by Alexis Anne
He slowly turned toward me, hands still on the wheel, eyes wide. I think he was in shock.
“Are you okay?”
He blinked. “What are they doing here?”
The Senator and Rose quickly made their way down the steps, followed by Adam, Elizabeth, and most of the cousins we’d met in Maine—there were even some I didn’t recognize in the crowd.
I smiled because Jake was adorably clueless. “They’re here to be with you. That’s what families do, babe.”
And right then my heart grew a hundred sizes for Jake. Yeah, he had me, and by extension my family, but it didn’t compare to this. Having people who cared about your well-being was important. The more the merrier.
This was huge.
Doubt flickered in his eyes. “You don’t think this is just a publicity stunt?”
I reached out and cupped his stubbled cheek. I needed to connect with him, ground him. It was all so foreign to him—family who didn’t need to use and abuse him.
“Do you see any news trucks or reporters? Because I don’t.”
His shoulders relaxed and he leaned into my hand on his cheek. “They’re all here for me?”
I nodded.
“This is…new.”
I launched myself across the console and kissed him full on the lips. “I love you. It’s okay to be confused. But you should really open your door and let them see you.”
“We’re alive,” he breathed.
“We’re alive.” I smiled reassuringly.
He nodded once, then took my hand and pressed a kiss to my palm before opening his door and a very happy Rose wrapped her arms around his neck. I just sat and watched with amazement and a little bit of relief as the Senator waited his turn, then yanked Jake into a hug, too.
And this time the hug wasn’t awkward at all.
Rose kissed my cheek. “It is such a relief to see you with our own eyes.”
“Trust me, it is a relief to be seen.”
“We were so worried. We were campaigning in Atlanta. As soon as they’d let us take off we flew into Orlando and came straight here.”
“How did you know?”
She smiled. “Jennie. She got in touch with the campaign and we took it from there.”
Thank goodness for Jennie and her eternally meddling ways. Not that I would ever classify this as meddling. It was more like stepping in and building a bridge she saw needing to be built.
“You have no idea what this means,” I whispered because I was more than a little choked up.
“I hope it means a whole lot.” She pulled me a couple of feet away. “I know I made a massive mistake.” She winced. “A few mistakes, actually. But I think for the first time I can finally see things clearly and I want to do it right. I used to be so scared of making the wrong decision. Of making anyone upset. I let my life be dictated to me. I’ve become a miserable shell of a person.”
I wanted to hug her. This Rose was a woman I wanted to get to know. I was struck by her presence when I first met her at breakfast in Maine, but now she had the words and confidence to go with it. “I’m glad. This is a perfect way to start again.”
A genuine smile lit up her entire face.
THE STORY GOT OUT. I suppose it was inevitable. A father who risked everything to save his trapped family during a freak hurricane? Yeah, of course it got out. And Jake decided it wasn’t worth fighting anymore. He let the cat out of the bag about his relationship to the Senator.
To his credit, the Senator did a fantastic job of handling the story. Somehow Jake’s childhood was never an issue, just the life he’d built with his family in Tampa as a member of the community and a business leader. The story came and went without totally disrupting out lives—which was already in a pretty bizarre state.
Hurricane Claudia had partially spared the houses on our island, including ours, thanks to spending a significant amount of time inside the eye of the storm. The roof was gone and there was extensive water damage from rain and storm surge, but the house was still there. I still didn’t understand how that was possible when it had destroyed so much.
Twenty-three people lost their lives during the storm, including nine at the mall. Several neighborhoods had been leveled and even more flooded, but the city was rebuilding, and we were too. It felt right. The house symbolized us—still standing through the worst storms of our lives. If the events of the last year couldn’t tear us down, nothing could.
“What do you think, darlin’? We could really use an upstairs hot tub.” His arm was around me as we sat looking up at the house. It was dusk and the sky was bright orange. The roof had just been finished and reconstruction was moving forward on the inside of the house.
“I don’t know,” I sighed. “A private hot tub on our private deck? I don’t know that we’d ever use it…”
He just shook his head at my sarcasm. “So that’s a yes?”
“Hell yeah that’s a yes. We already have fun on our deck. Add in a hot tub and I may quit my job.”
“You without baseball doesn’t seem quite right.”
I’d never be happy with a life that didn’t include baseball. “True, but you make staying home so tempting.”
“I’d spend all my time with you if I could.”
“I love you,” I sighed.
“I love you, too. Always.”
I turned to look up into his handsome green eyes. We’d been through so much together but one thing had never changed. From the moment we met, Jake had looked at me as if I were the answer to a question I didn’t know had been asked, but was absolutely happy to solve.
“What do you think we’ll be doing twenty years from now?”
He shrugged. “Probably this. Sitting together, loving each other, and thinking about what comes next.” He leaned down and brushed a kiss against my ear. “And making the sweetest love.”
I kissed him. “I hope we never slow down.”
“We won’t,” he assured me. “We love hard and we love fast.”
EPILOGUE
SIX MONTHS LATER
“Can I come back?” Marissa asked, looking up with the biggest blue eyes.
“Of course. We already scheduled the date.”
She beamed at me with a tear in her eyes. “I can’t wait!”
“Have a good week at school. I want to hear all about it when we have cookies at Grace’s on Friday.”
“Of course Miss Eve. Thank you again.”
We waved as Marissa and her foster parents pulled out of the driveway. “She’s really taken a liking to you,” Jake murmured against my ear as we closed the door.
“I really took a liking to her, too. I think she’ll be around a lot.”
We’d officially moved back into our house three months ago and resumed respite care of foster children a month after that. One of the foster families we used to help out years ago had become part of a larger support group. We were now one of the group’s regular respite care families.
And for the first time, one of the kids had bonded more with me than with Jake.
“We have an empty house for the next two hours…” he drawled.
Sam and Max weren’t the best at saying goodbye so Marie had picked them up an hour earlier for a tea date with Natalie, giving us a couple of hours to put things back in order.
And the first thing I wanted to get straight was us. Because when we were in sync everything made sense. It didn’t matter if there was hurricanes, politics, unwelcome guests, or morning snuggles with our daughters, as long as Jake and I were on the same page then we could deal with anything the universe threw at us.
“I’ll race you upstairs,” I said a split second before I took off.
Jake’s laugh followed me as he rushed to keep up. He caught me at the top of the stairs and swept me into his arms. “I got you.”
“But I won,” I breathed a split second before he kissed me hard on the mouth.
“You can win as long as you take me with you.” He walked me backward into our bedroom and didn’t
bother closing the door.
“I’ll always take you with me.” I swept my tongue between his lips asking for a deeper kiss.
He complied, angling his mouth over mine and tightening his arms around my waist. “Even when I’m being grumpy?”
I pulled back just enough to look into his eyes. “Those are the times I hold on to you the tightest and yank extra hard to keep you with me.” Then I stepped out of his arms and started unbuttoning my shirt.
He grinned as he watched my striptease and started one of his own when my panties hit the floor. The sight of carefully sculpted muscles wrapping down his arms took my breath away. I think that was what would always turn me on most. When we were eighteen and he was terribly skinny he still had these fantastic ropes of muscles that stretched down his biceps and into his forearms. They’d been just as deliciously gorgeous back then as they were today, on the strong, capable father of my children.
“Don’t ever stop looking at me like that, darlin’.”
“I won’t.” I licked my lips as his pants hit the floor. “I couldn’t. You do things to me, Jake. You make me feel like my heart and soul are on fire.”
His eyes grew darker. “I wasn’t alive until I met you. I have this life because of you. Do you have any idea how sexy that is?”
I shook my head.
He pushed me backward onto our bed and then lay down on top of me—his weight sealing our naked bodies together.
“Helping me build this life is the sexiest thing in the world. I have love, a family, and a future, all because you told me I was worth it. So, so sexy, Eve.”
My heart skipped a beat and my core fluttered. “I have all this because you believed what I told you. You are the sexiest, strongest man on the planet. And you’re all mine.”
I rocked my hips up. He adjusted, kissing my neck and breasts until the head of his cock was seated in my warmth, then started thrusting slow and long. “This is home.”
And as we came together with the same passion that first drew me to him so many years ago, I fully understood how beautiful it was to find home. Jake loved me, but pushed me to be bigger and better everyday, and wanted to be bigger and better for me in return. Together we were safe and whole, strong and full of hope. We built our future as a team.
This was love, and it had been worth every sacrifice along the way.
THE END
MORE FROM ALEXIS ANNE
THE STORM INSIDE
Reflected in the Rain
When Lightning Strikes
Never Let Go
Tease
Tempt
Burn
Stripped
5 Dirty Sins
The Storm Inside Box Set
The Tease & Stripped Double Box Set
The Complete List of Alexis Anne Books
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
A very special thanks to all my readers. Your love of Jake and Eve is exceptional. Writing each and every one of the Storm Inside books has taken an emotional toll on me, but it has also been a wonderful journey. This story has clogged the back of my brain for years and now that it’s out, I can finally write about all of Jake and Eve’s friends. I cannot tell you how excited I am to write these books and to continue checking in with Jake and Eve along the way.
I’ve had a rough year. The kind where phrases like “never let go” have very real meaning. So I need to thank my husband Nate for not giving up on himself and then turning around and not giving up on me.
And finally, thank you to the ladies of First Draught, Mary Chris Escobar and Julia Kelly. They have been on the Storm Inside journey from day one.
I’m really tired, but I love you all to pieces. xoxo
-Alexis
WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF TEASE
When two protected hearts find safety and undeniable chemistry in a fling with a hard expiration date, sparks fly.
Tease
Welcome to Calhoun Beach, a sleepy beach town on the shores of South Carolina, filled with history…and secrets. Dr. Elizabeth Filler has carefully built a quiet life away from prying eyes. She doesn’t trust anyone and the last thing she’s looking for is love. Adam Callaway is Calhoun Beach’s prodigal son home for a two week vacation. He’s spent his life keeping his boundaries up and avoiding two family legacies…and he just might be the only person who can understand Elizabeth’s complicated past.
Tempt
When Elizabeth’s best friend Allison Riley heads to London in search of a leg up in her career, the last thing she expects is to stumble into the city’s most mysterious and eligible bachelor. Theo Sutherland has spent his life trying to make up for the sins of his past, but when the beautiful American dances into his arms and sees right past his walls, he is forced to decide whether he wants to continue paying for his mistakes, or finally find a way to move forward…and fall in love.
Burn
Theo’s brother Michael ran away from the Sutherland family legacy and never looked back. Ava Hanson has spent her life building a secure career so that she never has to relive the chaos of her childhood, but when one night of passion turns into two weeks with Michael in Calhoun Beach, he forces her to realize there is more to life: like love, passion, and family.
Stripped
Travis Brantley, Adam’s best friend, simply wants to make a living doing what he knows best: making music. When he’s sucked into opening for yet another “pop princess” he can’t help but wonder if she’s all makeup and costumes or if there is actually a singer underneath the electronic sound. Kristen Holt is tired of being used by the label. All she wants is to make real music and prove she has what it takes to succeed beyond her looks. When a challenge on stage is caught on camera, their fame skyrockets, and so does their undeniable chemistry.
*Adam Callaway is Jake Spencer’s cousin. If you love the world of The Storm Inside, check out Tease!
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AN EXCERPT FROM TEASE
I was getting close to my building. All I had to do was walk past the restaurant and up to my apartment—grilled cheese for dinner was as good as anything. But my legs weren’t listening to my head and, before I knew it, I was stepping inside Seychelles instead of the door to my apartment.
My heart was thudding in my chest like a drum, making my cheeks flush and skin burn like I was out for a run. I wanted this. It scared the crap out of me, but my attraction was so strong that it wasn’t worth fighting.
I stopped at the window and checked my reflection, smoothing down my dark hair and unbuttoning an extra button on my blouse to expose some cleavage. But then I turned toward the bar and realized it was empty and I was an idiot. Adam wasn’t there.
Of course he wasn’t there. What was I thinking? It wasn’t a sure thing and yet…I was positive Adam would be there, waiting for me with a wicked grin.
“Elizabeth?” It was Hannah, the hostess, approaching me from her podium.
“Hey, sorry. I thought I was going to grab dinner real quick, but I’m not feeling great. I think I’ll just make a sandwich and go to bed.”
She cocked her head and the corner of her lips turned up a little. “Actually, I was coming over here because someone wants to see you.”
I froze somewhere between mortification and anticipation. “Who?”
“Adam Callaway. He asked me to show you to his table when you arrived. Unless—”
I held up my hand. “No, it’s fine.” Now I really was an idiot. Hannah had probably seen all my primping.
Her smile turned into a full-blown grin. “Right this way.”
I followed her through the restaurant, weaving through a smattering of tables filled with quiet couples grabbing a quick dinner after work, and into the darkest corner. Adam was looking down at his phone and I got a chance to study him for a moment. His dark hair was brushed back, but loose and a little messy. He wore a light blue button-up and grey slacks. He looked like he’d just come from a meeting and not at all like
he was enjoying a vacation.
The moment he saw us approaching he pushed back his chair and rose to his feet, a dazzling smile playing on his lips—not quite the wicked one I was imagining, but close. He was just as sexy as I remembered him.
Actually, that was a lie. He was even sexier. His broad shoulders pulled at the seams of his perfectly tailored shirt and suddenly I was wondering what they’d look like straining as he moved inside me.
“I’m glad you came.”
“I’m glad I came, too,” I replied with a smile. The kind that usually gave guys the idea I wasn’t using that word lightly.
Adam chuckled, catching my hint. He kissed me lightly on the cheek before we each sat. Hannah was gone by the time I looked up, but I could hear her giggle from across the restaurant.
Subtle was not the word of the night.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I thought a table would make conversation easier.”
“Who said I wanted to talk?” I was going for the obvious. It would be better for both of us if I made my intentions clear from the beginning.
Adam coughed a little. Perhaps my forwardness was a bit much. I tried to dial it back a little.
“Well I guess I don’t have to ask if this is a friendly dinner or not.”
I grinned. “I’m glad you brought that up. Can we lay all our cards on the table?”
“Can I drink first?” he asked, picking up the glass of red wine in front of him.
“Absolutely. Mind if I share?”
“Not at all, that’s why I got the bottle.” He picked up the Wente Cabernet Sauvignon I’d been drinking the night before, and filled my glass half way. “Now, what did you have in mind?”
It was make or break time. I needed my terms to be clear or I’d have to walk away. I was ridiculously attracted to Adam, but I couldn’t risk this being anything other than sex. “If I understood our conversation last night, you are only in town for a short visit?”
He nodded slowly, his eyes locked on to mine. I couldn’t tell if he liked what I was saying or not.
