men. But more than that, Emily Walker was my mother. And she was the master of taming wild and stubborn. She’d shown me the way. And if I stumbled, she’d be there to give me advice.
Brady Hewitt wasn’t going to know what hit him.
I was done playing games.
3
I was five minutes from my apartment when my radio cut out, to tell me I had an incoming call. It was annoying as fuck, and every time it happened, I vowed to unpair my cell from my truck.
Today’s interruption was from Hadley.
My jaw tightened, reminding me I had a splitting headache. I hit the decline button and two seconds later, it rang again.
This wasn’t annoying, it was alarming. Hadley called, not every day, but with regularity. The calls consisted of her inviting me places. Some I accepted—like taking her shooting, going rock climbing at the indoor rock wall, and once I’d gone paddleboarding with her off Tybee. I didn’t accept the invites that involved food, drinking, or watching a movie.
But she’d never called multiple times.
“You okay?” I answered.
“Thanks for sending me to voice mail,” she hissed.
“What’s wrong?”
“What’s wrong? I’ll tell you what’s wrong. I have a flat tire. And before you ask, yes, I know how to change a flat. And, yes, I’ve tried. But I couldn’t get one of the stupid, freaking lug bolts loose, and I stripped it. And before you say it, yes, I know that was stupid, and I know it’s a damn problem. My dad is in Atlanta with my mom. I called my loving, sweet brother, and he told me he was busy and to call you since you’d left work. But since I didn’t want to bother you, I called Ethan and he’s on shift. Jackson is, too. Addy’s with a patient. Since Jason told me Nick and Drake were both with him finishing paperwork, that leaves you. Can you please come pick me up?” She rushed all of that out without taking a breath.
Of course I was the last resort.
That made me feel like a dick.
“Sure. Where are you?”
“Really?”
Christ. I wasn’t a dick, I was a total douche.
“Yes, Hadley, really. I’m not gonna leave you stranded.”
“Thanks. I’m at the library. I called a tow truck.”
The relief in her voice made my gut roil. Did she really think I’d tell her I wouldn’t help?
“Wait in the library. I’ll be there in five.”
“Already ahead of you. And thanks, Brady. I appreciate it.”
Sweet Jesus, her soft, sweet voice did crazy things to me—mentally and physically.
“Be there soon.”
Hadley disconnected and I changed lanes.
What the hell was I doing? She had a million cousins I could’ve suggested she call. She had friends and she had other siblings besides Addy and Jason. But like the weakling I was, I was going to pick her up. Not because I was a gentleman who’d never leave a woman stranded, but because it had been over a week since I’d seen her and I was jonesing for my Hadley fix.
The craving had become unbearable.
Every night, I lay in bed and wondered what it would be like if she was mine. What would it feel like to have her pressed against me? To kiss her, to get her naked, to make her writhe, to hear her moan my name.
Fuck. I reached down to adjust my dick, knowing that could never happen. And what kind of sick asshole did it make me that the thought of her was the only thing that could get me off? How many times had I stroked myself thinking about her mouth wrapped around my cock? Too fucking many.
How long had it been since I had a woman in my bed? Way too long. Maybe that was my problem, I was sex-deprived. But the thought of touching another woman made my stomach churn and my dick revolt.
By the time I pulled into the library parking lot, my dick was fully hard and throbbing. I pulled into an empty spot next to her car and Hadley wasted no time bouncing out the door.
“Jesus,” I muttered in the empty cab as my dick twitched.
Hadley Walker didn’t have just one fashion style like some women. She had many. Some days, I saw her and she looked fresh-faced and young—cut-off shorts, cute tank top, hair in a ponytail, no makeup. Sometimes she wore stylish jeans, Chucks on her feet, wearing a tee featuring a heavy metal band from way before her time, looking like a rock groupie. And other days she wore athletic gear,