I gently tugged on Nicole’s panties and slid them down her legs. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to taste you again?”
She didn’t answer, but her heated gaze told me everything I needed to know. I wasn’t the only one who had felt the same way. I spread her legs open and planted small kisses up the inside of her thigh…until I found the spot wet dreams and morning wood were made from. I tasted her, my tongue running along one side of her sex and then the other. She wiggled under my worshipping touch.
I grabbed hold of her hips, keeping her steady while I ate her out. My tongue stroked her clit and she let out a moan, telling me she was getting close. And a moment later, with the help of my thumb and my tongue, she cried out her release, leaving me smiling at the power I had over her—the same power she had over me.
While she recovered from the aftershocks, I ripped open the foil package and rolled the condom down my length. I positioned the head of my cock at her entrance and slowly pushed my way in. Her heat hugged every inch of me, turning my brain numb with desire. My balls tightened and I groaned. Right here, with the woman I loved, was the only place I wanted to be.
Nicole wrapped her legs around my hips, my cock seated deeper inside her. I pulled back so just my tip remained inside, then I plunged deep into her once more. I kept repeating the motion until Nicole called out my name, her warmth clutching me tightly. At the sound of her erotic cries and the feel of her grasping my length, I came hard with another groan.
With sweat covering our bodies, our breath ragged, I collapsed onto the bed. Once my brain was able to function again, I got up and disposed of the condom in the trash.
I returned to the bed and pulled Nicole against me. She rested her head on my chest, listening to my heart tell her how much I loved her.
“Are you still planning to have two-point-four kids, a dog, and a cat one day?” I asked her, caressing her lower back and grinning down at her.
She pushed herself up on her elbow. “I would like to have all of that.” Her gaze dropped to my lips. “But it depends.”
“On what?”
“On if the man of my dreams wants them too.” Her gaze flicked up, her light brown eyes meeting mine.
I kissed her forehead, the tip of her nose, then her lips. “I want it too. All of it. The kids. The dog. The cat. You as my wife.” I kissed her again. “But how about we get a dog who’s not quite as big as Bernie?”
Nicole laughed. “Deal.”
Epilogue: Mason
FIVE YEARS LATER
“Daddy. Up,” Chelsea said, standing in front of my chair and holding her arms up to me. The two-year-old’s black hair was pulled into two semi-tidy pigtails. That was the best Nicole had been able to manage, since Chelsea wasn’t a huge fan of sitting still for long.
Unless she was sitting on my lap.
On the seat next to mine, my gorgeous wife of three years was cradling our three-month-old son. Kevin was sleeping peacefully, having no interest in the outdoor wedding about to commence.
“Daddy. Up,” Chelsea repeated. This time she banged her palms against my thighs—much as she enjoyed doing to my drum set.
I hoisted her onto my lap and she peered over at her brother.
“Baby sleep,” she said rather loudly.
I placed my finger against my lips. “Shhh. That’s right, Kevin’s sleeping.” My voice was several decibels quieter than Chelsea’s had been. “Which means we need to use our indoor voices.”
By the way, telling a two-year-old to use her indoor voice was like expecting a mermaid not to swim. It just didn’t happen.
Craving to taste Nicole again, I leaned over and lightly kissed her. I wanted to do a lot more than that to her, but this was neither the time nor the place for what I had in mind. Fortunately, Chelsea wasn’t at the age where she found kissing gross. Yet. Which was just as well, since I hadn’t grown tired of stealing kisses from Nicole whenever I could.
“Ewww, Uncle Mason,” ten-year-old Logan said as Jared and Callie sat down next to me, Jared holding their two-year-old daughter. “Kissing is gross.”
Nolan laughed, his arm around his pregnant wife’s waist. Hailey had recently graduated from her physical therapy program and become pregnant shortly afterward—with twins. Nolan had laughed when he told us, claiming it was because they had to quickly catch up with Jared and me in the family department.
“Don’t worry,” I told Logan. “One day you won’t think kissing is gross.” He gave me a disbelieving look that said it would be a hot day in Antarctica before that happened.
“How are you doing?” Nicole asked Hailey after her friend took the seat next to her. Nolan sat next to his wife and placed his hand possessively on her protruding stomach. Even though I’d left Pushing Limits five years ago and Nicole and I still lived in Desert Springs, Nicole, Hailey, and Callie had become close friends. And thanks to the newest twist in my career, we visited them in L.A. every couple of months.
“Not bad so far,” Hailey said. “More tired than anything.”
Nicole smiled sweetly at her, although there was no missing the humor in her eyes. Hailey was just four months pregnant. The exhaustion would only get worse…especially after the babies were born.
But Hailey didn’t need to know that yet.
“Well, if your husband is as sweet and amazing as mine,” Nicole told her, “he’ll give you back and foot massages several times a day.”
“She’s right about that,” Callie chimed in.
“Good idea,” Nolan said, beaming at his wife.
“Izzy,” Callie said to her daughter, who was already squirming on Jared’s lap, ready to cause mischief, “can you give this to Chelsea?” She handed the precocious two-year-old a small gift bag, and Jared lowered her to the grass.
Izzy toddled over to Chelsea and then gazed up at her mother, confused about what she was supposed to do next.
Callie tapped the bag. “Give this to Chelsea.”
Izzy lifted the bag up and I helped Chelsea take it from her.
“It’s my latest book,” Callie explained. “It’s not out for two more weeks, but my publisher sent me a few copies ahead of time.”
At Jared’s encouragement, Callie had pursued a career in illustrating kids’ books. And then she started writing stories and landed a publishing contract. The third volume in her picture book series about a group of zoo animal friends had even hit the New York Times bestseller list.
Nicole let out an excited squeal, somehow managing not to wake up Kevin. “Let me see it.”
I helped Chelsea open the bag and remove the book. “Give this to Mommy,” I said, pointing to the book in Chelsea’s hands. “I don’t think Mommy can wait any longer before reading it.” They both loved the series, which came as no surprise. Callie’s colorful computer-generated illustrations were both cute and breathtaking.
“Hey, guys,” Kirk said as he and Aaron approached us, both in tuxes. Aaron was one of the groomsmen. “Glad you could make it.”
We all stood, and the guys and I gave Kirk one-arm hugs. “We wouldn’t have missed it for anything, puck boy,” I said. “Especially given how long it took before Beckie finally agreed to marry your sorry a—I mean, backside.”
He laughed at that. It hadn’t taken long at all…once he got around to proposing to her. But even though it had taken more than four years from the time those two first hooked up, he and Beckie had been dating exclusively the entire time. And because Kirk was as loyal as they came, Beckie never had to worry about him straying while touring. Like Nolan and Jared, he was completely committed to the woman he loved. I didn’t have to be touring with the band to know that.
I one-arm hugged Aaron too. Unlike the others, I hadn’t seen him in several months, but I owed him big-time for the unexpected twist my musical career had taken. Two years ago, he’d introduced me to a movie producer at a charity event the band had been involved in. The casual conversation eventually led to me writing songs for a project the producer was working
on. The movie went on to land several Academy Award nominations and wins—including for best original song. My original song.
That’s right—in addition to managing the music store and teaching, I was writing songs for movies and for recording artists who weren’t songwriters. In addition to my Academy Award, I had also gained a Grammy nod.
I wasn’t the only one who had scored with the music awards. Pushing Limits now held several from the Grammys and the American Music Awards. I couldn’t have been prouder of the guys. They deserved each and every one they won.
At the tug on my pant leg, I glanced down.
“Daddy. Up,” Chelsea said, her arms reaching up.
I picked her up, and she waved at Kirk. “Puck boy,” she said—except from her it sounded more like “fuck boy.” Logan snickered, and I half expected him to tell Chelsea to cough up a dollar for his swear-word jar.
Speaking of swear-word jars, Chelsea also owned one. She’d had it since the day Nicole found out she was pregnant. But with Chelsea’s jar, the amount I had to pay skyrocketed compared to what Jared had charged me. Now the going rate was five dollars a swear. By the time she was born…well, let’s just say her bank account was very happy. Luckily, I finally learned to curtail my cussing around her, and the amount wasn’t growing as fast as before.
Since the wedding ceremony was starting soon, Kirk and Aaron returned to the altar. The music began, and Aaron’s fiancée—one of Beckie’s cousins—exited through the patio door of the large estate house. Her blond hair was pulled back in an elaborate bun. Like the bridesmaids after her, Lisa was wearing a light peach sleeveless gown.
We stood as Beckie stepped out of the house. When Nicole and I had gotten married, we’d invited a few of our closest friends to join us in Hawaii, where we got married on the beach. Nicole had worn a simple white gown that looked both gorgeous and sexy on her. With those memories of our wedding day in my mind, I looked over at her now and smiled.
Our wedding had been small and simple. Not so for Kirk and Beckie’s wedding. Theirs was an elaborate and elegant affair.
“She looks like a fairy princess,” Nicole whispered in awe. And I guess Beckie did—from what little I knew of these things. Although I wouldn’t be surprised if that changed soon, once Chelsea discovered the Disney princesses.
As Beckie walked down the aisle toward the man she planned to spend the rest of her life with, I leaned in and murmured in Nicole’s ear. “She does. But she’s nowhere near as beautiful as the woman I love. The woman I want to get naked with as soon as I can make that happen.”
Nicole giggled softly. She replied in a low voice, so that Chelsea couldn’t hear her, “I think it can be arranged. Because I definitely want to get all sweaty and naked with the hottest man here. The only man I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
She grinned at me, and—just as what happened every time she looked at me that way—I fell in love with her all over again.
To my daughter, who is too young to read my books, but who is my greatest cheerleader
Acknowledgments
To my brilliant editor, Sue Grimshaw, and the rest of the Loveswept team—this book and series wouldn’t exist without you. And the same can be said for the readers and bloggers who fell in love with the guys in Pushing Limits and wanted more of their stories. I hope I did you proud with Mason’s story. Believe me, writing “The End” on his book was one of the hardest things I have had to do. There might have been a few tears involved.
Two other individuals I need to thank are Christina Lee and Nina Bocci. Christina’s tireless support and her feedback on my books are always appreciated. She knows how to keep me sane. And the same goes for Nina, my publicist extraordinaire.
I’m extremely grateful for the love and support my family provides me every day. But it isn’t just my sexy husband and three wonderful kids who are there for me. My mother-in-law is the most incredibly understanding person around—even if she’s never read my books because the swearing and sexual content are well beyond her comfort level. She still gets excited for me every time I release a new book.
BY STINA LINDENBLATT
Pushing Limits
This One Moment
My Song for You
I Need You Tonight
By the Bay
Decidedly Off Limits
Decidedly with Baby (coming soon)
Lost in You
Tell Me When
Let Me Know
PHOTO: © STINA LINDENBLATT
STINA LINDENBLATT loves to travel and has lived in England, the United States, Canada, and Finland. In her free time, she’s a photographer, mother, devoted wife, and prodigious reader of great romance novels. She currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, with her husband and three children.
Want more from Stina Lindenblatt?
stinalindenblattauthor.com
Facebook.com/StinaLindenblattAuthor
Twitter: @StinaLL
Instagram: stinalindenblatt
Pinterest.com/stinall
Read on for an excerpt from
Resilient
A True Brothers MC Novel
by Gillian Archer
Available from Loveswept
Prologue
Tank
ST. MARY’S HOSPITAL, RENO, NEVADA
SEPTEMBER 28
The moment I saw her, I wanted to fuck her.
There was no love-at-first-sight bullshit. I just wanted her naked and writhing under me. Once. Maybe twice. Straddling me. In front of me. On her knees at my feet. Okay, maybe all night long, but that was it.
Anything more was for people who still had hope left inside them. But that shit wasn’t for me. Afghanistan had fucking killed me, even though I still walked around and looked alive. I was dead inside, and it was just a matter of time until my outside matched my inside.
So I fucked ’em and left ’em. I only played with women who knew the score. Usually club pass-arounds. Occasionally with a hot chick I saw at the bar or grocery store, but they all knew what to expect from me. I made sure of that. One night, maybe a long weekend, and that was it.
But the hot brunette on the other side of the room was different.
She wasn’t a club pass-around. Hell, judging by the way she looked and the company she kept, she wouldn’t know anything about the life I lived. If her friend wasn’t clinging to life because of our club business, this chick wouldn’t have been within a mile of any of us or our hangouts. It was in the haughty way she tilted her head and the looks I occasionally saw on her face—like she couldn’t believe Zag and his boys were in the same waiting room as her. My kinda people. If anything, her stuck-up disdain made me wanna fuck her more.
We were all sitting in the waiting room at the hospital—bikers on one side, Jessica’s family, friends, and this chick on the other. She had to be going out of her mind freaking out that her friend had been shot. I mean they were all so…middle-class. Normal. This wasn’t something they’d ever dealt with before, unlike our clutch of bikers and bitches on the opposite side of the waiting room. Her other friend, the tiny blonde, was a mess. Between the sobs, the smeared eye makeup, and the clutch of tissues, the blonde was freaking out.
But not my chick.
Nope, she held it together. She smiled and joked—obviously trying to keep everyone’s mind off the trauma taking place on the other side of the waiting room doors. But the tension was still there. I had to look close—from my stance on the other end of the waiting room where I sat with Zag and our Brothers—but her anxiety had been there. Her smile strained at the corners. Her eyes sparkled with a sheen of tears that she never let fall. Her knee bounced with her nervous tension. But she held it together.
It was heartbreaking and hot. Distracting. Made me want to find out what it’d take to make her let loose. A woman like that would be wild in bed once she let go.
“I’m fucking starving.” My buddy Stitch grumbled from my left with his hand over his stomach.
“Cafeteria
closed an hour ago.” I replied. “I think there’s some vending machines down the hall.”
“A fucking Snickers ain’t gonna cut it. We’ve been here hours, T. I need food.”
Just then my chick looked up and straight into my eyes. She kinda smirked like she knew what I was thinking, how much I wanted her. I stared placidly back, never flinching or changing my facial expression. Sure, I got caught staring, but I wasn’t gonna fucking apologize. That wasn’t who I was.
My chick narrowed her eyes and tilted her head as she stared me down. Christ, she was a haughty piece of work.
Didn’t make me wanna fuck her any less. In fact, it was part of her allure. The anticipation. The chase. The conquering.
Quickly followed by goodbye.
The blonde said something to my chick and she blinked, breaking our spontaneous staring contest. But not the spell she’d cast over my dick.
I turned and slapped Stitch on the shoulder. “I got my pickup. Let’s go get some JJ’s pizza for everyone.”
“Fuck me,” Stitch groaned as he shifted on the uncomfortable-as-hell chairs. “Screw that. Let’s call a prospect. Sounds like the perfect job for one of those little bastards.”
“Nah, I wanna stretch my legs. Get some air. You coming?” And hopefully it’d help me forget all about the woman I shouldn’t want sitting on the other side of the room.
A chick like her deserved more than a bastard like me could ever give her. Even if it were only just for one night.
Because I didn’t do forever.
Just right now.
And right now I wanted pizza.
Chapter 1
Tank
RENO, NEVADA, ONE YEAR LATER
SEPTEMBER 12
I’d been asked to do some fucked-up shit in my time with the True Brothers MC. Like that time we’d beat down an eighteen-year-old kid in the middle of Virginia Street during Hot August Nights. To be fair, he had it coming, seeing how he’d slapped Bootleg’s old lady. Or just a week ago when I helped a few Brothers drop Joker down an abandoned mine shaft with a bag of lime. I had no problem doing the messy shit—the kinda jobs most guys would balk at—that was the role I filled in the club.
I Need You Tonight Page 27
