“Mia? Look at me,” he pled.
She opened her eyes, her heart too afraid to hope, her knees weak and wobbling.
“I should have given you the chance to explain.” He swallowed. “After reading your letters, I understand why you kept so much inside.”
She blinked a tear away as he brushed it from her cheek with his thumb.
“I’m honored that you shared all of that with me.”
She nodded, not trusting her voice. A swirl of emotion twisted up inside her like a tornado. Fear. Love. Grief. Happiness. Guilt. Hope.
“I thought I knew what love was. I figured I got one shot at it and had wasted it on my ex.”
She winced.
He pulled her closer. “But I was so wrong. Because I fell into a love so deep it scared me. It snuck up on me slowly. I didn’t realize until I was consumed by it. So, when I thought . . . I ran like a coward because I was afraid of being hurt again. You destroyed me.”
Pain laced through her heart. “I’m—”
His finger laced across her lips, shushing her. “Then your words in that letter, they rebuilt me.”
What was he saying?
“You helped make me stronger. You challenge me in so many ways.” He smirked. “And I love every minute of it.”
But do you love me?
He leaned in, his mouth brushing softly against hers, sending a rush of heat throughout her body. Her yearning was held back by a thread of doubt.
“I love you, little witch. You’ve captured me—every part is yours.”
He loved her! She gripped his shoulders, not willing to let this moment disappear. She pulled him closer and kissed him hard.
He leaned his forehead against hers as she caught her breath.
“What about her? Why was she at your house? Did you . . .” Her stomach churned.
“God no. She showed up because her boyfriend left her and she needed a place to stay for the night. Nothing happened—despite her attempts. I couldn’t . . . I’d never.”
“You don’t still have feelings for her?” Mia clarified.
“No.” His answer was absolute. “I love you. There’s no room for anyone else.”
Relief flooded over her like a crashing wave. She slanted her mouth across his. “I love you too.”
“Marry me instead of Mateo,” he said.
She froze. Stunned, she backed her head away to look him in the eyes. “No.”
His brows creased together as he frowned. “What?”
“I’m not marrying you for a green card.”
“Then marry me because I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Marry me so we can start a family together someday. Marry me because I love your stubborn ass, damn it.” He nearly growled his last words and palmed her backside.
She couldn’t stop the smile that formed on her lips. “We’ve only known each other for a few months.”
“I know all I need to know about you. This is me, showing you I trust you. I’m offering you my heart. I promise to love you, to never walk away from you when you need me, and to be loyal always. I want to be your partner in life. I want to share all the ups and downs we’re very likely to have based on our tempers.”
She laughed.
“I want you, forever.” He searched her eyes. “Do you want that too?”
She searched his eyes in return, and found nothing but genuine love reflecting back. Life was temporary. But perhaps love didn’t have to be. Her mother had always told her, sometimes you just had to have faith that things would work out. That there’d be a rainbow after the storm.
“Si, mi amor. Siempre. Forever.”
Andre’s mouth crashed onto hers as he lifted her into his arms. She held on to him, his love and forgiveness overpowering and staggering. She kissed him back with everything she had in her, trying to show him how much she wanted this. Lips fused, tongues reconnected, and she got lost in him. Bliss wound around her like warm sunshine lighting her up from the inside out. She was getting her fairy tale after all.
A throat cleared somewhere in the room.
She broke the kiss and turned. Mikel walked towards them, Bently, Jasmine, and Remy behind him.
Andre set her back to her feet as she straightened her shirt, heat flooding her cheeks.
“Looks like that went well.” Bently smirked.
Mia glanced at Andre, questioningly.
“I’ve been looking for you. I enlisted their help.”
Do they know?
“I didn’t tell them the details, only that you had good reasons for doing what you did. And it is your secret to tell if you want,” he said low enough for only her to hear, as if he’d read her mind.
She blinked, nearly blinded by the overwhelming adoration she felt for this man. Her heart was bursting at the seams.
“Thank you.” She turned to the group of friends that had become more like family in Shattered Cove. “I owe you all an explanation for my recent behavior.”
Epilogue
Mia
One year later
The sunlight glinted off the selenite engagement ring on her finger next to her mother’s gold wedding band. She’d found her happily-ever-after after all. Once she’d told Andre about the meaning behind the selenite in connection to her mother, he understood why she wanted it in the foundation of her studio. That was something they’d worked on for the last twelve months—communication and building trust. And now she had something even bigger to communicate to her husband—something that would change them forever.
“Buenas tardes, hermosa.” Andre’s deep voice rumbled behind her.
She turned as he walked into the studio.
“Good afternoon to you too, husband.” She smiled and wrapped her arms around him. “Did you lock the front door behind you?”
“Yes. Are you ready to go home?”
Home. She’d never get tired of hearing that from the love of her life. “Not yet. I have something to do first.”
“Oh yeah?” His eyebrows rose as he smiled suggestively and lowered his hands to her ass. “How about we peel down these leggings and I make you come against that wall again?”
“Mmm. That sounds like a fantastic idea.”
He pulled her hand and led her over to the wall. Pushing her back to the surface, he pressed kisses around her face, ending on her lips. His hands moved the edges of her pants down her legs as he dropped to his knees.
“Dre?”
“Yeah, baby?” He licked his lips and dipped his fingers into the slick folds of her pussy. The bolt of electricity shocked her core as it always did when he touched her.
If he only knew how fitting his words were.
“I hope you lied to me that day you professed your love and asked me to marry you.”
He stopped, withdrawing his hands and standing to his feet. “What?”
“You said you only had room in your heart for me.”
“Yeah . . .” he said, his attention locked on her.
“I hope you have room for someone else too.” She bit back a smile.
“What are you talking about?”
She placed his hand over her belly. “I’m pregnant, Andre.”
The stunned look only lasted a minute before the biggest grin she’d ever seen graced his face. “We’re gonna have a baby? I’m going to be a dad?”
She nodded, her own joy uncontainable. She’d never imagined she’d be secure enough in life to have this.
He kissed her hard. “We’re having a baby!”
She laughed. Her heart was so full of light and love. There, under the splatter of color from the sea glass window, she had a child growing in her womb and her husband by her side with nothing but pure love shining from him.
The sadness for her parents’ absence would always be there. Some days were easier than others. But Mia would make sure her mother’s spirit would live on through her, and now her child.
“I think we should celebrate,” Andre said, dropping to his knees again.
&n
bsp; “With orgasms?” she asked, as his skilled fingers dove inside her, finding her G-spot.
“All the orgasms,” he agreed before lowering his face to her, and true to his word, he delivered several orgasms until she saw nothing but the rainbow of colors blurring her vision.
Somehow the broken, jagged pieces of her heart had been smoothed and strengthened over time like sea glass, until all that was left was the beauty and joy. She’d always carry her trauma with her, but she’d learned how to live her life without it defining her.
“I love you, Mia.”
“I love you too.” Forever.
Thank You
Thank you for reading Glass Secrets. We hope you are emotionally satisfied with Andre and Mia’s love story. If you enjoyed this novel, please consider leaving a review on your favorite retailer and sharing it with your friends and family.
Also, you can get book 3 in The Shattered Cove Series right now!
Bently and Belle in Defying Gravity (Book 3).
Thank you again for reading Glass Secrets!
Cheers,
Ash & Marcus.
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Other Books by A. M. Kusi
A Fallen Star
(Book 1 in The Shattered Cove Series)
Defying Gravity
(Book 3 in The Shattered Cove Series)
The Orchard Inn
(Book 1 in The Orchard Inn Romance Series)
Conflict of Interest
(Book 2 in The Orchard Inn Romance Series)
Her Perfect Storm
(Book 3 in The Orchard Inn Romance Series)
For a complete list of all our books, visit:
www.amkusi.com/books
More Than Sexy
Sexy Series Book #1
Club TEN29
CARLY PHILLIPS
Copyright © Karen Drogin, CP Publishing 2019
Working Edition
Cover Photo: Wander Aguiar Photography
Cover Design: Maria @steamydesigns
Editor: Amy Knupp, Blue Otter Editing
Developmental Editor: Dana with Danja Tales
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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 events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
About the Book
One protective alpha male plus one curvy damsel in distress equals an instant attraction they can’t deny.
Billionaire nightclub owner Jason Dare doesn’t stand a chance. From the moment he lays eyes on the luscious blonde stuck on the side of the road and realizes she’s in danger, he goes from playboy to bodyguard.
Faith Lancaster’s sweet body won’t come to any harm on his watch. And watch Faith he does. He can’t take his eyes off her. Jason will stop at nothing to keep Faith safe. Even if it means moving her into his apartment and letting her into his once private life.
Hiding from her past, Faith has spent the last year building her candy business into a profitable company while keeping to herself and staying under the radar … until she meets the delicious Mr. Dare. Alpha and irresistible, he awakens desires she has long denied. It doesn’t take her long to succumb to his charms and fall hard for the man.
They both have their reasons for keeping things casual but when Faith’s past catches up with her, can Jason finally claim the woman meant to be his?
Chapter One
With happy hour being celebrated loudly around him, Jason Dare stood on a balcony above the bar area and surveyed his domain, Club TEN29, a nightclub in Tribeca, an ode to the past and a reminder that the future wasn’t guaranteed. Despite the fact that his two partners were here, as were members of his actual family, he still felt very much alone.
Although solitary was a state of being he chose for reasons only he and his partners – men he considered his brothers – understood, sometimes it wasn’t easy, especially since they were very much in demand. As owners, they were becoming well known here and had had extremely positive press, and that made him a target – for those who wanted an in with the occasional high-brow guest, and for women with dollar signs in their eyes and hopes to snag a wealthy man. Jason didn’t engage. He was ultra-selective with the females he brought to his bed.
His life was the club, his partners, and his large family. He kept his circle close and minimized his risk of loss as best he could. That mantra defined him, extending into his love life, as well. After his father had blown his family sky-high, after he’d almost lost his sister to cancer when she was a child, after losing his partner Landon’s twin and Jason’s best friend back in college, he didn’t, couldn’t get close to people and risk more loss.
He didn’t get emotionally involved. Ever. A woman couldn’t expect anything more than the occasional hookup when it was convenient, but he enjoyed those moments of connection with the females he did allow into his bed. He had enough darkness in his life that when he let go, he wanted to enjoy and have fun.
“Jason, this has been an amazing night!” his sister, Sienna, said, throwing her arms around his neck and planting a kiss on his cheek.
He chuckled and smiled at her glowing face.
Her husband, Ethan Knight, grinned as he pulled her off him and into his arms. “She’s been liberal with the alcohol.” Ethan explained her exuberant enthusiasm. “Her first time out since having the baby.” He held his wife tight against him.
“I had fun! And now we’re going home to f–” Ethan placed a hand over Sienna’s mouth, sparing Jason from hearing about his sister’s love life. Jesus.
He shot the man a grateful look.
“And on that note, we’re leaving. We just wanted to say goodbye,” Ethan said with a smug grin on his face.
“Thanks for coming.” Jason extended his arm and shook Ethan’s hand. “And give that little bundle a kiss from her uncle Jase.”
Accepting this man as his sister’s husband had been an adjustment, one Jason was still making, considering Ethan had knocked up Sienna before anyone even knew they were together. They now had a baby girl named Lizzy, who Jason adored, and Ethan was a member of the family. More people for Jason to worry about. He watched them leave, acknowledging his sister was in good hands with the other man.
His gaze turned to his closest friends since their time together in college, now equal partners in Club TEN29. They stood huddled together around the bar with some of their repeat customers. Tanner Grayson was the night manager, and Landon Bennett was the head of Entertainment and Appearances, Brand Deals, and Promotions. After Landon’s twin died, he’d pulled into himself, while Tanner had spiraled, and it was only by sheer determination that he’d dragged himself out of the angry place he’d gone to and the trouble he’d gotten himself into.
Jason held the position of CEO. Together they were a solid mix of personalities and work ethic in a club that was merely two years old but becoming prominent in the night scene. They made sure Club TEN29 provided a memorable experience for everyone who stepped inside. There was no task too menial they wouldn’t handle personally if the need arose.
But Jason wanted more for their singular club. They had a stage on which customers danced but it wasn’t fully utilized, and although they’d put a lot of money into ads and promotions, they weren’t growing as fast as he would like. He just hadn’t figured out in which direction they needed to go in order to break out the way he wanted. Since Tanner and Landon thought things were fine as they were, Jason needed a fully fleshed-out plan before presenting it to them for a vote. Which was why he was meeting his cou
sin Gabe later on tonight. To hash out some ideas.
Gabriel Dare owned Elite, also a nightclub but one that operated on a scale Jason couldn’t imagine, one where people paid over five figures for a table and A-list celebrities visited often. They had clubs all over the world, including on the island of Eden, an exclusive invitation-only resort near the Bermuda Triangle.
He wanted to think things through before he met up with Gabe, and he couldn’t make decisions here, where the music blared and people partied. As much as Club TEN29 was home, Jason needed a break.
After clearing his departure with Tanner and Landon, Jason headed out into the cold air. He pulled his wool jacket around him and headed to his car. Despite it being impractical in the city, he liked having his Jag at his disposal.
Once he was enclosed in the luxurious interior and the heated seats and warmth began to surround him, he relaxed. He turned on some music and decided to drive around a little before heading to his cousin’s. This area of the city wasn’t the grid of ease that was Uptown Manhattan, and he wound his way through the smaller streets, taking in the shops that lined them.
Because it was cold, not many people were out, so when he came upon a lone van parked in front of a run-down apartment building, with two women standing alongside it, he slowed down. When one of the women bent over, her cute ass peeking out from beneath the edge of her down jacket, he noticed. And when she kicked what he realized was a flat tire in frustration, he came to a complete stop, then parked his car in front of hers.
Vote Then Read: Volume I Page 20
