Come Together by Marie Force

Chapter Seven

“Suffering is the price of being alive.”

—Judy Collins

Brianna should not have been kissing Noah Coleman as if her life depended on it. This might count as the single stupidest thing she’d ever done, and considering her track record with men, that was saying something. Surely somewhere in architecture school, they’d told her not to make out with her general contractor, hadn’t they? If not, that should’ve been on the day-one agenda. Twisting tongues with the contractor when the job was only half finished wasn’t a good career move.

But damn if she could be bothered to care about her career when Noah’s lips were so soft and his kisses so hot and dirty. And was that his hand sliding under her sweater and branding her back with its heat? God, no one had touched her this way in so long, she’d almost forgotten what it was like to feel desired. If the hard length of him pressing against her core was any indication, Noah wanted her.

While she knew she ought to put a stop to this, she couldn’t seem to find the wherewithal to do it, not when her sweater slid up and over her head or when he released the front clasp on her bra and pushed aside the cups so he could get to her nipples. She didn’t stop him when he kissed and sucked on the hard tips or when he moved down to unbutton and unzip her jeans.

That really should’ve been the end. Brianna was about to say no more when his hand slid inside her pants, and one finger ended up deep inside her.

Stop.The word was on the tip of her tongue, but unfortunately, her tongue was super busy at the moment, wrapped as it was around his. With his hand inside her pants, she didn’t think it would matter much—in the grand scheme of things—if she unbuttoned his jeans and returned the favor.

One of them would come to their senses before this went too far, before something happened that they couldn’t undo.

Any minute now.

He’d call this off. Or she would. She definitely would. But not quite yet, not when he was stroking her there and making fireworks explode within her entire body. Not when he was pulling off her jeans and panties or moving down to replace his fingers with his tongue. That’d be a terrible time to stop him.

Oh God.

And was he ever good at that. He had her holding back a scream in a matter of seconds. Usually, it took her months to feel comfortable enough with someone to let them do that, but Noah didn’t ask if she was comfortable. He just did it, and as she launched into an explosive orgasm, she was damned glad he had.

She was still panting as he kissed his way up the front of her.

“Tell me to stop,” he said in a gruff, sexy voice.

“No, I don’t think I will.”

“Brianna, seriously.”

She pushed at his jeans and stroked the long, thick cock that had breached the top of his boxer briefs. Who’d a thunk he had that going on inside the faded jeans he wore to work? It really would be tragic to let that go to waste.

“Brianna.” His breath was hot against her nipple, which tingled from the brush of his whiskers against it.

“Hmm?”

“Tell me to stop.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No.”

Now, this was more like their usual bickering routine, only usually they were fighting over construction priorities or supplies or invoices or something that simply didn’t matter. As the wind howled outside and the icy snow pinged against the glass, Brianna wondered how long they’d be stranded at the Pig’s Belly. They might as well enjoy themselves before they had to return to reality.

“Do you have a condom?”

He stared at her, his face flat with shock. “No, I don’t have a condom.”

“There’re some in the cabinet. You want to get them, or should I?”

“Are you still drunk?”

“I don’t think so.”

“You must be drunk if you’re not telling me to stop.”

“I’m not drunk, and I’m not telling you to stop.” She stroked him with a firm grip, from root to tip. “Unless you’re telling me to stop.”

“Not saying that,” he said through a clenched jaw.

“Why don’t you go see what kind of condoms the Pig’s Belly left for us.”

He gave her a long, intense look as if he was waiting for her to say “April Fools” or “psych” or something that meant game off.

She said nothing.

Noah lifted himself on his arms and pushed off the bed to go into the bathroom and root around in the cabinet. When he returned, he stood by the side of the bed, the hem of his Henley hiding his erection. “Last chance to say no.”

“Not saying no. Are you?”

“I should.”

“But you’re not?”

“I don’t seem to be.”

“Take your shirt off.”

He did as directed, revealing a well-defined chest and abdomen covered by dark blond hair that got darker at his waist.

“Now, your pants.”

Brianna propped herself up on her elbow so she could watch him strip for her. If she was going to cross every line, she might as well enjoy the show. She held out her arms, inviting him to come back to where he’d been before he’d gotten up.

He hesitated. “Tell me this isn’t going to make everything between us weirder than it was before tonight.”

“I won’t let it if you won’t.”

“I won’t. And it’s just this once, right?”

She smiled at him. “Maybe twice if the first time goes well.”

A grin stretched across his face, which softened his hard edges. It was shocking to discover how genuinely handsome and sexy her adversary had turned out to be.

Brianna drew him into another one of those fantastic kisses that had led to all this nakedness. The brush of his chest hair against her nipples made her gasp from the pleasure that touched every part of her.

Fourteen months ago, the thought of being naked in a bed with anyone other than her beloved husband would’ve been ludicrous. Since then, every aspect of her life had changed. Not one thing was the same, except for her family.

Never in her wildest dreams had she pictured herself in a bed above the Pig’s Belly Tavern in Somewhere, Vermont, with a sexy contractor named Noah Coleman, who had been, as recently as this afternoon, the most irritating human being she’d ever met. When it came to unlikely lovers, she and Noah had to take the prize.

They might be unlikely, but they moved together like they knew what they were doing, the desire drowning out everything other than the urgent need to see this through to the logical conclusion.

“Condom,” she said. “Now.”

He pulled back from her, grabbed a condom from the strip of five he’d brought from the bathroom and rolled it on.

Brianna’s mouth watered at the delicious sight of aroused man and the knowledge that he wanted her badly enough to say to hell with all the reasons why this might turn out to be the worst idea either of them had ever had.

As he pushed into her, moaning from the connection, it didn’t seem like such a bad idea. No, it didn’t seem so bad at all. If anything, it was really, really good.

He was big, and the fit tight, which made for intense pleasure as he pushed into her slowly, giving her time to accommodate him before he went farther.

Brianna sank her fingers into the muscles on his back and held on for the wild ride they took each other on. Her better judgment screamed at her with outrage that she was screwing the cranky contractor.

But it had turned out, shockingly, that he wasn’t cranky so much as wounded, and that was something she certainly understood.

God, it felt good to be held and touched and caressed by a man again. For a time, she’d wondered if she’d ever be able to do this with someone else. Noah had answered that question rather definitively. As she climbed toward another incendiary release, she was overwhelmed with relief at knowing it was possible to not only do this with someone other than Rem, but to truly enjoy it.

Noah thrust into her, triggering the release that’d been brewing.

She held on to him as she rode the waves of pleasure that knocked every other thought out of her head. There was only right here and right now. Nothing had been able to wipe her mind clear like sex with Noah had, which was another thing to be thankful for.

Afterward, he came down on top of her, breathing as hard as she was.

“That went well,” he said after a long silence.

Brianna laughed. “Sure did. Maybe we should do it again to make sure it wasn’t a one-off.”

“I’d be down for that. Just give me a minute to recover.”

He withdrew from her and moved to his side, facing her with an arm around her.

“That was the first time I’ve done that since everything happened,” she said softly.

“Yeah?”

“Uh-huh.”

“How do you feel?”

“Other than conflicted about being naked in bed with a work colleague?”

Smiling, he said, “Other than that.”

“Pretty good.” She rested her hand on his arm. “For a long time after, I wondered if I’d ever do that again. I mean, if I couldn’t be with him, would I want to be with anyone else?”

“Took me six months to go looking for it with someone else,” Noah said. “I was numb with shock for so long.”

“Did it help? To get back on the horse, so to speak?”

“A little.” He sighed. “I mean, it doesn’t change what happened, you know?”

“Yeah, I do. And while this doesn’t change anything, it made me feel good, so thanks for that.”

“I aim to please, ma’am.”

Brianna giggled at the exaggerated drawl he affected with the statement. “Maybe it’s a good thing Mrs. H meddled in our business, and then it snowed.”

“Doubt this ever would’ve happened without her involvement.”

“Definitely not. I wanted to stab you, not, you know…”

“Fuck me?”

“Stop! Oh my God. You had to say it like that?”

“What would you call it?”

“Not that.”

“Such a good girl. I need to dirty you up a bit.”

“Didn’t you already do that?”

“Nah, that was just the appetizer. We’ll get dirty on the next round.”

“Um, not sure how I feel about that.”

“Trust me. You’ll like it.”

Brianna was so tired and so sated that she didn’t ask for more info. If he said she’d like it, she probably would. She dozed for a long time before the brush of his lips over her nipple awakened her. At some point, he’d turned off the light, and she had no idea what time it was or if it was still snowing. What did trivial stuff like that matter when Noah was teasing her nipples with his tongue and fingers?

Brianna closed her eyes and floated on a wave of contentment. Right here in this gorgeous room in the most unlikely of places, she felt wonderful for the first time after a very long and harrowing ordeal. Maybe she and Noah would go back to locking horns when they returned to the jobsite. Maybe whatever this was between them would never be more than a snowy interlude at the Pig’s Belly.

If that’s how it worked out, that’d be fine. No matter what happened next, this evening with Noah had given her hope for a future that wasn’t all gloom, doom and crushing disappointment.

He turned her onto her belly and rained kisses down her back. Then he tugged her up to her knees and caressed her bottom with a light touch that made her skin tingle and her clit ache with desire.

She was about to beg him for relief when he pushed into her from behind and nearly made her come with one deep thrust.

“Not yet,” he whispered gruffly in her ear.

Brianna bit her lip as she tried to hold back the need to let go.

He withdrew from her, making her whimper from the loss. “Easy,” he said. “You’ll get what you want if you’re patient.”

“I have no patience.”

“That’s good to know.” He slid his fingers through the liquid heat between her legs, but studiously avoided the one place that burned for his touch. “You need to get some.”

“I’ve never had any.”

He set out to torture her until she was nearly wailing from the effort it took to hold back the release that was bursting to break free.

“Noah,” she said on a sound that resembled a sob. “Please.”

“Is this what you want?” he asked as he drove into her and triggered an orgasm for the ages.

It was so intense, she nearly blacked out from the overload of pleasure that coursed through her body.

Afterward, she felt utterly wrecked. She couldn’t have moved if the place was on fire.

Noah withdrew from her and went to dispose of the condom and retrieve a towel to clean her up.

Brianna didn’t do a thing to help him.

“You all right down there?” he asked, placing a kiss in the middle of her back.

“Mmmm.”

“I need words.”

“Yes, I’m all right.”

“You’re sure?”

“Uh-huh. How are you?”

“Pretty damned good.”

She was glad to hear him say he felt good. That was her last thought before a ringing phone woke her from a dead sleep. She opened her eyes to daylight.

Noah shifted next to her as he reached for the phone. “Hello.” Pause. “Yes, sure, that sounds good. Hang on a minute.” To Brianna, he said, “The road to Butler is still closed, and the snow hasn’t let up. They’re offering breakfast delivery.”

“That’s nice of them. What’s on the menu?”

“Eggs, pancakes, French toast.”

“Oh, pancakes, please. And coffee. Lots of coffee.”

Noah placed the order, requesting an omelet for himself, and put down the phone. He curled up to her and moved her wild hair out of the way so he could kiss the side of her neck. “Did you sleep okay?”

“Like a dead woman.”

“Me, too. Haven’t slept that well in a long time.”

“Me either.”

“We’re stuck here, then, huh?”

“Looks that way. I should call Carlo and tell the guys to stay in bed.” He sat up again and made the call to his foreman.

Brianna dozed to the sound of his voice. She marveled at how his voice had gone from a source of irritation to one of comfort during an unforgettable night. She’d expected to feel conflicted this morning, but she didn’t. Sure, she still didn’t think sleeping with a colleague was the wisest thing she’d ever done, but mostly she just felt… good.

When was the last time she’d woken up feeling good? Before the implosion. Every single day since then had been shitty. Not every second, of course, but most of the time. Feeling like shit sucked the life out of a person and made everything difficult, even the most mundane tasks.

The next thing she knew, Noah was pulling the bedcovers up over her shoulders. “Stay put. They’re here with the food.”

Brianna snuggled deeper into the comfortable bed, delighted that they were stranded and didn’t have to spend the day in the frigid tundra.

Noah carried in their tray and set it on the coffee table. He went into the bathroom and came out with a robe that he held up for her. “Madam, your breakfast is served.” His most excellent chest was still on display since he was wearing only his jeans with the top button undone. Adding to his morning sexiness was the golden-blond stubble on his face and jaw. He was rather lovely to look at.

She tore her eyes off him and got up, eager to put the robe on. “Thank you.” The wave of shyness made her feel silly considering what they’d done during the night. She quickly stuck her arms in the sleeves and tied the robe around her waist.

He held her chair at the table and sat across from her to take the catering covers off their plates.

“Holy cow, that’s a feast,” she said.

“It’s holy pig, remember?”

“Oh, right. You want my sausage?”

“Since you had mine, I’ll take yours.”

She sputtered with laughter. “I can’t believe you said that.”

“Sure, you can.”

They ate the delicious breakfast that also included Vermont maple syrup for her pancakes and a fruit bowl to share.

“The Pig’s Belly is my new favorite place,” Brianna said after her third bite of pancake. “In fact, I think I’d like to live here.”

“That’s quite a statement for a vegetarian.”

“I know! Meat is so not my thing.”

Noah gave her a dirty look that had her face heating with embarrassment.

“Stop it.”

“You’re cute when you’re mortified.”

“I am not.”

“You are, too.”

“Glad to get back to normal with you.” She eyed him over the rim of her coffee mug. “Back to arguing.”

“Feels like old times from just yesterday.”

“You mean when you were trying to tell me it was no big deal that you signed for supplies after I explicitly asked you not to?”

“That seems like such a long time ago.”

“Does it?”

“Uh-huh. We’ve traveled light-years from there.”

“Maybe so, but you’re still not signing for supplies when we get back to work.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

She glowered at him. “Don’t call me that.”

“What should I call you?”

“Brianna works.”

“Brianna it is.”

“Do you have any idea how difficult it is to be a female project manager when your entire team is men who think they know much better than you ever could?”

“No, I guess I don’t, seeing as how I’ve never been a woman.”

“I worked construction for four summers when I was in college because I wanted to learn the business from the ground up.”

“Is that right?” Noah asked, surprised.

“I did it all, from roofing to drywalling to finish work to apprenticing with the plumbers and electricians, so I’d understand their roles.”

“That’s impressive.”

“From the first time I ever stepped foot on a jobsite, I was treated as someone who didn’t belong there. They acted like I was going to get hurt and cause them problems when all I wanted to do was learn their trade.”

“How’d you get hired in the first place?”

“A family friend owned a construction business, and when I decided to major in architecture, he told me I should learn the business from the construction side first. He offered to give me a summer job if I wanted it. My parents weren’t thrilled about me spending summers with a bunch of grown men, but our friend ran a tight ship and put the word out that they were to leave me alone and teach me. I give him so much credit for starting me off the right way.”

“That’s cool you did it that way. I really am impressed.”

“For all the good it did me. I still have to fight for respect on every job. It gets tiresome after a while.”

“I’m sorry I made you feel disrespected.”

She shrugged. “It’s fine. I’m used to it by now.”

“It’s not fine. My shitty attitude has nothing to do with you, as you know by now. I’ve been guilty of letting my personal crap spill over into work, and I am sorry if I mistreated you. You have a job to do just like I do. What happened to me three years ago certainly isn’t your fault.”

“It’s not yours either.”

“I have trouble believing that. I must’ve done something to create the opening for my ex to do what she did.”

Brianna looked him directly in the eyes. “You did nothing to deserve what she did. I don’t care what failings you might have had as a husband. If she wanted out, all she had to do was say so. To sleep with someone else is disgusting. To sleep with her husband’s best friend and highly valued employee is despicable.”

His lips quivered with the start of a smile.

“I’m serious!”

“I know you are.”

“So then why are you trying not to laugh?”

“Because you’re cute when you’re fierce.”

She scowled at him. “Quit calling me cute. No grown-ass woman wants to be told she’s cute.”

“Sexy, then. Is that better?”

“I can live with that.”

When he smiled, it transformed his face, taking him from hard and unreachable to sweet and eminently accessible.

“You ought to smile more often. It does good things for you.”

“Makes me feel good, too. My face sorta hurts from all the smiling I’ve done since I picked you up last night.”

“Didn’t expect that, did you?”

“Not so much. But neither did you.”

“Nope. I was kinda dreading having to go to the Pig’s Belly with you, of all people.”

“The thorn in your side.”

“More like a gigantic pain in my ass than a thorn in my side.”

He tossed his head back and laughed hard, which made her laugh right along with him.

“What should we do with this unexpected day off?” Noah asked.

“I’d love a shower, and then I might go back to bed for a while.”

“I could be convinced to participate in both those activities if I’m invited.”

“You’re definitely invited.”