chapter thirty
Lily
I WAIT ANXIOUSLY in Violet’s office, wringing my hands in my lap, gnawing on my lip so hard Violet finally hands over a Fleur lip balm without saying a word. I slather on the balm, my eyebrows going up at how it soothes my lips instantly, and I hand it back to her.
She shakes her head. “Keep it. I have a bunch of them in my desk.”
“It works.” I toss the lip balm in my purse.
“I know.” Violet smiles. “It’s good stuff.”
Glancing around, I lean in closer to Violet’s desk and lower my voice. “Is she here?” I know she should be here; the meeting was scheduled for two and it’s a quarter past now. I arrived a few minutes ago. I wanted to be at Fleur when the firing went down.
Guess I want to watch Pilar make the walk of shame out of the building.
Violet sighs. “She’s in Father’s office right now. Ryder is sitting in the meeting with him. I’m sure she loves that.”
“I’m sure that pisses her off,” I mutter, wanting to laugh but I don’t. This is serious business, what Pilar tried to do.
“I’m sure, but I really don’t care.” The smile Violet offers me is nothing short of glorious. She’s thrilled that Pilar is finally getting what she deserves. So am I. “She’s not my problem anymore.”
No, she’s not, thank goodness. “I still feel bad that I didn’t tell you what she was doing sooner.” I have tremendous guilt over it, though everyone—and I mean everyone, right down to my grandma and my father—has reassured me that it’s all right. It doesn’t feel all right, though. I’m just lucky we caught her.
And I have Max, and Levi, to thank for that.
Violet waves a hand, making a dismissive noise. “Stop beating yourself up. It’s over. Your Max saved the day.”
I smile. “He did, didn’t he?”
Turns out Felicity Winston had a case of the guilts herself after Pilar sent her the Fleur product info and she didn’t do anything with it. Yes, she looked everything over and knows all of the company’s future plans, but she told no one, not even any of the execs at Jayne Cosmetics. Fleur lucked out. Violet didn’t have to make any veiled threats, but lawyers were involved, confidentiality agreements were drawn up, and Felicity had to sign them.
Pilar will have a confidentiality agreement to sign as well, once her ass gets canned.
It gives me greatly ridiculous pleasure to think that, let alone say it out loud.
“How is Max, by the way?” Violet asks not so innocently.
“He’s … great.” My voice softens and I know I probably look like a dreamy, lovesick loser but I feel like a dreamy, lovesick loser, so that’s okay. We’ve been together constantly the last few days and I can’t wait to go home to see him. Now that he’s in my life, I can’t imagine being without him.
“Looks like you got struck, too,” Violet says, amusement lacing her voice.
I frown. “What do you mean?”
“Struck by the love bug or whatever. Rose has it. So do I. And now, so do you.”
Funny, how I’d been so envious of my sisters’ relationships, though I told myself I never wanted one. What a lie. I can’t believe how easy it is with Max, how fast it’s happened. But I guess when you know, you know.
And I know Max is the one for me.
“We haven’t talked about love or anything like that,” I start, but she interrupts me.
“Oh, you will. Soon, I’m sure. He seems just as smitten with you as you are with him.” Her knowing smile is downright cocky and I open my mouth, ready to protest—for what reason, I’m not exactly sure—when I hear a commotion just outside Violet’s office door.
We both swing our heads to see Pilar standing in the hallway, our father glaring at her as she faces him, her finger poking his chest as she yells at him.
“You think I’m just going to walk out of here without saying a word, you’ve got another thing coming.” She pokes Daddy in the chest again and he doesn’t try to grab her, doesn’t say a word, but his face is a stone mask, his mouth drawn so tight his lips disappear.
“You called security?” Daddy asks when Ryder strides into view.
“They’re on their way,” Ryder says curtly, his gaze cutting to the glass window wall of Violet’s office. He sees us sitting there and his expression softens, his eyes never leaving Violet.
Pilar notices and focuses her attention on us. Her gaze is narrowed, her face pale save for two high spots of color on her cheeks. I swear she’s so angry I can see her entire body vibrating from where I sit.
“Stupid, smug whores!” she yells as she storms for the open doorway of Violet’s office. “I hate you both! Do you two really think you can ruin me?”
Ryder grabs Pilar’s arm before she can enter Violet’s office, effectively stopping her in her tracks. “You say one more word against my fiancée and you’ll regret it,” I hear him murmur, his deep voice full of barely contained rage.
She sends him a look over her shoulder and then returns all of her attention to us. “You may have won this battle, but you haven’t won the war. Not by a long shot.”
Violet and I say nothing. What can we say? I wish she’d just go away. I’m sure Violet feels the same.
Pilar jerks her arm out of Ryder’s hold and sends us a withering stare before she stands tall and starts to stride down the hall, Daddy following after her. I hear him speak to someone else—I can only assume it’s the security that Ryder just summoned—and Ryder enters Violet’s office, going straight to her as she leaps from her chair and practically falls into his arms.
“It’s done,” Ryder says as he runs his hand up and down Violet’s back, as if he’s trying to soothe her. “She said nothing when we presented the emails between her and Felicity Winston. She really started to protest when the Zachary emails appeared, though. That’s when I called security. They’ll escort her out of the building.”
“Did she sign the confidentiality agreement?” Violet asks as she looks up at him.
Ryder nods. “We made sure she did that before the Zachary emails came up. Your father handled it all beautifully. Never even broke a sweat.”
I’m strangely proud to hear it. “What about you, Ryder? Did you break a sweat?”
“Nah, though I did want to wring her neck with my bare hands.” He smiles, then drops a kiss on Violet’s lips. “It’s over, baby. She’s out of our lives for good.”
“Hopefully,” Violet adds.
“No hopefully. What’s done is done. Her career in the cosmetics industry is most likely over, but I’m sure she’ll reinvent herself. Or somehow convince someone she’s worth the trouble,” Ryder says with a shake of his head. “She did a lot for me …” His voice drifts and he almost looks guilty.
My sister snaps him back to reality. “But she also held you back,” Violet points out as she slowly withdraws from his arms, turning to face me. “Maybe you should start working at Fleur, Lily. With Rose gone and now Pilar, too, we need someone. And I’d like to keep it in the family.”
I blink in surprise. I can’t believe my sister is suggesting I come to work at Fleur. “I appreciate your faith in me, but I have plans of my own.”
Violet frowns. “What are you talking about?”
“I think I’m going to work with Max. Put my hacking skills to good use,” I admit, feeling embarrassed. I hope she doesn’t think that’s a stupid idea. It’s been fun, discussing plans for the future with Max. Not just fun, but exciting. I’ve never been one to think far ahead but with Max, it’s all I want to do.
Violet’s frown turns into a small smile, her eyes lighting up. “That’s … amazing. I love the idea. Father will be so proud.”
“You think so?” I’m pleased at the idea that I could truly make my father proud. I don’t think he’s been proud of anything I’ve ever done.
Ever.
“I know so. We’d love to have you at Fleur but completely understand that you’d rather work with Max. That sounds more lik
e your calling, so I get it.” Violet smiles and steps closer to me, holding out her arms. I go to her and we embrace, clutching each other tight. “Go where it feels right, Lily,” she murmurs close to my ear.
That’s the best advice anyone’s ever given me.
epilogue
Three months later
Lily
“YOU REALLY WANT me to move in with you?”
I nod, scooting across my giant bed so I can press my naked body against his. He still has on his boxer briefs but I can feel his erection. If I plan this right, that big cock of his will be inside me in minutes. “Please ease the suspense and just say yes. We’re together all the time anyway. If you’re not here, I’m at your apartment.” But he’s in Brooklyn, so we spend more time here. Plus, my apartment is bigger. It also has better security, thanks to Max and the new system he recently convinced them to put in. He’s still not sold that Pilar won’t pop up out of nowhere and come after me or Violet.
Max chuckles and slips his arms around my waist, his big hands moving down to cup my ass and haul me into him. “I should be like Caden and make you move into my place so we can all be neighbors,” he murmurs against my neck as he starts kissing me there. His lips are hot, his tongue wet, making me shiver.
“That would be kind of dumb considering we’re opening up our new office downtown next month,” I remind him. It’s only a few months after I started working with Max and Levi, and business is booming. Word got out that Max now has a team of tech experts working with him and we’re almost to the point where we have to turn business away.
Max is currently interviewing for more employees and we recently hired a full-time receptionist. We’ve kept it quiet that I work with him. I’ve become more of a silent partner because we don’t want to draw any unwanted media attention. Our business is discreet, and potential clients wouldn’t like it if they knew a former media darling—or media hot mess, take your pick—was working with them.
And I’ve had plenty of media attention lately, what with the recent launch of the namesake perfume. I did a ton of interviews along with Rose and Violet, and we did a huge launch at Bloomingdale’s. The media especially loves that Rose is hugely pregnant and ready to pop any day now. The Fowler Sisters’ perfumes have done amazingly well.
Not that I’m surprised.
In some ways, I’ve become a completely different person these last few months. I go into work every morning, Monday through Friday, and sometimes we even work on the weekends. Me, the party girl of Manhattan, the troublemaker, the terror, the girl nominated to crash and burn at a young age, has turned into a normal, eight-to-five—or more, to be truthful—working woman.
And I love it. I love waking up with Max, sharing a shower with him before we eat breakfast, gulp down coffee, and head to the office. I love working with Levi, who’s intense and smart and enjoys figuring out tricky code as much as I do—maybe even more.
The thing I love the most? Spending every day with Max. I thought we would get sick of each other and he admitted he had that fear, too. Yet I’m not sick of him at all. If anything, I appreciate and love him more and more each day. He’s amazing. So smart, so diligent, always wanting to do the right thing no matter what.
All that integrity I thought he didn’t have? He possesses it in spades. And it’s sexy, too. Everything about him is sexy.
“Yeah, I suppose you’re right. We should stay here in your giant apartment versus the box I live in.” With his big hands still gripping my ass, he spreads my legs wider, his fingers sinking into my wet pussy, and I inhale sharply, loving the way he knows just how to touch me. “You got enough space in that fancy closet of yours so my clothes can fit?” he murmurs into my neck.
“No way are you getting anywhere near my closet.” I start to laugh, but it instantly turns into a moan when he starts to stroke me between my legs in earnest.
“Baby, you are always so wet for me.” He moves down my body, his hot mouth burning a path along my skin until he’s nestled between my thighs, licking and sucking me into oblivion. “Damn, you taste good,” he murmurs against my flesh.
I clutch at his hair, overwhelmed by the way this man makes me feel. How did I get so lucky? And it’s not only about the sex, though he certainly knows how to keep me satisfied.
“Max,” I whisper, thrusting my hips against his face. He looks up at me, his gaze intense, his tongue circling my clit as he sinks a finger inside me, and that’s all it takes. I’m shuddering, the orgasm slipping over me with ease as I cry out. I’ve never had more orgasms in my life as I do with him.
And I’ve never felt so loved, so cherished. And it’s all because of Max.
It’s the way he believes in me. Encourages me. Supports me when I need it and steps back when my freedom is necessary. His instincts are always spot on and I trust him. He still wants me to be a partner in his business and though I agree, it’s a huge step and one I’m not quite ready for.
Which he’s fine with. He doesn’t push. I appreciate that more than he’ll ever know.
He gets along with my sisters and Ryder and Caden. I’ve met his parents and I really like his mom and dad, though his big brother, Sam, is just as grumpy as Max warned me he would be. He’s a police detective in New Jersey, a giant bear of a man with a constant scowl on his face, though he’s almost as handsome as Max.
Almost. No one’s as gorgeous as Max, at least in my eyes.
“You are loud when you come, princess,” he teases as he rises above me, his boxer briefs somehow disappearing.
“I like the way you use your tongue, cowboy,” I tease back, sighing with pleasure when he kisses me deep, his tongue thrusting against mine.
“Speaking of cowboy, I think my girl needs to ride me,” he murmurs, and then he’s flipping me over so I’m straddling his hips, lifting up so I can take his big cock deep inside my body. “Ah, that’s it, baby. Start rocking.”
I do as he tells me, sliding up and down his cock slowly, rocking into him. I lift my arms and close my eyes, my body swaying as I gather up my hair and pile it on top of my head. I know he likes it when I do this. Putting on a show, thrusting out my chest, my breasts swaying with my movements.
“Pretty view,” he encourages as he runs his hands along my waist, over my stomach, then back up to cup my breasts. I drop my arms and open my eyes, smiling down at him, and then he’s shifting his position so he’s sitting up, his mouth on my nipples as he tongues and sucks first one, then the other.
A shuddery sigh escapes me and I cradle his head in my hands, breathless when he looks up at me with his beautiful blue eyes so full of affection and lust and love. All for me. I still can’t believe this man is mine. All mine. “Feels so good,” he murmurs. “I love the way you ride my cock.”
My pussy clenches around his length and his lids fall to half-mast, as he lets out a low groan. I grind against him, sending him so deep I swear he’s touching my very soul.
“Love you, baby girl,” he whispers, knowing exactly what his words do to me. He can feel the reaction my body has to his tender endearments. “You gonna come again already?”
I nod, my messy hair falling all around my shoulders. His cock rubs against my inner walls, creating a delicious friction that takes me right over the edge, and he grabs hold of my hair, pulling tight so it stings as he thrusts his face in mine.
“Tell me you love me,” he demands.
“Oh, I do. I love you. So much, Max.”
He grips my hip with his other hand, increasing his pace, fucking me hard. He’s still pulling my hair, his mouth on mine, his tongue thrusting, his cock thrusting, and then I’m coming, milking his cock, his come spurting deep inside me, marking me.
Making me his.
Minutes later I’m in his arms, snug against his side, my head on his firm chest. I can feel his heartbeat, steady and strong, and I trace my fingers over his pecs, unable to stop touching him.
“Maybe we need to start slowing down or something,” he murmurs, his fi
ngers in my hair. “All this sex we keep having might kill us.”
I lift my head to glare at him. “No way are we slowing down. This is my favorite part of the day.”
He chuckles and squeezes my shoulders. “Have I told you that I love you today?”
Only about twenty times, give or take. “Yes, but tell me again.”
His expression goes serious and he cups my nape. “I love you. I’m the luckiest man in the world to have you in my life.”
“I love you, too,” I say, my voice soft, my emotions all over the place.
He stares at me. “Would you give up your closet for me?”
I go completely still. “Are you serious?”
His expression doesn’t change and I shove at him, seeing the teasing glimmer in his gaze. “You don’t want to force me to choose between you and my closet. I love that closet. At one point I planned to marry that closet and take its name.”
“Lily Closet? That was your life plan?” His brows lift, looking too sexy for his own good.
“Has a nice ring to it, don’t you think?” I poke at his chest with my index finger.
“I think Lily Coleman sounds better,” he says.
My mouth drops open and I swear my heart just tripped over itself. “Are you serious?”
He doesn’t say a word, just taps the tip of my nose with his finger.
“Really?” I squeak as he starts to draw my head down to his.
“Just say yes, Lily,” he whispers.
“Ye—” I start but he cuts me off.
And kisses me.
about the author
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills of Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes new adult contemporary romance and is the author of the One Week Girlfriend series and the tie-in novella, Drew + Fable Forever, as well as the Fowler Sisters series.
monicamurphyauthor.com
[email protected]
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