Blackout: A Romance Anthology

by Stephanie St. Klaire

  When she convulses and tightens around me, I pick up my movements and forget about holding back. Her fingernails dig into my shoulders and I drive inside of her deep and hard. Fuck, my legs are tingling while trying to drag out my own release. I don’t want it to end yet.

  “You feel so good,” Hallie whispers in the darkness, surprising me. She must forget we have an audience not so far away. “Yes, mm,” she gasps, “just like that.”

  I love this version of her, so demanding.

  “Don’t stop, Levi.” She lifts her hips to meet each movement of my hips. Again, I can feel her getting tighter. “God damn, yes!” she screams as her back arches and then sighs with an “Ah,” before her insides pulse around my cock.

  “Fuck,” I whisper, kissing along her neck before gently biting, as I come hard. My legs tremble, my toes curl and I do my best to bury my moans in the cushion beside her head.

  ***

  I shift my body, reveling in the softness of Hallie in my arms. Gripping her waist, I pull her in closer to ensure she is covered completely. God, I love how she feels against me. So perfect. So right.

  Looking behind me, everything is still dark and the Loft is quiet.

  I don’t even remember falling asleep after the second time Hallie and I had sex. The first time was hot, dirty and wild. Just thinking about it makes my pulse quicken. The second time was slow and more intimate than I anything I had ever shared with anyone before. The way she stared up at me, looking directly in my eyes while our bodies were one, even when she reached her peak, was earth shattering.

  I meant what I said. This isn’t just a Vegas fling, I want more.

  A soft sigh escapes her before she curls her body in closer to mine. Reaching, as if seeking me out, she purrs like a kitten when she feels me there.

  After what Kami had put me through, I didn’t think I would ever want to be placed in that scenario again, the one where I relied on one woman for comfort. But this feels different; the way Hallie looks at me, it’s different. She isn’t even close to the same type of woman that Kami was. Hallie doesn’t care about what those around her think because she is comfortable enough with herself that she doesn’t need the approval of others. She also doesn’t carry herself as though she thinks she is better than others.

  She’s just Hallie. She’s the same sweet honest girl from high school, the one I’d laughed with a hundred times. Only now I see her, really see her. She’s changed, yes. On the outside she’s grown to be a beautiful woman. But I knew that same woman was hidden behind the glasses and braces from years ago.

  Maybe she is right. Maybe we weren’t meant to experience life, love, loss and turmoil before finding each other once again. Maybe we were meant to be just who we are now, in order to make something of what we’ve found.

  I like the idea of being with her and exploring the possibilities of what she and I could become together.

  Pressing my lips to hers ever so gently, she kisses me in return and I smile. Maybe she was dreaming of me. I only hope I’ll make her dreams come true.

  CHAPTER 15

  Hallie

  “Hallie,” Levi whispers. “Wake up, beautiful.” I stretch and feel a kiss being pressed to my temple. Remembering where I am and who I was with, I smile. Flashbacks of our night hit me and heat fills my body. A body that hovers above his, wanting more of it, wanting more of him. As I thread my fingers through his, his hips rise to meet the swivel of mine. My head is thrown back in ecstasy as he tightly grips my hips. Suddenly, I am turned around as he takes over.

  “The power is back on.” I peek through my closed eyes to find Levi next to me, darkened eyes intently on me. He is still shirtless with a pair of low-riding sweat pants. Holy hot.

  I lift my head and look down at my body covered only in a thin sheet. “Zara brought your bag from your room.” He points to my left and I follow his movements. Sure enough, my purple suitcase stands only a few feet away.

  “Do we know yet what happened?” I relax back against the heavenly softness and Levi links his fingers with mine, toying with them playfully.

  “When they all went downstairs to check things out, there was talk of a complete power guide hack or something. Everything in Vegas was out.” It was so strange. “There are still a lot of questions going on, a lot of official looking people moving around and talking to people, but everything is working now, including phones.”

  “I bet your brother is happy with that last one.”

  “The first thing he did was call Farrah.” Levi does a little eye roll and I wonder if it’s just a front to hide the sweet guy I know he can be.

  “I think that’s adorable.”

  Quickly Levi crawls over me and pins my hands above my head. “Do you know what I think is adorable?” I shake my head. “You in the morning.”

  “I’m a mess.” I imagine my hair sticking out in every different direction. Not to mention the makeup I wore from the night before was most likely smeared and smudged.

  Leaning in, peppers soft kisses along my jaw and I turn my head to the side, giving him better access. “A mess isn’t even close to what I see.” The deep growl of his voice as he’s turned on turns me on—so dominating and deliciously sexy. This man? Levi does things to me that I can’t quite describe. I can’t stop needing him. He’s quickly become my addiction. My kryptonite.

  “Okay, you two,” Zara’s voice sounds from just beyond the sheet that Levi hung to block out everyone else last night. “It’s time to detach yourselves from one another and join the living.” I smile when Levi buries his face in the crease of my neck and growls. Zara continues, “I know that there isn’t much else to do when the lights go out except to screw one another stupid, but now that everything has been revived, it is time to move it on to something else.”

  “She’s a pain in the ass,” Levi grunts, his voice a frustrated tone that makes me giggle.

  “I guess we should join them.”

  “I’d rather just stay hidden with you.” He releases my hands and sits back on his knees. I sit up, joining him and hold the sheet against my breasts. “This doesn’t end here.” It’s not a question but a confirmation. “When we get back to Chicago, we’re gonna pick up where we left off.” I am not sure if he means exactly where we left off. Him hovering above me, I have to stop myself from imagining what could take place next.

  “I’m okay with that,” I say softly, more than okay.

  He grins, obviously pleased with my response.

  We both stand, and I move toward my suitcase to gather something to wear.

  As we leave the little bubble of bliss we’ve created over the last twelve hours, my heart hurts a little when we enter the kitchen where everyone is waiting. Our friends look so relaxed, almost like they’ve been waking up daily together like this.

  “Love the pearl necklace your wearing this morning, Hallie, if you know what I mean.”

  I scowl and look down at my chest before glancing at Zara. “What?” Then it hits me and I grab the roll of paper towels sitting on the countertop and heave them in her direction. Right at the last minute, she ducks, using her arm to block, and it ricochets off her elbow to the living room behind her.

  “Did anyone else think that there were coyotes roaming the halls last night?” Kane interjects, feeding off of my obnoxious friends, as he always seems to do when Zara or Robyn are being their normal selves in his presence. It would seem that this man is a male version of them.

  “Yes.” I cross my arms over my chest and wait for Robyn to add in her own perverted twist on the topic. “That howling noise went on for close to an hour. At one point, I swear to it, I heard a big snorting or maybe it was grunting.”

  When they all look over at me, some trying to hide their laughter while others blatantly chuckling, I flip them off. “All of you are assholes, every last one of you.”

  “Hey!” Lincoln hollers from the living room, “Lucy and I are innocent in this.”

  “No one is innocent in this,” I d
eclare as they begin to protest. “You may be innocent now, sitting over there, remaining quiet, watching television, but I can guarantee the two of you weighed in on this topic already before Levi and I were out here. Pervs.”

  When neither of them deny it, I turn my back and smile.

  CHAPTER 16

  Levi

  “We agree, Tuesday night, dinner?” I hold on to Hallie’s waist, refusing to let her climb inside the awaiting cab until she agrees once more to our date. “I’ll be at your place to pick you up by six.”

  “Okay,” she confirms as she smiles up at me, causing a rush of adrenaline to course through me. I’m not ready for this little getaway to end. It’s what brought us together.

  We all have those people we meet throughout our lives who make an impact. Some are good and some we wish we could forget, but all teach us lessons. Hallie was one I never forgot. Whenever I’d sit down to negotiate a deal or hire a new team member, I would randomly think of her. I would remember the things she helped me learn over the years or the way she taught them.

  I just never thought I would ever see her again.

  In my imagination, she was, or at least engaged to some successful lawyer or doctor. I never once let myself believe that the reason I thought of her often was related to any hidden feelings I held inside for her. Not until she stumbled into my lap and our eyes connected.

  It hits me, right now, in this very moment. The feeling of reconnection, like something had been unfinished and now it is finally pulled together.

  “And if you want to bring an overnight bag to stay at my place,” I kiss her along her jaw, “I’m completely okay with that too. But I will leave that up to you.” When I nibble on her ear, she whimpers and her fingers tighten on my forearms just a little tighter.

  “Will you get in this damn cab before we end up missing our flight?” Lucy barks from behind Hallie and I smile against her cheek. “It’s not like the two of you aren’t gonna see each other in a day or two.”

  “Hey Loosey,” I hear one of the other girls say followed by a snicker. “Do you wanna see the photos again of you with your tongue down the throat of the school teacher, Mr. Khakis, you met in the bar? I have some really good ones.”

  “I told you to erase those.” The sounds of rustling fill the air and both Hallie and I turn toward the cab to see what’s happening. Lucy lets out a loud squeal and all you can hear from the other two is laughter.

  “I better go,” Hallie shifts in my arms, “before they end up killing each other.”

  “Did she really take pictures?”

  “Yep,” Hallie shrugs, “it’s her thing. In fact, I wouldn’t doubt there are a few of us together on her phone too.”

  When she doesn’t smile, the grin on my face falls.

  “Don’t worry; she’s my roommate so erasing things is super easy.” Before I have another second to think about it, she lifts up and presses a soft kiss to my lips. One that is much too quick. Then she spins around and offers a small wave just before she climbs in to the cab.

  Closing the door, I stand on the curb and watch as the car starts to pull away. The sound of my girl attempting to rein some order on the chaos of her friends can be heard as they drive away. A smile covers my lips and I remain there until I can no longer see the cab.

  I was ready to take off and fly home with her, but our flight doesn’t leave until a few hours after hers.

  Fuck, I’ve never felt this happy.

  “So what’s gonna happen with you and Hallie?”

  I swivel around to find my brother leaning against one of the pedestals just outside the hotel. His arms are crossed over his chest and a serious look is on his face. No humor in his expression, no taunting, no teasing, just curiosity paints his features.

  Turning around completely, I walk toward him as people still move around the hotel, still talking over the events of last night. Security guards, cops and more walking through the streets talking to people. I don’t know if they will ever truly know what caused the blackout of Vegas.

  “When we get back to Chicago, we’re gonna see where this thing between us goes,” I finally answer my brother’s question. It is simple enough and I know that I want something with Hallie.

  “So no more Kami, or—”

  “No more Kami?” Was he serious? “There hasn’t been a Kami for months, Linc.”

  “It’s just you and me here, so I think we can both admit that the two of you have hooked up a time or two since she moved out.”

  “And that isn’t gonna happen again.” It shouldn’t have happened then. “It was convenient, that’s all. What I felt for Kami at one time is gone. It was gone the second she told me she was fucking her boss. Maybe even before that, but that was definitely the sealing point.”

  “I just don’t want to see you or Hallie get hurt.”

  “For the first time in a long time I feel like I’m gonna be okay.” More than okay actually. “Over the last thirty-six hours, I can honestly say that I connected more with Hallie then I think I ever did with Kami.”

  “Oh you connected all right,” he teases before flinching when I reach out to grab his shoulder and playfully punch him in the stomach. We rough house for a few seconds until he breaks free from my hold.

  “Okay, fine,” his hands are held up as he surrenders. “I just want you to have what I have with Fiona.”

  “Me too, Lincoln.” Throwing my arm over his shoulder, I drag him back inside the hotel. “Me too.”

  EPILOGUE

  18 Months Later...

  The front door opens, before it clicks closed. The sound of his heavy boots alert me as he walks across the tiled floor. Then he’s there, standing in the entryway that leads to the spacious apartment we now share.

  My hands are resting on the book I hold in my lap as I stare up at him from my place in my favorite chair. The largest most comfortable chaise lounge I’ve ever had.

  “Hey, beautiful.” Levi smiles as me.

  “Hi.” I still get that rush of excitement, that crazy wild feeling of adrenaline coursing through me whenever he enters a room. It hasn’t faded, not even a little. “How was your day?”

  “Long.” He finally takes another step toward me and then another, making my heart race even more. “All I kept thinking about was coming home to you.” Slowly he kicks off his boots as he begins to crawl up the chair toward me. “It’s only been two weeks since we moved in here, but I don’t ever remember one place feeling more like home than this one.”

  I couldn’t have agreed more.

  “I love what we have,” Levi continues upward and I lay back against the soft cushions behind me. “And I love you.”

  I’ve heard it before, but it doesn’t matter. Every time he says it feels like the first time. It still sometimes feels like a dream. The meeting him in the bar, him kissing me and the loft, even the blackout that we still to this day have no clue what caused it. It all feels like a blur, like I dreamed it up and am still trapped inside some wonderful fantasy.

  Then his lips touch mine, and I know it’s real. I know he’s real. My high school fantasy come to life. The love of my life.

  “Be my forever, beautiful.”

  I freeze, his lips pressing to the side of my neck, his body hovering over mine.

  “Marry me, Hallie. Be mine.” My gaze locks on his, his eyes showing his love for me. “I want this every single day, and I want it with you. I realize that this place feels like home because it’s you I share it with. I don’t ever want to lose that. I don’t ever want to lose you.”

  “Yes,” I whisper through the overload of emotions that engulf me. Just that one simple word makes him come alive. Levi moves in once more, making my lips his, and the rest, well the rest I’ll just keep to myself.

  Let me just say, that even my dirty thoughts over the years couldn’t begin to reach this level.

  THE END

  ABOUT C.A. HARMS

  C.A. Harms is an avid romance and mystery reader. She's always
had a love for books, getting lost in writing and storytelling even as a young girl. She enjoys happy endings and HEA love stories.

  She lives in Illinois and enjoys spending time with her husband and two children. She holds an addiction for Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha's and KitKat when she should really be focusing on water and maybe a fruit or two to make herself feel less guilty, but that feeling quickly passes...thankfully.

  She is easy going, fun, and although she may seem like one of the quiet ones at first, you just wait until she gets to know you better...that quietness changes, fast.

  Find C.A. Harms here:

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  BOOKS BY C.A. HARMS

  Standalone

  Dare to Dream

  Stripped

  Clash

  Don’t Be Afraid

  Rules of Friendship

  Kyler

  Deception

  Boy Toy Auction

  Whisper Forever

  Healing Hope

  Southern Boys Series

  Forgiving Reed

  Finding Gavin

  Loving Colt

  Brooklet Dreams -Southern Boys Spin-off

  Allure

  Key West Series

  Unpredictable

  Inevitable

  Uncontrollable

  Undeniable

  Phoenix Undercover Series

  Lies

  Chaos

  Revenge

  Crazed Devotion Series

  Always His

  Forever Devoted

  Book 3 Releasing in 2019

  Montgomery Men Series

  Rush

  Heat

  Fall

  Sawyer Brothers Series

  Ryan’s Love

  Jackson’s Destiny