by C L Cruz
“We leave tonight. I’ll fly my mom and your girlfriends out in a few days. But I want you all to myself for a while.”
I throw myself into his arms, almost hitting him in the face with the roses still clutched in my fist. But he catches me, holding me tight against him.
“Are you happy?” he asks, his voice muffled by my hair.
“Yes,” I tell him. And for once, I’m not scared by it.
Chapter Eleven
Quinn
Bali is beautiful. It’s amazing to think that there’s a whole world I haven’t seen yet, and Weston wants to give every corner of it to me. I can’t wait to discover it with him. This is why I love him. He doesn’t let the world tell him no, and because of that, creates these amazing opportunities for other people. For me.
We spend our first day there on the beach, walking and exploring, cooling off in the bright blue ocean waters. Wes tries to surf while I laugh at him from my lounge chair, and he talks me into snorkeling. That night, we have dinner on our private balcony with the perfect view of the setting sun.
“This is amazing,” I tell him over my glass of champagne. I’m still in my bathing suit and sarong, my skin raw from the sun and my hair wet with salt water.
“You’re amazing,” he says, clinking his glass against mine.
I round the table and perch in his lap, capturing his mouth in a warm, sweet kiss. He comes to life beneath me, his cock swelling against my leg, his hands roaming over my body. He tastes warm and minty, and his beard is rough against my face. His tongue parts my lips and dives inside my mouth, swirling and tasting.
He turns me so my back is to him and he moves my hair aside so he can suck on my neck. His hands rake up my body, pulling my breasts free from the bathing suit. My skin ignites with desire at his touch. I groan and arch my back, pressing my breasts into his hand.
“Spread your legs,” he demands.
I do, feeling the cool air against my bare skin just before his other hand pushes aside my bathing suit bottoms and slides into the slickness between my legs. He plunges one finger inside, then another. When his thumb presses against my clit, every nerve-ending in my body seems to come to life.
“Yes,” I whisper, my head falling back against his shoulder. “Weston, please.”
“What do you want?” he asks, just as breathless as I am as his fingers bring me closer to the edge. They deftly circle my clit, each movement sending a new wave of pleasure through my body. His other hand pinches and twists my nipples.
“Everything,” I gasp, unashamed. “I want everything.”
He rewards me for my honesty with a powerful orgasm. I buck against his hand, tightening around his fingers as I say his name like a plea. When I collapse back against him, he stands and lifts me with him.
“Come to bed, Mrs. Kingsbury.”
I smile at the sound of my new name and bury my face in his neck, his beard scratching my cheeks.
Wes drops me on my back onto the bed in our room, and I stare up at him as he slides his swimming trunks down over his muscular legs. His cock springs free, long, thick, and hard. He rolls a condom over it before removing my own soaked bottoms and crawling on top of me. He paints my skin with kisses. His teeth scrape against my nipples, sending aftershocks of pleasure into my core.
Trapping me against him, he rolls so that I’m straddling him. His hands fall to my ass and grab hard, rocking me forward. He kisses me roughly, our tongues dancing. The feeling of his warm mouth against mine and his erection underneath me sends me reeling.
“Wife,” he growls. “I want to see you ride me.”
His words make my body flush with heat. He’s never afraid to demand what he wants, and I can’t deny him. I don’t want to. I rise up onto my knees. He braces my ass with his hands as I guide his cock to my entrance. Neither of us look away as I slowly take him inside of me. I pause, adjusting to the feel of him between my legs and the incredible view of him beneath me.
He looks up at me, his eyes dark as he pushes my hair back from my face. “You’re so beautiful.”
Every time we touched over the last week, I would squeeze my eyes closed, terrified that I would wake up at any second only to find that I’d fallen asleep in my bathtub that first night and that none of it was even real. But now I know it’s real. Now, I study his face, watch his jaw twitch and his eyes darken with desire. For me.
We’re both breathing hard when I start to move, grinding my hips against him. His broad chest is speckled with fair hair, and I run my fingers through it and over the hard ridges of his abs. He fills me in the most deliciously satisfying way. I let my head fall back as I ride him, losing myself in the almost overwhelming sensation.
Just when I think it can’t get any better, he reaches between us and starts to stroke my clit again. I bounce on him faster.
“Oh,” I pant. “I’m going to—” But there isn’t time to tell him because the orgasm crashes over me, my walls spasming around his hard length.
He rises up beneath me, wrapping his arms around me and devouring my cries of pleasure in an urgent, sloppy kiss. He buries his face in my breasts, grunting as he thrusts up into me from below. My sweaty head rests on his shoulder and my nails dig into his back. Then, his mouth opens with a gasp, his face twisting in ecstasy as he presses me down against him, holding me close as he finds his own release.
We collapse back on the bed, both of us panting and damp with sweat. His hands languidly stroke my back as our breathing slows. A cool breeze drifts in through the open balcony doors, caressing our skin.
“That was…” I start to say but I trail off, because how do I describe that?
“Real?” he fills in for me.
I laugh and roll off of him. “Yes. That was definitely real.”
He doesn’t let me go far, though, reaching across and pulling me back against him. “Tomorrow, I want to make love to you in the ocean.”
“What about the next day?” I ask.
He rises up on his elbow and looks down at me. His hair is messy, and his cheeks are flushed, but he’s as handsome as I’ve ever seen him. “The next day, I’m going to marry you.”
“Again.”
“Again,” he confirms. “I’ll marry you every day for the rest of our lives if I have to.”
“You don’t,” I tell him, pulling him in for another kiss. “I’m not going anywhere.”
True to his word, we spend most of the next day in the water, and the day after that, we exchange vows on the sandy white beach in front of his mother, Helena, Amara, and Miriam, along with their dates. As Wes holds my hands and confesses his eternal love for me, it feels like I dream. But I know it’s not.
I’m glad that I woke up before it was too late.
Now, I’m living my own happily ever after.
Epilogue
Weston
I pull up in front of the hospital and let the car idle as I end the call. Another deal done in the forty-minute drive. Time is money, and I’m not about to waste any of it.
From the passenger seat, Quinn grinds out, “You can’t park here. They’ll tow your car.”
I look around. “Don’t they have valet?”
“At the hospital?” Quinn snaps. Then she falls forward, curling around her swollen belly, huffing and puffing like the big bad wolf.
I rub her back, waiting for the contraction to pass. When it finally does, I hop out and round the car. Let them tow it. I don’t care. I’ll just buy another one. I help her out of the car and through the sliding glass doors, where we’re greeted by a man with a wheelchair. He pushes her quickly through the halls, and I almost have to run to keep up.
The rush, though, is perhaps unwarranted, because it’s another six hours before Quinn brings our daughter into the world, red-faced and screaming, not unlike her mother. Even I get a little teary-eyed at the sight of her. It’s one thing to see her fuzzy shape on the ultrasound screen, but something entirely different to actually get to see her and her wide eyes and the poo
f of red hair on her head.
Once the doctors do their thing, they hand her off to me.
“She’s so small,” I say, gaping down at Quinn. Her red hair is plastered to her head with sweat, and her blue hospital gown is speckled with blood and who knows what else. But she’s never looked more beautiful. “What if I break her?”
Quinn laughs. “You won’t. She’s stronger than you think.”
In the recovery room, I only let her go when Quinn has to feed her. Otherwise, I can’t stop staring at this little creature that we created. Together. Evidence of our love.
We have visitors pop in and out for the rest of the day. Helena, Amara, and Miriam stop by. My mom stays so long that I have to send her home when she’s falling asleep in the chair. As night falls, it’s finally quiet. Quinn is napping and I’m rocking the baby when there’s a knock at the door. It cracks open, and I’m surprised at the face that appears there.
“Dad?”
He steps all the way in and places the bouquet of bright flowers he’s holding on the table beside Quinn’s bed. She stirs but doesn’t wake.
“What are you doing here?” I whisper. We’ve hardly spoken since the hearing last year, only to discuss business matters.
“Your mother called. She called me an idiot, among other things, and told me you were here.” His eyes fall to the baby in my arms, then back up to me. “I’ve made some big mistakes in my life, son, and I need to apologize.”
“Go ahead,” I say, knowing it’s torture for him but not ready to let him off the hook easily.
“I’m sorry. I took advantage of you. I manipulated you and I hurt you.”
“And Mom.”
“And your mother. I see that now, and while I can’t go back and change anything, I hope we can repair our relationship moving forward.” He looks longingly at the baby. “You seem happy.”
I smile. “True love, you know?”
His expression grows a little sad as he says, “I’m learning.”
A part of me wants to deny him access to my world again. Wants to punish him for his bad decisions and everything he put me through. But then I think of my wife. What would Quinn do? Quinn, with her kind, forgiving heart that’s big enough to let in a guy like me. She opened my eyes to a lot of things. Maybe it’s my turn to pay it forward.
I hand the baby to my dad. “This is Macy Regina Kingsbury,” I tell him. “Macy, meet your grandfather.”
My daughter blinks up at him, and I swear I see my dad melt. “Regina for your mom,” he says.
“And Macy for Quinn’s mom,” I explain.
He nods. “It suits her.” Then, he looks up at me. “This life suits you. Congratulations, son.”
This time, the fact that my dad is proud of me doesn’t worry me. I am who I am in spite of him, and I trust myself enough now to know that I won’t do anything to hurt my girls.
They’re the loves of my life.
And I’m not scared anymore.
<<<<>>>>
I hope you enjoyed Quinn and Weston’s story! Please don’t forget to give this book a quick review on Amazon. Even a short sentence or two about the book helps! I am grateful for all feedback from my readers.
Ruthless Boss by Liz Fox
Miriam
I finished college, and now it’s my time to learn from the best.
Working for Drake Gallagher is my chance to get my foot in the door of the finance world.
When my boss’ former partner tries to recruit me, suddenly I’m torn between two powerful men.
I’m seeing more than just the professional side of my boss, and I kind of like it.
He’s smart, sexy, and I want to invest in his stock.
But am I just a prize to win or does he really have feelings for me?
Drake
Being ruthless has gotten me to where I am at— the pinnacle of my career and life.
When my ex-business partner shows up again, I’m instantly suspicious.
After he tries to poach the best assistant I’ve ever had, I show no mercy.
That’s when I realize she’s not just my employee, she’s the best investment I ever made.
Miriam is curvy, ambitious, and makes my stock rise.
Now, I just need to convince her that my feelings for her are real.
Read Ruthless Boss on Amazon!
Also by C.L. Cruz
Vincent Street Valentines (with Liz Fox)
Legal Love
Library Love
Puppy Love
Latte Love
Curvy Girls
Fat Chance
Spare Tire
Curve Ball
Juniper Creek
Tomboy
Blabbermouth
Goody Two-Shoes
Bad Bosses (with Liz Fox)
Naughty Boss
Rugged Boss
Dirty Boss
Sinful Boss
Badder Bosses (with Liz Fox)
Greedy Boss
Shameless Boss
Cocky Boss
Ruthless Boss
About the Author
C.L. Cruz writes steamy romance stories about strong, independent women and the men who love them. She is a single mom of two young children currently hoping for her own happily ever after.
Join the Short, Sweet, & Steamy Romance reader group on Facebook.
Find C.L. Cruz at:
Facebook: clcruzromance
Instagram: clcruzauthor
Website: clcruz.com
Amazon: C.L. Cruz
Sign up for C.L. Cruz’s Newsletter!
