Page 88 of Avery's Hero

He leans down and presses his nose to the top of my head.

“I’m not sure what universe this is.”

He wraps his arms around me. In a rough whisper that rocks me, he says, “The one where you’re the center.”

Whoa. Talk about knocking a girl flat.

I turn in his arms. “You really are crazy, aren’t you? You should have told me before I got involved.”

“I wasn’t crazy until we were involved.”

He lifts me up, and my legs go instantly around his waist. “What are you doing?”

“What do you think I’m doing?”

I purr as he takes the cord of my throat in his teeth.

When I don’t answer, he says, “I’m celebrating.”

“Mmmm. Losing your last brain cell?”

He chuckles darkly against my ear, “Claiming you as mine in front of the world.”

“Did you see their faces?”

“You should have seen the mayor's.”

“And you should have seen the counselor's. He almost had a seizure.”

Wiggling me out of my pants, Brock leans in and kisses me hotly. He yanks my shirt off and flicks my bra away with expert fingers. Looking at him sets me on fire. A grin angles his lips as he drags a finger around my nipple. When I groan, he says, “I’m thinking you’re as crazy as I am.”

“For you,” I whisper.

He fills both his hands with my behind as he kisses me again. I didn’t even realize he’d freed the Louisville Slugger until he drags me against him and angles the head against my throbbing clit.

Looking deeply into my eyes, he says, “You’re mine now and nothing is keeping us apart.”

Then he steals my heart. One stroke. One kiss. One look at a time, until I’m nothing more but a part of him.

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

The next two days are a happy blur. Reeves takes a temporary post as chief. I get my release from the psychologist. But more importantly, I spend every minute I can with Brock.

I’m smiling like a fool, my feet practically hovering above the floor, when he and Linc carry the last of the thrift shop furniture I bought up the stairs.

Boy did that make him mad. He bellowed, but I couldn’t let Brock buy furniture for me. Well, except for a beautiful new king size bed and mattress set.

I’ve got my pride. It just felt like too much for him to buy everything. Especially since Gunnar will probablybe at the apartment more than I will if Brock has his way.

Grabbing my keys off the table, I search for them until I find them in my brother’s room. “Hey guys. I’ve got to go.”

Brock’s shirt is tight over his stacked muscles as he slowly walks toward me. The look on his face turns me to pure buttery happiness. He reaches out, and folds me into his big, strong arms. “I hope everything goes well, babe.”

I still can’t believe this day has finally arrived. So much pain. So much heartache is left in the wake of Gunnar’s imprisonment. I just hope we can start new and fresh and put this all behind me. “Me too. I’m nervous.”

We don’t say anything else in front of Linc because neither of us have told him that my brother is getting out of prison. Brock hasn’t even asked many questions. I’m so grateful for that, but I know that the time is coming for me to tell him the whole story.

He kisses me softly. “I’ll swing by with breakfast in the morning so I can meet this elusive sibling of yours.”

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