by Kendall Ryan
I rushed through a quick shower and dressed for the office, taking a second to scrape my congealed breakfast off the plate and into the garbage before leaving.
On the ride over, I was a mental wreck, wondering if I was going to walk in only to get shit-canned, or if Cullen was going to be waiting on the other side of the office door with boxing gloves on. Neither scenario was out of the question, and I was almost hoping for the latter. It wouldn’t be the first time we’d solved a problem with our fists. Hell, it might actually clear the air.
But once I got there and saw Evie’s car wasn’t in the lot, something in my mind snapped and my whole mentality changed.
I was sick to death of tiptoeing around. This was all so fucking stupid. There were people in the world with real problems, stuck in abusive relationships or taking care of a loved one with a serious illness. This wedge keeping Evie and me apart was all our own doing. The three of us had put each other into little boxes our whole lives. Evie was my best friend’s little sister, but it was only sheer stubbornness on Cullen’s part that dictated she couldn’t also be my woman.
Enough pussyfooting. I was going to get through to him today and make it official with Evie, or I was going to die trying.
I shoved my way through the doors, each step spring-loaded.
“First things first,” I muttered under my breath.
I pushed through the office doors and found Cullen staring down at his phone in irritation. Evie was nowhere to be seen.
Cullen’s gaze shot up to meet mine, and he grimaced. “About fucking time you showed up. Thanks for gracing us with your presence.”
I flipped him off and turned my desk chair around, sliding it in front of his desk to straddle it.
“I’m in love with your sister,” I said, zero apology in my voice.
Anger rolled off him in palpable waves now, but I was past caring.
“One night when we were in Paris, she came to my hotel room and tried to seduce me,” I continued. “Once I realized what was happening, because of our friendship, I put her off. For the past month, I’ve continued to put her off because I didn’t want to cause a rift. Not between me and you, or you and Evie. But now, shit’s getting real. I don’t just want to sleep with her. I want to wake up with her, and spend the day with her, and share my life with her.”
Cullen’s face was still stony, but his eyes narrowed a little as he listened intently.
“She’s the only person of the opposite sex besides Pam who gets me. She makes me laugh, and she’s so smart and caring.” I let out a low laugh. “Here I am telling you, but you already know all this. Point is, it took me this long to realize that she’s all that and more. Now, I know I haven’t always been a relationship guy, but I swear that if you give us your blessing, I will never hurt her. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, Cullen.”
He leaned his palm against the desk and cocked his head. “Have you thought about what happens if it doesn’t work out, Smith? Then what?”
“It’s a risk I’m willing to take if she is. But honestly, man?” I shook my head slowly. “This is it for me. She’s the one. So if she’ll have me, I’m going to devote everything I’ve got to making sure it does work out. So I’m asking this one time. Can we have your blessing?”
Silence stretched for so long, my hopes started to fall, but then he spoke.
“And if I say no?”
This wasn’t a question I wanted to answer, but I was through lying.
“If I have anything to say about it, we’re going to do it anyway. That’s how much I care. But I know it would go a long way to making your sister happy if you said yes.”
Apparently, despite my reservations, that was the right response.
Cullen shot me a bitter half smile. “All I ever wanted was for her to be happy. Maybe I didn’t show it the right way sometimes, but that’s the truth. So, yeah.” He pushed himself to stand and then made his way around his desk. “You have my blessing. But if you hurt her? You’re also going to have my foot so far up your ass, people will think you’re a boot, understood?”
Some of the ice in my stomach started to melt, and I scrubbed a hand over my jaw in relief. Now hardly seemed like the time to remind him I’d whipped his ass last time we’d sparred, boxing at the gym, so I managed to hold it in.
“Yup, got it,” I said with a nod as I stood.
I could tell he was still pissed that I’d hidden it from him, and who could blame him? But as I walked out the door, he called after me.
“Jesus, Smith. Shut the fucking door behind you. What, were you raised by wolves?”
At that, I knew everything would be okay. It might take a little time, but our friendship would survive this.
Now, all I had to do was convince Evie of that.
• • •
I made my way to her apartment, hoping like hell she was home since I had no idea why she wasn’t at work today either. Once I got there, I paused for a second outside. Low sobs were muffled by the oak door, making my pulse pound double-time.
I rapped hard once and then pushed it open without waiting for a reply.
“Evie?” I let myself inside and headed for the living room.
She was facedown on the couch, her face buried in her arms, but she startled and sat up when she heard my voice.
“What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”
“Smith? I th-thought you weren’t going in today,” she murmured, swiping a hand over her tear-streaked cheeks with a sniffle. “I told Cullen I wasn’t feeling well.”
My heart ached at seeing her so upset, and I approached the couch and then knelt beside her.
“What’s the matter?” I asked, taking one of her icy hands in mine and squeezing. It was shitty, but while part of me felt terrible that she was sad, another part of me feared she was crying because she wanted to break things off with me and didn’t know how.
“Everything is messed up now. You were too uncomfortable to come to work, and Cullen is furious with me. I was a wreck this morning, wondering where you were.” She shook her head miserably. “I wanted you so much, I ignored the fact that us sleeping together would ruin everything. I couldn’t sit in the office for another minute today. I’m sure Cullen is pitching a fit right now.”
Hot tears splashed on my wrist, and I yanked her up from the couch and into my arms as I stood.
“Shh, stop. Nothing is ruined. In fact, everything is great. Or it can be, if you let it,” I murmured, rubbing her back in slow, comforting circles.
She pulled back to gaze up at me and sucked in a shuddering breath. “How can you say that? I can’t stop thinking about you, and I doubt that’s going to change. So even if Cullen wasn’t mad at us both, working side by side will be next to impossible. At least, for me it will. Plus—”
I let out a frustrated growl and crushed my mouth to hers. Fuck, I was sick of talking. Talking was what had us in this mess in the first place. Had we both kept quiet, we’d have consummated our relationship that very first night and probably realized that neither of us would ever have it so good again.
All that time wasted played through my head, and I was done. She stiffened in surprise but then let out a soft moan and circled my neck with her arms.
I slipped my tongue between her lips and pulled her closer to me, reveling in the feel of her breasts against my chest. It wasn’t until her muscles were loose and her body fluid around me like melted chocolate that I pulled back.
“Can I get a word in now?” I asked, tracing her bottom lip with my thumb.
She nodded silently.
“It won’t be impossible to work side by side, Evie. It’s going to be amazing, because now we can at least go out to lunch, and talk on the way in together, and stop hiding.”
Her eyes went wide. “W-what do you mean? Cullen—”
“Cullen knows everything. I went to the office before I came to find you, and I laid it all out for him.”
“Laid what out?” she asked breathlessly,
her bottom lip trembling now.
“I told him that I loved you,” I replied, running a hand through her silky curls. “That I would like his blessing but didn’t need it, because we were meant to be together.”
“You . . . you love me?” she squeaked. Those green eyes that had finally gone clear filled with tears again, and they gleamed like liquid emeralds. “Are you for real?”
“I love you, Everleigh. I love your face, and that sweet smile.” I bent her back to expose the column of her neck, punctuating each declaration with kisses down her throat. “I love your brilliant mind and your artistic soul. I love the way you treat my niece and nephews like family when you’ve only just met.”
“What else?” she demanded, her fingers curling into my hair. “What else do you love, Smith?”
Her voice had gone husky, and my cock leaped to attention. “I love the way you call my name when you come,” I murmured, sliding a hand up to cover her breast. “I love the way your body squeezes mine when—”
“Hold that thought!” She gasped, tugging free of me and running a hand through her hair as her eyes burned into mine. “I’ve got you all alone in my place, and I’m not wasting this opportunity. Let’s go!”
She grabbed my hand, all but dragging me toward what I assumed was her bedroom.
“Wait, don’t you have something to tell me?” I half teased, pulling her to a halt while my cock stood at complete attention.
I knew it. I’d seen the words written all over her face. But, damn it, I wanted to hear them.
Her lips tipped into a radiant smile that warmed me straight to my feet.
“I love you, Smith Hamilton. Now, come on and fuck me before my brother catches us playing hooky.”
Epilogue
I peeked out the window to see Smith hoisting the last shovelful of snow off the driveway, and my heart did a little dance. I couldn’t wait until he came inside. I had freshly made hot cocoa from scratch, and a movie cued up on Netflix. Not to mention some amazing news.
I rushed into the kitchen and added a few marshmallows to our cups, grinning as I did. These were my favorite mugs. Cullen had given them to us as one of his wedding gifts. They said Mr. and Mrs. in beautiful calligraphy, and each could hold a cup of coffee big enough to choke a horse.
I took a long sip from my mug and let out a sigh. Smith and I had been married for almost a year now, and it had been the adventure of a lifetime so far. Our wedding day had been pure magic. Pam had graciously allowed the kids to share in the ring-bearer duties as Winnie didn’t want to be a flower girl. They’d all worn capes by request, except Mac, who had nearly worn nothing at all as he tried to strip off his miniature tuxedo pants halfway down the aisle.
I grinned at the memory. Cullen had been the best man, and Maggie had been my maid of honor. Whatever tension had arisen between Smith and Cullen over our secret had long since faded away, and Cullen’s sweet but funny best-man speech had solidified it. They were back to their old selves like it had never even happened. I couldn’t have lived with myself any other way, so I was thrilled about that.
The day after the wedding, we’d gone on a whirlwind trip to Italy, and had toured the countryside together. I’d loved traveling alone and with friends, but with Smith, everything seemed to take on a whole new life. Now, each new place we visited was tied to a memory. We were a family of two, and we were building the life I’d always dreamed of having.
Cullen was still hard at work, taking over the world, and the business was booming. It was especially sweet for me because I knew I was a part of the reason for that success. My advertising campaigns had been integral in building a new client base, and Cullen had hired two people to work under me so I could continue to assist in the expansion.
The front door swung open, cutting into my thoughts, and I carried the mugs into the living room with a smile. Smith stepped inside and stomped his boots on the mat in front of the door.
“It’s officially November in Chicago,” he said with a laugh. “There’s got to be about fifteen inches out there.”
He tugged off his gloves and stripped off his coat as I stepped toward him, his mug extended.
“Well, I’ve got something hot to warm you up,” I murmured, rolling up onto my tiptoes to give him a kiss.
He didn’t take the mug, though. Instead, he yanked me closer and I let out a squeak.
“I think I know exactly how you can do that,” he murmured, crushing his mouth to mine. The mugs were quickly forgotten as he slipped his tongue against mine.
His lips were cold, but I didn’t care. Even a year in, it still felt like a dream that I could kiss and touch and make love with this man whenever I wanted to, and I wasn’t going to squander it.
I pulled away and set the mugs onto the side table.
“I think I might be able to help you out there, mister. We can heat those mugs up later.”
We all but ran into the bedroom and stripped each other with the efficiency of longtime lovers, but our urgency stopped there. My tongue stuck to the roof of my mouth as I stared at his naked body. He still managed to make my knees weak every time.
“You are fine as hell, Mr. Hamilton,” I said, shaking my head in awe.
“You too, Mrs. Hamilton,” he replied, tracing the neckline of the lingerie I was wearing.
It had only taken a couple months of Smith telling me how much he loved my body for me to really start to believe him. Over the past year, I’d taken to getting samples of most of the new designs from the office to “test them out.” Smith had sighed and said it was a tough job, but someone had to do it. It was the look in his eyes that killed me, though. Whenever he realized I was wearing something new, he lit up like a kid at Christmas.
“Red. I like,” Smith said, cupping my breasts through the silk.
The fabric and the pressure of his fingers felt amazing against my skin, and I let my eyes slide shut.
My head fell back as he bent in to close his teeth gently over my neck. Cupping the back of his head, I held him close and whispered his name. He walked me backward in tiny steps until my legs met the mattress, and then he pressed me down onto it. I dragged him with me so his body covered mine, and for a second, I just relished the warm weight of him. But that didn’t satisfy me for long. I rolled him off me and climbed over him, lining up my center with his hard cock. A muscle in his jaw flexed as he watched me through hooded eyes.
“That negligee looks dead sexy on you. Let’s leave it on,” he said, a glint in his eyes as he flicked a thumb over my nipple.
“I think that sounds like a great idea.” I was already hiking up the fabric so I could feel his heated flesh against mine. We gasped in unison as his cock touched my slick folds.
“You feel so good,” I groaned, sliding back and forth, wetting him with my juices.
He clutched my hips in his hands and worked me over him faster. The friction between us was making my whole body tremble, and suddenly, I couldn’t wait to get him inside me. I rose up on my knees until I was poised over him and took his shaft in hand. Then I slid down, taking all of his massive length at once. The breath left my lungs in a whoosh, and my vision went hazy.
“God, you fill me all the way up. It’s so good, Smith,” I whispered, rocking slowly at first, and then more quickly as my body adjusted to his size.
He watched in rapt attention as I moved up and down, folding his hands behind his head with a smirk as he enjoyed the show. Emboldened, I slid one strap off my shoulder and then the other, tugging the sweetheart neckline of the negligee down just enough that my breasts popped out the top of it.
“Fuck, yeah,” Smith growled as he stared. “Love watching you ride my cock.”
His dirty talk never failed to make me wetter, and I moaned as I quickened the pace even more.
“Fuck me, Evie. Take that cock deep and ride it until you come for me, baby,” he urged, his fingers tightening on my hips in a punishing grip.
The erotic drag of his rock-hard cock in and out,
faster and faster, had me tossing my head back and crying out his name.
Close. So close.
And then his fingers were between us and he was massaging my clit.
“That’s it, baby. Take what you need.”
He groaned as my hips pounded up and down, driving him so deep inside me that stars exploded behind my eyelids. And then I was flying, calling out his name in a hoarse cry as a climax rocketed through me. It shook me to the core, and wave after wave of ecstasy crashed over me. I was still coming when Smith’s muscles tensed beneath me.
“Yes,” I moaned, encouraging him breathlessly. “Come inside me.”
He gritted his teeth and his back arched, wedging his cock as far as it would go as he exploded, spurting inside me in a hot rush.
For a long moment we stayed like that, riding out the aftershocks together, caressing each other softly until we finally came down.
“Well, you definitely warmed me up,” he murmured, still breathing hard as he tugged me to his side. “If this is the treatment I get for shoveling, I’m going to have to do some sort of snow dance so we get more.”
I smiled and shook my head. “Please don’t. We’ve got two more weeks before we leave for Hawaii, and I don’t want our flights getting canceled.”
“True,” he agreed. “We definitely need some sunshine in our lives. I can already taste the pineapple piña coladas.”
“Yeah, we have to make the most of it. We won’t be traveling for a while after that, though,” I murmured, lazily toying with the trail of hair below his belly button.
He pulled back to shoot a puzzled glance down at me. “What do you mean? I thought you wanted to try to get to Paris in the summer.”
“I do. But it will probably be tough traveling with an infant, you know? I’m thinking we should wait until next spring.”
He stared at me, nonplussed, for a full thirty seconds. Then his cheeks went pale.
For a moment, my heart skipped and I was terrified. It never occurred to me that he wouldn’t be as ecstatic as I was about the news. But then he let out a whoop.
“Are you serious, Evie? Are you dead fucking serious right now?”
