Gravity Read online

  Lillian Bryant

  Gravity

  A Valley Hospital Short

  A. M. JOHNSON

  LB BOOKS

  Except the original material written by the author, all songs, and song Titles contained in this book are the property of the respective songwriters and copyright holders. The author concedes to the trademarked status and trademark owners of the products mentioned in this fiction novel and recognizes that they have been used without permission. The use and publication of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the author. The only exception is by a reviewer, who may quote short excerpts in a review.

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead or events is entirely coincidental.

  Editing donated by Kathleen Payne and Emma Mack

  Proofing donated by Swish Design & Editing

  Book design and formatting donated by Swish Design & Editing

  Cover design donated by Francessa’s Romance Reviews

  Cover image Copyright 2016

  To those who keep a firm grip on reality…

  Let. Go.

  For Christy

  You are the most real chick I’ve ever known.

  You keep me grounded.

  Stay real.

  Dear Reader,

  When I first wrote Pressure it was supposed to be a one book thing, but the way it ended in a HEAFN, I thought maybe I could do two novellas. But as time passed, Cole and Bailey went silent, and I realized they were happy as is, and any attempt to write a full novella would just procure a pile of poo and waste your time and money. So, I figured I’d write a little short, put it in my newsletter, and call it a day. But, my dear friend Christy Dorton suffered a loss I can’t even comprehend. She lost her house, some of her fur babies, and all of her belongings to a house fire. She is a member of our book community and is working on her debut novel as Christy Anderson, the novel will be called The Hunted. She is always so giving, and such a good soul that a few of us wanted to give back to her as much as we could. The book world came together, we started an auction, and a go fund me, and my heart is so full with how many people helped.

  My point, and yes there is one, is instead of just plopping this little smutty dish of a treat into a newsletter, I figured I’d sell it on Amazon for the lowest cost possible for about a month and give all proceeds to Christy and her husband.

  I hope you enjoy this little sexy peek into Cole and Bailey’s new world. I hope you know that your dollar is going to a good cause, and I am BEYOND GRATEFUL to you!

  My heart is your heart,

  Amanda Johnson

  “Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.”

  Lao Tzu

  Dedication

  A Letter To The Reader

  Table of Contents

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Connect With Me Online

  About The Author – Lillian Bryant

  Newton’s law of Universal Gravitation basically states that two bodies will attract each other with a certain universal force. This force is directly dependent upon the mass of each body and inversely proportional to the distance between them. What the fuck does that have to do with the price of tea in China you might ask?

  Gravity… it affects all things, including the heart. The power of its pull threatened to crumble every structure I’d learned to lean on. The attraction I had for her… it’s a heavy weight, and it drew us together with an incredible power. Newton was a wise man, a genius, but he wasn’t entirely correct. When you add the variable of love to the mix, the distance no longer weakens the force, it makes it stronger. I found proof in the fact that every time I walked away from her, I sure as hell never felt relief. If anything, that attraction became more demanding, and every minute or mile I put between us made it worse. The distance never afforded me a reprieve. Bailey Evans was a force that couldn’t be explained away by a neat and ordered law of science.

  Her effect on me defined the word pandemonium.

  I’d given into her lure.

  She was my balance, and I’d be damned if I ever lost her again.

  The baby down the hall in room three had been crying for about fifteen minutes straight, the new nurse, Cami, couldn’t figure out her ass from her elbow, and if I had to explain another order to her, I was likely to punch something. An audible sigh escaped my lips as I looked down at all the scattered papers across my desk. I’d run two traumas in the last hour; a stabbing, and a God-awful motorcycle crash. I finally had a chance to sit down and dictate, but I couldn’t help noticing the customary seven black pens I kept in a cup on my desk had dwindled to just three. My jaw clenched making my headache worse. My mouth was dry, I hadn’t eaten all day, and the normal peace I found in the natural din of the ER was gone. I was wound too tight. Tonight was the night…

  I closed my eyes and pictured her just as I’d left this morning. Her dark chocolate hair was spilled across my crisp white pillow case. I’d watched the tease of her lips as they pulled into a smirk, bright green eyes that had begged me to stay home, and skin that had taunted me to touch it. She’d sat up on purpose, letting the sheet fall, exposing those perfect breasts as I turned to leave.

  I sucked down a deep breath, and the stress of the day became a little more manageable. I scrubbed my palm through my hair and opened my eyes.

  After I’d figured out what an idiot I’d been and gotten Bailey back six months ago, I’d made a promise to myself I’d never let her go again. I’d fallen in love with her. Her quirky shoes, her messy life. I wanted it. She helped maintain my sanity. She shook up my structured existence, but she’d become a huge part of my life, and there was no hiding the perfection she’d added to it. When we’d split, I’d fallen apart. I’d tasted chaos and its flavor left me blinded. I couldn’t see myself anymore without it, without her. I’d tried to move on, set myself back on track, but my plans… they no longer felt purposeful without her in them. Letting her in, giving myself over to her unquestionable pull, it was the riskiest thing I’d ever done, but I’d jump off that cliff every damn time if it meant I’d get to have Bailey.

  Today, we’d taken another huge leap. She was moving in. Bringing her into my controlled environment, it scared the fuck out of me, and the anxiety of having to share my space, it was practically suffocating me, but I’d chance the asphyxiation. She made me better. When she was around all the little fucking details that ate away at my brain on a minute to minute basis silenced, and it was then, in her, that I found real control. And tonight… I was going to make sure she was in my life forever. I’d been spinning since that night she’d walked into my ER, spinning and reeling, trying desperately to hold tight to the reigns of my life, and now, I was ready to hand them over to her. Share them with Bailey.

  “You heading out soon?” Dr. Miles asked as he sat down. The metal leg of the chair grated against the linoleum as he situated himself, adding to my irritation.

  “I have to dictate, and then I’m out of here.” I exhaled sharply as I clicked open the program I needed on the desktop.

  “I heard that girl of yours moved in.”

  My shoulders tensed. Fucking gossip.

  “Excuse me?” I turned in my chair
and the smug asshole actually smirked.

  “That girl. The one who almost got you fired—”

  “That’s not your business.” My tone was even… professional, but the pressure in my jaw ached as it pulsed.

  He held his hands up in surrender with a chuckle. He loved to stir me up, and I fed into it every time. “Just curious. She’s hot as hell. I heard Dr. Ford in the café last week, said all the OB girls are pretty hot.”

  “Do you get off on making me angry?” My tone darkened and his smile grew.

  “Of course not, Larkin, you’re just easy to rouse. You should work on that.” He laughed and stood from his chair. “Who do you think the new chief will be? I heard they out-sourced, and Dr. Gonzalez was pissed. He’s been gunning for that job.”

  He leaned over my shoulder and grabbed a paper clip from my desk. My eyes immediately dropped to the wood surface as I began to count how many I had left.

  “I don’t know,” I said preoccupied. “I don’t pay attention to the drama around here, I leave that to the nurses.” I couldn’t take joy in my jab because I was too busy reorganizing the clutter on my desk.

  “Well, I’m curious. Guess we’ll find out in the staff meeting.” He clapped his hand on my shoulder and I stiffened. “See you then.”

  Dr. Miles laughed under his breath as he walked away and ran his fingers through his always disheveled blond hair. He was a fucking tool if you asked me, but the nurses seemed to like him. He had a boyish grin and was as fake as they came. He’d tried to get me fired for sleeping with Bailey on the job, but I was pretty sure he’d had his fair sampling of the nursing staff, all while on the clock. I didn’t give a shit. I didn’t have time to care. When I was here, saving lives, keeping the universe stable, fighting off death on a daily basis, that was all that mattered to me. I’d learned to compartmentalize Bailey. When I knew she was working, I had to pretend she wasn’t. Having her that close was too tempting. It wasn’t until I sat down at the end of the day that I would I allow myself to imagine her pouty lips wrapped around the head of my cock. Her hot wet tongue working me up in minutes, making me come harder than I thought humanly possible.

  Fuck.

  I rubbed my temples, ignoring the built up need that tightened my shoulders and tried to concentrate on my task.

  Get it together, Cole.

  About ninety minutes later, I’d finished my dictation, and as I pulled into my parking garage, I was at the end of my rope. My plans for tonight, every detail had to be perfect. After this day from hell, I needed quiet, a hot shower, Bailey’s soft as fuck body below me, and for one simple word to part her full lips… yes. My jaw ticked as the elevator moved at an annoyingly slow pace, the light music picked at my anxiety and, when the doors finally opened, I was home.

  I was just outside of my front door when I heard the noise, and once the door was open the bass of the music pounded inside my already aching head. What the fuck? The scent of herbs sifted through the air as I walked out of my small foyer. My apartment floorplan was wide and open, and as I laid my keys on the coffee table, my eyes scanned the place. It was a fucking disaster. Boxes. Everywhere. Some opened, some tipped over, the contents spilled across the floor as if she’d scavenged through them. It was a goddamn explosion of girly shit. My nostrils flared as I tried to take it all in.

  The music was too damn loud, and as I raised my eyes, I found the offending piece of electronic equipment. Bailey’s iPod was sitting on my wet bar in what I assumed was her docking station. I moved toward the kitchen but came to a halt when I noticed her. She had on a teal sports bra, low-slung jogging shorts, her hair was hanging down her back in a loose ponytail, and of course, the Converse she wore matched the blue color of her bra. A smile played at the corners of my lips. She was stirring something on the stove, her back to me, and was oblivious to my presence. The hem of the cotton shorts cupped her ass, and my dick pulsed as I watched her dance to the beat of the music.

  The kitchen was worse than my living room.

  More boxes.

  I pinched the bridge of my nose and took a deep breath.

  The mess distracted me momentarily from the smooth look of her tanned skin.

  “Bailey, it’s too loud,” I shouted over Lady fucking Gaga, and it scared the shit out of her.

  She whirled around and the pink in her cheeks turned red as her hands covered her heart. “Shit!” She giggled and it lifted some of the tension. “You look grumpy.”

  “Bailey, turn it down.” I ran my hands through my hair, and her lips pulled into a gorgeous smile as she ignored me and started to dance again.

  “Don’t smile,” she teased with a cute as hell laugh and I almost did.

  Her feet moved seamlessly across the tile. She approached me with mock wariness, and placed a kiss on my cheek before turning around and pressing her ass against me. She moved her hips to the beat, and it wasn’t more than a few seconds before I had my hands on her body trying to gain more friction.

  Playful Bailey.

  I could get used to this.

  I pulled her closer pressing her back to my chest. My right hand splayed across her exposed stomach as my left trailed a deliberate line along her ribs and across her shoulder. I grasped her neck as my thumb and forefinger held a firm grip on her chin. My teeth grazed her earlobe and she shuddered.

  “Do you still want to tease me?” I didn’t recognize the low growl of my own voice. Bailey brought out the animal in me. She brought out pieces of me I never knew existed. She pushed my buttons, broke my control, and I gave myself over to it — always.

  It was in the madness that I found my true voice.

  She shook her head, and the fingers of my right hand dipped below the waistband of her shorts. My left thumb traced across her bottom lip, and her warm breath on my skin caused a shiver to erupt down my spine. Her mouth opened for me and her teeth raked across the knuckle. I groaned and placed two fingers inside her. She trembled as I pulsed against her clit and tightened my grip on her neck.

  “Cole,” she gasped, as I abruptly removed my fingers.

  “You want to fucking tease me, Bailey?” I dropped my hold on her and she turned around. The palms of my hands found either side of her face. “Answer me.”

  She narrowed her brows. “Yes, sir,” she whispered.

  That word.

  My jaw clenched, and each breath I took was a deep restraint. I wanted to push her against the wall, rip those tiny as fuck shorts down, fall to my knees and fuck her with my tongue, bring her to the brink and then deny her. Teach her a lesson. But, as I watched her breathing increase, my eyes fell to her mouth, her tongue darted out to wet those perfect lips, and my last bit of self-control burned to ash.

  My hands fell from her face and roughly gripped her waist as I pushed her against the cabinet. The spoon in her hand fell to the ground as our mouths crashed together. This shit day, my plan — everything I thought I had control over vanished, as her hands ripped at my belt buckle and pulled down my pants. The fabric of her shorts felt fragile as I wrenched them down. After she hastily stepped from the small pool of cloth, I lifted her ass, and thrust inside her without warning. She moaned as her body, that sweet as hell pussy, pulled me in. Her nails were a gratifying pain as they dug into my shoulders. This fucking day, all the disorder, it buried inside of her with each hard stroke. She whimpered my name, and her lips pressed along the skin of my neck as I edged closer.

  My head fell back, and I groaned loudly as I took each inch of her. She clawed at my back — desperately — begging me and, as her body pulsed around my dick, she cried out. I filled her with everything — my anger, my love, my peace — it all belonged to her. I could fuck her hard, just like this, or love her with a tenderness that made her ache for more, either way, all the ways… she was here… with me.

  We kissed in long breaths and with sated lips as we both eased ourselves down together.

  “Bad day?” she asked quietly.

  My forehead was beaded with sweat
as I leaned it on her shoulder, my nose dusted along her collarbone until my lips found her ear. “Yeah.”

  I lowered her onto her feet, and pulled up my pants as she did the same. I noticed my dress shirt was wrinkled as I attempted to tuck it in.

  She gave me a shy smile, and her green eyes were alive as they fell to my mouth. “Hungry?”

  I didn’t miss the flirty tone of her voice.

  I nodded as she moved to the bar and lowered the music. That beautiful ass teased me as she swayed her hips.

  “Good, I made dinner.” She moved back into the kitchen, leaned down, and picked up the spoon from the floor.

  My mood shifted. The boxes could wait. I’d been with Bailey countless times, but tonight, in our place, it was a new beginning. “She was mine,” “I had her to myself,” “She owned me,” all the clichéd bullshit ran through my head, but the truth was… the cliché was just fine with me.

  The burn of Cole’s hands lingered on my hips; my thighs aching as I bent over and grabbed the discarded spoon from the floor. I liked how he watched me, how his eyes slowly undressed me again. I wondered if this was how we’d greet each other every night we had off together.

  I certainly hoped.

  My lips pulled into a sideways smile.

  I dropped the dirty spoon into the sink and grabbed another from the drawer. From the corner of my eye, I caught Cole wincing as he looked at the giant cluster of disaster that had once been his apartment.

  “I was hoping we could get most of this put away after dinner,” I said as I stirred the chicken soup.

  Cole slipped his hands around my waist from behind, kissing my shoulder, and then my neck. He hummed as he inhaled, and his warm breath sent goosebumps skating over the entire surface of my body.

  “This place is a fucking mess,” he said, and I laughed as he pulled away, turning me to face him. His brows dipped into V, his eyes filled with a deep panic, and for a minute, he just stared at me. Cole’s pupils dilated as his gaze fell to my mouth and said, “I had this big idea…” His tone was gentle as if he was talking out loud to himself, his eyes still fixed on my mouth. “…but as always, when it comes to you, nothing ever goes how I’ve imagined it… how I’ve planned it.”