But her dress? Holy fucking shit.
“I was going to wear this for dinner tomorrow.”
Huh? Were words coming out of her mouth? He couldn’t tell. All he saw was a sexy, tight black dress with way more tit on display than he was comfortable with—if she was in public.
“You, uh,” he cleared his throat. “Were going to wear that? In front of everybody?”
She instantly pouted. Jesus. The girl was really and truly going to be the death of him.
“Well, yeah,” she whined. “Don’t you like it? I got it for you.”
Like it? Shit. He was committing every single detail to memory. She looked like a deadly combination of complete innocent and total slut. It was fantastic.
Cal felt his control slipping. He had to talk and talk fast. No way was he making the mistake ever again of putting their physical relationship ahead of the real stuff. The stuff that mattered most.
“Charlize. Baby. I love it. Thank you.”
She beamed.
“Never wear it out of the house—not unless you want a serious spanking.”
She beamed some more. “Um, would this spanking involve any restraints?”
The picture of her tied to the bed in the loft flashed into his mind. So did an even more wicked vision.
“Tied. Maybe gagged—don’t want the neighbors to hear your sexy cries. Definitely a ‘tessa plug. One with a crystal on the end.”
She looked at him like he was crazy. “What the hell is a crystal ‘tessa plug?”
God. She was so fucking innocent. And so fucking open to what he was suggesting.
“Goes by the name Princess Plug but in your honor my love, I’m renaming the sexy anal toy for my beautiful Contessa. Pink, I think,” he added with a wicked leer.
Her questioning frown was completely charming.
“The crystal on the end. Pink. So when I’m spanking your naughty butt I can watch you squirm with the metal sphere buried in your ass.”
She was a lovely shade of embarrassed red when he stopped talking. As she moved closer, though, he held up his hand and said, “Stop.”
“There are things to say and if you get nearer, we’ll be naked and on the floor before a single word makes it out of my mouth.”
“Before you get started,” she drawled. “The Chucks with this dress. Yes or no?”
“Yes.” He looked her over. “And also yes to those thigh high boots. I like them.”
She giggled. “Tits and Boots?”
“You’re not helping, Tesoro. Let me speak, okay?”
Of course she crossed her arms and smirked at him. Didn’t she know what crossing her arms like that did to her boobs?
He started talking as quickly as he could get the words out of his mouth.
“I was wrong to make such a big deal out of the uh, whole touching and oral thing.”
Her eyebrows shot upward.
“My bad, baby. But I have an excuse.”
She covered her face with her hands and groaned. “I wish I knew what I was doing.”
“No, no,” he was quick to assure her. “It’s not you at all. Well, it is you but not the way you think.”
She lowered her hands but was chewing her lip, so he said the rest as fast as he could.
“When you’re a celebrity—even a minor one—blow jobs are sexual currency. After a while, it means nothing. Shit. I was so sick of women like Claudia Gianelli and their willingness to swallow anybody’s come that I just closed down.”
He was super uncomfortable talking about this but he kept going. He needed her to understand.
“Imagine if you knew in your head that the way you were touched, sexually, meant nothing. Each caress, nothing more than a calculated means to an end. That shit can fuck up a guy’s head.”
“It’s how women feel all the time.”
Leave it to his ‘tessa to go straight to the heart of the matter.
“I know. And I was one of those guys. Until a spunky American girl rearranged my life. It’s fucked up, I know, but some part of me didn’t want you on your knees like that. I think I was afraid … afraid of a lot of things. I guess what I’m saying so badly is that I didn’t want you doing something just because you thought you should.”
“Caleb,”
“I know, I know. Not my best moment. But then, after you came to me and uh, took matters into your own hands—well, that didn’t feel like something you did off a checklist. Afterward, I hated myself for wanting my dick in your throat so bad. It was all I thought about.”
Her shyness was on full display when she blushed. “It’s a constant thought for me too. And you damn well know it. So tell me what really stopped you.”
Here goes. He took a deep breath. “You’re in the kitchen. At the counter. Cooking or something. I walk in, grab you by your hair and force you to your knees. I’m already hard. I growl for you to open your mouth. You do and without ever letting go of your hair, I fuck your mouth—holding you on my cock while jets of hot come shoot down your throat.”
“Okay,” she said when he finished.
“That’s what stopped me, Charlize.”
She smiled. Then the smile turned to a husky chuckle. “Honey, we really shoulda talked this stuff out before.”
Exactly.
“Restraints, gags, blindfolds, butt plugs, face fucking.” She was obviously struggling not to laugh. “I’m listening.”
He did a double take.
“Oh, and the hair grabbing thing? Yeah. Do that all you want. I like the caveman prince. He makes all my girly bits twinkle.”
Cal grinned. God, had he been an enormous butt or what? “Glad we have that settled. And in the interest of full disclosure, I knew absolutely zilch about bondage knots or how to tie someone up before that night in the loft.”
She beamed at his admission of inexperience.
“Okay, Mr. Merrill,” she said with a soft sexy drawl. “Anything else on your mind? I’ve got a bit of a situation,” she told him, waving her hand in a circle in front of her abdomen, “going on. Having a between-the-thighs heat stroke or something, so I’d appreciate it if you did a bit of pedal to the metal so we can get busy.”
Get busy. Pedal to the metal. A situation. She took the words right out of his mouth.
“Yep. Just one more thing. To be clear, Ms. Wilde. I intend to marry you.”
“Oh my God! Is this a proposal?”
“No. No it’s not.” She looked disappointed, so he filled in the rest.
“After everything Rhiann and Liam went through, I think we should let them have their moment first, don’t you?”
She clutched her hands to her chest and gushed, “You are so sweet!”
“Met him by the way. Liam. He’s an interesting dude. Loves your sister like mad.”
He was more than a little surprised and very, very touched when she wiped away a tear. “He saved her life.”
“He loves her, baby girl. That’s what men in love do. They save lives and over-react to random dumb shit.”
She smiled.
“So, you’re okay with waiting? Give Liam his day? Your sister deserves a happily ever after considering how close they came to losing everything.”
“Oh gosh,” she assured. “I’m totally fine with waiting.”
Then she bit her lip and a quirky grin worked the corners of her mouth. “Um, as long as we’re both being honest, I think there’s something I should tell you.”
Damn. He didn’t like the way that sounded.
“Yeah,” she giggled. “About Liam.”
“What about him?” He bit out.
“I think I maybe, sorta’, kinda had a huge crush on him as a kid.”
Cal stood there dumbfounded. Talk about left field.
And then she cracked up laughing, flew across the space separating them and launched into his arms.
“The expression on your face is priceless.”
She hugged him so fiercely, he grunted. “I love you Caleb Tyler Merrill. You
and only you. Now kiss me you big lug before I have to get mean.”
Well, he knew one thing absolutely, positively for sure. Loving a Wilde woman was going to make his life an interesting journey. An adventure, starting with a kiss that left no doubt in either of their minds that they were destined for this. For each other. And he was going to spend every moment of the rest of his life giving her the best happily ever after of all time.
“HEY,” RHIANN BLURTED OUT. “ARE Charlie and Caleb back from Arizona yet?“
Brynn rubbed her huge belly and shook her head. “No. And Jax is having a cow over it, too. Baby’s due any day and he wants them both here.”
Rhi fluffed a pillow and jammed it down behind Brynn’s back, snorting good naturedly. “Exactly why Liam dropped me off here and then took off with Roman. He says he’ll be back in a day or so.”
“What’s up with them?” she asked. “Lots of whispers and sharing texts. Everything okay?”
Brynn watched the play of emotions on her sister’s face.
“Liam has a half-sister.”
She heard the words but it took a while for them to sink in. Baby brain. Sometimes it took Brynn extra long to follow along.“ A what?”
Rhi chuckled. “I know, right? Roman found her after a long search. Those Justice guys helped locate her.”
“What’s he going to do? Liam? Does he want to meet her?”
Rhiann shrugged and made a face. “He doesn’t know what he wants. His less than sterling feelings for his biological father complicate things. Apparently this girl is a few years younger and Roman says as far as he can tell, she has no idea who her father is. Raised by her mother in a hidey-hole, someplace in Oklahoma. Another woman whose life was destroyed by that awful, awful man.”
“Wow. Poor Liam. He was so devoted to his mom. Finding out he’s not alone probably shook him up, huh?”
“You can say that again.”
Brynn watched Rhiann flit around the room. It didn’t feel like something was up, but she sure did have something on her mind.
“Sweetie, what’s up?”
“He hasn’t asked me yet, Brynn. I mean seriously. What the fuck is he waiting for?”
Brynn laughed and patted the sofa. “Sit down.”
Rhi flopped like a rag doll and slumped over with her arms hanging between her legs. Whining miserably, she griped, “Should I ask him? Is that like a thing or something?”
“You SO will not do the asking Rhiann Wilde. Do you hear me?” Brynn chastised. “Give the man a chance, would you? I know for a fact that he’s talked to Dad. Don’t rush him, Rhi. You know how Liam is. It’s got to be perfect—the way he sees it in his mind.”
Her sister grumped and made all sorts of faces. “Yeah, I guess.”
“Wait,” Brynn said as a thought blew up her thoughts. “Aren’t you two going to London in August? He’s getting an award or something, right?”
Rhiann brightened. “Yeah, yeah. Not quite the grand cross of St. Michael and St. George—no royalty wielding swords or anything like that. But it is a big deal. His charity did something that got a lot of attention.”
“Well, did you ever stop to consider that maybe he’s waiting to sweep you off to the Tower of London or something and propose with a grapefruit sized diamond?”
She must have hit on something because Rhi was silent while she considered what Brynn said.
“I do know that he better get a move on because Caleb is walking around with a huge sapphire for Charlie. He told Jax they’re waiting to make it official until you two get your acts together.”
“As it should be,” Rhi snickered. “Isn’t there some unwritten code about sisters getting engaged and married by birth order?”
They laughed. “Well, there is now!”
All of a sudden, Brynn winced. “Oh.”
“What?” Rhiann barked. “Are you okay?”
“Um, yeah. I guess. Just had a twinge or something.”
Rhiann stared a hole right through her and then ran to her purse, pulled out a phone and tapped away.
“Cal? Get your asses home. Stat. What? Oh. Good. Yeah, yeah. Will do. Now hurry.”
“They’ll be on the next plane. They were about to come home anyway. Do you want me to call Jax?”
“Yes. I mean no. Don’t call him, sis. It was just a twinge. I’m fine.”
“Brynn, I swear to God…”
She shifted uncomfortably. “You know what though? Maybe you should call Mom. And Liam. Call him too. Get him back from wherever he is. I think it might be time to circle the wagons.”
Rhiann clapped and jumped up and down like a kid. “We’re having a baby! Holy crap, Brynnie!”
We’re having a baby? Sheesh. Nobody but her was having this kid and she was more than ready for the main event.
“And then call Nana. Tell her to have Mr. Armstrong on call.”
Rhiann was racing around, calling everyone they knew, while Brynn calmly sat there. The door opened, she heard Jax call out, “Honey, I’m home.” When he strolled into the room just as Rhi flew past with the phone pressed to her ear, he looked at her quizzically.
“What’s up baby mama?”
Brynn rubbed her belly. “You might wanna clear your schedule for the next couple of days.”
His eyes widened and he was at her side the next second. “Are you in labor? Is the baby coming?”
“Not yet,” she assured him. “But something’s happening in there.”
Jax put both hands on her enormous bump and bent to kiss it.
“Daddy can’t wait to meet you,” he whispered to her stomach.
“I love you,” she told him.
“I love you, too.” Grinning like a fool he crowed, “Not bad for a beard you only married to save the roof over your head.”
They burst out giggling.
“Okay then,” she said after wiping away tears of laughter. “Next up—the joint production of the Baron-Wilde and Merrill families is ready for his or her moment in the spotlight.”
Rhiann burst into the room. “Gosh, I love a happily ever after. Don’t you?”
Jax smiled broadly at Rhiann and then looked at her. Brynn felt as though her entire being wasn’t big enough to contain the happiness exploding inside her. She and her hunky man-in-black were married and about to have a baby. Rhiann survived a horrible situation and was at long last reunited with her one true love. And Charlize. Gosh. Seeing her baby sister and Jax’s brother so blissfully in love was the icing on a huge layered cake.
They were the Baron-Wilde sisters and the luckiest women in the world.
Happily ever after, indeed.
THE END
Other Books by Suzanne Halliday
The Justice Brothers
Broken Justice
Fixing Justice
Redeeming Justice
Family Justice
Always
Desert Angel
Sanctuary
Wilde Women
Wilde Forever
Wilde Heart
The Gideon Affair
Ella Fox
You are my sunshine
Except when you’ve had too much caffeine!
Vanessa Bridges & Manda Mettlach
PREMA Editing
Thank you for taking such care with my words. This was a wonderful experience and I am thrilled to be working with you.
Stacey Blake
Formatting
You are amazing! No further words necessary!
~HEA ~
The kindness y’all have shown me and your love of reading fills me with smiles!
And to my ‘Tribal Council’ ~ no more edits!
Suzanne Halliday writes what she knows and what she loves – sexy contemporary romance featuring strong men and spirited women. Her love of creating short stories for friends and family developed into a passion for writing romantic fiction with a sensual edge. She finds the world of digital, self-publishing to be the perfect platform for sharing her stories and also for
what she enjoys most of all – reading. When she’s not on a deadline you’ll find her loading up on books to devour.
No longer wandering because the desert southwest finally claimed her, these days instead of digging out from a snowstorm you can still find Suzanne with 80’s hair band music playing in the background, kids running in and out, laptop on with way too many screens open, something awesome in the oven, and a mug of hot tea clutched in one hand.
Visit her at:
Wilde Magic (Wilde Women Book 3) Page 43
