A Chance With You Read online

  A Chance with You

  Sarah Taylor

  Published by Sarah Taylor, 2020.

  All Rights Reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  First printing edition, 2020.

  Copyright © 2020 Sarah Taylor.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Chapter 1

  Brady

  The party whirls around, but I can hardly keep my eyes open – and it’s not just because I had an overnight shift at the fire station. I swallow a yawn and rub my eyes.

  Usually, I'm all for a good time, but this type of classy shindig just isn’t my style.

  Gold and white streamers flow from the ceiling and instead of tasting the burn of whiskey or aged scotch, I've been forced to sip champagne from a delicate glass flute instead.

  Months ago, the parties happening in this apartment would’ve been wild. The girls would be dancing, the music would be pulsing, and the drinks would be flowing. This late afternoon gathering, however, is quiet and tame. Giving in to the urge to yawn this time, I check my watch. I’d only been here thirty minutes, but it felt like hours had dragged on.

  I can still hardly believe the way my buddy’s apartment – and life – has been transformed since Cooper met Lucy. Now Cooper is a fiancé in the midst of planning a wedding and a life with just one woman.

  It feels like it was just yesterday that Cooper and I were living the good life. The girls and parties were endless, at least once our shifts at the fire station were over. Then, with the suddenness of a flipping switch, Cooper went all domestic on me.

  It wasn’t a total shock when Cooper told me he was going to propose to Lucy. I’d seen how head over heels he was for her before they even got together.

  It’s just that I can never imagine myself following that path. Marriage, kids, family... That’s not for me. It can’t be.

  That being said, I’ve never seen Cooper this happy. He’s practically radiating joy, and I'm almost jealous of that. Is it really just Lucy that’s made him glow like this? How is that even possible?

  “Congrats, man,” I say when Cooper walks over to refill his glass. “This party is...something.”

  He grins back at me, eyes gleaming. “You can say what you’re really thinking, Brady. I’ve known you long enough to see you’re bored as hell.”

  I can’t help but laugh. At least Cooper’s one to never take things too seriously. A few other people are milling about, laying presents on a table, and stealing cupcakes off a buffet set up nearby. The cupcakes have edible pearls on top of them that catch the fluorescent lights and seem to shimmer.

  I just shrug. “I am really happy for you and Lucy. You two make a great couple.”

  “Thanks. I never thought I’d be willing to settle down, but Lucy... She really is something special.” He trails off, eyes skimming the well-mannered crowd in his apartment as he searches for his bride-to-be.

  He finds his redheaded fiancée surrounded by some of her friends. I follow his gaze, digging my free hand into my pocket. I recognize some of the faces here. There’s Lucy’s nurse friend, Ava, some of the other teachers at Davis Elementary, a few random faces… Then, abruptly, the gears of my brain skid to a screaming halt.

  Time might as well be standing still.

  I blink hard once, then twice, to make sure I'm not hallucinating the sight before me.

  A few yards away, a petite woman with dark eyes and dark hair that tumbles over her slender shoulders shifts from one high heeled foot to the other, her tan and endlessly-long legs extending out from a short, pink dress.

  She’s someone I haven’t seen here before. I would damn well remember a sight like that.

  Looking at this girl is like being punched in the gut.

  One second I was totally fine, and then next, I'm all but gasping for air. Thankfully, Cooper’s too distracted by Lucy to notice my nearly-visceral reaction to the other woman.

  I have no idea who she is, but suddenly, it’s not so torturous to be at this engagement party.

  Briefly, I consider asking Cooper who the gorgeous woman is, but I think better of that.

  I may have a bit of a reputation as a playboy, a reputation Cooper had once proudly shared as well. There’d been a time he’d been just as adamant as I am now about not settling down. I, however, won’t be so quick to give up my bachelor lifestyle.

  “Hey...” Cooper suddenly says. When he looks at me, his brow is knotted with concern.

  Had he caught me going all googly-eyed over the sexy brunette bombshell?

  I clear my throat hard and do my best to arrange my facial expression back into one of glazed disinterest, even though lust has begun to simmer through my veins. My body pulses, heat rising in my core as I think about the way she would look strewn out on my bed, her hair like a halo as it spreads around her beautiful face.

  “What’s up?” I grunt, voice faintly strained.

  I'm doing all that I can not to pop a boner right in the middle of this posh, little party, but then I hear that woman laugh, and the melodious sound makes my molars grind with desperate restraint.

  It’s not like this is the first time I’ve ever spotted a gorgeous girl before, but damn if there isn’t something extra scorching hot about her. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is about her that’s making me respond with such primal, raw desire. It pulses through my whole body from head to toe, nearly making me dizzy.

  Cooper’s mouth forms a line. “Uh, well, the fire chief and I were talking yesterday...”

  I bite back a groan, abruptly distracted from the bombshell across the living room. I know just where this conversation is going.

  Seriously, Cooper? Why would he bring up that terrible day now?

  “Somehow, the chief and I got to talk about what happened earlier this year again, and I just thought you should—” Cooper begins. He’s speaking rapidly as if he’s trying to get out his thoughts before I can shut him down, but I quickly hold up a hand to cut him off.

  “It is what it is,” I mutter curtly. “There’s no going back in time to fix things. I'm not getting the promotion. Don’t throw salt in my wounds.”

  Cooper opens his mouth to say something else but then thinks better of it when he realizes that his own engagement party isn’t exactly the place to be discussing such sensitive matters. The last thing he wants is to sour the mood of his party, even if it’s already soured it for me.

  Now, even more than before, I want to escape.

  “You should get back to Lucy,” I add with another sip of my champagne. The drink is too sweet and has started to make my head ache.

  Cooper just nods. He hesitates for a moment longer before wandering back over to his bride-to-be.

  I watch as he and his fiancée embrace and then kiss, gazing into one another’s eyes as if they can see the whole world in the reflection of each other’s irises.

  The faintest flair of envy flickers through me, though I squash it as fast as I can. I don’t need love. I don’t even deserve it. Not after what happened. Not after the mistake I made.

  “You look as miserable as I feel,” sighs a quiet, feminine voice from beside me.

  The sound of her speaking makes my skin tingle. Goosebumps immediately flood up my back as a wave of heat rolls up my spine vertebra by vertebra.

  I don’t even have to look to know who it is. A voice like that could only belong t
o the beautiful, voluptuous woman I’d noticed earlier.

  Slowly, my head twists to the side so that I can get a good look at her. Her lips are painted fire-engine red and twitch at their plump corners into a smile. She’s even more gorgeous up close if that’s possible.

  My heart instantly picks up pace, my whole body searing with the sweltering blaze of lust.

  “Who are you?” I ask, not even minding the fact that the simple question came out more like a plea.

  I need, urgently so, to know what name fits her beauty, just as I urgently need to forget what happened earlier this year.

  Hastily, I set aside my champagne flute. I'm much more interested in drinking in the sight of her instead of the overly-sweetened booze.

  “Olivia,” she responds in her delicate voice. She tips her head up and looks boldly up at my face. “And you must be Brady. I don’t think either of us really wants to be here. Am I right about that?”

  Somehow, I manage to nod. My gaze rakes over her, taking in the tight, pink dress that flares out over her shapely thighs yet clings the perfect bow of her ass. She has one hand on the curve of her hip. The other drags through her long hair and sends it rippling in chestnut waves.

  When she catches me looking over her inch by inch, I almost expect her to tell me off.

  Instead, her dark eyes half close, and she drags the tip of her tongue over her upper lip. My heart is pounding so hard against my ribs that I can barely even get a straight thought through my head.

  I can hardly hear her when she leans a little closer and drops her voice.

  “Want to get out of here?” she murmurs into my ear. “I doubt those lovebirds will notice that we’re gone.”

  Chapter 2

  Olivia

  I'm not this type of girl.

  It’s not like I’d planned out what’s happening. I’d arrived at that engagement party completely naïve as to whose bed it would lead to.

  For most of the party, I’d been standing beside Lucy, trying to look happy with a glazed and forced smile on my face. I didn't want to mar her special day by allowing her to see how much my heart was aching. The entire time she giggled and gushed over wedding plans, I was trying to figure out how to escape without hurting her feelings.

  Everything changed when I caught sight of the brown-haired, green-eyed firefighter standing on the perimeter of the room. It was obvious he didn't want to be at that party a minute longer either... But at that single second when I spotted him, something foreign and achingly-warm began to coil like a forbidden spring in the depths of my stomach.

  I don’t know what it is about Brady that drew me in so fiercely... I just know that I want him.

  Believe me. I tried to ignore it at first. I tried to focus again on Lucy, but then her fiancé walked over, distracting her, and all I could focus on was Brady. I could feel him watching me too, and when I spared a glance in his direction, his gaze was thick with lust.

  It’s not the first time a man has desired me... But it’s the first time in a very long time that I felt the same twinge of yearning.

  I imagine the firefighter’s hands are rough, and I want to feel them stroking over me. I want him to pin me down and kiss me hard and let my tan legs wrap around his toned waist. I’d heard his name here and there when I’d been around Cooper and Lucy, and I’d always been intrigued by the way they described him, but I’d never thought he would be as handsome as he is.

  Still, even as Brady and I sneak away from the party, I almost can’t believe what I'm doing. It’s not like I'm not bold when I need to be. When I want to say something, I do. But, with men...it’s different.

  I don’t flirt. I don’t go on dates. I like to think that’s because I'm more focused on building up my growing flower shop, but the carefully-curated shield around my heart goes deeper than that.

  Biting my lip, I shake my head hard to clear the dangerous thoughts bubbling at the back of my mind.

  Now isn’t the time to think about my past. If I do, I might lose my nerve and run away from Brady.

  Even though I’d never spoken to Brady, I know the type of relationship he’s looking for — which is none at all. That suits me and my bruised soul perfectly.

  Love isn’t what I'm searching for as I head to Brady’s bed.

  Tonight, I just need to be touched. I need to feel the heat of a man against me.

  I’ve been trying for too long to pretend like I don’t crave carnal, physical desires, and I need a man who knows what he’s doing to guide me down that sensual path.

  The hair on the back of my neck rises in excitement, my breath coming short as we approach Brady’s home.

  Brady silently opens the door for me and allows me to walk inside first.

  His is a cozy little house, and it’s also relatively clean, which surprises me because he’s so well-known as a bachelor. The door closes behind us but he doesn’t move to turn on the lights. I'm okay with that too.

  I turn, swallowing hard, to face him. In the dark, his body is silhouetted by shadows. His shoulders are broad and his muscles taut with restraint. It’s like he’s doing all he can not to pounce on me — but I want him to, so badly I can hardly stand to stay still. His green eyes blaze through the evening shadows.

  The party tonight had been harder for me to get through than I expected, and I want to forget the pain that simmers inside me while I attempt to be happy about my friend’s engagement.

  “I hope you know I'm not looking for a relationship or anything,” he states quietly. He still hasn’t moved from the door, but his gaze churns. “No strings attached. That’s all I can handle right now.”

  Slowly, I suck in a shallow breath. My whole body is trembling.

  “I'm not looking for love either,” I assure him. “No strings. No commitments. Just tonight.”

  His Adam’s apple dances as he gives a faint nod.

  The way his eyes glow sets my whole soul on fire.

  I never let loose. I never act wildly. But just this once, I'm going to let myself have everything I want.

  Lifting my chin, I grab the hem of my dress and roll it up slowly, easing it over my head. Along with it comes the thin but long golden chain that always hangs around my neck. I pull it all down to the floor so that I'm standing in front of Brady completely naked. I feel even more stripped without the necklace than I do without my clothes.

  My knees shake faintly as he takes in the sight of me, lust visibly whirling over his chiseled, handsome features.

  I can see the hardened length of his manhood straining as he pants, and I have to fight every instinct I have to not to cover myself with my tan arms.

  “Brady...” I whisper, beckoning him.

  When his name leaves my lips, he gives a faint growl.

  He crosses the room in one stride and lifts me roughly so that my back presses against a nearby wall. My legs lock around his waist as the tip of his nose brushes mine. His breath is hot and sweet against my cheek. He stares into my eyes, his fingers digging into my ass. A shiver rolls up my spine.

  Brady’s mouth instantly covers mine. We rip one another’s clothes off desperately as he carries me to the bedroom. On soft, cool sheets, we twine together. When the tip of his manhood presses into my drenched slit, I stop him.

  “I'm...” I whisper, hesitating for the first time tonight. “I'm not... I’ve never done this.”

  I’d been so bold a moment ago, but now I’m trembling from head to toe. Even my voice shook.

  He blinks, realizing what I'm trying to say, that I’ve never been touched like this by a man before. His muscles are strained as he attempts to be still, but his cock is pressed against my womanhood, and I know he’s dying to bury himself within my tight, wet warmth. Even my own hips buck slightly, my whole body yearning to feel him within me.

  “If you want me to be gentle,” he begins, but I drag my fingers through his hair and force him to gaze into my eyes again.

  I kiss him hard, tongue brushing his.

  Ag
ainst his mouth, I whisper, “I want you to be rough. I want to feel all of you... Every inch...”

  He groans against my lips and thrusts inside me with one long, steady stroke. My body strains around his thick girth, trying to accommodate his shaft. Pain sears against the back of my eyelids, but I don’t cry out. Instead, I wrap my arms tighter around his hips and grind against him.

  He moans into my ear, pinning me hard against the bed. We rock together, mattress squeaking and sheets tangling around us, as our desperate rhythm mounts.

  The pain eases to pleasure, and my head rolls back. I stare up at the ceiling, fireworks shooting across my vision as my whole body tightens and convulses with every single powerful thrust. I rake my fingers through Brady’s hair, turning my neck so that he can nip and bite at the sensitive flesh. My fingernails rake across his back as he slides an arm beneath my spine and arches my body up towards his.

  Every pulsing movement makes the coil of ecstasy in my belly tighten further and further until it’s ready to snap. His name rises on my tongue as I rock against him.

  Yes. This is what I’ve been searching for.

  Chapter 3

  Brady

  Being inside Olivia is like nothing I’ve ever experienced before. For just a moment, I'm able to forget everything that’s happened over the last year.

  There’s no guilt and no shame.

  The fire chief, his somber stare, the flames that soared so high into the air that I could feel blistering heat rolling over my face...

  None of that matters in Olivia’s embrace. Her kiss is like a portal to a new world where colors are brighter and sensations more intense.

  Again and again, I thrust into her, listening to her softly gasp out my name.

  If she wants me to be rough, then I'm more than happy to please her.

  I press her hard against the bed, kissing her until her lips are swollen and mine are bruised, but the pain is entirely pleasant.

  Our fingers lace as I pin her arms above her head, our tongues wrestling.

  Only when her body shudders powerfully and her inner muscles constrict around my cock as she cries out sharply with pleasure do I finally let myself go — even though I’d been holding it back practically since I slid into her tight warmth.