?” I crossed my arms and glared at him.

“Hey, that fruity shit is pretty good. No wonder you girls go gaga over it. You do realize there’s like no alcohol in that, though.”

“Yeah…that’s why I usually end up finishing the whole bottle.”

I grabbed the remaining bottle of sangria, opting to skip out on using a glass, and stormed back into the living room. Sitting down on the couch with a big thud, I threw my legs over Brett’s lap and gave him a smart-alecky grin. I took a huge swig straight from the bottle, and noisily swished it around my mouth before swallowing. Brett just smiled and shook his head at me.

Lifting one of my dainty feet, he began rubbing his thumbs deep into my arch, starting out gentle, so I could become acclimated to his touch. Gradually, he increased the pressure and focused his attention on the more tender areas. I threw my head back, enjoying the work his skilled hands were performing. Soon my whole body relaxed and slumped further into the couch as he worked his magic.
Ohmigod it felt sooo good!

I looked at him dreamily. “You have a very promising future as a masseuse. Seriously Brett, that feels a-maz-ing.”

“Does it feel good enough for you to scream out
my
name?”

My jaw dropped to the floor. Why the hell did I have to scream out Shayne’s name? Oh that’s right…because I was dreaming about him having his hands all over my body and bringing on one of the most amazing orgasms I’ve ever had. My life has literally become one embarrassment after another. Brett was never going to let me live that down. Well, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em! So I decided to play along with his little game.

“Oh Brett, yes, right there, yes, more, oh God don’t stop!” I thrust my hips in a suggestive manner and giggled as I carried on with my theatrics. Brett was just as amused and began to tickle my heel instigating me to fall into a fit of laughter. I squirmed as he tightened his hold on me, refusing to give me any wiggle room. Wow, he was actually really strong. I didn’t know why that surprised me. I mean, next to Shayne, he had the sexiest biceps I had ever seen. I got so caught up in watching his muscles ripple and flex while he continued his attack that I ended up kicking Maddie in the ribs. She turned to give both of us the stink eye and silence descended upon the three of us.

“Would you two love birds mind keeping it down? I’m missing important plot points!”

I glared at Maddie out of the corner of my eye for her little “love birds” remark. When I turned to look at Brett, he gave me a slight nod in agreement, and I could see we were both on the same page. He silently counted to three, mouthing the words so that only I could see them and then we both lunged at Maddie simultaneously. A vicious tickle fight ensued until Maddie was out of breath and just barely able to shout out “marshmallow”. Brett scrunched his eyebrows together; I didn’t expect him to understand the reference.

“Maddie, have you been stealing my Kindle again?” I placed my hands on my hips and cast a stern, tight-lipped expression her way, trying to make it appear that I was mad at her, but honestly I loved that we shared a love for the same books. Now I had someone to discuss which book-boyfriend I was swooning over every week.

“I’m sorry! You don’t understand! I had to know what happened with Drew and Fable in
One Week Girlfriend
! Gah! That Monica Murphy was killing me at the end!”

I laughed because I totally understood her.

“You know there is a second book, right?”

“What? Do you have it? Where’s your Kindle?” She lurched forward and started bustling around the room, searching frantically for it.

I giggled watching her buzz around in excitement. “Yeah it’s in my room, chica. Knock yourself out.”

Maddie scurried down the hall to my room like she was on a mission to find the Holy Grail. I heard my door slam with a bang and about thirty seconds later, I heard her own door slam shut.

“I guess she doesn’t care about missing important plot points now. Do you want to finish watching it?”

“Yeah, we might as well. Besides, there is still plenty of wine to be drunk.”

He grabbed his own bottle, and with Maddie gone, we were able to spread out along the couch. I snuggled up to his side, and he threw his arm around me pulling me in closer so he could place a kiss on my temple. Had I been a little more sober, I might not have let myself so nonchalantly press my body up against him, but I couldn’t help myself. I loved being in Brett’s arms; they were strong, warm, inviting. There was nothing sexual about it. If Shayne had caught us together like this we might have a slight difference in opinion…but he wasn’t here right now.

It was like Shayne could read my mind because as soon as the thought popped in my head, my phone dinged twice notifying me I had texts. Brett got to my phone first.
Shit.

“Brett, give it back!”