by K, S
"I love you, Brooke Worthington," he whispered in my ear as I drifted off to the best night of sleep of my life.
CHAPTER FORTY
Savannah
BROOKE AND I stood in my guest room while Penelope was downstairs tending to her three adorable grandchildren.
"Are you sure about this?" she asked, her face held a look of panic.
"Oh my goodness, Brooke, quit being a baby and get naked!" I shouted.
Hesitantly, she untied her silk robe, allowing it to drop to the hardwood floor beneath her.
Tears pricking my eyes, I admired how stunning my best friend looked in her black lace lingerie set. After she'd healed from her breast implant procedure, I'd convinced her to let me photograph a boudoir session so she could surprise Josh with pictures.
"Oh, Brooke. Josh is going to go nuts over these. You are gorgeous."
Her lips began to lift upward into a semi-smile. "You think they'll be good?"
I shook my head no. "I don't do good, darling. I do fantastic, phenomenal, breathtakingly brilliant! I can assure you, he is going to keep these photos in his spank bank for years to come."
Brooke began to laugh, her entire body shaking as she lifted her hands up. "Oh my gosh, shut up before you cause my make-up to run." She dabbed at her eyes, trying to keep the tears from falling down her face.
"Okay, seriously, let's get this show on the road. I'm dying to get these onto the computer so I can send them to print!"
Brooke climbed on top of the white comforter and then threw herself back. "I feel like an idiot. I can't do this."
I set my camera down, climbed onto the bed next to her and tugged on her arms so she was sitting up. "First off, you are going to mess up your hair if you keep throwing yourself around like a child. Second off, you look amazing. These pictures are going to mean so much to Josh. Think of how long you hid your body from him. He loves you, Brooke, all of you, and you need to show him that you are finally confident in your own skin again. Now quit being one of those models I bitch and complain about." I slapped her thigh and jumped off the bed.
We spent the next two hours taking picture after picture. I must have made her change into twenty-five different outfits to ensure that there was enough variety for her to choose from. We both rushed down to Jake's office, and I plugged my camera into his computer, both of us watching the pictures load on the screen in front of us.
"You better send these straight to work. I would die if Jake saw these," Brooke demanded.
Slapping her hand away from the mouse, I nodded. "Oh come on, maybe he could use a little spice in his life. Isn't it every man's fantasy to have both his wife and her sexy best friend?"
Brooke made a puking sound. "I think I just threw up in my mouth!"
Laughing uncontrollably, I loaded the pictures into a password-protected folder and sent them off to my Hourglass email account. "I'm totally just kidding. I'm too territorial over Jake. I'd kill any woman who tried to come between him and me. Besides, I want you all to myself."
Brooke shook her head. "Savannah!" she shouted as I continued to laugh.
"You're too easy, Brooke," I teased.
I climbed out of Jake's office chair and headed into the living room where Penelope was spread out on the living room floor with all three babies.
I scooped Emma up into my arms and twirled her around, kissing her all over her chubby cheeks. "My sweet baby girl is so beautiful. Mommy needs to get you back in front of the camera. It's been too long since we've had a photo shoot."
Penelope stood with Ethan in her arms, and Brooke cradled Hope. "It's been less than a week," they both said in unison.
I scrunched my nose before leaning in to nuzzle my sweet baby boy who was giggling in my mother-in–law's arms. "What about you, chunkster? Are you ready for your close-up?"
Ethan's hands swatted in the air as his beautiful giggle filled the room. I covered his face in kisses and then did the same to my little Emma again before I laid her back down on her chenille blanket. "Mommy and Aunt Brooke have got a few more photos to take, and then we'll be finished for the day." I looked to Penelope. "Are you okay for another hour?"
"Of course. I could do this all day, every day."
"Great, thank you so much. Brooke, put Hope down. I need you." I darted up the stairs while I heard Brooke cooing to her sweet baby girl before following behind me.
Once in my and Jake's room, she finally asked, "What else do we have to do? I thought we were finished?"
Faking a wicked laugh, I pulled my shirt over my head and undid my jeans and dropped them to the floor. "Did you really think I was going to let you have all of the fun? Jake needs some sexy pictures, too!"
I pushed the double-doors of our enormous closet open and stepped in, going straight for my lingerie drawer. I quickly slipped into Jake's favorite charcoal-grey get-up. Then I rushed into the bathroom, freshened my make-up, teased my hair a bit, and came back out, modeling in the doorway.
"What do you think?" I asked as Brooke looked on, grinning at my antics.
"I think I'm not a photographer, and Jake probably gets you like this every single day, so why do you need pictures?"
I slowly sashayed across the room and climbed onto the arm of Jake's leather chair, straddling it. "Contrary to popular opinion, I may not always be this perfect, so I might as well capture it while I've still got it."
Brooke snagged a pillow from my bed and threw it at me. "You are ridiculous. How in the hell do you work this thing, anyway?" She walked over and shook the camera in my face.
"Easy woman, that's twenty thousand dollars of pure sex appeal that you're holding." I took the camera from her hands and adjusted all of the settings then handed it back. "Point and shoot. It's as simple and as complicated as that."
Brooke took a step back and lifted the camera to her eye. "Work it, Savannah. Show this camera who's boss."
I did my best to look seductive and not burst out laughing at Brooke's remarks as she snapped away. After a few wardrobe changes and enough pictures to ensure a few winners, I just began to act crazy. I climbed on top of the bed and flung my leg around the bedpost. "Oh, Jake, this is how I make extra money on the weekends." I tried to twirl around and ended up giving my leg a wood burn, and Brooke lost it.
She threw my camera onto my bed and slid down to the floor, tears pouring down her face as she laughed hysterically. Just then, as I'd started to climb off the bedpost, the door was pushed open, and Jake stepped in.
He looked from me to Brooke and then back to me. "Do I even want to know what in the hell is going on?"
I slipped down the post and onto the floor next to Brooke, who was still laughing uncontrollably, and gripped her hand, linking our fingers together. "Don't ask. Just back away slowly."
As he turned to walk out of our room, he ran directly into his brother, both of them now standing there watching Brooke and me.
I reached up and found a blanket from the bed before quickly covering my practically naked body and rested my head on Brooke's shoulder, still laughing. "I love you, Brooke Worthington. Best friends forever."
Her hand squeezed mine tighter. "Forever. I love you too. So much."
EPILOGUE
AS SAVANNAH HUNG the last of the decorations for the party, Brooke was letting the baker in the door. Slowly, she pulled out three cakes that each sat on pedestals of their own, exquisitely decorated to represent a different child.
Emma toddled past Savannah, and she swooped her up and tossed her into the air, a musical giggle erupting from the small red lips. Emma was all girl, dressed in a frilly dress that had layers of ruffle after ruffle coming out from underneath the chiffon.
"There is my sweet birthday girl," Savannah exclaimed as she sprinkled kisses all over Emma before placing her gingerly back on her feet and letting her scurry off.
Brooke walked over to Savannah and laced her hands within hers, leaning in close and touching their temples together. "I can't believe we are at this day alre
ady," she said wistfully.
"Me either," Savannah agreed as she gave Brooke's hand a gentle squeeze. "Our babies are all one year old, and you are in remission. What more could we ask for?"
The question hung in the air as neither woman had an answer. Life was blissfully perfect. Jake and Josh came down the stairs, Ethan and Hope in their arms.
As soon as Hope spotted Brooke, she squirmed in Josh's arms. "Ma-Ma!" she called, begging to be set free. Once Josh was in the bottom step, he placed Hope on her feet, and she took off straight for Brooke, as Savannah walked over and took Ethan from Jake's arms.
"So girls, is this shindig all ready? Guests will be arriving any minute now." Jake checked the time on his watch to confirm the time.
"I'm almost done. I have one more thing I want hung, but you and Josh will need to do it," She instructed as she pointed toward an extra-large banner that was bigger than both men.
"Seriously, Savannah?" Jake groaned as Josh began to laugh.
"Jake Worthington, have you ever known me to do something less that extraordinary?"
Ignoring the bickering, Brooke continued to love on Hope. "My precious Hope, do you know how special you are? It's thanks to you that Mommy is here. You gave me the reason to fight. For you, baby girl, I would move mountains," Brooke cooed as she danced slowly with Hope, soaking in her peals of laughter.
Ethan tugged on Brooke's skirt. "Ope," he called, asking for his cousin to be set down. As soon as Brooke set her on her feet, both little ones wobbled toward Emma, who was playing with a set of make-up brushes Savannah had bought for the girls.
Josh snuck up behind Brooke. The sign was finally hung after Savannah had them move it to the left and to the right, until finally she'd decided they were hopeless and settled with where they had it. While Josh wrapped his arms around Brooke and watched as the kids all played merrily together with Penelope standing close, Jake tossed Savannah over his shoulder and ran toward the pool, stopping just short and kissing her.
The guests arrived, friends from Worthington Squared and Hourglass. Brooke and Savannah were overwhelmed with joy.
"To think, one man almost ruined this. Made this all almost impossible," Brooke said aloud.
"Never. That would have never happened, Brooke. You and I are inseparable, friends for life," Savannah reassured as Jake and Josh nodded.
"We would have found you both," Jake said. And he kissed Savannah passionately on the lips.
"It was meant to be from the start," Josh finished, and then locked lips with Brooke just as passionately.
"Boys, I think the babies are ready for cake," Penelope called as she walked toward us. "You four can give me more grandchildren after the party."
As the boys doubled over in laughter, Brooke turned beet red. Unfazed, Savannah made her way to the cakes and placed candles in each one. Once Emma, Ethan, and Hope were put in their chairs, the guests began to sing "Happy Birthday" as the kids clapped their hands to the beat. Each one seemed thrilled with the attention. As the song concluded, Brooke, Josh, Savannah, and Jake all leaned in toward the flickering candles.
"Make a wish!" Penelope called out as they all blew out the candles.
As cheers erupted, Jake leaned in to Savannah and whispered, "What more could we possibly wish for?"
Stay tuned for a sneak peek of:
HOURGLASS CUBED
Hourglass Book 3
CHAPTER ONE
Luke
EVERYONE WANTS TO MAKE me the bad guy. The Villain. But really who can blame me for what I did? What red-blooded man wouldn't have pursued two amazing women. I'd like to think I'm just misunderstood, because truly, at first, I didn't intend to play Brooke and Savannah, it just kind of happened, and then kept happening, and soon I didn't know how to even begin to stop it. And really look at them, they married twins, two men who look the same, yet have different personalities. Different traits. Is that so different from what I did? The reverse, maybe. Because while they wanted one man to be two different people; I just wanted two personalities to make one woman.
I am the man who catches every woman's eye, hell even the men's some days. I run in an elite social circle and sit up in my office at Nike, quite comfortable as I consider the desires of the people shopping our products. That is my skill set, knowing what people desire, and occasionally giving it to them. That's what got me into the shit with the girls, each one wanted me, I knew it, and I could read them like a book; and so I exploited it until it came back and bit me in the ass. How was I supposed to resist to amazingly beautiful women throwing themselves at me? What straight man would?
I have to admit though, the annual Hourglass Auction night, not my finest moment. As I stood there on the literal chopping block, my balls in a vise grip I knew I was in trouble. Savannah was my first clue, the gleam in her eyes as I stood on stage beside Monica, I knew she was up to something. She was too coy, too touchy before I got sent back stage and my brain was on red alert, unfortunately for me all the blood was rushing to my other head and it won the battle.
As the girls moved closer I knew that I was in for it, they were too close, and while at first they seemed like they may just start a cat fight right there in the ball room, I knew I was busted. Finished. This would be the massacre of Lucas Wellington. When Brooke smiled at Savannah, I knew they had figured it out. Like a game of clue they were dumping out the little manila folder to unveil the mystery. It was Lucas Wellington, in the Nike office, with a condom.
Waiting in the hotel room, I'll be honest, probably worse than standing on that stage. At least on stage I had witnesses to my murder, because the look in both their eyes once they announced they'd split the cost because I had been bouncing between both of them, was pure murderous rage. By the time they strutted out my face was burning from Brooke's slaps, my nose was pouring blood from Savannah, and my pockets were fifty thousand dollars emptier. Yeah, lesson learned, don't mess with best friends.
But yet, as I dealt with the loss of both women I found myself missing them both equally. Wanting more. I had turned into a sissy and I wasn't sure how I felt about it as I attempted to pick up women, but found them lacking. The real kicker, was the day I stood outside the bar, watching Jake Worthington get down on one knee and propose to Savannah. My heart clenched in my chest as I was the onlooker watching a man get half of what I wanted. I searched out the other half to the pair, knowing she would be close by as her best friend got engaged, too.
Sure enough Brooke came bounding up to Savannah wrapping her delicate arms around her and then leaning back to flash her something. Squinting to see better it took no time for my brain to piece it together, it was her left hand, and Savannah took hold of it and her smile grew as she realized her best friend was also engaged to Jake.
This may come off a bit pompous, but maybe there isn't a woman who can fill my needs both in life and in the sheets. At least that was what I thought until she ran me over on her way out the door. Like I was invisible. I, Lucas Wellington, am not invisible.
I had stepped inside, drawn to my final death bed. I wanted to see the girls up close, see if they were really happy with these fruitcakes they found. As they all came towards me, a force to be reckoned with, smiling and laughing intertwined with their men I knew any hope of them swooning at me was a lost cause. I offered my congratulations, and my long overdue apology, knowing it was time. Probably past time, but that's neither here nor there. Next thing I knew I was being trampled by a woman on a mission.
Twisting my neck to strain and look at her all I could see was a tiny waist that curved back out
to a beautiful plump rear end, all being hugged by a tight dress sashaying out of the bar. Her dangerously high heels screaming for a man to look, stare.
The girls' laughter broke my gaze from her, and turned it back to them. They were right; it looked like I had found my match. That woman, whoever she was had paid me no mind. She didn't even see me, and that just didn't happen. Quickly, I said my good-byes to Brooke and Savannah wishin
g them well before high tailing it out of there and after the vixen who just ran me over.
****
"Excuse me, ma'am!" I called out nearly catching up to her.
She spun around so fast I stepped backwards out of instinct and defense, I'd been slapped one too many as of late and I had no idea what she'd have in store for me.
"Can I help you?" she snarled, but even with an expression screaming for me to go away I couldn't. She was gorgeous and I wanted her beneath me, tonight. Her long black hair against her olive tanned skin was like a siren to his body. Her bright red glossy lips, looked like cherries, and I couldn't help but wonder if they'd taste the same. The dress, man the dress, hugged every single curve, accentuated every delectable piece of her body, and I just wanted to peel her out of it.
"I thought you were in trouble, you know after running me over back here." I tilted my head back towards the bar, letting a smirk take over my face.
"Well what idiot stands in front of a doorway, seriously? You were in my way, and now you are stalking me, you need a life." She shot back, crossing her arms over her chest, making her breast scream for attention I was more than willing to give.
"I was congratulating my friends, they just got engaged. I'm a softy for romance," I gave her my signature wink as I took a step towards her, running my hand through my hair.
Her red lips shook as she fought back a laugh that burst from her; it was like music to my ears and made my body heighten with awareness of her every move. "Please! You think I am an idiot, I know exactly who you are Lucas Wellington. Those women are not your friends, you played them like fiddles and it blew up in your face like dynamite at the Hourglass Auction. I was there. I witnessed the travesty that was Lucas Wellington as your empire came crashing down."
"Oh honey, I can assure you my empire is still standing firm. And judging by the fact you know who I am, I'll even venture a guess that you knew exactly who I was as you ran me over, and you even wanted me to chase you." Sticking my arm in the air, I hailed a cab, one immediately pulling up ready to whisk us away. Opening the door, I waved my other hand to escort her into the waiting vehicle. "Now let's stop playing coy and go get to know each other a bit better."
