“Yeah, at first it felt like my whole world was coming down when you left to come out here, and it looked like I was going to be usurped from my position in the church. Honestly, I felt completely lost. But I prayed about it and then Dynassy approached me and everything seemed to fall into place.”
“I’m so lucky to have a man who lets me follow my dreams.”
“I want nothing more than to make your dreams come true, Chloe. It’s one of the reasons I married you.”
She giggled. “One of the reasons?”
I nodded.
“What were some of the other reason?”
I pulled her in for a deep kiss. Grabbing her ass and pulling it towards me against my erection. “You know why.”
A mischievous grin spread across her face. “I may need you to remind me.”
“Not a problem, Mrs. Soto. Not a problem at all.”
We undressed in a rush. There would be time for savoring each other later, but we’d been apart too long, and the urgency I felt to have my skin touching hers was too strong.
Once we were naked, I lifted her into my arms and she wrapped her legs around me like a monkey climbing a tree. My hard cock rubbed against her pussy, and she cried out my name.
“Damn, I’ve missed you, girl,” I muttered into her hair, and I took a few steps so I was pressing her against the wall.
“Me too. I need you inside me.”
Unable to deny her, I shifted my pelvis so I could maneuver her onto my erection. It took some rearranging, but once I slid into her and her muscles clamped down on me, we both shuddered with the pleasure of coming together as one.
“Yes,” she breathed. “Oh, my God, you feel so good.”
Then I claimed her—with my mouth as well as my cock. I wanted to devour her, body and soul, and to give her everything I had to give. Every inch, every thrust, every kiss was a promise that she belonged to me, and I to her.
I pumped hard into her with deep, long strokes while she clung to me and moaned in my ear. The sound only fueled my desire, and it didn’t take long for us both to climax.
Afterwards, I carried her over to the bed where she covered us with the bedsheets and snuggled into my arms.
“What I want to know is how you got so good at sex. I mean, you have to admit, that’s not what you first think of when you think of a priest—that he must be good in bed.”
I chuckled. “That’s because you are missing the fact that God gave us sex. He invented it, and when he did he created the perfect way for a man and a woman to come together, physically, emotionally, even spiritually.”
“I never thought of it that way.”
“That’s because we’re taught that sex is shameful. That’s the way society curbs our impulses and tries to keep people from letting their hormones run wild. That part is more about sociology than theology, but it makes sex all the more exciting and mysterious.”
“It is, isn’t it?”
I nodded. “Yes, but it’s perfectly fine when practiced between a husband and a wife, my dear. So, in anticipation of having a wife one day, I did my research.”
“Research?” she asked.
I hugged her tight. “Yes, research. You’d be amazed at what you can find on the Internet about sex.”
She giggled. “No, I wouldn’t.”
“Not porn, naughty girl. There are articles . . . more scientific ones.”
She turned around and met my eye. “You’re saying you’ve never watched porn?”
I rolled my eyes. “What is this? The confessional?”
“Have you?”
“Of course I have. And I lost my virginity when I was seventeen under the bleachers in high school.”
“What was her name?”
“Shelly Rowland. Yours?”
“Tucker James.”
“Tucker?”
“Yeah, so?”
“Look, Chloe, the way I see it, all the women I knew before I became a priest and stopped screwing around, they were practice for when I found you. You are the only woman for me. The only one.”
She wriggled into my arms, grinning up at me mischievously. “I am, huh?”
“Yes,” I said, planting a kiss on her nose.
“Show me again,” she whispered huskily.
“My pleasure.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Eduardo
The party was beginning to break up. It had been an impromptu affair to welcome me to the fold, and I’d enjoyed myself more than I’d expected to. The Barnes females were giggling in the kitchen, and I went back into the living room to find some masculine energy. But I found the room was empty, so I stood in front of the fire admiring the portrait of Ziggy Barnes that was the focal point of the room and appreciated having a quiet moment to reflect.
Leo walked in carrying two beers and motioned for me to take one.
“You old enough to drink these?” I asked, only half-joking as I twisted off the cap of the one he handed me.
“I’m twenty-two, actually. But it’s not like I haven’t been drinking beer since I was a teenager.” He pointed to a comfortable-looking chair and I sat down. Unfortunately, it wasn’t as comfortable as it appeared.
Leo sank down into the chair across from me his lips curling up into a smile smirk. “Mom’s furniture, right? It looks like a million bucks, but it feels like crap. Nick and I always laugh about that.”
I nodded in agreement.
“Where is Nick? I asked. He’d been around earlier.
“Helping Eden with the twins. Those little whirling dervishes. I can’t imagine what Ivy and I must have been like at that age. I don’t want to know.”
I chuckled, trying to imagine spirited Ivy and Leo as toddlers. “I’ll bet your mom had her hands full.”
“Yeah,” he said, staring into the fire.
We were quiet for a moment. I was more comfortable with silences between people than the average person because, as a counselor, you learned to sit with silence. Most people liked to fill the space, but that space was what allowed people to go to a deeper level.
“You know, Ed, you’re not the only one with father issues.” Leo jerked his head at the portrait of Ziggy.
“No?”
“No.” Leo spoke slowly. “I don’t think he was my dad.”
My pulse quickened. “What do you mean?” I asked.
“I don’t think I’m the son of Ziggy Barnes.”
“But Ivy and you are twins.” My mind was spinning, but I was trying to get a handle on what he was telling me.
“Oh, I think it’s possible Ivy is his. Just not me.”
“But how?”
He shrugged. “I’ve read about it happening when a woman sleeps with two men on the same night. Twins can have different fathers.
“But why would you think that? What about your musical talent? Everyone says you’re just as talented as Ziggy or more so. How could you possibly have more talent than Ziggy if you’re not his kid?”
“I don’t really remember my dad, but I’ve heard that Ziggy always said that Eden’s dad was more talented than him. The two of them were best friends. They loved each other like brothers. Both died in the same plane crash and there were rumors they both loved the same woman.”
“Leo, where did you come up with this idea?”
“I was in Italy last summer on a break from the tour. Just writing music, hanging out. I rented a motorcycle one day and had a little accident. When I got to the hospital and they asked me my blood type. I didn’t know so they checked and told me it was O positive. One day I was looking through my mom’s wallet. She told me to run and go grab a credit card and bring it to her and when I did I saw her blood donor card that said she was A positive. I knew from reading a lot about Ziggy that he had a rare blood type—AB. A mother with Lucinda’s blood type and a man with Ziggy’s blood type can’t have a child with an O blood type. I looked it up.”
“Do you know what blood type Eden’s father had?”
Leo shook
his head. “He’s dead too. And I don’t know that I want to know if it’s somebody else.”
“Man, Leo, I’m sorry. I don’t know what to say.”
“It’s all good, Padre. I just wanted you to know this is one fucked-up family, but we care a lot about each other, and I wouldn’t trade it for any other family in the world. No matter who my real dad is, I’m pretty fucking lucky to be a Barnes. I’ve been all over the world, and I get to play music and get paid for it. That’s a charmed life, and I try to be grateful for it. If it seems like a bit of a curse to you, I just wanted to tell you that there are blessings that come with it as well. That’s all I’m trying to say.”
“Thank you, Leo. I appreciate that.” My brother had a lot of wisdom for a twenty-two-year-old. When I was his age, I was trying to deal with the fallout from the accident I’d been in. He seemed to have a pretty good head on his shoulders.
“That must be a lot to carry around.”
“Yeah, well don’t mention it to anyone. Lucinda doesn’t know I know, and Ivy—well, she would flip her wig. I don’t want to go stirring things up, ya know?”
“I do.”
“But don’t think every time I’m around Nick and Eden’s twins I don’t wonder if I’m really their uncle from Eden’s side, or hell, both sides! Fucks with my brain, you know?”
I shook my head. What could you say to that?
We sat, basking in the warmth of the fire and our dysfunctional family.
As if summoned, Lucinda popped her head out from the kitchen and said, “Who’s up for a Barnes Family Thanksgiving show?”
Amidst a chorus of groans, Chloe came over and planted herself in my lap.
“Chloe should do the cooking!” I shouted.
Everyone looked at me as if I had two heads.
“What? I may be a slow study, but I’m coming around,” I said, pretending to be defensive.
“Really?” Chloe asked.
“Really. From the very beginning I told you I’d do everything in my power to make your dreams come true. So, if you want to be on TV with Lucinda and everyone else, I think you should go for it.”
Lucinda clapped her hands. “Yay! You see what a good idea it was to find Eduardo.”
There were several dutiful “Yes, Mothers” and a lot of laughter.
“And Eduardo can say a special Thanksgiving blessing,” Ivy piped up.
I held up a hand in protest. “I don’t think so.”
“C’mon, Ed. You can do that. We won’t make you sing or anything,” Dynassy teased.
“You don’t want me to sing?” I joked back.
“Please no!” Nick chimed in, and I felt more a part of something bigger than myself. Having a family like this was something no one could have prepared me for.
As a young boy, I’d had a home with my mother. Then away at school, I’d had one with the Morleys. Later, I convinced myself the church was my family. But none of that compared with the feeling of belonging I got being a part of the Barnes clan.
They were crazy. High energy. Meddling. Outrageous. Not to mention loud. My crazy new family had almost broken my marriage, but they had also helped put it back together again.
As Chloe wound her arms around me, and whispered in my ear, “Thank you, my love,” I knew if lightning struck me at that moment I’d die a happy man.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Eduardo
6 Months Later
The phone woke me up at 2:31 a.m.
My body immediately went into alert mode. Middle of the night phone calls were never good news.
“Eduardo?”
“Yes?” I couldn’t quite place the voice.
Squinting, I tried to adjust my eyes to the dim light. Chloe lay next to me sleeping. She’d had a long day yesterday shooting some new episodes for her cooking show, Baking with the Barnes. Wanting her to get all the rest she could, I slid out of bed and padded into the living room of our new LA apartment. It was the nicest place I’d ever lived, and I was still trying to get used to it.
“Hey, it’s Ivy.”
This was unusual. Ivy and I had gotten to know each other better over the last few months, but I wouldn’t have thought we were on “call you at two-in-the-morning” terms. “What’s up?”
“I’m sorry to bother you. I realize it’s probably the middle of the night over there.”
“Two thirty.”
“Sorry. But Lucinda said to call you.”
My gut clenched.
“What is it, Ivy? Is everybody okay?” I asked, with more urgency in my voice than I’d intended.
“Yes, everyone is fine, in one piece, if that’s what you mean. But it’s Leo. He’s in a bit of trouble.”
“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” After his confession about his questioned parentage, I felt a special connection with Leo. We might not be related by blood, but I definitely considered him my brother.
A long sigh traveled across the miles. “It’s about a girl.”
Crap. “I’m not sure this is something I can help you with.”
“Oh, but you have to. Lucinda says we need a priest, and thank God, we’ve got one in the family. She’s booking you a ticket to Martinovia now. I’ll text you the details.”
“Why in the world do you need a priest, Ivy?”
“Because Leo has apparently de-flowered this country’s princess, and they need to be married right away or her father is going to turn this thing into an international incident.”
Holy crap. I had a million questions, the first of which was—does Leo even want to marry this princess? But those would have to wait. “All right. I’ll come.”
“Yay!” squealed Ivy. “Thank you! Eduardo, you’re the best. And Mom says to bring some of your finest vestments for the photos. What are vestments anyway?”
“Ask your mother. I’ve got to start packing.”
“Thanks, Eduardo.”
We hung up, and as I started going through my closet and adding things to my hanging bag, I thought about how much my life had changed. Less than a year ago I’d been a lonely man who thought his church was his family. That might have been the case for a while, but a family like that didn’t always remain loyal. My newly found blood family might betray me too, but for now I took a leap of faith and trusted that they would be there for me.
As much as I’d hated the idea at first, Lucinda had given Chloe’s career a boost she would never have had if it weren’t for the Barnes Media machine. Ultimately, I was grateful for that. My wife was happy, and that made me happy.
All of the Barneses had gotten involved in the family’s various philanthropies, but Dynassy had made sure I was in charge by convincing Lucinda that she already had enough on her plate managing all of their careers. Our first project well was under construction in an isolated part of Africa, and we had a benefit concert planned for the following summer.
As much as I wanted Chloe to come with me, I knew she’d need to stay and finish taping the new episodes of her show. I’d wait and wake her right before I had to leave. The prospect of seeing my beloved Chloe’s eyes flutter open each morning still filled my heart with joy, and I was going to miss her like crazy. Hopefully, this Leo crisis could be dealt with quickly and I’d be back in her bed as soon as possible.
Finding out I was a Barnes had shocked me, but I’d worked through my resentment, and now I was happy to be a part of the tightly-knit family. They might be rich and famous, but at their core they were human beings like everybody else.
And when things got tough, family had to stick together. That meant when they called me in the middle of the night, I’d be there to help.
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Web Master Trilogy
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Her Web Master
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Poor Little Daddy’s Girl
Becoming Daddy’s Girl
The Daddy’s Girl Collection (Books 1-3)
Pirates of the Jolie Rouge Trilogy
Rescued by the Buccaneer
Bound by the Buccaneer
Tamed by the Buccaneer
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Co-written Novels
*Wanted: A Monster Billionaire Romance with Jani Kay
*The Beast’s Baby with J. Chase
Falling for the Hitman with J. Chase
Toy with J. Chase
Stand Alone Titles
Surrender to a SEAL
*Taken by the Tycoon
The Professor’s Plaything
Daddy Knows Best
Venice Bound
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Tease to Please
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The Barnes Family Romances: (Books 1-3) Page 48
