“You think I don’t? I almost said fuck it and left to be with you, only I couldn’t let everyone else down,” I admit.
“I’m glad you didn’t, because I would have felt like shit if you had. Guilty too.”
“Bedroom?” I pant as she moves to kiss my neck.
“No,” she says. “Shower.”
I head to the bathroom.
*****
I wake up with her wrapped around me like an octopus. Smiling, I kiss her on her forehead, my hand running down the curve of her naked ass.
“Morning,” she whispers, her voice thick.
“Good morning soon-to-be Mrs. Tate,” I say, pulling her even closer to me. “Where were you last night? I was here by seven.”
“I was working out with Reid,” she replies, yawning.
My body stills. “Reid…”
“Knox. You know him.”
“Reid Knox? The MMA fighter?” I say slowly.
That good-looking bastard.
She nods.
“You were working out with Reid Knox while wearing a sports bra?” I ask, a little louder this time.
She smirks. “Reid is committed to Summer, you know that. He’s been teaching me a few moves, and I think it’s great because I can teach them to the women at the self-defense class.”
“Were you alone in the gym?”
She sits up. “Seriously?”
I clear my throat. “Just making conversation.”
“I trusted you throughout all your bullshit. If you even think about making a big deal about this I’m going to be pretty pissed,” she says through clenched teeth.
She’s right and I do trust her, but no man on the face of this earth wants his woman alone with a man like Reid Knox.
I mean, come on now.
I’m quiet for a few seconds. “Has he ever hit on you?”
She growls and storms out of bed.
I sigh and follow behind her, out into the kitchen.
“I’m sorry, I don’t want to fight. I just got you back,” I tell her. “I trust you, so I won’t say anything about Reid.”
Except next time I might try and tag along with you.
She turns around and stares at me. “You will get off my back?”
I nod. “I will.”
“Good. Do you want some coffee?” she asks.
“Yes please. I’ll make us some breakfast,” I say, standing up and walking to the fridge to search its contents. “Do you have work today?”
She glances over at me. “I do, but I’m calling in sick. It’s been too damn long, and I need some quality time with my man. You have three months of orgasms to give me.”
Anndddd I’m now semi-hard.
She looks down at the crotch of my boxer shorts and smirks. “Feed me first.”
I pull out some eggs and grab a frying pan. She stands behind me and wraps her arms around me.
“Just having you here again,” she whispers. “I’m happy.”
“Go and relax, I’ll bring you breakfast in bed,” I say. “And then I’ll make you even happier.”
She places a kiss in the center of my naked back. “And how are you going to do that?”
“Hmmmm,” I reply. “With my mouth, then with my fingers, and then with my cock. And then I’m going to start from the beginning again.”
Her fingers find my nipple rings and give them a slight tug. “Hurry, I’m feeling a little… hungry.”
With that she heads to the bathroom and I hear the shower turn on.
I make the world’s quickest scrambled eggs and toast and bring it to her in bed, where she is wearing nothing except a towel on her head. While she eats I have a quick shower myself then drink my coffee in bed next to her, also naked.
Fuck wearing clothes today.
As soon as she’s done with her food, I lower myself on the bed and spread her legs wide. I glance up at her and lick my lips. “Get ready to scream babe.”
Chapter Thirty-One
Tenielle
I glance around the table, at my parents’ faces and then at Saxon’s.
“So Mum,” I start. “The reason we wanted to have this dinner was that we have an announcement to make.”
My mum gasps. “Oh my god you’re pregnant, aren’t you?”
I can’t tell if she looks happy or sad.
“No I’m not pregnant, but I am getting married.”
Silence.
My father looks to Saxon. “I don’t remember you asking permission to marry my daughter.”
Yikes.
“I’m sorry Mr. Crawford, the truth is that I love your daughter, and I want to marry her. I didn’t really think about anyone else’s answer beside hers.”
“It’s two thousand and fourteen Dad,” I tell him, amused. “Did Chase ask you?”
“When will the wedding be?” my mother asks, beaming. “I can’t wait to start planning. When can we go wedding dress shopping?”
The answer to that would be never.
“I’m not sure yet Mum, he only proposed last week so we haven’t planned anything yet.”
“I see,” she replies. “I’ll help you every step of the way darling.”
That’s what I am afraid of.
I see Saxon trying to hide his smile and failing.
“Well Layla said she would help but I’m sure—”
“Layla is busy with her own family,” she replies, cutting me off.
I narrow my eyes. “Lexi is my best friend and maid of honor, so she will be helping too.”
She puts her napkin down on her plate. “I see.”
“We can worry about the details later,” my dad says, coming to my rescue. “Welcome to the family Saxon.”
He should probably run while he still can.
For the next hour, we answer questions such as where are we going to live and when are we going to have our first child. After the inquisition, we drive to Kidd’s house. He wanted us to come over for a few drinks with his boyfriend, Darren. I’ve met Darren once. He’s a seriously good-looking man, and I think the two of them make a cute couple.
“You okay babe?” Saxon asks.
I turn to look at him. “Yeah, I could really use a drink right now.”
He smirks. “We’re almost there.”
Good.
My mother could drive anyone to drink.
We spend the night with Kidd and Darren then go back to my apartment.
“I don’t know why we always come here when your place is ten times bigger,” I say as I get changed into my pajamas.
Saxon laughs. “I don’t know. I guess your apartment is more central, and you’re fussier about these things. I’ll sleep anywhere you are. You need all your fancy lotions and whatnot.”
I raise my eyebrows. “Are you calling me high maintenance?”
“I didn’t say those words,” he replies. “But now that you mention it—you can be, yes.”
“Did you hear that noise?” I ask.
He looks around the room. “What noise?”
“The sound of any chance of you getting laid tonight flying out the window.”
He falls onto the bed and starts laughing. “Babe, you’re the one who reaches for me in the night. You think you can last the night without me inside you?”
“I lasted all the times you weren’t here!” I point out.
“Yeah, because I wasn’t here. Plus you probably used your vibrator anyway.”
I totally did.
“We’ll see, Saxon Tate, who can keep their hands to themselves tonight,” I announce.
No way in hell am I going to lose this.
*****
Two hours later
I shift on the bed for the hundredth time.
“What’s wrong?” Saxon asks. “Feeling a little frustrated?”
Dammit I thought he was asleep.
“I’m fine,” I grit out. “I just can’t sleep.”
“You’ve never had a problem falling asleep before,” the jerk points out.
He laughs.
“Babe, you just have to say the words, and I’ll be all over you, giving you exactly what you need.”
I want to, I do. But I’m stubborn as hell—call it one of my many flaws.
“Goodnight,” I say shortly.
He chuckles and rubs a warm hand down my spine. “Are you sure?”
He sounds so smug that I refuse to give into him. However, an idea forms in my mind.
“Yes I’m sure, besides I’m meeting Reid in the morning, and I’m sure he will make me work out my frustrations on the punching bag…”
A few moments of silence. I can actually feel the tension in the room building as his mind races.
Men—they are so damn easy.
Then suddenly I’m turned onto my back, and his mouth is on mine.
My bra is ripped at the front.
His mouth moves to my breast and his hand reaches inside my panties.
“You’re mine,” he growls. “Remember that.”
How the hell could I forget it?
He removes my panties completely.
“Sit on my face,” he demands.
Oh fuck yeah.
I get up on my knees and climb over him, lowering myself on his face and holding onto the headboard. He grips my ass in his hands and pulls me down lower, then his tongue peeks out and begins its sensual torture. Soon enough, my head is tilted back, and I’m practically grinding myself onto his face, needing release so badly I could cry. He sucks my clit into his mouth, and all is over.
I erupt, screaming his name.
He lifts me off him and lays me on my back, then slides into me with one hard thrust. He gave me my pleasure, and now he’s taking his. Each stroke is hard and deep. The headboard shakes. He tugs on my nipples with his teeth.
“Saxon,” I moan, “Fuck I love you.”
“Fucking love you too,” he replies between clenched teeth. He slams into me twice more and then moans out his release.
“Sax,” I whisper.
“Yeah beautiful?” he asks, peering down at me.
“I won.”
He shakes his head. “You played dirty.”
I smirk into the darkness. “I still won.”
He slides off the bed and gets a cloth to clean me up. Then he pulls me onto his body, wrapping his arms around me, his thigh sliding between my legs. “You always win.”
I smile widely. I do, don’t I?
*****
“So,” I say, twiddling my thumbs. “I’m kind of marrying your ex-boyfriend.”
Lexi looks at me and bursts out giggling.
I grin and look at her. “Are you sure this is okay with you. I mean I know you’ve been team Saxon from the start, but this has to be a little awkward.”
She bites her bottom lip. “It’s not weird for me at all, and that’s me being honest. Being with Saxon feels like a lifetime ago. He hurt me, and I moved on with my life. He wasn’t for me Tee, he was for you. He would never hurt you, he’d rather cut off his own arm.”
I exhale in relief. “I know. I just would never do anything to jeopardize our friendship. You know I love you like a sister.”
She nods. “And I love you too. I never would have told you to give Saxon a chance if I felt anything in any way. You deserve this happiness Tee. Don’t you dare let it go.”
I smile at my best friend. “I’m lucky to have you.”
Lexi smiles at me with her eyes. “If only you knew… Everyone in your life is lucky to have you. Saxon knows that, and that’s why he didn’t waste any time putting a ring on your finger.”
We share a secret smile.
“Okay enough with the deep conversation, let’s go do something fun.”
“You want to go to the bakery don’t you?” Lexi says dryly.
I peer at her. “It’s like one mind.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Tenielle
Knowing Saxon is still at the studio, I grab some Chinese takeout and head home. Bag in one hand and key in the other, I open my front door and walk inside. Before I can turn the hall light on, something hard knocks me on my head, and everything goes black.
*****
I wake up with my hands tied behind my back in what looks like a basement. There are boxes everywhere, and it smells musky. What the hell am I doing here? I test the rope around my hands and smirk. Whoever tied the ropes was not a scout. I however was. I work on getting them undone when the door opens and someone walks in.
When I see who it is, my fear leaves me and anger takes over. No way in fucking hell is this bitch getting a one up on me ever again.
“You are one crazy bitch, you know that?” I tell Eliza, Saxon’s obsessed stalker.
She laughs wickedly, like mwahahahahaha.
How predictable.
She shrugs. “Saxon is mine. I had him first, and he will be with me. I don’t care what I have to do.” She pauses. “Or who I have to kill.”
“So that’s what you’re going to do huh? Kill me?”
I try and get the bitch talking so I can get the ropes off my wrists. I have to wonder how she got me here, no way could she have carried me because I weigh maybe double what she does. A thin man walks into the basement, giving me my answer.
Should have known she couldn’t have carried this off by herself.
I turn to him. “Let me guess, you’re in love with her and will do anything for her because you’re stupid.”
His face pales a little at my angry words, but he stays silent. He seems like a meek kind of man, and between the two of them I’m confident that I won’t have any trouble getting out of here.
“Shut up,” Eliza growls at me, then turns to the man. “Bradley pin her down for me.”
She pulls a knife from the table behind her.
Freaking sociopath.
I get the ropes unbound, but now I have two people’s asses to kick.
The man actually doesn’t intimidate me one bit. The crazy woman with the knife—might need a little work. Bradley walks over to me slowly, and I can tell he doesn’t want to do this. I kind of feel sorry for him. But not sorry enough to reach up in one smooth move and punch him in the nose. I quickly untie the ropes at my feet but not before Eliza walks up to me and kicks me in the stomach. The wind gets knocked out of me, but I quickly recover and get my feet free. Then I stand up and face Eliza. Remembering a move Reid just taught me, I pin her arm in one hand, so she can’t do any damage with the knife and punch her right in the throat with the other. She falls to the ground, holding her neck and coughing, knife forgotten on the floor.
I pick it up.
“Guess with all your stalking you didn’t find out that I’m not a woman to mess with,” I tell her. I turn to Bradley who is sitting there and watching me. I step towards him and kick him in the head, knocking him out.
Poor man.
I then tie Eliza up—properly, so she won’t be able to just untie it like I did. I pull her phone out of her bra and call the police.
After that I call Saxon.
“Where the fuck are you?” he asks in a panicked tone. “The door was unlocked and…”
“Eliza,” I whisper, cutting him off.
I suddenly start to feel a little dizzy, the pain in my lower stomach turning unbearable.
“Saxon, I need you,” I breathe out, looking down and seeing blood drip down my thighs.
What the fuck?
I drop the phone and fall to the floor.
*****
The next time I wake up, I’m in a hospital.
Saxon is sitting on a chair next to me, his head in his hands—the picture of defeated.
I swallow, my throat feeling parched. “What happened?”
He lifts his head, his red eyes staring straight at me. “You’re awake.”
“Who found me?” I ask him, my mind flashing back to everything that happened.
“The cops. Luckily you called them. They rang Layla because she was your
next of kin and she rang me. I was going crazy looking for you. I had no idea that bitch was even in town.”
He takes my hand into his and squeezes gently. “If anything had happened to you…”
I look around the room. “It’s going to take more than a groupie to kill me.”
He doesn’t smile. “This is all my fault.”
I roll my eyes. “How it is your fault that you attracted an insane stalker who wanted me away from you so she could have you all to yourself?”
He looks down but doesn’t let go of my hand. “I could quit the band and get a different job—”
I cut him off before he can say anything else that would annoy me. “Don’t be ridiculous. You love your music and your band, and I love that you have something you’re passionate about. I’d never want you to leave the band. You are Morning Alliance.”
He groans and closes his eyes shut. “Did you know?”
“Did I know what?” I ask, brows furrowing.
He opens his brown eyes, and they are full of unshed tears. “That you were pregnant.”
I force myself to sit up. “What did you just say?”
“Fuck,” he whispers, standing up and leaning over me.
“You were pregnant, but whatever happened there, you lost the baby.”
I blink a few times, staring straight ahead.
I was pregnant?
My hand rests on my stomach.
“It’s going to be okay baby,” he whispers, wrapping me in his arms. “I’m so sorry.”
I never really wanted children, but now that I’ve lost one, I don’t know how to feel.
I feel… sad.
No. I feel empty.
Disconnected.
I lost a child I had no idea I was even carrying.
A little mix of Saxon and me. Something we created together.
Something Eliza took away.
I hope that woman rots in hell.
The worst part is, if I had known, I would have protected myself better, guarded my stomach.
Fuck.
“Don’t cry, please,” Saxon begs.
I had no idea I was even crying.
I’m so empty I don’t even feel the tears.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Saxon Page 14
