Hale Series Boxed Set

by Marie James

  “I…,” I swallow roughly. “I just can’t believe you’re real.” I lean my head to the side as he rests his head on my bare shoulder, watching our reflections in the mirror. “And mine,” I whisper seductively.

  “Yours,” he responds reverently lowering his hot, sinful mouth to the delicate spot just below my ear. “Perfect.” His fingers are gliding over the exposed skin of my arm leaving goose pimples in its wake.

  I huff absently. “You won’t think that when I’m as big as a car!”

  He nips at my neck and slowly raises his head as his hands tug my towel open; I keep my eyes locked on his as it falls to the floor.

  “Even then,” he whispers in my ear as his hands find my suddenly heavy breasts. “Even then, Josie. You will be perfect.”

  I close my eyes as his warm breath coats my skin and his thumbs sweep across my pert nipples.

  I open my eyes as I feel his right hand begin to make its way down my body; I want to see the second his fingertips skate over my center. His hand stops below my belly button and his fingers flex. “You and this baby are my world, Mariposa. And my world is perfect.”

  “I love you, Kaleb.” I do, with every atom in my being. Our relationship is nontraditional and traveling at the speed of light, but somehow it feels like it’s ideal for us. I turn my head so I can look in his eyes rather than being separated by a reflection.

  “Te amo,” he whispers against my lips before slanting his lips over mine and licking into my mouth.

  I moan when his hand slides lower and he slips two fingers into my quivering heat.

  ***

  I bolt awake just as the nightmare is trying to grab hold of me. We were incredibly distracted when Kaleb carried me out of the bathroom earlier and we didn’t manage to turn off the light. I’m grateful for it since the extra light aids me in orienting myself quickly.

  I snuggle deeper into Kaleb, making sure every possible inch of my naked body is touching some part of his equally naked body. I hear a rumble of approval in his chest causing me to look up. He’s wide awake and looking down at me with those intense green eyes.

  “Hey, baby,” I whisper as I caress his chest with my cheek.

  “Sleep well?” He asks softly as he reaches for my hand.

  “I always sleep well in your arms.” He caresses my left hand and I tilt my mouth to him, offering it.

  He kisses my lips gently. “Then you should stay in them.”

  “Forever,” I say momentarily breaking our kiss.

  “Promise?” He pleas. I nod my head. “Forever?”

  I smile up at him. “Forever,” I vow.

  He brings my hand to his lips. The ever present light from the bathroom glints off of a brilliant diamond solitaire that is now adorning the ring finger on my left hand. I gasp and my eyes dart back and forth from my hand to his face.

  “Kaleb!” I’m speechless. He proposed in an off the cuff fashion in the hospital and has been at my side practically every second since. “It’s beautiful! How did you…?”

  He clears his throat. “It was my mothers.” I know my eyes are wide with shock. He continues, “the ring my father proposed to her with.” He shifts his weight and positions me so I’m straddling him and cups my face in his very large hands. “Will you be my wife, Josie? Will you allow me the chance to love you, cherish you, and worship you for the rest of our lives?”

  “Yes,” I pant against his mouth just before I slide my tongue across his.

  His hands leave my face and I feel the grip of his fingers on my hips. He shifts my weight forward and then back. I moan when he slips inside of me.

  Chapter 2

  Kaleb

  Damn I’m one lucky bastard I think as Josie collapses on my chest, panting, her tiny body covered in a light layer of sweat. I’ve barely softened and can still feel the periodic pulses from our synchronized climaxes.

  “Will it always be like this?” she asks into my chest.

  “I sure as fuck hope so.” I wrap my arms around her as she settles her weight to my left side. We’re a sweaty, sticky mess and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  I watch as she holds up her hand and admires the small diamond ring again. I’m nervous about what she thinks of it. Lorali is marrying a billionaire and has a rock the size of Texas on her hand. Alexa and Garrett may never get married but I couldn’t imagine hers would be any smaller.

  “You like it?”

  “I love it,” she says and turns her eyes to me. “I love you.”

  I kiss her forehead. “I love you, too.”

  We both settle into the embrace. I wish I could resist her more. She seems overly tired and even though I take into consideration what she’s been through in addition to being in her first trimester, I’m still concerned with her lack of energy. It’s in total contradiction to how she was before she was kidnapped. I’m concerned that she may be fighting depression and not just dealing with fatigue from her pregnancy.

  I hear her stomach growl and feel her smile against my chest.

  I shift to move out from underneath her but she clings to me tighter. “Let’s get you something to eat.”

  “Will you tell me about this?” I look down and notice that she’s gently rubbing a finger over the circular scar just under my right pectoral.

  I never wanted to have to talk to her about this. Not because I wanted to keep it from her, but because I wanted to protect her from that terrible day in my life. Maybe to protect myself from reliving it as well.

  “I was shot,” I say simply.

  She whimpers and squeezes me tight but remains quiet, giving me the opportunity to continue.

  I clear my throat and pray for strength to get through this story.

  “I was a rookie.” I tell her as my mind wanders back to that horrible day. “I had only been out of the academy for six months. Barely enough time to even wrap my head around being a cop, much less the skills and mindset needed for that fucked up day.”

  The rubbing motion of her hand on my chest settles me. “I was with my dad that day. We were serving a warrant on a known dope house. My dad wasn’t very concerned about the situation. He had what he considered a reliable informant that told him the people in the house were stoned all the time and he’d never seen a weapon there. It was Friday and we were in a hurry to get home. We had back-up en route but he didn’t want to wait and I trusted his instincts even though every cell in my body was telling me it wasn’t a good idea, but what did I know? He’d been a cop as long as I had been alive. Fuck,” I mutter. “He didn’t even wear a vest anymore. They were optional back then and it was hot as hell that day, so I didn’t have one on either.”

  “Oh, god,” she mutters against my chest. She of all people, since her father is a cop, knows how dangerous it is to let your guard down even for a minute.

  I hold her a little tighter and rub her back when I feel the slight tremble of her body.

  “My dad and I were standing side by side, not using an ounce of the tactical training that had been drilled in my head in the academy and into my father the twenty-five years he was on the job. He reached up, knocked on the door, and announced us as law enforcement. Before he could even pull his arm back the door exploded with two shotgun blasts.” I squeeze my eyes shut when I feel the burn of tears behind them.

  I can feel Josie sobbing into my chest and I want to comfort her but I have to tell the whole story now because I don’t know when or if I’ll ever have the strength to revisit the subject.

  “One of the pellets hit me in the chest. My dad,” I clear my throat against all of the emotion that wants to come bubbling out. “My dad took the rest. I blacked out almost immediately. I was told my dad was gone before he even hit the ground.”

  “I never understood why my mom was always a nervous wreck when my dad put on his uniform and left the house. I knew it was dangerous but I thought she was overreacting a bit. Now I know. Now I know my heart will break every time you leave the house.” She’s full on crying at t
his point, sobbing uncontrollably into my chest.

  “Shhh, Josie,” I rock her gently and kiss the top of her head. “I never want to leave you, Mariposa and I will do everything in my power to come home to you every single day. There’s nothing like losing your dad and almost dying yourself to make you very diligent about safety. I’m very cautious at work. I have been since that day.”

  “Have you talked to anyone about it?” she sniffles against my chest.

  “I did the mandatory six months with the house shrink. I struggled the most with what the shrink identified as survivor’s guilt. I blamed myself for not speaking up when I had a bad feeling about the situation. I’m much more verbal at work now. If my gut tells me something’s not right, I make sure to say something about it.”

  “How is your mom doing?” I love that she cares enough about me to ask me about the one other person who’s life was devastated that day.

  “She seems ok. I mean as ok as someone can be when they’ve lost as much as she has. She goes to church a lot.” I laugh.

  She pulls her head back to look at me. “What’s funny?”

  I smile at her and kiss the tip of her nose. “She has a guy friend at the church. She says friend, but they spend a lot of time together. They seem to get along well.”

  “How do you feel about your mom dating?” My smile falters slightly.

  I shrug my shoulders. “You know.” I can’t tell her that the idea of her loving someone other than my dad makes my skin crawl. “I don’t want her to be lonely.”

  “Baby?” She must sense my issue I have with my mom’s situation.

  I flip her over on her back, quickly sucking one of her nipples into my hot, eager mouth, hoping she doesn’t get too upset with my diversionary tactics. I begin nipping my way down her flat belly when her stomach growls again, louder this time than it did earlier.

  Food! That’s a great way to deflect her attention. “Come on,” I say backing away from her and offering her a hand. “Baby’s hungry for food!”

  She grumbles at me. “Yes, but mommy is hungry for daddy.” Her voice is seductive and the way she’s biting her lower lip almost convinces me, but when her stomach growls again I can’t be swayed.

  I laugh as I tug her off the bed and hand her the robe that’s hanging inside the closet door. “You remember the last time we had pizza delivered?”

  Her eyes light up at the mentioned hint of the multiple orgasms I gave her while we waited for our food to be delivered. “Yes,” she pants breathily.

  “I think we should order Chinese.” I wink at her. “They tend to take slightly longer to get here.”

  Chapter 3

  Alexa

  “Fuck!” I snarl as I once again crash into the oversized table that is taking up way too much space in the entryway. “I wish he’d leave a fucking light on.” I mutter under my breath.

  I’m going to have another bruise on my knee I think as I slam my keys down too hard on the table and limp into the living room. Plopping down on the couch I reach down and tug my shoes off. These twelve hour days are for the birds but it’s my cross to bear since I’m playing catch-up from all of the time I missed after being shot and while Josie was gone. I should count my lucky stars I still have a job.

  I smile because I know that after today everything is caught up. I also know I got caught up so fast because of the effort I put in prior to the shit hitting the proverbial fan the last two and a half months. Everything should settle now that I’ve been released to full duty and Josie is home.

  She’s knocked up and engaged now, but home safe. Knocked up! Hell no! I think I’d die, either from shock or Garrett killing me! I make a mental note to talk to my gynecologist about getting a tubal or something. There’s no chance I want kids and I’m certain Garrett feels the same way, but I’m sure the doctor won’t take drastic measures since I’m so young and childless. Just the thought that someone has the ability to make decisions about my body pisses me off.

  I attempt to curl my leg under me on the sofa and wince at the pain on my knee. Old Alexa would guzzle a bottle of white wine to ease the pain; current Alexa is too tired to even get off the couch to get some Advil. I palm my phone and decide to text Lorali.

  Alexa: We still getting together tomorrow night?

  I open my social media app, wasting time until she responds back. After several minutes of perusing pictures of acquaintances’ partying, her text response rolls across the top of the screen.

  Lorali: That’s the plan. I’ve texted Josie twice today and she’s not responded. I know she’s probably fine, but it’s got me a little worried.

  Alexa: I’m going to call her real fast. Hang tight.

  I swipe over to my contacts list and select Josie from my favorites. I hold it to my ear and listen to it ring. Just as I’m pulling my phone from my ear to hang up I hear it connect. Rather than hearing Josie say hello I’m tortured with a feminine giggle and the rustle of bedding.

  “Who was it?” I hear Kaleb’s accented voice ask.

  The “Ah!” from Josie followed by a sexy whimper explains exactly why she’s not responded to Lorali’s texts. I battle with myself, struggling between listening and hanging up. Kaleb’s gruff “Fuck, you taste so good.” Has me clicking off. As hot as the situation is, Josie is like my sister and yeah….no.

  Garrett and I have been like ships passing in the night this last week and I’m definitely feeling deprived, even more so after that little phone faux pas. I shake my head and attempt to clear dirty thoughts from it.

  I can’t not tell Lorali about this so I opt to call instead of text. She, unlike her sister, picks up after two rings.

  “Hey,” Lorali says into the phone. “What did she say?”

  “Well,” I can’t even hold in the laugh. “She said ‘AH!’ and then he said ‘Fuck you taste so good!’ So then I hung up.”

  By the time I get all of that out I’m full on laughing which sets off a smaller giggle from Lorali. “Jesus!” Lorali snorts.

  “Pretty much.” I hold my stomach which is now hurting from laughing so hard. “I’m pretty sure she meant to hit ignore rather than answer.”

  “I’d hope so! She’s not our little Josie anymore is she?” Lorali says somberly.

  “Nope. All grown up, engaged, and having a baby.” I sit back further into the couch. “So, needless to say she’s a little busy right now. I’m sure she’ll get back with you when her and Kaleb wrap-up their…meal.”

  Lorali snorts again. “I bet she will.”

  “Okay so we’re on for tomorrow evening. I need to get off the phone so I can let Garrett know what his dinner plans are for the evening.” I let out a mischievous giggle.

  “Funny thing.” And I can tell she’s smirking. “Probably close to the same thing Ian’s going to have!”

  As soon as I hang up the phone I text Garrett.

  Alexa: Little Red is home all alone and waiting for her big bad wolf

  I know he’s incredibly busy so I don’t expect to hear from him anytime soon. He usually gets home between eleven and midnight and there’s no way I’m waiting up for him. Too tired to even worry about dinner I strip as I make my way to the shower, leaving a trail of clothes in my wake.

  I manage the fastest shower in the history of showers before hand-drying my hair with a towel and falling into bed, exhausted. So grateful that tomorrow is Sunday and I can finally sleep in.

  ***

  I’m startled awake by a sharp bite of pain to my nipple only to realize that my arms are tied over my head and something that smells surprisingly like my perfume is tied around my head, preventing me from seeing anything. I’m in total darkness.

  My heart is thundering in my chest and a light sheen of sweat is suddenly covering my entire body.

  “G…Garrett?” I whisper timidly. Because seriously, who else could it be?

  “Nope,” he pants in my ear, startling me because I didn’t realize he was so close. “The big bad wolf,” his mildly menacing la
ugh sends another chill over my body and an echo of need to my core.

  “Why did you tie me up? Blindfold me?” Please tell me it’s because we’re going to play. Oh how I’ve missed the Garrett from when we first started hooking up. I’d been released from the doctor weeks ago, but with Josie’s kidnapping and our work schedules, we’ve barely had time for shower quickies these days.

  “You are all trussed up in your clothes because they were left strewn all over the floor.” I moan loudly as he twists my other nipple. “I’m hoping after tonight, you’ll remember to put them in the laundry where they belong.”

  I huff. “If leaving my clothes lying around makes you tie me up, you should expect my entire wardrobe on the floor tomorrow.”

  His hand suddenly slaps my clit and I realize just how close to euphoria I already am.

  “You like that, Angel?” I nod my head because I know he’s paying very close attention to me, monitoring every nuance of my body and its reaction to him. “Such a pretty mouth you have.” I feel his finger skate over my bottom lip as he gets back into the big bad wolf persona.

  I feel his body shift and his finger touches my lips again. I sweep my tongue out to lick it, an attempt to elicit some type of reaction from him. Rather than a finger my tongue makes contact with the drop of precome that was no doubt clinging to the tip of his erection.

  Knowing he is so close I raise my head up from the bed and wrap my lips around his engorged shaft.

  “Fuck,” he hisses as his hips jolt forward, propelling his cock deeper in my mouth. I hum my approval around him.

  I’m struggling to get a rhythm seeing as I’m tied up and flat on my back. Sensing my predicament he generously holds my head in place and begins to slowly fuck my mouth. I love it. I’m in paradise when his velvet covered steel length glides over my wet tongue. He’s trying to remain stoic, but the flex of his fingers against my scalp tells me I’m affecting him more than he wants to let on.

  He swells further in my mouth and just when I think he’s going to release he wrenches away.