The Malone Brothers Boxed Set

by S. L. Sterling

  I let out a loud scream, dropping my apple and phone onto the floor.

  “Princess, relax, it’s only me. I didn’t mean to scare you.”

  “Fuck, Carter.” I took in a deep breath, trying to calm my rapidly beating heart. I watched as his eyes skimmed my body from the floor up.

  “I’m...I’m sorry. I didn’t think you would be home already,” I mumbled and looked down at myself. “I’m not very appropriately dressed to be running around the apartment, am I?”

  “To be honest, I think you might be a little overdressed.” As the words fell from his lips, a rush of warmth filled my body. He wore that sexy smirk I had grown to love.

  He reached behind his head, and in one swift motion, peeled the shirt from his body. I couldn’t help but look at the perfectly chiseled body that stood before me: broad shoulders, defined pecs, and an eight-pack of abs I was suddenly dying to lick. He put Trent to shame. Honestly, he put most men to shame. God, I had to get a hold of myself.

  As he came closer, I stepped back until the counter was firmly planted in my back. I could feel the heat from his body pouring off him as my face met his chest. He placed two fingers under my chin so that his eyes never left mine. Once our eyes locked, his fingers left my chin and slid down to the edge of the towel that was wrapped around me. His fingers traced along the edge of the towel, his fingers grazing my skin occasionally, before he finally gave a little tug and the towel fell away from my body. “Whoops,” he chuckled. I could feel my face going red as his eyes trailed down my body. I still wasn’t used to him seeing me naked. “That’s better.” He winked, his lips meeting mine.

  His hands wrapped around me, squeezing my ass as he pulled me closer to him. He picked me up and started carrying me to his room when a knock on the door stopped us. We both looked to the door. “Fuck,” he mumbled, placing me back on the ground. “I’m going to get that, just in case it’s my brother. He has a key. I don’t want him barging in here interrupting us. Go get into bed. I’ll be right there,” he growled.

  I nodded and made my way to his room, crawling under the covers. I lay there listening, and that was when I heard Felice’s voice saying something about next weekend and needing a date. My heart sank at first, but then I heard him mumble something about being busy that weekend, and seconds later, he stood in the doorway, smiling at me.

  “Sorry about that,” he said as he entered the bedroom. “It was Felice.”

  “I thought so. Listen, before we get into anything, do you have plans next weekend?”

  “Nope, I’m all yours.”

  I smiled. “Good. My parents are having an anniversary party, and I really don’t want to go alone.”

  He sat down and let out a breath. “I don’t know, Hope. They’ve never really liked me.”

  “I don’t care, I like you. That should be enough.” I got up and straddled his lap, placing little kisses on his lips.

  “All right then, I’m all yours.” Wrapping his arms around me, he assaulted my mouth with his tongue, deeply kissing me.

  26

  Hope

  I had borrowed Carter’s vehicle on Wednesday to go see my parents. I drove in silence, thinking of what I was going to say to my father. I pulled into the driveway, shut the car off, and looked up at the house I had known since childhood.

  I finally got out of the car and walked up the front steps. The door suddenly pulled open, and my father stood there.

  “Well, well, well. Look at who has finally come home.”

  “I’m not here to stay, Daddy. I came to talk to you.”

  “Well, come on in then.”

  I walked into his office and sat in the chair across from my father’s chair. My insides were shaking with nerves. My father walked around and sat down across from me, resting his arms on the desk in front of him. “I take it you came to talk about the engagement announcement.”

  “Yes. It’s not going to happen. I am extremely happy where I am right now. So, please, I am begging you...”

  “Fine, you’re happy. That is fantastic, but have you ever thought how much happier you will be with Trent?” He sat back in his chair and looked at me.

  “No, Dad, you don’t understand. I’m not happy with Trent, and he isn’t happy either. We don’t want to be married. Daddy, I beg you, please, don’t force me into this. It’s not what I want.”

  “And you have spoken to Trent about this?” he questioned, tapping his pen against the edge of his desk.

  “Yes.”

  My father sat there looking me directly in the eyes. He didn’t say anything for a long while and then he cleared his throat.

  “Fine. I will call and speak with the Kings and call the engagement off.”

  “Really?”

  “Yes, really. You say you are happy where you are, then fine, but if I do this, you need to move back home.”

  I felt lighter than ever after having Daddy agree to end this silliness. “I have already spoken to Trent,” I said, getting up to hug my father.

  He wrapped his arms around me. “So we will see you on the weekend?”

  “Yes, Daddy. It will still be a plus two; I am bringing Carter.” I smiled.

  “Fine.”

  “Where is Mom?”

  “She is having lunch with one of the ladies from the country club. She will be upset she missed you, but I will tell her that you will be here this weekend. Afterwards we can discuss you moving back home.”

  27

  Hope

  The rest of the week had flown by, with the looming party hanging in the distance. After visiting my father, my parents had wanted me to come and stay at home for the weekend, but I had refused. It had been slow that week at the bar—tips had been minimal—but I still managed to have enough to pay for two nights at a little motel just on the outskirts of town. Carter had offered to pay, but I refused. He had, after all, just paid for my flight to the Dominican Republic.

  “So, you did tell your parents I was your date, correct?” he asked, setting our bags on the bed.

  “Yes, of course.”

  “Okay. I just don’t want this to be an issue. We’ve been over this a million times this week; your father never liked me, Hope.”

  “Relax. To be honest, it’s none of their business who I bring.”

  “So, does this mean you are finally going to stand up to them about us?”

  I stood and walked over to him, placing my hands on his face and pulling him in for a kiss. “No need to worry. I will handle my father.”

  My hands slowly danced down to the top button of his dress shirt and started to undo the buttons, one by one. Once his shirt was completely open, I pushed it off his shoulders and ran my hands over his chest. I locked eyes with him. His were hungry with need as I rested my fingers in the belt loops of his jeans.

  “What is it you want?”

  I let out a little nervous giggle, not saying anything, my fingers moving to the button of his jeans. He grabbed my hand, moving it to his cock. He was already hard, and I had barely touched him. When my hand cupped him, he sucked in a deep breath. “This. I want this,” I said shyly.

  He grabbed me, picking me up and taking me over to the bed where he threw me down, his hand running down the front of my body. I could feel my body start to tremble at the simple touch. He lay beside me, placing his hands behind his head, a glint of playfulness in his eyes. I sat up and gently tugged at the button of his jeans, sliding the zipper down tooth by tooth. His cock peeked out of the top of his boxers. I kept my eyes locked with his as I bent down and licked the head of his cock. His sharp inhale sent chills through me. I wanted to hear him do that again, so I once again licked the head.

  “You’re such a tease.” He reached down and ran his fingers through my hair.

  I pulled him out of his boxers, holding the weight of him in my hand. He raised up and pushed his pants the rest of the way down, kicking them off. I kneeled between his legs and took him in my hand, running my hands over his cock.


  “I want to feel your mouth wrapped around me,” he growled.

  I ran my tongue from the base of his cock to the tip and then placed my mouth over him. Running my tongue around him, I listened as his breathing increased. I pulled him from my mouth, holding him in my hand and slowly stroking him, running my tongue around the head and finally tasting the bead of precum at the tip.

  He reached down and placed his hand on my cheek. “Come here,” he quietly demanded.

  I crawled up beside him and met his mouth harshly with need. He pushed my open shirt from my shoulders, throwing it across the room. He pulled my skirt and panties down and threw them in the opposite corner of the room. His hands quickly found their way between my legs, and he ran his fingers through my wetness, making me shiver at the touch.

  The harshness of his kiss finally slowed, and he began to take his time.

  Carter

  Her body squirmed beneath me as I continued running my fingers over her swollen clit. I watched as she bit her lip, trying to stifle her moans. She was beautiful. I leaned down and placed my lips over hers, sucking her lower lip into my mouth, as I slid two fingers inside of her while continuing to rub her clit with my thumb. She was so tight around my fingers, and I knew she was close, so I continued, her fingers clawing at my back. Finally, she cried out. I removed my fingers from her and looked down into her eyes. “I love you.”

  A look of surprise came over her face as she looked into my eyes. I couldn’t hold back how I felt for her anymore. I was determined that I was not going to lose her this time. She had to know. “I love you, Hope. I never fully realized just how much until I finally saw you again.”

  “Carter, I love you too.” Her voice was weak, but the tears that built in her eyes told me she was serious. I held her in my arms, pulling her tightly against my chest, and together we lay there entwined in one another.

  28

  Hope

  Carter looked amazing in his perfectly tailored black suit. I stood beside him in my new black cocktail dress, and together we walked hand in hand up the front steps of the banquet hall. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by a waitress carrying a tray of champagne. “Could I interest either of you in a drink?” she asked with a smile, holding the tray out to us.

  We both took a glass and continued into the room. I quickly glanced around. Many of my parents’ friends looked my way, whispering to each other when they saw a different man with me. I felt Carter’s hand at the small of my back, which gave me the confidence boost I needed as we made our way through the crowd to look for our seats.

  “Hope, thank God, there you are. Your parents are looking for you.” I turned and saw my aunt coming toward me. “Who is this handsome man?” she said, eying him up and down. Aunt Tess was a divorced, highly attractive, middle-aged woman and was always looking for her next conquest.

  “Aunt Tess, this is Carter. Carter, my aunt Tess.”

  “Hello. Nice to meet you, handsome.”

  “Hope, I was just speaking with your mother. She says your father is looking for you. He wants to see you. He’s angry, Hope,” she said, whispering in my ear as she pulled me away from Carter.

  “I’ll be right back.”

  “Go ahead. I’ll be here.” Carter gave my hand a squeeze before my aunt dragged me away from him.

  “Your mother wants to see you before he gets hold of you. Let’s hope that we find her first.”

  “What else is new, Aunt Tess? He is always angry at me,” I moaned. She was practically dragging me behind her, when my father came into view. She tried to hide from his line of sight, but it was too late.

  “Brian, I found her.” My father turned around, his gaze fierce.

  “It’s about damn time you arrived, Hope. I saw you came with someone.”

  “Yes, I did. That’s Carter, Daddy. I told you.”

  “Ah yes, Carter. Well, I’m sorry to say that you are not going down that path again. It took me long enough the first time to get you away from him. Don’t make me do it again.”

  “Yes, and exactly why did you do that?”

  “He’s a loser and he isn’t good for you.”

  “He isn’t a loser, Dad. He’s a very smart man and a hard worker.”

  My mother came walking over, smiling at me. “Hope, love, there you are. You ready for the big announcement tonight?” she said, wrapping her arm around my shoulder. “You really should have gotten a new dress,” she whispered in my ear, pushing me away from her and looking me over.

  “This is brand new.”

  “Well, it will have to do. It’s just not what I would have chosen for you to wear for such an announcement,” she said, her eyes running over me again in a judging way.

  “That’s okay, because there isn’t going to be an announcement after all. Didn’t Daddy tell you?”

  My mother looked from me to my father with a confused look on her face. “Beverly, Hope came home and shed some light on how ungrateful she is that we have put this marriage together.”

  “Oh.” My mother turned and looked at me, “Hope?”

  “Mom, please...” I begged. “I explained to Daddy that I’m with Carter, and he agreed to cancel everything.”

  My mother let out a loud laugh. “Not that boy. He is nice and all, but honestly, Hope, grow up.”

  “No. I would rather be with someone who loves me back than be with a domineering man. I would rather live in squalor than live with that!”

  People started to look our way, including Trent’s parents. “Hope, you will stop this behavior right now,” my father demanded, gripping my arm.

  “No, Daddy, I won’t.”

  I turned to head back to our table when I saw Carter walking over our way. He walked right over, holding his hand out to my father. “Sir, good to see you again. Carter Malone.”

  “Carter, nice to see you. How’s school?”

  “Good, sir. I just received my final marks. Top two percent in my class. I take the BAR at the end of the summer.”

  “I’m sure you’ll do very well. Then you will screw people just like your old man.” My mouth hung open as he dismissed Carter, as if he were nothing more than the dirt on the bottom of his shoe, then turned away with my mother to go speak with Trent’s parents.

  “Dad, you are going to apologize to him right now,” I said, stomping my foot hard on the floor.

  My father turned, glaring at me. “I’ve had enough. Now before you make any more of a scene and ruin the whole evening, I suggest you get to your seat and sit down.”

  Carter grabbed my hand and pulled me away from my parents, making our way back to the table. All eyes followed, and murmurs and whispers floated through the air. I could feel my blood start to boil at the way both my parents had just treated Carter, and something in the bottom of my gut told me my father had lied to me and that another surprise was just around the corner.

  “I’m sorry my father is such an asshole, Carter. This was a bad idea. I think maybe we should just go.”

  Carter pulled the chair out for me and waited for me to sit down. I looked around the room and noticed Trent staring at us as Carter handed me my glass of champagne. “Just calm down, Hope. Tell me what happened.”

  I was just about to start telling him the whole truth when out of nowhere came a very familiar voice calling to Carter. We both turned in the direction that it came from and saw Felice walking over to us.

  “Felice,” Carter’s deep voice called out. I fought back the tears coming to my eyes when I saw her coming toward us. This night was getting worse by the second.

  “Felice, what are you doing here?” he asked, placing his arm around my shoulders.

  “My aunt and uncle are here. They sent the invite. My cousin apparently has an important announcement to make; I couldn’t miss it. I believe you know my cousin, Hope, Trent King,” she said, glaring at me, a smug smile coming across her face.

  I stared back at her.

  “Such a small world. I grew up with Trent. I never
knew you were his cousin,” Carter said, moving behind me.

  I went still and felt a funny kind of heat pour over me. Carter’s hand gripped my shoulder tighter. Felice went to say something, but my father cleared his throat into the microphone and started to speak. “I’ll see you later, Carter. It will be exciting to hear the announcement,” she drawled. “Hope, it was nice seeing you too. I can’t wait to see your reaction to the news.” She smiled, turned, and walked away.

  “What did she mean by that?” Carter asked, sitting back down beside me.

  I had nothing to say. The sick feeling in my stomach started to get worse. It was like she had known all along. I took a sip of my water as my father’s speech droned on. All the while I continued to try to get Carter to leave, but he refused. He said I should be there to help my parents celebrate. As soon as my father had completed his speech and toast, dinner was served. Carter was involved in a conversation with a lawyer friend of my father’s, and I sat there quietly picking at my dinner, not really eating anything because my stomach was turning. I excused myself to use the washroom just before dessert was to be served.

  “Are you feeling okay?” Carter whispered, grabbing my hand as I got up. “You’re awfully flushed.”

  “I’m fine. I’ll be right back.” I squeezed his hand and headed toward the washroom.

  As I entered the room, I was happy to see that it was empty. I walked over to the counter and looked at myself in the mirror. I could barely breathe, knowing what was coming. I had to get us out of there before Mr. King made his announcement; I just didn’t know how. I didn’t want to lose Carter again.

  The bathroom door swung open and I glanced in the mirror to see Felice walk in. She gave me the cat-ate-the-canary smile and glared at me as she walked over to the sink and stood beside me. She placed her clutch down on the counter and searched through it. She pulled out her compact and dusted her face. “So, does he know?” I stood still, not knowing what to say. “I take it from your silence that he doesn’t. He’s going to be crushed, Hope, and it’s going to be all your fault. I told you to be careful.”