by Lulu Pratt
Beau yawns in my arms, his tiny mouth taking up his scrunchy little face, and snuggles into me. Tears prick at my eyes as I stroke his chubby cheeks and hum along with the only song that lulls him to sleep.
We rock like this for another four rounds of the song because I can’t bear to put him down. I need a shower and clean clothes, a glass of wine, and at least seven naps. The dishes need to be done and bottles need to be sterilized, but I want to savor this moment for as long as possible.
Lily pops her head in the room and smiles. She uses a series of comically complicated hand motions to ask if he’s asleep. I nod and smile back.
“Come on out.” She whispers. “You need a break.”
I steal one more gaze of my son before utilizing my newly developed ninja skills to get up and leave him still sleeping in his bassinet. It doesn’t always work, but he doesn’t move after I move him. I drink in one last glimpse and gently shut the door behind him.
“I did the dishes.” Lily tells me and hands me a glass of water. “All the bottles are in the sterilizer and the living room is tidied.”
“I love you so much I could cry.” I say, genuinely touched. “You didn’t have to do any of that.”
“That’s why Aunt Lily is here, crazy lady. I’m here to help however I can with my perfect nephew. Just, you know, not the diapers. Even Aunt Lily has limits.”
“I can’t say I blame you.” I grin. “Baby poop is terrifying. No one tells you this, but it’s truly terrifying.”
“Well, now you can go take a bath and a nap and forget little Beau’s disgusting butt action. Go relax! If he gets up, I’ll handle him. You’ve been going for days with Eric out of town, and you need to put your feet up.”
“I guess you’re right.” I do feel completely worn down. Eric tried to postpone his trip to New York, but some sort of emergency popped up and no one else was there to pick up the pieces. “I can’t thank you enough for coming over with him gone.”
“Yeah, yeah. Thank me later. Go take a bath.”
“I’d hug you, but I’m worried my smell will offend you.”
“It’s the thought that counts.” Lily winks at me. “Now go away. I’ve got some popcorn and terrible TV to catch up on. Pax keeps deleting Nights of Our Lives from the DVR and I am seriously behind.”
“All right, all right.” I concede. Popcorn and TV sound fun. Feeling like an adult again sounds wonderful. But so does hot water, and the desire to be clean wins.
I let out a low whistle when I open the bedroom door. It was a holy terror mess this morning, but the bed is now made and the laundry is all put away. A candle is burning on a bedside table, my favorite lavender, and all the exhaustion I carry in my shoulders melts away. That Lily, I don’t deserve her.
I step on something soft and look down. Rose petals lead me into the bathroom where a hot bubble bath waits. Tears of gratitude prick my eyes. The rose petals are maybe a bit much, but she knew how tired I was and this is the best gift I could have asked for.
Off come the sweatpants and the shirt covered in spit up. I slide into the hot water and feel immediate ease. I always found the answer to life in the water, but Beau made baths next to impossible. This is the rare treat that I really need.
She must have tossed a bath bomb in here, too, because everything feels silky and smells amazing. My eyes grow heavier the longer I sit, and soon I’m no longer in the bath tub, but on a balcony, dancing with Eric. Almost like the days I fantasized about him across a mediation table, except this time we’re tender and seductive, instead of domineering and cruel.
The moon is bright and the sky is perfectly clear. Frank Sinatra croons overhead and our bodies meld as we sway to the music. Having a baby seriously dampened our levels of intimacy, but being this close to him, dancing, is just as sexy as our times together naked.
“I’ve missed you.” Dream Eric whispers in my hair. His fingers rake across the exposed skin on my back. Dream Me still wears the sexy evening gowns. “The days were too long without you.”
“I missed you too.” Dream Me whispers back against his lips. I can feel his breath fuse with mine and the soft kiss of his eyelashes against my forehead. “The bed isn’t the same without you.”
“It won’t be empty anymore.” Dream Eric promises.
He kisses me softly, teasing my lips with his. I press him for more, but he only laughs quietly and leaves a tiny bite on my upper lip.
“What do you want?” He asks.
“You.”
Eric finally obliges, crushing my mouth with his. He’s dominating and powerful, but then slows down and kisses me tenderly. He tells me he loves me with his touch, lets me know how deeply he missed me with his tongue. Every kiss stirs the dormant places within my body awake, like I’ve been renewed. Shivers trip down my spine.
The weight of his hands against my head is so real I could cry. I know this is a dream, these kisses and these soft touches, but I miss him with my entire being. I just want him here.
“Kate.” Dream Eric whispers against me. “Kate, wake up.”
“I am awake.” Dream Me whispers back.
“Open your eyes.”
I slowly open my eyes. The water is still warm and soft against my skin, something sweet tickles my nose, and there is something in front of me that I can’t quite make out.
“Surprise.” A familiar voice says softly. He pulls back and Eric grins brightly at me. “Enjoying the bath?”
“You’re home!” I squeal and wrap my arms around his neck without thinking twice about getting his clothes wet. This is better than the bath. “I thought you weren’t coming home until tomorrow.”
“Finished early, told them all to fuck off because I needed my wife and my son. They’re sending over a few documents for me to review tonight, but I’m otherwise all yours for the next week.”
“This is incredible.”
“Not as incredible as you in this bath. Lie back, my love. I’m going to bathe you.”
“Bathe me?” I ask, a little coy. I run a finger down his arm because I can’t not touch him. He’s been gone for days and I’ve missed him so fiercely. “That sounds scandalous.”
“I live for scandal,” he says, cheeky.
Using a soft washcloth, Eric slowly washes every inch of me, starting with my feet, and massages my exhausted body along the way. It’s a heavenly, delicious feeling and I could almost fall asleep as he moves up my legs.
It’s only when he hovers over my center, still tightly wound from dancing with him in my dreams, that I feel awake. I try to slide closer to him so he can touch me, but he moves up my stomach and around the swells of my breasts. I never knew being bathed could be so erotic.
“Sit up.” He says softly and moves behind me. My body is at war between relaxation and arousal. “You’re so beautiful, Kate. This amazing body that carried our son inside, and now cradles him on the outside? Stunning.”
“It’s smushy and tired.” I murmur, eyes closed and lost in the nearness of him.
“It’s perfect.” He places a single kiss on the back of my neck that promises to ruin me. “Come, my lady.”
He offers his hand and helps me out of the tub. I’m wrapped in my favorite robe and carried to bed, Eric never turning his attention from me for a second. He lays me down gently, robe open, and presses hot kisses against my skin: my mouth, my collar bone, the valley between my breasts.
I watch his dark head slowly work down my body. He drags his teeth against my hips and sets my heart aflame. The closer his mouth gets to my center, though, the more panic I feel.
“Steady, my love,” he murmurs against my hip. “It will be okay.”
“Things have changed.” I whisper. “Your son was a beast, remember?”
He runs a finger over my swollen pussy lips and I can’t suppress the moan. He repeats it again and my legs fall open, granting him the access my anxiety wants to deny. He gently opens me up and runs two more fingers against my exposed wetness.
“I
t’s just as beautiful and delicious as ever.” He says, his voice husky and deep. Eric’s voice drops when he’s turned on, and it, in turn, arouses me all the more. “There is nothing wrong with you, Kate. You have everything, everything, I could ever want.”
The flat of his tongue engulfs my tender flesh and my chest seizes, my vision blurs. Every fear I have melts away in an instant. I no longer fight him, but leave myself exposed and ripe for his pleasure.
“That’s my good girl,” his voice rumbles against my clit and it steals my breath.
His mouth finds all the spots I thought disappeared. Every place his teeth would make me moan, or the places where a flick of his tongue would send heat flooding through me, are as vibrant as ever.
Eric’s hair tickles the inside of my thighs as his mouth makes love to me. He kisses and sucks, licks and nibbles. He treats me like a piece of fruit grown just for him. Every touch is sweeter than the last.
I try to watch him. I love to see his eyes burn through me while he licks and fucks me, but the pressure mounts and floods through me. It’s been so long since he’s touched me this way that my body is unable to handle the intensity.
“Eric.” I breathe between moans. I don’t know what I need to say to him, I just want to know he’s here, that he’s real.
He slides his hands underneath me and pulls me in closer to him. There is no escaping the pressure of his tongue. He destroys me and rebuilds me with every kiss and every flick of his tongue. I close my eyes and lose myself to the sound of him grunting softly.
A memory flickers through my mind, a view of him stroking himself when he licked me during our first time together. I remember how sexy it was to see him so worked up over the act of pleasuring me.
I pry my eyes open and see him lying on his side, one hand under me, but the other now gripping his cock as he licks me. It is all I need to lose myself totally to the surging electric current in my veins.
My body shakes and shivers under him as my mind goes blissfully blank. He presses harder against me, licking up every bit of juice my body releases through the orgasm. It’s sharp and powerful, my first real, earth-shattering one after giving birth, and it is everything I ever wanted.
I collapse against the pillow, breathless. His tongue travels across my swollen lips once more and causes my entire body to shiver. I reach for him, still magnificently erect in his hand.
“This was for you.” He grunts, voice tight and straining. “My pleasure is secondary.”
“I want this for you.”
I roll over and down the bed before he can protest. I take his length in my mouth all at once, the head hitting the back of my throat. Eric’s groans become more prominent. He works his base while I suck on his head, savoring the feel of him again in my mouth.
He’s already done most of the work, so every suck and lick against his cock makes him jump and twitch. I gently press against the space behind his balls and take all of him again. Like magic, Eric grunts and moans through an orgasm that shoots down my throat. I drink him in until he, too, collapses against the bed.
He pulls me back to the pillows and covers us in blankets. We snuggle together, naked, for what feels like the first time in months. It’s my favorite feeling in the entire world. Nothing can touch us here.
“I missed you.” I breathe softly.
“I missed you, Kate,” he murmurs against my neck. “Sleep, my love. Sleep.”
We lay entwined under a heavy duvet, our son sleeping a room away, and naked bodies reacquainted with one another. There is nothing on this earth I could ask for that would be more perfect than this.
His Prize:
A Second Chance
Billionaire Romance
She’s not getting away this time.
My billion-dollar company ran a competition that swept the nation.
First prize?
One week at my Caribbean mansion.
I can’t believe my eyes when the winner steps off the plane.
Olivia King.
The girl who wouldn’t go to prom with me.
I never expected her to win my prize.
But now that she’s here, I’m going to give it to her over and over.
*** A steamy STANDALONE contemporary romance with a smoking hot hero. No cliffhanger, no cheating, and a guaranteed happily-ever-after.***
CHAPTER ONE
OLIVIA KING
I can’t wait to bury my toes in warm white sand.
Peering out the window, I watch as the clouds buoy the private jet in its journey across the sky.
Sighing, I tear my eyes away from the peaceful view and marvel at my luck.
The last two weeks flash through my mind as I take in the opulence of the plane that is transporting me from little old Tennessee to Turks and Caicos.
Spacious leather seating, wood-grain trimmings and a gracious stewardess to cater to my every need.
Everything is at my fingertips all because I randomly entered a contest on a social media app that Winnie couldn’t stop raving about.
After downloading the Discover Travel app, I entered the contest by answering a simple question: How has traveling changed your life?
Sticking to the truth, I instead shared how the absence of travel had shaped my life. All the flights I never booked. All the adventures I’d never had. As well as how much I wanted to change that.
Now, it’s happening.
I could kiss Winnie on the forehead for her pesky insistence.
As if she can sense that I’m thinking about her, my phone vibrates as a new message comes through. Thanks to the complimentary WiFi on the flight, I’m still able to utilize my phone’s cloud messaging feature.
Don’t forget about my shout out!
When I land, I’m set to meet the creator of the app, Bash Something-or-other. What kind of name is that? Cameras will be present to capture him giving me my prize of one-million dollars, as well as the keys to the private house I’ll be staying in for the duration of my one-week stay on the southernmost island of Turks and Caicos.
I have dinner tonight with the creator of the app as part of the contest, then the rest of the week is mine to fill with whatever I want to do.
The meet and greet is set to stream live on the app as well as Good Morning America. The thought of so many eyes on me is nerve-racking but at least I’ll be fashionable while I’m sweating bullets.
With Winnie’s help, I went shopping earlier this week and nearly maxed out the one credit card I had.
Grinning, I tap out a reply to my best friend.
Couldn’t forget it for the world. I’m so freaking excited!!
I followed the exclamatory text with a string of emojis to further convey my excitement.
I’m excited for you, sweetie.
I type out another message.
I wish you were here with me.
The original plan was for Winnie to act as my plus one for the duration of the trip. However, her boss overturned his approval for her vacation request at the last minute when a big project came up.
So I’m flying solo. Literally.
I’ll make it up to you, doll. Just relax and soak it in. You deserve this break more than anyone I know. Enjoy every second.
My heart squeezes at her sweet words.
Thanks, hon. See ya in a week! Kisses
Seconds later, my phone buzzes in my lap. I laugh looking down at the screen.
And don’t forget to tell me all about your island fling. I want to hear every detail.
Snickering, I return my gaze back to the window and get lost in my thoughts.
For some reason, Winnie is convinced that I’m going to find a handsome stranger and engage in all sorts of lewd acts during my short stay. She claims I can use the “release” and an island fling is the perfect way to get my feet wet again after such a dry spell.
I haven’t dated anyone seriously in years.
Not since my ex, Jordan, who failed to mention he’d been planning his wedding the who
le time we were involved. One morning, I’d logged into my Facebook account during a break at the nursing home and nearly lost my breakfast.
Posted for all our friends to see were photos of Jordan from the previous night, dressed in a tux and looking lovingly at a woman who was not me as he exchanged his wedding vows.
To say I was heartbroken would be an understatement. Shattered was more like it.
Of all the shitty things in my life, I had considered Jordan to be my bright spot. But apparently, I’d only been a distraction from his true love.
The whole ordeal devastated me for months. I’d been so humiliated that I shut down, emotionally and physically.
I’d ended up quitting my job and sleeping on Winnie’s couch for a month. Her tough love had brought me back to life and given me the boost I needed to get back on my feet.
She told me that I was welcome to stay with her as long as I needed, but I had to at least try. She wouldn’t stand by and watch me deteriorate into nothingness.
She was the only person rooting for me and I couldn’t let her down.
So I’d gone out and landed my current job as a live-in caregiver for my eighty-year-old patient, Arnold.
His son, Gavin, hired me because his aging father has dementia and requires around-the-clock care.
The only catch is that I had to move in to the home and make myself available twenty-four seven.
Since I wasn’t dating and led a pretty boring life anyway, I jumped at the opportunity not realizing the physical and mental toll that the long hours and demanding work would take on my body.
I can’t remember the last day I’ve had free time to do more than grab a quick coffee with Winnie, let alone escape my hometown for a week-long vacation.
I’m counting on this trip to revive me in more ways than one. This is the first time I’ve ever left the country and I can’t wait for the adventure ahead.
It seems the universe is finally working in my favor.
A ding sounds and the stewardess appears near my seat seconds later, wearing an easy smile.
“We’ll be landing soon, dear. Is there anything I can get you before our descent?”
“No, thanks,” I answer with a smile of my own.
