by Jenni Wilder
Things have never been better for Jillian. She’s working hard at her internship, her thesis is going to blow her professors out of the water, she’s excited to find a job after graduation, and she has Lincoln. She never feels happier than when she and Lincoln are together. He makes her feel happy and loved, something she’s never had before.
But slowly her life begins to unravel. Someone is stalking and harassing her, no one seems to want to hire her, and after a serious attempt on her life, she finds out Lincoln has been lying to her… again.
It’s hard to keep your life together when it seems there is someone out there desperate to tear everything apart. Why her? Why now? And most importantly, are Jillian and Lincoln strong enough to survive it together?
Although All of My Soul is the sequel to All of You both books are complete stories with satisfying endings. However, for optimal enjoyment I do recommend reading them in order. Both books contain mature content and may not be suitable for everyone, especially those under 18.
This is a 90,000 word-count full-length novel.
All of My Soul
Jenni Wilder
Published by Jenni Wilder, Smashwords Edition
Copyright 2015 Jenni Wilder
Cover Art Copyright L.J. Anderson, Mayhem Cover Creations
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be resold or given away to other people. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it or receive it through a lending program, then please return to your favorite e-book retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
No portion of this book may be reproduced or distributed in any print or electronic form without permission of the author. This book is a work of fiction, and any resemblance to persons living or dead or any events or occurrences is purely coincidental. The characters and story lines are fictional. This book is intended for mature audiences, and the subject matter is not appropriate for minors. This novel contains profanity and sexual situations and may not be suitable for everyone.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Chapter Twenty
Chapter Twenty-One
Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Three
Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Six
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Note from the Author
Acknowledgments
About the Author
“And when one of them meets with his other half, the actual half of himself, whether he be a lover of youth or a lover of another sort, the pair are lost in an amazement of love and friendship and intimacy, and one would not be out of the other's sight…”
– Plato
Chapter One
“Happy Valentine’s Day, Princess.” Lincoln’s soft breath tickled at my ear as I woke in a giant, fluffy hotel bed. Something soft and silky brushed down the bridge of my nose, and I smiled as the smell of roses invaded my senses.
This was my first Valentine’s Day ever as part of a couple, and I was excited to celebrate the day with the love of my life. I had always pretended not to be bothered by this day dedicated to celebrating love and romance, but secretly I was always jealous of couples that were able to properly enjoy it. Anyone who says you don’t need a specific day to tell you when and how to celebrate love is wrong. Yes, it might be a made-up day invented to bilk love-struck couples out of their hard-earned money by telling them they need flowers, chocolates, and jewelry in order to be happy but I didn't care. I had waited a long time to properly celebrate this day with someone who loved me, and I wanted to bask in it.
I opened my eyes and found Lincoln propped up on his elbow, smiling down at me and holding up a single red rose.
A wide smile erupted on my face. I took the rose from him and held it to my nose, inhaling deeply. “Mm… thank you, baby. Happy Valentine’s Day to you too.”
He grinned and leaned down to kiss me.
“Where’d you get the flower?”
“I have my ways,” he answered with a teasing smile.
When he leaned back, I was able to see the remainder of our hotel room behind him. I quickly put on my glasses and saw a large bouquet of roses in a glass vase sitting on the bench at the foot of our bed. A light coat of silver glitter shimmered on the rose petals in the sunlight that filtered in through the french doors that led to the balcony of our penthouse hotel room.
“Ooh, they’re beautiful,” I said as I sat up, clutching the bedsheet to my chest. “No one has ever given me flowers before. Thank you so much.”
Lincoln sat up with me, and I hugged him around his shoulders before kissing him hard on the mouth.
Lincoln had a game against the Boston Bruins later that day, but he’d refused to spend Valentine's Day away from me, so I’d shifted my work schedule around so we could be together while not losing any more research time at my internship.
We had flown into Boston late yesterday afternoon, and Lincoln had spoiled me all evening. We checked in to our hotel, and he surprised me with a ginormous penthouse suite with a king-sized bed and Jacuzzi tub in the bathroom.
Lincoln hired a town car and driver to take us to several tourist spots, including the Cheers bar (the inspiration for the television show) and the Old State House where the Declaration of Independence was first read. It gave me chills to be this close to history. I had never been here before, and I quickly fell in love with this city. I was so glad to be exploring it with Lincoln, although I wished it wasn’t winter. I had wanted to walk through Boston Common, the huge park in the middle of the city, but even after Lincoln bought me a giant cup of hot chocolate from a quaint little coffee shop, the weather and cold temps made it impossible to stay and enjoy the quiet peacefulness of the park. We eventually were forced to retreat from the cold back to our hotel room where we spent the evening warming each other up.
Lincoln pulled me out of my reminiscing about the previous night by breaking our kiss and telling me, “I have something for you.”
“Something more?” I asked. “This trip, the hotel room, the flowers? They're more than enough. I’m just happy spending time with you.” I cupped his face with my hands and kissed him lightly.
“Mm… God, I love you, but this trip and the hotel room aren’t part of your present, and you deserve more than just flowers.”
“I told you I’ve never gotten flowers before. They mean the world to me.”
“I’m glad, baby,” he said with a smile and pulled me into his lap. He reached behind him and pulled out a small rectangular box wrapped in red paper with a shiny red ribbon. “But you deserve more than just flowers.”
I bit my lip and took the box from his hand. “What’s this?”
“Open it,” he instructed.
I hesitated. He had probably spent a lot of money on this. My present to him wasn’t anything grand. Lincoln never blinked twice when it came to paying for something, especially when he was spoiling me. I didn’t want to seem like a gold digger, even though I knew Lincoln would never think that, but I still usually argued with him when
it came time to pay for something.
So it was with trepidation that I slowly ripped off the paper and revealed what looked like a jewelry box covered in black velvet.
“Oh, Lincoln.”
“Open it,” he said again.
I cracked the box open and found a delicate watch nestled on a white satin pillow. The face was white with tiny slivers of what I guessed to be diamonds surrounding it. The band was wide and made up of several strands of pearls. It was gorgeous and expensive-looking, and it wouldn’t match a thing in my closet. Not that I cared, though. I would wear it with yoga pants and an old T-shirt simply because it was a gift from Lincoln.
“Did you pick this out?”
Lincoln nodded. “Kennedy went with me to make sure I didn’t choose anything horrible, but yeah, I picked it out.”
I smiled up at him. “I will cherish it forever, Lincoln.”
He let out the long breath he had been holding in and looked at me with amusement.
“I was preparing for a fight.”
“Because of the money?”
“Yeah,” he admitted.
“Lincoln, this is my first Valentine’s Day present from you. It’s priceless to me.”
His face erupted in a huge smile. “So you like it?”
“It’s gorgeous. I love it. Will you help me put it on?” I held my arm out to him, and he delicately attached the ends around my wrist.
I turned it over so the face of the watch was up, and we admired it. “Thank you, baby.” I turned my lips up to kiss him, and he willingly complied, but when he attempted to deepen the kiss, I pulled back. “You get a present too.”
Lincoln wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. “I have all I need right here.”
I smiled and kissed him quickly but then wiggled out of his grasp. I crawled to the edge of the bed and grabbed my silky white robe from where I had left it at the foot of the bed. I quickly wrapped it around myself to hide my nakedness. It was one thing to be naked around Lincoln when we were in the throes of passion, but it was another to be walking around the hotel room naked in front of him. I know it didn’t make sense, but it was ingrained in me to hide my scars, and sometimes they still made me self-conscious no matter how many times Lincoln told me how beautiful he thought I was.
“Hey,” Lincoln said, and I looked back at him. He scooted out of bed and stood in front of me, tugging on my robe. “What are you doing?”
“I’m getting your present,” I answered, confused.
“Why did you cover up?”
I looked down at my robe. “Oh. I… don’t know.” I said shyly. It really was ridiculous that I would be uncomfortable around him, considering all we’d done together.
He grasped my chin and gently pulled my face up so I had to look at him. “You’re beautiful. I would have you naked all the time if it were up to me, so don’t ever think you need to cover up around me, okay?”
I pinched my lips together but nodded despite my embarrassment. It was still hard to believe him when he said those things.
He pulled at the sash around my waist that was holding my robe shut and ran his fingers along my collarbone, pushing the robe off my shoulders.
I heard his breath catch as my robe silently fell to the floor. If I ever doubted he wanted me, that doubt was gone when he pulled me close to him and I felt him grow hard against my pelvis.
God, how I wanted him. I slid my hands up his chest, over his shoulders, and linked my fingers around his neck. His face turned serious as I rose up on my toes to kiss him. He leaned down to me and wrapped his arms around my waist.
“Wait,” I said, pulling back from him. He arched his eyebrows, wondering why I’d stopped. “I want to give you your present.”
“Later,” he demanded and pulled me back to him. “I need you.” His voice was deep and husky, and it made me clench in anticipation.
Oh well, I thought. It was Valentine’s Day, after all. We had all day for presents.
~~~~~~~~
We lay in bed for a while after our morning lovemaking before Lincoln got up to use the bathroom. As soon as he was out of sight, I jumped up out of bed and rooted through my duffel bag until I found my purchase.
Feeling giddy, I pranced back to bed and flopped down on it before Lincoln was done in the bathroom. I returned to the same position I had been in when Lincoln left—on my back in the middle of the bed—and placed Lincoln’s present on my stomach. The sheet pooled around my waist as I threw one arm over my head, leaving my breasts exposed. I closed my eyes and tried to hide the smile on my face as I waited for Lincoln to return.
After a short moment, I felt the bed dip next to me, and it suddenly became harder to hide my smile. I peeked out from under one eyelid, and I saw a naked Lincoln crawling up the bed with a giant grin on his face. I couldn’t keep my composure any longer, and I let a small giggle escape.
His strong hands gripped my hips, and he dug his fingertips into my skin, applying pressure at just the right place.
I squealed loudly and attempted to twist out of his grasp, but he moved a hand higher to my waist and lightly fluttered his fingers against my unscarred skin.
“No. No. No. No,” I begged between giggles. “Baby, don’t. Please don’t.” I pushed at his wrist, trying to get him to stop tickling me.
He laughed loudly but gave in to my begging and stretched out next to me on the bed.
“I love tickling you,” he said as he snuggled up next to me.
I let out a small laugh. “Why?”
He thought for a moment. “I think it’s because it makes your tits jiggle,” he answered without any shame.
“Oh my God. You pervert.” I smacked him lightly on the chest.
“Ow!” Lincoln dramatically clutched at his chest where I hit him. “Why do you have to be so violent? Geez!”
He was joking. I’d barely touched him and honestly, even if I had hit him with all my strength, he got hit with much worse every time he stepped on the ice.
I held Lincoln’s present in my hand and rolled so I was mostly lying on top of him. “You wimp,” I teased. “My big strong hockey man can’t take it?”
With a mischievous glint in his eyes, he grabbed my wrists and twisted his hips, causing me to roll off him. I laughed and let out a playful squeal as he pinned my arms next to my head and settled his hard body on top of mine. His carefree, flirtatious mood suddenly disappeared as he peered down at me, replaced with a serious, anxious look on his face.
“Every time you laugh, the sound gets me right here.” He touched the center of his chest. “I feel like my heart is about to explode with joy, and the look on your face when I tickle you? I want you to always look that happy. And that, my princess, is why I love tickling you.”
I twisted my wrist free from his hand and ran my fingers over his cheek. “Lincoln… It’s only because of you. You make me happier than I’ve ever thought I could be.”
“Good. I’ll do anything to make you happy. You know that, right?”
I smiled and wove my fingers through his hair, tugging on it slightly. “You don’t have to do anything. Except open your present.” I turned the small box over in my hand calling his attention to it.
He made a face and moved his free hand to my waist. “How about I just tickle you again?”
“No! No, Lincoln. Come on. Open your present.” I pushed against his chest although I wasn’t strong enough to move him.
He let out a large sigh.
“What? What’s wrong?”
“I don’t like it that you spent your money on me. I know money is tight for you.”
“Are you kidding me?” I pushed against his chest again, and this time he rolled off me. “You just got done telling me you were preparing to fight over you spending money on me, and now we’re going to fight about me spending money on you?”
“It’s different, and you know it,” he said in a stern voice.
“How could this possibly be different? It’s the same thing o
nly in reverse.”
“And that makes all the difference. I don’t care about my money. They throw truckloads of it at me because they are grateful I wanted to stay in Chicago.”
I made a frustrated noise. Why was he going on about this?
“The money doesn’t mean anything to me because I have you,” he said as he rubbed my side. “You are all I need. All I want. Do you get that? So if being rich means I get to spoil you, then great. But you, on the other hand, work your butt off for every penny you have. That’s worth more to me than a million fancy watches.”
“Ugh. Lincoln. Please don’t ruin this for me. I got you this because I thought you’d like it. I’m excited to give it to you. End of story. I wouldn’t have bought it if I couldn’t afford it.”
He sighed loudly and looked down at the box in my hand. “Fine. But I’m only accepting this because I know someday my money will be your money as well.”
I furrowed my eyebrows as Lincoln shifted up farther in the bed and leaned back against the headboard. Did he mean what I think he meant? On rare occasions we talked about being together in the future, but it was another thing when he said it that way.
He took the box from my hand and kissed my forehead as I sat up and snuggled against him. I watched as he slowly pulled on the end of the red ribbon that was tied in a bow around a white box. It unraveled and fell to the bed. He flipped opened the top of the flimsy cardboard box to reveal a bronzed metal rectangle nestled inside a ball of tissue paper. It was slightly bigger than the size of a book of matches. Lincoln reached into the box, and when he pulled out his hand, the rectangle was dangling from his index finger by the keychain attached to it.
He held it up at eye level. “Um… thanks?”
I smiled and took it from his hand, holding it up properly in front of him. With the push of a button, the screen flashed to life and the words I love you scrolled across in fancy script. I moved my finger to another button and pressed down. A picture of Lincoln and me holding each other and smiling came up on the screen. I pushed the button again, and it changed to a picture of the two of us holding hands and ice-skating with Tabitha at the pond near my house.
