At Any Price

by Theresa Leigh

  She looked over to Jameson with a softness in her face that I'd rarely seen. Other than when she looked at Malcolm, of course. "Why don't you ask your man over there?" she asked me. "Seems to me he's some kind of guardian angel."

  "Lucky charm," Jameson corrected with a grin.

  Hot shame flooded me and I turned to him. "I guess I should have asked you that from the beginning, huh?" I said, shifting Malcolm in my arms.

  He shrugged and gave me that smile. The one that made the corners of his eyes crinkle so beautifully. "I figured you'd get around to it."

  "Near as I can tell," my mom piped up. "He just sort of showed up and saved us."

  I widened my eyes at Jameson who shrugged again. "I had a bad feeling." He tapped his stomach. "In my gut. Literally. Felt like a knife."

  "And you came all the way back to Reckless Falls from..."

  "Boston," he supplied. "There are probably a few pissed off people sitting in a conference room there, waiting for me, actually."

  "Boston," I breathed, hardly believing what he was saying. "You had a bad feeling..."

  "A bad gut feeling," he interjected.

  I shook my head. "And you just flew in from Boston to make sure everything was okay?"

  He grinned. "It sort of wasn't though, so..."

  I turned back to my mom who winced. "I was bending over to grab Mac's raccoon blanket off the floor before I tripped on the infernal thing," she explained. "The way the doctor explained it, it was a pretty bad time to have a dizzy spell." She rubbed her head ruefully. "Hit my head on the coffee table and down I went."

  "Mom," I sighed, choking back the tears. I blinked up at the ceiling.

  "Bled like a stuck pig too," my mom chuckled. "Seems like that damn medicine affects clotting too."

  "If you hadn't come..." I whispered to Jameson.

  "Someone would have seen Malcolm," he said, reaching over and grabbing my son's hand. "Little intrepid dude decided to go find help."

  "He really got all three locks open?" I shuddered. "Okay, time for more childproofing."

  "High five, little man," Jameson said to Malcolm, holding up his hand. "Do you know high-five? Like this. Hit my hand, hard as you can."

  "Da," Malcolm said, then leaned back and whaled on Jameson's hand as with all the force his twenty-pound body could muster.

  I blinked rapidly, biting my lip. My eyes felt like they were leaking, tears just sliding down my face without my permission.

  "Hi there?" A nurse came to the door, gently tapping it open. "I need to take Malcolm to get his vitals one more time."

  I nodded. "Mom, are you okay with me going?"

  She looked at me and Jameson. "Is he going with you?"

  "Yes," he said at the same time I asked, "Why does that matter?"

  "Here," the nurse said. "I'll take him down for you." She reached for Malcolm who squirmed and yelled.

  "I'm coming down," I bleated, tearing my eyes away from Jameson and turning to follow. "I'm coming, baby."

  But Jameson stepped forward, grabbing my arm. "Hey," he said, pulling me to the side of the hallway. "I have to tell you something."

  "My baby..."

  "He's fine. He's with a nurse. Just..." He looked almost nauseous. "Please." He poked his head into the room behind me. "There's no one in here, just for a second, please."

  "Stop pulling me!" I cried. But I let him pull me into the empty room and lock the door behind us because there was something I needed to tell him too. Something I didn't think I would get a chance to say.

  "Charlie," he choked, leaning his head back against the door. "Fuck."

  "Was that what you wanted to tell me?" I snarked, unable to keep from lashing out. There was an empty space in my chest as wide as he was.

  "No," he growled angrily, stepping forward. "I wanted to tell you," his hands shook as they circled my waist.

  And then suddenly all my rage boiled up, and for some reason, I was kissing him, and the kiss started out like I was trying to bite him, consume him like I was trying to devour him right here and now so that he couldn't leave again. So that he would become part of me and I could carry him around with me when I needed him, but I was powerless against the assault of his lips on mine, as he kissed me back with just much urgency if not more.

  We went crashing backwards, slamming into the empty bed With a growl, he whirled me around, lifting me up into his arms and I suddenly found myself airborne as he held me in his arms, still kissing me. I was frantic, electric, I felt like a hurricane with gale force winds was rushing through my head, drowning out every thought so that only my need for him remained. It made no sense how he could have utterly bewitched me, how he could already possess me, body and soul after being in my life for such a short time, but each moment that he kissed me stretched out into an eternity, and I lived a million lives between each breath and each one of them was perfect because I was with him.

  With a whimper, I threw my arms around his head, pulling him down closer, not even needing the air I breathed, only needing him, his lips, his tongue, his sighs and his swearing. He growled against my lips, and turned around, backing me up against the wall. In two motions, he had my hands pinned up above my head, pressing his body flush against mine. With a little whimper, I hitched my skirt up higher, giving him access, giving him everything I had, if only, only he would give it all back to me.

  And he did, he was already so hard, and when his cock slid inside of me, I nearly wept with relief. "Charlie," he gasped, his lips against my neck, already so having me so close. "Charlie," he repeated, moving his hand in time with his thrusts. I shrieked, burying my face into his neck, biting down before throwing my head back. "Yes, yes," he told me, practically begging, and it was that note in his voice, that pleading wonderment that belied every cocky, insolent smile of his. His voice was thick with need, and it sent me over the brink, and I couldn't believe how fast I was coming but also couldn't believe how long it took me to realize that I wasn't angry with him, I was angry with myself for trying to be done with him. I was angry with myself for shutting the door on the man I loved.

  Chapter Forty

  Jameson

  "I'm sorry," I blurted, the second I could breathe again.

  She was still panting. Sliding back down the wall, she looked at me, her beautiful eyes huge and confused. "Why are you sorry?" she asked breathlessly. "We just got done..."

  "I know what we were doing," I interrupted. "But that was what I wanted to tell you when I asked you to come in here with me." I brushed my hand down her face and she bent her cheek to my palm. "I'm sorry that I left."

  "I told you to go," she reminded me.

  "I shouldn't have listened to you."

  Her eyes snapped and I laughed. Pulling her close to me, I brushed her hair back from her forehead and pressed my lips there. "I'm not... I get it, okay?"

  "You don't need to say you're sorry," she said.

  "No, I do," I insisted. "Maybe I'm not apologizing, though. Maybe I'm just saying that I'm actually sorry I left because I wasted time I could have been spending with you. I need to say that I'm sorry I did that."

  "No, you don't." She was crying freely now, tears tracking down her face with no thought of wiping them away. I brought my hand up and tenderly brushed away the one that clung to her nose. "You saved my entire family. You had a bad feeling and you came back. My mother." Her voice caught, "My son."

  "You know," I said softly. "He called me Da to my face, did you know that?"

  She stiffened like a bolt of electricity had gone through her.

  "Did you teach him that?" I pressed her.

  She shook her head vehemently. "No," she said. "He...he must have come up with that himself."

  I swallowed hard. "I was sitting there in Boston and the only thing I could think of was you and Malcolm," I told her. There was no more room for pretending, no more leaving things up to chance. I needed to spell out how I felt once at for all. "And I realized the luckiest thing I'd ever done was hit
you with my car."

  "Ah so you admit it was you that hit me," she said, grinning through her tears.

  I waved my hand. "I admit nothing. What I'm saying it my whole life I've believed in luck because that's all I've had to rely on. I trusted my gut because it was the only thing I had to depend on. I had no connections, no grounding in a family. I've had no roots to hold me in one place and no one to rely on and..." my voice caught in my throat and I looked away. It was harder to say this aloud than I'd expected. "But..." I cleared my throat. "But now I want that."

  "You..."

  "I want to stop leaving it up to chance because I know something for certain now. And that's the fact that I love you." Her eyes went wide and I plowed on before she could say anything that would disrupt what I needed to say. "And I love little Mac Attack. And he called me Da on his own so I'm pretty fucking sure he loves me so now all I need to know is, do you love me too?"

  "Yes!" she blurted, then clapped her hand over her mouth and looked at me with wide eyes. She shook her head. "I can't believe it. It makes no sense and it's the craziest thing ever but yes. I love you."

  "Shit, really?"

  She laughed. "I know."

  "I'm really fucking glad you hit me with your car." I was almost shouting I was so fucking happy. "Luckiest fucking fender bender ever."

  She opened her mouth to say more, but my kiss swallowed up her words. I pressed my lips to her forehead again and breathed out, hardly able to believe my luck. She loved me too. She knew it and didn't even have to flip a coin to decide. How fucking amazing was that?

  "But what are we going to do?" she wondered, talking against my chest. I could feel her tears soaking through my shirt and I couldn't be happier. "You live in... where even the fuck do you live?"

  "With you," I said. "Wherever you are, I'm home."

  She sighed into my chest again, a contented happy sigh that I hoped I'd be able to make her make again and again and again. "Can we go down and get Malcolm now?" she whispered into my chest, still clinging to me."

  "Yeah," I said, kissing the top of her head, her curls tickling my nose. "I'm gonna see if he'll call me Da again," She looked up at me with wide eyes. "What?" I shrugged. "I kind of like the sound of that."

  Epilogue

  Charlie

  Even though I felt like I knew him from the moment I met him, there were still a few things I needed to learn about Jameson Tellar.

  The first was that he really hated giving horsey rides. But seeing as Malcolm had him wrapped around his chubby little finger, he was perfectly willing to spend hours tromping around the living room of our new house, so long as I agreed to rub his back afterward. I didn't mind that.

  The second thing I needed to learn was that he was a night owl. Those first two nights we spent together where we were up all night long were not flukes. The man seemed to need no more than three hours of a sleep a night, which was fine with me because it meant he was cool with getting up whenever Malcolm yelled in the middle of the night. I think night-cheese was becoming his favorite time of the day. And I was fine with it too because this new baby was sapping all of my energy and I needed way more sleep that I usually did.

  Did I say new baby? Right, so it turns out that my luck when it comes to unprotected sex still held. But this time around, I considered myself to be very lucky to be pregnant. Very lucky indeed.

  The third thing I needed to learn about Jameson was that he was not someone who was willing to sit back and wait. Once he set his mind to something, there was nothing that could stand in his way. The changes we'd gone through in the past few months - with him winding down his business elsewhere and beefing up his stake in Granger Development, with selling my Mom's tiny house and moving us all into a huge place in the hills with its own in-law suite so my mother could have her own space while we kept an eye on her, not to mention the small matter of the new baby currently nestled on my bladder - had been dizzying. But he attacked it with the kind of zeal that left me, the queen of productivity, feeling like I needed a nap.

  "You still sleeping?" Jameson whispered from the doorway. Malcolm was bouncing on his shoulders.

  I hefted myself over to the side and pushed up. "This bed is so big," I complained, heaving myself over to the side. "I get lost in it."

  Jameson smiled, then leaned back to counteract Malcolm's wild lunge. "Little man wants to see the big water," he said. "I was thinking I'd take him to our spot.

  I grinned. "I'm coming," I said, standing up with a groan.

  "You sure?" he asked, sounding concerned. "It's your day off. You need to rest."

  "I've been resting all morning," I complained. "I'm bored." I stretched my hands out and the shine of the diamond caught my eye, making me smile.

  "I love watching you do that," Jameson said softly. "When you look at the ring and suddenly remember."

  "Like I've forgotten," I said, going over to him and brushing a kiss across his lips. "How could I forget that you want to marry me for some reason?"

  "For some reason?" he laughed against my mouth. "Yeah, it couldn't possibly be that I'm crazy about you. Or that you're carrying my child. Or that..."

  "I know," I grinned. "You said that all already when you proposed."

  "I'm putting it in my vows too," he promised. Then his face fell. "I can't believe you're making me wait."

  "To get married?" I laughed. "Hold your horses please and wait for this kid to get out of me so I can wear a nice dress and not be the size of a house."

  He muttered something about pressing my luck and turned, swooping Malcolm around so he laughed his wild giggle and the two of them went tromping down the stairs. I waddled after them, grinning all the while.

  The tourist season didn't start for another few weeks, so the waterfront was all but deserted. Jameson set Malcolm down and he went zooming off towards the log that still sat near the treeline. Jameson slipped his arm around my rapidly disappearing waist and kissed the top of my head. "He's getting so big," he said, watching Malcolm tear around like a maniac.

  "I know," I sighed. "I'm losing my baby."

  "Good thing I gave you another one," Jameson chuckled, cupping my belly possessively.

  I laughed. "Yes, thank you. You always know just what I need."

  "You're all I need," he said gently, pulling me closer. "You and that little boy over there, and this little boy right here." He brushed my belly again. "How lucky can one guy get?"

  "Pretty lucky," I grinned, slipping my hand into his pocket.

  He made a soft grunting noise as my fingers brushed his hardness, but then I realized something. "Hey?" I said, turning his pocket inside out. "Where's your lucky coin?"

  He looked down. "Oh I spent it a while back. Mac wanted bubblegum."

  "But...it was your lucky coin."

  He shrugged and looked at me. "Don't need it anymore," he said and kissed me again.

  * * *

  THE END

  Books by Theresa Leigh

  The Crown Creek Series

  The Kings:

  Sweet Crazy Song

  Jonah and Ruby’s story

  READ IT FOR FREE!

  Cocky Jonah never wanted to come home to Crown Creek. But a chance meeting with kindergarten teacher Ruby has him wanting to stay forever.

  Lost Perfect Kiss

  Gabe and Everly’s story

  A risk taking bad boy. A girl-next-door nurse. And the kiss that never should have happened. Gabe has to convince Everly to take the biggest risk of her life. Him.

  Soft Wild Ache

  Beau and Rachel’s story

  Growing up in a repressive religious cult meant that Rachel always believed the outside world was evil. But when sensitive rocker Beau opens her eyes to life outside the compound walls, she learns that he’s the sweetest sin she’s ever seen.

  His Secret Heart

  Finn and Sky’s story

  Sky was certain she knew everything she needed to know about volatile, unpredictable bad boy Finn King. B
ut when her world turns upside down, she realizes everything she thought she knew is wrong.

  Coming Soon:

  Claire’s story

  * * *

  Crown Creek Standalone:

  Last Good Man

  Cooper and Willa’s story

  Willa hates Cooper. But when she wakes up in a hospital room, he’s the one who’s there waiting - rumpled, frantic… And swearing she’s his fiancee.

  Coming soon:

  Ryan and Naomi’s story

  Sadie’s story

  * * *

  The Reckless Falls Series

  Fool Me Once

  Autumn and Cole’s story

  READ IT FOR FREE!

  Eight years ago, Cole broke Autumn’s heart. But now he’s back in town and asking her to take a second chance on her first love.

  * * *

  Take Me Away

  Aria and Derek’s story

  After escaping her abusive ex, Aria flees back to her small town and the house left to her by her grandfather. But it she’s not the only one claiming her inheritance. Her rival? A reclusive bad boy from Aria’s past. He’s not leaving his home without a fight…

  and he fights dirty.

  * * *

  More Than Enough

  Harper, Callum, and Grayson’s story

  Harper knows kissing Callum was a mistake. And kissing Grayson was an even bigger mistake. Now she’s falling for both of her older brother’s best friends. She can’t possibly choose between them.

  But what if she doesn’t have to?

  * * *

  Hold Me Tight

  Brynn and Everett’s story

  Brynn likes her uncomplicated life as a single girl in a small town. But when a stalker has her fearing for her safety, she finds comfort in a surprising place - tied up in Everett’s bed.

  * * *

  All Of Me