Ticket To Love Read online

  She felt as perfect wrapped around his cock as he’d expected. This was going to be quick, but oh so good.

  ***

  Eve clung to Brad’s shoulders as he thrust deep inside her. This man filled her completely. She wrapped her legs around his waist, pulling him into her as much as she could.

  “Oh God,” she whispered into his neck.

  “Hang on tight,” he ground out. He took hold of her hands and lifted them above her head, taking away some of her control.

  Wanting the use of her arms back, she jerked. How dare he take that away!

  But as he gazed at her with a sort of dominance, her nipples hardened, and she learned something new about herself. She liked it.

  Brad picked up the pace, staring at her. She tried to glance away, but couldn’t. With his free hand, he swirled a finger around her nipple then pinched hard.

  Eve yelped. That had hurt, but it had also felt good.

  He smirked then bent his head and licked the nipple he’d just pinched. Her back arched and she moaned. Her release was building. As he sucked her bud as far into his mouth as he could, she cried out. She’d never had so much pleasure going through her body at one time.

  With her legs, she held on as best she could, but as she came closer and closer to release, it grew harder. “Brad,” she managed to whisper, her mouth dry.

  He kissed her chin before trailing down her neck. “I’m right here.”

  She couldn’t pinpoint what it was in his tone, but those three words made her feel safer and more loved than she had in a long time. “I need to…”

  “Do it.”

  “Kiss me.” She craved the connection it would bring.

  Brad pressed his lips hard against hers, and as his tongue tangled with hers, Eve finally let go, letting the orgasm rip through her body. Brad released her wrists just when she needed him to, and her hands went straight to his shoulders. She dug her nails into his hard muscles. She moaned through their kiss before finally breaking it to fully arch her body and scream out.

  Brad’s pace increased as he buried his face into the crook of her neck. Even though she felt like letting her body relax, she met him thrust for thrust as his breathing picked up. His jaw tightened, and she knew he was on the edge. Her fingers skimmed down his back until she found his round, firm ass. Digging her nails into his ass cheek, she urged him to push harder into her.

  “Eve,” he grunted into her ear.

  One final hard pump, and then he relaxed onto her. She caressed his lower back, basking in the little waves of pleasure that still rippled through her body. At this moment, she was too sated to worry about what tomorrow brought. She wanted to stay in the present for as long as she could.

  ***

  Bang, bang!

  Eve’s eyes opened from the deep sleep she’d been in. What the hell? Where was she? Then she remembered, glancing over at Brad, his skin tan against the white sheets.

  “Brad,” a female voice called. Bang, bang!

  Another woman? Eve pushed on Brad’s shoulder. “Hey, someone’s calling you.”

  Brad sat up, giving her a magnificent view of his bare chest. Oh God, she’d really slept with him. And man, it had been the best sex she’d ever had. He’d been so big, and he’d reached spots she never knew were there.

  “Brad,” the woman called again, followed by a few more knocks on the hotel room door.

  “Shit.” He buried his head in the pillow.

  “Who is that?” Eve asked, hoping he hadn’t picked up some woman for a wild romp in the sheets.

  “You don’t want to know,” he mumbled.

  The knocking continued.

  Squinting at him, she asked, “Could you please go deal with it?”

  As he got up, Brad pulled the sheet off the bed then wrapped it around him. He marched toward the hotel room entrance. Eve wrapped the comforter around her and sat up, staring at the door. When he flung it open, a skinny brunette woman stood there, all decked out.

  “Brad, my gosh, were you sleeping?” She pushed her way in then stopped when she saw Eve. “Oops, was I interrupting something?”

  “Yeah, you were,” Brad snapped. “What do you want?”

  “Scottie and I wanted to see if you would join us for a nightcap.”

  Was that Brad’s ex-wife, with her clothes tailored to fit her perfect body, and her hair long and flowing? Wow, and he finds me pretty? Eve wasn’t at all sure she could ever compete with the woman.

  “I think we’re fine.” Brad tugged the sheet tighter around his waist.

  “How about tomorrow? Lunch maybe,” the woman pressed.

  “Uh, Brad.” Eve felt like a small mouse speaking.

  He looked at Eve, and she could see the desperation in his face. He wanted that other woman out of here. Did that mean he preferred her?

  “Yes.”

  “Tomorrow isn’t good,” Eve said, trying to help him out. “We have plans already and an early flight out the next morning.”

  He nodded and turned back toward Charlotte. “You heard her.”

  “Oh, please.” His ex poked her bottom lip out like a two-year-old. “It would mean so much to me.”

  This was so odd. Were they on camera? “Charlotte, right?” Eve asked.

  The woman nodded.

  “We said we’re busy. We appreciate the free hotel stay and all, but you asking Brad to have lunch with you and his uncle is insane. You’re marrying someone in his family. Y’all want him in the wedding party. It’s selfish and rude. Now please, let the man be.”

  Charlotte stared at Eve, her eyes wide. “Wow, you picked one with quite the mouth.” She walked toward the door. “Just think about it. That’s all I’m asking.”

  Charlotte left and Brad closed the door behind her then locked it. “I’m sorry about that,” he said, climbing back in bed.

  Eve tugged him to her, needing his attention on her. “Nothing to be sorry about.”

  “I kinda like you all feisty on someone else rather than me.”

  “Don’t get too used to it. You and I still have a tree to discuss.”

  Brad chuckled and kissed her. “Screw the damn tree. As long as you’re in my bed, I couldn’t care less about that thing.”

  Score one!

  And now, Eve was ready for another home run. “Did you happen to grab another condom while you were up?”

  He shook his head and pulled away.

  “Well, we can do other things then that don’t require one.” Eve slid down his body, under the sheet, and took him into her mouth. She’d been fantasizing about this for days. Now it was time to make the fantasy come true.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Brad was having a hard time keeping his eyes off of Eve’s hot body in that very tiny bikini. She hadn’t lied about its size. If people weren’t around, he’d be exploring all the ways he could untie those strings and get her naked and under him in the warm sand. She was an absolute rock star in bed, and he craved another round soon.

  “Have you thought anymore on what you’re going to do with your time when we get home?” There was no way she’d saved enough money to live job-free for long, or so he thought. This woman was still a mystery to him.

  She shrugged. “I need to find something soon, I guess. Or at least until I figure out what I want to do as a business.”

  “So, uh,” he leaned closer, “now that we know each other a little better, I’m just curious, how much money do you have saved up for that wedding?”

  She lowered her sunglasses down her nose. “Enough. I could throw a wedding like the gypsies do.”

  Dang, that was a lot. He’d seen that show My Big Fat Gypsy Wedding a few times. “Why are you suddenly spending it?”

  “I don’t see a wedding in my future. Do you?”

  What kind of question was that? Was she asking if… A knot formed in his throat. “You never know when your knight in shining armor just might show up. I’d save your money.”

  “I have enough.” She rested he
r head back on the towel.

  She certainly did seem to have enough. She didn’t think twice about spending money. Before they came to the beach, they’d walked through the market in the streets and she’d purchased several pieces of art, not even glancing at the price tag.

  “You sure you weren’t the lotto winner?” he asked, half joking.

  She sighed and turned her face away him, placing her arm over her eyes.

  Had he pushed the topic? Something in him told him she was keeping something from him. What were the chances she really was the lottery winner? He hated to think she’d have lied to him about it. ”So, what’s your car payment on the Mustang?” He cleared his throat. “I’ve been thinking of getting a Mustang myself.”

  “Brad, stop.” She pressed her lips in a firm, straight line.

  “Stop what?”

  She sat up and leaned back on her elbows. “I don’t want to talk about money. I’d like to enjoy this day on the beach, relaxing and getting a tan before winter hits. So can we change the subject? How’s Bo doing at the kennel?”

  Brad put his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. “He’s fine. Why won’t you tell me what your payment is?”

  She groaned. “You don’t need a car payment, that’s why. If you had to pay for this trip with a credit card because you couldn’t afford it, then you don’t need a new car. You need to save your money.”

  He grinned, not because he was happy but at the nerve she’d had to tell him how to handle his money. “Oh, and now you can tell me what to do with my money?”

  Eve stood, grabbing her towel and beach bag.

  “Where are you going?” he asked.

  “Away from you.” With her towel and bag over her shoulder, she walked down the beach a little farther, where she laid her towel back out and sat down.

  Normally he’d follow and apologize, but his blood was pumping through his veins as fast as she’d walked away. What gave her the right to tell him if he should or should not get a Mustang? Hell, of course he wasn’t getting one. He’d only asked to confirm his suspicions that she’d bought the damn thing outright and was the lottery winner. Why wouldn’t she just tell him she’d won?

  And why the hell was he so damn obsessed that she was the winner? He moaned and fell back against the towel. He’d asked her several times, and each time she told him she hadn’t won. Maybe she was telling the truth. She was hung up on her age. She acted like thirty-five was old and because of that, no man would ever marry her, but she was wrong. A lot of men would still marry her. He’d marry her.

  He ran his hands through his hair. Marriage? It might be on his mind, but she was supposedly spending all her money for a wedding, so marriage wasn’t on hers.

  Brad closed his eyes. It was better to let her be and calm down. Arguing with her about money wasn’t how he wanted to spend his time. She wasn’t Charlotte. Eve seemed to be level-headed about what she was doing, and he just needed to let this go. Their time left here in Mexico was short. Then life went back to normal.

  The question was, when they got back, would they continue in what he hoped was a relationship or would they just be neighbors?

  ***

  Eve pulled into her driveway, staring at the garage door, not at the man in the seat next to her. The flight home had gone much smoother than the flight there. But maybe that was because she’d been an emotional mess. After their argument on the beach, she and Brad were hardly speaking. But that was their relationship—they fought more than they got along—which was why she’d told him this would never work. Right now she was mad at him for pressing her about money constantly, but when she looked at him, the anger all melted away, which in turn made her that much more upset.

  She climbed out of the car and went to the trunk. Brad walked up and she glanced at him. He held a somber appearance as he stared back at her.

  “I hope you enjoyed the trip,” he said as he pulled his suitcase from the trunk.

  “I did. Good luck with your family problem.” That train wreck of a problem. Jeez…She slammed the trunk and headed for her porch, but Brad stopped her. Damn, he was quick.

  “I’m sorry.” He stared longingly at her and her breath caught momentarily.

  “Me, too.” She smiled.

  He grinned back, the sadness in his eyes washing away. “The things you do to my heart.”

  She shook her head, not wanting to hear this at the moment. She was so confused about what she felt for him. “That is the reason we’re no good. We’ll spend more time with a broken heart than a mended one.”

  “We can always agree to stop pushing each other’s buttons.” He ran his finger down her cheek.

  “Yeah, right. They say the key to a happy marriage is one that doesn’t revolve around finances. That will never happen with us. You’re hung up on it.”

  He pulled away, his jaw clenching. But then his body relaxed. “I’ll be better. I promise. I just don’t want this to end. It’s good.”

  Yes, they did make sparks when they got between the sheets. And when they weren’t in bed and were getting along, she liked spending time with him. He made her laugh, feel beautiful, and cared for. Even now, when they fought, she got the overwhelming urge to strip him naked. There was something strong between them, and she needed to figure this out soon.

  “What you and I have is unique,” she finally said.

  “I sense a but.” He rubbed his chin.

  “Not necessarily. I think we just need to think about it more. If we go down this path and end up breaking up, we’ll fight more. We’ll report each other to the HOA over every little thing, making each other’s life miserable.”

  “Then we won’t break up,” he said with all seriousness.

  Like it was that simple. She wished she had the faith he did. “You don’t know the future.”

  “And you keep reminding me I’m not the one you’re going to marry.” Brad rubbed his temple and closed his eyes.

  She groaned. Here we go again. “And you never forget a damn thing I say.”

  “Then don’t say hurtful things.”

  Rolling her eyes, she turned from him. “Goodbye, Brad.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  Those were words the two of them were going to say a lot to one another if they decided to go down a road toward a relationship. Was it worth it?

  As she opened the door and entered the cool house, her heart told her yes, Brad was worth the shot just to see what would happen. But her brain couldn’t get past the fact they had a hard time seeing eye to eye on things. They’d fight, a lot. One of them would always be apologizing. She tried to imagine bringing kids into that.

  Caressing her forehead, she tried to push the thoughts away. She needed a break from thinking about what she wanted and what she should do.

  After getting her suitcase in her bedroom, she unpacked her bathroom essentials. As she placed them on the vanity her grandmother had given her, her heart ached to speak with Grams. She’d not spoken to her since she’d left for Mexico. Right now, she could use her guidance. Never had a man affected her like Brad. She either needed to jump head first into this relationship with him, or put her house on the market and move far, far away. Going back to being just neighbors with Brad wasn’t an option at this point.

  She called the direct number to her grandmother’s room, but no one answered. Perhaps she was in the common area. Eve called the front desk.

  “Hello, Meadows Assisted Living.”

  “Hi, I’m trying to reach Mary Parker.”

  “May I ask who is calling?”

  “This is her granddaughter, Evelyn.”

  “Hi, we tried to reach you.” Eve’s gut dropped. “Mary is in the hospital—”

  Cutting the woman off, she demanded, “Why?”

  “She became ill, and it went downhill quick. She became dehydrated. I don’t know much more, just that she was admitted to Eastside Hospital. We left a message on your answering machine.”

  Damn it, she’d been in
Mexico, enjoying herself while her grandmother needed her. “Thank you. I’ve got to go.”

  Eve hung up, grabbed her keys, then headed for the hospital. Silently, she prayed that Grams would be okay. She couldn’t live with herself if it was something more serious.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Brad watched as Eve backed out of her driveway and tore down the street at a speed he’d never seen her drive at before. The look on her face had been sheer panic. He was due to pick up Bo, but maybe he should call her first and see what was going on. He pulled the phone from his pocket and dialed her cell.

  She answered right away. “It’s not a good time right now to fight with you. My grandmother’s in the hospital.” She disconnected the call.

  Damn it, he wasn’t calling to fight. Though, why would she think differently? She was right. That was all they did. Every time he turned around, they were bickering about something: Bo, a tree, a fence, money. The list went on.

  Brad knew how important her grandmother was to Eve and what panic she must be feeling. His family was big, but all she had was her grandmother. His heart sank. Maybe she was so hung up on marriage because her grandmother wouldn’t be here forever and when she was gone, who would Eve have? God, he felt like a real asshole. He wasn’t completely sure why, but Eve needed someone at this moment. That person was going to be him.

  Grabbing his keys, he headed out the door. There were two hospitals in town, and they were thankfully close to each other. All he had to do was find her. Before driving off, he sent her a quick text.

  Which hospital?

  He figured she wouldn’t answer since she was on the road, but hopefully by the time he got there, she’d have responded.

  Traffic was light when he got into the city. While he sat at a traffic light, a text came in from Eve.