FOREVER SERIES: COMPLETE BOX SET

by Lynn, Sandi

  “Connor, I need you inside me now. Please, I need to feel you.” He moaned, and before I knew it, I was flipped on my stomach as he entered me slowly from behind.

  “Is this how you want me?” he asked.

  “Yes,” I whispered.

  He sat up and moved fluidly in and out of me. He reached his hands around me and grabbed my breasts, squeezing them and pinching at each nipple before moving his hand down and rubbing my aching spot.

  “Don’t come just yet, baby. I need you to come with me.”

  “Harder, Connor. Fuck me harder, right now!” I demanded.

  I was never usually that vocal, but something inside me snapped, and I wanted him hard and fast. He took in a sharp breath as he moved faster in and out of me. He was bringing me to orgasm quickly as I screamed his name, and we both felt each other’s release. “Fuck,” he said as he pushed himself deeper into me, releasing all his pleasure into my body. He proceeded to kiss up and down my back before collapsing on me. I could feel his heart rapidly beating as he was trying to catch his breath. I wrapped my arms around his neck and stroked his hair.

  “I love you,” I whispered.

  “I love you too, baby.”

  We spent a couple more hours in the tent, drinking wine and talking. Then, as promised, we made love in every room back at my apartment.

  Chapter 43

  Before we left for New York, we stopped by Mason and Landon’s apartment so that I could give them their gifts and show off my gorgeous ring. They made us some Mimosas and an elegant breakfast before we headed to Connor’s plane. Denny was there, sitting in a seat, when we arrived. I ran to him and gave him a hug.

  “You knew, didn’t you?”

  He smiled and kissed me on the cheek. “Of course, I knew, and congratulations.”

  * * *

  We arrived in New York and back to Connor’s penthouse.

  The Christmas holiday was beautiful and well spent with family and friends. Connor and I spent New Year’s Eve hosting a party at the Waldorf Hotel with about 200 people. We rented a room for the night and rang in the New Year by making passionate love. He wrapped his arms around me as I laid my head on his chest.

  “What’s wrong, babe?” he asked.

  I looked up at him. “What makes you think something’s wrong?”

  He smiled and ran his finger across my lips. “I can tell when something’s bothering you.”

  I sighed and laid my head back down.

  “Talk to me, Ellery. Tell me what’s on your mind.”

  I ran my hand lightly across his chest.

  “What if this trial doesn’t help me?”

  “It will help you.”

  I sat up and turned towards the edge of the bed, letting my feet hit the floor.

  “You can’t be so sure of that, Connor.”

  He sat up and clasped his hands on my shoulders. “I can be sure because I have faith. It’s a new year, and a new beginning for us, for our future, and nothing’s going to take that away. You will get better, and we’ll be married and have the rest of our lives in front of us.”

  I wasn’t so sure, and I was scared.

  “There’s something I want to talk to you about.” The seriousness of his tone made me feel uneasy. I turned to face him as he pushed my hair behind my ear.

  “I’ve made an appointment with my doctor to have my vasectomy reversed.”

  My eyes grew wide. “What? Connor, no, you can’t.”

  He looked at me with a surprised look. “Listen to me. I want this because I want a family with you, and if we can have our own child, that would be amazing. I’m not saying it’ll work, but there’s a fifty-fifty chance, and I think we should try it.”

  I sighed. “But my genes suck, and you know it.”

  He laughed and planted a kiss on my forehead. “Your genes are beautiful.”

  I smiled as he took me in his arms. “I guess I’m just scared.”

  “Don’t worry, baby. Everything is going to work out; you just wait and see.”

  * * *

  We stayed in New York for a couple more weeks so that Connor could tie up some business deals, then we headed back to California for my last round of injections.

  “Well, this is it, Ellery. Are you ready?” Dr. Murphy asked.

  “As ready as I’ll ever be.” I smiled.

  Connor took hold of my hands and planted them firmly against his shirt. I smiled as my hands began clutching the fabric with each burning injection.

  “One month from today, you’ll be back here for blood work,” Dr. Murphy instructed.

  Connor took my hand and helped me from the bed. He pulled me into an embrace and whispered in my ear, “Now we wait.”

  Epilogue

  I stood at the edge of the shoreline, looking out into the depths of the water. Today was my mom’s birthday, and there was no place I felt closer to her than here. I wished so bad she and my dad could have been here to see Connor and me, and how happy we were. If there was a time in my life that I needed my mom most, it was now.

  I stood and watched the waves as they crashed into the shore, remembering the day he brought me to this place ten months ago.

  Connor took my hand as he led me, blindfolded, to somewhere he called a surprise. I was still in my wedding dress because he wouldn’t let me change out of it; he said he wanted the honor of undressing his new bride.

  “Are you ready, darling?”

  “Yes. I was ready forever ago.”

  He laughed as he removed my blindfold. I gasped as I stood in front of what felt like one of my paintings. Standing before us was the Cape Cod-style house I painted in my picture.

  “Connor, what is this?” I could hardly speak. I looked around and we weren’t in New York anymore; this looked like the Hamptons.

  He took my hand and led me to the porch.

  “This house is your wedding present.”

  My heart started racing with excitement. This house was exactly like the one I painted. I was breathless, speechless as my mind tried to figure out what was going on. He picked me up and carried me through the door.

  “Do you like it?” he asked.

  “Like it? I love it, but I don’t understand.”

  He smiled and gently kissed my lips. “This is our second home. We’ll spend our weekends and summers here.”

  He put me down and took my hand as he led me to the back of the house. Tears started to roll down my face as I stepped out onto the deck and took in the beauty of what stood before me. He had everything built just like I painted. I admired the short stone wall that went around the property. There was an archway that sat over small steps, leading to the beach. My favorite flowers lined the walkway. But the one thing, the very one thing that made the property so perfect, was the lighthouse that sat off to the side of the house. Connor stood behind me and let me take it all in. I turned to him as he softly wiped away a couple of tears that sat upon my cheek.

  “You don’t have to say a word, Ellery, I know how much you love it. I can tell by the look on your face. This was built for you because I love you. I want to give you every dream you’ve ever dreamed, every happy moment you never had, every bit of love you’ve ever lost, and most importantly, a family. This home, our home, is my future with you, and we’re going to spend the rest of our lives making beautiful memories here.”

  I gulped because I didn’t know what to say. I was an emotional wreck at the generous and loving nature of this man. It felt as if I was living in a dream; that reality was some other realm that I traveled from and refused to go back to. I looked into his seductive eyes and held his face in my hands.

  “I could never understand my purpose in this world. I’ve had nothing but pain and loss my whole life. But now I know why God saved me the first time. It was so I could find you. Then he saved me the second time so I could love you forever. This house is perfect; you’re perfect, and no one will ever take that away from us. Our love is infinite, and I’m going to spend the rest of my l
ife showing you.”

  I pressed my lips against his, and we fell into a deep, passionate kiss. He picked me up in his strong arms and carried me towards the house.

  “Let’s get you out of this dress, Mrs. Black.” He smiled.

  * * *

  Connor walked up behind me and wrapped his arms around my expanding waist, resting his hands on my stomach and laying his chin on my shoulder.

  “How are my two girls doing?”

  I put my hands on his as he rubbed my tummy tenderly.

  “Your daughter has been very active today, and she kept me up all night.”

  He nuzzled his face into my neck and softly kissed me.

  “She’s like her beautiful mother, and she’s going to be a fighter. I can’t wait to see her and hold her in my arms,” he whispered.

  I smiled as I interlaced our fingers. “I can’t either. She’s the reason God saved me a third time. She’s our little miracle.”

  Forever You

  Forever You

  New York Times, USA Today & Wall Street Journal

  Bestselling Author

  Sandi Lynn

  Forever You copyright © 2013 Sandi Lynn

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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

  Created with Vellum

  Mission Statement

  Sandi Lynn Romance

  Providing readers with romance novels that will whisk them away

  to another world and from the daily grind of life – one book at a time.

  Prologue

  I met Amanda through a friend. I was eighteen years old, and she had just turned seventeen. She was a cute girl with long brown hair, a nice curvy body, and tits that were to die for. I could tell she liked me right from the start. We were at a party the night we met, and we sat near the bonfire to talk. Amanda and I bonded that night, and I had also learned of her twin sister named Ashlyn. We talked for what seemed like hours about our families, goals, and dreams. I took her home, and we exchanged phone numbers. Little did I know, this new relationship would change my life forever.

  We went out at least three times a week, usually on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. When I wasn’t busy working with my father over at Black Enterprises, I would occasionally stop by Amanda’s house during the week and spend a couple of hours with her. Things started out great for us, and I really liked her. The sex was great and there was a lot of it. Everything was good until I started talking about going away to college. She would freak out and make me promise her to call her every day and that I wouldn’t look at other girls. Every time I would try to go out with my friends, she would get upset and start to cry. She accused me of not wanting to spend time with her and that I put others before her. I tried to explain that I wanted to see my friends every once in a while and that it’s not healthy spending every waking moment together. Amanda disagreed and frequently accused me of cheating on her if I didn’t answer her calls right away.

  I felt as though I was being suffocated. I couldn’t have any time to myself, and her behavior was erratic. She told me every day how much she loved me and that she could never live without me. She said we’d be together forever and that nothing would ever separate us. I didn’t love Amanda. I liked her, but I wasn’t in love with her. I wasn’t even sure what love was. The day I tried to end the relationship, Amanda told me that she might be pregnant. A million horrible thoughts ran through my mind, and I couldn’t see myself being tied to this girl for the rest of my life. Luckily, the pregnancy turned out to be a lie. I had a long talk with her sister Ashlyn who told me that Amanda was fine and that I just needed to be patient with her.

  I finally reached the breaking point one day when I went to dinner with a group of friends. Amanda found me and caused a scene in the middle of the restaurant. I took her outside to try and calm her down, but nothing worked. I didn’t have feelings for her anymore, and I could barely stand to look at her. I broke up with her. I had told her that I’d had enough, that it was over between us, and to never call me again. I left her standing on the street crying. I had no choice. She was crazy, and she needed help.

  I received a call from Amanda two days later. She wanted me to come over to talk. As far as I was concerned, there was nothing to talk about. I broke up with her, and I didn’t want to discuss it anymore. She cried and begged me to come over. She said that she had one last thing to talk to me about, and then she would accept that we were over. She told me to wait about an hour because she wasn’t home yet. An hour had passed when I pulled up in her driveway. I knocked on the door, but there was no answer. I knew she was home because her car was in the driveway. Noticing the door was unlocked, I pushed it opened, walked in, and looked around. I called her name, but didn’t get a response. I slowly walked up the stairs and stopped in front of her closed bedroom door. I put my hand on the knob and slowly turned it as I pushed the door open. I gasped at the sight that was before me, Amanda lying on the floor in a pool of blood, and a razor blade lying next to her. I ran over and put my arms under her. “Why did you do it Amanda? Why?” I sobbed as I held her lifeless body in my arms, covered in blood and shaking, as the tears wouldn’t stop pouring from my eyes. My heart was racing, and my body went numb. Suddenly, I saw a shadow in the doorway. I looked up as Ashlyn knelt down beside me and stared at her twin sister.

  “Amanda, how could you do this to me?!” she screamed at her. “We had so many plans. We were going to backpack in Europe together,” Ashlyn cried as she hovered over Amanda’s body and shook her by her shoulders. I pushed her away and yelled at her to stop.

  Ashlyn slowly got up from the floor and walked over to the dresser where she found a letter from Amanda. She picked up the piece of paper and looked at me with uneasiness in her eyes. I slowly released Amanda, stood up, and walked over to Ashlyn where I took the piece of paper from her.

  Connor,

  You are the love of my life. I’ve never felt this way before about someone. You gave me hope. A hope I needed to get through life. When we’re apart, I’m empty inside and lonely. I thought you were the one who was going to save me from myself. I love you more than life itself, but if I can’t have you, and we can’t be together, then I no longer want to live this life. I’m sorry it has to be this way, but you have no one to blame but yourself. I couldn’t go on without you in my life. Please tell Ashlyn I love her and that I’m sorry.

  Amanda

  I stood there with the note in my hand while Ashlyn sobbed. I walked over to comfort her as she held up her finger and spoke to me in a harsh tone.

  “It’s all your fault that my sister’s dead. All you had to do was love her and she’d still be here!”

  That day changed my life forever.

  Chapter 1

  My eyes flew open as my heart was rapidly beating with fear. My bed sheets were soaked, and I was drenched in sweat from the nightmare that constantly plagued my nights. I looked over at the clock sitting on the nightstand, and it was exactly three a.m. I climbed out of bed and walked to the bathroom. I had a hard time catching my breath as I leaned over the sink and looked at myself in the mirror. Turning on the cold water, I splashed my face, took in a deep breath and closed my eyes.

  I never told anyone why Amanda killed herself. I’ve kept this secret buried within me for the past twelve years. The only other person who knew was her sister, Ashlyn. She promised that she wouldn’t speak of it because she didn’t want people to think her sister would harm herself over a guy. I rubbed my face as I walked over and sat on the edge of the bed. Picking up my cell phone from the nightstand, I saw a text message from Ashlyn.<
br />
  “Connor, thank you for tonight. As usual, you completely satisfied me. I look forward to seeing you again for another round of tantalizing sex!”

  I sighed and set my phone down. I stood up, put on my running clothes, and headed out the door for a run. Running always cleared my head, especially after having the nightmares. I ended up running four miles in Central Park. Once my head was clear and I could think straight, I made a mental note to call Dr. Peters. It had been a while since I’d seen him, and I thought it was time I started going back for some therapy sessions. I took out my cell phone, thumbed through my contacts, and decided to text Sarah.

  “I need a stress release. Are you up for it?”

  “Hi to you too, Connor. Do you realize it’s five fifteen? Sure, I’m game.”