Love Ever After: Eleven All-New Romances!

by Nina Lane

  And finally, when she was halfway gone toward a panting, begging dry-hump-induced orgasm, he finally broke away from her mouth and dropped to her knees. He kissed her bare belly as he tugged her jeans and panties off, leaving them in a heap on the floor as he surged back to his feet and lifted her up in the same motion, his hands sure and steady under her bottom.

  He wasn’t leaving any room for argument. At some point, he’d undone his own jeans and shoved down his boxers. Between them, his cock bobbed free and eager, and Mari didn’t need to be told what to do next. She reached between them and slid him into place between her slippery wet folds.

  The first thrust took her breath away. It had been too long and as wet as she was, he still took some adjusting to. But the ache as he pulled out was even worse and she rocked her hips, desperate to be filled again. She wrapped her arms around his neck and lowered herself onto his length, moaning softly as he stretched her all the way that time.

  “Again,” she whispered, grinning against his mouth.

  Up and down she rode him, slowly at first, then faster, until he pressed her hard against the wall and carried them both over the edge with sharp, grinding jerks that actually felt as if the action might join them together.

  A girl should be so lucky.

  “Mmmm,” she mumbled, plastering herself to him as he slipped out of her and lowered her feet to the floor.

  “Pants off, then shower,” he gasped, and she reluctantly unwound herself from his neck. He smelled like sunscreen—which he’d probably just worn for her because she was freaky about it—and sex and warm, yummy man beneath it all. It was an irresistible combination.

  She leaned back against the door, watching as he shucked the rest of his clothes, then slid against his side when he held out his arm. “I’ll have to go back on stage at the end, you know.”

  “And how much time do we have until then?”

  “At least an hour.”

  He grinned down at her and squeezed her butt at the same time. “Perfect. Now let me tell me about my crazy plan to kidnap you to a hotel room tonight, and catch up with the tour buses tomorrow by helicopter…”

  — TWO —

  One good surprise deserved another. Mari grinned to herself as she climbed out of the airport limo—she was home, a day early because a planned stop in New York City for publicity had been bumped forward by a day, when she’d be en route to Wardham anyway. She was officially on break for her wedding, and she couldn’t wait to wrap her arms around her man and just relax for a night before the chaos descended.

  Chase had mentioned he was going to his parents’ for dinner, so she had the house to herself for at least an hour, and she had every intention of surprising the hell out of her fiancé when he came home. She’d picked up a sexy bodysuit in Los Angeles that was mostly made of air and shadow, it seemed. When the sales girl had pressed it into her hand, she’d laughed—the scrap of nylon looked like a swimsuit for a doll.

  A very small doll.

  But like a pair of stockings, it stretched. And stretched and stretched. Once she’d shimmied into it, she had to admit the knit pattern did fancy things to her curves. She looked exotic and alluring and perfect for a man who’d been deprived of physical affection for nearly three months, with a handful of too-brief exceptions.

  He was going to rip this thing off of her in ten seconds, and it would still be worth it.

  One of Chase’s top priorities in having their home custom built was ensuring their privacy would be protected. There were skylights in almost every room, but no windows that couldn’t be covered at the front of the house. So Mari didn’t think twice about wearing the bodysuit and nothing else as she moved around the living room, lighting candles and setting the scene Chase would find when he got home. As soon as she heard his key in the lock, she scampered to the archway that separated the living room and the foyer, and struck what she hoped was a sexy pose.

  All of her nerves jangled as she watched the handle turn. Was this ridiculous?

  She closed her eyes as the door swung open—and waited.

  “Nice outfit.”

  When the reaction finally came—and it didn’t take long, probably, but that stretch of silence still felt like ages—the laughing voice didn’t belong to Chase.

  Which meant that Mari’s friend and soon-to-be sister-in-law was standing fifteen feet away.

  Mari wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She squeezed her eyes shut. “Go away.”

  “I can see your…everything, pretty much. Just so you know.” Audrey cleared her throat. “I guess I should turn around or something.”

  — —

  Audrey watched, totally amused, as her brother’s fiancée sprinted past her and took the stairs two at a time, her body wrapped in not a lot of what could only be described as smoky grey dental floss. “It really is a nice outfit!”

  “Shut up,” Mari muttered not so quietly, her indignation floating down from the open balcony at the top of the foyer without any trouble. “What are you doing here?”

  “Dropping off our dresses so they can hang in the spare room closet for a few days, de-wrinkle, that kind of thing. I tried to send them home with Chase, but he said he wanted to go sunset rock climbing with Evan instead.”

  “He’s not on his way home?” Mari squeaked, popping back into view, now covered up with an oversized white robe.

  Audrey burst out laughing. “No, he is. Sorry, that was mean.”

  Mari glared at her and stomped down the stairs. “Do you know how long it’s been since I got laid last?”

  “Off-limits conversation. Brother. Remember?”

  “You don’t care.” Mari plopped down on the bottom step.

  No, Audrey really didn’t. But Chase would. He might be the oldest, but when it came to talking about sex, he was the most private. And when it came to Audrey, the baby, he preferred to think she was still ten years old.

  Instead of answering, she did what she’d come over to do—hang up the dresses in the front closet, and then skedaddle so her brother and her best friend could have some much needed quality alone time. Which, as a secret grown-up, Audrey fully supported.

  If the single men in her orbit weren’t so completely awful, she wouldn’t mind some quality alone time. Too bad her alone time of late was actually alone. And not particularly quality.

  “I was kidding about Chase,” she repeated once she turned back to her friend. “He should be here in ten minutes or so, he was just having a coffee with my dad when I left after dinner. But when I suggested he swing by my place and pick up the dresses, I thought his head might explode, so I decided to drive them over so they’d be waiting for you when you arrived…tomorrow.”

  Mari nodded, a pained expression written all over her face. It said, “Uh-huh, that’s nice, get out.”

  Audrey could take a hint. She’d leave right after getting one last shot in because this was too funny. “And this way I got to see you for a minute. I just didn’t realize I’d see that much of you.”

  “God.” Mari buried her face in her hands. “You can put the dresses on the dining room table for now. I need to clear our winter stuff out of the closet to hang them up. And then you can get out of here before your brother gets back. Deal?”

  She stalked over to her purse as Audrey did that, grabbing her phone before retreating to the steps. Surprising Chase had been a terrible idea. She was giving him a heads-up that she was home early.

  — —

  Chase bid his parents the world’s fastest goodbye when he got Mari’s message, but had to tamp down his teenage-boy libido when he saw his sister’s compact SUV parked in front of his house five minutes later. He pulled past her and parked in the garage. The two-car deep, three-car garage was one of the few true excesses he’d allowed himself in building the new house. The last thing he wanted to do was stand out as a rich guy in a small town. On the other hand, his Porsche 911 needed a comfy home. So did his bike—especially his bike, since he wasn’t dri
ving it now—and his pickup truck, and Mari’s car, which never got used these days. Add in a snow-blower and a riding lawn-mower, and the garage made all the sense in the world.

  A justification he’d had to make to every single member of his family, bless their meddling hearts.

  Speaking of meddling…

  He shoved the door to the house open, bracing himself for yet another emergency wedding meeting with his darling baby sister, but while Audrey was waiting on the other side, it wasn’t to pounce.

  “Here he is!” she proclaimed loudly, amusement written all over her face. He looked “And I’m going to…go. Yes. Have a nice night, you two.”

  Did she wink at him as she squeezed under his arm and snuck out the door? Jesus Christ.

  He turned the deadlock as soon as Audrey was on the other side of the door and turned his attention to his fiancée, huddled on the stairs in her bathrobe. “Hey, baby.”

  She made a face. “Hey.”

  “What’s wrong?” He kicked off his shoes and sat next to her on the step. She leaned into his side and he kissed the top of her head before stroking his knuckle against her jaw, lifting her face to his. A second kiss—a real one this time—said everything he needed her to know. I missed you. Welcome home.

  “I was waiting for you and Audrey came over instead and found me.”

  He laughed. “Sorry.”

  She pressed tighter against him, rubbing her face in his neck. “No, you don’t understand. She found me.”

  “In our house? What a surprise.”

  “Naked.”

  Oh. Shit. He laughed again. “Totally, stark naked?”

  She groaned. “No. Worse. I’m wearing a thing.”

  Hello. Now she had his full attention. “Show me.”

  “No!” She wailed the protest as she wrapped her arms around his waist. “I’m too embarrassed now. Also, I’m probably going to burn down the house, so can you go blow out all the candles in the living room?”

  “Come on.” Standing, he held out his hand. She stared at it for a minute, then took it with a sigh, shoving to her feet. “Don’t be like that. At least it was Audrey and not my mother.”

  “Shut up, that’s not funny.” But she grinned. God, he loved her smile. Big and bright and it crinkled the corners of her eyes just so. “Okay, so if anyone was going to see me like that, Audrey was the best choice.”

  He pulled her close. “No, I’m the best choice.”

  The way her eyes softened? It did dangerous things to his heart. “That’s what I meant.”

  “So I can see what’s under this awful robe?”

  “You bought me this robe.” She gave him a mock shocked look.

  “Ergo it’s my property and I can burn it. Take it off.”

  She laughed and shook her head. “No way am I taking this off until we’re safely in our bedroom. And then maybe the lights need to be turned way down.”

  “The lights are also my possession, and I decree, as lord and master of this manor, that they stay on.” He swatted at her terry-cloth covered behind as she moved in front of him, leading the way into what did look like a nice, romantic setting in the living room.

  But Chase didn’t need candles or wine or soft lighting for a special night with Mari. He just needed her, soft and giving and not-stressed-out. He watched as she blew out the first candle, her eyebrows knitted tightly together in frustrated disappointment.

  He took the opposite route around the room, helping her snuff out the flickering flames. At his twentieth candle, he straightened up and looked at her over his shoulder. “You’ve been back for what, an hour? Where did you get these candles?”

  She stuck her tongue out at him. “Wedding supplies.”

  “So we were going to fuck in front of all these candles and then use them to decorate the reception?”

  “Well, I hadn’t thought about it like that.” She shook her head and closed her eyes. “I’m terrible at this romantic surprise business.”

  He highly doubted that. If she had something on under that robe that she was embarrassed for his sister to see, that meant it was going to make his day. Week. He’d say month, but that included both their night together in Phoenix and their upcoming wedding, so it might be a stretch to assume, sight unseen.

  With a single get-it-done breath he blew out the last five candles and picked up the chilling bottle of champagne. “Upstairs.”

  “I’m not sure I’m in the mood anymore,” she pouted.

  “Well, that’s going to be super awkward when you take off that robe and I get the hard-on of the century.” He crowded behind her and brushed his lips against the curve of her ear. “Why don’t I show you what I’ve got on under my clothes first?”

  That worked. She giggled and relaxed against his chest.

  “Upstairs,” he repeated, his voice lower and huskier than before. “And leave the robe down here.”

  — THREE —

  Audrey shouldered open the door to Danny’s, Wardham’s only pub.

  On the one hand, she shouldn’t tell anyone about finding Mari all ready for sexy-times.

  On the other, it was hilarious.

  If Stella is here, you can share it with her. It seemed like a fair compromise.

  Sadly, as she stepped into the bar, she only found Heath Edwards behind the bar and a few local guys she vaguely recognized but couldn’t name at a table at the back. Heath was a great guy—one of her oldest friends, in fact—but not someone she could share her silly secret with.

  “What can I get you, Audrey?”

  Heath had been a good choice to replace Mari when she quit bartending. He had a way of leaning in and making eye contact with customers that made you want to sit down and unload your soul. And maybe your wallet, too.

  Audrey thumped heavily on a stool at the bar and pointed at the row of bottles behind her friend’s head. “Something with tequila and fruit juice.”

  “And ice, maybe? A margarita? With the good stuff, right?”

  See? Good choice. She nodded, giving in to the up-sell. He was right. Burying a secret this hilarious would take the good stuff.

  “How go the wedding plans?” he asked over his shoulder.

  “Pretty good,” she mumbled back as she rooted through the bowl of pretzels on the counter.

  “Those are all pretty broken up,” he said before turning on the blender.

  She looked up. Wow. Not just good—he was an excellent bartender if he’d noticed she only ate whole pretzels. Heath. She crossed her arms and gave his back a solid once-over. What was his deal?

  It had been years—no, decades—since she’d shared any secrets with him. In kindergarten, they’d fought over the green crayons, and in grade two, they’d started to hang out after school when their parents started to let them go biking up and down the street without close supervision. How many days had they paced back and forth in the empty lot that butted up against the ravine, talking about nothing and everything?

  And then…she frowned. She didn’t know what or when it had happened, but they’d faded into the kind of friends that always stopped and caught up at the drink table at a party and waved from across the street, but until he’d started working here, she couldn’t say she’d exchanged more than a few sentences with him in ages.

  They were the same age, twenty-three. He’d gone to university somewhere. Not Windsor, where she’d gone. Somewhere else. It niggled at the base of her neck that she didn’t know.

  She should know. She was a terrible friend if she didn’t.

  Staring at the back of his black t-shirt like it might give her some clues, she narrowed her eyes. Had he started working out? The t-shirt was faded and worn enough to not be a new purchase, but he’d never filled it out quite that much. He was broad.

  Well, duh. He wasn’t a teenage boy anymore.

  Like maybe he could hear her thinking about him, he shot her a quick, curious look over his shoulder.

  She shrugged.

  He laughed under his br
eath and shook his head, his shaggy hair shaking like it was laughing at her too.

  After pouring her drink in a salt-rimmed glass and sliding it across the bar at her, he crossed his arms—those had gotten bigger, too—and pinned her with an amused glance. “What’s on your mind?”

  “Nothing.” She took a big, slurping swallow. “This is good.”

  “I know. I’m good.”

  “I was thinking that, earlier.” She winked.

  “About how good I am? I bet you were.” He grabbed a bar towel from some magic hidden bartender space and slapped it on the counter next to her. “Can I get you a sandwich from the kitchen?”

  She shook her head. “I ate at my parents. I’m good.”

  He laughed at the echo and she blushed.

  “And I’m a linguist.”

  “I hear you actually are. Went to Japan for a year, eh?”

  Oh, that. “I’m hardly fluent. I can order beer and grilled chicken and ask where the train station is.”

  “Still pretty cool. I’d love to hear more about—” He cut himself off as the door chimed and Sam Beadie walked in.

  Eight years older than them, the oldest Beadie brother would normally be someone they only knew by name, but since Sam’s little sister was marrying Audrey’s oldest brother, they were practically family. And she had business with him.

  “Hey,” she called out, waving him over. “We need to talk about the bachelor party.”

  Sam gave her a slow eyebrow raise that said he wasn’t sure they did. He was completely wrong. She pointed to the stool next to her, then turned back to Heath and swung her finger toward her delicious margarita. “Get him one of these.”

  “I’ll have a draft lager, actually,” he said, sitting down with a sigh. “Are you always this bossy?”

  “Yes,” said Heath as he pulled back the tap and poured Sam a beer.

  “No.” Audrey rolled her eyes. “I’m not being bossy. I just want to make sure we’re all on the same page.”