by T. L Smith
“If I had a gun,” I mutter to him.
He rolls his eyes. “Yeah, yeah… if you had a gun. Well, listen up. I have my fists, want me to use them?” Jake starts bouncing back and forth from foot to foot like he’s a pro fighter.
“What on earth are you doing, looks like you’re trying to get away from a bee,” Addy says holding the roses in her hand.
“Woman.” He stops bouncing and looks down at her with a warning glare.
“Did I tell you about that, Black? How Jake here jumps and screams like a little girl when there’s a bee around?”
“Woman, I’m about to take you home and spank your fucking ass. Stop ruining my street cred.”
Hayden laughs, and Jake turns giving him a death stare.
“Did I tell you about that time with the banana—” Before she can finish, Jake’s picked her up and thrown her over his shoulder.
“We’ll be back. Give me an hour. Need to spank some sense into this woman.”
“Only an hour,” Addy says with a giggle and waving to us as they go. We hear the spank of her ass and the small chuckle that follows as they walk off toward their house.
“I want to love someone the way you both do,” Hayden says. Watching the space where Jake disappeared into.
“Oh, you will. If someone like me can find someone as fucking fabulous as your mother, I have no doubt you will, too. And maybe you won’t fuck it up like I did.”
“Maybe.” He shrugs his shoulders.
“Meredith, isn’t it? Is she?”
He looks up to me and doesn’t bother lying. “I want her to be. I try to love her the same way she does me. I just don’t think it’s going to happen. She’s not it.”
“I can’t say I know what that feels like. I’ve never tried to love anyone. Rose was the only woman I ever thought of. She was it from the moment I saw her sitting in the fucking rain.”
“I remember how you were, before her. I was young, but I remember.”
Looking up at him, I didn’t think he would remember. Bits and pieces maybe.
“You were the scariest person I’d ever seen, but you were also the safest person I could be with. I knew that, even then.”
I grab his neck and pull him to me in a hug. He’s shocked at first, locking his body as if he’s ready for a fight. Then he relaxes and wraps his arms around me tightly.
“I don’t know where I’d be without you. I don’t even want to wonder. Most likely dead. I owe you everything, Black.”
“You owe me nothing, except maybe helping me finish this fucking yard.” Pushing him away he nods his head.
“She’s going to flip. You don’t ever do this shit for her.”
“Does that make me… bad?” I ask, wondering. I didn’t know this was something people did.
Hayden laughs. “No, you don’t need to do it. That’s a plus with loving someone the same way they love you, I guess.”
Maybe he’s right, I never thought she needed anything… romantic. But I could have been wrong all this time.
18
Rose
“You’ve forgiven him already?” Casey asks as she drives me home after a few wines. She was away for Christmas and got back today—we always spend Boxing Day together. Until, well, we decided to have a new Christmas Day because the first one was ruined.
“Not so much forgiven, more like accepted. I knew who he was. He’s been so good. He slipped. I don’t think he’ll do it again.”
Casey raises an eyebrow as we pull up to my driveway. “You chose to be with a man who was known for exactly what you wanted him to stop being?”
“Exactly. So that’s why I can’t be too mad. Yes, I am mad that he did it, but I can’t leave him over it.”
“Plus, there’s that big fat factor…” she wiggles her eyebrows at me, “… that you love the shit out of him.”
Leaning over I kiss her cheek before I get out. “That’s a major factor. Actually, the only factor, to be exact.” Getting out and shutting the door, I look back through the window. “And I love you, too. Thank you.” I wait until she’s gone before I walk into the house. It’s dark when I enter. Looking down at the floor, I notice there are tea light candles making a pathway. My heart jumps from my chest, I have to catch it and bring it back as I follow the lights to the backyard. The first person I see is Hayden. He smiles. My fingers brush his hand as I keep walking. Isabelle is next, then little Liam. Looking past him as I clutch his little hand in mine. I notice rose petals cover the ground, so I follow them with my eyes until I see him.
Liam’s standing at the end, the gorgeous little lights stop at him. It’s ironic really because all my light does stop with him.
“What’s going on?” I ask as I continue to walk to him.
He grips my hand in his, his smile is easy when it touches his lips. “I don’t know why I haven’t done this sooner. Forgive me?”
“Be romantic? I don’t need romance from you, Liam.”
“Don’t expect it often.” He winks at me. It makes me giggle because it’s true.
This is extremely unexpected.
But what comes next is totally unanticipated.
His hand touches my face, his fingers linger on my lip before he drops down on one knee.
My hands fly to my mouth, a gasp so loud follows. Then he opens a box, a box with the most stunning ring I’ve ever seen. It’s shaped like a snowflake. There’s a diamond in the center with black diamonds surrounding it. Its dazzling brilliance is almost blinding as it twinkles and sparkles in the light.
“Rose, our love is one for the books. No one can love someone the way I love you. It’s not humanly possible. I tried to stop myself from loving you all those years ago, that was a mistake. You see, you’re etched so fucking far in here…” he points to his heart, “… that there’s no way you’re getting out. And I don’t want you out. But I also want to promise you, that those things I’ve done, I won’t do again. Because knowing I’m the one that hurt you, hurts more than you can ever possibly imagine. I just want to know one thing, Rose…” He pauses, and I nod my head for him to continue.
My heart’s in my hands as I watch him, he looks so flawless. His black suit clinging to him in all the perfect ways, and here he is bending on one knee on the ground in front of me. Like I’m the only person to bring him to his knees.
“Will you marry me?”
My eyes leave him, the kids now standing close. Waiting and watching for my answer, while I try to blink away the tears that pool in my eyes as I lean down. Gripping his face with my fingers, I start talking, “I will, Liam Black. Because I love you. Today. Tomorrow. The next day. And every day after that.”
The kids start clapping and whistling. His arms circle around me as he picks me up and spins me around. Then he stops and kisses me. He tastes like my tears and everything that’s the sweet Liam Black. Gripping his face, I show him how much I love him with just our lips.
Not once did I think he would propose to me.
Ever.
The dream of a wedding, well, I never really had that.
Not that I didn’t see a future with him, just that I was happy being us. Knowing that was enough for me, no ring or a certificate could change that fact, at all.
“Can you believe Dad did that? This is the best Christmas ever,” Isabelle says, smiling. She turns and walks inside with the other two, leaving us standing in the yard by ourselves with me still wrapped around him.
“You did all this? You know I didn’t need it, right?”
He grips my ass, pinching it. “I know you didn’t need it, or maybe even want it. But I need and want you to be officially mine… in every way humanly possible. So if you ever leave, I’ll find you.”
I laugh at his words. “As if I would ever leave you.” I kiss his nose then kiss my way back to his lips.
“I would find you. It’s what I’m good at,” he says between kisses.
“I would hope you’d find me because I’m always going to be yours.”
19
Rose
One year later…
We made Christmas even more special this year. My green dress scrapes the floor as I fix Isabelle’s lipstick. She’s dressed in the perfect shade of red which blends in well with her hair and her blue eyes. I see beauty in all that she is.
“Wow, Mom,” little Liam says from behind me. He runs to me hugging me tightly.
“You’ll wrinkle her dress.”
I shake my head at Isabelle’s words.
“Dad’s waiting. It’s time,” Hayden says, opening the door. Little Liam and Isabelle walk out, leaving Hayden and me standing here.
“You look beautiful, Mom, truly beautiful.”
I kiss his cheek as he places his hand in mine. We step out of the tent I used to get dressed in. A red carpet is laid perfectly on the ground ready for me to walk on. Scattered on the carpet are rose petals shaped in small love hearts, and there are arches with flowers dangling all over them along the way. Honestly, it’s stunning.
Looking up the hill, the same hill we’ve been to several times before, the one that if you jump, you’ll end up in a bottomless waterhole. It’s the same one we swam in as kids then as adults. It’s where we chose to be married. It has both good and bad memories attached to it. But it’s ours.
All our friends wait for me as Hayden walks me to him, my green dress clings to my body showing my bare back. The lace trails down my arms to my wrists. The fabric of the dress lengthens to the floor, and a small train drags behind me. It’s not your typical white dress. No. It’s what we like. We aren’t normal, so why would we make this anything like normal.
Liam smiles the minute his eyes touch mine, then the most marvelous thing happens, a tear leaves his eye, one so small that if you weren’t watching you’d surely miss it. Hayden stops me from going straight into his arms and holds me to him. He kisses my cheek then releases me to Liam. Who I go to gladly.
“You look beautiful.”
I assess him in his black suit. “You don’t look so bad yourself.”
“We tried to get him to wear pink,” Jake says from behind us.
Everyone laughs as Liam cringes.
“No more pink for you, okay, babe?”
He nods his head and everything else goes silent. Nothing else exists as the ceremony goes on. And soon after, before we have to meet everyone at the reception, we wait for everyone to depart, leaving just us remaining. He undoes the back of my dress as the sun starts to set. It floats to the ground at my feet while he undresses. I purposely wore nothing underneath, and when he pushes against me I can feel his excitement. He pushes me forward until my feet hit the edge of the cliff. Looking down, the green water almost looks black as the sun sets.
Liam’s hand wraps in mine as he steps in next to me. “One last time.”
“One last time.” I nod then we jump, together holding hands until I can no longer see anything but the blackness. Coming up for air, he isn’t up, but I don’t panic. He’ll come up when he’s ready. The blackness calls to him more so than anyone else.
His dark hair is the first thing that surfaces, and as he does, he pulls me to him. Our bodies connecting, joining as one.
“Liam,” I say as I feel him, right in that spot.
“Wife,” he says as he enters me. That word leaving his lips is something I never thought I would hear. It’s not something I craved for. Ever. But it was something I sometimes thought about.
He makes love to me, with a need and domination I’ve never felt before. He does more than consume me, he owns me. Whole.
My hands find the rock behind me and I cling to it as I let him have me. When we come, he bites my shoulder, hard. Then he licks that exact same spot, soothing it with his mouth.
“We have a wedding reception to get to,” I say as he holds me while we float on the water just being with one another in the calmness of night. I’m glad I didn’t wear much make-up, it would have been a waste.
“Why, I own you now.”
I giggle at his words. “You already did. Now you have a piece of paper to prove it,” I say climbing up on the rocks. He smacks my ass and follows me up. Liam helps me into my dress, zipping it up before he gets dressed.
Our car is in the same spot it was when we arrived.
“Are you ready for a whole new chapter of our lives, Mrs. Black?” he asks me.
My hair is soaking wet and dripping down my back. I wipe it away as I answer him, “I’ve always been ready, Mr. Black. Now, why don’t we go celebrate with those we love.”
“Those we love. Who would have thought I was capable of loving more than you?”
I wink as I grab his hands. “I always knew you could. You just took some time to see it for yourself.”
THE END.
Also by T.L Smith
Other books by TL Smith
Sasha's Dilemma (Dilemma #1) FREE
Adam’s Heaven (Dilemma #1.5)
Sasha’s Demons (Dilemma #2)
Kandiland
Pure Punishment (Standalone)
Antagonize Me (Standalone)
Degrade (Flawed #1)
Twisted (Flawed #2)
Black (Black #1)
Red (Black #2)
White (Black #3)
Distrust (Smirnov Bratva #1) FREE
Disbelief (Smirnov Bratva #2)
Defiance (Smirnov Bratva #3)
Dismissed (Smirnov Bratva #4)
Lovesick (Standalone)
Lotus (Standalone)
Savage Collision (A Savage Love Duet book 1)
Savage Reckoning (A Savage Love Duet book 2)
Buried in Lies
Distorted Love (Dark Intentions Duet 1)
Sinister Love (Dark Intentions Duet 2)
Connect with T.L Smith by tlsmithauthor.com
Join her mailing list here.
Acknowledgments
There are so many I want to thank while on this journey, especially those who took a chance on Black. He was so unknown when I wrote him, but he bled onto my pages like he was always meant to be there. I just didn’t know until quite some time after. So, out of thanks, I wanted to write this short story for those who love him as much as I do, and as a thank you for all your support since Black. He truly is a man I loved writing. And I hope you love him as much as I do. So thank you to you, for reading. To sticking with me through it all. It’s because of you reading this right now that I continue to write men who aren’t perfect and woman who are strong. (Woman power!)
Lots of love,
T.L Smith x
Distorted Love Excerpt
Prologue
Saskia
My hands run the length of the cold cement wall at the back of the alley. I’m in a place I don’t recognize but I was requested to meet here. Straightening my posture, I brush my fingers through my blonde hair and take another step, one foot in front of the other in my high heels. These things cost me more than a pretty penny with their signature red soles. So here I am because I received an email telling me the location.
It has to be her.
Or so I thought.
It’s been one year since I’ve seen her. Or him for that matter. They ran off together. I loved him as much as I loved her. It wasn’t fair. They broke my heart.
Checking my phone, I pause with one hand on the cement wall and notice I have no reception. Great. Just what I need. Rummaging through my bag, I check for my wallet, and find my pills and bottle of water as well. Hey, at least I have water. If I die today, I’ll be hydrated.
It’s late. My last client was finalized before I left to come here. So, after this, I plan to go and sit in my bath and drink all the fucking wine.
If I make it out alive, that is. Looking up, there’s a white door a short distance away from me. It has a sign hanging from a rusty nail that states ‘Knock Three Times.’ I want to laugh and purposely knock only once, or twice, to be a smart ass. I restrain myself. Instead, I go against my better judgment and knock three times like th
e sign says.
Standing there, I wait for the door to magically open. It doesn’t. Instead, nothing happens. So I knock again. This time, four times for good measure. I chuckle. Nothing.
Turning around, I notice the door I entered through is now shut.
Fuck! I swear I left it open. How did that happen?
A scream rips from my mouth.
Quinn is standing in front of me.
That same deadly stare he had all those years ago still in place.
He’s dangerous.
He’s a collector. And not of things. Of people.
“Saskia.” He says my name then steps back, pushing the door open to a dark room.
I don’t want to walk in there. Who the fuck knows what’s in that room, and I sure as shit don’t want to find out. I’m more than happy keeping all my body parts today, thank you very much.
Turning, a voice stops me.
It isn’t Quinn’s.
No, it’s him.
Emotions slam into me.
Hate.
Love.
Lust.
Anger.
He holds them all. He’s the reason I’m the person I am today.
“Barbie…” A shiver runs over my skin, and the hairs on the back of my neck stand up like little soldiers.
Ryken Lord is back.
But what for?
“Ryken,” I say, spinning around and staring into the darkened room. He lights a small candle, the flicker letting me make out his shape as I step into the room. Quinn shuts the door behind me and effectively locks us in.
“You shouldn’t have come back.” He steps forward, and my heart slams into my chest.
Boom.
Boom.
Boom.
