Page 21 of The Nook for Brooks (Mulligan’s Mill #6)
brOOKS
I have never been so pleased to see civilization in my life—and by civilization, I mean a dirt path that led away from a creepy cottage in the woods that felt like a visit to the other side of sanity.
Cody bounded ahead, smug as a Labrador that had successfully fetched a stick. He whistled—badly, I might add—as though our little excursion had been a carefree nature walk instead of a brush with the kind of eccentricity that makes you question your own grip on reality.
“That was brilliant,” he called back, grinning, momentarily interrupting his own whistling.
“No, that was weird,” I corrected. “And possibly the opening chapter of a true crime novel.”
“You’re exaggerating,” he laughed. “We drank tea with a nice old man. Not a single blood-soaked axe or decapitated head in sight.”
“How do you know there’s not one in the fridge? Did you look? No.”
Cody simply laughed. “Note to self: always check the fridge in a stranger’s house. You never know what you might find.”
By the time we reached town, my feet had blisters, and my dignity was hanging by a thread.
When we turned a corner and I saw the Book Nook ahead, my entire aching body felt the wave of relief. I yearned for my orderly little universe—my books, my home, my bathtub, even if the plug did slurp and gurgle.
I slowed on the sidewalk, letting my gaze settle on the familiar wood-and-stone structure, the steeple standing solid and mercifully off the damp, uncomfortable earth.
Cody shifted beside me, his hands shoved in his pockets, his sweat-damp hair sticking to his temples. He gave me that maddeningly casual smile. “So… not the worst adventure you’ve ever had, right?”
“Cody, it’s the only adventure I’ve ever had. Besides that, I’m sore, I’m filthy, and I require a very long bath. Does that sum things up for you?”
His eyebrows did a little dance. “You forgot the part where you had fun.”
“I did not have—” I stopped, realizing what he was talking about. “Oh, that. Well, yes, that part was… tolerable.”
He chuckled, but I was determined to keep up my facade as I teased him.
“Tolerable?” he asked, laying a hand against my neck.
I inhaled deeply. “Yes, tolerable. I suppose it was even… pleasant.”
His hand slid down my chest and rested for a moment against my stomach. “Pleasant? Is that the best you can do?”
I hitched my breath as his hand dropped to the waistband of the shorts. “I guess… ‘enjoyable’ couldn’t be ruled out.”
His hand reached down to my now swollen crotch and he squeezed.
My knees almost buckled completely.
“Enjoyable? Is that how you’d describe the moment my dick slid inside your arse? All… the way… in.”
Suddenly he leaned in and planted his lips on mine.
I gave in immediately, letting his tongue delve into my mouth while his fingers tugged and massaged my stiffening dick.
For a moment I totally forgot where I was, right there in front of the Book Nook, for all the world to see.
Mrs. Cuthbert could turn up at any moment with her elderly sister…
or Mr. Benedict asking for a list of new releases for the town newsletter…
or Mrs. Roper coming to complain about something .
Thankfully, nobody passed by. Nobody showed up. Nobody interrupted a moment that was raw and dirty and as romantic as an Austen novel.
Finally, I pulled out of the kiss, and all I could breathe was, “I need a bath… desperately. And so do you.”
The smirk spread wide across his face. “Is that an invitation?”
I smiled back. “It doesn’t come with lapsang tea, if that’s what you’re asking. But yes… it is.”
We hurried through the front door, locked it behind us, and climbed the spiral staircase faster than I thought possible… despite every blister and ache screaming at me.
By the time we reached my apartment, he was kicking off his boots and I was turning on the taps over the bath, letting the water gush into the tub.
Clothes were discarded with so much haste we may have lost a button or two.
When the steam had thickened in the room, we stepped into the tub together.
The bath was never meant for two. His knees knocked against mine, our shoulders bumped, and water surged over the sides as we tried to find space. It was something that normally would have sent me into an OCD meltdown. But at that moment I didn’t give a fuck, all I wanted was him.
I guess Mr. Hyde was back.
All the while, Cody laughed, loud and bright, before the faulty plug joined in with its first wet slurp, glugging noisily.
“Sexy soundtrack,” Cody teased, brushing his lips against mine.
“That noise is my mortal enemy,” I told him, before he kissed me fully.
Our mouths clashed, tongues sliding, water rocking around us. His hand slid beneath the bubbles, closing firmly around my hardened cock.
I groaned, clutching at his shoulder, and reached for him in return. My fist wrapped around his girth, hot and stiff under the water, pulsing in my grip.
We stroked each other in rhythm, the tub sloshing and the plug gurgling like it wanted a threesome.
He broke the kiss to laugh against my cheek. “Your bath sounds filthier than we are.”
“Impossible,” I gasped, stroking him harder.
The bubbles clung to our chests. Every shift of his hips spilled water over the rim, soaking the floor, and I still didn’t care.
The plug gave another obscene slurp as he groaned into my mouth, and this time we both started laughing, teeth knocking, breathless and giddy.
I tightened my grip, pumping him faster. He did the same, his hand slick around me, thumb teasing the head until I whimpered against his lips. Our laughter tangled with gasps, water splashing between us.
“Brooks—fuck—come with me,” he moaned, forehead pressed to mine.
The bath gave a greedy suck like it had been waiting for the command.
My body jerked as I came in thick spurts that swirled through the water.
He followed seconds later, his release clouding the water and his hips bucking under the bubbles as he groaned my name.
We clung together, panting, kissing through our laughter while the tub gurgled in ecstasy.
“You’re indecent,” I said, still catching my breath.
Cody brushed his lips lazily over mine. “And you’re perfect.”
I laughed. “I was talking about the bath plug.”
He laughed with me. “Maybe I’ll get that fixed for you.”