Lucky Break (Lucky 3)

He felt her. Every dewy moist part of her surrounded him. Jason wanted to draw the sensation out, make love to her for hours, but the minute he felt her wet heat, he knew he wouldn’t last.

Especially when she pulled her legs back, urging him deeper. Jason lost control, pumping in and out as Lauren met him thrust for thrust. Her soft sighs punctuated the sound of their bodies joining, grinding, making love.

The thought came to him suddenly in a blinding burst of light, as clear as any finish line. He pulled out and thrust back deep. He loved her, he thought, as the most intense orgasm of his life washed over him.

Jason collapsed on top of her. Their heavy breathing intermingled with what should have been satisfied silence. Except he was far from satisfied.

The sex had been incredible. Fantastic. Beyond anything he’d ever experienced. He now understood the difference between having sex and making love. Because until now, sex had always been about him. His wants. His needs. His satisfaction. Of course he’d always made sure his partner had been pleased, too, but his heart had never been engaged in the act.

This had been all about the woman lying beside him. She’d fallen asleep already and he got out of bed, pulling the covers over her to keep her warm. A quick trip to the bathroom and he returned, climbing back in beside her.

She woke long enough to snuggle in the crook of his arm, mutter something unintelligible and fall back to sleep. He pulled her close, toying with her long hair.

He appreciated everything about Lauren. She’d taken on the huge burden of this house all alone. She never complained as things went wrong and expenses piled up. She dug in and worked hard without expecting others to do it for her. She was beautiful inside and out. Sexy in ways that went beyond things he could see.

In Lauren he’d found everything he hadn’t known he was looking for. Unfortunately he faced losing it soon. All he could do was make the most of their time together instead of counting down the days until the end.

THOMAS HAD PLANNED on visiting Clara in her shop. He saw it as his duty to guide Edward in the right direction-into Clara’s arms-and he still was convinced his plan had merit. If he could persuade her to date him, or at least get her to pretend an interest in him, Thomas believed jealousy would force Edward to confront his feelings. Yet instead of driving to Crescent Moon, Thomas found himself pulling into Edward’s isolated street.

Thomas knew why he’d driven here instead. He’d been unable to shake the look in Jason’s eyes when he and Hank had refused Lauren Perkins’s invitation to come in for coffee. Thomas had allowed the past to affect the present, much as his brother Edward had been doing his whole life. As a result, he’d hurt his son badly. Thomas didn’t like what he’d done, but his actions forced him to admit he wasn’t as immune to the curse and the Perkins family as he’d like to believe. Which led him to a deeper understanding of Edward’s troubles.

Judging by the way Jason looked at Lauren, he wanted her around for a long time to come. Which meant Thomas needed to get his act together and deal with the past.

There was no better place to start than by reaching out to his brother. He should have done it sooner. And he shouldn’t have tried to put Clara between them as a buffer because he was a coward. Afraid of having to have a real conversation with his brother for the first time in way too many years. Having driven by Crescent Moon first, Thomas knew his brother would be here alone.

He headed down the long driveway, pleased to see the jujus that used to hang from the trees and line the road as a form of spiritual protection against the curse were gone. Surely that had to be a sign Edward was moving in a more positive direction. That his medication and psychiatric sessions were working.

Thomas parked the car and stepped into the cool air, heading for his brother’s front door. Before he could reach out and ring the bell, Edward greeted him, walking out onto the porch, skunk in hand.

“Go away,” Edward said, dangling the skunk in front of him like a shield.

Edward used Stinky Pete, as he called the animal, to scare away unwanted visitors, but Thomas wouldn’t be d

eterred. “Put that descented excuse of a pet down and let me inside.”

“Hell no.” Edward met his gaze with more clarity than Thomas had expected. His hair, recently cut, was neatly combed and he was clean shaven.

That Edward felt he needed to use the skunk against his own brother pained Thomas greatly. But he wouldn’t allow Edward to win this battle.

“I have something to tell you and I’m not leaving until I have my say.” Thomas folded his arms across his navy overcoat. “So we can stand out here all day or you can let me in and hear me out.”

Edward frowned.

“The quicker you agree, the quicker I’ll be gone,” Thomas said, grabbing for the only bargaining chip he could think of.

“Come in,” Edward said gruffly. Turning his back on Thomas, he strode inside. He let go of the skunk, who darted out the door, much to Thomas’s relief.

Before Edward could change his mind, Thomas followed him in.

Order. That was the first thing that struck Thomas about his brother’s house. Though Thomas hadn’t been inside often, the clutter of the past had always surrounded him. It had been there as recently as June, when Jason had come home. Not even Clara’s cleaning had cleared up the mess inside. Until now.

“Place looks good,” Thomas said carefully.

“Clara enjoys puttin’ the candles and scented crap around the house,” Edward said.

Thomas nodded. “And cleaning?”

“Some of that was me. You know what they say. Out with the old.” Edward swept his arm around, gesturing to neat, almost empty shelves and tables. “You didn’t come here to talk about my house-keepin’. What do you want?”