Breakaway, p.34
Breakaway, page 34
He just swirls his tongue around my clit. “I love it when you say my name like that.”
“I’m serious.”
“My queen, you’re not leaving without another orgasm.”
I giggle at his faux-serious tone, but it turns into a gasp when he rubs right against my g-spot. “Babe . . .”
“We have time. Give me another one quick and then we’ll leave.”
“We definitely do not have time,” I grumble, but I stay in place. My orgasm is building, anyway; a few more strokes and the tightness in my belly will ease. I grab at his hair, pulling him even closer to my cunt, and he rewards me by sucking on my clit. When I do come, muffled into my shoulder so we don’t have to endure the awkwardness of explaining why we’re running late to his siblings, he sighs, resting his head on my belly.
“Good girl,” he murmurs. Those two brief words make happiness glow in my chest, because I fucking love being his good girl—the only thing that’s better is being his brat, because he gets all growly—but then I remember that there’s no time for cuddling.
I tug on his hair hard enough he looks up. “Come on,” I say. “We need to get dressed.”
“I wish I never gave Izzy the owner’s suite,” he says as he throws on his clothes. “I’m all sticky.”
“Oh, shut it,” I say with a scowl as I hop around, throwing on my sweater first because I’m dreading the whole panties situation. “Look what you did to me. My underwear is going to get soaked.”
He just tosses me a clean T-shirt. “Wipe yourself down with that.” He pokes around his desk, his hamper, the sheets. “I need my—fucking hell. I need my Yankees cap.”
“Just leave it,” I say. “Bring the bags downstairs.”
“It’s my lucky charm, Pen.”
“I thought I was!”
He stops, pressing a kiss to my cheek quickly. “You are. You’re my Lucky Penny. But this is a superstition. It’s very important. The whole Frozen Four is—”
I watch, blinking, as he spins on his heel and runs out of the room. I roll my eyes. Athletes and their superstitions. Not that I have much of a leg to stand on. I remember when I wouldn’t do a routine if I didn’t have the right color scrunchie in my hair. I rub myself down, sniff at the T-shirt, and wince as I throw it into the hamper.
As I pull up my leggings, I hear someone scream.
I grab Cooper’s alarm clock, the heaviest object I see, and run in the direction of the noise. “Cooper?”
He’s in the hallway . . . with Sebastian. Who is shirtless and scowling. Standing across from them both, though, is Mia. She’s dressed and everything, but her lipstick is smudged.
Wait, Mia?
“When were you going to tell us?” Cooper is demanding. “After the wedding?”
I lower the alarm clock. “Wait, are you guys together?”
“It’s complicated,” Sebastian says.
At the same time, Mia says, “Hell no.”
“Oh my God.” Tangy slinks out of Sebastian’s room, meowing. I scoop her up and hold her close to my chest. “In front of my daughter, too?”
Sebastian squints at me. “Wait, are you wearing elf ears?”
I blush, snatching them off my ears. “No.”
“Don’t change the subject,” Cooper says, his tone positively threatening. “Explain this.”
“There’s no subject,” Mia hisses. She hoists her bag over her shoulder. “There was never any subject. And anyway, I’m leaving.”
We turn and watch as she stomps to the stairs. Cooper raises his eyebrows at me, but I just shrug. Mia mentioned nothing to me—but as soon as I’m on the plane, I’m texting her obnoxious memes until she spills the details.
Before she hurries down the stairs, she flips her long, dark hair back and says, to a stunned Sebastian, “Enjoy watching me leave, Callahan.”
The List
Oral Sex (Receiving)
Oral Sex (Giving)
Spanking
Anal
Bondage
Semi-Public Sex
Orgasm Denial
Roleplaying
Double Penetration
Vaginal Sex
Acknowledgments
First and foremost, thank you so much for reading!
The moment I started writing Breakaway, I realized just how joyful, healing, and empowering it would be to explore Cooper and Penny’s story. Their shared passions and fierce support of one another was a gift to write, and I truly hope you enjoyed spending time with them, Tangerine, and the rest of the Callahans. Whether you’ve been around for a while or are new to these nerds in love, please know that I see and appreciate your support to Mordor and back.
I’m lucky to have so many supportive people in my corner, starting with my family. Dad, thank you for working out sports-related plot details with me. Mom, thank you for always checking in and for telling everyone you know that your daughter writes romance novels for a living. (It is cool!) Moira, thank you for loving Cooper from the very first time we spoke about him—he’d appreciate it too, I’m sure. Anna, thank you for being my best friend, confidant, and for pushing me to make Breakaway the best it could be.
Claire, thank you as always for being such a fierce advocate of my work. Stephanie, Brittany, and Bruce—thank you for all the writing sprints, brainstorming sessions, and cheerleading.
And to Sylvan and the entire team at Avon, thank you for believing in me and these books!
Extended Epilogue
Turn the page for an exclusive extended epilogue!
Chapter 1
Cooper
Late May, Texas
I take a sip of my beer, drumming my fingers against the bar top as I watch the Stars game. This bar in downtown Dallas is upscale, with a list of handcrafted cocktails two pages long, so the game is little more than background noise for most of the patrons, but when the Sharks commit a high-sticking penalty and start a Stars power play, a guy at the end of the bar raises his beer to me. I raise mine in turn.
“Buy me a drink?” a female voice asks.
I keep my gaze on the game. “Got a drink of choice, sweetheart?”
“Shot of tequila will do.”
I flag down the bartender and order two shots. “I’ve got a girlfriend.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see her turn in a slow circle. “Don’t see her here.”
I take another long sip. “You looking for something?”
She steals my beer from under my nose and lifts it to her lips. She’s half in shadow; someone turned the lights down to create atmosphere for the band at the other end of the bar, which has started to play an up-tempo country song. I catch the curve of her matte black lips as she drinks the beer.
“You know,” I say, “she doesn’t like to share.”
“She shouldn’t leave you alone, then.” She sets the beer on the counter and leans in close enough she can whisper into my ear. “Tell me about her.”
I turn, nearly brushing her cheek with my lips. She smells of lavender and mint. “Your competition?”
“Don’t pretend you don’t want to take a ride, cowboy.”
I wrap my arm around her waist, down low, and tug her closer. She’s wearing a tiny black dress, so tight it looks like it’s painted on, and thigh-high boots that end in a sharp heel. A gold necklace glints at her throat. “I’m no cowboy.”
“Oh yeah?” She knocks her foot against mine. “What are those, then?”
“When in Dallas.”
“Ah. And if you’re not a cowboy, what are you?”
I just smile. “She’s got hair like sunset and eyes like the sky.”
“A poet, then.”
“Just lovesick.”
Her long nails run down my back. “What else?” she murmurs against my ear. She flicks her tongue out, tracing the lobe.
I squeeze her ass in turn. “Freckles everywhere. It’s like the sun can’t stop claiming her. Long fucking legs. She used to figure skate, and it shows.”
The bartender sets down two shots of tequila. We pick them up together, downing them and chasing with lime. It burns my throat pleasantly. I hook my leg around hers, urging her even closer. Her hands find my chest, her star-and-moon ring glittering.
“Best of all,” I murmur right against her mouth, “is she lets me fuck her however I want. And what I want is to make her scream against the wall of the bathroom in the back of this bar.”
Penny leans back, her eyes glittering with promise. The butterfly necklace at her throat makes quite the contrast with the sinful outfit she has on. “You better not keep her waiting, then.”
I set money on the bar and take her hand as I lead her through the crowd. My body thrums with anticipation. She sent me to this bar and told me to wait, but I didn’t expect her little game to include such a sexy fucking outfit. Those boots, the plunge neckline of the dress? It’s all a surprise.
A surprise that has me as hard as goddamn stone.
There’s a pair of single-stall bathrooms at the back of the bar; I push on one of the doors and get lucky when it opens. She’s on me the moment I slam it shut, kissing me, her hands tangling in my hair.
“Fuck,” she murmurs. “That was harder than I thought it would be.”
I lick into her mouth. “You played with me beautifully, Red.”
“It was so hot.” She grabs my hand and guides it between her legs. “I’m soaked.”
She’s not wearing panties.
I practically growl as I cup her cunt, stroking my fingers through her delicate folds. She’s so wet it’s coating the insides of her thighs, warm and slippery. I groan. “You walked around that bar without panties on?”
She smiles against my mouth as she kisses me. “Didn’t want to ruin a perfectly good pair of panties for no reason.”
“Anyone could have seen,” I say roughly. “That’s barely a dress.”
I push a finger into her. She gasps, spreading her legs. I reward her with another. “You’re mine, baby. Fucking mine. This pussy is mine.”
“Yours,” she breathes. “Fuck me, babe, come on.”
I back her against the nearest wall, kissing her neck. I pull down the neckline of her tiny fucking dress so her tits—braless—spill out, her pale pink nipples stiff in the air. I suck on one, lavishing it with attention as I move my fingers. She whines, making me smile. She might talk a big game, but I know just how to make her fall to pieces.
“My gorgeous girl,” I murmur, moving from one breast to the other. “This fucking body.”
She tugs on my hair sharply, arching her back against the wall so I have better access to her tits. When I circle her clit with my thumb, she moans, her hips jerking forward. My cock feels like it’s about to burst with the urge to bury myself deep inside her. I pull my fingers away from her velvet-soft warmth reluctantly, and stroke them down her cheek. She turns her head, trying to lick my fingers. My stomach tightens, pleasure spiking through me at the sight.
I hike one of her legs around my waist, and then the other. They cross on my lower back, anchoring her to me.
“Please,” she whispers.
That one little word breaks any semblance of control I’ve been holding on to. I shove my jeans down far enough to free my cock and push into her in one long stroke. Her grip tightens, dragging me just a little closer, urging me to get just a little deeper. I pull out far enough I can thrust back in, pushing her up a few inches with the force of it. Her sweet moans fill my ears like honey. Her tongue tangles with mine, the taste of tequila and lime lingering.
She comes untouched after just a few thrusts, pushed so far to the edge from the anticipation that it doesn’t take much to loosen the grip on her self-control. I come a few moments later, deep inside her, breathing against her as we kiss, hard and messy and perfect. Her heels dig into my ass, her nails drag down my back—and the roaring in my blood eases, just a little, at the sight of her sated, panting, hair wild and face flushed.
I give her a tender kiss. “Dallas is our best game so far.”
Chapter 2
Penny
Cooper lets go of my legs slowly. I’m grateful for the wall at my back, however gross it probably is, because my body feels like jelly. He pulled out a moment ago, but the sensation is lingering. If he could get it up again right now, I’d beg him to make me ache so much I could hardly walk out of here.
Instead, I press my forehead to his. “Even better than Charleston?”
In Charleston, Cooper let me flirt with someone, only to act like a jealous boyfriend when he caught us together. He spanked me red with his belt and fucked my mouth after, and giving up that control felt so fucking good, I came untouched. Just like now. Playing games with him gets me hotter than anything, something we’ve realized since we left on this road trip at the end of the semester. Playing the sultry stranger at the bar just now took me out of my comfort zone, but hearing the possessiveness in his voice and feeling him so deep made every moment worth it.
After this, we’ll be in Arizona, and the mood will shift. Even if I don’t mean for it to happen, it will, and we’re both aware of it.
One last night, then, in Dallas.
As if he can tell what I’m thinking, he slips to his knees, his hands curling over my thighs. My breath hitches. I was expecting him to want to lick me after feeling how wet I got, but still, Cooper Callahan on his knees is a masterpiece. And I’m luckier than anyone, because I’m the only one who gets to see him like this.
My dress is still bunched around my hips, so it’s nothing for him to nudge my legs apart and bury his head between them. His grip on my thighs tightens as he breathes against my core. My hands fall to his hair. It’s a touch longer now, soft and thick, and he shivers as I scrape my nails over his scalp. It makes me think of all the nights I’ve spent at his house. Waking up tangled together with him—and Tangerine—is like falling into a daydream from the moment my eyes open.
He flicks his tongue out, teasing my clit.
I gasp softly. He smiles against my folds. He takes his time, teasing me, tracing nonsense patterns into my skin with the tip of his tongue. His hands massage my thighs, adding to the sensations running through me. Even though I’m still sensitive, my lower belly swoops. It won’t take long, like this, to make me come again, and he knows it; he laughs as he presses kisses to my inner thighs.
“Fucking adore you.”
“You feel so good.”
“Keep those legs spread for me, baby girl.” He licks a long stripe from my hole up to my clit. I tug on his hair sharply, my head falling against the wall as I moan. It’s like the noise unlocks something for him; he licks and sucks everywhere he can reach. Keeping his attention on my entrance, still soaked, he pinches my clit with his finger, and the warring sensations make my toes curl in my boots.
I close my eyes, focusing on the way the attention feels. He nips my inner thigh, making me yelp, his laughter rumbling through me. He licks my clit, then sucks on it, firm and insistent despite my sensitivity. I bite my lip to stifle my loud cries as I come again, but the music is echoing in the bathroom, so I doubt anyone could hear us even if they wanted.
He rises slowly, tugging his pants back into place and then doing the same for my dress. I probably look like a mess, but we’ll slip out the back. He laughs as he smooths down my hair.
“You make a good cowboy, you know,” I say.
He kisses my head as he loops his arm around my waist. “Only if you’ll be my cowgirl.”
Chapter 3
Cooper
Arizona
Light slants through the hotel room window, illuminating Penny’s hair. It shines no matter the lighting, but right now, it looks like a curtain of fire, the reds and golds sparkling. I reach over and brush a couple strands from her face. She scrunches her nose adorably, but doesn’t open her eyes.
I swear, a day in Arizona and she already has a dozen new freckles.
After two weeks spent traveling just the two of us, staying mostly in cheap motels or at campsites, the luxury of this gigantic bed, crammed with enough throw pillows to buoy the Titanic, led to some of the best sleep I’ve had in ages. The last time I slept this well, I’d just won the Frozen Four. The night after the game was a blur; we went out to celebrate with the guys, of course, and Penny couldn’t keep her hands off me for more than half a second. I’m convinced that Coach saw her trying to climb me like a tree, but if so, he’s chosen not to mention it, and I’m grateful, because my hands were absolutely somewhere a father would hate seeing.
The night ended, eventually, in a bed like this, and with us horizontal, and with tears in her eyes as she stroked my hair and pressed kisses to my face like I was her lucky charm instead of the other way around. We made the plans for this road trip then. To spend time alone, just the two of us—and to get her back to Arizona for the first time since she moved to New York. We left as soon as the semester ended, traveling slowly, taking in the sights, and playing games all the while, in and out of the bedroom.
Exploring the capital in the pouring rain. Running into a bear at the campsite in North Carolina. Spending extra time in Charleston, even though it was out of the way, because we loved it so much. Line dancing in Nashville. Getting handsy at the Gateway Arch. Having pie at two in the morning in Oklahoma at a diner that rivaled Bex’s old place. Right before coming here, we explored Dallas, and that led to our best game yet.
It took us a while to get here, but it was clearly the way to go, because by the time we crossed state lines, Penny was excited instead of anxious. Yesterday, we explored Flagstaff, and she fit in so well, bathed in sunshine and dry desert air, that I couldn’t stop smiling.
