The Cruel and Beautiful Series Boxset

by A. M. Hargrove

  “Naughty boy. Did you miss me?”

  “Fuck right I did. And it’s been over a month, Sam. If you can’t, that’s fine. But I’ll beg you for a hand job.”

  I toss my head back. Never have I felt so empowered.

  “I think you’ve earned the full on deal. Just be easy on my boobs.”

  His head bobs with a sly smile on his face.

  “Can I at least kiss them?”

  “Oh, I think that can be arranged.”

  Just when I thought he was about to lunge at me, all of a sudden, he stops and pins me with his steel-gray gaze.

  “I missed you so much. There were times I didn’t think I could make it without you. The fact is you set my world to rights. . Not seeing your smile, or hearing your voice was like the sky without stars. And when I look at you, you make me feel healed inside. Drew taught me many things about life. And he was right about something really important. He told me to open up my heart and allow myself to fall in love because it would be the greatest gift I could give myself. Only I didn’t realize how epic it would be. I give you credit for that. You taught me how to love. And now that I know, I don’t ever want to live a day without you. Promise me you’ll live each day with me. Be my one and only, Sam.”

  “Don’t you know?” I ask.

  “Know what?”

  “I already am.”

  Thirty-Seven

  BEN

  I TUG AT MY COLLAR for the millionth time. I shouldn’t be nervous, but I am. Cate’s wedding is done and soon I’ll be out of this monkey suit as the reception is dying down. Speeches have been given, the first dance done and cake eaten. Mercer stands next to me patiently waiting for me to spit it out.

  “Are you sure you’re okay?”

  I nod. “I should be asking you. It’s your moment.”

  He stares at me with good humor on his face before he claps me on the back. “You’re on.”

  I watch as Cate, pretty as can be, turns and gives her back to a gaggle of women. It’s almost scary the fierce expression they give one another as if this moment could win them the key to life. These are the times I’m grateful I’m a guy.

  “One, two, three,” Cate calls out before launching her bouquet over her head. She spins around to watch what happens next.

  As the surreal event unfolds, I swallow wondering if a catfight will break out. Once I might have relished that prospect, but my Sam stands in the middle. The idea of her getting hurt makes me want to leap in the fray and tell all the other women to back the fuck up.

  But as if the man-hungry group is the Red Sea, they part and the bouquet arcs beautifully to land into Sam’s awaiting hands as if by destiny. Only it wasn’t destiny, but by design.

  She glances around unsure of what’s going on. I get a few more reassuring pats as I step towards her. The music has stopped. But the sound of my blood racing through my veins mutes everything around me. Lights flash and I wonder if Sam has figured it out yet. When I reach her, she still looks confused. But in a second, it will all become clear.

  “Samantha, you are the breath that fills my lungs. You are the blood that rushes through my veins. Without you, I would cease to exist. Knowing you’re mine isn’t enough anymore.”

  She covers her mouth as I bend down on one knee and gaze up at her radiant face. I see the shine in her eyes as the puzzle of what I’m about to do pieces together for her.

  “I want to give you my name… the keys to my house… my car, my boat. Whatever it takes for you to agree to be my wife.” I wait a beat. “It’s kind of time for you to say something, sweetheart,” I beg.

  Her hand comes down and she pushes my hair back. Her grin lights up the room and she knows that she has my number. And I don’t care.

  “Well?” I ask, taking my first breath and hoping it won’t be my last. Because if she denies me, I won’t have the heart to go on.

  “You need to ask me first.”

  I blink. “Oh, right.”

  The sounds of laughter all around us rushes into my ears, but I ignore it. I take a deep breath.

  I reach in my pocket with steady hands because there’s no doubt in my mind she’s the one. I pull out the box and open it before I say the words I’ve wanted to say since she took me back. I’d wanted to give her time, time to forget and see my actions as true.

  “Samantha Calhoun, will you do me the greatest honor and become my wife?”

  She nods and I take quick notice of her family and friends. Cate and Mercer agreed to it all and helped with the plan. The time for Sam’s parents, sister, and best friends to show up had been given so that they could witness this moment. The hard part had been when I faced her family in secret weeks before to ask them if I could marry her. Her mom had been quick to hug me with happy tears. On the other hand, I got an uncomfortable speech from her father and made promises under penalty of castration to her sister before they agreed. It was worth it because having them here at this moment is important to my soon-to-be bride.

  Her face is more beautiful than a painting as her smile etches in my heart. When she says the words, it relieves the pressure on my lungs.

  “Yes, I will. I thought you would never ask.”

  A Little Over A Year Later

  I lift my bride-to-be in my arms. “Sit here,” I demand.

  She nods, used to my moods and knowing just what I need. I head upstairs and grab several things from my drawers. When I come back, she’s sitting, waiting, and doesn’t that make my dick want to punch through my pants.

  “Do you trust me?”

  Her answer is quick and always the same with a nod of her head in the affirmative. I draw her to her feet and take reverent care to strip her of all her clothing. The sight of her pink cheeks only stiffens my cock further. Her embarrassment when I get this way only makes me want to tattoo the word mine across her chest.

  “I want to do something. Something we’ve never done before,” I say.

  Her silent acquiescence continues to stir the heat between us. I’ve brought a myriad of items I can use with my lack of having the right tools for this little endeavor. I settle on a pair of brand new cashmere socks. I think they would cause the least discomfort. Goosebumps rise on her skin when I hold them up to her. I walk around her admiring the view of her curves before settling behind her. She remains still, ready for whatever game I want to play. I gently draw her hands behind her. Then I use one long sock to bind her hands together. It’s not tight enough that she couldn’t get loose if she wanted to. That’s not what this is all about. When I stand before her again, she’s taken by surprise when I begin to blindfold her with the other long sock.

  After I admire my handiwork, I guide her back down onto the sofa. I place her to sit as comfortably as she can with her arms bound behind her. This isn’t a bondage thing so much as I want to take away her ability to touch me or control the situation. Her loss of those should heighten her pleasure.

  “Am I the only one that’s going to be naked?” she asks quietly.

  “For now,” I groan.

  If she only knew how bad I wanted to be buried to the hilt in her, she might be afraid. The need I have for her is all consuming.

  I head in the kitchen for the one other thing I need. With glass in hand, I head back to the living room and strip off my shirt. Before this is over, I want to be skin to skin with her. I want to remember every curve. And I don’t want to take too long to be free of my clothes.

  Planting myself between her legs, I take an ice cube from the tumbler I brought. Placing it in my mouth, I lean in. I press the tip of the frozen cube gently against one of her nipples. And after a second it draws tight.

  “See, it’s still responsive,” I say, as if I needed another experiment.

  She sucks in a breath as goosebumps erupt on her skin. It isn’t as if we haven’t tested her nipples a million times before, every chance I get. But still, I say the words. With my hand, I cup and massage her perfect tits. No, they aren’t the ones she was blessed with o
riginally. But they’re even better. And not because they feel better, because they don’t. Don’t get me wrong, they are so much more real than I expected. The reason they are better is because they won’t be the cause of her death.

  And even if one day she’s diagnosed with cancer, we will fight it together. And God forbid it steals her life from me. Thankfully the chances of that are small. But if it happens, I will rejoice in our time together. I will celebrate her life, not mourn her death. Like I know she would mine, if fate takes me from her first.

  I continue to squeeze and tease her breast as I head lower with the ice to settle between her legs. I plan to spend an eternity here. Or whatever time we have. I’ve learned my lesson on that score.

  I force all other thoughts away as I push what’s left of the ice inside her. Her back arches off the chair as I suck her clit into my mouth. I stroke my tongue over it and suck it again for however long it takes until she shatters around me screaming out her pleasure. Because even though I will have a bad case of blue balls for the next several weeks, this night is all about her.

  One Month Later

  The wedding is fast, but not fast enough. My cruel sister convinced Sam it was a good idea we abstain for a month before the wedding. I sit and fidget in my chair as my cock decides to make another protest by beating at the fly of my pants. Sam’s delicious tits are practically spilling out of the top of her dress. I’m afraid I’m going to drool and the photographer is going to catch it. Every time I’ve seen her, she’s been in loose fitting clothing. She told me it was so she wouldn’t tease me. But I say just the opposite. Imagining what lay beneath has had me practically investing in a lube company. She’d taken our month long vow of chastity to another level. I blame it on my sister’s encouragement. My lovely but somehow sadistic fiancée found it funny that my hand developed blisters that have now turned into calluses.

  The joke is on me, but the results are incredible. The first time I kissed Sam in a month is today at the altar. I have to admit, I will probably remember that moment more due to our abstinence. And I had to fight myself not to squeeze her ass during that kiss while my groomsmen made jokes behind my back.

  I look down the long table of the wedding party and notice my bride is too kind for her own good nature. The sheer number of our wedding party nearly overwhelms me. She had to have her sister, her best friends, plus Jenna stand up for her, which meant I had to recruit two other guys for my side.

  When my best man, or should I say, best woman, taps her wine glass with a spoon, I know we’re in the home stretch.

  I watch as Cate stands in her fitted tux. What I don’t expect is for her to pull out a letter. And immediately, I know whose words she’s about to read.

  Benny,

  Well, dude, you finally did it. I knew this day would come, even though you had your doubts. You never had faith in yourself, but I always did. I would’ve placed all my money on you any day of the week—that’s how much I believed in you. And do you know why? Because no matter what happened, you always had my back. Even when the chips were down, and you know what I’m saying here, you always looked for the brightest spot. That includes the time I decided to learn how to skate. I think you were the only one who thought I could do it. I told you that you were my mountain. And it’s true. You were when I was five and you stayed that way to the end. That’s why I loved you so much.

  You have no idea how much I wish I could be with you today to celebrate, but know that I'm here in spirit. There are so many things I'd like to say to you right now but the number one thing that stands out the most is—damn, I wish I could've seen your face when you said, “I do.” All those times I told you how you'd know when you found your one and only—brother, what I wouldn’t give to have seen your eyes shine with love when you looked at your wife walk down the aisle. She must be one very special lady to have landed you. Treat her with kindness, Ben, like the most precious bird. Be gentle and caring and love her with everything you have.

  To that special lady my brother married—I know he can be an idiot and hardheaded at times, but be patient with him, and trust me on this—you will never find a man who is more generous with a bigger heart than Ben Rhoades.

  And to both of you—live life to its fullest. Cherish it like it’s your most prized possession. Never take each other for granted or the time you share together.

  Now if everyone can raise their glasses so we all can share a toast. To Mr. And Mrs. Ben Rhoades. May their journey of life together be long and filled with much love and happiness.

  When she finishes, there’s not a dry eye in the house including her own.

  Damn you, Drew, I think as I hold back the emotion that swells out of me. I refuse to cry. Two times since I met Sam is more than my quota. However, his words will live with me forever. Cate leans down and kisses my cheek before handing me the letter. Immediately, I know I will keep it with the other for the rest of my life. No doubt, I will read it over and over again as the years pass, especially when I can’t share with him all the things in my life he believed I could do.

  When the night is almost over and guests are about to leave, I snag my bride.

  “Time to go,” I say tugging her towards the exit.

  “Wait, I need to say goodbye to my parents.”

  I shake my head. “We’ll go over to their house tomorrow before our flight. I need you right now.”

  She indulges me with a salacious grin as we exit the hotel. Our limo waits out front, our driver opening the doors. We decided not to stay in the same hotel for many reasons that don’t seem to matter now. I wish now I could have taken a quick elevator ride before I unwrapped my bride. Instead, I signal the driver to head off towards our hotel. We have about twenty minutes before we get there.

  “What does this do?” Sam asks with a wink.

  She presses a button, but if the wink isn’t clue enough, the smirk she sports tells me she knows exactly what she’s doing. Her next move after the privacy window raises is to scramble off the seat and look up at me from the floor as she positions herself between my legs.

  “Jesus, Sam, you don’t have to do that. I want to taste you.”

  She shakes her head as she undoes my belt.

  “It’s my turn to have my way with you, Rhoades. Hands behind your back and no touching,” she demands.

  Who am I to argue about a blow job, but I’m not very good at taking instructions. I lean down and cup her face.

  “I have to kiss you first.”

  When I pull back, I add, “There’s something you need to know.”

  She tilts her head to the side. Not in fear, but in curiosity.

  I’ve said thousands of words since I’ve known how much in love I was with this woman. But I feel I’ve missed saying one important thing.

  “Even though I may not have looked like it on the outside, I was an accident waiting to happen when you met me. My life was on a path of slow self-destruction. I’m not perfect, and never will be. I’m sure I’ll make a hundred mistakes as we grow old together. But you, Sam, are the crew boss who put a stop to my wrecking ball. You make me better. You make me less of a mess of a man.”

  A Thank You

  We’d like to thank you for taking the time out of your busy life to read our novel. Above all we hope you loved it. If you did, we would love it back if you could spare just a few more minutes to leave a review. If you do, could you be so kind and not leave any spoilers about the story? Thanks so much!

  Read on to find out about Jenna and Brandon in One Wrong Choice!

  Acknowledgments

  We’d like to send out a HUGE thank you to all our readers for taking a chance on us with Cruel and Beautiful. Never did we dream our novel would shoot to the top the way it did and it was only because of you, dear readers. When the requests for more books began pouring in we knew we had to tell Ben’s story. Although we didn’t go through the cases of tissues as we did in C&B—translate, we still cried—it wasn’t nearly as ugly. So again, we’d l
ike to thank you and hope we continue to fill you with our heartwarming novels.

  There is a group of people who deserve our deep gratitude, namely our beta readers. Their patience with us during this project is deeply appreciated and without their input, this book would not be what it is. So here’s one big squishy-huggy thank you to the following people: Jill Patten, Andrea Stafford, Kristie Wittenberg, Kat Grimes, Heather Carver, and Nina Grinstead. You ladies ROCK!

  We’re also blasting a hearty THANKS out in shouty caps to Nina Grinstead at Social Butterfly PR for pulling together an AHH-Mazing marketing plan that included lots of punch, bells, and whistles (and maybe some alcohol, too). She worked her ass off and did one bad ass job. Nina—you are the bomb! And thanks for putting up with me (Terri) and my many back and forth messages, lol <3 ~ Terri ;)

  We’d also like to thank to Rick, Julie, Mary Beth, Terrie, and Amy at Red Coat PR for all their behind the scenes action, too. GO RCPR!

  Finally, we want to thank Lisa Christman of Adept Edits. This lady was not only fun to work with but polished up our manuscript like gold. Thanks for the Sam-isms!

  Prologue — Present

  Jenna

  The bridesmaids have filed out, one by one, increasing my panic, not incrementally, but in colossal waves. The wedding director smiles her perfect condescending grin, because I know she thinks I am beneath the Balfours. I don’t give a shit. What I do care about is the fact that I’m about to walk down the aisle and marry Kenneth, a man I don’t love.

  Clap, clap, clap. “It’s time, Jenna.” She loves to do that little hand clappy thing. I’d like to clap her upside the head. But I can only imagine her little string of pearls bursting loose and rolling all over the place. With my awful luck, I’d slip on one of the little fuckers and go ass over head and break my leg. So I do the polite thing instead and dip my up-doed, over-styled hair—and great God, I must have one hundred fifty bobby pins stuck in there—and waddle behind her out of the bridal room. It’s about all I can do in this absurd wedding gown I’m wearing. If there were any more layers of tulle, I doubt anyone would even know I was here. And these shoes … I can barely walk in them they’re so high.