The Lonely Hearts 06 The Grunt 2 Read online

  Brett was quietly grateful as he followed the many gleeful conversations with a smile but in silence. In all of his adult life, he had never known family gatherings to be so warm and festive before marrying Courtney. And he definitely had never experienced such classic elegance. He was just a Texas boy at heart, straight from a little farm that his mother ran until the day that she died. They hadn’t been big on formalities, just love and loyalty, which was what his family shared in common with his wife’s family.

  Diane played hostess better than anyone on Emerald Isle - tending to everyone’s needs with a big bright smile, pouring wine continuously - serving up more food and keeping the conversation light and engaging. And she did it all while dressed to kill.

  Jeffery had earned his right to sit at the head of the table, and had a certain alpha dominance that radiated around the room. His deep baritone roared like a pride lion as he laughed and joked with everyone all while keeping his eye firm on his wife, whom he always looked like he was ready to sexually devour. Their insatiable appetite for each other was something that he hoped to continue to have with his own wife. Old Man Lawless was lucky; he had never lost sight of the ultimate goal of happiness. Brett envied him that, and he was sure that everyone else did also.

  David was always the proper officer. He ate everything in small portions with the specified utensil all while ironically relaxing even with a stiff back and a mellow charm that spoke to his impeccable breeding. Brett imagined that David would eventually be a full bird before his career was over the Marine Corps, because he carried himself like one even now.

  And although it had been said that opposites attract, he couldn’t help but see how those similar to each other seemed to do well also. Kelly was a quiet, strong woman, a fellow officer of her boyfriend and highly educated at MIT. She sat beside him a picture of beauty and poise, enjoying him and his stuffiness as much as Brett seemed to enjoy the down to earth hearty banter that he shared with Courtney.

  “Do you want more wine?” Courtney asked, looking over at his glass to find it nearly empty. Her hand was placed on his thigh, small and accurate; he could feel the heat coming from her palm even through his jogging pants. She was a little tipsy now from one glass too many of the expensive spirits and her face was flushed and full of life.

  He turned from his observations of the Lawless family slowly, sweeping a look over her with his blue eyes that made her heart skip a beat. Moving his tattooed arms from the table, he cleared his throat. “Yes, please,” he said, mouth curved for a kiss.

  Courtney tightened her legs together. Was that admiration she saw in the twinkle of his enchanting gaze? Did she hear lust in his voice? It had been a while since she had experienced that, but even now she welcomed it. Not to mention, she had a serious thing for his bad boy exterior.

  “Red or white?” her voice carried like a feather as she tried to calm her deepening blush.

  “Red,” he said, suddenly wanting her. Something about that moment amidst the candles, the aromas, the laughter and the fleeting sun made him feel alive again.

  She rose up and grabbed the bottle of wine near her mother and then reached over him to pour it. It was a simple gesture of respect, but she knew that he would take it for what it was…her offering of herself and her submission to whatever was forming in the darkness of his thoughts.

  He watched her every move. Eyeing her graceful body, the way that her sundress clung to her supple wide hips and small waist, the tendrils of soft hair flirting with the nape of her neck and the way that her still engorged breasts pushed up around her cleverly low cut ensemble. Suddenly, he felt the need to literally growl.

  Courtney could feel his stare and his raw, unadulterated thoughts consuming her whole. She was swallowed by pheromones that seemed to be intoxicating in the room. Giggles. Laughter. Looks. Dancing candle light. Wine. Nearly stumbling, she put the bottle down and sat back down as her family continued to talk, not bothering to notice or acknowledge what was happening between Mr. and Mrs. Black. Perhaps it was happening to everyone else at the table.

  Inexplicably to even himself, Brett wanted to slip his large hands between her thighs, sink his fingers into her soft warm center and then lick each finger clean. He felt his mouth watering at the thought and when she glanced over at him and smiled again, he quietly fought the need to reach out and suck on her velvety tongue and bury himself in her kiss.

  The thought of what she tasted like nearly made him rise to a rock hard steely attention, but with mind bullets, he shot down his erection.

  Courtney’s hazel eyes rested on him for a minute. Long lashes flapped like wings. “You okay?” she asked, head tilted just enough for him to admire her swanlike neck.

  He leaned in to her, slipping his arm behind her chair and resting only this thump the bare skin of her back. “I’m great,” he said, making a mental note to fuck her mercilessly later.

  ***

  They arrived at the house near 10:00 that night. Both children were exhausted and wanted nothing more than to be tucked in to their comfy little beds where they could properly dream of sugarplums and super heroes. Together Brett and Courtney put both children in their rooms, turning off the lights and quietly retreating into the hallway.

  By now, Courtney was adorably drunk and in a blissful mood. She giggled when he put his fingers over her mouth.

  “Shh,” he said, leaning in to finally kiss her. “You’ll wake them.”

  She had been waiting all night, but not nearly as long as Brett. Still kissing her mouth, he pushed her up against the wall hard, allowing his hands to roam all over her, groping her breasts, raking over her small adorable pooch of a stomach, cupping her wet aching sex and finally pulling her in by her large sexy ass into his erection.

  “God, I want you,” he bit out as he made her feel what she did to him. If he didn’t get inside his wife right now, he was literally going to die.

  Her skin was on fire; her vision a little blurry. “Brett,” she whispered. “I’m yours.”

  The recognition of possession sent Brett over the edge. All night, all he could do was think of how lucky he was to have her, how he didn’t deserve her, but to hear her say that she was his drove him insane. Quiet hysteria rose over him.

  Her enchanting eyes met his in the darkness. In silence and stillness, he looked down at her, finally lifting her chin with his index finger; he starred at her pouty mouth.

  Courtney liked it when he looked at her mouth. He seemed transfixed by it and the more he stared, the more turned on she became. She bit her bottom lip, teasing him as she moved slowly down to her knees.

  “What are you doing?” he whispered.

  He watched, breathing hard as she grasped the sides and pulled his jogging pants and boxers down, and then slipped the head of his throbbing penis into her pouty little mouth. Clasping the shaft of his well-endowed member with both hands, she tasted the distinct, arousing taste of pre-ejaculation on her lips.

  Balling his fist up, he hit the wall. FUCK! His shaky breaths were even more exasperated as she took all of him into her mouth in one fell swoop. He swallowed hard, not realizing she even knew how to do that. AND IT FELT SO GOOD. The warm soft orifice of her gentle little mouth felt like heaven. He grabbed her by the back of her head, fisting a hand full of her feathery hair and guided himself in and out. The sound of suction echoed down the hall. Her saliva ran down his shaft and over his balls as they slapped against her face.

  Don’t you dare blow your load, he told himself quietly.

  Her small fingers slipped under his shirt and moved up his cascading valley of deep muscles in his abdomen until she found his nipples. Then she pinched them. Hard.

  Thank God for a kinky wife, he said to himself.

  Throwing his head back, he released a sigh, and then sucked in a breath. HOLY SHIT! She was going to make him do it, if she continued.

  “Get to the bedroom,” he ordered finally. There was only so much torture he could take in this hallway.


  She pulled her lips away from him and looked up. “Now?” she teased.

  “Right fucking now,” he ordered, following so fast on his crutches behind her until he wasn’t sure that he needed them anymore.

  ***

  Courtney couldn’t breathe despite her many honest attempts. She lay with her head over the side of the bed, hair in a sweaty nest, butt naked and covered in her husband’s semen. Looking out at a full moon beaming through the open window, she wiped a hand over her exposed breasts, surprised that they were still there after the sucking that they had endured from her husband.

  “What was that?” she asked, as quakes of the last orgasm still rushed over her body.

  A gleam shone in his menacing blue eyes. “That was,” Brett tried to catch his breath as he rolled over beside her in the bed, naked also, except for the cast. “That was just a night cap,” he said, coughing.

  Courtney giggled again. “I like your night caps,” she croaked.

  In the last hour, Brett had taken her in every position possible, all with one functioning leg. Her skin glistened with sweat and welts from slaps and scratches and friction. He had pulled her hair and sucked her clit. He had licked her neck and kissed her feet. He had sucked her toes and every inch of her vagina.

  In truth, she was spent and completely certain that no other man could ever satisfy her the way that her husband did.

  “Mmm,” she moaned in utter satisfaction.

  “Want to do it again?” Brett asked, rising up.

  Courtney shook her head emphatically. “I can’t.”

  Normally, that kind of rejection might have tamped Brett’s desire for her but tonight, it made him happy. He had fulfilled her. Good.

  With her eyes still on the moon, she finally felt her heart start to calm. “David’s different,” she said flatly. “Can you tell?”

  “We’re all different after we come back from that place,” Brett said, turning over on his side to run a finger down the length of her body. Damn, she was gorgeous.

  Goose bumps formed on her skin, but she tried to stay focus on the conversation. “He seems humbler than before.”

  Brett raised a brow. “It is a humbling experience.”

  “What did you two talk about when he first got off the bus? It seemed intense from where I was standing?” Her eyes locked on his.

  Brett wasn’t exactly the type to reveal such a thing. Plus, it wasn’t like she’d understand if he told her anyway. “We just welcomed each other back. It wasn’t a full conversation, per se.”

  Courtney figured that Brett wouldn’t say, but at least she had tried. “I’m just glad that you never have to go back to Afghanistan,” she said absently. “In truth, I wished that he never had to go back either. Mom is a wreck when he’s gone.”

  Brett was taken aback. “Why wouldn’t I go back to Afghanistan?” he asked, brows knitting together.

  Courtney sat up. She thought it was obvious why. “Because you were injured. And because we have money now. You can find something else to do, and I can go back to school and have some help around here.”

  Brett wiped a hand over his face like she had just spit on him. “Baby, I’m glad we’ve got this money, but…”

  “But what?” she pushed.

  A frown creased across his beautiful face. “I’m going back,” he said in a sorry-to-tell-you sort of way.

  Courtney was lost for words. Her body language however was not. She pushed her back up against the headboard and curled her knees toward her. “Brett, you can’t be serious?”

  Brett didn’t understand. “Why can’t I be?” He asked in a sensible low voice.

  “You almost died,” she said, sternly. “You almost left your children fatherless and your wife without a husband. Thank God that you’re here, but you can’t possibly think of putting us in that situation again.”

  Brett let out an irritated sigh. So much for a peaceful night. He could hear it in her voice. He wasn’t going to win this argument. It had boiled down to who would be right and who would be happy.

  She looked at her husband, naked and stunning, and felt like slapping him right across his gorgeous face.

  He could see her irritation, but after such a sensible night, he refused to jump head first down the rabbit hole of chaos she was inviting him into. “I don’t want to fight,” he said, demeanor soft. Maybe it was him and how he had presented it. Courtney was big on presentation.

  Reaching for her arm, he pulled her to him, despite her quiet anger. “Come here. Don’t be like that,” he cooed. Pulling her into the curve of his body, he kissed the back of her head as he pushed his manhood up against her firm buttocks. “We don’t have to talk about this tonight. We’re both tired. We’re both emotional.”

  Courtney took a deep breath. He was right. Today had been a good day. There was no reason to ruin it talking about hypotheticals. Whether he knew it or not, he was not going to be allowed to stay in Recon with a bum leg, her father had already told her so.

  “I love you,” Brett said, softly into her ear. “That is what is important.”

  She reached for his arm and pulled it around her waist. Nestling into his embrace, she quieted herself. “I love you too, baby.”

  Chapter 17

  “It is a pleasant world we live in, sir, a very pleasant world. There are bad people in it, Mr. Richard, but if there were no bad people, there would be no good lawyers.”

  - Charles Dickens

  Driving along the Crystal Coast of Carteret County would have been enough to take most people’s breath away. The scenic route of Highway 24 was filled with palm trees, tropical summer beach houses on magnificent stilts, continual waterways, fishing boats, elegant roadside cafes and coastal charm, but in Brett and Courtney’s emotional state, the tranquil beauty of their heavenly surroundings was lost on them.

  Trapped in a private hell of worry, even in paradise, the entire morning had been spent in utter silence. They showered, got the kids dressed, fixed breakfast, read the paper - all in silence. They dropped the kids off with Diane silently, only making conversation because they had to, but not really wanting to talk, because what they wanted to talk about had already been discussed a thousand times with their parents.

  With the radio playing low and the windows half-cracked to circulate fresh air, Courtney gripped the leather stitched-steering wheel and stared blankly out onto the nearly empty road. Her wedge sandaled-foot pushed down on the accelerator headed east as fast as her little car would take her – not once thinking about being pulled over by cops for violating the limit as she normally would.

  In a similar zombie-like state, Brett gazed out of the window of the passenger seat, shades covering his red, tired eyes from no sleep the night before, playing back moments in his previous marriage, trying to figure out how he had missed all the signs that Cameron wasn’t his. How had he missed it? How had he allowed Amy to get over on him?

  His brow furrowed in deep thought. This was utter humiliation. Never in his life had he felt more like a fool than now. And Courtney…what she must think of him after this. Here she was driving him around trying to fix more problems created by his previous fucked up choices in women. It just wasn’t fair to her.

  They were headed to meet their new lawyer for the first time. Solomon Benson of Benson & Krieger Law, PLLC had been referred to them through Diane and Jeffery, who promised that while the lawyer would be expensive, he would be “worth every dime.”

  Only, Brett didn’t care how much it cost him. He just wanted someone to tell him that they could protect what was rightfully theirs, which was sole custody of Cameron. Sole custody was key. There was no way in hell he was going to share him with anyone other than Courtney. No one else deserved him. No one had put the time in, no one had sacrificed and it would be over his dead body that anyone else would lawfully be able to call Cameron their son.

  “We should have left 10 minutes earlier,” Courtney said, looking at the clock on the dashboard. “If we hit any traffic wh
en we get to Morehead, we’ll be late for our first appointment.” She didn’t want to be tardy nor do anything that might allow Mr. Benson take their case a little less serious. Plus, this was a friend of her parents, and it was always in the back of her mind to not embarrass them. She chided herself quietly about that even entering her mind in the middle of this.

  Brett turned from the window and glanced over at Courtney who was a picture of chaos now. Her body language was all wrong. She sat erect, back rigid and pulled away from the seat like at any moment she would catapult out of the windshield. Her sundress was pushed up over her toned thighs in a pool of fabric draped in between her legs and her face was twisted in deep, agonizing thought. This was tearing her apart.

  Slipping a gentle hand over on her bare leg and forgetting about his own concerns, he squeezed her. “Breathe,” he said soothingly. “Everything is going to be okay.” Possibly a lie, okay. But it was worth telling her that to keep her from worrying.

  Courtney didn’t realize that her feelings where showing again…right there on her sleeve like usual. Taking a breath, she relaxed her shoulders. “That obvious, huh?” she asked, sinking back in her seat. There were times that she could be more like Brett.

  Glad that he could hide his angst better, he replied with a calm faux ease, simply for her benefit. “Oh, yeah. It’s more than obvious. You need to relax, baby.”

  “I’m just…” Courtney huffed in frustration. “I’m praying this guy is who we need. The clock is counting down. That court date is coming up.”

  “If he’s not who we need, then we’ll keep looking until we find the right person,” Brett said simply.

  Courtney gave a nervous chuckle. “Or we could just run.” Her eyes cut his way.