“You look surprised.”
“Well, I—it’s, I mean…” Form a sentence Daisy.
“I know I’m a jackass and treated you like shit but—”
“I deserved it.”
“I won’t argue that.”
Daisy smirked. “Thanks a lot.”
He sighed, smoothing his hair back. “You know something? When you walked back in here, all I could think about was how glad I am that I get to see you one more time, and how badly I want you, despite…I dunno…this being a disaster. A fucking tragedy. Guys like me don’t get a happily ever after.”
“Girls like me don’t, either.”
“But you can, you can walk away. Now. And never look back. Don’t tell me you don’t have money stashed someplace.”
“Come with me. Let me help you, please.”
“You already did. You didn’t have to tell me anything. And now I’m prepared.”
Prepared for what? “I ratted you out.”
“You gave me time to save my brothers. See, when I said guys like me don’t get a happily ever after, I was only referring to myself. They found theirs. So, you helped me save four lives. I’ve always known I’d die at the barrel end of somebody’s gun.”
“So, when you said, “you’re prepared,” you meant to die.” This was a statement, not a question.
“I’m tired, Daisy.”
“Me too.” She laid on the bed next to him, wrapping an arm around his waist. Holding her breath, she waited for him to shrug her off. Instead, he put his hand on her arm.
“Don’t say that. You’re still young.”
“I feel old, though. Like I’ve lived a thousand years.”
His fingers stroked her arm from the elbow to her wrist. Goosebumps rose on her skin. “By the way, you look amazing for an old lady.”
She sat up. “Old lady? Are you joking right now?”
He chuckled. “What are you gonna do about it?”
“Now I’m leaving.” Putting her feet on the floor, she pretended like she was leaving but she couldn’t hide her smile.
“Now she leaves.” Earl wrapped his arms around her, pulling her down on the mattress. She stretched out beside him again, fully aware he was naked and hard. How a man could go from talking about not seeing tomorrow’s sunset to wanting sex was an absolute mystery. It was baffling. Yet…she wanted him too. He put the back of his hand against her cheek, trailing his fingertips across her mouth. His touch intoxicated her. Parting her lips, she kissed the pad of his thumb. He sucked in a breath. “Ooh.” Settling onto his back again, he said, “Isn’t this a bad idea? We can’t do this, right?”
“Are you asking or telling me? And to answer you either way: No. I’ve decided it’s right for all the wrong reasons.”
Throwing his head back, he laughed, the hearty genuine sound as surprising as it was contagious and beautiful to watch. She smiled widely.
Her eyes traveled the length of his body. There was a light smattering of hair on his chest. Well-defined muscles. Everywhere. “How are you forty-five?”
“Born in ’73.”
“You look amazing for an old man.”
He snort-chuckled. When she removed her shirt, he fell silent.
Daisy told him to stay where he was, and those were the last words they spoke to each other. After taking her shorts and panties off, she straddled his hips. She slid her sex slowly over his erection. Grabbing her thighs, he thrust to meet her. Savoring the moment had been her intention—taking it slow and easy. However, she waited too long, and her body now had other plans. She united them, her body accepting all of him. He cupped her breasts, caressing firmly yet lovingly. She moved up and down with him matching her rhythm. Her fingers dug into his broad chest as her orgasm rocked through her entire body, curling her toes and possibly the ends of her hair. And it rocked too. It didn’t gently roll over her like a wave. It grabbed her like an undertow, tossing her onto the beach dizzy, satiated, and spent. She nearly collapsed onto his chest.
That wasn’t fair to him though. She kept going because she wanted to give him exactly what he had given her.
He clutched her thighs, panting heavily. With his eyes closed, he arched his back. He came hard, sending her to the brink again. And wasn’t that fantastic? She could love this man.
Chapter Seven
Earl
Earl kissed Daisy’s temple. “Get up. I’ve changed my mind. I decided we’re leaving.”
“No, we’re not.” She rolled over and opened her eyes.
He chuckled. “No, go back to sleep. I’m getting us some coffee.”
“You are…so not right.”
“I know, but if we run now, we’ll be running forever, and I can’t do that. It’s not a life I want for you.”
“Two creams and one sugar,” she said.
“I’ll be back.”
He locked the door when he left the villa. Something he hadn’t been doing since he got here. There was nothing to steal that he cared about. A quick trip across the street and he would be back.
After greeting the barista, she told him to have a seat. She was brewing a fresh pot of coffee. A few more customers walked in and ordered some specialty crap, meanwhile the coffee finished brewing. Come on. He tapped his foot and sighed loudly, hoping the lady behind the counter got the hint. Five minutes later, she handed him the cups and he told her to keep the change.
Earl made it back to his villa, going up to the front door. Juggling the cups, he fiddled with his keys. The door creaked open when he put the key in the lock. And that’s when he saw the damage to the jamb. A crack ran down the inner casing. Splintered pieces of wood lay on the floor. Someone had kicked the door in. His heart skipped a few beats. Fuck. He dropped the coffee and ran toward the master bedroom, outing his gun. “Daisy!”
He slammed the bedroom door into the wall.
A man he didn’t recognize held Daisy with a gun to her head. “Earl,” she said. Her lip was split and bleeding. Earl couldn’t get a clear shot without risking nailing her too.
“This your girlfriend? She’s real pretty, aren’t you, sweetheart.”
Tears filled her eyes.
“I’m sorry, I should’ve never left you,” Earl said.
She shook her head.
“Toss your gun or I put a bullet in your girlfriend’s head.”
Earl threw his gun on the bed. “You have no fucking clue what will happen if you hurt her, do you?”
“Oh, what’s that? You kill me?” He pressed the barrel into her head. She whimpered.
“There’ll be a price tag on your head so high you won’t make it to your next meal.”
“Well, what a coincidence, there’s a big one on yours.”
“Don’t care. Yours will top it.”
“Doubtful. You killed Kilpatrick’s only son.”
Daisy’s eyes got bigger. More tears streamed down her cheeks.
Earl concentrated on keeping his expression stoic. He screamed inside though. I’m so sorry. “Yeah, but I didn’t kill his only child.”
Confusion crossed the man’s face.
“You don’t know who she is, do you?” How was this possible? But what was he thinking? He didn’t know who she was, either.
“Why should I care?”
“Her father signs your paychecks?”
“Earl, look out!” Daisy shrieked.
“Get down!” What the…Miranda? The sudden appearance of his brother’s girlfriend stunned Daisy’s attacker and he let his grip on her slip. She took advantage and ducked out from under his arm.
THWAP!
Kilpatrick’s goon fell to the ground in a heap with a nice-sized hole in his head.
Daisy rushed Earl, throwing her arms around his neck. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?” he asked.
“Only my lip. I’m fin—”
“I’m sorry. And if you hate me, I understand.” He took her hand and placed it over his heart.
“Hate you?”
“Roger.�
�
Her face was lined with tear tracks, but her voice held steady. “Kilpatrick asked your father to kill my brother. He couldn’t do it himself and didn’t want anyone he knew to do it. My father believed in justice even if meant killing his own son. But he also couldn’t let you get away with it either. He’d appear weak.”
Jesus, what a clusterfuck.
“Why did he want his son murdered? What could possibly be so bad?”
“He did something to me, it’s why I went back to live with my mother in Ireland.”
“Don’t say it.” Earl gripped his head. He raped her. He knew last night and but didn’t want to believe it. Sick bastard.
“I won’t. It’s taken years of therapy just to accept I did nothing wrong. So, hate you? No. Thank you for saving my life,” she said, kissing his cheek.
“I didn’t do anything, my brother’s…” He glanced at Miranda. “Hey, thought I told you guys to leave?”
“In what universe would we ever listen to you?”
Earl rolled his eyes. “You’re an ass, but thank you.”
“Now will you trust me?” she asked him, then spoke to Daisy. “The man has trust issues.” Miranda unscrewed the silencer from her gun and tucked the Glock into a thigh holster under her dress.
“Okay, to be fair…you shot me.”
“Whatever. Are we good?”
“Yes,” he said reluctantly. He enjoyed giving her a hard time. It was their thing. Miranda left after telling them where to meet up with the rest of the crew and a please-tell-me-you-rented-this-place-under-an-alias. In which he replied with a do-you-think-I’m-stupid-don’t-answer-that.
Daisy grabbed a towel from the bathroom and began wiping down all the flat surfaces that could hold a fingerprint.
He fished his gun out of the sheets and grabbed what little personal belongings he had. “Maybe we should just torch the place?”
“You think?” She looked at him sideways.
“I’m kidding. No. Let’s go.” Using his elbow, he opened the sliding glass door.
Chapter Eight
Daisy
Turbulence shook the plane. Daisy gripped the armrests, her stomach bottoming out. “Please talk to me or get me a drink.” I hate flying.
“I changed my mind,” Elmo said.
“Uh oh, not this again. About?”
He took her hand and kissed the palm. “Happily ever afters.”
Even though she buzzed with anxiety, she smiled. “What about them?”
“I want one.”
She laughed. “I remember you saying guys like you don’t get a happily ever after.”
“Turns out: total bullshit. And, I was trying to get pity sex from you at the time.”
“Well, it worked.”
Earl laughed in that hearty way of his, making her grateful for being alive. “I know we are, um, yeah. I’m like too old for you. Our fathers, if they ever found out about us, would kill us. Probably riddle us both with so many holes. Bullet holes. We—”
Daisy held up her hand. “We can have the fairytale too.”
“We don’t need a fairytale as long as I—”
“Oh, for god’s sake.” Miranda peered over the seat in front of them. “He’s so awkward, isn’t he?”
“A wee bit,” Daisy said, pinching the air.
“This talk of fairytales is making me nauseous. He’s trying to tell you he’s falling in love with you. And no matter what happens, he’ll do his best to protect you.”
“Why doesn’t he just tell me that then?”
Elmo cleared his throat. “Excuse me. Thanks. I got this. Turn back around.” Miranda gave her a good-luck-with-that look before facing forward.
“Fuck it,” he sighed, “What she said.”
Daisy crossed her arms. “No. I wanna hear it from you.”
“Fine,” he said. “But don’t laugh. I’m putting myself out here and it’s hard for me.”
“Will you just get on with it? And if it makes it easier for you, know that I—whatever you’re feeling, I feel the same.”
He squeezed his eyes shut and blurted, “Iloveyou.”
“We gotta work on your delivery.” She moved so that her face hovered over his. “I mean, I love you too, but that…was…”
“Awesome? Yeah, I know. I’m not awkward.” Putting his hand to her nape, he kissed her. Daisy had no reason to believe a happily ever after was possible for them, but she’d rather die trying with him than live the rest of her life wondering what could have been.
About the Author
A.J. Norris writes action-packed, character-driven stories. She likes her paranormal and romantic suspense dark and delicious with a touch of humor. Her favorite kind of protagonists are strong heroines who often become their own hero.
A.J. lives in Michigan with her supportive family and two adorable Yorkie mixes. She currently serves on the board for the Greater Detroit RWA.
Facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/alisajnorris
Twitter:
http://www.twitter.com/AJNorris_Author
Goodreads:
https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14888581.A_J_Norris
Website:
http://www.ajnorrisauthor.com/
On My Honeymoon
By Evan Grace
Chapter One
Flying over the ocean is so scary, but the pill I took has me all loosey goosey. I close my eyes, and images of the events from two days ago assail me. Two days ago I walked down the aisle to the man I thought I’d spend the rest of my life with.
Instead, he met me halfway down the aisle in front of our family and friends, announcing that he realized he didn’t want to marry me anymore. He walked right past me, and right out of the sanctuary.
Around me, people were talking, and bustling about. Not me, nope, I just stood there like I was a statue. My mom and best friend, Angela, stood in front of me. I could see their lips moving, but couldn’t make out what they were saying.
I came unglued, and heard, “Oh shit,” from Angela as I marched down the aisle and shoved open the doors leading to the vestibule. I found the fucker standing by the limo that was supposed to take us to our reception.
“You can’t just tell me you don’t want to marry me anymore, and just walk away.” I felt Angela step up beside me.
“What do you want me to say? I can’t help how I feel.” He leaned in close. “I…don’t…love…you.”
My brother, Jamie, lunged for my ex-fiancé, Alex, but the other groomsmen held Jamie back. “You motherfucker,” he spat at Alex.
Alex didn’t care, he just rolled his eyes at my brother, looked at me, and shook his head before walking away with his best friend. We all watched them drive away in stunned silence. His mom called for him while she ran across the parking lot in her ridiculously high heels.
My parents took me back to their place, where my best friend and I got silly drunk and she convinced me to go on my honeymoon alone and to bang as many single men as I could.
Now here I am on a plane heading to Bora Bora. I take a sip of my mimosa and sigh. God, this is good. My dad canceled the other ticket and was able to get me upgraded to business class, which means when I hopefully get tired later I’ll be able to sleep comfortably on the plane in their cushy seats. I know it probably cost a pretty penny, but they’ve always spoiled me.
They may have done a lot for me, but I’ve always worked to have my own money—I had my first job when I was sixteen, and have worked ever since. Four years ago I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in elementary education. I’ve taught kindergarten for the past three and a half years at Jefferson Elementary in St. Louis, Missouri.
My father is trying to convince me to move here to Chicago, or a suburb, and maybe I should. I never really made friends in St. Louis. Alex’s friends treated me like I was beneath them just because I was a kindergarten teacher. Alex and I shared a pretentious place that wasn’t me at all, but he always had to have the best of everything. L
ast night my dad said he’d arrange for my things to be collected, and shipped to their place.
He said he’d give me until I got back to Chicago to decide what I was going to do. I turn my attention back to the window. I’ve never been this far from home by myself before, it took a lot of talking to convince my dad that I’d be completely fine on my own.
Angela couldn’t get the time off of work on such short notice. I’m okay going alone. This trip will give me time to reflect on everything that’s happened. Alex said he didn’t love me but did he ever? Did I miss the signs that he wanted to end it? Why did he wait until I was walking down the aisle toward him?
I don’t know if I’ll ever have the answers. It’s safe to say though that I don’t care to hear them. The sky is beautifully bright blue, and the water down below matches. I sigh happily as I stare out the window.
I sip the last of my drink down and feel eyes on me. I glance around, trying to be discreet. My eyes land on the man sitting behind me. His eyes are a silvery blue, and hopefully, he doesn’t notice me staring because he appears to be watching something on the screen on the back of my chair.
Of course, I don’t get my way, because why would I? He gives me a closed mouth smile and winks at me. My cheeks flare, and my stomach dips. I quickly turn back around, facing forward.
By the time my flight lands in Bora Bora, I’m exhausted. Sleeping on the plane was hard, and I don’t think I slept more than a few hours at a time, but luckily the seats were roomy and comfortable. I check in and am led to a little cart that drives me to the bungalow that’s right over the water.
When my dad gave me the tickets, I had freaked out. Bora Bora was on my bucket list of places I just had to visit. I told him I didn’t feel right about taking the trip by myself, but he wanted me to cut loose. Then when I got home we could talk about my future.
We reach my bungalow and the bellhop carries my luggage into the bedroom and then quickly shows me around, telling me where everything is. I hand him a tip and then shut the door behind him.
Craving Forbidden (Craving Series Book 8) Page 27
