by Susan Stoker
Trevor turned to his wife. His eyes fell to the cut on her face. “He the one who did that?”
He wanted to shoot the bastard again.
“No.” Lexi’s fingertips went to the worst of her injuries. “That was Shawn. He was mad because I’d texted you.”
His jaw clenched, and he swung his gaze back to Eric’s.
“Don’t worry.” The other man seemed to read his thoughts. “I’ll personally oversee his booking. In the meantime”—he drew in a deep breath and let it out—“I’ll need a formal statement from the both of you.”
“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” Trevor undid the vest’s straps and slipped it up over his head. “Like she said, you’ve got security footage to confirm what happened, and I need to get her to the hospital.”
Trevor handed the vest to Eric.
“Be at the station at nine.” Eric took the protective gear and gave it an assessing glance. “Glad to see there aren’t any new holes. I would’ve hated having to kick your ass.”
Trevor chuckled. “You could’ve tried.”
With a roll of his eyes, Eric turned to leave. “Derek and the rest of your team are waiting outside. Think the others are pissed they were late to the party.” He stopped mid-stride. “Lex?”
“Yeah?”
His mouth curved upward. “Congratulations. You two are going to make great parents.”
“Thanks, Eric.” Lexi beamed.
The man’s smile grew flat when he sent Trevor a final wave. “Nine o’clock sharp, Matthews. Don’t keep my ass waiting.”
Grinning, Trevor didn’t bother to watch Eric disappear into the hallway. He was too busy staring at the mother of his unborn child. “Come on. Let’s get you checked out so we can go home.”
“It’s just a couple of bruises. Really, I’m fine.”
“You’re pregnant, and you’re going. End of discussion.”
“Is that so?” She rose her brow playfully.
Trevor wasn’t in the playing mood. That happened when you almost lost your whole world.
Linking his fingers with hers, he led her around the body and out the office door. “Humor me, angel. I’m barely hanging on by a thread as it is.”
“Okay.” Lexi leaned her head against his shoulder as they walked. “I’m sorry I worried you.”
Ah, baby. He swallowed hard, his hand squeezing hers a little tighter. “Baby, worry doesn’t even come close to describing how I felt.”
He’d have nightmares about this night for months to come. Maybe forever.
The fear he’d felt knowing his wife’s life—and their child’s life—was in the hands of that son of a bitch….that shit still lingered inside him.
Trevor wondered if it would ever fully go away.
“Thank you.” Lexi wrapped her free hand around his arm.
“For what?”
“For coming to save me. Again.”
Trevor halted their movements and turned to her. Brushing a stray lock of hair from her forehead, he locked eyes with her and promised, “I’ll come for you every time, angel. Every. Time. Don’t ever doubt that.”
Epilogue
Later that night…
Lexi lay on her back. Legs spread, her eyes closed. And Trevor…Trevor played her body with perfection.
“Oh, God,” she moaned, panting shamelessly as he thrust two fingers in and out of her greedy core.
His fingers strummed and plucked in the most magnificent ways. As if she were a priceless instrument, and he was the maestro.
“Like that?” he rasped.
Her head slid along the pillow in jerky nods. “Yes.”
“You want more?”
“Please,” she begged.
Even though, with Trevor, she knew she never really had to.
Always loving, always ready to give her what she craved, he put his head between her legs and swiped his tongue across her clit.
“Ah!” she cried out. Her body bowed, practically flying off the mattress.
Sensing her ravenous need, her intuitive husband picked up the pace. His fingers worked harder, faster, as he licked her clit over and over until she thought she’d die from pleasure.
And when her inner muscles began to quiver, he put the swollen bud between his lips and sent her flying.
Lexi came with an explosion of pleasure. Her climax so strong, so powerful, tiny stars actually flashed behind her tightly closed eyes.
Growling with pure, male satisfaction, Trevor slid his fingers from her body. She wanted to howl from the sudden loss, but then he placed his mouth over her weeping entrance.
When he finished drinking every drop of pleasure that he’d created, Lexi felt a trail of warm kisses moving up along her mid-section. Between her breasts. Just below her lips.
“God, you’re beautiful when you come.” He nibbled playfully.
“Pretty sure you just gave me the best Valentine’s Day present ever,” she teased.
“No, baby.” Trevor got serious. “You did.”
When the doctor found out she was pregnant, he’d ordered an ultrasound just as a precaution. Their baby was barely a spec, but they’d both fallen madly in love the second they saw their little miracle. And when they heard the precious heartbeat…they both cried tears of joy.
“Well, it’s no lasagna.”
His chest rumbled with laughter. “Pretty sure the stuff I tried to make wasn’t either.”
“It’s the thought that counts.”
That had been the second surprise Trevor had planned to give her. The first was the locket—which she was still wearing—and the second was a dinner made solely by him.
Since she was literally a chef, she usually did all of the cooking. It was sweet that he wanted to give her a break, but little did he know, she loved creating meals for him.
“To be fair”—Lexi smiled up at him— “it wasn’t your fault you had to turn the oven off mid-bake and rush to my rescue.”
“True.” He gave her a quick kiss. “And I guess I can always try it again tomorrow.”
“I say we focus on tonight.” She moved her hips beneath his and urged him on.
Because watching her husband find pleasure was her most favorite thing to do in the whole world.
Moaning, Trevor closed his eyes and nodded. “Yes, ma’am.”
Reaching between them, Lexi wrapped her fingers around his thick erection. Trevor hissed in a breath between his teeth, his cock flexing against her palm as she aligned the hot tip to her welcoming entrance.
He started to move, slowly working himself inside. She tilted her hips to give him better access, grabbed hold of his shoulders, and prepared for the glorious ride. And Trevor…
Stopped?
What the…
She stared up at him and frowned. “What’s wrong?”
Concern flickered across his eyes. “You sure this won’t hurt the baby?”
Lexi threw her head back and laughed. Oh, how she loved this overprotective man.
“Yes, honey.” She cupped his chiseled jaw and smiled. “The doctor said sex is perfectly safe during the pregnancy.”
His hot breath hit her chin just before he placed the softest of kisses on her lips. “Just wanted to be sure.”
“I’m sure.” She reached down, filling both of her hands with his well-defined rear. “Now start moving that hot ass of yours, Matthews.”
One corner of his lips curved upward. “Getting saucy on me, angel?”
Lexi shrugged a shoulder. “Must be the hormones.”
They both started to laugh, but then he finally did start moving his hot ass.
Filling her body to its limits, Trevor drew out every ounce of pleasure he could with each slow, torturous thrust.
In. Out. In. Out. In. Out.
Before long, their bedroom became filled with the sounds of their lovemaking. Heavy breathing. Skin moving against skin. Deep, satisfied moans laced with sin.
Except what they shared between them was anything but sinful.
>
It was beautiful.
Magical.
And it was all theirs.
It didn’t take long for Lexi to fly over the edge once more. Trevor followed her shortly after.
Later, as she lay in the warmth and comfort of his arms, Lexi knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that nothing or no one would ever take away what belonged to them.
Because this man…this brave, wonderful man…he was her hero. Her everything. And together, they would always find a way to keep their family safe.
* * *
The End.
A Note From The Author
See how it all started with Trevor and the rest of R.I.S.C.’s Alpha Team:
R.I.S.C. Book 1: Taking a Risk, Part One
* * *
Let’s stay in touch! Sign up for my newsletter and get a FREE COPY of the prequel to my Bravo Team series:
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Where I’ll Be
Anna Brooks
Copyright © 2021 Anna Brooks
Editing by Editing4Indie
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
It’s not that I didn’t love my sister, Olive. It’s that she turned into a crazy psycho wedding planner when she was working, and right then, I was questioning my decision to help her.
“Oakley, I said centered… center, not top.”
I straightened from the chair I was tying a bow to and glared at her. Through gritted teeth, I argued, “They are centered.”
“No, they’re not. Look at the example I gave you. Yours needs to go down about an inch.”
With a huff, I walked over to one of the other tables she set up for me to mimic and then dragged the chair back to where I was, setting it next to mine. With a grand gesturing motion, I showed her that I tied the big white bows in almost the identical place she did hers.
She studied them intently and then threw her arms in the air. “Okay, whatever. You were right, and I was wrong. But now there are marks on the carpet. Oakley, come on, don’t ruin stuff to make a point.”
“Then didn’t micromanage me.”
“Fine.” She took a breath and ran her hands down the front of her tan pants, her very beautiful and very large diamond ring sparkling bright against all of the lights in the banquet hall. “I won’t, I’m sorry. Please put the chair back and get those lines out of the carpet and then finish the bows. We’ve only got an hour and a half before the guests start arriving. The wedding party and families will be here in forty-five minutes for pictures, so we need to be ready to go.”
“We’re almost done, and what we’re not done with, we have time for. Relax, we’re good, Liv.”
She squeezed my arm before she hurried away to talk to the cake designer, and I finished up what I was doing, making sure every last bow would pass her inspection.
When the wedding party arrived five minutes earlier than they were supposed to, I saw why Liv loved her job so much. Sure, I worked at the office and scheduled appointments and helped with the administrative side of her wedding planning business, but I’d never helped Olive on-site at the actual wedding before. The stunning bride spun in a circle and marveled at the once outdated banquet hall. It really was something out of a fairy tale; twinkling lights, white and pink flowers, sparkly but tactful centerpieces, and perfectly tied bows made it a dream wedding reception.
“This is so beautiful, Olive,” the bride gushed praise and dabbed at her eyes as she hugged my sister. “It’s better than I could have ever imagined. Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. I’m so happy you’re happy.”
I started to get emotional, so I made myself scarce as more guests arrived and snuck a plate of food when everyone was eating... and a piece of cake after it was cut, too. There wasn’t much else for me to do, and I was more or less staying to help Olive if she needed me, but she was a machine and had everything running smoothly.
As I was wandering around the hall, I got a glimpse of a man… the man, the most perfect man on the face of the planet. A man I was definitely not planning on running into. The same man I made an absolute fool of myself in front of and who I’d been avoiding ever since.
So I started running on the tips of my open-toed heels to hide behind a curtain. I peeked through one of the silk drapes to make sure I was out of his sight while I simultaneously marveled at him. Lincoln. The exact definition of tall, dark, and handsome. My dream man. He was the guy who was out of my league that I reverently wished wasn’t. The fantasy to top all fantasies. The one I’d never have.
I met Lincoln Hall through a nanny job, and at first, I was intimidated by him. Not only was he a bodyguard but he was also an imposing man. If I didn’t know the type before, I definitely would have recognized it the moment I met him. So very tall with dark hair, dark eyes, a sharp jawline, thick brows, and muscles for days that he lugged his confidence around with like it weighed nothing. He would escort Meara, that was the mom of the kid I was watching, inside her house after she finished work, then once he was sure she was safe for the night, he’d walk me out to my car. And in those ninety-four seconds—yes, I counted—I felt like I got to know him better. Each encounter was less and less nerve-wracking and more and more… titillating.
Until the night of Meara’s party, when I made an idiot of myself in front of him. I know it’s not okay to blame alcohol for mistakes, but straight up, that was what it was. I’d had one too many drinks and because he was a gentleman, Lincoln drove me home and walked me inside… where I proceeded to drunkenly throw myself at him.
And where he politely turned me down.
Even in the state I was in, I was mortified... no amount of alcohol on the planet doesn’t let that particular feeling seep through.
I’d seen him since that night, and every time I did, he tried to talk to me. Because he was such a nice guy, I knew he wanted to clear things up and reject me face-to-face when I wasn’t three sheets to the wind. So when he got me alone, he did that thing where he said my name all soft and sweet… as though he was trying to soften the blow and let me down easy. I just never let him finish what he was going to say when he started a sentence with my name, because I ran away.
Or I avoided him altogether like I was right then, hovering behind a curtain like a loser.
Seeing him again only made those feelings return even stronger, and the embarrassment evolved to the point that I got tingles in my throat as my entire body flamed from the discomfort.
“Why are you hiding from me?”
I screeched and covered my mouth, spinning around when Lincoln’s voice sounded from behind me.
He was grinning, smirking, and it made him so much more handsome than his usual brooding self… which was hot as hell, don’t get me wrong, it was just that when he smiled, it was nearly blinding how gorgeous he was.
I pulled my shoulders back and cleared my throat in a lame attempt to seem like I had myself together. “Oh, hi.”
“Hi, Oakley.” He tilted his head. “Why are you hiding?”
“I’m not hiding.”
“Okay, then why are you standing behind a curtain?”
“I’m just here helping my sister. She’s the wedding planner. I needed to check on something.” I ran my fingers along the fabric, avoiding his eyes as I pretended to inspect the silk.
He raised a brow. “Is everything okay? No curtain crisis or fabric fiasco? Do I need to call in reinforcements?”
“Nope.” I dropped the material. “All’s well.”
“Okay, so now that that’s done, why don’t you come dance with me?”
My heart thumped in my chest at the sudden question, and I took a step away from him. Despite my wobbly knees, I managed to stay upright. “Well, I’m not a guest. I’m, um, not supposed to be”—I made air q
uotes with my fingers—“socializing.”
“I see.”
“So that’s it. That’s why I was hiding.”
“So you are hiding, then?” Of course he caught my lie and called me on it. He leaned closer, and when he did, I got a whiff of his amazing cologne. “Oakley…” Oh God… he did it. He started a sentence with my name. “You don’t need to hide from anybody. Especially not me.”
How did he see right through me? He barely knew me, but I felt as if he was a witness to my soul. “I’m not hiding from you. I told you, my sister doesn’t want me to be seen. She wants me to stay out of sight because I’m just the help, not a guest and—”
“There you are. Jeez, Oakley, why are you over here hiding? I’ve been looking everywhere for you. Come on, I want to introduce you to someone.”
Shit.
Lincoln grinned knowingly when Olive came into view. She stuttered a step, picked up on the tension immediately, and then stuck her hand out. “Hi. I’m Olive, Oakley’s sister and the wedding planner. Who are you?”
He shook her hand politely and then looped his thumb into the pocket of his suit pants. “Lincoln, friend of Oakley’s. The wedding looks beautiful. You did a great job.”
Her eyes widened because she’d heard me talk about him before, so she also knew I had a thing for him. “Thank you, I appreciate that. If you don’t mind, I need to steal her for a quick moment, but then you can have her back.” Olive grabbed my hand and yanked me away, and I peeked over my shoulder to find Lincoln watching me with an expression that I honestly didn’t know how to read. Part angry, part amused, and part… dare I say, desire?
“What are you doing?” I hissed at Olive. “Slow down.”
She paused until I caught up next to her and then leaned over to me to whisper, “Sorry, what was that?”
I was very close to my sister, and I usually told her everything, but I was so embarrassed about what happened with Lincoln that I hadn’t mentioned that night to her. “I kind of saw him at a party and got drunk. He took me home, I threw myself at him, he rejected me. Ever since then, I’ve been trying to avoid him.”
