Besting Brady: Hearts of Hollis Read online

  Of course, I have millions of reasons as to why theirs won’t work. I’m the damn construction worker. I know what the fuck I’m doing.

  “I need a break,” I state, letting my pencil drop to the counter. “You got a beer or something?”

  Madden nods, clearly as frustrated as I am. He walks to a mini-fridge behind the counter and takes out two beers, handing me one. I chug half of it in one sip.

  “Have you heard from Caleb?” he asks, and I shake my head. He shrugs and says, “Maybe that’s a good thing.”

  “Yeah, maybe,” I agree. “When he won’t listen to me, he typically listens to Avery.”

  “Jade said Casey acts like things are getting serious with that professor. I don’t know Casey all that well, but I just don’t see her with that guy.” He laughs. “I mean, he drives a Prius.”

  “I know!” I grin. “I mean, what do they even have in common?”

  As I say this, it crosses my mind that Lilly and I don’t have anything in common either. Hell, truth be told, she and Madden are more of a match than she and I could ever be. We are complete opposites, coming from two entirely different worlds.

  Before I get lost in thinking of her too much, I slide the paper across the counter to Madden. He arches an eyebrow at me.

  “You have to give me some leeway on this,” I say. “You asked me to do the job, so let me do it and let me do it my way. I design the display, and I build it. If you’re not happy with it, don’t pay me. Then, I’ll do it your way.”

  He sighs and looks down at the draft he and his brothers came up with. Finally, he gives me a slight nod.

  “Fine, but if you screw it up, you’ll never hear the fucking end of it.”

  I shake his hand. “Agreed.”

  I finish off my beer as the electronic bell on the door chimes. Jade and Lilly walk to the counter, both smiling and laughing. Jade greets Madden with a kiss, and I feel a surge of jealousy that Lilly doesn’t do this with me. I know there’s a reason we’re keeping things quiet, but I can’t for the life of me remember why at this very moment. Did we even talk about keeping things quiet?

  “So, I take it you both had a good time?” Madden asks.

  “We watched that sci-fi movie you’ve been talking about.” Jade grins.

  “No way.” Madden scoffs.

  “Oh my God, it was so good!” Lilly cuts in. “You’ll have to come with us next time, Madden. The special effects were awesome! I could spoil it for you, but I won’t. Jade promises she’s going to take you to watch it.”

  “Sci-fi? You watched a sci-fi movie?” I comment, surprised that Jade was into that. Neither of us is big sci-fi fans.

  “Lilly picked it out. There wasn’t a lot to choose from, and I couldn’t talk Casey and Lilly into watching the horror movie. They out-voted me. I know you hate sci-fi movies, Brady, but this one was actually really good,” Jade says, and I feel Lilly’s eyes on me like she’s scrutinizing the fact that I don’t like sci-fi flicks.

  “Yeah, not a fan, but I’ll watch a horror flick any day.”

  “Nope, not me.” Lilly makes a face. “I cannot stand all that blood and gore.”

  Madden laughs. “You and me both, Lilly, but Jade will stay up all night watching that shit. Next time she wants to see one at the theater, I’ll tell her to go with Brady, and me and you will go watch a sci-fi flick.”

  What the fuck? I glare at him, but he doesn’t seem to even notice. Did he really just say that? Am I the only one thinking there’s something off with this fucking conversation? Even Jade doesn’t seem to think there’s anything wrong with what he’s said.

  “Sounds like a plan,” Lilly accepts.

  I swear I want to go all caveman and throw her over my shoulder yelling, “she’s mine.” Instead, I pick up my pencil and calmly put it in my back pocket. Maybe I’ve been thinking about the display and arguing with Madden too long. My brain is fried. Has to be.

  “I need to head out,” I say and head over to the garbage to toss my bottle in it. “I’ll get to work on that display. See you guys later.”

  I wave as I walk toward the door and outside. I push the jealous thoughts out of my head because I know I shouldn’t be having them. I’m not a jealous person. I know Lilly and I are exclusive while she’s in town. I have no reason to think she’s interested in Madden or that he’s interested in her. Right?

  Chapter Thirty

  Lillian

  I rub my eyes and open the door. Brady leans against my frame, gazing down at me. I step back to let him in, mentally wondering what time it is. I know it’s late...or early. I also know that something was going on with him earlier today.

  “Brady,” I start, but he silences me with a kiss.

  I don’t want to break it just to have a conversation that might lead to an argument. Whatever was going on with him earlier is not important. He’s here now, and this is what’s important. This connection between us. This chemistry.

  I fumble with the button of his jeans while he pulls his shirt over his head. The fire between us burns out any hesitation I may have. I remove my shirt and toss it down while he toes off his shoes.

  With his jeans unbuttoned and hanging low on his hips, he lifts me in his arms. The moment our chests touch, my nipples harden against him. He carries me over to my bed and lowers me down. He lets out this growl as his lips trail down my neck, my nails raking over his back.

  Brady sits up on his knees and slides my panties down my legs. I lie there patiently waiting, the anticipation of what’s to come building with each passing second. Each time we’ve been together, he’s tasted me. Said he can’t get enough.

  But tonight, I want to taste him. I sit up and urge him to lie down. He pushes his jeans down his thighs until his rock-hard dick is released. I lower myself until his magnificent cock is right at my lips. I fist it and pump, mesmerized at the precum beading at the tip. I snake my tongue out and lick it before taking him into my mouth.

  I bob my head up and down, swirling my tongue over his dick and lightly grazing my teeth over his sensitive skin.

  “Fuck, Lilly, I can’t...you have to stop,” he says, pushing me back. “I’m not blowing my load in your mouth. I want your pussy.”

  I sit up, a lazy smile on my swollen lips. He reaches into the back pocket of his jeans and gets a condom, not wasting any time opening it and sheathing himself. I climb over him and straddle his waist. I rub the tip of his dick between my pussy lips before sliding down on him, taking him inside me.

  The rough material of his jeans rubs against my ass as I ride him. I start out moving slow, but that pace doesn’t last long. Not with Brady’s hands on my ass and the need for both of us to come overwhelming.

  “That’s it, Lilly,” he encourages. “Ride my fucking dick. Ride it, baby. Come all over it.”

  “I’m close. So close.”

  “Faster, Lilly! Fuck!”

  “Yes! Yes!”

  Brady grabs my hips and flips me onto my back, driving into me with such force, my bed slams against the wall. He crosses the thin line between pain and pleasure, causing me to cry out before the orgasm sweeps over me like a tornado.

  He lets out this long groan, and I feel him pulsing inside me, sweat dripping from his brow. Breathing heavily, he climbs off me and saunters into my bathroom to dispose of the condom. He returns with a warm washcloth and wipes between my legs before snuggling in behind me.

  “I’m sorry about earlier,” he murmurs.

  “Everything okay?”

  He sighs. “Yeah, I just didn’t plan to spend my whole afternoon arguing with the city boy.”

  I frown at his reference to Madden. I thought they were friends. Thought they got along. But the way he said that sounds like he isn’t too fond of him. Maybe it’s because they weren’t seeing eye to eye on the project.

  “I didn’t want to make assumptions.”

  “I get it. Next time I’ll let you know when I want to keep you naked in bed all day.”

  I gi
ggle at that. There’s the Brady I know.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Brady

  “Don’t tempt me, Lilly,” I say with a half-grin. “I need to get to work.”

  Lilly struts to the bathroom, slowly letting the sheet fall to expose her bare ass. I groan when the door closes, and I hear the lock click into place. I pull my boots on and then my shirt. When Lilly emerges, she’s dressed in a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved purple tee. I think it’s cute that she woke up when she could have slept in. We’re up way before Jack’s officially opens, and I’ll be gone before anyone realizes I slept over.

  I slip into the bathroom and use her mouthwash. I don’t bother with a comb when I know I’ll be putting a hardhat on. I just run my fingers through the unruly mess instead.

  “Try not to let anyone give you any trouble today,” I say as I open her door. She knows I’m talking about Kelly’s lunchtime antics from yesterday.

  She follows me down the stairs. “I’ll try not to.”

  “And I know you’re checking out my ass.” I smirk, looking over my shoulder at her.

  “Can’t help it. You have a very nice ass, Brady Thompson.” She smiles, circling her arms around my waist as we reach the bottom step.

  I turn around and give her ass a good smack. “You too, Lilly Benson. Completely smackable, kissable, and hmm...pinchable.”

  She squeals when I pinch one of her cheeks and then laughs against my lips. I close my mouth over hers for one more lingering kiss before I leave. It only takes tasting her to have me rock hard and pressing into her again.

  The way we are right now makes me think I’m an idiot for even considering that she might be interested in Madden. More than likely, she’s just trying to make friends, and I can tell she and Jade are hitting it off pretty well. It’s pretty much impossible not to like Jade, that is unless you’re Madden’s parents.

  “You need to go,” Lilly whispers. “You’re the boss now, remember?”

  “Yeah, I should get going,” I agree, squeezing her ass again and going in for one more kiss.

  I reluctantly pull away and head for the door. My truck is parked across the lot, but the bright red letters are easy to see against the light, blue paint.

  Manwhore.

  Fucking hell. Not my baby! My Chevy Silverado has been violated. At least, that’s how I look at it. And she sure as hell didn’t deserve it.

  “Fuck!” I yell and jog across the parking lot. I know whoever did it is long gone, and the chances of catching them are slim to none. Jack doesn’t have security cameras. It’s Hollis, for crying out loud. We don’t really have a crime rate here. I run my fingers over the paint, but it’s dry.

  “Oh my God, Brady!” Lilly’s voice sounds behind me as she places her hands on my shoulders. “We need to report this.”

  I clench my jaw in frustration. “There’s no need. Jack doesn’t even have security cameras, and we don’t have much of a police department,” I explain. “I’ll repaint it later.”

  “But who would do this?” she asks, and I give her a look. She looks saddened at first, then pissed.

  “It’ll be fine. I’ll talk to her about it,” I assure her. “I honestly didn’t think she’d go this far.”

  “Maybe you shouldn’t say anything to her, Brady. It might make things worse. Just ignore her,” Lilly suggests.

  “I’ll figure it out. Please, just don’t let Kelly bother you,” I plead. “I can handle this shit, but don’t let her upset you, Lilly.” I pull her to me and wrap my arms around her before pressing a quick kiss to her lips. “Promise me that.”

  “Okay, I promise, I will not let her bother me,” she says. “If she comes in, I’ll let someone else serve her. Have a good day at work, okay?”

  I look at the derogatory word scribbled across my truck once more before climbing in. Lilly watches me drive away, and it makes me feel sick to my stomach to know that I’ll be working out of town today. It’s a short job, and it won’t take our crew long to do it, but I’d feel more comfortable knowing we were working in Hollis today just in case Kelly tries something stupid. The majority of our jobs lately have been short-term, out-of-town jobs, though. With a town as small as Hollis, that’s how it goes.

  Still, I don’t like leaving Lilly here with Kelly, knowing she’s capable of vandalism. I thought her hissy fit at Jack’s was as far as she was going to take things. This is too much. This is my fucking truck. What if she does something to Lilly’s car? Hell, what if she does something to Lilly?

  I pull up at the job site and ignore the smirks and stares from the guys. I grab my toolbelt from behind the seat and strap it on. I get my hardhat from the back of my truck, and I’m putting it on when Logan approaches.

  “Who’d you piss off?” he questions, eyeing my truck.

  “I’ll give you one guess,” I answer.

  “Damn, she had to fuck with Gloria,” he comments, shaking his head.

  “Yep,” I agree.

  Now, I just have to figure out what the hell else Kelly is capable of doing when I’d rather be spending the time I have with Lilly. She hasn’t given me a specific date as to when she’s leaving, but she’s made it damn clear that she is. So, I have that to worry about and now this.

  “What a bitch,” Logan grumbles.

  As if on cue, my phone rings, and Kelly’s smiling face appears on the screen. I ignore her, taking Lilly’s advice. The thing with Kelly is, she doesn’t like being ignored. An hour later, she’s called my phone twenty-three times and sent twice as many texts.

  “Yeah,” I answer, taking a break from putting up the sheetrock I’m working on.

  “I’ve been trying to reach you,” she whines.

  “I’m working, Kelly,” I reply, my voice clipped.

  “Well, I need to see you. Can you come over tonight, Brady?”

  Is she seriously going to pretend that she didn’t fuck my truck up? I know I’ve slept around with quite a few women, but none of them behaved the way she did when I ended things. It had to be her.

  “No, I can’t. I need to get back to work.”

  “I miss you.”

  I hang up without saying another word. I can’t believe I actually felt guilty when I ended things with her. I can see that her true colors are starting to show now.

  And they’re red.

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Lillian

  I peruse the jewelry on the small display, completely understanding why Amelia needs a larger display. First, her jewelry is phenomenal, and second, it can’t be properly displayed on this tiny thing.

  I pick up a pair of earrings, and I’m holding them up to my ears when someone slams into me from behind. I drop the earrings to the floor and wince as my hip jars into the counter.

  “Oops.”

  Kelly. I promised Brady I wouldn’t let her bother me, but I’m not going to let her abuse me. I’m not a violent or confrontational person in any way, but I can’t allow her to behave this way.

  “It’s all right,” I say, picking up the earrings and turning around to face her.

  She’s standing with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring at me. At one point, I felt pity for her. I know she cares about Brady, and he hurt her. No one deserves that. But he doesn’t deserve what she’s done to him either.

  “Come to grab another bottle of spray paint?” I ask and see a flicker of fear flash across her face.

  “I’ve tried being nice to you,” she says, ignoring my jab. “But you just won’t leave him alone.”

  “You’ve tried being nice to me?”

  “I’ve seen the two of you together. You aren’t fooling anyone. His truck was at your place at five o’clock in the morning.”

  “Careful, Kelly,” I warn. “You’re about to confess to vandalism.”

  Her face pales, and she drops her arms to her sides. “Stay away from Brady.”

  I stand firm as she stomps away. There is no way it wasn’t her who vandalized his truck. Shuddering, I shop
a few more minutes before making my purchase and heading to work.

  I’m surprised to get to Jack’s and see that we have no customers. Casey and Jade are stocking, so I start helping them. Apparently, the other restaurant in town is having a half-off dinner special. Guess a sale like that brings in customers.

  “How old is this Tequila?” Casey asks, holding up a dusty bottle. “It’s not the brand Jack sells now.”

  She has a mischievous grin on her face as she opens the bottle and pours us all a shot. Since I’m not going to be driving anywhere, I happily take it. After my run-in with Kelly, I can use it.

  “Bottoms up,” Jade says with a wink.

  She pours another round, and I take a moment to go get some music playing on the jukebox. As soon as a song comes on, Madden, Tate, and Logan walk in. I expect to see Brady with them, but it’s only those three.

  “Shitty day at work. We need a pitcher, babe,” Madden says.

  “Or whatever it is you ladies are having,” Logan says.

  “Three shots it is,” Jade says.

  “Brady will be here soon. He stopped by to check on Marlene first.”

  Aw. He went to check on his mom first. That is so adorable. It also reminds me of the strained relationship I now have with my mom and the fact that I promised her I would come home for Christmas. That’s right around the corner. My time here is truly limited.

  “You look way too lonely over here, girl,” Tate says, taking my hand and spinning me around before pulling me into his arms.

  I had almost forgotten all about the bet amongst the guys. The one Brady has now officially won. It’s clear Tate doesn’t know that, though, because he’s still flirting with me. Still thinks he has a chance of coming out on top. I should tell him he doesn’t, but I keep my mouth shut.

  “Who’s up for a game of darts?” Madden asks.

  “I’m game,” Casey says. “We’ve got ten minutes before your food is ready.”

  “Okay. Let’s do teams.”

  “Tate?” Casey asks, officially breaking up our dance.